summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authornfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>2025-02-20 12:21:17 -0800
committernfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>2025-02-20 12:21:17 -0800
commitad72f3e70763103903762b22e46439e83d02a132 (patch)
treef603f09c96efb365c13801a88591dcd1e5f2b2aa
parent8e97f1639199ff4c3027d17dae77cf052bcaf6d2 (diff)
NormalizeHEADmain
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/contents1.jpgbin76768 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/contents2.jpgbin82073 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/contents3.jpgbin68657 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/contents4.jpgbin14141 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/cover.jpgbin184838 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/illust.jpgbin91725 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/mayflower.jpgbin223613 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/maythumb.jpgbin54403 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p036a.jpgbin74674 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p036b.jpgbin63192 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p078.jpgbin99954 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p082.jpgbin99528 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p174.jpgbin81336 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p258.jpgbin110952 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p272.jpgbin105783 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p274a.jpgbin69950 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p274b.jpgbin72555 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/p278.jpgbin149476 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/images/titlepage.jpgbin108383 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/files/relative.htm12159
-rw-r--r--old/mf07v10.txt10939
-rw-r--r--old/mf07v10.zipbin222900 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/mf07v11h.zipbin1813804 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.txt10790
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.zipbin218602 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h.zipbin2056419 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/4107-h.htm12172
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents1.jpgbin76768 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents2.jpgbin82073 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents3.jpgbin68657 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents4.jpgbin14141 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/cover.jpgbin184838 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/illust.jpgbin91725 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/mayflower.jpgbin223613 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/maythumb.jpgbin54403 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036a.jpgbin74674 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036b.jpgbin63192 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p078.jpgbin99954 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p082.jpgbin99528 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p174.jpgbin81336 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p258.jpgbin110952 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p272.jpgbin105783 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274a.jpgbin69950 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274b.jpgbin72555 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p278.jpgbin149476 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/titlepage.jpgbin108383 -> 0 bytes
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107.txt10789
-rw-r--r--old/old-2025-02-20/4107.zipbin218364 -> 0 bytes
48 files changed, 0 insertions, 56849 deletions
diff --git a/old/files/images/contents1.jpg b/old/files/images/contents1.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index cb68826..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/contents1.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/contents2.jpg b/old/files/images/contents2.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8f1d7ab..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/contents2.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/contents3.jpg b/old/files/images/contents3.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index c98411b..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/contents3.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/contents4.jpg b/old/files/images/contents4.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 959180d..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/contents4.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/cover.jpg b/old/files/images/cover.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8afa636..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/cover.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/illust.jpg b/old/files/images/illust.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5122440..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/illust.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/mayflower.jpg b/old/files/images/mayflower.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 6b89ffe..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/mayflower.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/maythumb.jpg b/old/files/images/maythumb.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5f31900..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/maythumb.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p036a.jpg b/old/files/images/p036a.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index b61f9b2..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p036a.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p036b.jpg b/old/files/images/p036b.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 2e21afa..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p036b.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p078.jpg b/old/files/images/p078.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 11c5909..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p078.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p082.jpg b/old/files/images/p082.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 80585d4..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p082.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p174.jpg b/old/files/images/p174.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 15762d5..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p174.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p258.jpg b/old/files/images/p258.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index b8c0ed9..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p258.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p272.jpg b/old/files/images/p272.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index f462ba5..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p272.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p274a.jpg b/old/files/images/p274a.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 651788f..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p274a.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p274b.jpg b/old/files/images/p274b.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 4bdb2f7..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p274b.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/p278.jpg b/old/files/images/p278.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 3af56fa..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/p278.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/images/titlepage.jpg b/old/files/images/titlepage.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 54b8891..0000000
--- a/old/files/images/titlepage.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/files/relative.htm b/old/files/relative.htm
deleted file mode 100644
index ae10ee7..0000000
--- a/old/files/relative.htm
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12159 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
-
-<!DOCTYPE html
- PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
- "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" >
-
-<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
- <head>
- <title>
- The May-flower and Her Log, by Azel Ames
- </title>
-
- <style type="text/css">
- <!--
- body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}
- P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
- H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
- hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
- .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
- blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
- .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
- .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
- .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;}
- .indent5 { margin-left: 5%;}
- .indent10 { margin-left: 10%;}
- .indent15 { margin-left: 15%;}
- .indent20 { margin-left: 20%;}
- .indent30 { margin-left: 30%;}
- div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
- div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
- .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
- .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
- .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 100%; font-style:normal;
- margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
- text-align: right;}
- .side { float: left; font-size: 75%; width: 25%; padding-left: 0.8em;
- border-left: dashed thin; text-align: left;
- text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;
- font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;}
- p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0}
- span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 }
- pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
- -->
-</style>
- </head>
- <body>
- <h1>
- THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
- </h1>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Project Gutenberg's The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
-
-
-Title: The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete
-
-Author: Azel Ames
-
-Release Date: October 7, 2006 [EBook #4107]
-Last Updated: November 1, 2012
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-
-
-
-
-</pre>
- <h1>
- THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
- </h1>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h4>
- July 15, 1620&mdash;May 6, 1621 Chiefly from Original Sources
- </h4>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- By AZEL AMES, M.D.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h3>
- Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
- </h3>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <blockquote>
- <p>
- "Next to the fugitives whom Moses led out of Egypt, the little shipload
- of outcasts who landed at Plymouth are destined to influence the future
- of the world."<br /><br /> JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL<br />
- </p>
- </blockquote>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <blockquote>
- <p class="toc">
- <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
- </p>
- <p>
- <br />
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER &nbsp;I </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER &nbsp;II </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER &nbsp;III </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER &nbsp;IV </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER &nbsp;V </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER &nbsp;VI </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER &nbsp;VII </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER &nbsp;VIII </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER &nbsp;IX </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkappendix"> APPENDIX </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <big><b>ILLUSTRATIONS</b></big>
- </p>
- <p>
- <br />
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0001"> The Mayflower </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0002"> Titlepage </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0003"> Contents 1 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0004"> Contents 2 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0005"> Contents 3 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0006"> Maps and Illustrations </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0007"> Leyden to Delfshaven </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0008"> The Channel Courses </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0009"> Pilgrim Period Ship </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0010"> Ship Models </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0011"> Governor Winslow </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0012"> Chart Cape Cod Harbour 1 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0013"> Chart Cape Cod Harbour 2 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0014"> Chart Plymouth Bay 1 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0015"> Chart Plymouth Bay 2 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0016"> Chart Plymouth Bay 3 </a>
- </p>
- </blockquote>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001">
- <!-- IMG --></a> <a href="images/mayflower.jpg"></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="THE MAY-FLOWER AT SEA" src="images/maythumb.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="titlepage (105K)" src="images/titlepage.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="contents1 (74K)" src="images/contents1.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="contents2 (80K)" src="images/contents2.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="contents3 (67K)" src="images/contents3.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS" src="images/illust.jpg"
- width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- INTRODUCTORY
- </h2>
- <p>
- O civilized humanity, world-wide, and especially to the descendants of the
- Pilgrims who, in 1620, laid on New England shores the foundations of that
- civil and religious freedom upon which has been built a refuge for the
- oppressed of every land, the story of the Pilgrim "Exodus" has an
- ever-increasing value and zest. The little we know of the inception,
- development, and vicissitudes of their bold scheme of colonization in the
- American wilderness only serves to sharpen the appetite for more.
- </p>
- <p>
- Every detail and circumstance which relates to their preparations; to the
- ships which carried them; to the personnel of the Merchant Adventurers
- associated with them, and to that of the colonists themselves; to what
- befell them; to their final embarkation on their lone ship,&mdash;the
- immortal MAY-FLOWER; and to the voyage itself and to its issues, is vested
- to-day with, a supreme interest, and over them all rests a glamour
- peculiarly their own.
- </p>
- <p>
- For every grain of added knowledge that can be gleaned concerning the
- Pilgrim sires from any field, their children are ever grateful, and
- whoever can add a well-attested line to their all-too-meagre annals is
- regarded by them, indeed by all, a benefactor.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of those all-important factors in the chronicles of the "Exodus,"&mdash;the
- Pilgrim ships, of which the MAY-FLOWER alone crossed the seas,&mdash;and
- of the voyage itself, there is still but far too little known. Of even
- this little, the larger part has not hitherto been readily accessible, or
- in form available for ready reference to the many who eagerly seize upon
- every crumb of new-found data concerning these pious and intrepid
- Argonauts.
- </p>
- <p>
- To such there can be no need to recite here the principal and familiar
- facts of the organization of the English "Separatist" congregation under
- John Robinson; of its emigration to Holland under persecution of the
- Bishops; of its residence and unique history at Leyden; of the broad
- outlook of its members upon the future, and their resultant determination
- to cross the sea to secure larger life and liberty; and of their initial
- labors to that end. We find these Leyden Pilgrims in the early summer of
- 1620, their plans fairly matured and their agreements between themselves
- and with their merchant associates practically concluded, urging forward
- their preparations for departure; impatient of the delays and
- disappointments which befell, and anxiously seeking shipping for their
- long and hazardous voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is to what concerns their ships, and especially that one which has
- passed into history as "the Pilgrim bark," the MAY-FLOWER, and to her
- pregnant voyage, that the succeeding chapters chiefly relate. In them the
- effort has been made to bring together in sequential relation, from many
- and widely scattered sources, everything germane that diligent and
- faithful research could discover, or the careful study and re-analysis of
- known data determine. No new and relevant item of fact discovered, however
- trivial in itself, has failed of mention, if it might serve to correct, to
- better interpret, or to amplify the scanty though priceless records left
- us, of conditions, circumstances, and events which have meant so much to
- the world.
- </p>
- <p>
- As properly antecedent to the story of the voyage of the MAY-FLOWER as
- told by her putative "Log," albeit written up long after her boned lay
- bleaching on some unknown shore, some pertinent account has been given of
- the ship herself and of her "consort," the SPEEDWELL; of the difficulties
- attendant on securing them; of the preparations for the voyage; of the
- Merchant Adventurers who had large share in sending them to sea; of their
- officers and crews; of their passengers and lading; of the troubles that
- assailed before they had "shaken off the land," and of the final
- consolidation of the passengers and lading of both ships upon the
- MAY-FLOWER, for the belated ocean passage. The wholly negative results of
- careful search render it altogether probable that the original journal or
- "Log" of the MAY-FLOWER (a misnomer lately applied by the British press,
- and unhappily continued in that of the United States, to the recovered
- original manuscript of Bradford's "History of Plimoth Plantation "), if
- such journal ever existed, is now hopelessly lost.
- </p>
- <p>
- So far as known, no previous effort has been made to bring together in the
- consecutive relation of such a journal, duly attested and in their
- entirety, the ascertained daily happenings of that destiny-freighted
- voyage. Hence, this later volume may perhaps rightly claim to present
- &mdash;and in part to be, though necessarily imperfect&mdash;the sole and
- a true "Log of the MAY-FLOWER." No effort has been made, however, to
- reduce the collated data to the shape and style of the ship's "Log" of
- recent times, whose matter and form are largely prescribed by maritime
- law. While it is not possible to give, as the original&mdash;if it existed&mdash;would
- have done, the results of the navigators' observations day by day; the
- "Lat." and "Long."; the variations of the wind and of the magnetic needle;
- the tallies of the "lead" and "log" lines; "the daily run," etc.&mdash;in
- all else the record may confidently be assumed to vary little from that
- presumably kept, in some form, by Captain Jones, the competent Master of
- the Pilgrim bark, and his mates, Masters Clarke and Coppin.
- </p>
- <p>
- As the charter was for the "round voyage," all the features and incidents
- of that voyage until complete, whether at sea or in port, properly find
- entry in its journal, and are therefore included in this compilation,
- which it is hoped may hence prove of reference value to such as take
- interest in Pilgrim studies. Although the least pleasant to the author,
- not the least valuable feature of the work to the reader&mdash;especially
- if student or writer of Pilgrim history&mdash;will be found, it is
- believed, in the numerous corrections of previously published errors which
- it contains, some of which are radical and of much historical importance.
- It is true that new facts and items of information which have been coming
- to light, in long neglected or newly discovered documents, etc., are
- correctives of earlier and natural misconceptions, and a certain
- percentage of error is inevitable, but many radical and reckless errors
- have been made in Pilgrim history which due study and care must have
- prevented. Such errors have so great and rapidly extending power for harm,
- and, when built upon, so certainly bring the superstructure tumbling to
- the ground, that the competent and careful workman can render no better
- service than to point out and correct them wherever found, undeterred by
- the association of great names, or the consciousness of his own liability
- to blunder. A sound and conscientious writer will welcome the courteous
- correction of his error, in the interest of historical accuracy; the
- opinion of any other need not be regarded.
- </p>
- <p>
- Some of the new contributions (or original demonstrations), of more or
- less historical importance, made to the history of the Pilgrims, as the
- author believes, by this volume, are as follows:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left Delfshaven on
- the SPEEDWELL for Southampton; in other words, the names&mdash;those of
- Carver and Cushman and of the latter's family being added&mdash;of the
- Leyden contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left London in the
- MAY-FLOWER for Southampton; in other words, the names (with the deduction
- of Cushman and family, of Carver, who was at Southampton, and of an
- unknown few who abandoned the voyage at Plymouth) of the English
- contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) The establishment as correct, beyond reasonable doubt, of the date,
- Sunday, June 11/21, 1620, affixed by Robert Cushman to his letter to the
- Leyden leaders (announcing the "turning of the tide" in Pilgrim affairs,
- the hiring of the "pilott" Clarke, etc.), contrary to the conclusions of
- Prince, Arber, and others, that the letter could not have been written on
- Sunday.
- </p>
- <p>
- (d) The demonstration of the fact that on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620,
- Cushman's efforts alone apparently turned the tide in Pilgrim affairs;
- brought Weston to renewed and decisive cooperation; secured the employment
- of a "pilot," and definite action toward hiring a ship, marking it as one
- of the most notable and important of Pilgrim "red-letter days."
- </p>
- <p>
- (e) The demonstration of the fact that the ship of which Weston and
- Cushman took "the refusal," on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620, was not the
- MAY-FLOWER, as Young, Deane, Goodwin, and other historians allege.
- </p>
- <p>
- (f) The demonstration of the fact (overthrowing the author's own earlier
- views) that the estimates and criticisms of Robinson, Carver, Brown,
- Goodwin, and others upon Robert Cushman were unwarranted, unjust, and
- cruel, and that he was, in fact, second to none in efficient service to
- the Pilgrims; and hence so ranks in title to grateful appreciation and
- memory.
- </p>
- <p>
- (g) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER was not chartered
- later than June 19/29, 1620, and was probably chartered in the week of
- June 12/22&mdash;June 19/29 of that year.
- </p>
- <p>
- (h) The addition of several new names to the list of the Merchant
- Adventurers, hitherto unpublished as such, with considerable new data
- concerning the list in general.
- </p>
- <p>
- (i) The demonstration of the fact that Martin and Mullens, of the
- MAY-FLOWER colonists, were also Merchant Adventurers, while William White
- was probably such.
- </p>
- <p>
- (j) The demonstration of the fact that "Master Williamson," the
- much-mooted incognito of Bradford's "Mourt's Relation" (whose existence
- even has often been denied by Pilgrim writers), was none other than the
- "ship's-merchant," or "purser" of the MAY-FLOWER,&mdash;hitherto unknown
- as one of her officers, and historically wholly unidentified.
- </p>
- <p>
- (k) The general description of; and many particulars concerning, the
- MAY-FLOWER herself; her accommodations (especially as to her cabins), her
- crew, etc., hitherto unknown.
- </p>
- <p>
- (1) The demonstration of the fact that the witnesses to the nuncupative
- will of William Mullens were two of the MAY-FLOWER'S crew (one being
- possibly the ship's surgeon), thus furnishing the names of two more of the
- ship's company, and the only names&mdash;except those of her chief
- officers&mdash;ever ascertained.
- </p>
- <p>
- (m) The indication of the strong probability that the entire company of
- the Merchant Adventurers signed, on the one part, the charter-party of the
- MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- (n) An (approximate) list of the ages of the MAY-FLOWER'S passengers and
- the respective occupations of the adults.
- </p>
- <p>
- (o) The demonstration of the fact that no less than five of the Merchant
- Adventurers cast in their lots and lives with the Plymouth Pilgrims as
- colonists.
- </p>
- <p>
- (p) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas Goffe, Esquire,
- one of the Merchant Adventurers, owned the "MAY-FLOWER" when she was
- chartered for the Pilgrim voyage,&mdash;as also on her voyages to New
- England in 1629 and 1630.
- </p>
- <p>
- (q) The demonstration of the fact that the Master of the MAY-FLOWER was
- Thomas Jones, and that there was an intrigue with Master Jones to land the
- Pilgrims at some point north of the 41st parallel of north latitude, the
- other parties to which were, not the Dutch, as heretofore claimed, but
- none other than Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the Earl of Warwick, chiefs of
- the "Council for New England," in furtherance of a successful scheme of
- Gorges to steal the Pilgrim colony from the London Virginia Company, for
- the more "northern Plantations" of the conspirators.
- </p>
- <p>
- (r) The demonstration of the fact that a second attempt at stealing the
- colony&mdash;by which John Pierce, one of the Adventurers, endeavored to
- possess himself of the demesne and rights of the colonists, and to make
- them his tenants&mdash;was defeated only by the intervention of the
- "Council" and the Crown, the matter being finally settled by compromise
- and the transfer of the patent by Pierce (hitherto questioned) to the
- colony.
- </p>
- <p>
- (s) The demonstration of the actual relations of the Merchant Adventurers
- and the Pilgrim colonists&mdash;their respective bodies being associated
- as but two partners in an equal copartnership, the interests of the
- respective partners being (probably) held upon differing bases&mdash;contrary
- to the commonly published and accepted view.
- </p>
- <p>
- (t) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER&mdash;contrary to
- the popular impression&mdash;did not enter Plymouth harbor, as a "lone
- vessel," slowly "feeling her way" by chart and lead-line, but was
- undoubtedly piloted to her anchorage&mdash;previously "sounded" for her&mdash;by
- the Pilgrim shallop, which doubtless accompanied her from Cape Cod harbor,
- on both her efforts to make this haven, under her own sails.
- </p>
- <p>
- (u) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas English was
- helmsman of the MAY-FLOWER'S shallop (and so savior of her sovereign
- company, at the entrance of Plymouth harbor on the stormy night of the
- landing on Clarke's Island), and that hence to him the salvation of the
- Pilgrim colony is probably due; and
- </p>
- <p>
- (v) Many facts not hitherto published, or generally known, as to the
- antecedents, relationships, etc., of individual Pilgrims of both the
- Leyden and the English contingents, and of certain of the Merchant
- Adventurers.
- </p>
- <p>
- For convenience' sake, both the Old Style and the New Style dates of many
- events are annexed to their mention, and double-dating is followed
- throughout the narrative journal or "Log" of the Pilgrim ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- As the Gregorian and other corrections of the calendar are now generally
- well understood, and have been so often stated in detail in print, it is
- thought sufficient to note here their concrete results as affecting dates
- occurring in Pilgrim and later literature.
- </p>
- <p>
- From 1582 to 1700 the difference between O.S. and N.S. was ten (10) days
- (the leap-year being passed in 1600). From 1700 to 1800 it was eleven (11)
- days, because 1700 in O.S. was leap-year. From 1800 to 1900 the difference
- is twelve (12) days, and from 1900 to 2000 it will be thirteen (13) days.
- All the Dutch dates were New Style, while English dates were yet of the
- Old Style.
- </p>
- <p>
- There are three editions of Bradford's "History of Plimoth Plantation"
- referred to herein; each duly specified, as occasion requires. (There is,
- beside, a magnificent edition in photo-facsimile.) They are:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) The original manuscript itself, now in possession of the State of
- Massachusetts, having been returned from England in 1897, called herein
- "orig. MS."
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) The Deane Edition (so-called) of 1856, being that edited by the late
- Charles Deane for the Massachusetts Historical Society and published in
- "Massachusetts Historical Collections," vol. iii.; called herein "Deane's
- ed."
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) The Edition recently published by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
- and designated as the "Mass. ed."
- </p>
- <p>
- Of "Mourt's Relation" there are several editions, but the one usually
- referred to herein is that edited by Rev. Henry M. Dexter, D. D., by far
- the best. Where reference is made to any other edition, it is indicated,
- and "Dexter's ed." is sometimes named.
- </p>
- <p>
- AZEL AMES.
- </p>
- <p>
- WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, March 1, 1901.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- THE MAYFLOWER AND HER LOG
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <blockquote>
- <p>
- "Hail to thee, poor little ship MAY-FLOWER&mdash;of Delft Haven &mdash;poor,
- common-looking ship, hired by common charter-party for coined dollars,&mdash;caulked
- with mere oakum and tar, provisioned with vulgarest biscuit and bacon,&mdash;yet
- what ship Argo or miraculous epic ship, built by the sea gods, was other
- than a foolish bumbarge in comparison!"<br /><br /> THOMAS CARLYLE<br />
- </p>
- </blockquote>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER I
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE NAME&mdash;"MAY-FLOWER"
- </h3>
- <p>
- "Curiously enough," observes Professor Arber, "these names [MAY-FLOWER and
- SPEEDWELL] do not occur either in the Bradford manuscript or in 'Mourt's
- Relation.'"
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [A Relation, or Journal, of the Beginning and Proceedings of the
- English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, etc. G.
- Mourt, London, 1622. Undoubtedly the joint product of Bradford and
- Winslow, and sent to George Morton at London for publication.
- Bradford says (op, cit. p. 120): "Many other smaler maters I omite,
- sundrie of them having been already published, in a Jurnall made by
- one of ye company," etc. From this it would appear that Mourt's
- Relation was his work, which it doubtless principally was, though
- Winslow performed an honorable part, as "Mourt's" introduction and
- other data prove.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- He might have truthfully added that they nowhere appear in any of the
- letters of the "exodus" period, whether from Carver, Robinson, Cushman, or
- Weston; or in the later publications of Window; or in fact of any
- contemporaneous writer. It is not strange, therefore, that the Rev. Mr.
- Blaxland, the able author of the "Mayflower Essays," should have asked for
- the authority for the names assigned to the two Pilgrim ships of 1620.
- </p>
- <p>
- It seems to be the fact, as noted by Arber, that the earliest authentic
- evidence that the bark which bore the Pilgrims across the North Atlantic
- in the late autumn of 1620 was the MAY-FLOWER, is the "heading" of the
- "Allotment of Lands"&mdash;happily an "official" document&mdash;made at
- New Plymouth, New England, in March, 1623&mdash;It is not a little
- remarkable that, with the constantly recurring references to "the ship,"&mdash;the
- all-important factor in Pilgrim history,&mdash;her name should nowhere
- have found mention in the earliest Pilgrim literature. Bradford uses the
- terms, the "biger ship," or the "larger ship," and Winslow, Cushman,
- Captain John Smith, and others mention simply the "vessel," or the "ship,"
- when speaking of the MAY-FLOWER, but in no case give her a name.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is somewhat startling to find so thorough-paced an Englishman as Thomas
- Carlyle calling her the MAY-FLOWER "of Delft-Haven," as in the quotation
- from him on a preceding page. That he knew better cannot be doubted, and
- it must be accounted one of those 'lapsus calami' readily forgiven to
- genius,&mdash;proverbially indifferent to detail.
- </p>
- <p>
- Sir Ferdinando Gorges makes the curious misstatement that the Pilgrims had
- three ships, and says of them: "Of the three ships (such as their weak
- fortunes were able to provide), whereof two proved unserviceable and so
- were left behind, the third with great difficulty reached the coast of New
- England," etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER II
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER'S CONSORT THE SPEEDWELL
- </h3>
- <p>
- The SPEEDWELL was the first vessel procured by the Leyden Pilgrims for the
- emigration, and was bought by themselves; as she was the ship of their
- historic embarkation at Delfshaven, and that which carried the originators
- of the enterprise to Southampton, to join the MAY-FLOWER, &mdash;whose
- consort she was to be; and as she became a determining factor in the
- latter's belated departure for New England, she may justly claim mention
- here as indeed an inseparable "part and parcel" of the MAY-FLOWER'S
- voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- The name of this vessel of associate historic renown with the MAY-FLOWER
- was even longer in finding record in the early literature of the Pilgrim
- hegira than that of the larger It first appeared, so far as discovered, in
- 1669&mdash;nearly fifty years after her memorable service to the Pilgrims
- on the fifth page of Nathaniel Morton's "New England's Memorial."
- </p>
- <p>
- Davis, in his "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth," makes a singular error for
- so competent a writer, when he says: "The agents of the company in England
- had hired the SPEEDWELL, of sixty tons, and sent her to Delfthaven, to
- convey the colonists to Southampton." In this, however, he but follows
- Mather and the "Modern Universal History," though both are notably
- unreliable; but he lacks their excuse, for they were without his access to
- Bradford's "Historie." That the consort-pinnace was neither "hired" nor
- "sent to Delfthaven" duly appears.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford states the fact,&mdash;that "a smale ship (of some 60 tune), was
- bought and fitted in Holand, which was intended to serve to help to
- transport them, so to stay in ye countrie and atend ye fishing and such
- other affairs as might be for ye good and benefite of ye colonie when they
- come ther." The statements of Bradford and others indicate that she was
- bought and refitted with moneys raised in Holland, but it is not easy to
- understand the transaction, in view of the understood terms of the
- business compact between the Adventurers and the Planters, as hereinafter
- outlined. The Merchant Adventurers&mdash;who were organized (but not
- incorporated) chiefly through the activity of Thomas Weston, a merchant of
- London, to "finance" the Pilgrim undertaking&mdash;were bound, as part of
- their engagement, to provide the necessary shipping,' etc., for the
- voyage. The "joint-stock or partnership," as it was called in the
- agreement of the Adventurers and Planters, was an equal partnership
- between but two parties, the Adventurers, as a body, being one of the
- co-partners; the Planter colonists, as a body, the other. It was a
- partnership to run for seven years, to whose capital stock the first-named
- partner (the Adventurers) was bound to contribute whatever moneys, or
- their equivalents,&mdash;some subscriptions were paid in goods, &mdash;were
- necessary to transport, equip, and maintain the colony and provide it the
- means of traffic, etc., for the term named. The second-named partner (the
- Planter body) was to furnish the men, women, and children, &mdash;the
- colonists themselves, and their best endeavors, essential to the
- enterprise,&mdash;and such further contributions of money or provisions,
- on an agreed basis, as might be practicable for them. At the expiration of
- the seven years, all properties of every kind were to be divided into two
- equal parts, of which the Adventurers were to take one and the Planters
- the other, in full satisfaction of their respective investments and
- claims. The Adventurers' half would of course be divided among themselves,
- in such proportion as their individual contributions bore to the sum total
- invested. The Planters would divide their half among their number,
- according to their respective contributions of persons, money, or
- provisions, as per the agreed basis, which was:
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford's Historie, Deane's ed.; Arber, op. cit. p. 305.
- The fact that Lyford (Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 217)
- recommended that every "particular" (i.e. non-partnership colonist)
- sent out by the Adventurers&mdash;and they had come to be mostly of that
- class&mdash;"should come over as an Adventurer, even if only a servant,"
- and the fact that he recognized that some one would have to pay in
- L10 to make each one an Adventurer, would seem to indicate that any
- one was eligible and that either L10 was the price of the Merchant
- Adventurer's share, or that this was the smallest subscription which
- would admit to membership. Such "particular," even although an
- Adventurer, had no partnership share in the Planters' half-interest;
- had no voice in the government, and no claim for maintenance. He
- was, however, amenable to the government, subject to military duty
- and to tax. The advantage of being an Adventurer without a voice in
- colony affairs would be purely a moral one.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> that every person joining the enterprise, whether man, woman, youth,
- maid, or servant, if sixteen years old, should count as a share; that a
- share should be reckoned at L10, and hence that L10 worth of money or
- provisions should also count as a share. Every man, therefore, would be
- entitled to one share for each person (if sixteen years of age) he
- contributed, and for each L10 of money or provisions he added thereto,
- another share. Two children between ten and sixteen would count as one and
- be allowed a share in the division, but children under ten were to have
- only fifty acres of wild land. The scheme was admirable for its equity,
- simplicity, and elasticity, and was equally so for either capitalist or
- colonist.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin notes, that, "in an edition of Cushman's 'Discourse,' Judge Davis
- of Boston advanced the idea that at first the Pilgrims put all their
- possessions into a common stock, and until 1623 had no individual
- property. In his edition of Morton's 'Memorial' he honorably admits his
- error." The same mistake was made by Robertson and Chief Justice Marshall,
- and is occasionally repeated in this day. "There was no community of
- goods, though there was labor in common, with public supplies of food and
- clothing." Neither is there warrant for the conclusion of Goodwin, that
- because the holdings of the Planters' half interest in the undertaking
- were divided into L10 shares, those of the Adventurers were also. It is
- not impossible, but it does not necessarily follow, and certain known
- facts indicate the contrary.
- </p>
- <p>
- Rev. Edward Everett Hale, in "The Pilgrims' Life in Common," says:
- "Carver, Winslow, Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Fuller, and Allerton. were
- the persons of largest means in the Leyden group of the emigrants. It
- seems as if their quota of subscription to the common stock were paid in
- 'provisions' for the voyage and the colony, and that by 'provisions' is
- meant such articles of food as could be best bought in Holland." The good
- Doctor is clearly in error, in the above. Allerton was probably as "well
- off" as any of the Leyden contingent, while Francis Cooke and Degory
- Priest were probably "better off" than either Brewster or Standish, who
- apparently had little of this world's goods. Neither is there any evidence
- that any considerable amount of "provision" was bought in Holland. Quite a
- large sum of money, which came, apparently, from the pockets of the Leyden
- Adventurers (Pickering, Greene, etc.), and some of the Pilgrims, was
- requisite to pay for the SPEEDWELL and her refitting, etc.; but how much
- came from either is conjectural at best. But aside from "Hollands cheese,"
- "strong-waters" (schnapps), some few things that Cushman names; and
- probably a few others, obtained in Holland, most of the "provisioning," as
- repeatedly appears, was done at the English Southampton. In fact, after
- clothing and generally "outfitting" themselves, it is pretty certain that
- but few of the Leyden party had much left. There was evidently an
- understanding between the partners that there should be four principal
- agents charged with the preparations for, and carrying out of, the
- enterprise,&mdash;Thomas Weston and Christopher Martin representing the
- Adventurers and the colonists who were recruited in England (Martin being
- made treasurer), while Carver and Cushman acted for the Leyden company.
- John Pierce seems to have been the especial representative of the
- Adventurers in the matter of the obtaining of the Patent from the (London)
- Virginia Company, and later from the Council for New England. Bradford
- says: "For besides these two formerly mentioned, sent from Leyden, viz.,
- Master Carver and Robert Cushman, there was one chosen in England to be
- joyned with them, to make the provisions for the Voyage. His name was
- Master Martin. He came from Billerike in Essexe; from which parts came
- sundry others to go with them; as also from London and other places, and
- therefore it was thought meet and convenient by them in Holand, that these
- strangers that were to goe with them, should appointe one thus to be
- joyned with them; not so much from any great need of their help as to
- avoid all susspition, or jealosie, of any partialitie." But neither
- Weston, Martin, Carver, nor Cushman seems to have been directly concerned
- in the purchase of the SPEEDWELL. The most probable conjecture concerning
- it is, that in furtherance of the purpose of the Leyden leaders, stated by
- Bradford, that there should be a small vessel for their service in
- fishing, traffic, etc., wherever they might plant the colony, they were
- permitted by the Adventurers to purchase the SPEEDWELL for that service,
- and as a consort, "on general account."
- </p>
- <p>
- It is evident, however, from John Robinson's letter of June 14, 1620, to
- John Carver, that Weston ridiculed the transaction, probably on selfish
- grounds, but, as events proved, not without some justification.
- </p>
- <p>
- Robinson says: "Master Weston makes himself merry with our endeavors about
- buying a ship," [the SPEEDWELL] "but we have done nothing in this but with
- good reason, as I am persuaded." Although bought with funds raised in
- Holland,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Arber (The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341) arrives at the
- conclusion that "The SPEEDWELL had been bought with Leyden money.
- The proceeds of her sale, after her return to London, would, of
- course, go to the credit of the common joint-Stock there." This
- inference seems warranted by Robinson's letter of June 16/26 to
- Carver, in which he clearly indicates that the Leyden brethren
- collected the "Adventurers" subscriptions of Pickering and his
- partner (Greene), which were evidently considerable.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> it was evidently upon "joint-account," and she was doubtless so
- sold, as alleged, on her arrival in September, at London, having proved
- unseaworthy. In fact, the only view of this transaction that harmonizes
- with the known facts and the respective rights and relations of the
- parties is, that permission was obtained (perhaps through Edward
- Pickering, one of the Adventurers, a merchant of Leyden, and others) that
- the Leyden leaders should buy and refit the consort, and in so doing might
- expend the funds which certain of the Leyden Pilgrims were to pay into the
- enterprise, which it appears they did,&mdash;and for which they would
- receive, as shown, extra shares in the Planters' half-interest. It was
- very possibly further permitted by the Adventurers, that Mr. Pickering's
- and his partners' subscriptions to their capital stock should be applied
- to the purchase of the SPEEDWELL, as they were collected by the Leyden
- leaders, as Pastor Robinson's letter of June 14/24 to John Carver,
- previously noted, clearly shows.
- </p>
- <p>
- She was obviously bought some little time before May 31, 1620,&mdash;probably
- in the early part of the month,&mdash;from the fact that in their letter
- of May 31st to Carver and Cushman, then in London, Messrs. Fuller,
- Winslow, Bradford, and Allerton state that "we received divers letters at
- the coming of Master Nash and our Pilott," etc. From this it is clear that
- time enough had elapsed, since their purchase of the pinnace, for their
- messenger (Master Nash) to go to London,&mdash;evidently with a request to
- Carver and Cushman that they would send over a competent "pilott" to refit
- her, and for Nash to return with him, while the letter announcing their
- arrival does not seem to have been immediately written.
- </p>
- <p>
- The writers of the above-mentioned letter use the words "we received,"
- &mdash;using the past tense, as if some days before, instead of "we have
- your letters," or "we have just received your letters," which would rather
- indicate present, or recent, time. Probably some days elapsed after the
- "pilott's" arrival, before this letter of acknowledgment was sent. It is
- hence fair to assume that the pinnace was bought early in May, and that no
- time was lost by the Leyden party in preparing for the exodus, after their
- negotiations with the Dutch were "broken off" and they had "struck hands"
- with Weston, sometime between February 2/12, 1619/20, and April 1/11,
- 1620,&mdash;probably in March.
- </p>
- <p>
- The consort was a pinnace&mdash;as vessels of her class were then and for
- many years called&mdash;of sixty tons burden, as already stated, having
- two masts, which were put in&mdash;as we are informed by Bradford, and are
- not allowed by Professor Arber to forget&mdash;as apart of her refitting
- in Holland. That she was "square-rigged," and generally of the then
- prevalent style of vessels of her size and class, is altogether probable.
- The name pinnace was applied to vessels having a wide range in tonnage,
- etc., from a craft of hardly more than ten or fifteen tons to one of sixty
- or eighty. It was a term of pretty loose and indefinite adaptation and
- covered most of the smaller craft above a shallop or ketch, from such as
- could be propelled by oars, and were so fitted, to a small ship of the
- SPEEDWELL'S class, carrying an armament.
- </p>
- <p>
- None of the many representations of the SPEEDWELL which appear in
- historical pictures are authentic, though some doubtless give correct
- ideas of her type. Weir's painting of the "Embarkation of the Pilgrims,"
- in the Capitol at Washington (and Parker's copy of the same in Pilgrim
- Hall, Plymouth); Lucy's painting of the "Departure of the Pilgrims," in
- Pilgrim Hall; Copes great painting in the corridor of the British Houses
- of Parliament, and others of lesser note, all depict the vessel on much
- the same lines, but nothing can be claimed for any of them, except
- fidelity to a type of vessel of that day and class. Perhaps the best
- illustration now known of a craft of this type is given in the painting by
- the Cuyps, father and son, of the "Departure of the Pilgrims from
- Delfshaven," as reproduced by Dr. W. E. Griffis, as the frontispiece to
- his little monograph, "The Pilgrims in their Three Homes." No reliable
- description of the pinnace herself is known to exist, and but few facts
- concerning her have been gleaned. That she was fairly "roomy" for a small
- number of passengers, and had decent accommodations, is inferable from the
- fact that so many as thirty were assigned to her at Southampton, for the
- Atlantic voyage (while the MAY-FLOWER, three times her tonnage, but of
- greater proportionate capacity, had but ninety), as also from the fact
- that "the chief [i.e. principal people] of them that came from Leyden went
- in this ship, to give Master Reynolds content." That she mounted at least
- "three pieces of ordnance" appears by the testimony of Edward Winslow, and
- they probably comprised her armament.
- </p>
- <p>
- We have seen that Bradford notes the purchase and refitting of this "smale
- ship of 60 tune" in Holland. The story of her several sailings, her
- "leakiness," her final return, and her abandonment as unseaworthy, is
- familiar. We find, too, that Bradford also states in his "Historie," that
- "the leakiness of this ship was partly by her being overmasted and too
- much pressed with sails." It will, however, amaze the readers of Professor
- Arber's generally excellent "Story of the Pilgrim Fathers," so often
- referred to herein, to find him sharply arraigning "those members of the
- Leyden church who were responsible for the fitting of the SPEEDWELL,"
- alleging that "they were the proximate causes of most of the troubles on
- the voyage [of the MAY-FLOWER] out; and of many of the deaths at Plymouth
- in New England in the course of the following Spring; for they overmasted
- the vessel, and by so doing strained her hull while sailing." To this
- straining, Arber wholly ascribes the "leakiness" of the SPEEDWELL and the
- delay in the final departure of the MAYFLOWER, to which last he attributes
- the disastrous results he specifies. It would seem that the historian,
- unduly elated at what he thought the discovery of another "turning-point
- of modern history," endeavors to establish it by such assertions and such
- partial references to Bradford as would support the imaginary "find."
- Briefly stated, this alleged discovery, which he so zealously announces,
- is that if the SPEEDWELL had not been overmasted, both she and the
- MAY-FLOWER would have arrived early in the fall at the mouth of the Hudson
- River, and the whole course of New England history would have been
- entirely different. Ergo, the "overmasting" of the SPEEDWELL was a
- "pivotal point in modern history." With the idea apparently of giving
- eclat to this announcement and of attracting attention to it, he
- surprisingly charges the responsibility for the "overmasting" and its
- alleged dire results upon the leaders of the Leyden church, "who were," he
- repeatedly asserts, "alone responsible." As a matter of fact, however,
- Bradford expressly states (in the same paragraph as that upon which
- Professor Arber must wholly base his sweeping assertions) that the
- "overmasting" was but "partly" responsible for the SPEEDWELL'S leakiness,
- and directly shows that the "stratagem" of her master and crew,
- "afterwards," he adds, "known, and by some confessed," was the chief cause
- of her leakiness.
- </p>
- <p>
- Cushman also shows, by his letter,&mdash;written after the ships had put
- back into Dartmouth,&mdash;a part of which Professor Arber uses, but the
- most important part suppresses, that what he evidently considers the
- principal leak was caused by a very "loose board" (plank), which was
- clearly not the result of the straining due to "crowding sail," or of
- "overmasting." (See Appendix.)
- </p>
- <p>
- Moreover, as the Leyden chiefs were careful to employ a presumably
- competent man ("pilott," afterwards "Master" Reynolds) to take charge of
- refitting the consort, they were hence clearly, both legally and morally,
- exempt from responsibility as to any alterations made. Even though the
- "overmasting" had been the sole cause of the SPEEDWELL'S leakiness, and
- the delays and vicissitudes which resulted to the MAY-FLOWER and her
- company, the leaders of the Leyden church&mdash;whom Professor Arber
- arraigns &mdash;(themselves chiefly the sufferers) were in no wise at
- fault! It is clear, however, that the "overmasting" cut but small figure
- in the case; "confessed" rascality in making a leak otherwise, being the
- chief trouble, and this, as well as the "overmasting," lay at the door of
- Master Reynolds.
- </p>
- <p>
- Even if the MAY-FLOWER had not been delayed by the SPEEDWELL'S condition,
- and both had sailed for "Hudson's River" in midsummer, it is by no means
- certain that they would have reached there, as Arber so confidently
- asserts. The treachery of Captain Jones, in league with Gorges, would as
- readily have landed them, by some pretext, on Cape Cod in October, as in
- December. But even though they had landed at the mouth of the Hudson,
- there is no good reason why the Pilgrim influence should not have worked
- north and east, as well as it did west and south, and with the
- Massachusetts Bay Puritans there, Roger Williams in Rhode Island, and the
- younger Winthrop in Connecticut, would doubtless have made New England
- history very much what it has been, and not, as Professor Arber asserts,
- "entirely different."
- </p>
- <p>
- The cruel indictment fails, and the imaginary "turning point in modern
- history," to announce which Professor Arber seems to have sacrificed so
- much, falls with it.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Rev. Dr. Griffis ("The Pilgrims in their Three Homes," p. 158) seems
- to give ear to Professor Arber's untenable allegations as to the Pilgrim
- leaders' responsibility for any error made in the "overmasting" of the
- SPEEDWELL, although he destroys his case by saying of the "overmasting:"
- "Whether it was done in England or Holland is not certain." He says,
- unhappily chiming in with Arber's indictment: "In their eagerness to get
- away promptly, they [the Leyden men] made the mistake of ordering for the
- SPEEDWELL heavier and taller masts and larger spars than her hull had been
- built to receive, thus altering most unwisely and disastrously her trim."
- He adds still more unhappily: "We do not hear of these inveterate landsmen
- and townsfolk [of whom he says, 'possibly there was not one man familiar
- with ships or sea life'] who were about to venture on the Atlantic, taking
- counsel of Dutch builders or mariners as to the proportion of their
- craft." Why so discredit the capacity and intelligence of these
- nation-builders? Was their sagacity ever found unequal to the problems
- they met? Were the men who commanded confidence and respect in every
- avenue of affairs they entered; who talked with kings and dealt with
- statesmen; these diplomats, merchants, students, artisans, and
- manufacturers; these men who learned law, politics, state craft, town
- building, navigation, husbandry, boat-building, and medicine, likely to
- deal negligently or presumptuously with matters upon which they were not
- informed? Their first act, after buying the SPEEDWELL, was to send to
- England for an "expert" to take charge of all technical matters of her
- "outfitting," which was done, beyond all question, in Holland. What need
- had they, having done this (very probably upon the advice of those
- experienced ship-merchants, their own "Adventurers" and townsmen, Edward
- Pickering and William Greene), to consult Dutch ship-builders or mariners?
- She was to be an English ship, under the English flag, with English
- owners, and an English captain; why: should they defer to Dutch seamen or
- put other than an English "expert" in charge of her alterations,
- especially when England rightfully boasted the best? But not only were
- these Leyden leaders not guilty of any laches as indicted by Arber and too
- readily convicted by Griffis, but the "overmasting" was of small account
- as compared with the deliberate rascality of captain and crew, in the
- disabling of the consort, as expressly certified by Bradford, who
- certainly, as an eye-witness, knew whereof he affirmed.
- </p>
- <p>
- Having bought a vessel, it was necessary to fit her for the severe service
- in which she was to be employed; to provision her for the voyage, etc.;
- and this could be done properly only by experienced hands. The Pilgrim
- leaders at Leyden seem, therefore, as noted, to have sent to their agents
- at London for a competent man to take charge of this work, and were sent a
- "pilott" (or "mate"), doubtless presumed to be equal to the task. Goodwin
- mistakenly says: "As Spring waned, Thomas Nash went from Leyden to confer
- with the agents at London. He soon returned with a pilot (doubtless [sic]
- Robert Coppin), who was to conduct the Continental party to England." This
- is both wild and remarkable "guessing" for the usually careful compiler of
- the "Pilgrim Republic." There is no warrant whatever for this assumption,
- and everything contra-indicates it, although two such excellent
- authorities as Dr. Dexter and Goodwin coincide&mdash;the latter
- undoubtedly copying the former&mdash;concerning Coppin; both being
- doubtless in error, as hereafter shown. Dexter says "My impression is that
- Coppin was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL, and that he was the
- 'pilott' whose coming was 'a great incouragement' to the Leyden
- expectants, in the last of May, or first of June, 1620 [before May 31, as
- shown]; that he sailed with them in the SPEEDWELL, but on her final
- putting back was transferred to the MAY-FLOWER." All the direct light any
- one has upon the matter comes from the letter of the Leyden brethren of
- May 31 [O.S.], 1620, previously cited, to Carver and Cushman, and the
- reply of the latter thereto, of Sunday, June 11, 1620. The former as
- noted, say: "We received diverse letters at the coming of Master Nash
- [probably Thomas] and our pilott, which is a great incouragement unto us .
- . . and indeed had you not sente him [the 'pilott,' presumably] many would
- have been ready to fainte and goe backe." Neither here nor in any other
- relation is there the faintest suggestion of Coppin, except as what he
- was, "the second mate," or "pilott," of the MAY-FLOWER. It is not
- reasonable to suppose that, for so small a craft but just purchased, and
- with the expedition yet uncertain, the Leyden leaders or their London
- agents had by June 11, employed both a "Master" and a "pilott" for the
- SPEEDWELL, as must have been the case if this "pilott" was, as Goodwin so
- confidently assumes, "doubtless Robert Coppin." For in Robert Cushman's
- letter of Sunday, June 11, as if proposing (now that the larger vessel
- would be at once obtained, and would, as he thought, be "ready in fourteen
- days") that the "pilott" sent over to "refit" the SPEEDWELL should be
- further utilized, he says: "Let Master Reynolds tarrie there
- [inferentially, not return here when his work is done, as we originally
- arranged] and bring the ship [the SPEEDWELL], to Southampton." The latter
- service we know he performed.
- </p>
- <p>
- The side lights upon the matter show, beyond doubt:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) That a "pilott" had been sent to Holland, with Master Nash, before May
- 31, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) That unless two had been sent (of which there is no suggestion, and
- which is entirely improbable, for obvious reasons), Master Reynolds was
- the "pilott" who was thus sent;
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) That it is clear, from Cushman's letter of June 11/21, that Reynolds
- was then in Holland, for Cushman directs that "Master Reynolds tarrie
- there and bring the ship to Southampton;"
- </p>
- <p>
- (d) That Master Reynolds was not originally intended to "tarrie there,"
- and "bring the ship," etc., as, if he had been, there would have been no
- need of giving such an order; and
- </p>
- <p>
- (e) That he had been sent there for some other purpose than to bring the
- SPEEDWELL to Southampton. Duly considering all the facts together, there
- can be no doubt that only one "pilott" was sent from England; that he was
- expected to return when the work was done for which he went (apparently
- the refitting of the SPEEDWELL); that he was ordered to remain for a new
- duty, and that the man who performed that duty and brought the ship to
- Southampton (who, we know was Master Reynolds) must have been the
- "pilott", sent over.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are told too, by Bradford,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford's Historie, as already cited; Arber, The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341. John Brown, in his Pilgrim Fathers of New
- England, p. 198, says: "She [the SPEEDWELL] was to remain with the
- colony for a year." Evidently a mistake, arising from the length of
- time for which her crew were shipped. The pinnace herself was
- intended, as we have seen, for the permanent use of they colonists,
- and was to remain indefinitely.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> that the crew of the SPEEDWELL "were hired for a year," and we know,
- in a general way, that most of them went with her to London when she
- abandoned the voyage. This there is ample evidence Coppin did not do,
- going as he did to New England as "second mate" or "pilott" of the
- MAY-FLOWER, which there is no reason to doubt he was when she left London.
- Neither is there anywhere any suggestion that there was at Southampton any
- change in the second mate of the larger ship, as there must have been to
- make good the suggestion of Dr. Dexter.
- </p>
- <p>
- Where the SPEEDWELL lay while being "refitted" has not been ascertained,
- though presumably at Delfshaven, whence she sailed, though possibly at one
- of the neighboring larger ports, where her new masts and cordage could be
- "set up" to best advantage.
- </p>
- <p>
- We know that Reynolds&mdash;"pilott" and "Master" went from London to
- superintend the "making-ready" for sea. Nothing is known, however, of his
- antecedents, and nothing of his history after he left the service of the
- Pilgrims in disgrace, except that he appears to have come again to New
- England some years later, in command of a vessel, in the service of the
- reckless adventurer Weston (a traitor to the Pilgrims), through whom, it
- is probable, he was originally selected for their service in Holland.
- Bradford and others entitled to judge have given their opinions of this
- cowardly scoundrel (Reynolds) in unmistakable terms.
- </p>
- <p>
- What other officers and crew the pinnace had does not appear, and we know
- nothing certainly of them, except the time for which they shipped; that
- some of them were fellow-conspirators with the Master (self-confessed), in
- the "strategem" to compel the SPEEDWELL'S abandonment of the voyage; and
- that a few were transferred to the MAYFLOWER. From the fact that the
- sailors Trevore and Ely returned from New Plymouth on the FORTUNE in 1621,
- "their time having expired," as Bradford notes, it may be fairly assumed
- that they were originally of the SPEEDWELL'S crew.
- </p>
- <p>
- That the fears of the SPEEDWELL'S men had been worked upon, and their
- cooperation thus secured by the artful Reynolds, is clearly indicated by
- the statement of Bradford: "For they apprehended that the greater ship
- being of force and in which most of the provisions were stored, she would
- retain enough for herself, whatever became of them or the passengers, and
- indeed such speeches had been cast out by some of them."
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the list of passengers who embarked at Delfshaven, July 22, 1620,
- "bound for Southampton on the English coast, and thence for the northern
- parts of Virginia," we fortunately have a pretty accurate knowledge. All
- of the Leyden congregation who were to emigrate, with the exception of
- Robert Cushman and family, and (probably) John Carver, were doubtless
- passengers upon the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to Southampton, though the
- presence of Elder Brewster has been questioned. The evidence that he was
- there is well-nigh as conclusive as that Robert Cushman sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, and that Carver, who had been for some months in
- England,&mdash;chiefly at Southampton, making preparations for the voyage,
- was there to meet the ships on their arrival. It is possible, of course,
- that Cushman's wife and son came on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven; but is
- not probable. Among the passengers, however, were some who, like Thomas
- Blossom and his son, William Ring, and others, abandoned the voyage to
- America at Plymouth, and returned in the pinnace to London and thence went
- back to Holland. Deducting from the passenger list of the MAYFLOWER those
- known to have been of the English contingent, with Robert Cushman and
- family, and John Carver, we have a very close approximate to the
- SPEEDWELL'S company on her "departure from Delfshaven." It has not been
- found possible to determine with absolute certainty the correct relation
- of a few persons. They may have been of the Leyden contingent and so have
- come with their brethren on the SPEEDWELL, or they may have been of the
- English colonists, and first embarked either at London or at Southampton,
- or even at Plymouth,&mdash;though none are supposed to have joined the
- emigrants there or at Dartmouth.
- </p>
- <p>
- The list of those embarking at Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, and so of the
- participants in that historic event,&mdash;a list now published for the
- first time, so far as known,&mdash;is undoubtedly accurate, within the
- limitations stated, as follows, being for convenience' sake arranged by
- families:
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-The Family of Deacon John Carver (probably in charge of John Howland),
-embracing:&mdash;
- Mrs. Katherine Carver,
- John Howland (perhaps kinsman of Carver), "servant" or "employee,"
- Desire Minter, or Minther (probably companion of Mrs. Carver,
- perhaps kinswoman),
- Roger Wilder, "servant,"
- "Mrs. Carver's maid" (whose name has never transpired).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Bradford and
- Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Winslow and
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow,
- George Soule a "servant" (or employee),
- Elias Story, "servant."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elder William Brewster and
- Mrs. Mary Brewster,
- Love Brewster, a son,
- Wrestling Brewster, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Isaac Allerton and
- Mrs. Mary (Morris) Allerton,
- Bartholomew Allerton, a son,
- Remember Allerton, a daughter,
- Mary Allerton, a daughter,
- John Hooke, "servant-boy."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Dr. Samuel Fuller and
- William Butten, "servant"-assistant.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Captain Myles Standish and
- Mrs. Rose Standish.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William White and
- Mrs. Susanna (Fuller) White,
- Resolved White, a son,
- William Holbeck, "servant,"
- Edward Thompson, "servant."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Deacon Thomas Blossom and
- &mdash;&mdash;- Blossom, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Tilley and
- Mrs. Ann Tilley.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master John Tilley and
- Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde?) Tilley (2d wife),
- Elizabeth Tilley, a daughter of Mr. Tilley by a former wife(?)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Crackstone and
- John Crackstone (Jr.), a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Cooke and
- John Cooke, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Turner and
- &mdash;&mdash; Turner, a son,
- &mdash;&mdash; Turner, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Degory Priest.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Rogers and
- Joseph Rogers, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Moses Fletcher.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Thomas Williams.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Tinker and
- Mrs. &mdash;&mdash; Tinker,
- &mdash;&mdash; Tinker, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Fuller and
- Mrs. &mdash;&mdash; Fuller,
- Samuel Fuller, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Rigdale and
- Mrs. Alice Rigdale.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Eaton and
- Mrs. &mdash;&mdash; Eaton,
- Samuel Eaton, an infant son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Peter Browne.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- William Ring.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard Clarke.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- John Goodman.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Edward Margeson.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard Britteridge.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Katherine Carver and her family, it is altogether probable, came
- over in charge of Howland, who was probably a kinsman, both he and
- Deacon Carver coming from Essex in England,&mdash;as they could hardly
- have been in England with Carver during the time of his exacting
- work of preparation. He, it is quite certain, was not a passenger
- on the Speedwell, for Pastor Robinson would hardly have sent him
- such a letter as that received by him at Southampton, previously
- mentioned (Bradford's "Historie," Deane's ed. p. 63), if he had been
- with him at Delfshaven at the "departure," a few days before. Nor
- if he had handed it to him at Delfshaven, would he have told him in
- it, "I have written a large letter to the whole company."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Howland was clearly a "secretary" or "steward," rather than a
- "servant," and a man of standing and influence from the outset.
- That he was in Leyden and hence a SPEEDWELL passenger appears
- altogether probable, but is not absolutely certain.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Desire Minter (or Minther) was undoubtedly the daughter of Sarah, who,
- the "Troth Book" (or "marriage-in-tention" records) for 1616, at the
- Stadtbuis of Leyden, shows, was probably wife or widow of one
- William Minther&mdash;evidently of Pastor Robinson's congregation&mdash;when
- she appeared on May 13 as a "voucher" for Elizabeth Claes, who then
- pledged herself to Heraut Wilson, a pump-maker, John Carver being
- one of Wilson's "vouchers." In 1618 Sarah Minther (then recorded as
- the widow of William) reappeared, to plight her troth to Roger
- Simons, brick-maker, from Amsterdam. These two records and the
- rarity of the name warrant an inference that Desire Minter (or
- Minther) was the daughter of William and Sarah (Willet) Minter (or
- Minther), of Robinson's flock; that her father had died prior to
- 1618 (perhaps before 1616); that the Carvers were near friends,
- perhaps kinsfolk; that her father being dead, her mother, a poor
- widow (there were clearly no rich ones in the Leyden congregation),
- placed this daughter with the Carvers, and, marrying herself, and
- removing to Amsterdam the year before the exodus, was glad to leave
- her daughter in so good a home and such hands as Deacon and Mistress
- Carver's. The record shows that the father and mother of Mrs. Sarah
- Minther, Thomas and Alice Willet, the probable grandparents of
- Desire Minter, appear as "vouchers" for their daughter at her Leyden
- betrothal. Of them we know nothing further, but it is a reasonable
- conjecture that they may have returned to England after the
- remarriage of their daughter and her removal to Amsterdam, and the
- removal of the Carvers and their granddaughter to America, and that
- it was to them that Desire went, when, as Bradford records, "she
- returned to her friends in England, and proved not very well and
- died there."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-"Mrs. Carver's maid" we know but little about, but the presumption is
- naturally strong that she came from; Leyden with her mistress. Her
- early marriage and; death are duly recorded.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Roger Wilder, Carver's "servant;" was apparently in his service at Leyden
- and accompanied the family from thence. Bradford calls him "his
- [Carver's] man Roger," as if an old, familiar household servant,
- which (as Wilder died soon after the arrival at Plymouth) Bradford
- would not have been as likely to do&mdash;writing in 1650, thirty years
- after&mdash;if he had been only a short-time English addition to Carver's
- household, known to Bradford only during the voyage. The fact that
- he speaks of him as a "man" also indicates something as to his age,
- and renders it certain that he was not an "indentured" lad. It is
- fair to presume he was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL to Southampton.
- (It is probable that Carver's "servant-boy," William Latham, and
- Jasper More, his "bound-boy," were obtained in England, as more
- fully appears.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Bradford and his wife were certainly of the party in the
- SPEEDWELL, as shown by his own recorded account of the embarkation.
- (Bradford's "Historie," etc.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Winslow's very full (published) account of the embarkation
- ("Hypocrisie Unmasked," pp. 10-13, etc.) makes it certain that
- himself and family were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-George Soule, who seems to have been a sort of "upper servant" or
- "steward," it is not certain was with Winslow in Holland, though it
- is probable.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elias Story, his "under-servant," was probably also with him in Holland,
- though not surely so. Both servants might possibly have been
- procured from London or at Southampton, but probably sailed from
- Delfshaven with Winslow in the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elder William Brewster and his family, his wife and two boys, were
- passengers on the SPEEDWELL, beyond reasonable doubt. He was, in
- fact, the ranking man of the Leyden brethren till they reached
- Southampton and the respective ships' "governors" were chosen. The
- Church to that point was dominant. (The Elder's two "bound-boys,"
- being from London, do not appear as SPEEDWELL passengers.) There is,
- on careful study, no warrant to be found for the remarkable
- statements of Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 33), that, during the
- hunt for Brewster in Holland in 1619, by the emissaries of James I.
- of England (in the endeavor to apprehend and punish him for printing
- and publishing certain religious works alleged to be seditious),
- "William Brewster was in London . . . and there he remained until
- the sailing of the MAYFLOWER, which he helped to fit out;" and that
- during that time "he visited Scrooby." That he had no hand whatever
- in fitting out the MAYFLOWER is certain, and the Scrooby statement
- equally lacks foundation. Professor Arber, who is certainly a
- better authority upon the "hidden press" of the Separatists in
- Holland, and the official correspondence relating to its proprietors
- and their movements, says ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,"
- p.196): "The Ruling Elder of the Pilgrim Church was, for more than a
- year before he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, on the 22 July-
- 1 August, 1620, a hunted man." Again (p. 334), he says: "Here let
- us consider the excellent management and strategy of this Exodus.
- If the Pilgrims had gone to London to embark for America, many, if
- not most of them, would have been put in prison [and this is the
- opinion of a British historian, knowing the temper of those times,
- especially William Brewster.] So only those embarked in London
- against whom the Bishops could take no action." We can understand,
- in light, why Carver&mdash;a more objectionable person than Cushman to
- the prelates, because of his office in the Separatist Church&mdash;was
- chiefly employed out of their sight, at Southampton, etc., while the
- diplomatic and urbane Cushman did effective work at London, under
- the Bishops' eyes. It is not improbable that the personal
- friendship of Sir Robert Naunton (Principal Secretary of State to
- King James) for Sir Edward Sandys and the Leyden brethren (though
- officially seemingly active under his masters' orders in pushing Sir
- Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, to an
- unrelenting search for Brewster) may have been of material aid to
- the Pilgrims in gaining their departure unmolested. The only basis
- known for the positive expression of Goodwin resides in the
- suggestions of several letters' of Sir Dudley Carleton to Sir Robert
- Naunton, during the quest for Brewster; the later seeming clearly to
- nullify the earlier.
-
- Under date of July 22, 1619, Carleton says: "One William Brewster,
- a Brownist, who has been for some years an inhabitant and printer at
- Leyden, but is now within these three weeks removed from thence and
- gone back to dwell in London," etc.
-
- On August 16, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: "I am told William Brewster is
- come again for Leyden," but on the 30th adds: "I have made good
- enquiry after William Brewster and am well assured he is not
- returned thither, neither is it likely he will; having removed from
- thence both his family and goods," etc.
-
- On September 7, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: "Touching Brewster, I am now
- informed that he is on this side the seas [not in London, as before
- alleged]; and that he was seen yesterday, at Leyden, but, as yet, is
- not there settled," etc.
-
- On September 13, 1619 (N.S.), he says: "I have used all diligence to
- enquire after Brewster; and find he keeps most at Amsterdam; but
- being 'incerti laris', he is not yet to be lighted upon. I
- understand he prepares to settle himself at a village called
- Leerdorp, not far from Leyden, thinking there to be able to print
- prohibited books without discovery, but I shall lay wait for him,
- both there and in other places, so as I doubt but either he must
- leave this country; or I shall, sooner or later, find him out."
-
- On September 20, 1619 (N.S.), he says: "I have at length found out
- Brewster at Leyden," etc. It was a mistake, and Brewster's partner
- (Thomas Brewer), one of the Merchant Adventurers, was arrested
- instead.
-
- On September 28, 1619 (N.S.), he states, writing from Amsterdam:
- "If he lurk here for fear of apprehension, it will be hard to find
- him," etc.
-
- As late as February 8, 1619/20, there was still a desire and hope
- for his arrest, but by June the matter had become to the King&mdash;and
- all others&mdash;something of an old story. While, as appears by a
- letter of Robert Cushman, written in London, in May, 1619, Brewster
- was then undoubtedly there, one cannot agree, in the light of the
- official correspondence just quoted, with the conclusion of Dr.
- Alexander Young ("Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers," vol. i.
- p. 462), that "it is probable he [Brewster] did not return to
- Leyden, but kept close till the MAYFLOWER sailed."
-
- Everything indicates that he was at Leyden long after this; that he
- did not again return to London, as supposed; and that he was in
- hiding with his family (after their escape from the pursuit at
- Leyden), somewhere among friends in the Low Countries. Although by
- July, 1620, the King had, as usual, considerably "cooled off," we
- may be sure that with full knowledge of the harsh treatment meted
- out to his partner (Brewer) when caught, though unusually mild (by
- agreement with the authorities of the University and Province of
- Holland), Brewster did not deliberately put himself "under the
- lion's paw" at London, or take any chances of arrest there, even in
- disguise. Dr. Griffis has lent his assent ("The Pilgrims in their
- Homes," p, 167), though probably without careful analysis of all the
- facts, to the untenable opinion expressed by Goodwin, that Brewster
- was "hiding in England" when the SPEEDWELL sailed from Delfshaven.
- There can be no doubt that, with his ever ready welcome of sound
- amendment, he will, on examination, revise his opinion, as would the
- clear-sighted Goodwin, if living and cognizant of the facts as
- marshalled against his evident error. As the leader and guide of
- the outgoing part of the Leyden church we may, with good warrant,
- believe&mdash;as all would wish&mdash;that Elder Brewster was the chief figure
- the departing Pilgrims gathered on the SPEEDWELL deck, as she took
- her departure from Delfshaven.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Isaac Allerton and his family, his wife and three children, two
- sons and a daughter, were of the Leyden company and passengers in
- the SPEEDWELL. We know he was active there as a leader, and was
- undoubtedly one of those who bought the SPEEDWELL. He was one of
- the signers of the joint-letter from Leyden, to Carver and Cushman,
- May 31 (O.S.) 1620.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Hooke, Allerton's "servant-lad," may have been detained at London or
- Southampton, but it is hardly probable, as Allerton was a man of
- means, consulted his comfort, and would have hardly started so large
- a family on such a journey without a servant.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Dr. Samuel Fuller was, as is well known, one of the Leyden chiefs,
- connected by blood and marriage with many of the leading families of
- Robinson's congregation. He was active in the preparations for the
- voyage the first signer of the joint-letter of May 31, and doubtless
- one of the negotiators for the SPEEDWELL. His wife and child were
- left behind, to follow later as they did.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Butten, the first of the Pilgrim party to die, was, in all
- probability, a student-"servant" of Doctor Fuller at Leyden, and
- doubtless embarked with him at Delfshaven. Bradford calls him
- (writing of his death) "Wm. Butten, a youth, servant to Samuel
- Fuller." Captain Myles Standish and his wife Rose, we know from
- Bradford, were with the Pilgrims in Leyden and doubtless shipped
- with them. Arber calls him ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,"
- p. 378) a "chief of the Pilgrim Fathers" in the sense of a father
- and leader in their Israel; but there is no warrant for this
- assumption, though he became their "sword-hand" in the New World.
- By some writers, though apparently with insufficient warrant,
- Standish has been declared a Roman Catholic. It does not appear
- that he was ever a communicant of the Pilgrim Church. His family,
- moreover, was not of the Roman Catholic faith, and all his conduct
- in the colony is inconsistent with the idea that he was of that
- belief. Master William White, his wife and son, were of the Leyden
- congregation, both husband and wife being among its principal
- people, and nearly related to several of the Pilgrim band. The
- marriage of Mr. and Mrs. White is duly recorded in Leyden. William
- Holbeck and Edward Thompson, Master White's two servants, he
- probably took with him from Leyden, as his was a family of means and
- position, though they might possibly have been procured at
- Southampton. They were apparently passengers in the SPEEDWELL.
- Deacon Thomas Blossom and his son were well known as of Pastor
- Robinson's flock at Leyden. They returned, moreover, to Holland
- from Plymouth, England (where they gave up the voyage), via London.
- The father went to New Plymouth ten years later, the son dying
- before that time. (See Blossom's letter to Governor Bradford.
- Bradford's Letter Book, "Plymouth Church Records," i. 42.) In his
- letter dated at Leyden, December 15, 1625, he says: "God hath taken
- away my son that was with me in the ship MAYFLOWER when I went back
- again."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Tilley (sometimes given the prefix of Master) his wife Ann are
- known to have been of the Leyden company. (Bradford's "Historie,"
- p. 83.) It is doubtful if their "cousins," Henry Sampson and
- Humility Cooper, were of Leyden. They apparently were English
- kinsfolk, taken to New England with the Tilleys, very likely joined
- them at Southampton and hence were not of the SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers. Humility Cooper returned to England after the death of
- Tilley and his wife. That Mrs. Tilley's "given name" was Ann is not
- positively established, but rests on Bradford's evidence.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Tilley (who is also sometimes called Master) is reputed a brother of
- Edward, and is known to have been&mdash;as also his wife&mdash;of the Leyden
- church (Bradford, Deane's ed. p. 83.) His second wife Bridget Van
- der Velde, was evidently of Holland blood, and their marriage is
- recorded in Leyden. Elizabeth Tilley was clearly a daughter by an
- earlier wife. He is said by Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 32) to
- have been a "silk worker" Leyden, but earlier authority for this
- occupation is not found.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Crackstone is of record as of the Leyden congregation. His daughter
- remained there, and came later to America.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- John Crackstone, Jr., son of above. Both were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Cooke has been supposed a very early member of Robinson's flock
- in England, who escaped with them to Holland, in 1608. He and his
- son perhaps embarked at Delfshaven, leaving his wife and three other
- children to follow later. (See Robinson's letter to Governor
- Bradford, "Mass. Hist. Coll.," vol. iii. p. 45, also Appendix for
- account of Cooke's marriage.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Cooke, the son, was supposed to have lived to be the last male
- survivor of the MAY-FLOWER, but Richard More proves to have survived
- him. He was a prominent man in the colony, like his father, and the
- founder of Dartmouth (Mass.).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Turner and his sons are also known to have been of the Leyden party,
- as he was undoubtedly the messenger sent to London with the letter
- (of May 31) of the leaders to Carver and Cushman, arriving there
- June 10, 1620. They were beyond doubt of the SPEEDWELL'S list.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Degory Priest&mdash;or "Digerie," as Bradford calls him&mdash;was a prominent
- member of the Leyden body. His marriage is recorded there, and he
- left his family in the care of his pastor and friends, to follow him
- later. He died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Rogers and his son are reputed of the Leyden company. He left
- (according to Bradford) some of his family there&mdash;as did Cooke and
- Priest&mdash;to follow later. It has been suggested that Rogers might
- have been of the Essex (England) lineage, but no evidence of this
- appears. The Rogers family of Essex were distinctively Puritans,
- both in England and in the Massachusetts colony.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Moses Fletcher was a "smith" at Leyden, and of Robinson's church. He was
- married there, in 1613, to his second wife. He was perhaps of the
- English Amsterdam family of Separatists, of that name. As the only
- blacksmith of the colonists, his early death was a great loss.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Williams, there seems no good reason to doubt, was the Thomas
- Williams known to have been of Leyden congregation. Hon. H. C.
- Murphy and Arber include him&mdash;apparently through oversight alone
- &mdash;in the list of those of Leyden who did not go, unless there were
- two of the name, one of whom remained in Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Tinker, wife, and son are not certainly known to have been of the
- Leyden company, or to have embarked at Delfshaven, but their
- constant association in close relation with others who were and who
- so embarked warrants the inference that they were of the SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers. It is, however, remotely possible, that they were of
- the English contingent.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Fuller and his wife and little son were of the Leyden company, and
- on the SPEEDWELL. He is reputed to have been a brother of Dr.
- Fuller, and is occasionally so claimed by early writers, but by what
- warrant is not clear.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Rigdale and his wife have always been placed by tradition and
- association with the Leyden emigrants but there is a possibility
- that they were of the English party. Probability assigns them to
- the SPEEDWELL, and they are needed to make her accredited number.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Eaton, wife, and babe were doubtless of the Leyden list. He is
- said to have been a carpenter there (Goodwin, "Pilgrim Republic," p.
- 32), and was married there, as the record attests.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Peter Browne has always been classed with the Leyden party. There is no
- established authority for this except tradition, and he might
- possibly have been of the English emigrants, though probably a
- SPEEDWELL passenger; he is needed to make good her putative number.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Ring is in the same category as are Eaton and Browne. Cushman
- speaks of him, in his Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth (of
- August 17), in terms of intimacy, though this, while suggestive, of
- course proves nothing, and he gave up the voyage and returned from
- Plymouth to London with Cushman. He was certainly from Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Clarke is on the doubtful list, as are also John Goodman, Edward
- Margeson, and Richard Britteridge. They have always been
- traditionally classed with the Leyden colonists, yet some of them
- were possibly among the English emigrants. They are all needed,
- however, to make up the number usually assigned to Leyden, as are
- all the above "doubtfuls," which is of itself somewhat confirmatory
- of the substantial correctness of the list.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas English, Bradford records, "was hired to goe master of a [the]
- shallopp" of the colonists, in New England waters. He was probably
- hired in Holland and was almost certainly of the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Alderton (sometimes written Allerton) was, Bradford states, "a hired
- man, reputed [reckoned] one of the company, but was to go back
- (being a seaman) and so making no account of the voyages for the
- help of others behind" [probably at Leyden]. It is probable that he
- was hired in Holland, and came to Southampton on the SPEEDWELL.
- Both English and Alderton seem to have stood on a different footing
- from Trevore and Ely, the other two seamen in the employ of the
- colonists.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Trevore was, we are told by Bradford, "a seaman hired to stay a
- year in the countrie," but whether or not as part of the SPEEDWELL'S
- Crew (who, he tells us, were all hired for a year) does not appear.
- As the Master (Reynolds) and others of her crew undoubtedly returned
- to London in her from Plymouth, and her voyage was cancelled, the
- presumption is that Trevore and Ely were either hired anew or&mdash;more
- probably&mdash;retained under their former agreement, to proceed by the
- MAY-FLOWER to America, apparently (practically) as passengers.
- Whether of the consort's crew or not, there can be little doubt that
- he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&mdash;- Ely, the other seaman in the Planters' employ, also hired to "remain
- a year in the countrie," appears to have been drafted, like Trevore,
- from the SPEEDWELL before she returned to London, having, no doubt,
- made passage from Holland in her. Both Trevore and Ely survived
- "the general sickness" at New Plimoth, and at the expiration of the
- time for which they were employed returned on the FORTUNE to England
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- Of course the initial embarkation, on Friday, July 21/31 1620, was at
- Leyden, doubtless upon the Dutch canal-boats which undoubtedly brought
- them from a point closely adjacent to Pastor Robinson's house in the
- Klock-Steeg (Bell, Belfry, Alley), in the garden of which were the houses
- of many, to Delfshaven.
- </p>
- <p>
- Rev. John Brown, D.D., says: "The barges needed for the journey were most
- likely moored near the Nuns' Bridge which spans the Rapenburg immediately
- opposite the Klok-Steeg, where Robinsons house was. This, being their
- usual meeting-place, would naturally be the place of rendezvous on the
- morning of departure. From thence it was but a stone's throw to the boats,
- and quickly after starting they would enter the Vliet, as the section of
- the canal between Leyden and Delft is named, and which for a little
- distance runs within the city bounds, its quays forming the streets. In
- those days the point where the canal leaves the city was guarded by a
- water-gate, which has long since been removed, as have also the town
- walls, the only remaining portions of which are the Morsch-gate and the
- Zylgate. So, gliding along the quiet waters of the Vliet, past the
- Water-gate, and looking up at the frowning turrets of the Cow-gate, 'they
- left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting-place near
- twelve years.' . . . Nine miles from Leyden a branch canal connects the
- Vliet with the Hague, and immediately beyond their junction a sharp turn
- is made to the left, as the canal passes beneath the Hoom-bridge; from
- this point, for the remaining five miles, the high road from the Hague to
- Delft, lined with noble trees, runs side by side with the canal. In our
- time the canal-boats make a circuit of the town to the right, but in those
- days the traffic went by canal through the heart of the city . . . .
- Passing out of the gates of Delft and leaving the town behind, they had
- still a good ten miles of canal journey before them ere they reached their
- vessel and came to the final parting, for, as Mr. Van Pelt has clearly
- shown, it is a mistake to confound Delft with Delfshaven, as the point of
- embarkation in the SPEEDWELL. Below Delft the canal, which from Leyden
- thither is the Vliet, then becomes the Schie, and at the village of
- Overschie the travellers entered the Delfshaven Canal, which between
- perfectly straight dykes flows at a considerable height above the
- surrounding pastures. Then finally passing through one set of sluice gates
- after another, the Pilgrims were lifted from the canal into a broad
- receptacle for vessels, then into the outer haven, and so to the side of
- the SPEEDWELL as she lay at the quay awaiting their arrival."
- </p>
- <p>
- Dr. Holmes has prettily pictured the "Departure" in his "Robinson of
- Leyden," even if not altogether correctly, geographically.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- "He spake; with lingering, long embrace,
- With tears of love and partings fond,
- They floated down the creeping Maas,
- Along the isle of Ysselmond.
-
- "They passed the frowning towers of Briel,
- The 'Hook of Holland's' shelf of sand,
- And grated soon with lifting keel
- The sullen shores of Fatherland.
-
- "No home for these! too well they knew
- The mitred king behind the throne;
- The sails were set, the pennons flew,
- And westward ho! for worlds unknown."
-</pre>
- <p>
- Winslow informs us that they of the Leyden congregation who volunteered
- for the American enterprise were rather the smaller fraction of the whole
- body, though he adds, as noted "that the difference was not great." A
- careful analysis of the approximate list of the Leyden colonists, &mdash;including,
- of course, Carver, and Cushman and his family,&mdash;whose total number
- seems to have been seventy-two, indicates that of this number, forty-two,
- or considerably more than half (the rest being children, seamen, or
- servants), were probably members of the Leyden church. Of these, thirty,
- probably, were males and twelve females. The exact proportion this number
- bore to the numerical strength of Robinson's church at that time cannot be
- determined, because while something less than half as we know, gave their
- votes for the American undertaking, it cannot be known whether or not the
- women of church had a vote in the matter. Presumably they did not, the
- primitive church gave good heed to the words of Paul (i Corinthians xiv.
- 34), "Let your women keep silence in the churches." Neither can it be
- known&mdash;if they had a voice&mdash;whether the wives and daughters of
- some of the embarking Pilgrims, who did not go themselves at this time,
- voted with their husbands and fathers for the removal. The total number,
- seventy-two, coincides very nearly with the estimate made by Goodwin, who
- says: "Only eighty or ninety could go in this party from Leyden," and
- again: "Not more than eighty of the MAY-FLOWER company were from Leyden.
- Allowing for [i.e. leaving out] the younger children and servants, it is
- evident that not half the company can have been from Robinson's
- congregation." As the total number of passengers on the MAYFLOWER was one
- hundred and two when she took her final departure from England, it is
- clear that Goodwin's estimate is substantially correct, and that the
- number representing the Leyden church as given above, viz., forty-two, is
- very close to the fact.
- </p>
- <p>
- "When they came to the place" [Delfshaven], says Bradford, "they found the
- ship and all things ready; and such of their friends as could not come
- with them [from Leyden] followed after them; and sundry also came from
- Amsterdam (about fifty miles) to see them shipped, and to take their leave
- of them."
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Leyden to Delfshaven" src="images/p036a.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- Saturday, July 22/Aug. 1, 1620, the Pilgrim company took their farewells,
- and Winslow records: "We only going aboard, the ship lying to the key
- [quay] and ready to sail; the wind being fair, we gave them [their
- friends] a volley of small shot [musketry] and three pieces of ordnance
- and so lifting up our hands to each other and our hearts for each other to
- the Lord our God, we departed."
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin says of the parting: "The hull was wrapped in smoke, through which
- was seen at the stern the white flag of England doubly bisected by the
- great red cross of St. George, a token that the emigrants had at last
- resumed their dearly-loved nationality. Far above them at the main was
- seen the Union Jack of new device."
- </p>
- <p>
- And so after more than eleven years of banishment for conscience' sake
- from their native shores, this little band of English exiles, as true to
- their mother-land&mdash;despite persecutions&mdash;as to their God, raised
- the flag of England, above their own little vessel, and under its folds
- set sail to plant themselves for a larger life in a New World.
- </p>
- <p>
- And thus opens the "Log" of the SPEEDWELL, and the "Westward-Ho" of the
- Pilgrim Fathers.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h3>
- THE SPEEDWELL'S LOG
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, July 23/Aug. 2.
- On the German Ocean. Wind fair. General
- course D.W., toward Southampton. sails
- set, running free.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, July 24/Aug. 3.
- Fair. Wind moderate. Dover Straits
- English Channel. In sight Dover Cliffs.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, July 25/Aug. 5
- Hugging English shore. Enters Southampton
- Water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, July 26/Aug. 5.
- Came to anchor in Port of Southampton near
- ship MAYFLOWER of Yarmouth, from London (to
- which this pinnace is consort), off the
- north of the West Quay.'
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, July 27/Aug. 6.
- At anchor in port of Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, July 28/Aug. 7.
- Lying at anchor at Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, July 29/Aug. 8.
- Lying at Southampton. MAY-FLOWER ready for
- sea, but pinnace leaking and requires
- re-trimming.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, July 30/Aug. 9.
- Lying at Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, July 31/Aug. 10.
- Ditto.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 1/11.
- Ditto.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 2/22.
- Ditto. Pinnace leaking. Re-trimmed again.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug 3/13.
- Ditto. Receiving passengers, etc. Some of
- principal Leyden men assigned to SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 4/14
- Southampton. Making ready to leave.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 5/55.
- Dropped down Southampton Water and beat
- down Channel. Wind dead ahead. Laid general
- course W.S.W.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 6/16.
- Wind baffling. Beating down Channel.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 7/17.
- Ditto.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 8/18.
- Ditto. Ship leaking.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 9/19.
- Ship leaking badly. Wind still ahead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug. 10/20.
- Ship still leaking badly. Gaining on
- pumps. Hove to. Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in
- company. Consultation with Captain Jones
- and principal passengers. Decided vessels
- shall put back, Dartmouth, being nearest
- convenient port. Wore ship and laid course
- for Dartmouth with good wind.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 11/21.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking badly.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 12/22.
- Made port at Dartmouth MAY-FLOWER in
- company. Came to anchor near MAY-FLOWER.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 13/23.
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 14/24.
- Moving cargo and overhauling and retrimming
- ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 15/25.
- Lying at Dartmouth. At on ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 16/26.
- Ditto. Found a plank feet long loose and
- admitting water freely, as at a mole hole.
- Seams opened some.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug. 17/27.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Some dissension among
- chief of passengers. Ship's "Governor"
- unsatisfactory.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 18/28.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Still at work on ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 19/29.
- Still lying at Dartmouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 20/30.
- Lying at Dartmouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 21/31
- Still at Dartmouth. Overhauling completed.
- Cargo relaced. Making ready to go to sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 22/Sept. 1.
- Still at Dartmouth. Lying at anchor ready
- for sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 23/Sept. 2.
- Weighed anchor,' as did also MAY-FLOWER,
- and set sail. Laid general course W.S.W.
- Wind fair
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug. 24/Sept.3.
- Fair wind, but ship leaking.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 25/Sept. 4.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking dangerously.
- MAY-FLOWER in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 26/Sept. 5.
- About 100 leagues [300 miles] from Land's
- End. Ship leaking badly. Hove to.
- Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in company.
- Consultation between masters, carpenters,
- and principal passengers. Decided to put
- back into Plymouth and determine whether
- pinnace is seaworthy. Put about and laid
- course for Plymouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 27/Sept. 6.
- Wind on starboard quarter. Made Plymouth
- harbor and came to anchor. MAY-FLOWER in
- company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 28/Sept. 7.
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Conference
- of chief of Colonists and officers of
- MAY-FLOWER and SPEEDWELL. No special leak
- could be found, but it was judged to be the
- general weakness of the ship, and that she
- would not prove sufficient for the voyage.
- It was resolved to dismiss her the
- SPEEDWELL, and part of the company, and
- proceed with the other ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Sept. 2/12
- Ditto. Reassignment of passengers. Master
- Cushman and family, Master Blossom and son,
- Wm. Ring and others to return in pinnace to
- London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Sept. 3/13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Sept. 4/14
- Weighed anchor and took departure for
- London, leaving MAY-FLOWER at anchor in
- roadstead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Sept. 9/19
- Off Gravesend. Came to anchor in Thames.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE AND
- OF THE LOG OF THE
- MAY-FLOWER'S
- CONSORT
-</pre>
- <p>
- From Bradford we learn that the SPEEDWELL was sold at London, and was
- "refitted", her old trip being restored, and that she afterwards made for
- her new owners many and very prosperous voyages.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="The Channel Courses" src="images/p036b.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER III
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER'S CHARTER AND THE ADVENTURERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- The ship MAY-FLOWER was evidently chartered about the middle of June, 1620
- at London, by Masters Thomas West Robert Cushman acting together in behalf
- of the Merchant Adventurers (chiefly of London) and the English
- congregation of "Separatists" (the "Pilgrims"), at Leyden in Holland who,
- with certain of England associated, proposed to colony in America.
- </p>
- <p>
- Professor Arber, when he says, in speaking of Cushman and Weston, "the
- hiring of the MAY-FLOWER, when they did do it, was their act alone, and
- the Leyden church nothing to do with it," seems to forget that Cushman and
- his associate Carver had no other function or authority in their
- conjunction with Weston and Martin, except to represent the Leyden
- congregation. Furthermore, it was the avowed wish of Robinson (see his
- letter dated June 14, 1620, to John Carver), that Weston "may [should]
- presently succeed in hiring" [a ship], which was equivalent to hoping that
- Carver and Cushman&mdash;Weston's associates representing Leyden&mdash;would
- aid in so doing. Moreover, Bradford expressly states that: "Articles of
- Agreement, drawn by themselves were, by their [the Leyden congregation's]
- said messenger [Carver] sent into England, who together with Robert
- Cushman were to receive moneys and make provisions, both for shipping, and
- other things for the voyage."
- </p>
- <p>
- Up to Saturday, June 10, nothing had been effected in the way of providing
- shipping for the migrating planters though the undertaking had been four
- months afoot&mdash;beyond the purchase and refitting, in Holland, by the
- Leyden people themselves, of a pinnace of sixty tons (the SPEEDWELL)
- intended as consort to a larger ship&mdash;and the hiring of a "pilott" to
- refit her, as we have seen.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Leyden leaders had apparently favored purchasing also the larger
- vessel still needed for the voyage, hoping, perhaps, to interest therein
- at least one of their friends, Master Edward Pickering, a merchant of
- Holland, himself one of the Adventurers, while Master Weston had, as
- appears, inclined to hire. From this disagreement and other causes,
- perhaps certain sinister reasons, Weston had become disaffected, the
- enterprise drooped, the outlook was dubious, and several formerly
- interested drew back, until shipping should be provided and the good faith
- of the enterprise be thus assured.
- </p>
- <p>
- It transpires from Robinson's letter dated June 14., before quoted (in
- which he says: "For shipping, Master Weston, it should seem is set upon
- hiring"), that Robinson's own idea was to purchase, and he seems to have
- dominated the rest. There is perhaps a hint of his reason for this in the
- following clause of the same letter, where he writes: "I do not think
- Master Pickering [the friend previously named] will ingage, except in the
- course of buying ['ships?'&mdash;Arber interpolates] as in former letters
- specified." If he had not then "ingaged" (as Robinson intimates), as an
- Adventurer, he surely did later, contrary to the pastor's prediction, and
- the above may have been a bit of special pleading. Robinson naturally
- wished to keep their, affairs, so far as possible, in known and supposedly
- friendly hands, and had possibly some assurances that, as a merchant,
- Pickering would be willing to invest in a ship for which he could get a
- good charter for an American voyage. He proved rather an unstable friend.
- </p>
- <p>
- Robinson is emphatic, in the letter cited, as to the imperative necessity
- that shipping should be immediately provided if the enterprise was to be
- held together and the funds subscribed were to be secured. He evidently
- considered this the only guaranty of good faith and of an honest intention
- to immediately transport the colony over sea, that would be accepted.
- After saying, as already noted, that those behind-hand with their payments
- refuse to pay in "till they see shipping provided or a course taken for
- it," he adds, referring to Master Weston: "That he should not have had
- either shipping ready before this time, or at least certain [i.e.
- definite] means and course, and the same known to us, for it; or have
- taken other order otherwise; cannot in [according to] my conscience be
- excused."
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford also states that one Master Thomas Weston a merchant of London,
- came to Leyden about the same time [apparently while negotiations for
- emigration under their auspices were pending with the Dutch, in February
- or March, 1620], who was "well acquainted with some of them and a
- furtherer of them in their former proceedings.... and persuaded them....
- not to meddle with the Dutch," etc. This Robinson confirms in his letter
- to Carver before referred to, saying: "You know right well we depend on
- Master Weston alone,.... and when we had in hand another course with the
- Dutchman, broke it off at his motion."
- </p>
- <p>
- On the morning of the 10th of June, 1620, Robert Cushman, one of the
- Leyden agents at London, after writing to his associate, Master John
- Carver, then at Southampton; and to the Leyden leaders&mdash;in reply to
- certain censorious letters received by him from both these sources &mdash;although
- disheartened by the difficulties and prospects before him, sought Master
- Weston, and by an urgent appeal so effectively wrought upon him, that, two
- hours later, coming to Cushman, he promised "he would not yet give it [the
- undertaking] up." Cushman's patience and endurance were evidently nearly
- "at the breaking point," for he says in his letter of Sunday, June 11,
- when success had begun to crown his last grand effort: "And, indeed, the
- many discouragements I find here [in London] together with the demurs and
- retirings there [at Leyden] had made me to say, 'I would give up my
- accounts to John Carver and at his coming from Southampton acquaint him
- fully with all courses [proceedings] and so leave it quite, with only the
- poor clothes on my back: But gathering up myself by further consideration,
- I resolved yet to make one trial more," etc. It was this "one trial more"
- which meant so much to the Pilgrims; to the cause of Religion; to America;
- and to Humanity. It will rank with the last heroic and successful efforts
- of Robert the Bruce and others, which have become historic. The effect of
- Cushman's appeal upon Weston cannot be doubted. It not only apparently
- influenced him at the time, but, after reflection and the lapse of hours,
- it brought him to his associate to promise further loyalty, and, what was
- much better, to act. The real animus of Weston's backwardness, it is quite
- probable, lay in the designs of Gorges, which were probably not yet fully
- matured, or, if so, involved delay as an essential part. "And so," Cushman
- states, "advising together, we resolved to hire a ship." They evidently
- found one that afternoon, "of sixty last" (120 tons) which was called "a
- fine ship," and which they "took liking of [Old English for trial
- (Dryden), equivalent to refusal] till Monday." The same afternoon they
- "hired another pilot . . . one Master Clarke."&mdash;of whom further.
- </p>
- <p>
- It seems certain that by the expression, "we have hired another pilot
- here, one Master Clarke," etc.; that Cushman was reckoning the "pilott"
- Reynolds whom he had hired and sent over to them in Holland, as shown&mdash;as
- at the first, and now Clarke as "another." It nowhere appears that up to
- this date, any other than these two had been hired, nor had there been
- until then, any occasion for more than one.
- </p>
- <p>
- If Cushman had been engaged in such important negotiations as these before
- he wrote his letters to Carver and the Leyden friends, on Saturday
- morning, he would certainly have mentioned them. As he named neither, it
- is clear that they had not then occurred. It is equally certain that
- Cushman's appeal to Weston was not made, and his renewed activity aroused,
- until after these letters had been dispatched and nothing of the kind
- could have been done without Weston.
- </p>
- <p>
- His letter-writing of June 10 was obviously in the morning, as proven by
- the great day's work Cushman performed subsequently. He must have written
- his letters early and have taken them to such place as his messenger had
- suggested (Who his messenger was does not appear, but it was not John
- Turner, as suggested by Arber, for he did not arrive till that night.)
- Cushman must then have looked up Weston and had an hour or more of earnest
- argument with him, for he says: "at the last [as if some time was
- occupied] he gathered himself up a little more" [i.e. yielded somewhat.]
- Then came an interval of "two hours," at the end of which Weston came to
- him,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [It would be highly interesting to know whether, in the two hours
- which intervened between Cushman's call on Weston and the latter's
- return call, Weston consulted Gorges and got his instructions. It
- is certain that he came prepared to act, and that vigorously, which
- he had not previously been.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> and they "advised together,"&mdash;which took time. It was by this
- evidently somewhat past noon, a four or five hours having been consumed.
- They then went to look for a ship and found one, which, from Cushman's
- remark, "but a fine ship it is," they must (at least superficially) have
- examined. While hunting for the ship they seem to have come across, and to
- have hired, John Clarke the "pilot," with whom they necessarily, as with
- the ship's people, spent some time. It is not improbable that the approach
- of dusk cut short their examination of the ship, which they hence "took
- liking of [refusal of] till Monday." It is therefore evident that the
- "refusal" of the "sixty last" ship was taken, and the "pilot" Clarke was
- "hired," on Saturday afternoon, June 10, as on Sunday, June 11, Cushman
- informed the Leyden leaders of these facts by letter, as above indicated,
- and gave instructions as to the SPEEDWELL'S "pilott," Master Reynolds.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are therefore able to fix, nearly to an hour, the "turning of the tide"
- in the affairs of the Pilgrim movement to America.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is also altogether probable that the Pilgrims and humanity at large are
- still further (indirectly) indebted to Cushman's "one more trial" and
- resultant Saturday afternoon's work, for the MAY-FLOWER (though not found
- that day), and her able commander Jones, who, whatever his faults, safely
- brought the Pilgrims through stormy seas to their "promised land."
- </p>
- <p>
- Obligations of considerable and rapidly cumulative cost had now been
- incurred, making it imperative to go forward to embarkation with all
- speed, and primarily, to secure the requisite larger ship. Evidently
- Weston and Cushman believed they had found one that would serve, when on
- Saturday, they "took liking," as we have seen, of the "fine ship" of 120
- tons, "till Monday." No less able authorities than Charles Deane, Goodwin,
- and Brown, with others, have mistakenly concluded that this ship was the
- MAY-FLOWER, and have so stated in terms. As editor of Bradford's history
- "Of Plimoth Plantation," Mr. Deane (in a footnote to the letter of Cushman
- written Sunday, June 11), after quoting the remark, "But it is a fine
- ship," mistakenly adds, "The renowned MAYFLOWER.&mdash;Ed.," thus
- committing himself to the common error in this regard. John Brown, in his
- "Pilgrim Fathers of New England," confuses the vessels, stating that,
- "when all was ready for the start, a pilot came over to conduct the
- emigrants to England, bringing also a letter from Cushman announcing that
- the MAYFLOWER, a vessel of one hundred and eighty tons, Thomas Jones,
- Master, would start from London to Southampton in a week or two," etc. As
- we have seen, these statements are out of their relation. No pilot went
- for that purpose and none carried such a letter (certainly none from
- Cushman), as alleged. Cushman's letter, sent as we know by John Turner,
- announced the finding of an entirely different vessel, which was neither
- of 180 tons burden, nor had any relation to the MAY-FLOWER or her future
- historic freight. Neither was there in his letter any time of starting
- mentioned, or of the port of Southampton as the destination of any vessel
- to go from London, or of Jones as captain. Such loose statements are the
- bane of history. Goodwin, usually so accurate, stumbles unaccountably in
- this matter&mdash;which has been so strangely misleading to other
- competent men&mdash;and makes the sadly perverted statement that, "In
- June, John Turner was sent, and he soon returned with a petulant (sic)
- letter from Cushman, which, however, announced that the ship MAYFLOWER had
- been selected and in two weeks would probably leave London for
- Southampton." He adds, with inexcusable carelessness in the presence of
- the words "sixty last" (which his dictionary would have told him, at a
- glance, was 120 tons), that: "This vessel (Thomas Jones, master) was rated
- at a hundred and eighty tons . . . . Yet she was called a fine ship," etc.
- It is evident that, like Brown, he confused the two vessels, with
- Cushman's letter before his eyes, from failure to compute the "sixty
- last." He moreover quotes Cushman incorrectly. The great disparity in
- size, however, should alone render this confusion impossible, and Cushman
- is clear as to the tonnage ("sixty last"), regretting that the ship found
- is not larger, while Bradford and all other chroniclers agree that the
- MAY-FLOWER was of "9 score" tons burden.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is also evident that for some reason this smaller ship (found on
- Saturday afternoon) was not taken, probably because the larger one, the
- MAY-FLOWER, was immediately offered to and secured by Masters Weston and
- Cushman, and very probably with general approval. Just how the MAY-FLOWER
- was obtained may never be certainly known. It was only on Saturday, June
- 10, as we have seen, that Master Weston had seriously set to work to look
- for a ship; and although the refusal of one&mdash;not wholly satisfactory&mdash;had
- been prudently taken that day, it was both natural and politic that as
- early as possible in the following week he should make first inquiry of
- his fellow-merchants among the Adventurers, whether any of them had
- available such a ship as was requisite, seeking to find, if possible, one
- more nearly of the desired capacity than that of which he had "taken the
- refusal" on Saturday. It appears altogether probable that, in reply to
- this inquiry, Thomas Goffe, Esq., a fellow Adventurer and
- shipping-merchant of London, offered the MAY-FLOWER, which, there is ample
- reason to believe, then and for ten years thereafter, belonged to him.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is quite likely that Clarke, the newly engaged "pilot," learning that
- his employers required a competent commander for their ship, brought to
- their notice the master of the ship (the FALCON) in which he had made his
- recent voyage to Virginia, Captain Jones, who, having powerful friends at
- his back in both Virginia Companies (as later appears), and large
- experience, was able to approve himself to the Adventurers. It is also
- probable that Thomas Weston engaged him himself, on the recommendation of
- the Earl of Warwick, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges.
- </p>
- <p>
- As several weeks would be required to fit the ship for her long voyage on
- such service, and as she sailed from London July 15, her charter-party
- must certainly have been signed by June 20, 1620. The SPEEDWELL, as
- appears from various sources (Bradford, Winslow et al.), sailed from
- Delfshaven, Saturday, July 22. She is said to have been four days on the
- passage to Southampton, reaching there Wednesday, July 26. Cushman, in his
- letter of Thursday, August 17, from Dartmouth to Edward Southworth, says,
- "We lay at Southampton seven days waiting for her" (the SPEEDWELL), from
- which it is evident, both that Cushman came on the MAY-FLOWER from London,
- and that the MAY-FLOWER must have left London at least ten days before the
- 26th of July, the date of the SPEEDWELL'S arrival. As given traditionally,
- it was on the 15th, or eleven days before the SPEEDWELL'S arrival at
- Southampton.
- </p>
- <p>
- By whom the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed will probably
- remain matter of conjecture, though we are not without intimations of some
- value regarding it. Captain John Smith tells us that the Merchant
- Adventurers (presumably one of the contracting parties) "were about
- seventy, . . . not a Corporation, but knit together by a voluntary
- combination in a Society without constraint or penalty. They have a
- President and Treasurer every year newly chosen by the most voices, who
- ordereth the affairs of their Courts and meetings; and with the assent of
- most of them, undertaketh all the ordinary business, but in more weighty
- affairs, the assent of the whole Company is required." It would seem from
- the foregoing&mdash;which, from so intelligent a source at a date so
- contemporaneous, ought to be reliable&mdash;that, not being an
- incorporated body, it would be essential that all the Adventurers (which
- Smith expressly states was their rule) should "assent" by their
- signatures, which alone could bind them to so important a business
- document as this charter-party. It was certainly one of their "more
- weighty affairs," and it may well be doubted, also, if the owner of the
- vessel (even though one of their number) would accept less than the
- signatures of all, when there was no legal status by incorporation or
- co-partnership to hold them collectively.
- </p>
- <p>
- If the facts were indeed as stated by Smith,&mdash;whose knowledge of what
- he affirmed there is no reason to doubt,&mdash;there can be little
- question that the contract for the service of the MAY-FLOWER was signed by
- the entire number of the Adventurers on the one part. If so, its covenants
- would be equally binding upon each of them except as otherwise therein
- stipulated, or provided by the law of the realm. In such case, the
- charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER, with the autograph of each Merchant
- Adventurer appended, would constitute, if it could be found, one of the
- most interesting and valuable of historical documents. That it was not
- signed by any of the Leyden congregation&mdash;in any representative
- capacity&mdash;is well-nigh certain. Their contracts were with the
- Adventurers alone, and hence they were not directly concerned in the
- contracts of the latter, their "agents" being but co-workers with the
- Adventurers (under their partnership agreements), in finding shipping,
- collecting moneys, purchasing supplies, and in generally promoting the
- enterprise. That they were not signing-parties to this contract, in
- particular, is made very certain by the suggestion of Cushman's letter of
- Sunday, June 11, to the effect that he hoped that "our friends there [at
- Leyden] if they be quitted of the ship-hire [as then seemed certain, as
- the Adventurers would hire on general account] will be induced to venture
- [invest] the more." There had evidently been a grave fear on the part of
- the Leyden people that if they were ever to get away, they would have to
- hire the necessary ship themselves.
- </p>
- <p>
- There is just the shadow of a doubt thrown upon the accuracy of Smith's
- statement as to the non-corporate status of the Adventurers, by the loose
- and unwieldy features which must thereby attach to their business
- transactions, to which it seems probable that merchants like Weston,
- Andrews, Beauchamp, Shirley, Pickering, Goffe, and others would object,
- unless the law at that time expressly limited and defined the rights and
- liabilities of members in such voluntary associations. Neither evidences
- of (primary) incorporation, or of such legal limitation, have, however,
- rewarded diligent search. There was evidently some more definite and
- corporate form of ownership in the properties and values of the
- Adventurers, arrived at later. A considerable reduction in the number of
- proprietors was effected before 1624&mdash;in most cases by the purchase
- of the interests of certain ones by their associates&mdash;for we find
- their holdings spoken of in that year as "sixteenths," and these shares to
- have sometimes been attached for their owners' debts. A letter of Shirley,
- Brewer et als., to Bradford, Allerton et als., dated London, April 7,
- 1624, says: "If it had not been apparently sold, Mr. Beauchamp, who is of
- the company also, unto whom he [Weston] oweth a great deal more, had long
- ago attached it (as he did other's 16ths)," etc. It is exceedingly
- difficult to reconcile these unquestionable facts with the equal certainty
- that, at the "Composition" of the Adventurers with the Planters in 1626,
- there were forty-two who signed as of the Adventurers. The weight,
- however, of evidence and of probability must be held to support the
- conclusion that in June, 1620, the organization was voluntary, and that
- the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed&mdash;" on the one part "&mdash;by
- each of the enrolled Adventurers engaged in the Leyden congregation's
- colonization scheme. Goodwin' alone pretends to any certain knowledge of
- the matter, but although a veracious usually reliable writer, he is not
- infallible, as already shown, and could hardly have had access to the
- original documents,&mdash;which alone, in this case, could be relied on to
- prove his assertion that "Shortly articles were signed by both parties,
- Weston acting for the Adventurers." Not a particle of confirmatory
- evidence has anywhere been found in Pilgrim or contemporaneous literature
- to warrant this statement, after exhaustive search, and it must hence,
- until sustained by proof, be regarded as a personal inference rather than
- a verity. If the facts were as appears, they permit the hope that a
- document of so much prima facie importance may have escaped destruction,
- and will yet be found among the private papers of some of the last
- survivors of the Adventurers, though with the acquisition of all their
- interests by the Pilgrim leaders such documents would seem, of right, to
- have become the property of the purchasers, and to have been transferred
- to the Plymouth planters.
- </p>
- <p>
- This all-important and historic body&mdash;the company of Merchant
- Adventurers&mdash;is entitled to more than passing notice. Associated to
- "finance" the projected transplantation of the Leyden congregation of
- "Independents" to the "northern parts of Virginia," under such patronage
- and protection of the English government and its chartered Companies as
- they might be able to secure, they were no doubt primarily brought
- together by the efforts of one of their number, Thomas Weston, Esq., the
- London merchant previously named, though for some obscure reason Master
- John Pierce (also one of them) was their "recognized" representative in
- dealing with the (London) Virginia Company and the Council for the Affairs
- of New England, in regard to their Patents.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford states that Weston "was well acquainted with some of them the
- Leyden leaders and a furtherer of them in their former proceedings," and
- this fact is more than once referred to as ground for their gratitude and
- generosity toward him, though where, or in what way, his friendship had
- been exercised, cannot be learned,&mdash;perhaps in the difficulties
- attending their escape from "the north country" to Holland. It was
- doubtless largely on this account, that his confident assurances of all
- needed aid in their plans for America were so relied upon; that he was so
- long and so fully trusted; and that his abominable treachery and later
- abuse were so patiently borne.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are indebted to the celebrated navigator, Captain John Smith, of
- Virginia fame, always the friend of the New England colonists, for most of
- what we know of the organization and purposes of this Company. His ample
- statement, worthy of repetition here, recites, that "the Adventurers which
- raised the stock to begin and supply this Plantation, were about seventy:
- some, Gentlemen; some, Merchants; some, handicraftsmen; some adventuring
- great sums, some, small; as their estates and affections served . . . .
- These dwell most about London. They are not a corporation but knit
- together, by a voluntary combination, in a Society, with out constraint or
- penalty; aiming to do good and to plant Religion." Their organization,
- officers, and rules of conduct, as given by Smith, have already been
- quoted. It is to be feared from the conduct of such men as Weston, Pierce,
- Andrews, Shirley, Thornell, Greene, Pickering, Alden, and others, that
- profitable investment, rather than desire "to do good and to plant
- Religion," was their chief interest. That the higher motives mentioned by
- Smith governed such tried and steadfast souls as Bass, Brewer, Collier,
- Fletcher, Goffe, Hatherly, Ling, Mullens, Pocock, Thomas, and a few
- others, there can be no doubt.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Weston wrote Bradford, April 10, 1622, "I perceive and know as well
- as another ye disposition of your adventurers, whom ye hope of gaine
- hath drawne on to this they have done; and yet I fear ye hope will
- not draw them much further." While Weston's character was utterly
- bad, and he had then alienated his interest in both Pilgrims and
- Adventurers, his judgment of men was evidently good.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- No complete list of the original "seventy" has ever been found, and we are
- indebted for the names of forty-two, of the fifty who are now known, to
- the final "Composition" made with the Pilgrim colonists, through the
- latter's representatives, November 15/25, 1626, as given by Bradford, and
- to private research for the rest. The list of original members of the
- company of Merchant Adventurers, as ascertained to date, is as follows.
- More extended mention of them appears in the notes appended to this list.
- </p>
- <p>
- Robert Allden, Thomas Fletcher, Emanuel Altham, Thomas Goffe, Richard
- Andrews, Peter Gudburn, Thomas Andrews, William Greene, Lawrence Anthony,
- Timothy Hatherly, Edward Bass, Thomas Heath, John Beauchamp, William
- Hobson, Thomas Brewer, Robert Holland, Henry Browning, Thomas Hudson,
- William Collier, Robert Keayne, Thomas Coventry, Eliza Knight, John
- Knight, John Revell, Miles Knowles, Newman Rookes, John Ling, Samuel
- Sharpe, Christopher Martin(Treasurer pro tem.), James Shirley (Treasurer),
- Thomas Millsop, William Thomas, Thomas Mott, John Thornell William
- Mullens, Fria Newbald, Matthew Thornell William Pennington, William
- Penrin. Joseph Tilden, Edward Pickering, Thomas Ward, John Pierce, John
- White, John Pocock, John Wincob, Daniel Poynton, Thomas Weston, William
- Quarles, Richard Wright.
- </p>
- <p>
- Shirley, in a letter to Governor Bradford, mentions a Mr. Fogge and a Mr.
- Coalson, in a way to indicate that they might have been, like himself,
- Collier, Thomas, Hatherly, Beauchamp, and Andrews, also of the original
- Merchant Adventurers, but no proof that they were such has yet been
- discovered. It has been suggested that Sir Edwin Sandys was one of the
- number, at the inception of the enterprise, but&mdash;though there is
- evidence to indicate that he stood the friend of the Pilgrims in many
- ways, possibly lending them money, etc.&mdash;there is no proof that he
- was ever one of the Adventurers. It is more probable that certain
- promoters of Higginson's and Winthrop's companies, some ten years later,
- were early financial sponsers of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Some of them
- were certainly so, and it is likely that others not known as such, in
- reality, were. Bradford suggests, in a connection to indicate the
- possibility of his having been an "Adventurer," the name of a "Mr.
- Denison," of whom nothing more is known. George Morton of London,
- merchant, and friend of the leaders from the inception, and later a
- colonist, is sometimes mentioned as probably of the list, but no evidence
- of the fact as yet appears. Sir George Farrer and his brother were among
- the first of the Adventurers, but withdrew themselves and their
- subscriptions very early, on account of some dissatisfaction.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is impossible, in the space at command, to give more than briefest
- mention of each of these individual Adventurers.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Allden. Was at one time unfriendly to the Pilgrims,&mdash;Bradford calls him
- "one of our powerfullest opposers,"&mdash;but later their ally. Little
- is known of him. He appears to have been of London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Altham. Was Master of the pinnace LITTLE JAMES, belonging chiefly to
- Fletcher, and apparently expected to command her on her voyage to
- New Plymouth in 1623, as consort of the ANNE, but for some reason
- did not go, and William Bridge went as her Master, in his stead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Andrews (Richard). Was one of the wealthiest and most liberal of the
- Adventurers. He was a haberdasher of Cheapside, London, and an
- Alderman of the city. He became an early proprietor and liberal
- benefactor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, but most illogically
- gave the debt due him from Plymouth Colony (L540) to the stronger
- and richer Bay Colony. He had been, however, unjustly prejudiced
- against the Pilgrims, probably through the deceit of Pierce, Weston,
- Shirley, and Allerton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Andrews (Thomas). A Lord Mayor of London, reputed a brother of the
- last-named. Never very active in the Adventurers' affairs, but
- friendly, so far as appears.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Anthony. Little or nothing is known concerning him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Bass. Was one of the enduring friends of the struggling Colony and
- loaned them money when they were in dire straits and the prospect of
- recovery was not good. He was of London, and considerable is known
- concerning him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Beauchamp. Was one of the most active of the Company for many years.
- Generally to be relied upon as the Colony's friend, but not without
- some sordid self seeking. Apparently a wealthy citizen and "salter"
- of London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Brewer. Is too well-known as long the partner of Brewster in the conduct
- of the "hidden press" at Leyden, and as a sufferer for conscience'
- sake, to require identification. He was a wealthy man, a scholar,
- writer, printer, and publisher. Was of the University of Leyden,
- but removed to London after the departure of the chief of the
- Pilgrims. Was their stanch friend, a loyal defender of the faith,
- and spent most of his later life in prison, under persecution of the
- Bishops.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Browning. Does not appear to have been active, and little is known of
- him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Collier. Was a stanch and steadfast friend. Finally cast in his lot
- with the Pilgrims at New Plymouth and became a leading man in the
- government there. His life is well known. He was a "brewer."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Coventry. Appears only as a signer, and nothing is known of him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Fletcher. Was a well-to-do merchant of London, a warm friend and a
- reliance of the Pilgrims. The loss of the LITTLE JAMES was a severe
- blow to him financially.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Greene. Appears to have been a merchant and a partner in Holland (and
- perhaps at London) of Edward Pickering. They were well acquainted
- personally with the Pilgrims, and should have been among their most
- liberal and surest friends. Facts indicate, however, that they were
- sordid in their interest and not entirely just.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Goffe. Was a London merchant and ship-owner, as else where appears.
- He was not only a Merchant Adventurer, but a patentee and
- deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company, and an intimate
- friend of Winthrop. He lost heavily by his New England ventures.
- There is, as shown elsewhere, good reason to believe that he was
- the owner of the MAY-FLOWER on her historic voyage, as also when
- she came over in Higginson's and Winthrop's fleets, ten years
- later.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Gudburn. Appears only as a signer, so far as known.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Hatherly. Was a well-to-do friend of the Pilgrims, and after many
- complaints had been made against them among the "Purchasers"
- &mdash;arising out of the rascality of Shirley and Allerton&mdash;went to New
- England on a mission of inquiry. He was perfectly convinced of the
- Pilgrims' integrity and charmed with the country. He made another
- visit, and removed thither in 1633, to remain. He became at once
- prominent in the government of New Plimoth Colony.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Heath. Does not appear to have been active, and naught is known of him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Hobson. Is known only as a signer of the "Composition."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Holland. Was a friend and ally of the Pilgrims, and one of their
- correspondents. He is supposed to have been of the ancient house of
- that name and to have lived in London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Hudson. Was not active, and appears as a signer only.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Keayne. Was a well-to-do citizen of the vicinity of London, a friend, in
- a general way, of the Pilgrims. He came to Boston with Winthrop.
- Was prominent in the Massachusetts Colony. Was the founder and
- first commander of the early Artillery Company of Boston, the oldest
- military organization of the United States, and died at Boston,
- leaving a large estate and a very remarkable will, of which he made
- Governor Winslow an "overseer." He was an erratic,&mdash;but valuable,
- citizen.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Knight (Eliza). Seems to have been the only woman of the Adventurers, so
- far as they are known, but no thing is known of her. It has been
- suggested that the given name has been wrongly spelled and should be
- "Eleazar,"&mdash;a man's name,&mdash;but the "Composition" gives the signature
- as Eliza, clearly, as published.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Knight (John). Finds no especial mention. He was probably a relative of
- Eliza.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Knowles. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Ling. Was a wealthy friend of the colonists and always true to them. He
- lost his property and was in poverty when the Pilgrims (though not
- yet well on their feet), in grateful remembrance of his fidelity,
- sent him a generous gift.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Martin. Was the first treasurer of the colonists and also a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim. Mention of him appears later. He was no credit to the
- Company, and his early death probably prevented much vexation.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Millsop. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mott. Has no especial mention, but is believed to have sent some of his
- people to Plymouth Colony at an early day.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mullens. Was, as appears elsewhere, a well-conditioned tradesman of
- Surrey, England, who was both an Adventurer and a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim, and Martin and himself appear to have been the only ones
- who enjoyed that distinction. He died, however, soon after the
- arrival at Plymouth. That he was an Adventurer is but recently
- discovered by the author, but there appears no room for doubt as to
- the fact. His record was brief, but satisfactory, in its relation to
- the Pilgrims.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Newbald. Finds no especial mention.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Pennington. Appears only as a signer. It is a London name.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Penrin. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Pickering. Is introduced to us first as a Leyden merchant, through John
- Robinson's letters. He appears to have been a shrewd, cold-blooded
- calculator, like his partner-Adventurer, Greene, not interested
- especially in the Pilgrims, except for gain, and soon deserting the
- Adventurers. His family seem to have been in favor with Charles II.
- (See Pepys' "Diary.")
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Pierce (John). Although recognized by the Virginia Companies and Council
- for New England, as the representative of the Adventurers, he has
- only been recently generally reckoned a chief man of the
- Adventurers. A Protean friend of the Pilgrims, never reliable, ever
- pretentious, always self-seeking, and of no help. He was finally
- ruined by the disasters to his ship, the PARAGON, which cost him all
- his interests. Having attempted treacherously to secure to himself
- the Patent granted in the Colony's interest, he was compelled by the
- Council to surrender its advantages to the Adventurers and
- colonists.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Pocock. Was a stanch and firm supporter of the Pilgrims and their
- interests, at all times, and to the end. He was also a financial
- supporter and deputy-governor the Massachusetts Company, under
- Winthrop. A correspondent of Bradford. A good man.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Poyton. Finds no especial mention. He appears as a signer only.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Quarles. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Revell. Was a very wealthy citizen, merchant, and ship owner of London,
- and a good man. He became also ardently interested in Winthrop's
- Company. Was an "assistant" and one of the five "undertakers"
- chosen to go to New England to reside. He went to New England on
- the JEWELL of Winthrop's fleet, and was part owner of the LADY
- ARBELLA. He evidently, however, did not like the life, and returned
- after a few weeks' stay.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Rookes. Appears only as a signer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sharpe. Was also a friend of both Pilgrim and Puritan. He came to New
- England in 1629, and settled first at Salem, in the Massachusetts
- Company. He died in 1658, having long been a ruling elder of the
- church there. He met with many enemies, but was a valuable man and
- an able one. He was Governor Cradock's New England agent.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Shirley. Requires little mention here. The perfidious friend of the
- Pilgrims,&mdash;perhaps originally true to them,&mdash;he sunk everything for
- hope of gain. He was treasurer of the Adventurers, one of their
- most active and intelligent men, but proved a rascal and a canting
- hypocrite. He was a "citizen and gold-smith" of London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas. Has nowhere been enumerated in any list of the Adventurers
- (though occasionally mentioned as such by recent writers), which is
- strange, as repeated letters of his to Bradford, and other data,
- show him to have been one of the best and truest of them all. He
- sold his interests before the "Composition" and became a colonist
- after 1630. He was the fifth of the Adventurers to come to New
- England to remain, and cast in his lot with the Pilgrims at New
- Plimoth&mdash;Martin, Mullens, Collier, and Hatherly preceding him. A
- wealthy and well-informed man, he became a power in the government.
- Probably Welsh by birth, he was a London merchant when the
- Adventurers were organized. His home at Marshfield, Massachusetts,
- has since become additionally famous as the home of Daniel Webster.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thornell (John). Is sometimes confounded with another Adventurer,
- Matthew Thornhill, as his name is some times so spelled. There is
- reason to believe they were related. He was not a friend to the
- Pilgrims.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Thornhill (or Thornell), (Matthew). Little is known concerning him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tilden. Was of an old family in Kent, "a citizen and girdler of London,"
- as his will declares, his brother (Nathaniel) later coming to New
- England and settling near Hatherly at Scituate. Nathaniel's son
- Joseph&mdash;named for his uncle&mdash;was made his executor and heir. The
- uncle was always a firm friend of the Pilgrims. Mr. Tilden's will
- is given by Waters ("Genealogical Gleanings," vol. i. p. 71), and
- is of much interest.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Ward. Appears only as a signer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-White. Probably the Rev. John White, a stanch friend of the Pilgrims,
- although not a "Separatist," and intimately connected with the
- upbuilding of New England. His record was a broad and noble one.
- Goodwin says: "Haven thinks White was that Dorchester clergyman
- reputed to be the author of the Planters' Plea." Probably, but
- not certainly, William White of the Pilgrims was also an Adventurer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wincob (?). Was a gentleman of the family of the Countess of Lincoln,
- and the one in whose name the first patent in behalf of the
- Adventurers and Pilgrims (which, however, was never used) was taken.
- It is only recently that evidences which, though not conclusive, are
- yet quite indicative, have caused his name to be added to the list,
- though there is still a measure of doubt whether it belongs there.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Weston. Requires little mention here. Once a friend of the Pilgrims and
- unmistakably the organizer of the Adventurers, he became a graceless
- ingrate and rascal. An instrument of good at first, he became a
- heartless and designing enemy of the Planters. He was a "citizen
- and merchant [ironmonger] of London." It is altogether probable
- that he was originally a tool of Sir Ferdinando Gorges and was led
- by him to influence the Leyden brethren to break off negotiations
- with the Dutch. He died poor, at Bristol, England.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wright. Perhaps came to New Plimoth and married a daughter of the
- MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim, Francis Cooke. If so, he settled at Rehoboth and
- became its leading citizen. He may possibly have been the settler
- of that name in the Bay-Colony, and the weight of evidence rather
- favors the latter supposition.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the Adventurers, Collier, Hatherly, Keayne, Mullens, Revell, Pierce,
- Sharpe, Thomas, and Weston, probably Wright and White, possibly others,
- came to America for longer or shorter periods. Several of them were back
- and forth more than once. The records show that Andrews, Goffe, Pocock,
- Revell, Sharpe, and White were subsequently members of the Massachusetts
- (Winthrop's) Company.
- </p>
- <p>
- Professor Arberl finds but six of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers who
- later were among the Adventurers with Winthrop's Company of Massachusetts
- Bay, viz.:&mdash;Thomas Andrews, John Pocock, Samuel Sharpe, Thomas Goffe,
- John Revell, John White.
- </p>
- <p>
- He should have added at least, the names of Richard Andrews and Robert
- Keayne, and probably that of Richard Wright.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of their number, Collier, Hatherly, Martin, Mullens, Thomas, and
- (possibly) Wright were Plymouth colonists Martin and Mullens, as noted,
- being MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Nathaniel Tilden, a brother of Joseph Tilden of
- the Adventurers, came, as previously mentioned, to the Colony from Kent,
- settling at Scituate. Joseph, being apparently unmarried, made his nephew,
- Joseph of Scituate, his residuary legatee, and his property mostly came
- over to the Colony.
- </p>
- <p>
- Collier, Hatherly, and Thomas all located within a few miles of one
- another, were all wealthy and prominent men in the government of the
- Colony, were intimate friends,&mdash;the first and last especially,&mdash;and
- lent not a little dignity and character to this new dependency of King
- James the First. The remaining twenty or thereabouts whose names are not
- surely known&mdash;though a few of them are pretty safely conjectured,
- some being presumably of the Holland Pilgrims and their friends&mdash;were
- probably chiefly small contributors, whose rights were acquired from time
- to time by others of larger faith in the enterprise, or greater sympathy
- or means. Not all, however, who had ceased to hold their interests when
- the "Composition" was made with Allerton in behalf of the colonists, in
- 1626, were of these small holders. Weston was forced out by stress of
- circumstances; Thomas moved to New England; Pierce was ruined by his
- ventures by sea; Martin and Mullens died in 1621; Pickering and Greene got
- out early, from distrust as to profits; Wincob alone, of this class, was a
- small investor, if he was one at all.
- </p>
- <p>
- By far the greater portion of the sums invested by the Adventurers in
- behalf of the Colony is represented by those whose names are known, those
- still unknown representing, doubtless, numbers rather than amounts. It is,
- however, interesting to note, that more than four sevenths of the original
- number, as given by Captain John Smith, continued to retain their
- interests till the "Composition" of 1626. It is to be hoped that it may
- yet be possible to increase considerably, if not to perfect, the list of
- these coadjutors of the Pilgrims&mdash;the Merchant Adventurers&mdash;the
- contracting "party of the second part," to the charter-party of the
- MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- Who the Owner of the MAY-FLOWER was, or who his representative, the "party
- of the first part," to the charter party of the Pilgrim ship, cannot be
- declared with absolute certainty, though naturally a matter of absorbing
- interest. There is, however, the strongest probability, as before
- intimated, that Thomas Goffe, Esq., one of the Merchant Adventurers, and
- always a stanch friend of the Pilgrims, was the owner of the historic
- vessel,&mdash;and as such has interwoven his name and hers with the
- histories of both the Pilgrim and Puritan hegiras from Old to New England.
- He was, as previously stated, a wealthy "merchant and ship owner of
- London," and not only an Adventurer with the Leyden Pilgrims, but&mdash;nearly
- ten years later&mdash;a patentee of the Massachusetts Company and one of
- its charter officers.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are told in the journal of Governor Winthrop of that Company&mdash;then
- on board the LADY ARBELLA, the, "Admiral" or flagship of his fleet, riding
- at Cowes, ready to set sail for New England&mdash;that on "Easter Monday
- (March 29), 1630, the CHARLES, the MAY-FLOWER, the WILLIAM AND FRANCIS,
- the HOPEWELL, the WHALE, the SUCCESS, and the TRIAL," of his fleet, were
- "still at Hampton [Southampton] and are not ready." Of these seven ships
- it is certain that Mr. Goffe owned at least two, as Governor Winthrop&mdash;in
- writing, some days later, of the detention of his son Henry and his friend
- Mr. Pelham, who, going ashore, failed to return to the governor's ship
- before she sailed from Cowes, and so went to the fleet at Southampton for
- passage&mdash;says: "So we have left them behind and suppose they will
- come after in one of Mr. Goffe's ships." It is clear, therefore, that Mr.
- Goffe, who was an intimate friend and business associate of Governor
- Winthrop, as the latter's correspondence amply attests, and was a charter
- deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company, and at this time "an
- assistant," was the owner of at least two (probably not more) of these
- seven belated ships of the governor's fleet, riding at Southampton.
- Bearing in mind that the MAY-FLOWER and the WHALE were two of those ships,
- it becomes of much importance to find that these two ships, evidently
- sailing in company (as if of one owner), arrived together in the harbor of
- Charlestown, New England, on Thursday, July 1, having on board one of them
- the governor's missing son, Henry Winthrop. If he came&mdash;as his father
- expected and as appears certain&mdash;"in one of Mr. Goffe's ships," then
- evidently, either the MAY-FLOWER or the WHALE, or both, belonged to Mr.
- Goffe. That both were Goffe's is rendered probable by the fact that
- Governor Winthrop&mdash;writing of the vessels as if associated and a
- single interest&mdash;states that "most of their cattle [on these ships]
- were dead, whereof a mare and horse of mine." This probability is
- increased, too, by the facts that the ships evidently kept close company
- across the Atlantic (as if under orders of a common owner, and as was the
- custom, for mutual defence and assistance, if occasion required), and that
- Winthrop who, as we above noted, had large dealings with Goffe, seems to
- have practically freighted both these ships for himself and friends, as
- his freight bills attest. They would hence, so far as possible, naturally
- keep together and would discharge their cargoes and have their accountings
- to a single consignee, taken as nearly together as practicable. Both these
- ships came to Charlestown,&mdash;as only one other did,&mdash;and both
- were freighted, as noted, by one party.
- </p>
- <p>
- Sadly enough, the young man, Henry Winthrop, was drowned at Salem the very
- day after his arrival, and before that of either of the other vessels: the
- HOPEWELL, or WILLIAM AND FRANCIS (which arrived at Salem the 3d); or the
- TRIAL or CHARLES (which arrived&mdash;the first at Charlestown, of the
- last at Salem&mdash;the 5th); or the SUCCESS (which arrived the 6th);
- making it certain that he must have come in either the MAY-FLOWER or the
- WHALE. If, as appears, Goffe owned them both, then his ownership of the
- MAY-FLOWER in 1630 is assured, while all authorities agree without cavil
- that the MAY-FLOWER of Winthrop's fleet in that year (1630) and the
- MAY-FLOWER of the Pilgrims were the same. In the second "General Letter of
- Instructions" from the Massachusetts Company in England&mdash;dated
- London, May 28, 1629&mdash;to Governor Endicott and his Council, a
- duplicate of which is preserved in the First Book of the Suffolk Registry
- of Deeds at Boston, the historic vessel is described as "The MAY-FLOWER,
- of Yarmouth &mdash;William Pierse, Master," and Higginson, in his "Journal
- of a Voyage to New England," says, "The fifth ship is called the
- MAY-FLOWER carrying passengers and provisions." Yarmouth was hence
- undoubtedly the place of register, and the hailing port of the MAY-FLOWER,&mdash;she
- was very likely built there,&mdash;and this would remain the same, except
- by legal change of register, wherever she was owned, or from what ever
- port she might sail. Weston and Cushman, according to Bradford, found and
- hired her at London, and her probable owner, Thomas Goffe, Esq., was a
- merchant of that city. Dr. Young remarks: "The MAYFLOWER Of Higginson's
- fleet is the renowned vessel that brought the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth
- in 1620." Hon. James Savage says "The MAYFLOWER had been a name of renown
- without forming part of this fleet [Winthrop's, 1630], because in her came
- the devoted planters of Plimouth
- and she had also brought in the year preceding, 1629,
- some of Higginson's company to Salem." Goodwin' says: "In 1629 she [the
- Pilgrim MAY-FLOWER] came to Salem with a company of the Leyden people for
- Plymouth, and in 1630 was one of the large fleet that attended John
- Winthrop, discharging her passengers at Charlestown." Dr. Young remarks in
- a footnote: "Thirty-five of the Leyden congregation with their families
- came over to Plymouth via Salem, in the MAY-FLOWER and TALBOT."
- </p>
- <p>
- In view of such positive statements as these, from such eminent
- authorities and others, and of the collateral facts as to the probable
- ownership of the MAY-FLOWER in 1630, and on her earlier voyages herein
- presented, the doubt expressed by the Rev. Mr. Blaxland in his "Mayflower
- Essays," whether the ship bearing her name was the same, on these three
- several voyages, certainly does not seem justified.
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain William Pierce, who commanded the MAY-FLOWER in 1629, when she
- brought over part of the Leyden company, was the very early and intimate
- friend of the Pilgrims&mdash;having brought over the ANNE with Leyden
- passengers in 1623&mdash;and sailed exclusively in the employ of the
- Merchant Adventurers, or some of their number, for many years, which is of
- itself suggestive.
- </p>
- <p>
- To accept, as beyond serious doubt, Mr. Goffe's ownership of the
- MAY-FLOWER, when she made her memorable voyage to New Plimoth, one need
- only to compare, and to interpret logically, the significant facts;
- &mdash;that he was a ship-owner of London and one of the body of Merchant
- Adventurers who set her forth on her Pilgrim voyage in 1620; and that he
- stood, as her evident owner, in similar relation to the Puritan company
- which chartered her for New England, similarly carrying colonists,
- self-exiled for religion's sake, in 1629 and again in 1630. This
- conviction is greatly strengthened by the fact that Mr. Goffe continued
- one of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers, until their interests were
- transferred to the colonists by the "Composition" of 1626, and three years
- later (1629) sent by the MAY-FLOWER, on her second New England voyage,
- although under a Puritan charter, another company from the Leyden
- congregation. The (cipher) letter of the "Governor and deputies of the
- New-England Company for a plantation in Massachusetts Bay" to Captain John
- Endicott, written at Gravesend, England, the 17th of April, 1629, says:
- "If you want any Swyne wee have agreed with those of Ne[w] Plimouth that
- they deliver you six Sowes with pigg for which they a[re] to bee allowed 9
- lb. in accompt of what they the Plymouth people owe unto Mr. Goffe [our]
- deputie [Governor]." It appears from the foregoing that the Pilgrims at
- New Plymouth were in debt to Mr. Goffe in 1629, presumably for advances
- and passage money on account of the contingent of the Leyden congregation,
- brought over with Higginson's company to Salem, on the second trip of the
- MAY-FLOWER. Mr. Goffe's intimate connection with the Pilgrims was
- certainly unbroken from the organization of their Merchant Adventurers in
- 1619/20, through the entire period of ten years, to 1630. There is every
- reason to believe, and none to doubt, that his ownership of the MAY-FLOWER
- of imperishable renown remained equally unbroken throughout these years,
- and that his signature as her owner was appended to her Pilgrim
- charter-party in 1620. Whoever the signatories of her charter-party may
- have been, there can be no doubt that the good ship MAY-FLOWER, in charge
- of her competent, if treacherous, Master, Captain Thomas Jones, and her
- first "pilot," John Clarke, lay in the Thames near London through the
- latter part of June and the early part of July, in the summer of 1620,
- undergoing a thorough overhauling, under contract as a colonist-transport,
- for a voyage to the far-off shores of "the northern parts of Virginia."
- </p>
- <p>
- In whatever of old English verbiage, with quaint terms and cumbersome
- repetition, the stipulations of this contract of were concealed, there can
- be no doubt that they purported and designed to "ingage" that "the Good
- ship MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth, of 9 score tuns burthen, whereof for the
- present viage Thomas Joanes is Master," should make the "viage" as a
- colonist-transport, "from the city of London in His Majesty's Kingdom of
- Great Britain," etc., "to the neighborhood of the mouth of Hudson's River,
- in the northern parts of Virginia and return, calling at the Port of
- Southampton, outward bound, to complete her lading, the same of all kinds,
- to convey to, and well and safely deliver at, such port or place, at or
- about the mouth of Hudson's River, so-called, in Virginia aforesaid, as
- those in authority of her passengers shall direct," etc., with provision
- as to her return lading, through her supercargo, etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is probable that the exact stipulations of the contract will never
- transpire, and we can only roughly guess at them, by somewhat difficult
- comparison with the terms on which the LADY ARBELLA, the "Admiral," or
- flagship, of Winthrop's fleet, was chartered in 1630, for substantially
- the like voyage (of course, without expectation or probability, of so long
- a stay on the New England coast), though the latter was much the larger
- ship. The contract probably named an "upset" or total sum for the "round
- voyage," as was the of the case with the LADY ARBELLA, though it is to be
- hoped there was no "demurrage" clause, exacting damage, as is usual, for
- each day of detention beyond the "lay days" allowed, for the long and
- unexpected tarries in Cape Cod and Plymouth harbors must have rolled up an
- appalling "demurrage" claim. Winthrop enters among his memoranda, "The
- agreement for the ARBELLA L750, whereof is to be paid in hand [i e. cash
- down] the rest upon certificate of our safe arrival." The sum was
- doubtless considerably in excess of that paid for the MAY-FLOWER, both
- because she was a much larger, heavier-armed, and better-manned ship, of
- finer accommodations, and because ships were, in 1630, in far greater
- demand for the New England trade than in 1620, Winthrop's own fleet
- including no less than ten. The adjustments of freight and passage moneys
- between the Adventurers and colonists are matter of much doubt and
- perplexity, and are not likely to be fully ascertained. The only light
- thrown upon them is by the tariffs for such service on Winthrop's fleet,
- and for passage, etc., on different ships, at a little later day. It is
- altogether probable that transportation of all those accepted as
- colonists, by the agents of the Adventurers and "Planters," was without
- direct charge to any individual, but was debited against the whole. But as
- some had better quarters than others, some much more and heavier
- furniture, etc., while some had bulky and heavy goods for their personal
- benefit (such as William Mullen's cases of "boots and shoes," etc.), it is
- fair to assume that some schedule of rates for "tonnage," if not for
- individuals, became necessary, to prevent complaints and to facilitate
- accounts. Winthrop credits Mr. Goffe&mdash;owner of two of the ships in
- 1630&mdash;as follows:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- "For ninety-six passengers at L4, L384.
- For thirty-two tons of goods at L3 (per ton).
- For passage for a man, his wife and servant, (3 persons)
- L16/10, L5/10 each."
-</pre>
- <p>
- Goodwin shows the cost of transportation at different times and under
- varying conditions. "The expense of securing and shipping Thos. Morton of
- 'Merry Mount' to England, was L12 7 0," but just what proportion the
- passage money bore to the rest of the account, cannot now be told. The
- expense of Mr. Rogers, the young insane clergyman brought over by Isaac
- Allerton, without authority, was, for the voyage out: "For passage L1. For
- diet for eleven weeks at 4s. 8d. per week, total L3 11 4" [A rather longer
- passage than usual.] Constant Southworth came in the same ship and paid
- the same, L3 11 4, which may hence be assumed as the average charge, at
- that date, for a first-class passage. This does not vary greatly from the
- tariff of to-day, (1900) as, reduced to United States currency, it would
- be about $18; and allowing the value of sterling to be about four times
- this, in purchase ratio, it would mean about $73. The expenses of the
- thirty-five of the Leyden congregation who came over in the MAY-FLOWER in
- 1620, and of the others brought in the LION in 1630, were slightly higher
- than these figures, but the cost of the trip from Leyden to England was
- included, with that of some clothing. In 1650, Judge Sewall, who as a
- wealthy man would be likely to indulge in some luxury, gives his outlay
- one way, as, "Fare, L2 3 0; cabin expenses, L4 11 4; total, L6 14 4."
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER IV
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER&mdash;THE SHIP HERSELF
- </h3>
- <p>
- Unhappily the early chroniclers familiar with the MAY-FLOWER have left us
- neither representation nor general description of her, and but few data
- from which we may reconstruct her outlines and details for ourselves.
- Tradition chiefly determines her place in one of the few classes into
- which the merchant craft of her day were divided, her tonnage and service
- being almost the only other authentic indices to this class.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford helps us to little more than the statement, that a vessel, which
- could have been no other, "was hired at London, being of burden about 9
- score" [tons], while the same extraordinary silence, which we have noticed
- as to her name, exists as to her description, with Smith, Bradford,
- Winslow, Morton, and the other contemporaneous or early writers of Pilgrim
- history. Her hundred and eighty tons register indicates in general her
- size, and to some extent her probable model and rig.
- </p>
- <p>
- Long search for a reliable, coetaneous picture of one of the larger ships
- of the merchant service of England, in the Pilgrim period, has been
- rewarded by the discovery of the excellent "cut" of such a craft, taken
- from M. Blundeville's "New and Necessarie Treatise of Navigation,"
- published early in the seventeenth century. Appearing in a work of so high
- character, published by so competent a navigator and critic, and
- (approximately) in the very time of the Pilgrim "exodus," there can be no
- doubt that it quite correctly, if roughly and insufficiently, depicts the
- outlines, rig, and general cast of a vessel of the MAY-FLOWER type and
- time, as she appeared to those of that day, familiar therewith.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="SHIP" src="images/p078.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- It gives us a ship corresponding, in the chief essentials, to that which
- careful study of the detail and minutiae of the meagre MAY-FLOWER history
- and its collaterals had already permitted the author and others to
- construct mentally, and one which confirms in general the conceptions
- wrought out by the best artists and students who have attempted to portray
- the historic ship herself.
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain J. W. Collins, whose experience and labors in this relation are
- further alluded to, and whose opinion is entitled to respect, writes the
- author in this connection, as follows "The cut from Blundeville's
- treatise, which was published more or less contemporaneously with the
- MAYFLOWER, is, in my judgment, misleading, since it doubtless represents a
- ship of an earlier date, and is evidently [sic] reproduced from a
- representation on tapestry, of which examples are still to be seen (with
- similar ships) in England. The actual builder's plans, reproduced by
- Admiral Paris, from drawings still preserved, of ships of the MAYFLOWER'S
- time, seem to me to offer more correct and conclusive data for accurately
- determining what the famous ship of the Pilgrim Fathers was like."
- </p>
- <p>
- Decidedly one of the larger and better vessels of the merchant class of
- her day, she presumably followed the prevalent lines of that class, no
- doubt correctly represented, in the main, by the few coeval pictures of
- such craft which have come down to us. No one can state with absolute
- authority, her exact rig, model, or dimensions; but there can be no
- question that all these are very closely determined from even the meagre
- data and the prints we possess, so nearly did the ships of each class
- correspond in their respective features in those days. There is a notable
- similarity in certain points of the MAY-FLOWER, as she has been
- represented by these different artists, which is evidence upon two points:
- first, that all delineators have been obliged to study the type of vessel
- to which she belonged from such representations of it as each could find,
- as neither picture nor description of the vessel herself was to be had;
- and second, that as the result of such independent study nearly all are
- substantially agreed as to what the salient features of her type and class
- were. A model of a ship [3 masts] of the MAY-FLOWER type, and called in
- the Society's catalogue "A Model of the MAY FLOWER, after De Bry," but
- itself labelled "Model of one of Sir Walter Raleigh's Ships," is
- (mistakenly) exhibited by the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth. It is by no
- means to be taken as a correct representation of the Pilgrim bark. Few of
- the putative pictures of the MAY-FLOWER herself are at all satisfactory,&mdash;apart
- from the environment or relation in which she is usually depicted,&mdash;whether
- considered from an historical, a nautical, or an artistic point of view.
- The only one of these found by the author which has commanded (general, if
- qualified) approval is that entitled "The MAY-FLOWER at Sea," a
- reproduction of which, by permission, is the frontispiece of this volume.
- It is from an engraving by the master hand of W. J. Linton, from a drawing
- by Granville Perkins, and appeared in the "New England Magazine" for
- April, 1898, as it has elsewhere. Its comparative fidelity to fact, and
- its spirited treatment, alike commend it to those familiar with the
- subject, as par excellence the modern artistic picture of the MAY-FLOWER,
- although somewhat fanciful, and its rig, as Captain Collies observes, "is
- that of a ship a century later than the MAY-FLOWER; a square topsail on
- the mizzen," he notes, "being unknown in the early part of the seventeenth
- century, and a jib on a ship equally rare." Halsall's picture of "The
- Arrival of the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth Harbor," owned by the Pilgrim
- Society, of Plymouth, and hung in the Society's Hall, while presenting
- several historical inaccuracies, undoubtedly more correctly portrays the
- ship herself, in model, rig, etc., than do most of the well-known
- paintings which represent her. It is much to be regretted that the artist,
- in woeful ignorance, or disregard, of the recorded fact that the ship was
- not troubled with either ice or snow on her entrance (at her successful
- second attempt) to Plymouth harbor, should have covered and environed her
- with both.
- </p>
- <p>
- Answering, as the MAY-FLOWER doubtless did, to her type, she was certainly
- of rather "blocky," though not unshapely, build, with high poop and
- forecastle, broad of beam, short in the waist, low "between decks," and
- modelled far more upon the lines of the great nautical prototype, the
- water-fowl, than the requirements of speed have permitted in the carrying
- trade of more recent years. That she was of the "square rig" of her time&mdash;when
- apparently no use was made of the "fore-and-aft" sails which have so
- wholly banished the former from all vessels of her size&mdash;goes without
- saying. She was too large for the lateen rig, so prevalent in the
- Mediterranean, except upon her mizzenmast, where it was no doubt employed.
- </p>
- <p>
- The chief differences which appear in the several "counterfeit
- presentments" of the historic ship are in the number of her masts and the
- height of her poop and her forecastle. A few make her a brig or "snow" of
- the oldest pattern, while others depict her as a full-rigged ship,
- sometimes having the auxiliary rig of a small "jigger" or "dandy-mast,"
- with square or lateen sail, on peak of stern, or on the bow sprit, or
- both, though usually her mizzenmast is set well aft upon the poop. There
- is no reason for thinking that the former of these auxiliaries existed
- upon the MAY-FLOWER, though quite possible. Her 180 tons measurement
- indicates, by the general rule of the nautical construction of that
- period, a length of from 90 to 100 feet, "from taffrail to knighthead,"
- with about 24 feet beam, and with such a hull as this, three masts would
- be far more likely than two. The fact that she is always called a "ship"&mdash;to
- which name, as indicating a class, three masts technically attach&mdash;is
- also somewhat significant, though the term is often generically used. Mrs.
- Jane G. Austin calls the MAY-FLOWER a "brig," but there does not appear
- anywhere any warrant for so doing.
- </p>
- <p>
- At the Smithsonian Institution (National Museum) at Washington, D. C.,
- there is exhibited a model of the MAY-FLOWER, constructed from the ratio
- of measurements given in connection with the sketch and working plans of a
- British ship of the merchant MAY-FLOWER class of the seventeenth century,
- as laid down by Admiral Francois Edmond Paris, of France, in his
- "Souvenirs de Marine." The hull and rigging of this model were carefully
- worked out by, and under the supervision of Captain Joseph W. Collins
- (long in the service of the Smithsonian Institution, in nautical and
- kindred matters, and now a member of the Massachusetts Commission of
- Inland Fisheries and Game), but were calculated on the erroneous basis of
- a ship of 120 instead of 180 tons measurement. This model, which is upon a
- scale of 1/2 inch to 1 foot, bears a label designating it as "The
- 'MAYFLOWER' of the Puritans" [sic], and giving the following description
- (written by Captain Collins) of such a vessel as the Pilgrim ship, if of
- 120 tons burthen, as figured from such data as that given by Admiral
- Paris, must, approximately, have been. (See photographs of the model
- presented herewith.) "A wooden, carvel-built, keel vessel, with full bluff
- bow, strongly raking below water line; raking curved stem; large open
- head; long round (nearly log-shaped) bottom; tumble in top side; short
- run; very large and high square stern; quarter galleries; high forecastle,
- square on forward end, with open rails on each side; open bulwarks to main
- [spar] and quarter-decks; a succession of three quarter-decks or poops,
- the after one being nearly 9 feet above main [spar] deck; two boats stowed
- on deck; ship-rigged, with pole masts [i.e. masts in one piece]; without
- jibs; square sprit sail (or water sail under bowsprit); two square sails
- on fore and main masts, and lateen sail on mizzenmast."
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Ship Models" src="images/p082.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- Dimensions of Vessel. Length, over all, knightheads to taffrail, 82 feet;
- beam, 22 feet; depth, 14 feet; tonnage, 120; bowsprit, outboard, 40 feet 6
- inches; spritsail yard, 34 feet 6 inches; foremast, main deck to top, 39
- feet; total length, main [spar] deck to truck, 67 feet 6 inches;
- fore-yard, 47 feet 6 inches; foretopsail yard, 34 feet 1 2 inches;
- mainmast, deck to top, 46 feet; total, deck to truck, 81 feet; main yard,
- 53 feet; maintopsail yard, 38 feet 6 inches; mizzen mast, deck to top, 34
- feet; total, deck to truck, 60 feet 6 inches; spanker yard, 54 feet 6
- inches; boats, one on port side of deck, 17 feet long by 5 feet 2 inches
- wide; one on starboard side, 13 feet 6 inches long by 4 feet 9 inches
- wide. The above description "worked out" by Captain Collins, and in
- conformity to which his putative model of the "MAY FLOWER" was
- constructed, rests, of course, for its correctness, primarily, upon the
- assumptions (which there is no reason to question) that the "plates" of
- Admiral Paris, his sketches, working plans, dimensions, etc., are
- reliable, and that Captain Collins's mathematics are correct, in reducing
- and applying the Admiral's data to a ship of 120 tons. That there would be
- some considerable variance from the description given, in applying these
- data to a ship of 60 tons greater measurement (i.e. of 180 tons), goes
- without saying, though the changes would appear more largely in the hull
- dimensions than in the rigging. That the description given, and its
- expression in the model depicted, present, with considerable fidelity, a
- ship of the MAY-FLOWER'S class and type, in her day,&mdash;though of sixty
- tons less register, and amenable to changes otherwise,&mdash;is altogether
- probable, and taken together, they afford a fairly accurate idea of the
- general appearance of such a craft.
- </p>
- <p>
- In addition to mention of the enlargements which the increased tonnage
- certainly entails, the following features of the description seem to call
- for remark.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is doubtful whether the vessels of this class had "open bulwarks to the
- main [spar] deck," or "a succession of three quarter-decks or poops." Many
- models and prints of ships of that period and class show but two. It is
- probable that if the jib was absent, as Captain Collins believes (though
- it was evidently in use upon some of the pinnaces and shallops of the
- time, and its utility therefore appreciated), there was a small squaresail
- on a "dandy" mast on the bowsprit, and very possibly the "sprit" or
- "water-sail" he describes. The length of the vessel as given by Captain
- Collins, as well as her beam, being based on a measurement of but 120
- tons, are both doubtless less than they should be, the depth probably also
- varying slightly, though there would very likely be but few and slight
- departures otherwise from his proximate figures. The long-boat would be
- more likely to be lashed across the hatch amidships than stowed on the
- port side of the deck, unless in use for stowage purposes, as previously
- suggested. Captain Collins very interestingly notes in a letter to the
- author, concerning the measurements indicated by his model: "Here we meet
- with a difficulty, even if it is not insurmountable. This is found in the
- discrepancy which exists between the dimensions&mdash;length, breadth, and
- depth&mdash;requisite to produce a certain tonnage, as given by Admiral
- Paris and the British Admiralty. Whether this is due to a difference in
- estimating tonnage between France (or other countries) and Great Britain,
- I am unable to say, but it is a somewhat remarkable fact that the National
- Museum model, which was made for a vessel of 120 tons, as given by Admiral
- Paris who was a Frenchman, has almost exactly the proportions of length,
- depth, and breadth that an English ship of 180 tons would have, if we can
- accept as correct the lists of measurements from the Admiralty records
- published by Charnock . . . In the third volume of Charnock's 'History of
- Marine Architecture,' p. 274., I find that a supply transport of 175 tons,
- built in 1759, and evidently a merchant ship originally, or at least a
- vessel of that class, was 79.4 feet long (tonnage measure), 22.6 feet
- beam, and 11.61 feet deep." The correspondence is noticeable and of much
- interest, but as the writer comments, all depends upon whether or not "the
- measurement of the middle of the eighteenth century materially differed in
- Great Britain from what it was in the early part of the previous century."
- </p>
- <p>
- Like all vessels having high stems and sterns, she was unquestionably "a
- wet ship,"&mdash;upon this voyage especially so, as Bradford shows, from
- being overloaded, and hence lower than usual in the water. Captain John
- Smith says: "But being pestered [vexed] nine weeks in this leaking,
- unwholesome ship, lying wet in their cabins; most of them grew very weak
- and weary of the sea." Bradford says, quoting the master of the MAY-FLOWER
- and others: "As for the decks and upper works they would caulk them as
- well as they could, . . . though with the working of the ship, they would
- not long keep staunch." She was probably not an old craft, as her captain
- and others declared they "knew her to be strong and firm under water;" and
- the weakness of her upper works was doubtless due to the strain of her
- overload, in the heavy weather of the autumnal gales. Bradford says: "They
- met with many contrary winds and fierce storms with which their ship was
- shrewdly shaken and her upper works made very leaky." That the confidence
- of her master in her soundness below the water-line was well placed, is
- additionally proven by her excellent voyages to America, already noted, in
- 1629, and 1630, when she was ten years older.
- </p>
- <p>
- That she was somewhat "blocky" above water was doubtless true of her, as
- of most of her class; but that she was not unshapely below the water-line
- is quite certain, for the re markable return passage she made to England
- (in ballast) shows that her lower lines must have been good. She made the
- run from Plymouth to London on her return voyage in just thirty-one days,
- a passage that even with the "clipper ships" of later days would have been
- respectable, and for a vessel of her model and rig was exceptionally good.
- She was "light" (in ballast), as we know from the correspondence of Weston
- and Bradford, the letter of the former to Governor Carver&mdash;who died
- before it was received&mdash;upbraiding him for sending her home "empty."
- The terrible sickness and mortality of the whole company, afloat and
- ashore, had, of course, made it impossible to freight her as intended with
- "clapboards" [stave-stock], sassafras roots, peltry, etc. No vessels of
- her class of that day were without the high poop and its cabin
- possibilities,&mdash;admirably adapting them to passenger service,&mdash;and
- the larger had the high and roomy topgallant forecastles so necessary for
- their larger crews. The breadth of beam was always considerably greater in
- that day than earlier, or until much later, necessitated by the
- proportionately greater height ("topsides"), above water, at stem and
- stern. The encroachments of her high poop and forecastle left but short
- waist-room; her waist-ribs limited the height of her "between decks;"
- while the "perked up" lines of her bow and stern produced the resemblance
- noted, to the croup and neck of the wild duck. That she was low "between
- decks" is demonstrated by the fact that it was necessary to "cut down" the
- Pilgrims' shallop&mdash;an open sloop, of certainly not over 30 feet in
- length, some 10 tons burden, and not very high "freeboard"&mdash;"to stow"
- her under the MAY-FLOWER'S spar deck. That she was "square-rigged"
- follows, as noted, from the fact that it was the only rig in use for ships
- of her class and size, and that she had "topsails" is shown by the fact
- that the "top-saile halliards" were pitched over board with John Howland,
- and saved his life. Bradford says: "A lustie yonge man (called John
- Howland) coming upon some occasion above ye grattings, was with a seele of
- ye shipe throwne into ye sea: but it pleased God yt he caught hould of ye
- top-saile halliards which hunge over board &amp; rane out at length yet he
- held his hould . . . till he was haled up," etc. Howland had evidently
- just come from below upon the poop-deck (as there would be no "grattings"
- open in the waist to receive the heavy seas shipped). The ship was clearly
- experiencing "heavy weather" and a great lurch ("seele") which at the
- stern, and on the high, swinging, tilting poop-deck would be most severely
- felt, undoubtedly tossed him over the rail. The topsail halliards were
- probably trailing alongside and saved him, as they have others under like
- circumstances.
- </p>
- <p>
- Whether or not the MAY-FLOWER had the "round house" under her poop-deck,
- &mdash;-a sort of circular-end deck-house, more especially the quarters,
- by day, of the officers and favored passengers; common, but apparently not
- universal, in vessels of her class,&mdash;we have no positive knowledge,
- but the presumption is that she had, as passenger ships like the PARAGON
- (of only 140 tons), and others of less tonnage, seem to have been so
- fitted!
- </p>
- <p>
- It is plain that, in addition to the larger cabin space and the smaller
- cabins,&mdash;"staterooms," nowadays,&mdash;common to ships of the
- MAY-FLOWER'S size and class, the large number of her passengers, and
- especially of women and children, made it necessary to construct other
- cabins between decks. Whether these were put up at London, or Southampton,
- or after the SPEEDWELL'S additional passengers were taken aboard at
- Plymouth, does not appear. The great majority of the men and boys were
- doubtless provided with bunks only, "between decks," but it seems that
- John Billington had a cabin there. Bradford narrates of the gunpowder
- escapade of young Francis Billington, that, "there being a fowling-piece,
- charged in his father's cabin [though why so inferior a person as
- Billington should have a cabin when there could not have been enough for
- better men, is a query], shot her off in the cabin, there being a little
- barrel of powder half-full scattered in and about the cabin, the fire
- being within four feet of the bed, between the decks, . . . and many
- people gathered about the fire," etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- Whatever other deductions may be drawn from this very badly constructed
- and ambiguous paragraph of Bradford, two things appear certain,&mdash;one,
- that Billington had a "cabin" of his own "between decks;" and the other,
- that there was a "fire between decks," which "many people" were gathered
- "about." We can quite forgive the young scamp for the jeopardy in which he
- placed the ship and her company, since it resulted in giving us so much
- data concerning the MAY-FLOWER'S "interior." Captain John Smith's remark,
- already quoted, as to the MAY-FLOWER'S people "lying wet in their cabins,"
- is a hint of much value from an experienced navigator of that time, as to
- the "interior" construction of ships and the bestowal of passengers in
- them, in that day, doubtless applicable to the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- While it was feasible, when lying quietly at anchor in a land-locked
- harbor, with abundance of fire-wood at hand, to have a fire, about which
- they could gather, even if only upon the "sand-hearth" of the early
- navigators, when upon boisterous seas, in mid-ocean, "lying . . . in their
- cabins" was the only means of keeping warm possible to voyagers. In "Good
- Newes from New England," we find the lines:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- "Close cabins being now prepared,
- With bred, bief, beire, and fish,
- The passengers prepare themselves,
- That they might have their wish."
-</pre>
- <p>
- Her magazine, carpenter's and sailmaker's lockers, etc., were doubtless
- well forward under her forecastle, easily accessible from the spar-deck,
- as was common to merchant vessels of her class and size. Dr. Young, in his
- "Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers" (p. 86, note), says: "This vessel was
- less than the average size of the fishing-smacks that go to the Grand
- Banks. This seems a frail bark in which to cross a stormy ocean of three
- thousand miles in extent. Yet it should be remembered that two of the
- ships of Columbus on his first daring and perilous voyage of discovery,
- were light vessels, without decks, little superior to the small craft that
- ply on our rivers and along our coasts . . . . Frobisher's fleet consisted
- of two barks of twenty-five tons each and a pinnace of ten tons, when he
- sailed in 1576 to discover a north-west passage to the Indies. Sir Francis
- Drake, too, embarked on his voyage for circumnavigating the globe, in
- 1577, with five vessels, of which the largest was of one hundred, and the
- smallest fifteen tons. The bark in which Sir Humphrey Gilbert perished was
- of ten tons only." The LITTLE JAMES, which the Company sent to Plymouth in
- July, 1623, was "a pinnace of only forty-four tons," and in a vessel of
- fifty tons (the SPEEDWELL), Martin Pring, in 1603, coasted along the
- shores of New England. Goodwin says: "In 1587 there were not in all
- England's fleet more than five merchant vessels exceeding two hundred
- tons." The SPARROW-HAWK wrecked on Cape Cod in 1626 was only 40 feet "over
- all." The Dutch seem to have built larger vessels. Winthrop records that
- as they came down the Channel, on their way to New England (1630), they
- passed the wreck of "a great Dutch merchantman of a thousand tons."
- </p>
- <p>
- The MAY-FLOWER'S galley, with its primitive conditions for cooking,
- existed rather as a place for the preparation of food and the keeping of
- utensils, than for the use of fire. The arrangements for the latter were
- exceedingly crude, and were limited to the open "hearth-box" filled with
- sand, the chief cooking appliance being the tripod-kettle of the early
- navigators: This might indeed be set up in any part of the ship where the
- "sand-hearth" could also go, and the smoke be cared for. It not
- infrequently found space in the fore castle, between decks, and, when fine
- weather prevailed, upon the open deck, as in the open caravels of
- Columbus, a hundred years before. The bake-kettle and the frying-pan held
- only less important places than the kettle for boiling. It must have been
- rather a burst of the imagination that led Mrs. Austin, in "Standish of
- Standish," to make Peter Browne remind poor half-frozen Goodman&mdash;whom
- he is urging to make an effort to reach home, when they had been lost, but
- had got in sight of the MAY-FLOWER In the harbor&mdash;of "the good fires
- aboard of her." Moreover, on January 22, when Goodman was lost, the
- company had occupied their "common-house" on shore. Her ordnance doubtless
- comprised several heavy guns (as such were then reckoned), mounted on the
- spar-deck amid ships, with lighter guns astern and on. the rail, and a
- piece of longer range and larger calibre upon the forecastle. Such was the
- general disposal of ordnance upon merchant vessels of her size in that
- day, when an armament was a 'sine qua non'. Governor Winslow in his
- "Hypocrisie Unmasked," 1646 (p. 91), says, in writing of the departure of
- the Pilgrims from Delfshaven, upon the SPEEDWELL: "The wind being fair we
- gave them a volley of small shot and three pieces of ordnance," by which
- it seems that the SPEEDWELL, of only sixty tons, mounted at least "three
- pieces of ordnance" as, from the form of expression, there seem to have
- been "three pieces," rather than three discharges of the same piece.
- </p>
- <p>
- The inference is warranted that the MAY-FLOWER, being three times as
- large, would carry a considerably heavier and proportionate armament. The
- LADY ARBELLA, Winthrop's ship, a vessel of 350 tons, carried "twenty-eight
- pieces of ordnance;" but as "Admiral" of the fleet, at a time when there
- was a state of war with others, and much piracy, she would presumably
- mount more than a proportionate weight of metal, especially as she
- convoyed smaller and lightly armed vessels, and carried much value. There
- is no reason to suppose that the MAY-FLOWER, in her excessively crowded
- condition, mounted more than eight or ten guns, and these chiefly of small
- calibre. Her boats included her "long-boat," with which the experience of
- her company in "Cape Cod harbor" have made us familiar, and perhaps other
- smaller boats,&mdash;besides the Master's "skiff" or "gig," of whose
- existence and necessity there are numerous proofs. "Monday the 27,"
- Bradford and Winslow state, "it proved rough weather and cross winds, so
- as we were constrained, some in the shallop and others in the long-boat,"
- etc. Bradford states, in regard to the repeated springings-a-leak of the
- SPEEDWELL: "So the Master of the bigger ship, called Master Jones, being
- consulted with;" and again, "The Master of the small ship complained his
- ship was so leaky . . . so they [Masters Jones and Reynolds] came to
- consultation, again," etc. It is evident that Jones was obliged to visit
- the SPEEDWELL to inspect her and to consult with the leaders, who were
- aboard her. For this purpose, as for others, a smaller boat than the
- "long-boat" would often serve, while the number of passengers and crew
- aboard would seem to demand still other boats. Winthrop notices that their
- Captain (Melborne) frequently "had his skiff heaved out," in the course of
- their voyage. The Master's small boat, called the "skiff" or "gig," was,
- no doubt, stowed (lashed) in the waist of the ship, while the "long-boat"
- was probably lashed on deck forward, being hoisted out and in, as the
- practice of those days was, by "whips," from the yardarms. It was early
- the habit to keep certain of the live-stock, poultry, rabbits, etc., in
- the unused boats upon deck, and it is possible that in the crowded state
- of the MAY-FLOWER this custom was followed. Bradford remarks that their
- "goods or common store . . . were long in unlading [at New Plimoth] for
- want of boats." It seems hardly possible that the Admiralty authorities,&mdash;though
- navigation laws were then few, crude, and poorly enforced,&mdash;or that
- the Adventurers and Pilgrim chiefs themselves, would permit a ship
- carrying some 130 souls to cross the Atlantic in the stormy season,
- without a reasonable boat provision. The capacity of the "long-boat" we
- know to have been about twenty persons, as nearly that number is shown by
- Bradford and Winslow to have gone in her on the early expeditions from the
- ship, at Cape Cod. She would therefore accommodate only about one sixth of
- the ship's company. As the "gig" would carry only five or six persons,&mdash;while
- the shallop was stowed between decks and could be of no service in case of
- need upon the voyage,&mdash;the inference is warranted that other boats
- were carried, which fail of specific mention, or that she was wofully
- lacking. The want of boats for unlading, mentioned by Bradford, suggests
- the possibility that some of the ship's quota may have been lost or
- destroyed on her boisterous voyage, though no such event appears of
- record, or is suggested by any one. In the event of wreck, the Pilgrims
- must have trusted, like the Apostle Paul and his associates when cast away
- on the island of Melita, to get to shore, "some on boards and some on
- broken pieces of the ship." Her steering-gear, rigging, and the mechanism
- for "getting her anchors," "slinging," "squaring," and "cockbilling" her
- yards; for "making" and "shortening" sail; "heaving out" her boats and
- "handling" her cargo, were of course all of the crude and simple patterns
- and construction of the time, usually so well illustrating the ancient
- axiom in physics, that "what is lost [spent] in power is gained in time."
- </p>
- <p>
- The compass-box and hanging-compass, invented by the English cleric,
- William Barlow, but twelve years before the Pilgrim voyage, was almost the
- only nautical appliance possessed by Captain Jones, of the MAY-FLOWER, in
- which no radical improvement has since been made. Few charts of much value&mdash;especially
- of western waters&mdash;had yet been drafted, but the rough maps and
- diagrams of Cabot, Smith, Gosnold, Pring, Champlain and Dermer, Jones was
- too good a navigator not to have had. In speaking of the landing at Cape
- Cod, the expression is used by Bradford in "Mourt's Relation," "We went
- round all points of the compass," proving that already the mariner's
- compass had become familiar to the speech even of those not using it
- professionally.
- </p>
- <p>
- That the ship was "well-found" in anchors (with solid stocks), hemp
- cables, "spare" spars, "boat-tackling" and the heavy "hoisting-gear" of
- those days, we have the evidence of recorded use. "The MAY-FLOWER," writes
- Captain Collins, would have had a hemp cable about 9 inches in
- circumference. Her anchors would probably weigh as follows: sheet anchor
- (or best bower) 500 to 600 lbs.; stream anchor 350 to 400 lbs.; the spare
- anchors same as the stream anchor.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Charnock's Illustrations" show that the anchors used in the MAY-FLOWER
- period were shaped very much like the so called Cape Ann anchor now made
- for our deep-sea fishing vessels. They had the conventional shaped flukes,
- with broad pointed palms, and a long shank, the upper end passing through
- a wooden stock. [Tory shows in his diagrams some of the anchors of that
- period with the space between the shank and flukes nearly filled up in the
- lower part with metal.] Such an anchor has the maximum of holding powers,
- and bearing in mind the elasticity of the hemp cables then used, would
- enable a vessel to ride safely even when exposed to heavy winds and a
- racing sea: There is no doubt, according to the British Admiralty Office,&mdash;which
- should be authority upon the matter, &mdash;that the flag under which the
- MAY-FLOWER, and all other vessels of the merchant marine of Great Britain,
- sailed, at the time she left England (as noted concerning the SPEEDWELL),
- was what became known as the "Union Jack," as decreed by James the First,
- in 1606, supplanting the English ensign, which had been the red cross of
- St. George upon a white field. The new flag resulted from the "union" of
- the crowns and kingdoms of England and Scotland, upon the accession of
- James VI. of Scotland to the English throne, as James I. of England, upon
- the death of queen Elizabeth. Its design was formed by superimposing the
- red cross of St. George upon the white cross of St. Andrew, on a dark blue
- field; in other words, by imposing the cross of St. George, taken from the
- English ensign, upon the Scotch flag, and creating there by the new flag
- of Great Britain.
- </p>
- <p>
- In a little monograph on "The British Flag&mdash;Its Origin and History,"
- a paper read by its author, Jona. F. Morris, Esq., before the Connecticut
- Historical Society, June 7, 1881, and reprinted at Hartford (1889), Mr.
- Morris, who has made much study of the matter, states (p. 4): "In 1603,
- James VI. of Scotland was crowned James I. of England. The Scots, in their
- pride that they had given a king to England, soon began to contend that
- the cross of St. Andrew should take precedence of the cross of St. George,
- that ships bearing the flag of the latter should salute that of St.
- Andrew. To allay the contention, the King, on the 12th of April, 1606,
- ordered that all subjects of Great Britain travelling by sea shall bear at
- the maintop the red cross of St. George and the white cross, commonly
- called the cross of St. Andrew, joined together according to a form made
- by his heralds besides this all vessels belonging to South Britain or
- England might wear the cross of St. George at the peak or fore, as they
- were wont, and all vessels belonging to North Britain or Scotland might
- wear the cross of St. Andrew at the fore top, as they had been accustomed;
- and all vessels were for bidden to wear any other flag at their peril. The
- new flag thus designed by the heralds and proclaimed by this order was
- called the 'King's Colors.' For a long period the red cross had been the
- colors of English navigators, as well as the badge of English soldiery . .
- . . No permanent English settlement in America was made until after the
- adoption of the 'King's Colors.' Jamestown, Plymouth, Salem, and Boston
- were settled under the new flag, though the ships bringing over settlers,
- being English vessels, also carried the red cross as permitted." Mr.
- Barlow Cumberland, of Toronto, Canada, has also given, in a little
- monograph entitled "The Union Jack" (published by William Briggs of that
- city, 1898), an admirable account of the history of the British jack,
- which confirms the foregoing conclusions. The early English jack was later
- restored. Such, roughly sketched, was the Pilgrim ship, the renowned
- MAY-FLOWER, as, drafted from the meagre but fairly trustworthy and
- suggestive data available, she appears to us of to-day.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <p>
- <big> HER HISTORY: </big>
- </p>
- <p>
- In even the little we know of the later history of the ship, one cannot
- always be quite sure of her identity in the records of vessels of her
- name, of which there have been many. Dr. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, of
- Boston, says that "a vessel bearing this name was owned in England about
- fifteen years or more before the voyage of our forefathers, but it would
- be impossible to prove or disprove its identity with the renowned
- MAY-FLOWER, however great such a probability might be. It is known,
- nevertheless, that&mdash;the identical famous vessel afterwards hailed
- from various English ports, such as London, Yarmouth, and Southampton, and
- that it was much used in transporting immigrants to this country. What
- eventually became of it and what was the end of its career, are equally
- unknown to history." Goodwin says: "It does not appear that the MAY-FLOWER
- ever revisited Plymouth, but in 1629 she came to Salem," with a company of
- the Leyden people for Plymouth, under command of Captain William Peirce,
- the warm friend of the Pilgrims, and in 1630 was one of the large fleet
- that attended John Winthrop, under a different master, discharging her
- passengers at Charlestown. Nothing is certainly known of her after that
- time. In 1648 a ship [hereinafter mentioned by Hunter] named the
- MAY-FLOWER was engaged in the slave trade, and the ill-informed as well as
- the ill-disposed have sometimes sneeringly alleged that this was our
- historic ship; but it is ascertained that the slaver was a vessel of three
- hundred and fifty tons,&mdash;nearly twice the size of our ship of happy
- memory. In 1588 the officials of Lynn (England) offered the "MAY-FLOWER"
- (150 tons) to join the fleet against the dreaded Spanish Armada. In 1657,
- Samuel Vassall, of London, complained that the government had twice
- impressed his ship, MAY-FLOWER, which he had "fitted out with sixty men,
- for the Straits." Rev. Joseph Hunter, author of "The Founders of New
- Plymouth," one of the most eminent antiquarians in England, and an
- indefatigable student of Pilgrim history among British archives, says: "I
- have not observed the name of MAY FLOWER [in which style he always writes
- it] before the year 1583 . . . But the name soon became exceedingly
- popular among those to whom belonged the giving of the names to vessels in
- the merchant-service. Before the close of that century [the sixteenth] we
- have a MAY-FLOWER of Hastings; a MAY-FLOWER of Rie; a MAY-FLOWER of
- Newcastle: a MAY FLOWER of Lynn; and a MAY-FLOWER Of Yarmouth: both in
- 1589. Also a MAY-FLOWER of Hull, 1599; a MAY FLOWER of London of eighty
- tons burden, 1587, and 1594, Of which Richard Ireland was the master, and
- another MAY-FLOWER of the same port, of ninety tons burthen, of which
- Robert White was the master in 1594, and a third MAY-FLOWER of London,
- unless it is the same vessel with one of the two just spoken of, only with
- a different master, William Morecock. In 1587 there was a MAY-FLOWER Of
- Dover, of which John Tooke was the master. In 1593 there was a MAY-FLOWER
- of Yarmouth of 120 tons, of which William Musgrove was the master. In 1608
- there was a MAY-FLOWER of Dartmouth, of which Nicholas Waterdonne was the
- master; and in 1609 a MAY-FLOWER of Middleburgh entered an English port."
- </p>
- <p>
- Later in the century we find a MAY-FLOWER of Ipswich, and another of
- Newcastle in 1618; a MAY-FLOWER of York in 1621; a MAY-FLOWER of
- Scarborough in 1630, Robert Hadock the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Sandwich
- the same year, John Oliver the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Dover, 1633, Walter
- Finnis, master, in which two sons of the Earl of Berkshire crossed to
- Calais. "Which of these was the vessell which carried over the precious
- [Pilgrim] freight cannot perhaps be told [apparently neither, unless
- perhaps the MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth of 1593, in which case her tonnage is
- incorrectly given], but we learn from Mr. Sherley's letter to Governor
- Bradford' that the same vessel was employed in 1629 in passing between the
- two countries, a company of the church at Leyden, who had joined in the
- first emigration, intending to pass in it to America; and in the same
- author we find that the vessel arrived in the harbour of Charlestown [N.
- E.] on July 1, 1630. There was a MAY-FLOWER which, in 1648, gained an
- unenviable notoriety as a slaver. But this was not the MAY-FLOWER which
- had carried over the first settlers, it being a vessel Of 350 tons, while
- the genuine MAY-FLOWER was of only 180 tons." Of the first of her two
- known visits, after her voyage with the Pilgrim company from Leyden,
- Goodwin says: "In August, 1629, the renowned MAY-FLOWER came from England
- to Salem under Plymouth's old friend [William] Peirce, and in her came
- thirty-five Leyden people, on their way to Plymouth." The number has been
- in dispute, but the large cost of bringing them, over L500, would suggest
- that their families must have also come, as has been alleged, but for the
- following from Governor Bradford's Letter Book: "These persons," he says,
- "were in all thirty-five, which came at this time unto us from Leyden,
- whose charge out of Holland into England, and in England till the ship was
- ready, and then their transportation hither, came to a great deal of
- money, for besides victuals and other expenses, they were all newly
- apparelled." Shirley, one of the Adventurers, writing to Governor Bradford
- in 1629, says: "Here are now many of your friends from Leyden coming over.
- With them also we have sent some servants, or in the ship that went lately
- (I think called the TALBOT), and this that these come in is the
- MAY-FLOWER." All that Higginson's journal tells of her, as noted, is, that
- "she was of Yarmouth;" was commanded by William Peirce, and carried
- provisions and passengers, but the fact that she was under command of
- Captain Peirce of itself tells much. On her next trip the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed from Southampton, in May, 1630, as part of Winthrop's fleet, and
- arrived at Charlestown July 1. She was, on this voyage, under command of a
- new master (perhaps a Captain Weatherby), Captain Peirce having, at this
- time, command of the ship LYON, apparently in the service of Plymouth
- Colony. A vessel of this name [MAY-FLOWER] was sailing between England and
- Boston in 1656. Young says: "The MAY-FLOWER is a ship of renown in the
- history of the colonization of New England. She was one of the five
- vessels which, in 1629, conveyed Higginson's company to Salem, and also
- one of the fleet which, in 1630, brought over his colony to Massachusetts
- Bay."
- </p>
- <p>
- October 6, 1652, "Thomas Webber, Mr. of the good shipp called the
- MAYFLOWER of the burden of Two hundred Tuns or there abouts . . . .
- Rideing at Ancor in the Harber of Boston," sold one-sixteenth of the ship
- "for good &amp; valluable Consideracons to Mr. John Pinchon of Springfield
- Mrchant." The next day, October 7, 1652, the same "Thomas Webber, Mr, of
- the good Shipp called the MAY FLOWER of Boston in New England now bound
- for the barbadoes and thence to London," acknowledges an indebtedness to
- Theodore Atkinson, a wealthy "hatter, felt-maker," and merchant of Boston,
- and the same day (October 7, 1652), the said "Thomas Webber, Mr. of the
- good shipp called the MAY FLOWER of the burthen of Two hundred tuns or
- thereabouts," sold "unto Theodore Atkinson felt-maker one-sixteenth part
- as well of said Shipp as of all &amp; singular her masts Sails Sail-yards
- Ancors Cables Ropes Cords Gunns Gunpowder Shott Artillery Tackle Munition
- apparrell boate skiffe and furniture to the same belonging." It is of
- course possible that this was the historic ship, though, if so,
- reappearing twenty two years after her last known voyage to New England.
- If the same, she was apparently under both new master and owner. From the
- facts that she is called "of Boston in New England" and was trading
- between that port, "the Barbadoes" and London, it is not impossible that
- she may have been built at Boston&mdash;a sort of namesake descendant of
- the historic ship&mdash;and was that MAY-FLOWER mentioned as belonging, in
- 1657, to Mr. Samuel Vassall; as he had large interests alike in Boston,
- Barbadoes, and London. Masters of vessels were often empowered to sell
- their ships or shares in them. Although we know not where her keel was
- laid, by what master she was built, or where she laid her timbers when her
- work was done, by virtue of her grand service to humanity, her fame is
- secure, and her name written among the few, the immortal names that were
- not born to die.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER V
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE MAYFLOWER
- </h3>
- <p>
- The officers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER were obviously important factors
- in the success of the Pilgrim undertaking, and it is of interest to know
- what we may concerning them. We have seen that the "pilot," John Clarke,
- was employed by Weston and Cushman, even before the vessel upon which he
- was to serve had been found, and he had hence the distinction of being the
- first man "shipped" of the MAY-FLOWER'S complement. It is evident that he
- was promptly hired on its being known that he had recently returned from a
- voyage to Virginia in the cattle-ship FALCON, as certain to be of value in
- the colonists' undertakings.
- </p>
- <p>
- Knowing that the Adventurers' agents were seeking both a ship and a master
- for her, it was the natural thing for the latter, that he should propose
- the Captain under whom he had last sailed, on much the same voyage as that
- now contemplated. It is an interesting fact that something of the
- uncertainty which for a time existed as to the names and features of the
- Pilgrim barks attaches the names and identity of their respective
- commanders. The "given" name of "Master" Reynolds, "pilott" and "Master"
- of the SPEED WELL, does not appear, but the assertion of Professor Arber,
- though positive enough, that "the Christian name of the Captain of the
- MAY-FLOWER is not known," is not accepted by other authorities in Pilgrim
- history, though it is true that it does not find mention in the
- contemporaneous accounts of the Pilgrim ship and her voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- There is no room for doubt that the Captain of the FALCON&mdash;whose
- release from arrest while under charge of piracy the Earl of Warwick
- procured, that he might take command of the above-named cattle-ship on her
- voyage to Virginia, as hereinafter shown&mdash;was Thomas Jones. The
- identity of this man and "Master Jones" who assumed command of the
- MAY-FLOWER&mdash;with the former mate of the FALCON, John Clarke, as his
- first officer&mdash;is abundantly certified by circumstantial evidence of
- the strongest kind, as is also the fact that he commanded the ship
- DISCOVERY a little later.
- </p>
- <p>
- With the powerful backing of such interested friends as the Earl of
- Warwick and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, undoubtedly already in league with
- Thomas Weston, who probably made the contract with Jones, as he had with
- Clarke, the suggestion of the latter as to the competency and availability
- of his late commander would be sure of prompt approval, and thus, in all
- probability, Captain Thomas Jones, who finds his chief place in history&mdash;and
- a most important one&mdash;as Master of the MAY-FLOWER, came to that
- service.
- </p>
- <p>
- In 1619, as appears by Neill, the Virginia Company had one John Clarke in
- Ireland, "buying cattle for Virginia." We know that Captain Jones soon
- sailed for Virginia with cattle, in the FALCON, of 150 tons, and as this
- was the only cattle ship in a long period, we can very certainly identify
- Clarke as the newly-hired mate of the MAY-FLOWER, who, Cush man says
- (letter of June 11/21, 1620), "went last year to Virginia with a ship of
- kine." As 1620 did not begin until March 25, a ship sailing in February
- would have gone out in 1619, and Jones and Clarke could easily have made
- the voyage in time to engage for the MAY-FLOWER in the following June.
- "Six months after Jones's trip in the latter" (i.e. after his return from
- the Pilgrim voyage), Neill says, "he took the DISCOVERY (60 tons) to
- Virginia, and then northward, trading along the coast. The Council for New
- England complained of him to the Virginia Company for robbing the natives
- on this voyage. He stopped at Plymouth (1622), and, taking advantage of
- the distress for food he found there, was extortionate in his prices. In
- July, 1625, he appeared at Jamestown, Virginia, in possession of a Spanish
- frigate, which he said had been captured by one Powell, under a Dutch
- commission, but it was thought a resumption of his old buccaneering
- practices. Before investigation he sickened and died."
- </p>
- <p>
- That Jones was a man of large experience, and fully competent in his
- profession, is beyond dispute. His disposition, character, and deeds have
- been the subject of much discussion. By most writers he is held to have
- been a man of coarse, "unsympathetic" nature, "a rough sea-dog," capable
- of good feeling and kindly impulses at times, but neither governed by them
- nor by principle. That he was a "highwayman of the seas," a buccaneer and
- pirate, guilty of blood for gold, there can be no doubt. Certainly nothing
- could justify the estimate of him given by Professor Arber, that "he was
- both fair-minded and friendly toward the Pilgrim Fathers," and he
- certainly stands alone among writers of reputation in that opinion.
- Jones's selfishness,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford himself&mdash;whose authority in the matter will not be
- doubted&mdash;says (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 112): "As this calamitie,
- the general sickness, fell among ye passengers that were to be left
- here to plant, and were basted ashore and made to drinke water, that
- the sea-men might have ye more bear [beer] and one in his sickness
- desiring but a small can of beare it was answered that if he were
- their own father he should have none." Bradford also shows (op.
- cit. p. 153) the rapacity of Jones, when in command of the
- DISCOVERY, in his extortionate demands upon the Plymouth planters,
- notwithstanding their necessities.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> threats, boorishness, and extortion, to say nothing of his
- exceedingly bad record as a pirate, both in East and West Indian waters,
- compel a far different estimate of him as a man, from that of Arber,
- however excellent he was as a mariner. Professor Arber dissents from
- Goodwin's conclusion that Captain Jones of the DISCOVERY was the former
- Master of the MAY-FLOWER, but the reasons of his dissent are by no means
- convincing. He argues that Jones would not have accepted the command of a
- vessel so much smaller than his last, the DISCOVERY being only one third
- the size of the MAY-FLOWER. Master-mariners, particularly when just
- returned from long and unsuccessful voyages, especially if in bad repute,&mdash;as
- was Jones, &mdash;are obliged to take such employment as offers, and are
- often glad to get a ship much smaller than their last, rather than remain
- idle. Moreover, in Jones's case, if, as appears, he was inclined to
- buccaneering, the smaller ship would serve his purpose&mdash;as it seems
- it did satisfactorily. Nor is the fact that Bradford speaks of him&mdash;although
- previously so well acquainted&mdash;as "one Captain Jones," to be taken as
- evidence, as Arber thinks, that the Master of the DISCOVERY was some other
- of the name. Bradford was writing history, and his thought just then was
- the especial Providence of God in the timely relief afforded their
- necessities by the arrival of the ships with food, without regard to the
- individuals who brought it, or the fact that one was an acquaintance of
- former years. On the other hand, Winslow&mdash;in his "Good Newes from New
- England" &mdash;records the arrival of the two ships in August, 1622, and
- says, "the one as I take [recollect] it, was called the DISCOVERY, Captain
- Jones having command thereof," which on the same line of argument as
- Arber's might be read, "our old acquaintance Captain Jones, you know"! If
- the expression of Bradford makes against its being Captain Jones, formerly
- of the MAY-FLOWER, Winslow's certainly makes quite as much for it, while
- the fact which Winslow recites, viz. that the DISCOVERY, under Jones, was
- sailing as consort to the SPARROW, a ship of Thomas Weston,&mdash;who
- employed him for the MAY-FLOWER, was linked with him in the Gorges
- conspiracy, and had become nearly as degenerate as he,&mdash;is certainly
- significant. There are still better grounds, as will appear in the closely
- connected relations of Jones, for holding with Goodwin rather than with
- Arber in the matter. The standard authority in the case is the late Rev.
- E. D. Neill, D. D., for some years United States consul at Dublin, who
- made very considerable research into all matters pertaining to the
- Virginia Companies, consulting their original records and "transactions,"
- the Dutch related documents, the "Calendars of the East India Company,"
- etc. Upon him and his exhaustive work all others have largely drawn,&mdash;notably
- Professor Arber himself,&mdash;and his conclusions seem entitled to the
- same weight here which Arber gives them in other relations. Dr. Neill is
- clearly of opinion that the Captains of the MAY-FLOWER and the DISCOVERY
- were identical, and this belief is shared by such authorities in Pilgrim
- literature as Young, Prince, Goodwin, and Davis, and against this
- formidable consensus of opinion, Arber, unless better supported, can
- hardly hope to prevail.
- </p>
- <p>
- The question of Jones's duplicity and fraud, in bringing the Pilgrims to
- land at Cape Cod instead of the "neighbor-hood of Hudson's River," has
- been much mooted and with much diversity of opinion, but in the light of
- the subjoined evidence and considerations it seems well-nigh impossible to
- acquit him of the crime&mdash;for such it was, in inception, nature, and
- results, however overruled for good.
- </p>
- <p>
- The specific statements of Bradford and others leave no room for doubt
- that the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims fully intended to make their settlement
- somewhere in the region of the mouth of "Hudson's River." Morton states in
- terms that Captain Jones's "engagement was to Hudson's River." Presumably,
- as heretofore noted, the stipulation of his charter party required that he
- should complete his outward voyage in that general locality. The northern
- limits of the patents granted in the Pilgrim interest, whether that of
- John Wincob (or Wincop) sealed June 9/ 19, 1619, but never used, or the
- first one to John Pierce, of February 2/12, 1620, were, of course, brought
- within the limits of the First (London) Virginia Company's charter, which
- embraced, as is well-known, the territory between the parallels of 34 deg.
- and 41 deg. N. latitude. The most northerly of these parallels runs but
- about twenty miles to the north of the mouth of "Hudson's River." It is
- certain that the Pilgrims, after the great expense, labor, and pains of
- three years, to secure the protection of these Patents, would not
- willingly or deliberately, have planted themselves outside that
- protection, upon territory where they had none, and where, as interlopers,
- they might reasonably expect trouble with the lawful proprietors. Nor was
- there any reason why, if they so desired, they should not have gone to
- "Hudson's River" or its vicinity, unless it was that they had once seemed
- to recognize the States General of Holland as the rightful owners of that
- territory, by making petition to them, through the New Netherland Company,
- for their authority and protection in settling there. But even this fact
- constituted no moral or legal bar to such action, if desirable First,
- because it appears certain that, whatever the cause, they "broke off"
- themselves their negotiations with the Dutch,&mdash;whether on account of
- the inducements offered by Thomas Weston, or a doubt of the ability of the
- Dutch to maintain their claim to that region, and to protect there, or
- both, neither appears nor matters. Second, because the States General&mdash;whether
- with knowledge that they of Leyden had so "broken off" or from their own
- doubts of their ability to maintain their claim on the Hudson region, does
- not appear&mdash;rejected the petition made to them in the Pilgrims'
- behalf. It is probable that the latter was the real reason, from the fact
- that the petition was twice rejected.
- </p>
- <p>
- In view of the high opinion of the Leyden brethren, entertained, as we
- know, by the Dutch, it is clear that the latter would have been pleased to
- secure them as colonists; while if at all confident of their rights to the
- territory, they must have been anxious to colonize it and thus confirm
- their hold, increase their revenues as speedily as possible, and
- </p>
- <p>
- Third, because it appears upon the showing of the petition itself, made by
- the New Netherland Company (to which the Leyden leaders had looked,
- doubtless on account of its pretensions, for the authority and protection
- of the States General, as they afterward did to the English Virginia
- Company for British protection), that this Company had lost its own
- charter by expiration, and hence had absolutely nothing to offer the
- Leyden people beyond the personal and associate influence of its members,
- and the prestige of a name that had once been potential. In fact, the New
- Netherland Company was using the Leyden congregation as a leverage to pry
- for itself from the States General new advantages, larger than it had
- previously enjoyed.
- </p>
- <p>
- Moreover it appears by the evidence of both the petition of the Directors
- of the New Netherland Company to the Prince of Orange (February 2/12,
- 1619/20), and the letters of Sir Dudley Carleton, the British ambassador
- at the Hague, to the English Privy Council, dated February 5/15, 1621/22,
- that, up to this latter date the Dutch had established no colony
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [British State Papers, Holland, Bundle 165. Sir Dudley Carleton's
- Letters. "They have certain Factors there, continually resident,
- trading with savages . . . but I cannot learn of any colony,
- either I already planted there by these people, or so much as
- intended." Sir Dudley Carleton's Letters.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> on the territory claimed by them at the Hudson, and had no other
- representation there than the trading-post of a commercial company whose
- charter had expired. There can be no doubt that the Leyden leaders knew,
- from their dealings with the New Netherland Company, and the study of the
- whole problem which they evidently made, that this region was open to them
- or any other parties for habitation and trade, so far as any prior grants
- or charters under the Dutch were concerned, but they required more than
- this.
- </p>
- <p>
- To Englishmen, the English claim to the territory at "Hudson's River" was
- valid, by virtue of the discovery of the Cabots, under the law of nations
- as then recognized, not withstanding Hudson's more particular explorations
- of those parts in 1609, in the service of Holland, especially as no colony
- or permanent occupancy of the region by the Dutch had been made.
- </p>
- <p>
- Professor John Fiske shows that "it was not until the Protestant England
- of Elizabeth had come to a life-and-death grapple with Spain, and not
- until the discovery of America had advanced much nearer completion, so
- that its value began to be more correctly understood, that political and
- commercial motives combined in determining England to attack Spain through
- America, and to deprive her of supremacy in the colonial and maritime
- world. Then the voyages of the Cabots assumed an importance entirely new,
- and could be quoted as the basis of a prior claim on the part of the
- English Crown, to lands which it [through the Cabots] had discovered."
- </p>
- <p>
- Having in mind the terrible history of slaughter and reprisal between the
- Spanish and French (Huguenot) settlers in Florida in 1565-67,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bancroft, History of the United States, vol. i. p. 68; Fiske,
- Discovery of America, vol. ii. p. 511 et seq. With the terrible
- experience of the Florida plantations in memory, the far-sighted
- leaders of the Leyden church proposed to plant under the shelter of
- an arm strong enough to protect them, and we find the Directors of
- the New Netherland Company stating that the Leyden party (the
- Pilgrims) can be induced to settle under Dutch auspices, "provided,
- they would be guarded and preserved from all violence on the part of
- other potentates, by the authority, and under the protection of your
- Princely Excellency and the High and Mighty States General."
- Petition of the Directors of the New Netherland Company to the
- Prince of Orange.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> the Pilgrims recognized the need of a strong power behind them,
- under whose aegis they might safely plant, and by virtue of whose might
- and right they could hope to keep their lives and possessions. The King of
- England had, in 1606, granted charters to the two Virginia Companies,
- covering all the territory in dispute, and, there could be no doubt, would
- protect these grants and British proprietorship therein, against all
- comers. Indeed, the King (James I.) by letter to Sir Dudley Carleton, his
- ambassador at the Hague, under date of December 15, 1621, expressly
- claimed his rights in the New Netherland territory and instructed him to
- impress upon the government of the States General his Majesty's claim,&mdash;"who,
- 'jure prime occupation' hath good and sufficient title to these parts."
- There can be no question that the overtures of Sandys, Weston, and others
- to make interest for them with one of these English Companies, agreed as
- well with both the preferences and convictions of the Leyden Pilgrims, as
- they did with the hopes and designs of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. In the light
- of these facts, there appears to have been neither legal nor moral bar to
- the evident intention of the Pilgrims to settle in the vicinity of
- "Hudson's River," if they so elected. In their light, also, despite the
- positive allegations of the truthful but not always reliable Morton, his
- charges of intrigue between the Dutch and Master Jones of the MAY-FLOWER,
- to prevent the settlement of his ship's company at "Hudson's River," may
- well be doubted. Writing in "New England's Memorial" in 1669, Morton says:
- "But some of the Dutch, having notice of their intentions, and having
- thoughts about the same time of erecting a plantation there likewise, they
- fraudulently hired the said Jones, by delays while they were in England,
- and now under pretence of the shoals the dangers of the Monomoy Shoals off
- Cape Cod to disappoint them in going thither." He adds: "Of this plot
- between the Dutch and Mr. Jones, I have had late and certain
- intelligence." If this intelligence was more reliable than his assertion
- concerning the responsibility of Jones for the "delays while they were in
- England," it may well be discredited, as not the faintest evidence appears
- to make him responsible for those delays, and they are amply accounted for
- without him. Without questioning the veracity of Morton (while suggesting
- his many known errors, and that the lapse of time made it easy to
- misinterpret even apparently certain facts), it must be remembered that he
- is the original sponsor for the charge of Dutch intrigue with Jones, and
- was its sole support for many years. All other writers who have accepted
- and indorsed his views are of later date, and but follow him, while
- Bradford and Winslow, who were victims of this Dutch conspiracy against
- them, if it ever existed, were entirely silent in their writings upon the
- matter, which we may be sure they would not have been, had they suspected
- the Dutch as prime movers in the treachery. That there was a conspiracy to
- accomplish the landing of the MAY-FLOWER planters at a point north of "the
- Hudson" (in fact, north of the bounds defined by the (first) Pierce
- patent, upon which they relied), i.e. north of 41 deg. N. latitude,&mdash;is
- very certain; but that it was of Dutch origin, or based upon motives which
- are attributed to the Dutch, is clearly erroneous. While the historical
- facts indicate an utter lack of motive for such an intrigue on the part of
- the Dutch, either as a government or as individuals, there was no lack of
- motive on the part of certain others, who, we can but believe, were
- responsible for the conspiracy. Moreover, the chief conspirators were
- such, that, even if the plot was ultimately suspected by the Pilgrims, a
- wise policy&mdash;indeed, self-preservation &mdash;would have dictated
- their silence. That the Dutch were without sufficient motive or interest
- has been declared. That the States General could have had no wish to
- reject so exceptionally excellent a body of colonists as subjects, and as
- tenants to hold and develop their disputed territory&mdash;if in position
- to receive them and guarantee them protection &mdash;is clear. The sole
- objection that could be urged against them was their English birth, and
- with English regiments garrisoning the Dutch home cities, and foreigners
- of every nation in the States General's employ, by land and by sea, such
- an objection could have had no weight. Indeed, the Leyden party proposed,
- if they effected satisfactory arrangements with the States General (as
- stated by the Directors of the New Netherland Company), "to plant there
- [at "Hudson's River"] a new commonwealth, all under the order and command
- of your Princely Excellency and their High Mightinesses the States
- General:" The Leyden Pilgrims were men who kept their agreements.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Dutch trading-companies, who were the only parties in the Low
- Countries who could possibly have had any motive for such a conspiracy,
- were at this time themselves without charters, and the overtures of the
- principal company, made to the government in behalf of themselves and the
- Leyden brethren, had recently, as we have seen, been twice rejected. They
- had apparently, therefore, little to hope for in the near future;
- certainly not enough to warrant expenditure and the risk of disgraceful
- exposure, in negotiations with a stranger&mdash;an obscure ship-master&mdash;to
- change his course and land his passengers in violation of the terms of his
- charter-party;&mdash;negotiations, moreover, in which neither of the
- parties could well have had any guaranty of the other's good faith.
- </p>
- <p>
- But, as previously asserted, there was a party&mdash;to whom such knavery
- was an ordinary affair&mdash;who had ample motive, and of whom Master
- Thomas Jones was already the very willing and subservient ally and tool,
- and had been such for years. Singularly enough, the motive governing this
- party was exactly the reverse of that attributed&mdash;though illogically
- and without reason&mdash;to the Dutch. In the case of the latter, the
- alleged animus was a desire to keep the Pilgrim planters away from their
- "Hudson's River" domain. In the case of the real conspirators, the purpose
- was to secure these planters as colonists for, and bring them to, the more
- northern territory owned by them. It is well known that Sir Ferdinando
- Gorges was the leading spirit of the "Second Virginia Company," as he also
- became (with the Earl of Warwick a close second) of "The Council for the
- Affairs of New England," of which both men were made "Governors," in
- November of 1620, when the Council practically superseded the "Second
- Virginia Company." The Great Charter for "The Council of Affairs of New
- England," commonly known as "The Council for New England," issued Tuesday,
- November 3/13, 1620, and it held in force till Sunday, June 7/17, 1635.
- </p>
- <p>
- Although not its official head, and ranked at its board by dukes and
- earls, Sir Ferdinando Gorges was&mdash;as he had been in the old Plymouth
- (or Second) Virginia Company&mdash;the leading man. This was largely from
- his superior acquaintance with, and long and varied experience in, New
- England affairs. The "Council" was composed of forty patentees, and Baxter
- truly states, that "Sir Ferdinando Gorges, at this time [1621] stood at the head of the Council for New England, so far as influence went; in fact, his hand
- shaped its affairs." This company, holding&mdash;by the division of
- territory made under the original charter-grants&mdash;a strip of
- territory one hundred miles wide, on the North American coast, between the
- parallels of 41 deg. and 45 deg. N. latitude, had not prospered, and its
- efforts at colonization (on what is now the Maine coast), in 1607 and
- later, had proved abortive, largely through the character of its
- "settlers," who had been, in good degree, a somewhat notable mixture of
- two of the worst elements of society,&mdash;convicts and broken-down
- "gentlemen."
- </p>
- <p>
- "In 1607," says Goodwin, "Gorges and the cruel Judge Popham planted a
- colony at Phillipsburg (or Sagadahoc, as is supposed), by the mouth of the
- Kennebec. Two ships came, 'THE GIFT OF GOD' and the 'MARY AND JOHN,'
- bringing a hundred persons. Through August they found all delightful, but
- when the ships went back in December, fifty five of the number returned to
- England, weary of their experience and fearful of the cold .... With
- spring the ships returned from England; "but by this time the remainder
- were ready to leave," so every soul returned with Gilbert [the Admiral] .
- . . . For thirty years Gorges continued to push exploration and emigration
- to that region, but his ambition and liberality ever resulted in
- disappointment and loss." The annals of the time show that not a few of
- the Sagadahoc colonists were convicts, released from the English jails to
- people this colony.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hakluyt says: "In 1607 [this should read 1608], disheartened by the death
- of Popham, they all embarked in a ship from Exeter and in the new pynnace,
- the 'VIRGINIA,' built in the colony, and sett sail for England, and this
- was the end of that northern colony upon the river Sachadehoc [Kennebec]."
- </p>
- <p>
- No one knew better than the shrewd Gorges the value of such a colony as
- that of the Leyden brethren would be, to plant, populate, and develop his
- Company's great demesne. None were more facile than himself and the
- buccaneering Earl of Warwick, to plan and execute the bold, but&mdash;as
- it proved&mdash;easy coup, by which the Pilgrim colony was to be stolen
- bodily; for the benefit of the "Second Virginia Company" and its
- successor, "the Council for New England," from the "First (or London)
- Company," under whose patent (to John Pierce) and patronage they sailed.
- They apparently did not take their patent with them,&mdash;it would have
- been worthless if they had,&mdash;and they were destined to have no small
- trouble with Pierce, before they were established in their rights under
- the new patent granted him (in the interest of the Adventurers and
- themselves), by the "Council for New England." Master John Wincob's early
- and silent withdrawal from his apparently active connection with the
- Pilgrim movement, and the evident cancellation of the first patent issued
- to him in its interest, by the (London) Virginia Company, have never been
- satisfactorily explained. Wincob (or Wincop), we are told, "was a
- religious Gentleman, then belonging to the household of the Countess of
- Lincoln, who intended to go with them [the Pilgrims] but God so disposed
- as he never went, nor they ever made use of this Patent, which had cost
- them so much labor and charge." Wincob, it appears by the minutes of the
- (London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, May 26/June 5, 1619, was commended
- to the Company, for the patent he sought, by the fourth Earl of Lincoln,
- and it was doubtless through his influence that it was granted and sealed,
- June 9/19, 1619. But while Wincob was a member of the household of the
- Dowager Countess of Lincoln, mother of the fourth Earl of Lincoln; John,
- the eldest son of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, had married the Earl's daughter
- (sister ?), and hence Gorges stood in a much nearer relation to the Earl
- than did his mother's friend and dependant (as Wincob evidently was), as
- well as on a much more equal social footing. By the minutes of the
- (London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, February 2/ 12, 1619/20, it
- appears that a patent was "allowed and sealed to John Pierce and his
- associates, heirs and assigns," for practically the same territory for
- which the patent to Wincob had been given but eight months before. No
- explanation was offered, and none appears of record, but the logical
- conclusion is, that the first patent had been cancelled, that Master
- Wincob's personal interest in the Pilgrim exodus had ceased, and that the
- Lincoln patronage had been withdrawn. It is a rational conjecture that Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges, through the relationship he sustained to the Earl,
- procured the withdrawal of Wincob and his patent, knowing that the success
- of his (Gorges's) plot would render the Wincob patent worthless, and that
- the theft of the colony, in his own interest, would be likely to breed
- "unpleasantness" between himself and Wincob's sponsors and friends among
- the Adventurers, many of whom were friends of the Earl of Lincoln.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Earl of Warwick, the man of highest social and political rank in the
- First (or London) Virginia Company, was, at about the same time, induced
- by Gorges to abandon his (the London) Company and unite with himself in
- securing from the Crown the charter of the "Council of Affairs for New
- England." The only inducements he could offer for the change must
- apparently have resided in the promised large results of plottings
- disclosed by him (Gorges), but he needed the influential and unscrupulous
- Earl for the promotion of his schemes, and won him, by some means, to an
- active partnership, which was doubtless congenial to both. The "fine
- Italian hand" of Sir Ferdinando hence appears at every stage, and in every
- phase, of the Leyden movement, from the mission of Weston to Holland, to
- the landing at Cape Cod, and every movement clearly indicates the crafty
- cunning, the skilful and brilliant manipulation, and the dogged
- determination of the man.
- </p>
- <p>
- That Weston was a most pliant and efficient tool in the hands of Gorges,
- "from start to finish" of this undertaking, is certainly apparent. Whether
- he was, from the outset, made fully aware of the sinister designs of the
- chief conspirator, and a party to them, admits of some doubt, though the
- conviction strengthens with study, that he was, from the beginning,
- 'particeps criminis'. If he was ever single-minded for the welfare of the
- Leyden brethren and the Adventurers, it must have been for a very brief
- time at the inception of the enterprise; and circumstances seem to forbid
- crediting him with honesty of purpose, even then. The weight of evidence
- indicates that he both knew, and was fully enlisted in, the entire plot of
- Gorges from the outset. In all its early stages he was its most efficient
- promoter, and seems to have given ample proof of his compliant zeal in its
- execution. His visit to the Leyden brethren in Holland was, apparently,
- wholly instigated by Gorges, as the latter complacently claims and
- collateral evidence proves. In his endeavor to induce the leaders to
- "break off with the Dutch," their pending negotiations for settlement at
- "Hudson's River," he evidently made capital of, and traded upon, his
- former kindness to some of them when they were in straits,&mdash;a most
- contemptible thing in itself, yet characteristic of the man. He led the
- Pilgrims to "break off" their dealings with the Dutch by the largest and
- most positive promises of greater advantages through him, few of which he
- ever voluntarily kept (as we see by John Robinson's sharp arraignment of
- him), his whole object being apparently to get the Leyden party into his
- control and that of his friends,&mdash;the most subtle and able of whom
- was Gorges. Bradford recites that Weston not only urged the Leyden leaders
- "not to meddle with ye Dutch," but also,&mdash;"not too much to depend on
- ye Virginia [London] Company," but to rely on himself and his friends.
- This strongly suggests active cooperation with Gorges, on Weston's part,
- at the outset, with the intent (if he could win them by any means, from
- allegiance to the First (London) Virginia Company), to lead the Leyden
- party, if possible, into Gorges's hands and under the control and
- patronage of the Second (or Plymouth) Virginia Company. Whatever the date
- may have been, at which (as Bradford states) the Leyden people "heard,
- both by Mr. Weston and others, yt sundrie Honble: Lords had obtained a
- large grante from ye king for ye more northerly parts of that countrie,
- derived out of ye Virginia patents, and wholly secluded from theire
- Governmente, and to be called by another name, viz. New England, unto
- which Mr. Weston and the chiefe of them begane to incline;" Bradford
- leaves us in no doubt as to Weston's attitude toward the matter itself. It
- is certain that the governor, writing from memory, long afterward, fixed
- the time at which the Honble: Lords had obtained "their large grante" much
- earlier than it could possibly have occurred, as we know the exact date of
- the patent for the, "Council for New England," and that the order for its
- issue was not given till just as the Pilgrims left Leyden; so that they
- could not have known of the actual "grante" till they reached Southampton.
- The essential fact, stated on this best of authority, is, that "Mr. Weston
- and the chiefe of them [their sponsors, i.e. Weston and Lord Warwick, both
- in league with Gorges] begane to incline to Gorges's new Council for New
- England." Such an attitude (evidently taken insidiously) meant, on
- Weston's part, of necessity, no less than treachery to his associates of
- the Adventurers; to the (London) Virginia Company, and to the Leyden
- company and their allied English colonists, in the interest of Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges and his schemes and of the new "Council" that Gorges was
- organizing. Weston's refusal to advance "a penny" to clear the departing
- Pilgrims from their port charges at Southampton; his almost immediate
- severance of connection with both the colonists and the Adventurers; and
- his early association with Gorges,&mdash;in open and disgraceful violation
- of all the formers' rights in New England,&mdash;to say nothing of his
- exhibition of a malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has
- deeply wronged, all point to a complete and positive surrender of himself
- and his energies to the plot of Gorges, as a full participant, from its
- inception. In his review of the Anniversary Address of Hon. Charles
- Francis Adams (of July 4, 1892, at Quincy), Daniel W. Baker, Esq., of
- Boston, says: "The Pilgrim Fathers were influenced in their decision to
- come to New England by Weston, who, if not the agent of Gorges in this
- particular matter, was such in other matters and held intimate relations
- with him."
- </p>
- <p>
- The known facts favor the belief that Gorges's cogitations on colonial
- matters&mdash;especially as stimulated by his plottings in relation to the
- Leyden people&mdash;led to his project of the grant&mdash;and charter for
- the new "Council for New England," designed and constituted to supplant,
- or override, all others. It is highly probable that this grand scheme
- &mdash;duly embellished by the crafty Gorges,&mdash;being unfolded to
- Weston, with suggestions of great opportunities for Weston himself
- therein, warmed and drew him, and brought him to full and zealous
- cooperation in all Gorges's plans, and that from this time, as Bradford
- states, he "begane to incline" toward, and to suggest to the Pilgrims,
- association with Gorges and the new "Council." Not daring openly to
- declare his change of allegiance and his perfidy, he undertook,
- apparently, at first, by suggestions, e.g. "not to place too much
- dependence on the London Company, but to rely on himself and friends;"
- that "the fishing of New England was good," etc.; and making thus no
- headway, then, by a policy of delay, fault finding, etc., to breed
- dissatisfaction, on the Pilgrims' part, with the Adventurers, the patent
- of Wincob, etc., with the hope of bringing about "a new deal" in the
- Gorges interest. The same "delays" in sailing, that have been adduced as
- proof of Jones's complicity with the Dutch, would have been of equal
- advantage to these noble schemers, and if he had any hand in them-which
- does not appear&mdash;it would have been far more likely in the interest
- of his long-time patron, the Earl of Warwick, and of his friends, than of
- any Dutch conspirators.
- </p>
- <p>
- Once the colonists were landed upon the American soil, especially if late
- in the season, they would not be likely, it doubtless was argued, to
- remove; while by a liberal policy on the part of the "Council for New
- England" toward them&mdash;when they discovered that they were upon its
- territory&mdash;they could probably be retained. That just such a policy
- was, at once and eagerly, adopted toward them, as soon as occasion
- permitted, is good proof that the scheme was thoroughly matured from the
- start. The record of the action of the "Council for New England"&mdash;which
- had become the successor of the Second Virginia Company before
- intelligence was received that the Pilgrims had landed on its domain&mdash;is
- not at hand, but it appears by the record of the London Company, under
- date of Monday, July 16/26, 1621, that the "Council for New England" had
- promptly made itself agreeable to the colonists. The record reads: "It was
- moved, seeing that Master John Pierce had taken a Patent of Sir Ferdinando
- Gorges, and thereupon seated his Company [the Pilgrims] within the limits
- of the Northern Plantations, as by some was supposed,"' etc. From this it
- is plain that, on receipt by Pierce of the news that the colony was landed
- within the limits of the "Council for New England," he had, as instructed,
- applied for, and been given (June 1, 1621), the (first) "Council" patent
- for the colony. For confirmation hereof one should see also the minutes of
- the "Council for New England" of March 25/April 4., 1623, and the fulsome
- letter of Robert Cushman returning thanks in behalf of the Planters
- (through John Pierce), to Gorges, for his prompt response to their request
- for a patent and for his general complacency toward them Hon. James
- Phinney Baxter, Gorges's able and faithful biographer, says: "We can
- imagine with what alacrity he [Sir Ferdinando] hastened to give to Pierce
- a patent in their behalf." The same biographer, clearly unconscious of the
- well-laid plot of Gorges and Warwick (as all other writers but Neill and
- Davis have been), bears testimony (all the stronger because the witness is
- unwitting of the intrigue), to the ardent interest Gorges had in its
- success. He says: "The warm desire of Sir Ferdinando Gorges to see a
- permanent colony founded within the domain of the Plymouth [or Second]
- Virginia Company was to be realized in a manner of which he had never
- dreamed [sic!] and by a people with whom he had but little sympathized,
- although we know that he favored their settlement within the territorial
- limits of the Plymouth [Second] Company." He had indeed "favored their
- settlement," by all the craft of which he was master, and greeted their
- expected and duly arranged advent with all the jubilant open-handedness
- with which the hunter treats the wild horse he has entrapped, and hopes to
- domesticate and turn to account. Everything favored the conspirators. The
- deflection north-ward from the normal course of the ship as she approached
- the coast, bound for the latitude of the Hudson, required only to be so
- trifling that the best sailor of the Pilgrim leaders would not be likely
- to note or criticise it, and it was by no means uncommon to make Cape Cod
- as the first landfall on Virginia voyages. The lateness of the arrival on
- the coast, and the difficulties ever attendant on doubling Cape Cod,
- properly turned to account, would increase the anxiety for almost any
- landing-place, and render it easy to retain the sea-worn colonists when
- once on shore. The grand advantage, however, over and above all else, was
- the entire ease and certainty with which the cooperation of the one man
- essential to the success of the undertaking could be secured, without need
- of the privity of any other, viz. the Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain
- Thomas Jones.
- </p>
- <p>
- Let us see upon what the assumption of this ready and certain accord on
- the part of Captain Jones rests. Rev. Dr. Neill, whose thorough study of
- the records of the Virginia Companies, and of the East India Company
- Calendars and collateral data, entitles him to speak with authority,
- recites that, "In 1617, Capt. Thomas Jones (sometimes spelled Joanes) had
- been sent to the East Indies in command of the ship LION by the Earl of
- Warwick (then Sir Robt. Rich), under a letter of protection from the Duke
- of Savoy, a foreign prince, ostensibly 'to take pirates,' which [pretext]
- had grown, as Sir Thomas Roe (the English ambassador with the Great Mogul)
- states, 'to be a common pretence for becoming pirate.'" Caught by the
- famous Captain Martin Pring, in full pursuit of the junk of the Queen
- Mother of the Great Mogul, Jones was attacked, his ship fired in the
- fight, and burned,&mdash;with some of his crew,&mdash;and he was sent a
- prisoner to England in the ship BULL, arriving in the Thames, January 1,
- 1618/19. No action seems to have been taken against him for his offences,
- and presumably his employer, Sir Robert, the coming Earl, obtained his
- liberty on one pretext or another. On January 19, however, complaint was
- made against Captain Jones, "late of the LION," by the East India Company,
- "for hiring divers men to serve the King of Denmark in the East Indies." A
- few days after his arrest for "hiring away the Company's men, Lord Warwick
- got him off" on the claim that he had employed him "to go to Virginia with
- cattle." From the "Transactions" of the Second Virginia Company, of which&mdash;as
- we have seen&mdash;Sir Ferdinando Gorges was the leading spirit, it
- appears that on "February 2, 1619/20, a commission was allowed Captain
- Thomas Jones of the FALCON, a ship of 150 tons" [he having been lately
- released from arrest by the Earl of Warwick's intercession], and that
- "before the close of the month, he sailed with cattle for Virginia," as
- previously noted. Dr. Neill, than whom there can be no better authority,
- was himself satisfied, and unequivocally states, that "Thomas Jones,
- Captain of the MAY-FLOWER, was without doubt the old servant of Lord
- Warwick in the East Indies." Having done Sir Robert Rich's (the Earl of
- Warwick's) "dirty work" for years, and having on all occasions been saved
- from harm by his noble patron (even when piracy and similar practices had
- involved him in the meshes of the law), it would be but a trifling matter,
- at the request of such powerful friends as the Earl and Sir Ferdinando
- Gorges, to steal the Pilgrim Colony from the London Virginia Company, and
- hand it over bodily to the "Council for New England,"&mdash;the successor
- of the Second (Plymouth) Virginia Company,&mdash;in which their interests
- were vested, Warwick having, significantly, transferred his membership
- from the London Company to the new "Council for New England," as it was
- commonly called. Neill states, and there is abundant proof, that "the Earl
- of Warwick and Gorges were in sympathy," and were active coadjutors, while
- it is self-evident that both would be anxious to accomplish the permanent
- settlement of the "Northern Plantations" held by their Company. That they
- would hesitate to utilize so excellent an opportunity to secure so very
- desirable a colony, by any means available, our knowledge of the men and
- their records makes it impossible to believe,&mdash;while nothing could
- apparently have been easier of accomplishment. It will readily be
- understood that if the conspirators were these men,&mdash;upon whose grace
- the Pilgrims must depend for permission to remain upon the territory to
- which they had been inveigled, or even for permission to depart from it,
- without spoliation, &mdash;men whose influence with the King (no friend to
- the Pilgrims) was sufficient to make both of them, in the very month of
- the Pilgrims' landing, "governors" of "The Council for New England," under
- whose authority the Planters must remain,&mdash;the latter were not likely
- to voice their suspicions of the trick played upon them, if they
- discovered it, or openly to resent it, when known. Dr. Dexter, in
- commenting on the remark of Bradford, "We made Master Jones our leader,
- for we thought it best herein to gratifie his kindness &amp; forwardness,"
- sensibly says, "This proves nothing either way, in regard to the charge
- which Secretary Morton makes of treachery against Jones, in landing the
- company so far north, because, if that were true, it was not known to any
- of the company for years afterward, and of course could not now [at that
- time] impair their feelings of confidence in, or kindness towards, him.
- Moreover, the phraseology, "we thought it best to gratifie," suggests
- rather considerations of policy than cordial desire, and their
- acquaintance, too, with the man was still young. There is, however, no
- evidence that Jones's duplicity was suspected till long afterward, though
- his character was fully recognized. Gorges himself furnishes, in his
- writings, the strongest confirmation we have of the already apparent fact,
- that he was himself the prime conspirator. He says, in his own
- "Narration," "It was referred [evidently by himself] to their [the London
- Virginia Company's] consideration, how necessary it was that means might
- be used to draw unto those their enterprises, some of those families that
- had retired themselves into Holland for scruple of conscience, giving them
- such freedom and liberty as might stand with their liking." When have we
- ever found Sir Ferdinando Gorges thus solicitous for the success of the
- rival Virginia Company? Why, if he so esteemed the Leyden people as
- excellent colonists, did he not endeavor to secure them himself directly,
- for his own languishing company? Certainly the "scruple of conscience" of
- the Leyden brethren did not hinder him, for he found it no bar, though of
- the Established Church himself, to giving them instantly all and more than
- was asked in their behalf, as soon as he had them upon his territory and
- they had applied for a patent. He well knew that it would be matter of
- some expense and difficulty to bring the Leyden congregation into
- agreement to go to either of the Virginia grants, and he doubtless, and
- with good reason, feared that his repute and the character and reputation
- of his own Company, with its past history of failure, convict settlers,
- and loose living, would be repellent to these people of "conscience." If
- they could be brought to the "going-point," by men more of their ilk, like
- Sir Edwin Sandys, Weston, and others, it would then be time to see if he
- could not pluck the ripe fruit for himself,&mdash;as he seems to have
- done.
- </p>
- <p>
- "This advice," he says, "being hearkened unto, there were [those] that
- undertook the putting it in practice [Weston and others] and it was
- accordingly brought to effect," etc. Then, reciting (erroneously) the
- difficulties with the SPEEDWELL, etc., he records the MAY-FLOWER'S arrival
- at Cape Cod, saying, "The . . . ship with great difficulty reached the
- coast of New England." He then gives a glowing, though absurd, account of
- the attractions the planters found&mdash;in midwinter &mdash;especially
- naming the hospitable reception of the Indians, despite the fact of the
- savage attack made upon them by the Nausets at Cape Cod, and adds: "After
- they had well considered the state of their affairs and found that the
- authority they had from the London Company of Virginia, could not warrant
- their abode in that place," which "they found so prosperous and pleasing
- [sic] they hastened away their ship, with orders to their Solicitor to
- deal with me to be a means they might have a grant from the Council of New
- England Affairs, to settle in the place, which was accordingly performed
- to their particular satisfaction and good content of them all." One can
- readily imagine the crafty smile with which Sir Ferdinando thus
- guilelessly recorded the complete success of his plot. It is of interest
- to note how like a needle to the pole the grand conspirator's mind flies
- to the fact which most appeals to him &mdash;that they find "that the
- authority they had . . . could not warrant their abode in that place." It
- is of like interest to observe that in that place which he called
- "pleasant and prosperous" one half their own and of the ship's company had
- died before they hastened the ship away, and they had endured trial,
- hardships, and sorrows untellable,&mdash;although from pluck and principle
- they would not abandon it. He tells us "they hastened away their ship,"
- and implies that it was for the chief purpose of obtaining through him a
- grant of the land they occupied. While we know that the ship did not
- return till the following April,&mdash;and then at her Captain's rather
- than the Pilgrims' pleasure,&mdash;it is evident that Gorges could think
- of events only as incident to his designs and from his point of view. His
- plot had succeeded. He had the "Holland families" upon his soil, and his
- willing imagination converted their sober and deliberate action into the
- eager haste with which he had planned that they should fly to him for the
- patent, which his cunning had&mdash;as he purposed&mdash;rendered
- necessary. Of course their request "was performed," and so readily and
- delightedly that, recognizing John Pierce as their mouthpiece and the
- plantation as "Mr. Pierces Plantation," Sir Ferdinando and his associates&mdash;the
- "Council for New England," including his joint-conspirator, the Earl of
- Warwick&mdash;gave Pierce unhesitatingly whatever he asked. The Hon.
- William T. Davis, who alone among Pilgrim historians (except Dr. Neill,
- whom he follows) seems to have suspected the hand of Gorges in the
- treachery of Captain Jones, here demonstrated, has suggested that:
- "Whether Gorges might not have influenced Pierce, in whose name the patent
- of the Pilgrims had been issued&mdash;and whether both together might not
- have seduced Capt. Jones, are further considerations to be weighed, in
- solving the problem of a deviation from the intended voyage of the
- MAYFLOWER." Although not aware of these suggestions, either of Mr. Davis
- or of Dr. Neill, till his own labors had satisfied him of Gorges's guilt,
- and his conclusions were formed, the author cheerfully recognizes the
- priority to his own demonstration, of the suggestions of both these
- gentlemen. No thing appears of record, however, to indicate that John
- Pierce was in any way a party to Gorges's plot. On the contrary, as his
- interest was wholly allied to his patent, which Gorges's scheme would
- render of little value to his associate Adventurers and himself he would
- naturally have been, unless heavily bribed to duplicity beyond his
- expectations from their intended venture, the last man to whom to disclose
- such a conspiracy. Neither was he necessary in any way to the success of
- the scheme. He did not hire either the ship or her master; he does not
- appear to have had any Pilgrim relations to Captain Jones, and certainly
- could have had no such influence with him as Gorges could himself command,
- through Warwick and his own ability&mdash;from his position at the head of
- the "New England Council"&mdash;to reward the service he required. That
- Gorges was able himself to exert all the influence requisite to secure
- Jones's cooperation, without the aid of Pierce, who probably could have
- given none, is evident. Mr. Davis's suggestion, while pertinent and
- potential as to Gorges, is clearly wide of the mark as to Pierce. He
- represented the Adventurers in the matter of patents only, but Weston was
- in authority as to the pivotal matter of shipping. An evidently hasty
- footnote of Dr. Neill, appended to the "Memorial" offered by him to the
- Congress of the United States, in 1868, seems to have been the only
- authority of Mr. William T. Davis for the foregoing suggestion as to the
- complicity of Pierce in the treachery of Captain Jones, except the bare
- suspicion, already alluded to, in the records of the London Company. Neill
- says: "Captain Jones, the navigator of the MAY-FLOWER, and John Pierce,
- probably had arranged as to destination without the knowledge of the
- passengers." While of course this is not impossible, there is, as stated,
- absolutely nothing to indicate any knowledge, participation, or need of
- Pierce in the matter, and of course the fewer there were in the secret the
- better.
- </p>
- <p>
- Unobservant that John Pierce was acting upon the old adage, "second thief
- best owner," when he asked, a little later, even so extraordinary a thing
- as that the "Council for New England" would exchange the patent they had
- so promptly granted him (as representing his associates, the Adventurers
- and Planters) for a "deed-pole," or title in fee, to himself alone, they
- instantly complied, and thus unwittingly enabled him also to steal the
- colony, and its demesne beside. It is evident, from the very servile
- letter of Robert Cushman to John Pierce (written while the former was at
- New Plymouth, in November-December, 1621, on behalf of the MAY-FLOWER
- Adventurers), that up to that time at least, the Pilgrims had no suspicion
- of the trick which had been played upon them. For, while too adroit
- recklessly to open a quarrel with those who could&mdash;if they chose
- &mdash;destroy them, the Pilgrims were far too high-minded to stoop to
- flattery and dissimulation (especially with any one known to have been
- guilty of treachery toward them), or to permit any one to do so in their
- stead. In the letter referred to, Cush man acknowledges in the name of the
- colonists the "bounty and grace of the President and Council of the
- Affairs of New England [Gorges, Warwick, et als.] for their allowance and
- approbation" of the "free possession and enjoyment" of the territory and
- rights so promptly granted Pierce by the Council, in the colonists'
- interest, upon application. If the degree of promptness with which the
- wily Gorges and his associates granted the petition of Pierce, in the
- colony's behalf for authority to occupy the domain to which Gorges's
- henchman Jones had so treacherously conveyed them, was at all
- proportionate to the fulsome and lavish acknowledgments of Cushman, there
- must have been such eagerness of compliance as to provoke general
- suspicion at the Council table. Gorges and Warwick must have "grinned
- horribly behind their hands" upon receipt of the honest thanks of these
- honest planters and the pious benedictions of their scribe, knowing
- themselves guilty of detestable conspiracy and fraud, which had frustrated
- an honest purpose, filched the results of others' labors, and had "done to
- death" good men and women not a few. Winslow, in "Hypocrisie Unmasked,"
- says: "We met with many dangers and the mariners' put back into the harbor
- of the Cape." The original intent of the Pilgrims to go to the
- neighborhood of the Hudson is unmistakable; that this intention was still
- clear on the morning of November 10 (not 9th) &mdash;after they had "made
- the land"&mdash;has been plainly shown; that there was no need of so
- "standing in with the land" as to become entangled in the "rips" and
- "shoals" off what is now known as Monomoy (in an effort to pass around the
- Cape to the southward, when there was plenty of open water to port), is
- clear and certain; that the dangers and difficulties were magnified by
- Jones, and the abandonment of the effort was urged and practically made by
- him, is also evident from Winslow's language above noted,&mdash;"and the
- mariners put back," etc. No indication of the old-time consultations with
- the chief men appears here as to the matter of the return. Their advice
- was not desired. "The mariners put back" on their own responsibility.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin forcibly remarks, "These waters had been navigated by Gosnold,
- Smith, and various English and French explorers, whose descriptions and
- charts must have been familiar to a veteran master like Jones. He
- doubtless magnified the danger of the passage [of the shoals], and managed
- to have only such efforts made as were sure to fail. Of course he knew
- that by standing well out, and then southward in the clear sea, he would
- be able to bear up for the Hudson. His professed inability to devise any
- way for getting south of the Cape is strong proof of guilt."
- </p>
- <p>
- The sequential acts of the Gorges conspiracy were doubtless practically as
- follows:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) The Leyden leaders applied to the States General of Holland, through
- the New Netherland Company, for their aid and protection in locating at
- the mouth of "Hudson's" River;
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) Sir Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, doubtless
- promptly reported these negotiations to the King, through Sir Robert
- Naunton;
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) The King, naturally enough, probably mentioned the matter to his
- intimate and favorite, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the leading man in American
- colonization matters in the kingdom;
- </p>
- <p>
- (d) Sir Ferdinando Gorges, recognizing the value of such colonists as the
- Leyden congregation would make, anxious to secure them, instead of
- permitting the Dutch to do so, and knowing that he and his Company would
- be obnoxious to the Leyden leaders, suggested, as he admits, to Weston,
- perhaps to Sandys, as the Leyden brethren's friends, that they ought to
- secure them as colonists for their (London) Company;
- </p>
- <p>
- (e) Weston was dispatched to Holland to urge the Leyden leaders to drop
- the Dutch negotiations, come under English auspices, which he guaranteed,
- and they, placing faith in him, and possibly in Sandys's assurances of his
- (London) Virginia Company's favor, were led to put themselves completely
- into the hands of Weston and the Merchant Adventurers; the Wincob patent
- was cancelled and Pierces substituted;
- </p>
- <p>
- (f) Weston, failing to lead them to Gorges's company, was next deputed,
- perhaps by Gorges's secret aid, to act with full powers for the
- Adventurers, in securing shipping, etc.;
- </p>
- <p>
- (g) Having made sure of the Leyden party, and being in charge of the
- shipping, Weston was practically master of the situation. He and Cushman,
- who was clearly entirely innocent of the conspiracy, had the hiring of the
- ship and of her officers, and at this point he and his acts were of vital
- importance to Gorges's plans. To bring the plot to a successful issue it
- remained only to effect the landing of the colony upon territory north of
- the 41st parallel of north latitude, to take it out of the London
- Company's jurisdiction, and to do this it was only necessary to make Jones
- Master of the ship and to instruct him accordingly. This, with so willing
- a servant of his masters, was a matter of minutes only, the instructions
- were evidently given, and the success of the plot&mdash;the theft of the
- MAY-FLOWER colony&mdash;was assured.
- </p>
- <p>
- To a careful and candid student of all the facts, the proofs are seemingly
- unmistakable, and the conclusion is unavoidable, that the MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrims were designedly brought to Cape Cod by Captain Jones, and their
- landing in that latitude was effected, in pursuance of a conspiracy
- entered into by him, not with the Dutch, but with certain of the nobility
- of England; not with the purpose of keeping the planters out of Dutch
- territory, but with the deliberate intent of stealing the colony from the
- London Virginia Company, under whose auspices it had organized and set
- sail, in the interest, and to the advantage, of its rival Company of the
- "Northern Plantations."
- </p>
- <p>
- It is noteworthy that Jones did not command the MAY-FLOWER for another
- voyage, and never sailed afterward in the employ of Thomas Goffe, Esq., or
- (so far as appears) of any reputable shipowner. Weston was not such, nor
- were the chiefs of the "Council for New England," in whose employ he
- remained till his death.
- </p>
- <p>
- The records of the Court of the "Council" show, that "as soon as it would
- do," and when his absence would tend to lull suspicion as to the parts
- played, Captain Jones's noble patrons took steps to secure for him due
- recognition and compensation for his services, from the parties who were
- to benefit directly, with themselves, by his knavery. The records read:
- </p>
- <p>
- "July 17, 1622. A motion was made in the behaffe of Captaine Thomas Jones,
- Captaine of the DISCOVERY, nowe employed in Virginia for trade and
- fishinge [it proved, apparently, rather to be piracy], that he may be
- admitted a freeman in this Companie in reward of the good service he hath
- there [Virginia in general] performed. The Court liked well of the motion
- and condiscended thereunto." The DISCOVERY left London at the close of
- November, 1621. She arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in April, 1622. She
- reached Plymouth, New England, in August, 1622. Her outward voyage was
- not, so far as can be learned, eventful, or entitled to especial
- consideration or recognition, and the good store of English trading-goods
- she still had on hand&mdash;as Governor Bradford notices&mdash;on her
- arrival at Plymouth indicates no notable success up to that time, in the
- way of a trading-voyage, while "fishing" is not mentioned. For piracy, in
- which she was later more successful, she had then had neither time nor
- opportunity. The conclusion is irresistible, that "the good service"
- recognized by the vote recorded was of the past (he had sailed only the
- MAY-FLOWER voyage for the "Council" before), and that this recognition was
- a part of the compensation previously agreed upon, if, in the matter of
- the MAY-FLOWER voyage, Captain Jones did as he was bidden. Thus much of
- the crafty Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas Jones,&mdash;his
- Christian name and identity both apparently beyond dispute, &mdash;whom we
- first know in the full tide of his piratical career, in the corsair LION
- in Eastern seas; whom we next find as a prisoner in London for his
- misconduct in the East, but soon Master of the cattle-ship FALCON on her
- Virginia voyage; whom we greet next&mdash;and best&mdash;as Admiral of the
- Pilgrim fleet, commander of the destiny freighted MAY-FLOWER, and though a
- conspirator with nobles against the devoted band he steered, under the
- overruling hand of their Lord God, their unwitting pilot to "imperial
- labors" and mighty honors, to the founding of empire, and to eternal
- Peace; whom we next meet&mdash;fallen, "like Lucifer, never to hope again"
- &mdash;as Captain of the little buccaneer,&mdash;the DISCOVERY, disguised
- as a trading-ship, on the Virginian and New England coasts; and lastly, in
- charge of his leaking prize, a Spanish frigate in West Indian waters,
- making his way&mdash;death-stricken&mdash;into the Virginia port of
- Jamestown, where (July, 1625), he "cast anchor" for the last time, dying,
- as we first found him, a pirate, to whom it had meantime been given to
- "minister unto saints."
- </p>
- <p>
- Of JOHN CLARKE, the first mate of the MAY-FLOWER, we have already learned
- that he had been in the employ of the First (or London) Virginia Company,
- and had but just returned (in June, 1620) from a voyage to Virginia with
- Captain Jones in the FALCON, when found and employed by Weston and Cushman
- for the Pilgrim ship. Dr. Neill quotes from the "Minutes of the London
- Virginia Company," of Wednesday, February 13/23, 1621/2, the following;
- which embodies considerable information concerning him:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- "February 13th, 1621. Master Deputy acquainted the Court, that one Master
- John Clarke being taken from Virginia long since [Arber interpolates, "in
- 1612"] by a Spanish ship that came to discover the Plantation, that
- forasmuch as he hath since that time done the Company presumably the First
- (or London) Virginia Company good service in many voyages to Virginia;
- and, of late [1619] went into
- Ireland, for the transportation of cattle to Virginia; he was a humble
- suitor to this Court that he might be a Free brother of the Company, and
- have some shares of land bestowed upon him."
- </p>
- <p>
- From the foregoing he seems to have begun his American experiences as
- early as 1612, and to have frequently repeated them. That he was at once
- hired by Weston and Cushman as a valuable man, as soon as found, was not
- strange.
- </p>
- <p>
- He seems to have had the ability to impress men favorably and secure their
- confidence, and to have been a modest and reliable man. Although of both
- experience and capacity, he continued an under-officer for some years
- after the Pilgrim voyage, when, it is fair to suppose, he might have had
- command of a ship. He seems to have lacked confidence in himself, or else
- the breadth of education necessary to make him trust his ability as a
- navigator.
- </p>
- <p>
- He is not mentioned, in connection with the affairs of the Pilgrims, after
- he was hired as "pilot,"&mdash;on Saturday afternoon the 10th of June,
- 1620, at London,&mdash;until after the arrival at Cape Cod, and evidently
- was steadily occupied during all the experience of "getting away" and of
- the voyage, in the faithful performance of his duty as first mate (or
- "pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER. It was not until the "third party" of
- exploration from Cape Cod harbor was organized and set out, on Wednesday,
- December 6, that he appeared as one of the company who put out in the
- shallop, to seek the harbor which had been commended by Coppin, "the
- second mate." On this eventful voyage&mdash;when the party narrowly
- escaped shipwreck at the mouth of Plymouth harbor&mdash;they found shelter
- under the lee of an island, which (it being claimed traditionally that he
- was first to land there on) was called, in his honor, "Clarke's Island,"
- which name it retains to this day. No other mention of him is made by
- name, in the affairs of ship or shore, though it is known inferentially
- that he survived the general illness which attacked and carried off half
- of the ship's company. In November, 1621,&mdash;the autumn following his
- return from the Pilgrim voyage,&mdash;he seems to have gone to Virginia as
- "pilot" (or "mate") of the FLYING HART, with cattle of Daniel Gookin, and
- in 1623 to have attained command of a ship, the PROVIDENCE, belonging to
- Mr. Gookin, on a voyage to Virginia where he arrived April 10, 1623, but
- died in that colony soon after his arrival. He seems to have been a
- competent and faithful man, who filled well his part in life. He will
- always have honorable mention as the first officer of the historic
- MAY-FLOWER, and as sponsor at the English christening of the smiling islet
- in Plymouth harbor which bears his name.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of ROBERT COPPIN, the "second mate" (or "pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER,
- nothing is known before his voyage in the Pilgrim ship, except that he
- seems to have made a former to the coast of New England and the vicinity
- of Cape Cod, though under what auspices, or in what ship, does not
- transpire. Bradford says: "Their Pilotte, one Mr. Coppin, who had been in
- the countrie before." Dr. Young a suggests that Coppin was perhaps on the
- coast with Smith or Hunt. Mrs. Austin imaginatively makes him, of "the
- whaling bark SCOTSMAN of Glasgow," but no warrant whatever for such a
- conception appears.
- </p>
- <p>
- Dr. Dexter, as elsewhere noted, has said: "My impression is that Coppin
- was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL, . . . that he sailed with
- them [the Pilgrims] in the SPEED WELL, but on her final putting back was
- transferred to the MAY-FLOWER." As we have seen in another relation, Dr.
- Dexter also believed Coppin to have been the "pilot" sent over by Cushman
- to Leyden, in May, 1620, and we have found both views to be untenable. It
- was doubtless because of this mistaken view that Dr. Dexter believed that
- Coppin was "hired to go in the SPEEDWELL," and, the premise being wrong,
- the conclusion is sequentially incorrect. But there are abundant reasons
- for thinking that Dexter's "impression" is wholly mistaken. It would be
- unreasonable to suppose (as both vessels were expected to cross the
- ocean), that each had not&mdash;certainly on leaving Southampton her full
- complement of officers. If so, each undoubtedly had her second mate. The
- MAY-FLOWER'S officers and crew were, as we know, hired for the voyage, and
- there is no good reason to suppose that the second mate of the MAY-FLOWER
- was dismissed at Plymouth and Coppin put in his place which would not be
- equally potent for such an exchange between the first mate of the
- SPEEDWELL and Clarke of the MAY-FLOWER. The assumption presumes too much.
- In fact, there can be no doubt that Dexter's misconception was enbased
- upon, and arose from, the unwarranted impression that Coppin was the
- "pilot" sent over to Leyden. It is not likely that, when the SPEEDWELL'S
- officers were so evidently anxious to escape the voyage, they would seek
- transfer to the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- Charles Deane, the editor of Bradford's "Historie" (ed.1865), makes, in
- indexing, the clerical error of referring to Coppin as the
- "master-gunner," an error doubtless occasioned by the fact that in the
- text referred to, the words, "two of the masters-mates, Master Clarke and
- Master Coppin, the master-gunner," etc., were run so near together that
- the mistake was readily made.
- </p>
- <p>
- In "Mourt's Relation" it appears that in the conferences that were held
- aboard the ship in Cape Cod harbor, as to the most desirable place for the
- colonists to locate, "Robert Coppin our pilot, made relation of a great
- navigable river and great harbor in the headland of the Bay, almost right
- over against Cape Cod, being a right line not much above eight leagues
- distant," etc. Mrs. Jane G. Austin asserts, though absolutely without
- warrant of any reliable authority, known tradition, or probability, that
- "Coppin's harbor . . . afterward proved to be Cut River and the site of
- Marshfield," but in another place she contradicts this by stating that it
- was "Jones River, Duxbury." As Coppin described his putative harbor,
- called "Thievish Harbor," a "great navigable river and good harbor" were
- in close relation, which was never true of either the Jones River or "Cut
- River" localities, while any one familiar with the region knows that what
- Mrs. Austin knew as "Cut River" had no existence in the Pilgrims' early
- days, but was the work of man, superseding a small river-mouth (Green
- Harbor River), which was so shallow as to have its exit closed by the
- sand-shift of a single storm.
- </p>
- <p>
- Young, with almost equal recklessness, says: "The other headland of the
- bay," alluded to by Coppin, was Manomet Point, and the river was probably
- the North River in Scituate; but there are no "great navigable river and
- good harbor" in conjunction in the neighborhood of Manomet, or of the
- North River,&mdash;the former having no river and the latter no harbor. If
- Coppin had not declared that he had never seen the mouth of Plymouth
- harbor before ("mine eyes never saw this place before"), it might readily
- have been believed that Plymouth harbor was the "Thievish Harbor" of his
- description, so well do they correspond.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin, the brother of Mrs. Austin, quite at variance with his sister's
- conclusions, states, with every probability confirming him, that the
- harbor Coppin sought "may have been Boston, Ipswich, Newburyport, or
- Portsmouth."
- </p>
- <p>
- As a result of his "relation" as to a desirable harbor, Coppin was made
- the "pilot" of the "third expedition," which left the ship in the shallop,
- Wednesday, December 6, and, after varying disasters and a narrow escape
- from shipwreck&mdash;through Coppin's mistake&mdash;landed Friday night
- after dark, in the storm, on the island previously mentioned, ever since
- called "Clarke's Island," at the mouth of Plymouth harbor.
- </p>
- <p>
- Nothing further is known of Coppin except that he returned to England with
- the ship. He has passed into history only as Robert Coppin, "the second
- mate" (or "pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- But one other officer in merchant ships of the MAY-FLOWER class in her day
- was dignified by the address of "Master" (or Mister), or had rank with the
- Captain and Mates as a quarter-deck officer,&mdash;except in those
- instances where a surgeon or a chaplain was carried. That the MAY-FLOWER
- carried no special ship's-surgeon has been supposed from the fact of Dr.
- Fuller's attendance alike on her passengers and crew, and the increased
- mortality of the seamen&mdash;after his removal on shore.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The author is greatly indebted to his esteemed friend, Mr. George
- Ernest Bowman, Secretary-General of the Society of MAY-FLOWER
- Descendants, for information of much value upon this point. He
- believes that he has discovered trustworthy evidence of the
- existence of a small volume bearing upon its title-page an
- inscription that would certainly indicate that the MAY-FLOWER had
- her own surgeon. A copy of the inscription, which Mr. Bowman
- declares well attested (the book not being within reach), reads as
- follows:&mdash;
-
-
-
- "To Giles Heale Chirurgeon,
- from Isaac Allerton
- in Virginia.
- Feb. 10, 1620."
-
- Giles Heale's name will be recognized as that of one of the
- witnesses to John Carver's copy of William Mullens's nuncupative
- will, and, if he was the ship's-surgeon, might very naturally appear
- in that relation. If book and inscription exist and the latter is
- genuine, it would be indubitable proof that Heale (who was surely
- not a MAY-FLOWER passenger) was one of the ship's company, and if a
- "chirurgeon," the surgeon of the ship, for no other Englishmen,
- except those of the colonists and the ship's company, could have
- been at New Plymouth, at the date given, and New England was then
- included in the term "Virginia." It is much to be hoped that Mr.
- Bowman's belief may be established, and that in Giles Heale we shall
- have another known officer, the surgeon, of the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
-
-</pre>
- <p>
- That she had no chaplain goes without saying. The Pilgrims had their
- spiritual adviser with them in the person of Elder Brewster, and were not
- likely to tolerate a priest of either the English or the Romish church on
- a vessel carrying them. The officer referred to was the representative of
- the business interests of the owner or chartering-party, on whose account
- the ship made the voyage; and in that day was known as the
- "ship's-merchant," later as the "purser," and in some relations as the
- "supercargo." No mention of an officer thus designated, belonging to the
- MAY-FLOWER, has ever been made by any writer, so far as known, and it
- devolves upon the author to indicate his existence and to establish, so
- far as possible, both this and his identity.
- </p>
- <p>
- A certain "Master Williamson," whose name and presence, though but once
- mentioned by Governor Bradford, have greatly puzzled Pilgrim historians,
- seems to have filled this berth on board the MAY-FLOWER. Bradford tells us
- that on Thursday, March 22, 1620/21, "Master Williamson" was designated to
- accompany Captain Standish&mdash;practically as an officer of the guard&mdash;to
- receive and escort the Pokanoket chief, Massasoit, to Governor Carver, on
- the occasion of the former's first visit of state. Prior to the recent
- discovery in London, by an American genealogist, of a copy of the
- nuncupative will of Master William Mullens, one of the MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrims, clearly dictated to Governor John Carver on board the ship, in
- the harbor of New Plymouth (probably) Wednesday, February 21, 1620 (though
- not written out by Carver till April 2, 1620), on which day (as we learn
- from Bradford), Master Mullens died, no other mention of "Master
- Williamson" than that above quoted was known, and his very existence was
- seriously questioned. In this will, as elsewhere noted, "Master
- Williamson" is named as one of the "Overseers." By most early writers it
- was held that Bradford had unwittingly substituted the name "Williamson"
- for that of Allerton, and this view&mdash;apparently for no better reasons
- than that both names had two terminal letters in common, and that Allerton
- was associated next day with Standish on some military duty&mdash;came to
- be generally accepted, and Allerton's name to be even frequently
- substituted without question.&mdash;-Miss Marcia A. Thomas, in her
- "Memorials of Marshfield" (p. 75), says: "In 1621, Master Williamson,
- Captain Standish, and Edward Winslow made a journey to make a treaty with
- Massasoit. He is called 'Master George,' meaning probably Master George
- Williamson," etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- This is certainly most absurd, and by one not familiar with the
- exceptional fidelity and the conscientious work of Miss Thomas would
- rightly be denounced as reckless and reprehensible fabrication. Of course
- Williamson, Standish, and Winslow made no such journey, and made no treaty
- with Massasoit, but aided simply in conducting, with due ceremonial, the
- first meeting between Governor John Carver and the Indian sachem at
- Plymouth, at which a treaty was concluded. There is no historical warrant
- whatever for the name of "George," as appertaining to "Master William
- son." The fact, however,&mdash;made known by the fortunate discovery
- mentioned,&mdash;that "Master Williamson" was named in his will by Master
- Mullens as one of its "Overseers," and undoubtedly probated the will in
- England, puts the existence of such a person beyond reasonable doubt. That
- he was a person of some dignity, and of very respectable position, is
- shown by the facts that he was chosen as Standish's associate, as
- lieutenant of the guard, on an occasion of so much importance, and was
- thought fit by Master Mullens, a careful and clear-headed man as his will
- proves,&mdash;to be named an "Overseer" of that will, charged with
- responsible duties to Mullens's children and property. It is practically
- certain that on either of the above-mentioned dates (February 21, or March
- 22) there were no human beings in the Colony of New Plymouth beside the
- passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, her officers and crew, and the native
- savages. Visitors, by way of the fishing vessels on the Maine coast, had
- not yet begun to come, as they did a little later. It is certain that no
- one of the name of "Williamson" was among the colonist passengers, or
- indeed for several years in the colony, and we may at once dismiss both
- the passengers and the savages from our consideration. This elimination
- renders it inevitable that "Master Williamson" must have been of the
- ship's company. It remains to determine, if possible, what position upon
- the MAY-FLOWER'S roster he presumably held. His selection by "Master"
- Mullens as one of the "Over seers" of his will suggests the probability
- that, having named Governor Carver as the one upon whom he would rely for
- the care of his family and affairs in New England, Mr. Mullens sought as
- the other a proper person, soon to return to England, and hence able to
- exercise like personal interest in his two children and his considerable
- property left there? Such a suggestion points to a returning and competent
- officer of the ship. That "Master Williamson" was above the grade of
- "petty officer," and ranked at least with the mates or "pilots," is clear
- from the fact that he is invariably styled "Master" (equivalent to
- Mister), and we know with certainty that he was neither captain nor mate.
- That he was a man of address and courage follows the fact that he was
- chosen by Standish as his lieutenant, while the choice in and of itself is
- a strong bit of presumptive proof that he held the position on the
- MAY-FLOWER to which he is here assigned.
- </p>
- <p>
- The only officer commonly carried by a ship of the MAY-FLOWER class, whose
- rank, capacities, and functions would comport with every fact and feature
- of the case, was "the ship's-merchant," her accountant, factor, and
- usually&mdash;when such was requisite&mdash;her "interpreter," on every
- considerable (trading) voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is altogether probable that it was in his capacity of "interpreter" (as
- Samoset and Tisquantum knew but little English), and on account of what
- knowledge of the Indian tongue he very probably possessed, that Standish
- chose Williamson as his associate for the formal reception of Massasoit.
- It is indeed altogether probable that it was this familiarity with the
- "trade lingo" of the American coast tribes which influenced &mdash;perhaps
- determined&mdash;his employment as "ship's-merchant" of the MAY-FLOWER for
- her Pilgrim voyage, especially as she was expected to "load back" for
- England with the products of the country, only to be had by barter with
- the Indians. It is evident that there must naturally have been some
- provision made for communication with the natives, for the purposes of
- that trade, etc., which the Planters hoped to establish. Trading along the
- northern coast of Virginia (as the whole coast strip was then called),
- principally for furs, had been carried on pretty actively, since 1584, by
- such navigators as Raleigh's captains, Gosnold, Pring, Champlain, Smith,
- Dermer, Hunt, and the French and Dutch, and much of the "trade lingo" of
- the native tribes had doubtless been "picked up" by their different
- "ship's-merchants." It appears by Bradford' that Dermer, when coasting the
- shores of New England, in Sir Ferdinando Gorges's employ, brought the
- Indian Tisquantum with him, from England, as his interpreter, and
- doubtless from him Dermer and other ship's officers "picked up" more or
- less Indian phrases, as Tisquantum (Squanto) evidently did of English.
- Winslow, in his "Good Newes from New England," written in 1622, says of
- the Indian tongue, as spoken by the tribes about them at Plymouth, "it is
- very copious, large, and difficult. As yet we cannot attain to any great
- measure thereof, but can understand them, and explain ourselves to their
- understanding, by the help of those that daily converse with us." This
- being the case, after two years of constant communication, and noting how
- trivial knowledge of English speech Samoset and Tisquantum had, it is easy
- to understand that, if Williamson had any knowledge of the native tongue,
- Standish would be most anxious to have the benefit of it, in this prime
- and all-important effort at securing a permanent alliance with the ruling
- sachem of the region. Bradford, in "Mourt's Relation," speaking of the
- speech of Governor Carver to Massasoit, says: "He [Massasoit] liked well
- of the speech and heard it attentively, though the interpreters did not
- well express it." Probably all three, Tisquantum, Samoset, and Williamson,
- had a voice in it.
- </p>
- <p>
- That "Master Williamson" was a veritable person at New Plymouth, in
- February and March, 1620/21, is now beyond dispute; that he must have been
- of the ship's company of the MAY-FLOWER is logically certain; that he was
- one of her officers, and a man of character, is proven by his title of
- "Master" and his choice by Standish and Mullens for exceptional and
- honorable service; that the position of "ship's-merchant" alone answers to
- the conditions precedent, is evident; and that such an officer was
- commonly carried by ships of the MAY-FLOWER class on such voyages as hers
- is indicated by the necessity, and proven by the facts known as to other
- ships on similar New England voyages, both earlier and later. The fact
- that he was called simply "Master Williamson," in both cases where he is
- mentioned, with out other designation or identification, is highly
- significant, and clearly indicates that he was some one so familiarly
- known to all concerned that no occasion for any further designation
- apparently occurred to the minds of Mullens, Carver, or Bradford, when
- referring to him. In the case of Master John Hampden, the only other
- notable incognito of early Pilgrim literature, the description is full,
- and the only question concerning him has been of his identity with John
- Hampden, the English patriot of the Cromwellian era. It is, therefore, not
- too much to assert that the MAY-FLOWER carried a "ship's-merchant" (or
- purser), and that "Master Williamson" was that officer. If close-linked
- circumstantial evidence is ever to be relied upon, it clearly establishes
- in this case the identity of the "Master Williamson" who was Governor
- Bradford's incognito, and the person of the same name mentioned a month
- earlier in "Master" Mullens's will; as also the fact that in him we have a
- new officer of the MAY FLOWER, hitherto unknown as such to Pilgrim
- literature. If Mr. Bowman's belief as to Giles Heale (see note) proves
- correct, we have yet another, the Surgeon.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Carpenter, Gunner, Boatswain, Quartermaster, and "Masters-mates" are
- the only "petty officers" of the Pilgrim ship of whom any record makes
- mention. The carpenter is named several times, and was evidently, as might
- be expected, one of the most useful men of the ship's crew. Called into
- requisition, doubtless, in the conferences as to the condition of the
- SPEEDWELL, on both of her returns to port, at the inception of the voyage,
- he was especially in evidence when, in mid-ocean, "the cracking and
- bending of a great deck-beam," and the "shaken" condition of "the upper
- works" of the MAY-FLOWER, gave rise to much alarm, and it was by his
- labors and devices, and the use of the now famous "jack-screw," that the
- bending beam and leaking deck were made secure. The repairs upon the
- shallop in Cape Cod harbor also devolved upon him, and mention is made of
- his illness and the dependence placed upon him. No doubt, in the
- construction of the first dwellings and of the ordnance platform on the
- hill, etc., he was the devising and principal workman. He undoubtedly
- returned to England with the ship, and is known in history only by his
- "billet," as "the carpenter" of the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Master Gunner seems to have been a man with a proclivity for Indian
- barter, that led him to seek a place with the "third expedition" at Cape
- Cod, thereby nearly accomplishing his death, which indeed occurred later,
- in Plymouth harbor, not long before the return of the ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Boatswain is known, by Bradford's records, to have died in the general
- sickness which attacked the crew while lying in Plymouth harbor. The brief
- narrative of his sickness and death is all that we know of his
- personality. The writer says: "He was a proud young man, and would often
- curse and scoff at the passengers," but being nursed when dying, by those
- of them who remained aboard, after his shipmates had deserted him in their
- craven fear of infection, "he bewailed his former conduct," saying, "Oh!
- you, I now see, show your love like Christians indeed, one to another, but
- we let one another lie and die like dogs."
- </p>
- <p>
- Four Quartermasters are mentioned (probably helmsmen simply), of whom
- three are known to have died in Plymouth harbor.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Masters-mates" are several times mentioned, but it is pretty certain that
- the "pilots" (or mates) are intended. Bradford and Winslow, in "Mourt's
- Relation," say of the reappearance of the Indians: "So Captain Standish,
- with another [Hopkins], with their muskets, went over to them, with two of
- the masters-mates that follow them without [side?] arms, having two
- muskets with them: Who these "masters-mates" were does not appear." The
- language, "two of the masters-mates," would possibly suggest that there
- were more of them. It hardly seems probable that both the mates of the
- MAY-FLOWER would thus volunteer, or thrust themselves forward in such a
- matter, and it seems doubtful if they would have been permitted (even if
- both ashore at one time, which, though unusual, did occur), to assume such
- duty. Whoever they were, they did not lack courage.
- </p>
- <p>
- The names of the petty officers and seamen of the MAY-FLOWER do not appear
- as such, but the discovery of the (evidently) nuncupative will of William
- Mullens&mdash;herein referred to&mdash;has perhaps given us two of them.
- Attached to John Carver's certificate of the particulars of this will,
- filed at Somerset House, London, are the names, "Giles Heale" and
- "Christopher Joanes." As Mr Mullens died Wednesday, February 21, 1620, on
- board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, on which day we know from
- Bradford' that "the Master [Jones, whose name was Thomas] came on shore
- with many of his sailors," to land and mount the cannon on the fort, and
- as they had a full day's work to draw up the hill and mount five guns, and
- moreover brought the materials for, and stayed to eat, a considerable
- dinner with the Pilgrims, they were doubtless ashore all day. It is
- rational to interpret the known facts to indicate that in this absence of
- the Captain and most of his crew ashore, Mr. Mullens, finding himself
- failing fast, sent for Governor Carver and&mdash;unable to do more than
- speak &mdash;dictated to him the disposition of his property which he
- desired to make. Carver, noting this down from his dictation, undoubtedly
- called in two of the ship's company (Heale very likely being the
- ship's-surgeon), who were left aboard to "keep ship," to hear his notes
- read to Mullens and assented to by him, they thus becoming the witnesses
- to his will, to the full copy of which, as made by Carver (April 2), they
- affixed their names as such. As there were then at Plymouth (besides
- savages) only the passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, and these men
- were certainly not among the passengers, it seems inevitable that they
- were of the crew. That "Christopher Joanes" was not the Master of the ship
- is clear, because Heale's is the first signature, and no man of the crew
- would have dared to sign before the Captain; because the Captain's name
- was (as demonstrated) Thomas; and because we know that he was ashore all
- that day, with most of his men. It is by no means improbable that Captain
- Jones had shipped one of his kinsmen in his crew, possibly as one of the
- "masters mates" or quartermasters referred to (and it is by no means
- certain that there were not more than two), though these witnesses may
- have been quartermasters or other petty officers left on board as
- "ship-keepers." Certain it is that these two witnesses must have been of
- the crew, and that "Christopher Joanes" was not the Captain, while it is
- equally sure, from the collateral evidence, that Master Mullens died on
- shipboard. Had he died on shore it is very certain that some of the
- leaders, Brewster, Bradford, or others, would have been witnesses, with
- such of the ship's officers as could aid in proving the will in England.
- It is equally evident that the officers of the ship were absent when
- Master Mullens dictated his will, except perhaps the surgeon.
- </p>
- <p>
- The number of seamen belonging to the ship is nowhere definitely stated.
- At least four in the employ of the Pilgrims were among the passengers and
- not enrolled upon the ships' lists. From the size of the ship, the amount
- of sail she probably carried, the weight of her anchors, and certain other
- data which appear,&mdash;such as the number allowed to leave the ship at a
- time, etc.,&mdash;it is probably not a wild estimate to place their number
- at from twenty to twenty-five. This is perhaps a somewhat larger number
- than would be essential to work the ship, and than would have been shipped
- if the voyage had been to any port of a civilized country; but on a voyage
- to a wild coast, the possibilities of long absence and of the weakening of
- the crew by death, illness, etc., demanded consideration and a larger
- number. The wisdom and necessity of carrying, on a voyage to an
- uninhabited country, some spare men, is proven by the record of Bradford,
- who says: "The disease begane to fall amongst them the seamen also, so as
- allmost halfe of their company dyed before they went away and many of
- their officers and lustyest men; as ye boatson, gunner, 3 quarter
- maisters, the cooke, and others."
- </p>
- <p>
- The LADY ARBELLA, the "Admiral" of Governor Winthrop's fleet, a ship of
- 350 tons, carried 52 men, and it is a fair inference that the MAY-FLOWER,
- of a little more than half her tonnage, would require at least half as
- many. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the officers and crew of the
- MAY-FLOWER, all told, mustered thirty men, irrespective of the sailors,
- four in number (Alderton, English, Trevore, and Ely), in the Pilgrims'
- employ.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VI
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER'S PASSENGERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- The passenger list of the SPEEDWELL has given us the names of the Leyden
- members of the company which, with the cooperation of the associated
- Merchant Adventurers, was, in the summer of 1620, about to emigrate to
- America.
- </p>
- <p>
- Though it is not possible, with present knowledge, positively to determine
- every one of those who were passengers in the MAY-FLOWER from London to
- Southampton, most of them can be named with certainty.
- </p>
- <p>
- Arranged for convenience, so far as possible, by families, they were:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Robert Cushman, the London agent of the Leyden company,
- Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman, 2d wife,
- Thomas Cushman, son (by 1st wife).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Christopher Martin, treasurer-agent of the colonists,
- Mrs. Martin, wife,
- Solomon Prower, "servant,"
- John Langemore, "servant."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Master Richard Warren.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Mullens,
- Mrs. Alice Mullens, wife,
- Joseph Mullens, 2d son,
- Priscilla Mullens, 2d daughter,
- Robert Carter, "servant."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Stephen Hopkins,
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Fisher?) Hopkins, 2d wife,
- Giles Hopkins, son (by former wife),
- Constance Hopkins, daughter (by former wife),
- Damaris Hopkins, daughter,
- Edward Dotey, "servant,"
- Edward Leister, "servant."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Gilbert Winslow.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-James Chilton,
- Mrs. Susanna (2) Chilton, wife,
- Mary Chilton, daughter.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard Gardiner.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington,
- Mrs. Eleanor (or Helen) Billington, wife,
- John Billington (Jr.), son,
- Francis Billington, son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- William Latham, "servant-boy" to Deacon Carver.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Jasper More, "bound-boy" to Deacon Carver.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Ellen More, "little bound girl" to Master Edward Winslow.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard More, "bound-boy" to Elder Brewster.
- &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;- More, "bound-boy" to Elder Brewster.
-</pre>
- <p>
- There is a possibility that Thomas Rogers and his son, Joseph, who are
- usually accredited to the Leyden company, were of the London contingent,
- and sailed from there, though this is contra-indicated by certain
- collateral data.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is possible, also, of course, that any one or more of the English
- colonists (with a few exceptions&mdash;such as Cushman and family, Mullens
- and family, the More children and others&mdash;known to have left London
- on the MAY-FLOWER) might have joined her (as did Carver and Alden, perhaps
- Martin and family) at Southampton, but the strong presumption is that most
- of the English passengers joined the ship at London.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is just possible, too, that the seamen, Alderton (or Allerton),
- English, Trevore, and Ely, were hired in London and were on board the
- MAY-FLOWER when she left that port, though they might have been employed
- and joined the ship at either Southampton, Dartmouth, or Plymouth. It is
- strongly probable, however, that they were part, if not all, hired in
- Holland, and came over to Southampton in the pinnace.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Robert Cushman&mdash;the London agent (for more than three years) of the
- Leyden congregation, and, in spite of the wickedly unjust criticism
- of Robinson and others, incompetent to judge his acts, their brave,
- sagacious, and faithful servant&mdash;properly heads the list.
-
- Bradford says: "Where they find the bigger ship come from London,
- Mr. Jones, Master, with the rest of the company who had been waiting
- there with Mr. Cushman seven days." Deacon Carver, probably from
- being on shore, was not here named. In a note appended to the
- memoir of Robert Cushman (prefatory to his Discourse delivered at
- Plymouth, New England, on "The Sin and Danger of Self-Love") it is
- stated in terms as follows: "The fact is, that Mr. Cushman procured
- the larger vessel, the MAY-FLOWER, and its pilot, at London, and
- left in that vessel." The statement&mdash;though published long after the
- events of which it treats and by other than Mr. Cushman&mdash;we know to
- be substantially correct, and the presumption is that the writer,
- whoever he may have been, knew also.
-
- Sailing with his wife and son (it is not probable that he had any
- other living child at the time), in full expectation that it was for
- Virginia, he encountered so much of ungrateful and abusive
- treatment, after the brethren met at Southampton,&mdash;especially at the
- hands of the insufferable Martin, who, without merit and with a most
- reprehensible record (as it proved), was chosen over him as
- "governor" of the ship,&mdash;that he was doubtless glad to return from
- Plymouth when the SPEEDWELL broke down. He and his family appear,
- therefore, as "MAY-FLOWER passengers," only between London and
- Plymouth during the vexatious attendance upon the scoundrelly Master
- of the SPEEDWELL, in his "doublings" in the English Channel. His
- Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth, one of the most valuable
- contributions to the early literature of the Pilgrims extant,
- clearly demonstrates that he was suffering severely from dyspepsia
- and deeply wounded feelings. The course of events was his complete
- vindication, and impartial history to-day pronounces him second to
- none in his service to the Pilgrims and their undertaking. His
- first wife is shown by Leyden records to have been Sarah Reder, and
- his second marriage to have occurred May 19/June 3, 1617, [sic]
- about the time he first went to England in behalf of the Leyden
- congregation.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman appears only as a passenger of the
- MAY-FLOWER on her channel voyage, as she returned with her husband
- and son from Plymouth, England, in the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Cushman, it is quite clear, must have been a son by a former wife,
- as he would have been but a babe, if the son of the latest wife,
- when he went to New England with his father, in the FORTUNE, to
- remain. Goodwin and others give his age as fourteen at this time,
- and his age at death is their warrant. Robert Cushman died in 1625,
- but a "Mary, wife [widow?] of Robert Cushman, and their son,
- Thomas," seem to have been remembered in the will of Ellen Bigge,
- widow, of Cranbrooke, England, proved February 12, 1638
- (Archdeaconry, Canterbury, vol. lxx. leaf 482). The will intimates
- that the "Thomas" named was "under age" when the bequest was made.
- If this is unmistakably so (though there is room for doubt), then
- this was not the Thomas of the Pilgrims. Otherwise the evidence is
- convincing.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Christopher Martin, who was made, Bradford informs us, the
- treasurer-agent of the Planter Company, Presumably about the time of
- the original conclusions between the Adventurers and the Planters,
- seems to have been appointed such, as Bradford states, not because
- he was needed, but to give the English contingent of the Planter
- body representation in the management, and to allay thereby any
- suspicion or jealousy. He was, if we are to judge by the evidence
- in hand concerning his contention and that of his family with the
- Archdeacon, the strong testimony that Cushman bears against him in
- his Dartmouth letter of August 17, and the fact that there seems to
- have been early dissatisfaction with him as "governor" on the ship,
- a very self-sufficient, somewhat arrogant, and decidedly contentious
- individual. His selection as treasurer seems to have been very
- unfortunate, as Bradford indicates that his accounts were in
- unsatisfactory shape, and that he had no means of his own, while his
- rather surprising selection for the office of "governor" of the
- larger ship, after the unpleasant experience with him as
- treasurer-agent, is difficult to account for, except that he was
- evidently an active opponent of Cushman, and the latter was just
- then in disfavor with the colonists. He was evidently a man in the
- prime of life, an "Independent" who had the courage of his
- convictions if little discretion, and much of that energy and
- self-reliance which, properly restrained, are excellent elements
- for a colonist. Very little beside the fact that he came from
- Essex is known of him, and nothing of his wife. He has further
- mention hereafter.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Solomon Prower is clearly shown by the complaint made against him by the
- Archdeacon of Chelmsford, the March before he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, to have been quite a youth, a firm "Separatist," and
- something more than an ordinary "servant." He seems to have been
- summoned before the Archdeacon at the same time with young Martin
- (a son of Christopher), and this fact suggests some nearer relation
- than that of "servant." He is sometimes spoken of as Martin's
- "son," by what warrant does not appear, but the fact suggests that
- he may have been a step-son. Bradford, in recording his death,
- says: "Dec. 24, this day dies Solomon Martin." This could, of
- course, have been none other than Solomon Prower. Dr. Young, in his
- "Chronicles," speaking of Martin, says, "he brought his wife and two
- children." If this means Martin's children, it is evidently an
- error. It may refer to age only. His case is puzzling, for
- Bradford makes him both "servant" and "son." If of sufficient age
- and account to be cited before the Archdeacon for discipline, it
- seems strange that he should not have signed the "Compact." Even if
- a "servant" this would seem to have been no bar, as Dotey and
- Leister were certainly such, yet signers. The indications are that
- he was but a well-grown lad, and that his youth, or severe illness,
- and not his station, accounts for the absence of his signature. If
- a young foster-son or kinsman of Martin, as seems most likely, then
- Martin's signature was sufficient, as in the cases of fathers for
- their sons; if really a "ser vant" then too young (like Latham and
- Hooke) to be called upon, as were Dotey and Leister.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Langemore; there is nothing (save the errors of Dr. Young) to
- indicate that he was other than a "servant."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Warren was probably from Kent or Essex. Surprisingly little is
- known of his antecedents, former occupation, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Mullens and his family were, as shown, from Dorking in Surrey,
- and their home was therefore close to London, whence they sailed,
- beyond doubt, in the MAY-FLOWER. The discovery at Somerset House,
- London, by Mr. Henry F. Waters, of Salem, Massachusetts; of what is
- evidently the nuncupative will of William Mullens, proves an
- important one in many particulars, only one of which need be
- referred to in this connection, but all of which will receive due
- consideration. It conclusively shows Mr. Mullens not to have been
- of the Leyden congregation, as has sometimes been claimed, but that
- he was a well-to-do tradesman of Dorking in Surrey, adjacent to
- London. It renders it certain, too, that he had been some time
- resident there, and had both a married daughter and a son (William),
- doubtless living there, which effectually overthrows the "imaginary
- history" of Baird, and of that pretty story, "Standish of Standish,"
- whereby the Mullens (or Molines) family are given French (Huguenot)
- antecedents and the daughter is endowed with numerous airs, graces,
- and accomplishments, professedly French.
-
- Dr. Griffis, in his delightful little narrative, "The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, England, Holland, America," cites the name
- "Mullins" as a Dutch distortion of Molines or Molineaux. Without
- questioning that such it might be,&mdash;for the Dutch scribes were
- gifted in remarkable distortions of simple names, even of their own
- people,&mdash;they evidently had no hand in thus maltreating the patronym
- of William Mullens (or Mullins) of the Pilgrims, for not only is
- evidence entirely wanting to show that he was ever a Leyden citizen,
- though made such by the fertile fiction of Mrs. Austin, but Governor
- Carver, who knew him well, wrote it in his will "Mullens," while two
- English probate functionaries of his own home-counties wrote it
- respectively "Mullens" and "Mullins."
-
- Dr. Grifs speaks of "the Mullens family" as evidently [sic] of
- Huguenot or Walloon birth or descent, but in doing so probably knew
- no other authority than Mrs. Austin's little novel, or (possibly)
- Dr. Baird's misstatements.
-
- A writer in the "New England Historic-Genealogical Register," vol.
- xlvii, p. 90, states, that "Mrs. Jane G. Austin found her authority
- for saying that Priscilla Mullens was of a Huguenot family, in Dr.
- Baird's 'History of Huguenot Emigration to America,' vol. i.
- p. 158," etc., referring to Rev. Charles W. Baird, D. D., New York.
- The reference given is a notable specimen of very bad historical
- work. Of Dr. Baird, one has a right to expect better things, and
- the positiveness of his reckless assertion might well mislead those
- not wholly familiar with the facts involved, as it evidently has
- more than one. He states, without qualification or reservation,
- that "among the passengers in the SPEEDWELL were several of the
- French who had decided to cast in their lot with these English
- brethren. William Molines and his daughter Priscilla, afterwards
- the wife of John Alden and Philip Delanoy, born in Leyden of French
- parents, were of the number." One stands confounded by such a
- combination of unwarranted errors. Not only is it not true that
- there "were several of the French among the passengers in the
- SPEEDWELL," but there is no evidence whatever that there was even
- one. Those specifically named as there, certainly were not, and
- there is not the remotest proof or reason to believe, that William
- Mullens (or Molines) and his daughter Priscilla (to say nothing of
- the wife and son who accompanied him to America, whom Baird forgets)
- ever even saw Leyden or Delfshaven. Their home had been at Dorking
- in Surrey, just across the river from London, whence the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed for New England, and nothing could be more absurd than to
- assume that they were passengers on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to
- Southampton.
-
- So far from Philip Delanoy (De La Noye or Delano) being a passenger
- on the SPEEDWELL, he was not even one of the Pilgrim company, did
- not go to New England till the following year (in the FORTUNE), and
- of course had no relation to the SPEEDWELL. Neither does Edward
- Winslow&mdash;the only authority for the parentage of "Delanoy"&mdash;state
- that "he was born in Leyden," as Baird alleges, but only that "he
- was born of French parents . . . and came to us from Leyden to
- New Plymouth,"&mdash;an essential variance in several important
- particulars. Scores and perhaps hundreds of people have been led to
- believe Priscilla Mullens a French Protestant of the Leyden
- congregation, and themselves&mdash;as her descendants&mdash;"of Huguenot
- stock," because of these absolutely groundless assertions of Dr.
- Baird. They lent themselves readily to Mrs. Austin's fertile
- imagination and facile pen, and as "welcome lies" acquired a hold on
- the public mind, from which even the demonstrated truth will never
- wholly dislodge them. The comment of the intelligent writer in the
- "Historic-Genealogical Register" referred to is proof of this. So
- fast-rooted had these assertions become in her thought as the truth,
- that, confronted with the evidence that Master Mullens and his
- family were from Dorking in England, it does not occur to her to
- doubt the correctness of the impression which the recklessness of
- Baird had created,&mdash;that they were of Leyden,&mdash;and she hence
- amusingly suggests that "they must have moved from Leyden to
- Dorking." These careless utterances of one who is especially bound
- by his position, both as a writer and as a teacher of morals, to be
- jealous for the truth, might be partly condoned as attributable to
- mistake or haste, except for the facts that they seem to have been
- the fountain-head of an ever-widening stream of serious error, and
- that they are preceded on the very page that bears them by others as
- to the Pilgrim exodus equally unhappy. It seems proper to suggest
- that it is high time that all lovers of reliable history should
- stand firmly together against the flood of loose statement which is
- deluging the public; brand the false wherever found; and call for
- proof from of all new and important historical propositions put
- forth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Stephen Hopkins may possibly have had more than one wife before
- Elizabeth, who accompanied him to New England and was mother of the
- sea-born son Oceanus. Hopkins's will indicates his affection for
- this latest wife, in unusual degree for wills of that day. With
- singular carelessness, both of the writer and his proof-reader, Hon.
- William T. Davis states that Damaris Hopkins was born "after the
- arrival" in New England. The contrary is, of course, a well
- established fact. Mr. Davis was probably led into this error by
- following Bradford's "summary" as affecting the Hopkins family. He
- states therein that Hopkins "had one son, who became a seaman and
- died at Barbadoes probably Caleb, and four daugh ters born here."
- To make up these "four" daughters "born here" Davis found it
- necessary to include Damaris, unmindful that Bradford names her in
- his list of MAY-FLOWER passengers. It is evident, either that
- Bradford made a mistake in the number, or that there was some
- daughter who died in infancy. It is evident that Dotey and Leister,
- the "servants" of Hopkins, were of English origin and accompanied
- their master from London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Gilbert Winslow was a brother of Edward Winslow, a young man, said to
- have been a carpenter, who returned to England after "divers years"
- in New England. There is a possibility that he was at Leyden and
- was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL. It has been suggested that he
- spent the greater part of the time he was in New England, outside of
- the Pilgrim Colony. He took no part in its affairs.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-James Chilton and his family are but little known to Pilgrim writers,
- except the daughter Mary, who came into notice principally through
- her marriage with John Winslow, another brother of Governor Edward,
- who came over later. Their name has assumed a singular prominence
- in popular regard, altogether disproportionate to either their
- personal characteristics, station, or the importance of their early
- descendants. Some unaccountable glamour of romance, without any
- substantial foundation, is probably responsible for it. They left a
- married daughter behind them in England, which is the only hint we
- have as to their home just prior to the embarkation. There has been
- a disposition, not well grounded, to regard them as of Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Gardiner, Goodwin unequivocally places with the English colonists
- (but on what authority does not fully appear), and he has been
- claimed, but without any better warrant, for the Leyden list.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington and his family were unmistakably of the English
- colonists. Mrs. Billington's name has been variously given,
- e.g. Helen, Ellen, and Eleanor, and the same writer has used them
- interchangeably. One writer has made the inexcusable error of
- stating that "the younger son, Francis, was born after the arrival
- at New Plymouth," but his own affidavit shows him to have been born
- in 1606.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Latham, a "servant-boy" of Deacon Carver, has always been of
- doubtful relation, some circumstances indicating that he was of
- Leyden and hence was a SPEEDWELL passenger, but others&mdash;and these
- the more significant&mdash;rendering it probable that he was an English
- boy, who was obtained in London (like the More children) and
- apprenticed to Carver, in which case he probably came in the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, though he may have awaited her coming with
- his master at Southampton, in which case he probably originally
- embarked there, with him, on the SPEEDWELL, and was transferred
- with him, at Plymouth, to the MAY-FLOWER. There is, of course,
- also still the possibility that he came with Carver's family from
- Leyden. Governor Carver's early death necessarily changed his
- status somewhat, and Plymouth early records do not give much beyond
- suggestion as to what the change was; but all indications confirm
- the opinion that he was a poor boy&mdash;very likely of London or
- vicinity&mdash;taken by Carver as his "servant."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-The More children, Jasper, Richard, their brother (whose given name has
- never transpired), and Ellen, their sister, invite more than passing
- mention. The belief has always been current and confident among
- students of Pilgrim history that these More children, four in
- number, "put" or "indentured" to three of the Leyden leaders, were
- probably orphaned children of some family of the Leyden
- congregation, and were so "bound" to give them a chance in the new
- colony, in return for such services as they could render to those
- they accompanied. If thus of the Leyden contingent they would,
- of course, be enumerated as passengers in the SPEEDWELL from
- Delfshaven, but if of the English contingent they should probably be
- borne on the list of passengers sailing from London in the
- MAY-FLOWER, certainly should be reckoned as part of the English
- contingent on the MAY-FLOWER at Southampton. An affidavit of
- Richard More, perhaps the eldest of these children, indentured to
- Elder Brewster, dated in 1684., found in "Proceedings of the
- Provincial Court, Maryland Archives, vol. xiv. ('New England
- Historic-Genealogical Register,' vol 1. p. 203 )," affirms the
- deponent to be then "seaventy years or thereabouts" of age, which
- would have made him some six years of age, "or thereabouts," in
- 1620. He deposes "that being in London at the house of Mr. Thomas
- Weston, Iron monger, in the year 1620, he was from there transported
- to New Plymouth in New England," etc. This clearly identifies
- Richard More of the MAY FLOWER, and renders it well-nigh certain
- that he and his brothers and sister, "bound out" like himself to
- Pilgrim leaders, were of the English company, were probably never in
- Leyden or on the SPEEDWELL, and were very surely passengers on the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, in charge of Mr. Cushman or others. The
- fact that the lad was in London, and went from thence direct to New
- England, is good evidence that he was not of the Leyden party. The
- fair presump tion is that his brothers and sister were, like
- himself, of English birth, and humble&mdash;perhaps deceased&mdash;parents,
- taken because of their orphaned condition. It is highly improbable
- that they would be taken from London to Southampton by land, at the
- large expense of land travel in those days, when the MAY-FLOWER was
- to sail from London. That they would accompany their respective
- masters to their respectively assigned ships at Southampton is
- altogether likely. The phraseology of his affidavit suggests the
- probability that Richard More, his brothers, and sister were brought
- to Mr. Weston's house, to be by him sent aboard the MAY-FLOWER,
- about to sail. The affidavit is almost conclusive evidence as to
- the fact that the More children were all of the English colonists'
- party, though apprenticed to Leyden families, and belonged to the
- London passenger list of the Pilgrim ship. The researches of Dr.
- Neill among the MS. "minutes" and "transactions" of the (London)
- Virginia Company show germanely that, on November 17, 1619, "the
- treasurer, council, and company" of this Virginia Company addressed
- Sir William Cockaine, Knight, Lord Mayor of the city of London, and
- the right worthys the aldermen, his brethren, and the worthys the
- "common council of the city," and returning thanks for the benefits
- conferred, in furnishing out one hundred children this last year
- for "the plantation in Virginia" (from what Neill calls the
- "homeless boys and girls of London"), states, that, "forasmuch as we
- have now resolved to send this next spring 1620 very large
- supplies," etc., "we pray your Lordship and the rest . . . to
- renew the like favors, and furnish us again with one hundred more
- for the next spring. Our desire is that we may have them of twelve
- years old and upward, with allowance of L3 apiece for their
- transportation, and 40s. apiece for their apparel, as was formerly
- granted. They shall be apprenticed; the boys till they come to 21
- years of age, the girls till like age or till they be married," etc.
- A letter of Sir Edwin Sandys (dated January 28, 1620) to Sir Robert
- Naunton shows that "The city of London have appointed one hundred
- children from the superfluous multitude to be transported to
- Virginia, there to be bound apprentices upon very beneficial
- conditions." In view of the facts that these More children&mdash;and
- perhaps others&mdash;were "apprenticed" or "bound" to the Pilgrims
- (Carver, Winslow, Brewster, etc.), and that there must have been
- some one to make the indentures, it seems strongly probable that
- these four children of one family,&mdash;as Bradford shows,&mdash;very likely
- orphaned, were among those designated by the city of London for the
- benefit of the (London) Virginia Company in the spring of 1620.
- They seem to have been waifs caught up in the westward-setting
- current, but only Richard survived the first winter. Bradford,
- writing in 1650, states of Richard More that his brothers and sister
- died, "but he is married 1636and hath 4 or 5 children." William
- T. Davis, in his "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth" (p. 24), states,
- and Arber copies him, that "he was afterwards called Mann; and died
- at Scituate, New England, in 1656." The researches of Mr. George E.
- Bowman, the able Secretary of the Massachusetts Society of
- MAY-FLOWER Descendants, some time since disproved this error,
- but Mores affidavit quoted conclusively determines the matter.
-</pre>
- <p>
- The possible accessions to the company, at London or Southampton, of Henry
- Sampson and Humility Cooper, cousins of Edward Tilley and wife, would be
- added to the passengers of the pinnace rather than to the MAY-FLOWER'S,
- if, as seems probable, their relatives were of the SPEEDWELL. If Edward
- Tilley and his wife were assigned to the MAY FLOWER, room would doubtless
- also be found for these cousins on the ship. John Alden, the only
- positively known addition (except Carver) made to the list at Southampton,
- was, from the nature of his engagement as "cooper," quite likely assigned
- to the larger ship. There are no known hints as to the assignments of
- passengers to the respective vessels at Southampton&mdash;then supposed to
- be final&mdash;beyond the remarks of Bradford that "the chief [principal
- ones] of them that came from Leyden went on this ship [the SPEEDWELL] to
- give the Master content," and his further minute, that "Master Martin was
- governour in the biger ship and Master Cushman assistante." It is very
- certain that Deacon Carver, one of the four agents of the colonists, who
- had "fitted out" the voyage in England, was a passenger in the SPEEDWELL
- from Southampton,&mdash;as the above mentioned remark of Bradford would
- suggest,&mdash;and was made "governour" of her passengers, as he later was
- of the whole company, on the MAY-FLOWER. It has sometimes been queried
- whether, in the interim between the arrival of the SPEEDWELL at
- Southampton and the assignment of the colonists to their respective ships
- (especially as both vessels were taking in and transferring cargo), the
- passengers remained on board or were quartered on shore. The same query
- has arisen, with even better reason, as to the passengers of the SPEEDWELL
- during the stay at Dartmouth, when the consort was being carefully
- overhauled to find her leaks, the suggestion being made that in this case
- some of them might have found accommodation on board the larger ship. The
- question may be fairly considered as settled negatively, from the facts
- that the colonists, with few exceptions, were unable to bear such extra
- expense themselves; the funds of the Adventurers&mdash;if any were on
- hand, which appears doubtful&mdash;were not available for the purpose;
- while the evidence of some of the early writers renders it very certain
- that the Leyden party were not released from residence on shipboard from
- the time they embarked on the SPEEDWELL at Delfshaven till the final
- landing in the harbor of New Plimoth. Just who of the Leyden chiefs caused
- themselves to be assigned to the smaller vessel, to encourage its cowardly
- Master, cannot be definitely known. It may be confidently assumed,
- however, that Dr. Samuel Fuller, the physician of the colonists, was
- transferred to the MAY-FLOWER, upon which were embarked three fourths of
- the entire company, including most of the women and children, with some of
- whom, it was evident, his services would be certainly in demand. There is
- little doubt that the good Elder (William Brewster) was also transferred
- to the larger ship at Southampton, while it would not be a very wild guess&mdash;in
- the light of Bradford's statement&mdash;to place Carver, Winslow,
- Bradford, Standish, Cooke, Howland, and Edward Tilley, and their families,
- among the passengers on the consort. Just how many passengers each vessel
- carried when they sailed from Southampton will probably never be
- positively known. Approximately, it may be said, on the authority of such
- contemporaneous evidence as is available, and such calculations as are
- possible from the data we have, that the SPEEDWELL had thirty (30), and
- the MAY-FLOWER her proportionate number, ninety (90)&mdash;a total of one
- hundred and twenty (120).
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain John Smith says,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Smith, New England's Trials, ed. 1622, London, p. 259. It is a
- singular error of the celebrated navigator that he makes the ships
- to have, in less than a day's sail, got outside of Plymouth, as he
- indicates by his words, "the next day," and "forced their return to
- Plymouth." He evidently intends to speak only in general terms, as
- he entirely omits the (first) return to Dartmouth, and numbers the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER, on her final departure, at but "one
- hundred." He also says they "discharged twenty passengers."]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> apparently without pretending to be exact, "They left the coast of
- England the 23 of August, with about 120 persons, but the next day [sic]
- the lesser ship sprung a leak that forced their return to Plymouth; where
- discharging her [the ship] and twenty passengers, with the great ship and
- a hundred persons, besides sailors, they set sail again on the 6th of
- September."
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [PG Etext Editor's Note:
- Dr. Ames, so stringent in his requirements of other authors, for
- example Jane Austin, has to this point been perhaps naive as to
- the veracity of Captain John Smith. Captain Smith's self-serving
- and subjective narratives of his own voyages obtained for him
- the very derogatory judgement by his contemporaries. One of the
- best studies of John Smith's life may be found in a small book on
- this adventurer by Charles Dudley Warner. D.W.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- If the number one hundred and twenty (120) is correct, and the
- distribution suggested is also exact, viz. thirty (30) to the SPEEDWELL
- and ninety (90) to the MAY-FLOWER, it is clear that there must have been
- more than twelve (the number usually named) who went from the consort to
- the larger ship, when the pinnace was abandoned. We know that at least
- Robert Cushman and his family (wife and son), who were on the MAY-FLOWER,
- were among the number who returned to London upon the SPEEDWELL (and the
- language of Thomas Blossom in his letter to Governor Bradford, else where
- quoted, indicates that he and his son were also there), so that if the
- ship's number was ninety (90), and three or more were withdrawn, it would
- require fifteen (15) or more to make the number up to one hundred and two
- (102), the number of passengers we know the MAY-FLOWER had when she took
- her final departure. It is not likely we shall ever be able to determine
- exactly the names or number of those transferred to the MAY-FLOWER from
- the consort, or the number or names of all those who went back to London
- from either vessel. Several of the former and a few of the latter are
- known, but we must (except for some fortunate discovery) rest content with
- a very accurate knowledge of the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER when she
- left Plymouth (England), and of the changes which occurred in it
- afterward; and a partial knowledge of the ship's own complement of
- officers and men.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin says: "The returning ones were probably of those who joined in
- England, and had not yet acquired the Pilgrim spirit." Unhappily this view
- is not sustained by the relations of those of the number who are known.
- Robert Cushman and his family (3 persons), Thomas Blossom and his son (2
- persons), and William Ring (1 person), a total of six, or just one third
- of the putative eighteen who went back, all belonged to the Leyden
- congregation, and were far from lacking "the Pilgrim spirit." Cushman was
- both ill and heart-sore from fatigue, disappointment, and bad treatment;
- Ring was very ill, according to Cushman's Dartmouth letter; but the
- motives governing Blossom and his son do not appear, unless the
- comparatively early death of the son&mdash;after which his father went to
- New England&mdash;furnishes a clue thereto. Bradford says: "Those that
- went back were, for the most part, such as were willing to do so, either
- out of some discontent, or fear they conceived of the ill success of the
- Voyage, seeing so many crosses befallen and the year time so far spent.
- But others, in regard of their own weakness and the charge of many young
- children, were thought [by the Managers] least useful and most unfit to
- bear the brunt of this hard adventure." It is evident from the above that,
- while the return of most was from choice, some were sent back by those in
- authority, as unfit for the undertaking, and that of these some had "many
- young chil dren." There are said to have been eighteen who returned on the
- SPEEDWELL to London. We know who six of them were, leaving twelve, or two
- thirds, unknown. Whether these twelve were in part from Leyden, and were
- part English, we shall probably never know. If any of them were from
- Holland, then the number of those who left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL is
- increased by so many. If any were of the English contingent, and probably
- the most were,&mdash;then the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER from London
- to Southampton was probably, by so many, the larger. It is evident, from
- Bradford's remark, that, among the twelve unknown, were some who, from
- "their own weakness and charge of many young children, were thought least
- useful and most unfit," etc. From this it is clear that at least one
- family was included which had a number of young children, the parents'
- "own weakness" being recognized. A father, mother, and four children (in
- view of the term "many") would seem a reasonable surmise, and would make
- six, or another third of the whole number. The probability that the
- unknown two thirds were chiefly from England, rather than Holland, is
- increased by observation of the evident care with which, as a rule, those
- from the Leyden congregation were picked, as to strength and fitness, and
- also by the fact that their Leyden homes were broken up. Winslow remarks,
- "the youngest and strongest part were to go," and an analysis of the list
- shows that those selected were mostly such. Bradford, in stating that
- Martin was "from Billericay in Essex," says, "from which part came sundry
- others." It is quite possible that some of the unknown twelve who returned
- were from this locality, as none of those who went on the MAY-FLOWER are
- understood to have hailed from there, beside the Martins.
- </p>
- <p>
- All the colonists still intending to go to America were now gathered in
- one vessel. Whatever previous disposition of them had been made, or
- whatever relations they might have had in the disjointed record of the
- exodus, were ephemeral, and are now lost sight of in the enduring interest
- which attaches to their final and successful "going forth" as MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrims.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford informs us&mdash;as already noted&mdash;that, just before the
- departure from Southampton, having "ordered and distributed their company
- for either ship, as they conceived for the best," they "chose a Governor
- and two or three assistants for each ship, to order the people by the way,
- and see to the disposing of the provisions, and such like affairs. All
- which was not only with the liking of the Masters of the ships, but
- according to their desires." We have seen that under this arrangement
- &mdash;the wisdom and necessity of which are obvious&mdash;Martin was made
- "Governor" on the "biger ship" and Cushman his "assistante." Although we
- find no mention of the fact, it is rendered certain by the record which
- Bradford makes of the action of the Pilgrim company on December 11, 1620,
- at Cape Cod,&mdash;when they "confirmed" Deacon John Carver as "Governor,"&mdash;that
- he was and had been such, over the colonist passengers for the voyage (the
- ecclesiastical authority only remaining to Elder Brewster), Martin holding
- certainly no higher than the second place, made vacant by Cushman's
- departure.
- </p>
- <p>
- Thus, hardly had the Pilgrims shaken the dust of their persecuting
- mother-country from their feet before they set up, by popular voice (above
- religious authority, and even that vested by maritime law in their ships'
- officers), a government of themselves, by themselves, and for themselves.
- It was a significant step, and the early revision they made of their
- choice of "governors" certifies their purpose to have only rulers who
- could command their confidence and respect. Dr. Young says: "We know the
- age of but few of the Pilgrims," which has hitherto been true; yet by
- careful examination of reliable data, now available, we are able to deter
- mine very closely the ages of a considerable number, and approximately the
- years of most of the others, at the time of the exodus. No analysis, so
- far as known, has hitherto been made of the vocations (trades, etc.)
- represented by the MAY-FLOWER company. They were, as befitted those bent
- on founding a colony, of considerable variety, though it should be
- understood that the vocations given were, so far as ascertained, the
- callings the individuals who represented them had followed before taking
- ship. Several are known to have been engaged in other pursuits at some
- time, either before their residence in Holland, or during their earlier
- years there. Bradford tells us that most of the Leyden congregation (or
- that portion of it which came from England, in or about 1608) were
- agricultural people. These were chiefly obliged to acquire handicrafts or
- other occupations. A few, e.g. Allerton, Brewster, Bradford, Carver,
- Cooke, and Winslow, had possessed some means, while others had been bred
- to pursuits for which there was no demand in the Low Countries. Standish,
- bred to arms, apparently followed his profession nearly to the time of
- departure, and resumed it in the colony, adding thereto the calling which,
- in all times and all lands, had been held compatible in dignity with that
- of arms,&mdash;the pursuit of agriculture. While always the "Sword of the
- White Men," he was the pioneer "planter" in the first settlement begun (at
- Duxbury) beyond Plymouth limits. Of the "arts, crafts or trades" of the
- colonists from London and neighboring English localities, but little has
- been gleaned. They were mostly people of some means, tradesmen rather than
- artisans, and at least two (Martin and Mullens) were evidently also of the
- Merchant Adventurers.
- </p>
- <p>
- Their social (conjugal) conditions&mdash;not previously analyzed, it is
- thought&mdash;have been determined, it is believed, with approximate
- accuracy; though it is of course possible that some were married, of whom
- that fact does not appear, especially among the seamen.
- </p>
- <p>
- The passengers of the MAY-FLOWER on her departure from Plymouth (England),
- as arranged for convenience by families, were as appears by the following
- lists.
- </p>
- <p>
- While the ages given in these lists are the result of much careful study
- of all the latest available data, and are believed, when not exact, to be
- very close approximates; as it has been possible to arrive at results, in
- several cases, only by considerable calculation, the bases of which may
- not always have been entirely reliable, errors may have crept in. Though
- the author is aware that, in a few instances, the age stated does not
- agree with that assigned by other recognized authority, critical
- re-analysis seems to warrant and confirm the figures given.
- </p>
- <p>
- The actual and comparative youth of the majority of the colonist leaders
- &mdash;the Pilgrim Fathers&mdash;is matter of comment, even of surprise,
- to most students of Pilgrim history, especially in view of what the Leyden
- congregation had experienced before embarking for America. Only two of the
- leaders exceeded fifty years of age, and of these Governor Carver died
- early. Of the principal men only nine could have been over forty, and of
- these Carver, Chilton, Martin, Mullins, and Priest (more than half died
- within a few months after landing), leaving Brewster, Warren (who died
- early), Cooke, and Hopkins&mdash;neither of the latter hardly forty&mdash;the
- seniors. One does not readily think of Alden as but twenty-one, Winslow as
- only twenty-five, Dr. Fuller as about thirty, Bradford as only thirty-one
- when chosen Governor, Allerton as thirty-two, and Captain Standish as
- thirty-six. Verily they were "old heads on young shoulders." It is
- interesting to note that the dominant influence at all times was that of
- the Leyden contingent.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of these, all except William Butten, who died upon the voyage, reached
- Cape Cod in safety, though some of them had become seriously ill from the
- hardships encountered, and Howland had narrowly escaped drowning. Two were
- added to the number en voyage,&mdash;Oceanus Hopkins, born upon the sea,
- and Peregrine White, born soon after the arrival in Cape Cod harbor. This
- made the total of the passenger list 103, before further depletion by
- death occurred, though several deaths again reduced it before the
- MAY-FLOWER cast anchor in Plymouth harbor, her final haven on the outward
- voyage.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Deacon John Carver's place of birth or early life is not known, but he
- was an Essex County man, and was probably not, until in middle life,
- a member of Robinson's congregation of "Independents." His age is
- determined by collateral evidence.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Katherine Carver, it has been supposed by some, was a sister of
- Pastor Robinson. This supposition rests, apparently, upon the
- expression of Robinson in his parting letter to Carver, where he
- says: "What shall I say or write unto you and your good wife, my
- loving sister?" Neither the place of Mrs. Carver's nativity nor her
- age is known.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Desire Minter was evidently a young girl of the Leyden congregation,
- between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, who in some way (perhaps
- through kinship) had been taken into Carver's family. She returned
- to England early. See ante, for account of her (probable)
- parentage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Howland was possibly of kin to Carver and had been apparently some
- years in his family. Bradford calls him a "man-servant," but it is
- evident that "employee" would be the more correct term, and that he
- was much more than a "servant." It is observable that Howland
- signed the Compact (by Morton's List) before such men as Hopkins,
- the Tilleys, Cooke, Rogers, and Priest, which does not indicate much
- of the "servant" relation. His antecedents are not certainly known,
- but that he was of the Essex family of the name seems probable.
- Much effort has been made in recent years to trace his ancestry,
- but without any considerable result. His age at death (1673)
- determines his age in 1620. He was older than generally supposed,
- being born about 1593.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Roger Wilder is also called a "man-servant" by Bradford, and hardly more
- than this is known of him, his death occurring early. There is no
- clue to his age except that his being called a "man-servant" would
- seem to suggest that he was of age; but the fact that he did not
- sign the Compact would indicate that he was younger, or he may have
- been extremely ill, as he died very soon after arrival.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Latham is called a "boy" by Bradford, though a lad of 18. It is
- quite possible he was one of those "indentured" by the corporation
- of London, but there is no direct intimation of this.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-"Mrs. Carver's maid," it is fair to presume, from her position as
- lady's-maid and its requirements in those days, was a young woman of
- eighteen or twenty years, and this is confirmed by her early
- marriage. Nothing is known of her before the embarkation. She died
- early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Jasper More, Bradford says, "was a child yt was put to him." Further
- information concerning him is given in connection with his brother
- Richard, "indentured" to Elder Brewster. He is erroneously called
- by Justin Winsor in his "History of Duxbury" (Massachusetts) a child
- of Carver's, as Elizabeth Tilley is "his daughter." Others have
- similarly erred.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elder William Brewster's known age at his death determines his age in
- 1620. He was born in 1566-67. His early life was full of interest
- and activity, and his life in Holland and America no less so. In
- early life he filled important stations. Steele's "Chief of the
- Pilgrims" is a most engaging biography of him, and there are others
- hardly less so, Bradford's sketch being one of the best.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Mary Brewster's age at her death determines it at the embarkation,
- and is matter of computation.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Love Brewster was the second son of his parents, his elder brother
- Jonathan coming over afterwards.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Wrestling Brewster was but a "lad," and his father's third son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard More and his brother, Bradford states, "were put to him" (Elder
- Brewster) as bound-boys. For a full account of their English
- origin, Richard's affidavit, etc., see ante. This makes him but
- about six, but he was perhaps older.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Governor Edward Winslow's known age at his death fixes his age at the
- time of the exodus, and his birth is duly recorded at Droitwich, in
- Worcester, England. (See "Winslow Memorial," David Parsons Holton,
- vol. i. p. 16.)
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Governor Winslow" src="images/p174.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, the first wife of the Governor, appears
- by the data supplied by the record of her marriage in Holland, May
- 27, 1618, to have been a maiden of comporting years to her
- husband's, he being then twenty-three. Tradition makes her slightly
- younger than her husband.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-George Soule, it is evident,&mdash;like Howland,&mdash;though denominated a
- "servant" by Bradford, was more than this, and should rather have
- been styled, as Goodwin points out, "an employee" of Edward Winslow.
- His age is approximated by collateral evidence, his marriage, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elias Story is called "man-servant" by Bradford, and his age is unknown.
- The fact that he did not sign the Compact indicates that he was
- under age, but extreme illness may have prevented, as he died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Ellen More, "a little girl that was put to him" (Winslow), died early.
- She was sister of the other More children, "bound out" to Carver and
- Brewster, of whom extended mention has been made.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Governor William Bradford's date of birth fixes his age in 1620. His
- early home was at Austerfield, in Yorkshire. Belknap ("American
- Biography," vol. ii. p. 218) says: "He learned the art of
- silk-dyeing."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford's age (the first wife of the Governor) is
- fixed at twenty-three by collateral data, but she may have been
- older. She was probably from Wisbeach, England. The manner of her
- tragic death (by drowning, having fallen overboard from the ship in
- Cape Cod harbor), the first violent death in the colony, was
- especially sad, her husband being absent for a week afterward. It
- is not known that her body was recovered.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Dr. Samuel Fuller, from his marriage record at Leyden, made in 1613, when
- he was a widower, it is fair to assume was about thirty, perhaps
- older, in 1620, as he could, when married, have hardly been under
- twenty-one. His (third) wife and child were left in Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Butten (who died at sea, November 6/16), Bradford calls
- "a youth." He was undoubtedly a "servant"-assistant to the doctor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Isaac Allerton, it is a fair assumption, was about thirty-four in 1620,
- from the fact that he married his first wife October 4, 1611, as he
- was called "a young man" in the Leyden marriage record. He is
- called "of London, England," by Bradford and on the Leyden records.
- He was made a "freeman" of Leyden, February 7, 1614. Arber and
- others state that his early occupation was that of "tailor," but he
- was later a tradesman and merchant.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mary (Norris) Allerton is called a "maid of Newbury in England," in the
- Leyden record of her marriage, in October, 1611, and it is the only
- hint as to her age we have. She was presumably a young woman. Her
- death followed (a month later) the birth of her still-born son, on
- board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, February 25/March 7, 1621.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Bartholomew Allerton, born probably in 1612/13 (his parents married
- October, 1611), was hence, as stated, about seven or eight years old
- at the embarkation. He has been represented as older, but this was
- clearly impossible. He was doubtless born in Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Remember Allerton, apparently Allerton's second child, has (with a
- novelist's license) been represented by Mrs. Austin as considerably
- older than six, in fact nearer sixteen (Goodwin, p. 183, says,
- "over 13"), but the known years of her mother's marriage and her
- brother's birth make this improbable. She was, no doubt, born in
- Holland about 1614&mdash;She married Moses Maverick by 1635, and Thomas
- Weston's only child, Elizabeth, was married from her house at
- Marblehead to Roger Conant, son of the first "governor" of a
- Massachusetts Bay "plantation."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mary Allerton, apparently the third child, could hardly have been much
- more than four years old in 1620, though Goodwin ("Pilgrim
- Republic," p. 184) calls her eleven, which is an error. She was
- probably born in Holland about 1616. She was the last survivor of
- the passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, dying at Plymouth, New England,
- 1699.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Hooke, described by Bradford as a "servant-boy," was probably but a
- youth. He did not sign the Compact. Nothing further is known of him
- except that he died early. It is quite possible that he may have
- been of London and have been "indentured" by the municipality to
- Allerton, but the presumption has been that he came, as body-servant
- of Allerton, with him from Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Captain Standish's years in 1620 are conjectural (from fixed data), as is
- his age at death. His early home was at Duxborough Hall, in
- Lancashire. His commission as Captain, from Queen Elizabeth, would
- make his birth about 1584. Rose Standish, his wife, is said by
- tradition to have been from the Isle of Man, but nothing is known of
- her age or antecedents, except that she was younger than the
- Captain. She died during the "general sickness," early in 1621.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Christopher Martin, as previously noted, was from Billerica, in
- Essex. From collateral data it appears that he must have been
- "about forty" years old when he joined the Pilgrims. He appears to
- have been a staunch "Independent" and to have drawn upon himself the
- ire of the Archdeacon of Chelmsford, (probably) by his loud-mouthed
- expression of his views, as only "a month before the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed" he, with his son and Solomon Prower of his household
- (probably a relative), were cited before the archdeacon to answer
- for their shortcomings, especially in reverence for this church
- dignitary. He seems to have been at all times a self-conceited,
- arrogant, and unsatisfactory man. That he was elected treasurer
- and ship's "governor" and permitted so much unbridled liberty as
- appears, is incomprehensible. It was probably fortunate that he
- died early, as he did, evidently in utter poverty. He had a son,
- in 1620, apparently quite a grown youth, from which it is fair to
- infer that the father was at that time "about forty." Of his wife
- nothing is known. She also died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Solomon Prower, who is called by Bradford both "son" and "servant" of
- Martin, seems from the fact of his "citation" before the Archdeacon
- of Chelmsford, etc., to have been something more than a "servant,"
- possibly a kinsman, or foster-son, and probably would more properly
- have been termed an "employee." He was from Billerica, in Essex,
- and was, from the fact that he did not sign the Compact, probably
- under twenty-one or very ill at the time. He died early. Of John
- Langemore, his fellow "servant," nothing is known, except that he is
- spoken of by Young as one of two "children" brought over by Martin
- (but on no apparent authority), and he did not sign the Compact,
- though this might have been from extreme illness, as he too died
- early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William White was of the Leyden congregation. He is wrongly called by
- Davis a son of Bishop John White, as the only English Bishop of that
- name and time died a bachelor. At White's marriage, recorded at the
- Stadthaus at Leyden, January 27/February 1, 1612, to Anna [Susanna]
- Fuller, he is called "a young man of England." As he presumably was
- of age at that time, he must have been at least some twenty-nine or
- thirty years old at the embarkation, eight years later. His son
- Peregrine was born in Cape Cod harbor. Mr. White died very early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Susanna (Fuller) White, wife of William, and sister of Dr. Fuller (?),
- was apparently somewhat younger than her first husband and perhaps
- older than her second. She must, in all probability (having been
- married in Leyden in 1612), have been at least twenty-five at the
- embarkation eight years later. Her second husband, Governor
- Winslow, was but twenty-five in 1620, and the presumption is that
- she was slightly his senior. There appears no good reason for
- ascribing to her the austere and rather unlovable characteristics
- which the pen of Mrs. Austin has given her.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Resolved White, the son of William and Susanna White, could not have been
- more than six or seven years old, and is set down by Goodwin and
- others&mdash;on what seems inconclusive evidence&mdash;at five. He was
- doubtless born at Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Holbeck is simply named as "a servant" of White, by Bradford.
- His age does not appear, but as he did not sign the Compact he was
- probably "under age." From the fact that he died early, it is
- possible that he was too ill to sign.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Thompson is named by Bradford as a second "servant" of Master
- White, but nothing more is known of him, except that he did not sign
- the Compact, and was therefore probably in his nonage, unless
- prevented by severe sickness. He died very early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Mullens (or Molines, as Bradford some times calls him) is
- elsewhere shown to have been a tradesman of some means, of Dorking,
- in Surrey, one of the Merchant Adventurers, and a man of ability.
- From the fact that he left a married daughter (Mrs. Sarah Blunden)
- and a son (William) a young man grown, in England, it is evident
- that he must have been forty years old or more when he sailed for
- New England, only to die aboard the ship in New Plymouth harbor.
- That he was not a French Huguenot of the Leyden contingent, as
- pictured by Rev. Dr. Baird and Mrs. Austin, is certain.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Alice Mullens, whose given name we know only from her husband's
- will, filed in London, we know little about. Her age was (if she
- was his first wife) presumably about that of her husband, whom she
- survived but a short time.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Joseph Mullens was perhaps older than his sister Priscilla, and the third
- child of his parents; but the impression prevails that he was
- slightly her junior,&mdash;on what evidence it is hard to say. That he
- was sixteen is rendered certain by the fact that he is reckoned by
- his father, in his will, as representing a share in the planter's
- half-interest in the colony, and to do so must have been of that
- age.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Priscilla Mullens, whom the glamour of unfounded romance and the pen of
- the poet Longfellow have made one of the best known and best beloved
- of the Pilgrim band, was either a little older, or younger, than her
- brother Joseph, it is not certain which. But that she was over
- sixteen is made certain by the same evidence as that named
- concerning her brother.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Robert Carter is named by Bradford as a "man-servant," and Mrs. Austin,
- in her imaginative "Standish of Standish," which is never to be
- taken too literally, has made him (see p. 181 of that book) "a dear
- old servant," whom Priscilla Mullens credits with carrying her in
- his arms when a small child, etc. Both Bradford's mention and Mr.
- Mullens's will indicate that he was yet a young man and "needed
- looking after." He did not sign the Compact, which of itself
- indicates nonage, unless illness was the cause, of which, in his
- case, there is no evidence, until later.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Warren, as he had a wife and five pretty well grown daughters,
- must have been forty-five or more when he came over. He is
- suggested to have been from Essex.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Stephen Hopkins is believed to have been a "lay-reader" with Mr. Buck,
- chaplain to Governor Gates, of the Bermuda expedition of 1609 (see
- Purchas, vol. iv. p. 174). As he could hardly have had this
- appointment, or have taken the political stand he did, until of
- age, he must have been at least twenty-one at that time. If so, he
- would have been not less than thirty two years old in 1620, and was
- probably considerably older, as his son Giles is represented by
- Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 184) as being "about 15." If the
- father was but twenty-one when the son was born, he must have been
- at least thirty-seven when he became a MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim. The
- probabilities are that he was considerably older. His English home
- is not known. Professor Arber makes an error (The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers," p. 261) in regard to Hopkins which, unless noted,
- might lead to other and more serious mistakes. Noting the
- differences between John Pierce and a Master Hopkins, heard before
- the Council for New England, May 5/15, 1623, Arber designates Master
- Hopkins as "Stephen" (on what authority does not appear), and leaves
- us to infer that it was the Pilgrim Hopkins. On further inquiry it
- transpires that the person who was at variance with Master John
- Pierce over the matter of passage and freight money, on account of
- the unfortunate PARAGON, was a Rev. Master Hopkins (not Stephen of
- the MAY-FLOWER), who, we learn from Neill's "History of the Virginia
- Company," was "recommended July 3, 1622, by the Court of the Company
- to the Governor of Virginia, . . . being desirous to go over at
- his own charge. He was evidently a passenger on both of the
- disastrous attempts of the PARAGON under Captain William Pierce, and
- being forced back the second time, apparently gave up the intention
- of going.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, nothing is known concerning, except that she was
- not her husband's first wife. Sometime apparently elapsed between
- her husband's marriages.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Giles Hopkins we only know was the son of his father's first wife, and
- "about 15." An error (of the types presumably) makes Griffis ("The
- Pilgrims in their Three Homes," p. 176) give the name of Oceanus
- Hopkins's father as Giles, instead of Stephen. Constance (or
- Constantia) Hopkins was apparently about eleven years old in 1620,
- as she married in 1627, and probably was then not far from eighteen
- years old. Damaris Hopkins, the younger daughter of Master Hopkins,
- was probably a very young child when she came in the MAY-FLOWER, but
- her exact age has not been as certained. Davis, as elsewhere noted,
- makes the singular mistake of saying she was born after her parents
- arrived in New England. She married Jacob Cooke, and the
- ante-nuptial agreement of his parents is believed to be the
- earliest of record in America, except that between Gregory
- Armstrong and the widow Billington.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Dotey is called by Bradford "a servant," but nothing is known of
- his age or antecedents. It is very certain from the fact that he
- signed the Compact that he was twenty-one. He was a very energetic
- man. He seems to have been married before coming to New England, or
- soon after.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Leister (the name is variously spelled) was a "servant," by
- Bradford's record. He was doubtless of age, as he signed the
- Compact.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master John Crackstone, being (apparently) a widower with a son, a child
- well grown, was evidently about thirty five years old when he
- embarked for New England. He left a daughter behind. He died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- John Crackstone, Jr., was but a lad, and died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Tilley (sometimes spelled Tillie) and his wife Ann seem to
- have been without children of their own, and as they took with them
- to New England two children who were their kindred, it may be
- inferred that they had been married some little time. It is hence
- probable that Mr. Tilley was in the neighborhood of thirty. His
- wife's age is purely conjectural. They were, Bradford states, "of
- the Leyden congregation."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Henry Sampson was apparently but a young English lad when he came over in
- the MAY-FLOWER with his cousins the Tilleys. As he married in 1636,
- he was probably then about twenty-one, which would make him five or
- six when he came over. Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 184) says he
- was "six."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Humility Cooper is said by Bradford to have been a "cosen" of the
- Tilleys, but no light is given as to her age or antecedents. She
- was but a child, apparently. She returned to England very soon
- after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Tilley, and "died young."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master John Tilley, having twice married, and having a daughter some
- fourteen years old, must have been over thirty-five years old when
- he sailed on the Pilgrim ship. His birthplace and antecedents are
- not known, but he was "of the Leyden congregation."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde) Tilley was just possibly a second wife.
- Nothing is known concerning her except that she was of Holland, and
- that she had, apparently, no child.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elizabeth Tilley is said by Goodwin (op. cit. p. 298) and others to have
- been fourteen years old at her parents' death in 1621, soon after
- the arrival in New England. She was the child of her father's first
- wife. She married John Howland before 1624. Historians for many
- years called her the "daughter of Governor Carver," but the recovery
- of Bradford's MS. "historie" corrected this, with many other
- misconceptions, though to some the error had become apparent before.
- Her will also suggests her age.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Cooke's age in 1620 is fixed by his known age at his death
- ("about 81") in 1663. He was from the north of England, and long a
- member of Robinson's congregation, both in England and in
- Holland(?).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Cooke, son of Francis, is known to have been about ten years old
- when he sailed with his father for America, as his parents did not
- marry before 1609. He was undoubtedly born at Leyden. He was long
- supposed to have been the last male survivor of the original
- passengers (dying at Dartmouth in 1695.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-James Chilton's antecedents and his age are quite unknown. He must have
- been at least fifty, as he had a married daughter in Leyden,
- according to Bradford. He died among the first, and there is
- nothing of record to inform us concerning him, except Bradford's
- meagre mention. He may have lived at Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Chilton's given name is declared by one writer to have been Susanna,
- but it is not clearly proven. Whence she came, her ancestry, and
- her age, are alike unknown.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mary Chilton was but a young girl in 1620. She married, before 1627,
- John Winslow, and was probably not then over twenty, nor over
- fourteen when she came with her parents in the MAY-FLOWER.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Rogers appears, from the fact that he had a son, a lad well-grown,
- to have been thirty or more in 1620. His birthplace, antecedents,
- and history are unknown, but he appears to have been "of the Leyden
- congregation." His wife and children came later.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Joseph Rogers was only a "lad" aboard the MAY-FLOWER, but he left a
- considerable posterity. Nothing is surely known of him, except that
- he was Thomas's son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Degory Priest had the distinction of being "freeman" of Leyden, having
- been admitted such, November 16, 1615. He was by occupation a
- "hatter," a man of some means, who left a wife and at least two
- children in Holland when he embarked for America. His known age at
- death gives his age at sailing but a few months previous. At his
- marriage in Leyden, October 4, 1611, he was called "of London." He
- was about thirty-two when he married. His wife (a widow Vincent)
- was a sister of Isaac Allerton, who also was married at the same
- time that he was. Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 183) also gives
- his age as "forty-one." His widow remarried and came over later.
- Dexter ("Mourt's Relation," p. 69, note) states, quoting from Leyden
- MS. records, that "Degory Priest in April, 1619, calling himself a
- 'hatter,' deposes that he 'is forty years of age.'" He must,
- therefore, have been about forty-one when he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, and forty-two years old at his death.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Rigdale and his wife Alice afford no data. They both died early,
- and there is no record concerning either of them beyond the fact
- that they were passengers.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Fuller and his wife have left us little record of themselves save
- that they were of Leyden, that he is reputed a brother of Dr. Samuel
- Fuller (for whom they seem to have named the boy they brought over
- with them,&mdash;leaving apparently another son, Matthew, behind), and
- that both died the first winter. He must have been at least
- twenty-five, judging from the fact that he was married and had two
- children, and was perhaps somewhat older (though traditionally
- represented as younger) than his brother. Neither his occupation
- nor antecedents are surely known.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Samuel Fuller&mdash;the son of Edward Fuller and his wife&mdash;is called by
- Bradford "a young child." He must have been some five or six years
- of age, as he married in 1635, fifteen years later, and would
- presumably have been of age, or nearly so.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Tinker's name, the mention of his "wife" and "son," the tradition
- that they were "of the Leyden congregation" (which is not sure), the
- certainty that they were MAY-FLOWER passengers,&mdash;on Brad ford's
- list,&mdash;and that all died early, are all we know of the Tinker
- family.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Turner and his two sons we know little about. He seems to have been
- a widower, as no mention is found of his wife, though this is not
- certain. He was of the Leyden congregation, and evidently a man of
- some standing with the leaders, as he was made their messenger to
- Carver and Cushman in London, in June, 1620, and was apparently
- accustomed to travel. He appears to have had business of his own in
- England at the time, and was apparently a man of sober age. As he
- had three children,&mdash;a daughter who came later to New England, and
- two sons, as stated by Bradford,&mdash;it is probable that he was thirty
- or over. He and both his sons died in the spring of 1621.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Eaton was of Leyden, a carpenter, and, having a wife and child,
- was probably a young man about twenty five, perhaps a little
- younger. He married three times.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Sarah Eaton, wife of Francis, was evidently a young woman, with an
- infant, at the date of embarkation. Nothing more is known of her,
- except that she died the spring following the arrival at Plymouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Samuel Eaton, the son of Francis and his wife, Sarah, Bradford calls "a
- sucking child:" He lived to marry.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Gilbert Window was the third younger brother of Governor Edward Winslow,
- and is reputed to have been a carpenter. He was born on Wednesday,
- October 26, 1600, at Droitwitch, in Worcester, England. ("Winslow
- Memorial," vol. i. p. 23.) He apparently did not remain long in
- the colony, as he does not appear in either the "land division" of
- 1623 or the "cattle division" of 1627; and hence was probably not
- then in the "settlement," though land was later allowed his heirs,
- he having been an "original" voyager of the Plymouth colony. He was
- but twenty years and fifteen days old when he signed the Compact,
- but probably was&mdash;from his brother's prominence and his nearness to
- his majority&mdash;counted as eligible. Bradford states that he returned
- to England after "divers years" in New England, and died there. It
- has been suggested that he went very early to some of the other
- "plantations."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Alden was of Southampton, England, was hired as "a cooper," was
- twenty-one years old in 1620, as determined by the year of his
- birth, 1599 ("Alden Memorial," p. 1), and became the most prominent
- and useful of any of the English contingent of the MAY FLOWER
- company. Longfellow's delightful poem, "The Courtship of Miles
- Standish," has given him and his bride, Priscilla Mullens,
- world-wide celebrity, though it is to be feared that its historical
- accuracy would hardly stand criticism. Why young Alden should have
- been "hired for a cooper at Southampton," with liberty to "go or
- stay" in the colony, as Bradford says he was (clearly indicating
- that he went to perform some specific work and return, if he liked,
- with the ship), has mystified many. The matter is clear, however,
- when it is known, as Griffis shows, that part of a Parliamentary Act
- of 1543 reads: "Whosoever shall carry Beer beyond Sea, shall find
- Sureties to the Customers (?) of that Port, to bring in Clapboard
- [staves] meet [sufficient] to make so much Vessel [barrel or
- "kilderkin"] as he shall carry forth." As a considerable quantity of
- beer was part of the MAY-FLOWER'S lading, and her consignors stood
- bound to make good in quantity the stave-stock she carried away,
- it was essential, in going to a wild country where it could not be
- bought, but must be "got out" from the growing timber, to take along
- a "cooper and cleaver" for that purpose. Moreover, the great demand
- for beer-barrel stock made "clapboard" good and profitable return
- lading. It constituted a large part of the FORTUNE'S return freight
- (doubtless "gotten out" by Alden), as it would have undoubtedly of
- the MAY-FLOWER'S, had the hardship of the colony's condition
- permitted.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Peter Browne we know little concerning. That he was a man of early
- middle age is inferable from the fact that he married the widow
- Martha Ford, who came in the FORTUNE in 1621. As she then was the
- mother of three children, it is improbable that she would have
- married a very young man. He appears, from certain collateral
- evidence, to have been a mechanic of some kind, but it is not clear
- what his handicraft was or whence he came.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington (Bradford sometimes spells it Billinton) and his family,
- Bradford tells us, "were from London." They were evidently an
- ill-conditioned lot, and unfit for the company of the planters, and
- Bradford says, "I know not by what friend shuffled into their
- Company." As he had a wife and two children, the elder of whom must
- have been about sixteen years old, he was apparently over
- thirty-five years of age. There is a tradition that he was a
- countryman bred, which certain facts seem to confirm. (See land
- allotments for data as to age of boys, 1632.) He was the only one
- of the original colonists to suffer the "death penalty" for crime.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Ellen (or "Elen") Billington, as Bradford spells the name, was
- evidently of comporting age to her husband's, perhaps a little
- younger. Their two sons, John and Francis, were lively urchins who
- frequently made matters interesting for the colonists, afloat and
- ashore. The family was radically bad throughout, but they have had
- not a few worthy descendants. Mrs. Billington married Gregory
- Armstrong, and their antenuptial agreement is the first of record
- known in America.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington, Jr., is always first named of his father's two sons, and
- hence the impression prevails that he was the elder, and Bradford so
- designates him. The affidavit of Francis Billington (Plymouth
- County, Mass., Deeds, vol. i. p. 81), dated 1674, in which he
- declares himself sixty-eight years old, would indicate that he was
- born in 1606, and hence must have been about fourteen years of age
- when he came on the MAY-FLOWER to New Plymouth. If John, his
- brother, was older than he, he must have been born about 1604, and
- so was about sixteen when, he came to New England. The indications
- are that it was Francis, the younger son, who got hold of the
- gunpowder in his father's cabin in Cape Cod harbor, and narrowly
- missed blowing up the ship. John died before 1630. Francis lived,
- as appears, to good age, and had a family.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Moses Fletcher was of the Leyden company, a "smith," and at the time of
- his second marriage at Leyden, November 30/December 21, 1613, was
- called a "widower" and "of England." As he was probably of age at
- the time of his first marriage,&mdash;presumably two years or more before
- his last,&mdash;he must have been over thirty in 1620. He was perhaps
- again a widower when he came over, as no mention is made of his
- having wife or family. He was possibly of the Amsterdam family of
- that name. His early death was a great loss to the colony.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-A Thomas Williams is mentioned by Hon. Henry C Murphy ("Historical
- Magazine," vol. iii. pp. 358, 359), in a list of some of Robinson's
- congregation who did not go to New England in either the MAY-FLOWER,
- FORTUNE, ANNE, Or LITTLE JAMES. He either overlooked the fact that
- Williams was one of the MAY-FLOWER passengers, or else there were
- two of the name, one of whom did not go. Nothing is known of the
- age or former history of the Pilgrim of that name. He died in the
- spring of 1621 (before the end of March). As he signed the Compact,
- he must have been over twenty-one. He may have left a wife, Sarah.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Goodman we know little more about than that he and Peter Browne seem
- to have been "lost" together, on one occasion (when he was badly
- frozen), and to have had, with his little spaniel dog, a rencontre
- with "two great wolves," on another. He was twice married, the last
- time at Leyden in 1619. He died before the end of March, 1621.
- As he signed the Compact, he must have been over twenty-one.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Margeson we know nothing about. As he signed the Compact, he was
- presumably of age.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Britteridge affords little data. His age, birthplace, or
- occupation do not transpire, but he was, it seems, according to
- Bradford, the first of the company to die on board the ship after
- she had cast anchor in the harbor of New Plymouth. This fact
- negatives the pleasant fiction of Mrs. Austin's "Standish of
- Standish" (p. 104), that Britteridge was one of those employed in
- cutting sedge on shore on Friday, January 12. Poor Britteridge died
- December 21, three weeks earlier. He signed the Compact, and hence
- may be accounted of age at the landing at Cape Cod.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Clarke appears only as one of the passengers and as dying before
- the end of March. He signed the Compact, and hence was doubtless
- twenty-one or over.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Gardiner, we know from Bradford, "became a seaman and died in
- England or at sea." He was evidently a young man, but of his age or
- antecedents nothing appears. He signed the Compact, and hence was
- at least twenty-one years old.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Alderton (sometimes spelled Allerton), we are told by Bradford,&mdash;as
- elsewhere noted,&mdash;"was hired, but was reputed one of the company,
- but was to go back, being a seaman and so, presumably, unmindful of
- the voyages, for the help of others." Whether Bradford intended by
- the latter clause to indicate that he had left his family behind,
- and came "to spy out the land," and, if satisfied, to return for
- them, or was to return for the counsel and assistance of Robinson
- and the rest, who were to follow, is not clear, but the latter view
- has most to support it. We learn his occupation, but can only infer
- that he was a young man over twenty-one from the above and the fact
- that he signed the Compact. It has been suggested that he was a
- relative of Isaac Allerton, but this is nowhere shown and is
- improbable. He died before the MAY-FLOWER returned to England.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas English (or Enlish), Bradford tells us ("Historie," Mass. ed.
- p. 533), "was hired to goe Master of a [the] shallop here." He,
- however, "died here before the ship returned." It is altogether
- probable that he was the savior of the colony on that stormy night
- when the shallop made Plymouth harbor the first time, and, narrowly
- escaping destruction, took shelter under Clarke's Island. The first
- three governors of the colony, its chief founders,&mdash;Carver,
- Bradford, and Winslow,&mdash;with Standish, Warren, Hopkins, Howland,
- Dotey, and others, were on board, and but for the heroism and prompt
- action of "the lusty sea man which steered," who was&mdash;beyond
- reasonable doubt&mdash;English, as Bradford's narrative ("Morton's
- Memorial") shows, the lives of the entire party must, apparently,
- have been lost. That English was, if on board&mdash;Bradford shows in
- the "Memorial" that he was&mdash;as Master of the shallop, properly her
- helmsman in so critical a time, goes without saying, especially as
- the "rudder was broken" and an oar substituted; that the ship's
- "mates," Clarke and Coppin, were not in charge (although on board)
- fully appears by Bradford's account; and as it must have taken all
- of the other (four) seamen on board to pull the shallop, bereft of
- her sail, in the heavy breakers into which she had been run by
- Coppin's blunder, there would be no seaman but English for the
- steering-oar, which was his by right. Had these leaders been lost
- at this critical time,&mdash;before a settlement had been made,&mdash;it is
- certain that the colony must have been abandoned, and the Pilgrim
- impress upon America must have been lost. English's name should, by
- virtue of his great service, be ever held in high honor by all of
- Pilgrim stock. His early death was a grave loss. Bradford spells
- the name once Enlish, but presumably by error. He signed the
- Compact as Thomas English.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Trevore was, according to Bradford, one of "two seamen hired to
- stay a year in the countrie." He went back when his time expired,
- but later returned to New England. Cushman (Bradford, "Historie,"
- p. 122) suggests that he was telling "sailors' yarns." He says:
- "For William Trevore hath lavishly told but what he knew or imagined
- of Capewock Martha's Vineyard, Monhiggon, and ye Narragansetts." In
- 1629 he was at Massachusetts Bay in command of the HANDMAID
- (Goodwin, p. 320), and in February, 1633 (Winthrop, vol. i. p. 100),
- he seems to have been in command of the ship WILLIAM at Plymouth,
- with passengers for Massachusetts Bay. Captain Standish testified
- in regard to Thompson's Island in Boston harbor, that about 1620 he
- "was on that Island with Trevore," and called it "Island Trevore."
- (Bradford, "Historie," Deane's ed. p. 209.) He did not sign the
- Compact, perhaps because of the limitations of his contract (one
- year).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&mdash;- Ely (not Ellis, as Arber miscalls him, "The Story of the Pilgrim
- Fathers," p. 377) was the other of the "two seamen hired to stay a
- year," etc. He also returned when his time expired. (Bradford,
- Hist. Mass. ed. p. 534.) He did not sign the Compact, probably for
- the reason operative in .Trevore's case. A digest of the foregoing
- data gives the following interesting, if incomplete, data (errors
- excepted):&mdash;
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <table summary="">
- <tr>
- <td>
- Adult males (hired seamen and servants of age included)&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 44
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Adult females (including Mrs Carver's maid)
- </td>
- <td>
- 19
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Youths, male children, and male servants, minors
- </td>
- <td>
- 29
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Maidens, female children
- </td>
- <td>
- 10
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- </td>
- <td>
- &mdash;
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- </td>
- <td>
- 102
- </td>
- </tr>
- </table>
- <table summary="">
- <tr>
- <td>
- Married males
- </td>
- <td>
- 26
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Married females
- </td>
- <td>
- 18
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Single (adult) males (and young men)&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 25
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Single (adult) females (Mrs Carver's maid)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- </table>
- <p>
- Vocations of adults so far as known (except wives, who are presumed
- housekeepers for their husbands):&mdash;
- </p>
- <table summary="">
- <tr>
- <td>
- Carpenters
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Cooper
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Fustian-worker and silk-dyer&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Hatter
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Lay-reader
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Lady's-maid
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Merchants
- </td>
- <td>
- 3
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Physician
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Printers and publishers
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Seamen
- </td>
- <td>
- 4
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Servants (adult)
- </td>
- <td>
- 10
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Smith
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Soldier
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Tailor
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Tradesmen
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Wool-carders
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- </table>
- <p>
- Allowing for the addition of Wilder and the two sailors, Trevore and Ely,
- who did not sign it, the number of those who signed the Compact tallies
- exactly with the adult males. Besides these occupations, it is known that
- several of the individuals representing them were skilled in other
- callings, and were at some time teachers, accountants, linguists, writers,
- etc., while some had formerly practised certain handicrafts; Dr. Fuller,
- e.g. having formerly been a "silk-worker," Brad ford (on the authority of
- Belknap), a "silk-dyer," and others "fustian-workers." Hopkins had
- apparently sometime before dropped his character of "lay-reader," and was
- a pretty efficient man of affairs, but his vocation at the time of the
- exodus is not known.
- </p>
- <p>
- The former occupations of fourteen of the adult colonists, Browne,
- Billington, Britteridge, Cooke, Chilton, Clarke, Crackstone, Goodman,
- Gardiner, Rogers, Rigdale, Turner, Warren, and Williams are not certainly
- known. There is evidence suggesting that Browne was a mechanic; Billington
- and Cooke had been trained to husbandry; that Chilton had been a small
- tradesman; that Edward Tilley had been, like his brother, a silk-worker;
- that Turner was a tradesman, and Warren a farmer; while it is certain that
- Cooke, Rogers, and Warren had been men of some means.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the above list of fourteen men whose last occupations before joining
- the colonists are unknown, only five, viz. Browne, Billington, Cooke,
- Gardiner, and Warren lived beyond the spring of 1621. Of these, Warren
- died early, Gardiner left the colony and "became a seaman;" the other
- three, Billington, Browne, and Cooke, became "planters." Thomas Morton, of
- "Merry Mount," in his "New Eng land's Canaan" (p. 217), gives Billington
- the sobriquet "Ould Woodman."
- </p>
- <p>
- The early deaths of the others make their former handicrafts&mdash;except
- as so much data pertaining to the composi tion and history of the colony&mdash;
- matters of only ephemeral interest.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VII
- </h2>
- <h3>
- QUARTERS, COOKING, PROVISIONS
- </h3>
- <p>
- Probably no more vexatious problem presented itself for the time being to
- the "governors" of the two vessels and their "assistants," upon their
- selection, than the assignment of quarters to the passengers allotted to
- their respective ships. That these allotments were in a large measure
- determined by the requirements of the women and children may be considered
- certain. The difficulties attendant on due recognition of social and
- official station (far more imperative in that day than this) were in no
- small degree lessened by the voluntary assignment of themselves, already
- mentioned, of some of the Leyden chief people to the smaller ship; but in
- the interests of the general welfare and of harmony, certain of the
- leaders, both of the Leyden and London contingents, were of necessity
- provided for in the larger vessel. The allotments to the respective ships
- made at Southampton, the designation of quarters in the ships themselves,
- and the final readjustments upon the MAY-FLOWER at Plymouth (England),
- when the remaining passengers of both ships had been united, were all
- necessarily determined chiefly with regard to the needs of the women,
- girls, and babes. Careful analysis of the list shows that there were,
- requiring this especial consideration, nineteen women, ten young girls,
- and one infant. Of the other children, none were so young that they might
- not readily bunk with or near their fathers in any part of the ship in
- which the latter might be located.
- </p>
- <p>
- We know enough of the absolute unselfishness and devotion of all the
- Leyden leaders, whatever their birth or station,&mdash;so grandly proven
- in those terrible days of general sickness and death at New Plymouth,&mdash;to
- be certain that with them, under all circumstances, it was noblesse
- oblige, and that no self-seeking would actuate them here. It should be
- remembered that the MAY-FLOWER was primarily a passenger transport, her
- passengers being her principal freight and occupying the most of the ship,
- the heavier cargo being chiefly confined to the "hold." As in that day the
- passenger traffic was, of course, wholly by sailing vessels, they were
- built with cabin accommodations for it, as to numbers, etc.,
- proportionately much beyond those of the sailing craft of to-day. The
- testimony of Captain John Smith, "the navigator," as to the passengers of
- the MAY-FLOWER "lying wet in their cabins," and that of Bradford as to
- Billington's "cabin between decks," already quoted, is conclusive as to
- the fact that she had small cabins (the "staterooms" of to-day), intended
- chiefly, no doubt, for women and children. The advice of Edward Winslow to
- his friend George Morton, when the latter was about to come to New England
- in the ANNE, "build your cabins as open as possible," is suggestive of
- close cabins and their discomforts endured upon the MAY-FLOWER. It also
- suggests that the chartering-party was expected in those days to control,
- if not to do, the "fitting up" of the ship for her voyage. In view of the
- usual "breadth of beam" of ships of her class and tonnage, aft, and the
- fore and aft length of the poop, it is not unreasonable to suppose that
- there were not less than four small cabins on either side of the common
- (open) cabin or saloon (often depicted as the signing-place of the
- Compact), under the high poop deck. Constructed on the general plan of
- such rooms or cabins to-day (with four single berths, in tiers of two on
- either hand), there would be&mdash;if the women and girls were
- conveniently distributed among them&mdash;space for all except the
- Billingtons, who we know had a cabin (as had also doubtless several of the
- principal men) built between decks. This would also leave an after cabin
- for the Master, who not infrequently made his quarters, and those of his
- chief officer, in the "round house," when one existed, especially in a
- crowded ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- Cabins and bunks "between decks" would provide for all of the males of the
- company, while the seamen, both of the crew and (some of) those in the
- employ of the Pilgrims&mdash;like Trevore and Ely&mdash;were no doubt
- housed in the fore castle. Alderton and English seem to have been counted
- "of the company." The few data we have permit us to confidently assume
- that some such disposition of the passengers was (necessarily) made, and
- that but for the leaky decks, the inseparable discomforts of the sea, and
- those of over crowding, the wives of the Pilgrims (three of whom gave
- birth to children aboard the ship), and their daughters, were fairly
- "berthed."
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford is authority for the statement that with the "governor" of the
- ship's company were chosen "two or three assistants . . . to order
- [regulate] the people by the way [on the passage] and see to the
- disposition of the provisions," etc. The last-named duty must have been a
- most difficult and wearisome one. From what has been shown of the poverty
- of the ship's cooking facilities (especially for so large a company), one
- must infer that it would be hopeless to expect to cook food in any
- quantity, except when all conditions favored, and then but slowly and with
- much difficulty. From the fact that so many would require food at
- practically the same hours of the day, it is clear that there must have
- been distribution of food (principally uncooked) to groups or families,
- who, with the aid of servants (when available), must each have prepared
- their own meals, cooking as occasion and opportunity indicated; much after
- the manner of the steerage passengers in later days, but before those of
- the great ocean liners. There appears to have been but one cook for the
- officers and crew of the ship, and his hands were doubtless full with
- their demands. It is certain that his service to the passengers must have
- been very slight. That "the cook" is named as one of the ship's crew who
- died in Plymouth harbor (New England) is all the knowledge we have
- concerning him.
- </p>
- <p>
- The use of and dependence upon tea and coffee, now so universal, and at
- sea so seemingly indispensable, was then unknown, beer supplying their
- places, and this happily did not have to be prepared with fire. "Strong
- waters"&mdash;Holland gin and to some extent "aqua vitae" (brandy)&mdash;were
- relied upon for the (supposed) maintenance of warmth. Our Pilgrim Fathers
- were by no means "total abstainers," and sadly bewailed being deprived of
- their beer when the supply failed. They also made general and habitual
- (moderate) use of wine and spirits, though they sharply interdicted and
- promptly punished their abuse.
- </p>
- <p>
- In the absence of cooking facilities, it became necessary in that day to
- rely chiefly upon such articles of food as did not require to be prepared
- by heat, such as biscuit (hard bread), butter, cheese ("Holland cheese"
- was a chief staple with the Pilgrims), "haberdyne" (or dried salt
- codfish), smoked herring, smoked ("cured ") ham and bacon, "dried neat's
- tongues," preserved and "potted" meats (a very limited list in that day),
- fruits, etc. Mush, oatmeal, pease-puddings, pickled eggs, sausage meats,
- salt beef and pork, bacon, "spiced beef," such few vegetables as they had
- (chiefly cabbages, turnips, and onions,&mdash;there were no potatoes in
- that day), etc., could be cooked in quantity, when the weather permitted,
- and would then be eaten cold.
- </p>
- <p>
- Except as dried or preserved fruits, vegetables (notably onions), limes,
- lemon juice, and the free use of vinegar feebly counteracted, their food
- was distinctively stimulant of scorbutic and tuberculosis disease, which
- constant exposure to cold and wet and the overcrowded state of the ship
- could but increase and aggravate. Bradford narrates of one of the crew of
- the MAY-FLOWER when in Plymouth harbor, as suggestive of the wretched
- conditions prevalent in the ship, that one of his shipmates, under an
- agreement to care for him, "got him a little spice and made him a mess of
- beef, once or twice," and then deserted him.
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn, in his "Two Voyages to New England," gives as the result of the
- experience and observations had in his voyages, but a few years later,
- much that is interesting and of exceptional value as to the food and
- equipment of passengers to, and colonists in, this part of America. It has
- especial interest, perhaps, for the author and his readers, in the fact
- that Josselyn's statements were not known until after the data given in
- these pages had been independently worked out from various sources, and
- came therefore as a gratifying confirmation of the conclusions already
- reached.
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn says as to food, as follows:&mdash;"The common proportion of
- victuals for the sea to a mess (being 4 men) is as followeth:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- "2 pieces of Beef of 3 lb. 1/4 apiece. Pork seems to have been
- inadvertently omitted.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Four pounds of Bread [ship-bread].
- </p>
- <p>
- "One pint &amp; 1/2 of Pease.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Four Gallons of Bear [Beer], with mustard and vinegar for 3 flesh days in
- the week."
- </p>
- <p>
- "For four fish days to each mess per day:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- "Two pieces of Codd or Haberdine, making 3 pieces of a fish, i.e. a dried
- salt cod being divided into three pieces, 2 of those pieces were to be a
- day's ration for 4 men.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Four pounds of Bread.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Three-quarters of a pound of cheese.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Bear as before."
- </p>
- <p>
- "Oatmeal per day for 50 men 1 Gallon [dry], and so proportionable for more
- or fewer."
- </p>
- <p>
- "Thus you see the ship's provision is Beefe and Porke, Fish, Butter,
- Cheese, Pease, Pottage, Water-Gruel, Bisket, and six shilling Bear."
- </p>
- <p>
- "For private fresh provision you may carry with you (in case you or any of
- yours should be sick at sea):&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- "Conserves of Roses, Clove-Gilliflowers, Wormwood, Green-Ginger,
- Burnt-Wine, English Spirits, Prunes to stew, Raisons of the Sun, Currence
- [currants], Sugar, Nutmeg, Mace, Cinnamon, Pepper and Ginger, White
- Bisket, Butter, or 'Captains biscuit,' made with wheat flour or Spanish
- Rusk, Eggs, Rice, Juice of Lemons, well put up to cure or prevent the
- Scurvy, Small Skillets, Pipkins, Porringers and small Frying Pans."
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn further gives us an estimate for:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- "Victuals for a whole year to be carried out of England for one man and so
- for more after this rate." He annexed also their current prices:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- "Eight bushels of Meal [Rye meal probably intended]
- Two bushels of Pease at 3/s
- Two bushels of Oatmeal at 4s/6d
- One Gallon of Aqua Vitae
- One Gallon of Oyl
- Two Gallons of Vinegar
- [No estimate of Beef or Pork, or of vegetables, is included.]
- A Hogshead of English Bear
- A Hogshead of Irish Bear
- A Hogshead of Vinegar
- A bushel of Mustard seed
- A Kental [Quintal] of fish, Cod or Haberdine, 112 lb."
-</pre>
- <p>
- Edward Window, in his letter to George Morton before mentioned, advising
- him as to his voyage, says: "Bring juice of lemons and take it fasting. It
- is of good use."
- </p>
- <p>
- It is indeed remarkable that, totally unused to any such conditions, wet,
- cold, poorly fed, overcrowded, storm-tossed, bruised and beaten, anxious,
- and with no homes to welcome them, exposed to new hardships and dangers on
- landing, worn and exhausted, any of the MAY-FLOWER'S company survived. It
- certainly cannot be accounted strange that infectious diseases, once
- started among them, should have run through their ranks like fire, taking
- both old and young. Nor is it strange that&mdash;though more inured to
- hardship and the conditions of sea life&mdash;with the extreme and unusual
- exposure of boat service on the New England coast in mid winter, often
- wading in the icy water and living aboard ship in a highly infected
- atmosphere, the seamen should have succumbed to disease in almost equal
- ratio with the colonists. The author is prepared, after careful
- consideration, to accept and professionally indorse, with few exceptions,
- the conclusions as to the probable character of the decimating diseases of
- the passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, so ably and interestingly
- presented by Dr. Edward E. Cornwall in the "New England Magazine" for
- February, 1897&mdash;From the fact that Edward Thompson, Jasper More, and
- Master James Chilton died within a month of the arrival at Cape Cod (and
- while the ship lay in that harbor), and following the axiom of vital
- statistics that "for each death two are constantly sick," there must have
- been some little (though not to say general) sickness on the MAY-FLOWER
- when she arrived at Cape Cod. It would, in view of the hardship of the
- voyage, have been very remarkable if this had not been the case. It would
- have been still more remarkable if the ill-conditioned, thin-blooded,
- town-bred "servants" and apprentices had not suffered first and most. It
- is significant that eight out of nine of the male "servants" should have
- died in the first four months. It was impossible that scurvy should not
- have been prevalent with both passengers and crew.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VIII
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER'S LADING
- </h3>
- <p>
- Beside her human freight of one hundred and thirty or more passengers and
- crew, the lading of the MAY-FLOWER when she sailed from Plymouth
- (England), September 6/16, 1620, was considerable and various. If clearing
- at a custom-house of to-day her manifest would excite no little interest
- and surprise. Taking no account of the ship's stores and supplies
- (necessarily large, like her crew, when bound upon such a voyage, when
- every possible need till her return to her home port must be provided for
- before sailing), the colonists' goods and chattels were many, their
- provisions bulky, their ordnance, arms, and stores (in the hold) heavy,
- and their trading-stock fairly ample. Much of the cargo originally stowed
- in the SPEEDWELL, a part, as we know, of her company, and a few of her
- crew were transferred to the MAY-FLOWER at Plymouth, and there can be no
- doubt that the ship was both crowded and overladen.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is altogether probable that the crowded condition of her spar and main
- decks caused the supply of live-stock taken&mdash;whether for consumption
- upon the voyage or for the planters' needs on shore&mdash;to be very
- limited as to both number and variety. It has been matter of surprise to
- many that no cattle (not even milch-cows) were taken, but if&mdash;as is
- not unlikely&mdash;it was at first proposed to take a cow or two (when
- both ships were to go and larger space was available), this intent was
- undoubtedly abandoned at Plymouth, England, when it became evident that
- there would be dearth of room even for passengers, none whatever for
- cattle or their fodder (a large and prohibitive quantity of the latter
- being required for so long a voyage), and that the lateness of the season
- and its probable hardships would endanger the lives of the animals if
- taken. So far as appears the only domestic live-stock aboard the
- MAY-FLOWER consisted of goats, swine, poultry, and dogs. It is quite
- possible that some few sheep, rabbits, and poultry for immediate
- consumption (these requiring but little forage) may have been shipped,
- this being customary then as now. It is also probable that some household
- pets&mdash;cats and caged singing-birds, the latter always numerous in
- both England and Holland&mdash;were carried on board by their owners,
- though no direct evidence of the fact is found. There is ample proof that
- goats, swine, poultry, and dogs were landed with the colonists at New
- Plymouth, and it is equally certain that they had at first neither cattle,
- horses, nor sheep. Of course the she-goats were their sole reliance for
- milk for some time, whether afloat or ashore, and goat's flesh and pork
- their only possibilities in the way of fresh meat for many months, save
- poultry (and game after landing), though we may be sure, in view of the
- breeding value of their goats, poultry, and swine, few were consumed for
- food. The "fresh meat" mentioned as placed before Massasoit' on his first
- visit was probably venison, though possibly kid's meat, pork, or poultry.
- Of swine and poultry they must have had a pretty fair supply, judging from
- their rapid increase, though their goats must have been few. They were
- wholly without beasts of draft or burden (though it seems strange that a
- few Spanish donkeys or English "jacks" had not been taken along, as being
- easily kept, hardy, and strong, and quite equal to light ploughing,
- hauling, carrying, etc.), and their lack was sorely felt. The space they
- and their forage demanded it was doubtless considered impracticable to
- spare. The only dogs that appear in evidence are a large mastiff bitch
- (the only dog of that breed probably seen on these shores since Pring's
- "bigge dogges" so frightened the Indians' in this region seventeen years
- before)
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Captain Martin Pring had at Plymouth, in 1603, two great "mastive
- dogges" named "Fool" and "Gallant," the former being trained to carry
- a half-pike in his mouth. "The Indians were more afraid of these
- dogs than of twenty men." American Magazine of History; Goodwin,
- Pilgrim Republic, p. 3.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> and a small spaniel, both the property of passengers, though there
- may have been others not mentioned. Speaking of the venison found in a
- tree by one of the exploring parties, Winslow says: "We thought it fitter
- for the dogs than for us," perhaps suggesting by his word "the" their own
- dogs aboard ship and provision for them. There is an intimation as to the
- ownership of these two dogs in the facts that on certainly two occasions
- John Goodman was accompanied by the little spaniel (once when alone), from
- which it may perhaps be inferred that he was the dog's master; while the
- big mastiffs presence when only Peter Browne and Goodman were together
- suggests that Browne was her owner. The goats, swine, rabbits, and poultry
- were doubtless penned on the spar-deck forward, while possibly some
- poultry, and any sheep brought for food, may have been temporarily housed&mdash;as
- was a practice with early voyagers&mdash;in the (unused) ship's boats,
- though these appear to have been so few in number and so much in demand
- that it is doubtful if they were here available as pens. The heavy cargo
- and most of the lighter was of course stowed in the hold, as the main deck
- (or "'tween decks") was mostly occupied as quarters for the male
- passengers, old and young, though the colonists' shallop, a sloop-rigged
- boat some thirty feet in length, had been "cut down" and stowed "between
- the decks" for the voyage. A glimpse of the weary life at sea on that long
- and dreary passage is given in Bradford's remark that "she was much opened
- with the people's lying in her during the voyage:" This shallop with her
- equipment, a possible spare skiff or two, the chests, "boxes," and other
- personal belongings of the passengers, some few cases of goods, some
- furniture, etc., constituted the only freight for which there could have
- been room "between decks," most of the space (aft) being occupied by
- cabins and bunks.
- </p>
- <p>
- The provisions in use, both by passengers and crew, were probably kept in
- the lazarette or "runs," in the stern of the ship, which would be
- unusually capacious in vessels of this model; some&mdash;the bulkiest&mdash;in
- the hold under the forward hatch, as the custom was, and to some extent
- still is. The food supply of the Pilgrims, constituting part of the
- MAY-FLOWER'S Cargo, included, as appears from authentic sources:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Breadstuff's, including,&mdash;
- Biscuits or ship-bread (in barrels).
- Oatmeal (in barrels or hogsheads).
- Rye meal (in hogsheads).
-Butter (in firkins).
-Cheese, "Hollands" and English (in boxes).
-Eggs, pickled (in tubs).
-Fish, "haberdyne" [or salt dried cod] (in boxes).
-Smoked herring (in boxes).
-Meats, including,&mdash;
- Beef, salt, or "corned" (in barrels).
- Dry-salted (in barrels).
- Smoked (in sacks).
- Dried neats'-tongues (in boxes).
- Pork, bacon, smoked (in sacks or boxes).
- Salt ["corned"] (in barrels).
- Hams and shoulders, smoked (in canvas sacks or hogsheads).
-Salt (in bags and barrels).
-Vegetables, including,&mdash;
- Beans (in bags and barrels).
- Cabbages (in sacks and barrels).
- Onions (in sacks).
- Turnips (in sacks).
- Parsnips (in sacks).
- Pease (in barrels), and
-Vinegar (in hogsheads), while,&mdash;
-Beer (in casks), brandy, "aqua vitae" (in pipes), and gin ["Hollands,"
- "strong waters," or "schnapps"] (in pipes) were no small or
- unimportant part, from any point of view, of the provision supply.
-</pre>
- <p>
- Winslow, in his letter to George Morton advising him as to his
- preparations for the voyage over, says: "Be careful to have a very good
- bread-room to keep your biscuit in." This was to keep them from dampness.
- Winthrop gives us the memorandum of his order for the ship-bread for his
- voyage in 1630. He says: "Agreed with Keene of Southwark, baker, for
- 20,000 of Biscuit, 15,000 of brown, and 5,000 of white." Captain Beecher
- minutes: "10 M. of bread for the ship ARBELLA." Beecher's memorandum of
- "oatmeal" is "30 bushels." Winslow mentions "oatmeal," and Winthrop notes
- among the provisions bought by Captain William Pierce, "4 hhds. of
- oatmeal." Rye meal was usually meant by the term "meal," and Window in his
- letter to George Morton advises him: "Let your meal be so hard-trod in
- your casks that you shall need an adz or hatchet to work it out with;" and
- also to "be careful to come by [be able to get at] some of your meal to
- spend [use] by the way." Notwithstanding that Bradford' speaks of their
- "selling away" some "60 firkins of butter," to clear port charges at
- Southampton, and the leaders, in their letter to the Adventurers from that
- port (August 3), speak of themselves, when leaving Southampton in August,
- 1620, as "scarce having any butter," there seems to have been some left to
- give as a present to Quadrequina, Massasoit's brother, the last of March
- following, which would indicate its good "keeping" qualities. Wood, in his
- "New England's Prospect" (ch. 2), says: "Their butter and cheese were
- corrupted." Bradford mentions that their lunch on the exploration
- expedition of November 15, on Cape Cod, included "Hollands cheese," which
- receives also other mention. There is a single mention, in the literature
- of the day, of eggs preserved in salt, for use on shipboard. "Haberdyne"
- (or dried salt cod) seems to have been a favorite and staple article of
- diet aboard ship. Captain Beecher minutes "600 haberdyne for the ship
- ARBELLA." Wood says: "Their fish was rotten." Smoked "red-herring" were
- familiar food to all the MAY-FLOWER company. No house or ship of England
- or Holland in that day but made great dependence upon them. Bacon was, of
- course, a main staple at sea. In its half-cooked state as it came from the
- smoke-house it was much relished with their biscuit by seamen and others
- wishing strong food, and when fried it became a desirable article of food
- to all except the sick. Mention is made of it by several of the early
- Pilgrim writers. Carlyle, as quoted, speaks of it as a diet-staple on the
- MAY-FLOWER. Salt ("corned") beef has always been a main article of food
- with seamen everywhere. Wood' states that the "beef" of the Pilgrims was
- "tainted." In some way it was made the basis of a reputedly palatable
- preparation called "spiced beef," mentioned as prepared by one of the
- sailors for a shipmate dying on the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor. It must
- have been a very different article from that we now find so acceptable
- under that name in England. Winthrop' gives the price of his beef at "19
- shillings per cwt." Winslow advises his friend Morton, in the letter so
- often quoted, not to have his beef "dry-salted," saying, "none can do it
- better than the sailors," which is a suggestion not readily understood.
- "Smoked" beef was practically the same as that known as "jerked,"
- "smoked," or "dried" beef in America. A "dried neat's-tongue" is named as
- a contribution of the Pilgrims to the dinner for Captain Jones and his men
- on February 21, 1621, when they had helped to draw up and mount the cannon
- upon the platform on the hill at Plymouth. Winthrop paid "14d. a piece"
- for his "neats' tongues." The pork of the Pilgrims is also said by Wood'
- to have been "tainted." Winthrop states that his pork cost "20 pence the
- stone" (14 lbs.).
- </p>
- <p>
- Hams seem to have been then, as now, a highly-prized article of diet.
- Goodwin mentions that the salt used by the Pilgrims was (evaporated)
- "sea-salt" and very "impure." Winthrop mentions among his supplies,
- "White, Spanish, and Bay salt."
- </p>
- <p>
- The beans of the Pilgrims were probably of the variety then known as
- "Spanish beans." The cabbages were apparently boiled with meat, as
- nowadays, and also used considerably for "sour-krout" and for pickling,
- with which the Leyden people had doubtless become familiar during their
- residence among the Dutch. As anti-scorbutics they were of much value. The
- same was true of onions, whether pickled, salted, raw, or boiled. Turnips
- and parsnips find frequent mention in the early literature of the first
- settlers, and were among their stock vegetables. Pease were evidently
- staple articles of food with the Plymouth people, and are frequently
- named. They probably were chiefly used for porridge and puddings, and were
- used in large quantities, both afloat and ashore.
- </p>
- <p>
- Vinegar in hogsheads was named on the food-list of every ship of the
- Pilgrim era. It was one of their best antiscorbutics, and was of course a
- prime factor in their use of "sour krout," pickling, etc. The fruits,
- natural, dried, and preserved, were probably, in that day, in rather small
- supply. Apples, limes, lemons, prunes, olives, rice, etc., were among the
- luxuries of a voyage, while dried or preserved fruits and small fruits
- were not yet in common use. Winslow, in the letter cited, urges that "your
- casks for beer . . . be iron bound, at least for the first [end] tyre"
- [hoop]. Cushman states that they had ample supplies of beer offered them
- both in Kent and Amsterdam. The planters' supply seems to have failed,
- however, soon after the company landed, and they were obliged to rely upon
- the whim of the Captain of the MAY-FLOWER for their needs, the ship's
- supply being apparently separate from that of the planters, and lasting
- longer. Winthrop's supply seems to have been large ("42 tons"&mdash;probably
- tuns intended). It was evidently a stipulation of the charter-party that
- the ship should, in part at least, provision her crew for the voyage,&mdash;certainly
- furnish their beer. This is rendered certain by Bradford's difficulty (as
- stated by himself) with Captain Jones, previously referred to, showing
- that the ship had her own supply of beer, separate from that of the
- colonists, and that it was intended for the seamen as well as the
- officers.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford mentions "aqua vitae" as a constituent of their lunch on the
- exploring party of November 15. "Strong waters" (or Holland gin) are
- mentioned as a part of the entertainment given Massasoit on his first
- visit, and they find frequent mention otherwise. Wine finds no mention.
- Bradford states in terms: "Neither ever had they any supply of foode from
- them [the Adventurers] but what they first brought with them;" and again,
- "They never had any supply of vitales more afterwards (but what the Lord
- gave them otherwise), for all ye company [the Adventurers] sent at any
- time was allways too short for those people yt came with it."
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-The clothing supplies of the Pilgrims included hats, caps, shirts,
-neck-cloths, jerkins, doublets, waistcoats, breeches (stuff and leather),
-"hosen," stockings, shoes, boots, belts (girdles), cloth, piece-goods
-(dress-stuff's), "haberdasherie," etc., etc., all of which, with minor
-items for men's and women's use, find mention in their early narratives,
-accounts, and correspondence. By the will of Mr. Mullens it appears that
-he had twenty-one dozen of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots on board,
-doubtless intended as medium of exchange or barter. By the terms of the.
-contract with the colonists, the Merchant Adventurers were to supply all
-their actual necessities of Clothing food, clothing, etc., for the full
-term of seven years, during which the labors of the "planters" were to be
-for the joint account. Whether under this agreement they were bound to
-fully "outfit" the colonists before they embarked (and did so), as was
-done by Higginson's company coming to Salem in 1628-29 at considerable
-cost per capita, and as was done for those of the Leyden people who came
-over in 1629 with Pierce in the MAY-FLOWER and the TALBOT to Salem, and
-again in 1630 with the same Master (Pierce) in the LION by the Plymouth
-successors to the Adventurers (without recompense), does not clearly
-appear. No mention is found of any "outfitting" of the MAY-FLOWER
-passengers except the London apprentices. There is no doubt that a
-considerable supply of all the above-named articles was necessarily sent
-by the Adventurers on the MAY-FLOWER, both for the Pilgrims' needs on the
-voyage and in the new colony, as also for trading purposes. There seems
-to have been at all times a supreme anxiety, on the part of both Pilgrim
-and Puritan settlers, to get English clothes upon their red brethren of
-the forest, whether as a means of exchange for peltry, or for decency's
-sake, is not quite clear. There was apparently a greater disparity in
-character, intelligence, and station between the leaders of Higginson's
-and Winthrop's companies and their followers than between the chief men
-of the Pilgrims and their associates. With the former were titles and
-considerable representation of wealth and position. With the passengers
-of the MAY-FLOWER a far greater equality in rank, means, intelligence,
-capacity, and character was noticeable. This was due in part, doubtless,
-to the religious beliefs and training of the Leyden contingent, and had
-prompt illustration in their Compact, in which all stood at once on an
-equal footing. There was but little of the "paternal" nature in the form
-of their government (though something at times in their punishments), and
-there was much personal dignity and independence of the individual.
-An equipment having so much of the character of a uniform&mdash;not to say
-"livery"&mdash;as that furnished by Higginson's company to its people
-suggests the "hedger and ditcher" type of colonists (of whom there were
-very few among the Plymouth settlers), rather than the scholar,
-publisher, tradesman, physician, hatter, smith, carpenter, "lay reader,"
-and soldier of the Pilgrims, and would certainly have been obnoxious to
-their finer sense of personal dignity and proportion. Doubtless an
-equivalent provision existed&mdash;though in less "all-of-a-pattern"
-character&mdash;in the bales and boxes of the MAY-FLOWER'S cargo for every
-need suggested by the list of the Higginson "outfit," which is given
-herewith, both as matter of interest and as affording an excellent idea
-of the accepted style and needs in dress of a New England settler (at
-least of the men) of 1620-30. One cannot fail to wonder at the
-noticeably infrequent mention of provision in apparel, etc., for the
-women and children. The inventory of the "Apparell for 100 men" furnished
-by Higginson's company in 1628-29 gives us, among others, the following
-items of clothing for each emigrant:&mdash;
-4 "peares of shoes."
-4 "peares of stockings."
-1 "peare Norwich gaiters."
-4 "shirts."
-2 "suits dublet and hose of leather lyn'd with oyld skyn leather, ye hose
- &amp; dublett with hooks &amp; eyes."
-1 "sute of Norden dussens or hampshire kersies lynd the hose with skins,
-dublets with lynen of gilford or gedlyman kerseys."
-4 bands.
-2 handkerchiefs.
-1 "wastecoat of greene cotton bound about with red tape."
-1 leather girdle.
-1 "Monmouth cap."
-1 "black hatt lyned in the brows with lether."
-5 "Red knitt capps milf'd about 5d apiece."
-2 "peares of gloves."
-1 "Mandiliion lynd with cotton" [mantle or greatcoat].
-1 "peare of breeches and waistcoat."
-1 "leather sute of Dublett &amp; breeches of oyled leather."
-1 "peare of leather breeches and drawers to weare with both there other
-sutes."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-In 1628 Josselyn put the average cost of clothing to emigrants to New
-England at L4 each. In 1629 good shoes cost the "Bay" colonists 2s/7d
-per pair. In his "Two Voyages to New England" previously referred to,
-Josselyn gives an estimate (made about 1628) of the "outfit" in clothing
-needed by a New England settler of his time. He names as "Apparel for
-one man&mdash;and after this rate for more:&mdash;"
- One Hatt
- One Monmouth Cap
- Three falling bands
- Three Shirts
- One Wastcoat
- One Suite of Frize (Frieze)
- One Suite of Cloth
- One Suite of Canvas
- Three Pairs of Irish Stockings
- Four Pairs of Shoes
- One Pair of Canvas Sheets
- Seven ells of coarse canvas, to make a bed at sea for two men,
- to be filled with straw
- One Coarse Rug at Sea
-</pre>
- <p>
- The Furniture of the Pilgrims has naturally been matter of much interest
- to their descendants and others for many years. While it is doubtful if a
- single article now in existence can be positively identified and
- truthfully certified as having made the memorable voyage in the MAY-FLOWER
- (nearly everything having, of course, gone to decay with the wear and tear
- of more than two hundred and fifty years), this honorable origin is still
- assigned to many heirlooms, to some probably correctly. Dr. Oliver Wendell
- Holmes in his delightful lines, "On Lending a Punch Bowl," humorously
- claims for his convivial silver vessel a place with the Pilgrims:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- "Along with all the furniture, to fill their new abodes,
- To judge by what is still on hand, at least a hundred loads."
-</pre>
- <p>
- To a very few time-worn and venerated relics&mdash;such as Brewster's
- chair and one or more books, Myles Standish's Plymouth sword, the
- Peregrine White cradle, Winslow's pewter, and one or two of Bradford's
- books&mdash;a strong probability attaches that they were in veritate, as
- traditionally avowed, part of the MAY-FLOWER'S freight, but of even these
- the fact cannot be proven beyond the possibility of a doubt.
- </p>
- <p>
- From its pattern and workmanship, which are of a period antedating the
- "departure from Delfshaven," and the ancient tradition which is traceable
- to Brewster's time, it appears altogether probable that what is known as
- "Elder Brewster's chair" came with him on the ship. There is even greater
- probability as to one of his books bearing his autograph.
- </p>
- <p>
- The sword of Myles Standish, in possession of the Pilgrim Society, may
- claim, with equal probability, MAY-FLOWER relation, from its evident
- antiquity and the facts that, as a soldier, his trusty blade doubtless
- stayed with him, and that it is directly traceable in his descendants'
- hands, back to his time; but an equally positive claim is made for similar
- honors for another sword said to have also belonged to the Captain, now in
- the keeping of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Peregrine White cradle "is strongly indorsed as of the MAY-FLOWER,
- from the facts that it is, indubitably, of a very early Dutch pattern and
- manufacture; that Mrs. White was anticipating the early need of a cradle
- when leaving Holland; and that the descent of this one as an heirloom in
- her (second) family is so fairly traced."
- </p>
- <p>
- The pewter and the silver flask of Winslow not only bear very early
- "Hallmarks," but also the arms of his family, which it is not likely he
- would have had engraved on what he may have bought after notably becoming
- the defender of the simplicity and democracy of the "Pilgrim Republic."
- Long traceable use in his family strengthens belief in the supposition
- that these articles came with the Pilgrims, and were then very probably
- heirlooms. One of Governor Bradford's books (Pastor John Robinson's
- "Justification of Separation"), published in 1610, and containing the
- Governor's autograph, bears almost 'prima facie' evidence of having come
- with him in the MAY-FLOWER, but of course might, like the above-named
- relics, have come in some later ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- In this connection it is of interest to note what freight the MAY-FLOWER
- carried for the intellectual needs of the Pilgrims. Of Bibles, as the
- "book of books," we may be sure&mdash;even without the evidence of the
- inventories of the early dead&mdash;there was no lack, and there is reason
- to believe that they existed in several tongues, viz. in English, Dutch,
- and possibly French (the Walloon contribution from the Huguenots), while
- there is little doubt that, alike as publishers and as "students of the
- Word," Brewster, Bradford, and Winslow, at least, were possessed of, and
- more or less familiar with, both the Latin and Greek Testaments. It is
- altogether probable, however, that Governor Bradford's well attested study
- of "the oracles of God in the original" Hebrew, and his possession of the
- essential Hebrew Bible, grammar, and lexicon, were of a later day. Some
- few copies of the earliest hymnals ("psalme-bookes")&mdash;then very
- limited in number&mdash;there is evidence that the Holland voyagers had
- with them in the singing of their parting hymns at Leyden and Delfshaven,
- as mentioned by Winslow and in the earlier inventories: These metrical
- versions of the Psalms constituted at the time, practically, the only
- hymnology permitted in the worship of the "Separatists," though the grand
- hymn of Luther, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott," doubtless familiar to
- them, must have commended itself as especially comforting and apposite.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the doctrinal tracts of their beloved Pastor, John Robinson, there is
- every probability, as well as some proof, that there was good supply, as
- well as those of Ainsworth and Clyfton and of the works of William Ames,
- the renowned Franeker Professor, the controversial opponent but sincere
- friend of Robinson: the founder of evangelical "systematic theology,"
- [method&mdash;Methodist? D.W.] whom death alone prevented from becoming
- the President of Harvard College. We may be equally sure that the few
- cases of books in the freight of the Pilgrim ship included copies of the
- publications of the "hidden and hunted press" of Brewster and Brewer, and
- some at least of the issues of their fellows in tribulation at Amsterdam
- and in Scotland and England. Some few heavy tomes and early classics in
- English, Dutch, Latin, and Greek were also presumably among the goodly
- number of books brought in the MAY FLOWER by Brewster, Bradford, Winslow,
- Fuller, Hopkins, Allerton, Standish, and others, though it is probable
- that the larger part of the very considerable library of four hundred
- volumes, left at his death by Brewster (including sixty-two in Latin), and
- of the respectable libraries of Fuller, Standish, and others, named in
- their respective inventories, either were brought over in the later ships,
- or were the products of the earliest printers of New England. One is
- surprised and amused that the library of the good Dr. Fuller should
- contain so relatively small a proportion of medical works (although the
- number in print prior to his death in 1633 was not great), while rich in
- religious works pertinent to his functions as deacon. It is equally
- interesting to note that the inventory of the soldier Standish should name
- only one book on military science, "Bariffe's Artillery," though it
- includes abundant evidence to controvert, beyond reasonable doubt, the
- suggestion which has been made, that he was of the Romanist faith. Just
- which of the books left by the worthies named, and others whose
- inventories we possess, came with them in the Pilgrim ship, cannot be
- certainly determined, though, as before noted, some still in existence
- bear intrinsic testimony that they were of the number. There is evidence
- that Allerton made gift of a book to Giles Heale of the MAY-FLOWER
- (perhaps the ship's surgeon), while the ship lay at Plymouth, and Francis
- Cooke's inventory includes "1 great Bible and 4 olde bookes," which as
- they were "olde," and he was clearly not a book-buyer, very probably came
- with him in the ship. In fact, hardly an adult of the Leyden colonists,
- the inventory of whose estate at death we possess, but left one or more
- books which may have been his companions on the voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- Some of the early forms of British and Dutch calendars, "annuals," and
- agricultural "hand-books," it is certain were brought over by several
- families, and were doubtless much consulted and well-thumbed "guides,
- counsellors, and friends" in the households of their possessors. The great
- preponderance of reading matter brought by the little colony was, however,
- unquestionably of the religious controversial order, which had been so
- much a part of their lives, and its sum total was considerable. There are
- intimations, in the inventories of the Fathers, of a few works of
- historical cast, but of these not many had yet been printed. "Caesar's
- Commentaries," a "History of the World," and a "History of Turkey" on
- Standish's shelves, with the two Dictionaries and "Peter Martyr on Rome"
- on Dr. Fuller's, were as likely to have come in the first ship, and to
- have afforded as much satisfaction to the hungry readers of the little
- community as any of the books we find named in the lists of their little
- stock. It is pathetic to note, in these days of utmost prodigality in
- juvenile literature, that for the Pilgrim children, aside from the "Bible
- stories," some of the wonderful and mirth-provoking metrical renderings of
- the "Psalme booke," and the "horne booke," or primer (the alphabet and
- certain elementary contributions in verse or prose, placed between thin
- covers of transparent horn for protection), there was almost absolutely
- nothing in the meagre book-freight of the Pilgrim ark. "Milk for Babes,"
- whether as physical or mental pabulum, was in poor supply aboard the
- MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- The most that can be claimed with confidence, for particular objects of
- alleged MAY-FLOWER relation, is that there is logical and moral certainty
- that there was a supply of just such things on board, because they were
- indispensable, and because every known circumstance and condition
- indicates their presence in the hands to which they are assigned, while
- tradition and collateral evidence confirm the inference and sometimes go
- very far to establish their alleged identity, and their presence with
- their respective owners upon the ship. A few other articles besides those
- enumerated in possession of the Pilgrim Society, and of other societies
- and individuals, present almost equally strong claims with those named, to
- be counted as "of MAY-FLOWER belonging," but in no case is the connection
- entirely beyond question. Where so competent, interested, and
- conscientious students of Pilgrim history as Hon. William T. Davis, of
- Plymouth, and the late Dr. Thomas B. Drew, so long the curator of the
- Pilgrim Society, cannot find warrant for a positive claim in behalf of any
- article as having come, beyond a doubt, "in the MAY FLOWER," others may
- well hesitate to insist upon that which, however probable and desirable,
- is not susceptible of conclusive proof.
- </p>
- <p>
- That certain articles of household furniture, whether now existent or not,
- were included in the ship's cargo, is attested by the inventories of the
- small estates of those first deceased, and, by mention or implication, in
- the narratives of Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and other contemporaries, as
- were also many utensils and articles of domestic use. There were also
- beyond question many not so mentioned, which may be safely named as having
- very certainly been comprised in the ship's lading, either because in
- themselves indispensable to the colonists, or because from the evidence in
- hand we know them to have been inseparable from the character, social
- status, daily habits, home life, or ascertained deeds of the Pilgrims.
- When it is remembered that furnishings, however simple, were speedily
- required for no less than nineteen "cottages" and their households, the
- sum total called for was not inconsiderable.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford, in Mourt's Relation (p. 68), shows that the colonists
- were divided up into "nineteen families," that "so we might build
- fewer houses." Winslow, writing to George Morton, December 11/21,
- 1621, says: "We have built seven dwelling-houses and four for the
- use of the plantation." Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 110)
- calls the houses "small cottages."]
-</pre>
- <p>
- Among the furniture for these "cottages" brought on the Pilgrim ship may
- be enumerated: chairs, table-chairs, stools and forms (benches), tables of
- several sizes and shapes (mostly small), table-boards and "cloathes,"
- trestles, beds; bedding and bed-clothing, cradles, "buffets," cupboards
- and "cabinets," chests and chests of drawers, boxes of several kinds and
- "trunks," andirons, "iron dogs," "cob-irons," fire-tongs and "slices"
- (shovels), cushions, rugs, and "blanckets," spinning wheels, hand-looms,
- etc., etc. Among household utensils were "spits," "bake-kettles," pots and
- kettles (iron, brass, and copper), frying-pans, "mortars" and pestles
- (iron, brass, and "belle-mettle"), sconces, lamps (oil "bettys"),
- candlesticks, snuffers, buckets, tubs, "runlets," pails and baskets,
- "steel yards," measures, hour-glasses and sun-dials, pewter-ware
- (platters, plates, mugs, porringers, etc.), wooden trenchers, trays,
- "noggins," "bottles," cups, and "lossets." Earthen ware, "fatten" ware
- (mugs, "jugs," and "crocks "), leather ware (bottles, "noggins," and
- cups), table-ware (salt "sellars," spoons, knives, etc), etc. All of the
- foregoing, with numerous lesser articles, have received mention in the
- early literature of the Pilgrim exodus, and were undeniably part of the
- MAY-FLOWER'S lading.
- </p>
- <p>
- The MAY-FLOWER origin claimed for the "Governor Carver chair" and the
- "Elder Brewster chair" rests wholly upon tradition, and upon the venerable
- pattern and aspect of the chairs themselves. The "Winslow chair," in
- possession of the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth (Mass.), though bearing
- evidence of having been "made in Cheapside, London, in 1614," is not
- positively known to have been brought on the MAY-FLOWER. Thacher's
- "History of Plymouth" (p. 144.) states that "a sitting-chair, said to have
- been screwed to the floor of the MAY-FLOWER'S cabin for the convenience of
- a lady, is known to have been in the possession of Penelope Winslow (who
- married James Warren), and is now in possession of Hannah White." There
- are certain venerable chairs alleged, with some show of probability, to
- have been the property of Captain Standish, now owned in Bridgewater, but
- there is no record attached to them, and they are not surely assignable to
- either ship or owner. That some few tables &mdash;mostly small&mdash;were
- brought in the MAY-FLOWER, there is some evidence, but the indications are
- that what were known as "table-boards"&mdash;long and narrow boards
- covered with what were called "board-cloths"&mdash;very largely took the
- place of tables. The walnut-top table, said to have once been Governor
- Winslow's and now in possession of the Pilgrim Society, is not known to
- have come over with him, and probably did not. It was very likely bought
- for the use of the Council when he was governor. The "table-boards"
- mentioned were laid on "trestles" (cross-legged and folding supports of
- proper height), which had the great merit that they could be placed in any
- convenient spot and as easily folded up, and with the board put away,
- leaving the space which a table would have permanently occupied free for
- other use.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford mentions that when the fire of Sunday, January 14., 1621,
- occurred in the "common house," the "house was as full of beds as they
- could lie one by another." There is a doubt, however, whether this
- indicates bedsteads or (probably) "pallets" only. Beds, bedding of all
- sorts, pillow-"beers," pillow-cases and even "mattrises," are of most
- frequent mention in the earliest wills and inventories. (See Appendix.)
- "Buffets," "cupboards," and "cabinets," all find mention in the earliest
- writers and inventories, and one or two specimens, for which a MAY-FLOWER
- history is claimed, are in possession of the Pilgrim Society and others.
- The "White" cabinet, of putative MAY-FLOWER connection, owned by the
- Pilgrim Society, is a fine example of its class, and both its "ear marks"
- and its known history support the probable truth of the claim made for it.
- Of "chests" and "chests-of-drawers" there were doubtless goodly numbers in
- the ship, but with the exception of a few chests (or the fragments of
- them), for which a MAY-FLOWER passage is vaunted, little is known of them.
- The chest claimed to be that of Elder Brewster, owned by the Connecticut
- Historical Society, was not improb ably his, but that it had any
- MAY-FLOWER relation is not shown. A fragment of a chest claimed to have
- been "brought by Edward Winslow in the MAY-FLOWER" is owned by the Pilgrim
- Society, and bears considerable evidence of the probable validity of such
- claim, but proof positive is lacking. Boxes of several kinds and sizes
- were part of the Pilgrims' chattels on their ship, some of them taking the
- place of the travellers' "trunks" of to-day, though "trunks" were then
- known by that name and find early mention in Pilgrim inventories, and
- there were no doubt some upon the Pilgrim ship. A few claiming such
- distinction are exhibited, but without attested records of their origin.
- </p>
- <p>
- "Andirons, fire-dogs, and cob-irons" (the latter to rest roasting spits
- upon) were enumerated among the effects of those early deceased among the
- Pilgrims, rendering it well-certain that they must have been part of their
- belongings on the MAY-FLOWER. Fire-tongs and "slices" [shovels] are also
- frequently mentioned in early Pilgrim inventories, placing them in the
- same category with the "andirons and fire-dogs."
- </p>
- <p>
- In "Mourt's Relation," in the accounts given of the state reception of
- Massasoit, "a green rug and three or four cushions" are shown to have
- performed their parts in the official ceremonies, and were, of course,
- necessarily brought in the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- Spinning-wheels and hand-looms were such absolute necessities, and were so
- familiar and omnipresent features of the lives and labors of the Pilgrim
- housewives and their Dutch neighbors of Leyden, that we should be certain
- that they came with the Pilgrims, even if they did not find mention in the
- earliest Pilgrim inventories. Many ancient ones are exhibited in the "Old
- Colony," but it is not known that it is claimed for any of them that they
- came in the first ship. It is probable that some of the "cheese fatts" and
- churns so often named in early inventories came in the ship, though at
- first there was, in the absence of milch kine, no such use for them as
- there had been in both England and Holland, and soon was in New England.
- </p>
- <p>
- Among cooking utensils the roasting "spit" was, in one form or another,
- among the earliest devices for cooking flesh, and as such was an essential
- of every household. Those brought by the Plymouth settlers were probably,
- as indicated by the oldest specimens that remain to us, of a pretty
- primitive type. The ancient "bake-kettle" (sometimes called "pan"), made
- to bury in the ashes and thus to heat above and below, has never been
- superseded where resort must be had to the open fire for cooking, and
- (practically unchanged) is in use to-day at many a sheep-herder's and
- cowboy's camp fire of the Far West. We may be sure that it was in every
- MAY-FLOWER family, and occasional ancient specimens are yet to be found in
- "Old Colony" garrets. Pots and kettles of all sorts find more frequent
- mention in the early inventories than anything else, except muskets and
- swords, and were probably more numerous upon the ship than any other
- cooking utensil. A few claimed to be from the Pilgrim ship are exhibited,
- chief of which is a large iron pot, said to have been "brought by Myles
- Standish in the MAY-FLOWER," now owned by the Pilgrim Society.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hardly an early Pilgrim inventory but includes "a mortar and pestle,"
- sometimes of iron, sometimes of "brass" or "belle-mettle" (bell metal).
- They were of course, in the absence of mills, and for some purposes for
- which small hand mills were not adapted, prime necessities, and every
- house hold had one. A very fine one of brass (with an iron pestle), nine
- and a half inches across its bell-shaped top,&mdash;exhibited by the
- Pilgrim Society, and said to have been "brought in the MAY-FLOWER by
- Edward Winslow,"&mdash;seems to the author as likely to have been so as
- almost any article for which that distinction is claimed.
- </p>
- <p>
- The lighting facilities of the Pilgrims were fewer and cruder than those
- for cooking. They possessed the lamp of the ancient Romans, Greeks, and
- Hebrews, with but few improvements,&mdash;a more or less fanciful vessel
- for oil, with a protuberant nose for a wick, and a loose-twisted cotton
- wick. Hand-lamps of this general form and of various devices, called
- "betty-lamps," were commonly used, with candlesticks of various metals,
- &mdash;iron, brass, silver, and copper,&mdash;though but few of any other
- ware. For wall-lighting two or more candle sockets were brought together
- in "sconces," which were more or less elaborate in design and finish. One
- of the early writers (Higginson) mentions the abundance of oil (from fish)
- available for lamps, but all tallow and suet used by the early colonists
- was, for some years (till cattle became plentiful), necessarily imported.
- Some of the "candle-snuffers" of the "first comers" doubtless still
- remain. We may be sure every family had its candles, "betty-lamps,"
- candlesticks, and "snuffers." "Lanthorns" were of the primitive,
- perforated tin variety&mdash;only "serving to make darkness visible" now
- found in a few old attics in Pilgrim towns, and on the "bull-carts" of the
- peons of Porto Rico, by night. Fire, for any purpose, was chiefly procured
- by the use of flint, steel, and tinder, of which many very early specimens
- exist. Buckets, tubs, and pails were, beyond question, numerous aboard the
- ship, and were among the most essential and highly valued of Pilgrim
- utensils. Most, if not all of them, we may confidently assert, were
- brought into requisition on that Monday "wash-day" at Cape Cod, the first
- week-day after their arrival, when the women went ashore to do their
- long-neglected laundrying, in the comparatively fresh water of the beach
- pond at Cape Cod harbor. They are frequently named in the earliest
- inventories. Bradford also mentions the filling of a "runlet" with water
- at the Cape. The "steel-yards" and "measures" were the only determiners of
- weight and quantity&mdash;as the hour-glass and sun dial were of time&mdash;possessed
- at first (so far as appears) by the passengers of the Pilgrim ship, though
- it is barely possible that a Dutch clock or two may have been among the
- possessions of the wealthiest. Clocks and watches were not yet in common
- use (though the former were known in England from 1540), and except that
- in "Mourt's Relation" and Bradford's "Historie" mention is made of the
- time of day as such "o'clock" (indicating some degree of familiarity with
- clocks), no mention is made of their possession at the first. Certain of
- the leaders were apparently acquainted at Leyden with the astronomer
- Galileo, co-resident with them there, and through this acquaintance some
- of the wealthier and more scholarly may have come to know, and even to
- own, one of the earliest Dutch clocks made with the pendulum invented by
- Galileo, though hardly probable as early as 1620. Pocket watches were yet
- practically unknown.
- </p>
- <p>
- Except for a few pieces of silver owned by the wealthiest of their number,
- pewter was the most elegant and expensive of the Pilgrims' table-ware. A
- pewter platter said to have been "brought over in the MAY-FLOWER" is now
- owned by the Pilgrim Society, which also exhibits smaller pewter formerly
- Edward Winslow's, and bearing his "arms," for which, as previously noted,
- a like claim is made. Platters, dishes, "potts," ladles, bottles,
- "flaggons," "skelletts," cups, porringers, "basons," spoons, candlesticks,
- and salt "sellars," were among the many pewter utensils unmistakably
- brought on the good ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- The wooden-ware of the colonists, brought with them, was considerable and
- various. The Dutch were long famous for its fabrication. There was but
- very little china, glass, or pottery of any kind in common use in western
- Europe in 1620; some kinds were not yet made, and pewter, wood, and
- leather largely filled their places. Wooden trenchers (taking the place of
- plates), trays, "noggins" (jug or pitcher-like cups), cups, and "lossets"
- (flat dishes like the bread-plates of to day), were of course part of
- every housewife's providings. Some few of Pilgrim origin possibly still
- exist. As neither coffee, tea, nor china had come into use, the cups and
- saucers which another century brought in&mdash;to delight their owners in
- that day and the ceramic hunter in this&mdash;were not among the
- "breakables" of the "good-wife" of the MAY-FLOWER. The "table-plenishings"
- had not much variety, but in the aggregate the (first) "nineteen families"
- must have required quite a quantity of spoons, knives, salt "sellars,"
- etc. Forks there were none, and of the accessories of to-day (except
- napkins), very few. Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the
- knife. Josselyn' gives a list of "Implements for a family of six persons"
- going to New England.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Kitchen utensils:&mdash;
- "1 Iron Pot.
- 1 Great Copper Kettle.
- 1 Small Kettle.
- 1 Lesser Kettle.
- 1 Large Frying pan.
- 1 Brass Mortar.
- 1 Spit.
- 1 Gridiron.
- 2 Skillets.
- Platters, dishes, and spoons of wood.
- A pair of Bellows.
- A Skoope, etc."
-</pre>
- <p>
- Among the implements of husbandry, etc., and mechanics' tools we find
- evidence of hoes, spades, shovels, scythes, "sikles," mattocks,
- bill-hooks, garden-rakes, hay-forks ("pitch-forks"), besides seed-grain
- and garden seeds. Axes, saws, hammers, "adzs," augers, chisels, gouges,
- squares, hatchets, an "iron jack-scrue," "holdfasts" (vises), blacksmiths'
- tools, coopers' tools, iron and steel in bar, anvils, chains, etc.,
- "staples and locks," rope, lime (for mortar), nails, etc., are also known
- to have been in the ship. Francis Eaton, the carpenter, seems to have had
- a very respectable "kit," and Fletcher, the smith, was evidently fairly
- "outfitted."
- </p>
- <p>
- The implements of husbandry were of the lighter (?) sort; no ploughs,
- harrows, carts, harness, stone-drags, or other farming tools requiring the
- strength of beasts for their use, were included. In nothing could they
- have experienced so sharp a contrast as in the absence of horses, cattle,
- and sheep in their husbandry, and especially of milch kine. Bradford and
- Window both mention hoes, spades, mattocks, and sickles, while shovels,
- scythes, bill-hooks (brush-scythes, the terrible weapons of the English
- peasantry in their great "Mon mouth" and earlier uprisings), pitchforks,
- etc., find very early mention in inventories and colonial records.
- Josselyn, in his "Two Voyages to New England," gives, in 1628, the
- following very pertinent list of "Tools for a Family of six persons, and
- so after this rate for more,&mdash;intending for New England." This may be
- taken as fairly approximating the possessions of the average MAY-FLOWER
- planter, though probably somewhat exceeding individual supplies. Eight
- years of the Pilgrims' experience had taught those who came after them
- very much that was of service.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- 5 Broad Howes [hoes].
- 6 Chisels.
- 5 Narrow Howes [hoes].
- 3 Gimblets.
- 5 Felling Axes.
- 2 hatchets.
- 2 steel hand saws.
- 2 frones (?) to cleave pail! (Probably knives for cleaving pail stock.)
- 2 hand saws.
- 2 hand-bills.
- 1 whip saw, set and files with box.
- Nails of all sorts.
- 2 Pick-axes.
- A file and rest.
- 3 Locks and 3 paire fetters.
- 2 Hammers.
- 2 Currie Combs.
- 3 Shovels.
- Brands for beasts.
- 2 Spades.
- A hand vice.
- 2 Augers.
- A pitchfork, etc.
- 2 Broad Axes.
-</pre>
- <p>
- Unhappily we know little from contemporaneous authority as to what grain
- and other seeds the Pilgrims brought with them for planting. We may be
- sure, however, that rye, barley, oats, wheat, pease, and beans were the
- bulkiest of this part of their freight, though Bradford mentions the
- planting of "garden seeds" their first spring.
- </p>
- <p>
- While we know from the earliest Pilgrim chronicles that their mechanics'
- implements embraced axes, saws, hammers, "adzs," augers, hatchets, an
- "iron jack-scrue," "staples and locks," etc., we know there must have been
- many other tools not mentioned by them, brought over with the settlers.
- The "great iron-scrue," as Bradford calls it in his original MS., played,
- as all know, a most important part on the voyage, in forcing the "cracked
- and bowed" deck-beam of the ship into place. Governor Bradford tells us
- that "it was brought on board by one of the Leyden passengers," and one
- may hazard the guess that it was by either Moses Fletcher, the smith, or
- Francis Eaton, the "carpenter." "Staples" and "locks" found their place
- and mention, as well as the "chains," "manacles," and "leg-irons" named in
- the list of accoutrements for offence or defence, when it became necessary
- to chain up the Indian spy of the Neponsets (as narrated by Winslow in his
- "Good Newes from New England") and other evil-doers. The planters seem to
- have made stiff "mortar," which premises the use of lime and indicates a
- supply.
- </p>
- <p>
- Among the fishing and fowling implements of the MAY FLOWER colonists are
- recorded, nets, "seynes," twine, fish hooks, muskets (for large game),
- "fowling pieces," powder, "goose-shot," "hail-shot," etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- Such early mention is found of the nets, "seynes," etc., of their fishing
- equipment, as to leave no room for doubt that store of them was brought in
- the ship. They seem to have been unfortunate in the size of their
- fish-hooks, which are spoken of as "too large" even for cod. They must, as
- Goodwin remarks, "have been very large." Window also says, "We wanted fit
- and strong seines and other netting."
- </p>
- <p>
- They seem to have relied upon their muskets to some extent for wild fowl
- (as witness Winslow's long and successful shot at a duck, on his visit to
- Massasoit), as they undoubtedly did for deer, etc. They were apparently
- fairly well supplied with them, of either the "matchlock" or "snaphance"
- (flintlock) pattern, though the planters complained to the Merchant
- Adventurers (in their letter of August 3, from Southampton), that they
- were "wanting many muskets," etc. That they had some "fowling-pieces" is
- shown by the fact that young Billington seems (according to Bradford) to
- have "shot one off in his father's cabin" aboard ship in Cape Cod harbor,
- and there are several other coeval mentions of them.
- </p>
- <p>
- The arms and accoutrements (besides ordnance) of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims,
- known on the authority of Bradford and Winslow to have been brought by
- them, included muskets ("matchlocks"), "snaphances" (flintlocks), armor
- ("corslets," "cuirasses," "helmets," "bandoliers," etc.), swords,
- "curtlaxes" (cutlasses), "daggers," powder, "mould-shot," "match"
- (slow-match for guns), "flints," belts, "knapsacks," "drum," "trumpet,"
- "manacles," "leg-irons," etc., etc. "Pistols" (brass) appear in early
- inventories, but their absence in the early hand-to-hand encounter at
- Wessagussett indicates that none were then available, or that they were
- not trusted. It is evident from the statement of Bradford that every one
- of the sixteen men who went out (under command of Standish) on the "first
- exploration" at Cape Cod had his "musket, sword, and corslet;" that they
- relied much on their armor, and hence, doubtless, took all possible with
- them on the ship. They probably did not long retain its use. In the letter
- written to the Adventurers from Southampton, the leaders complain of
- "wanting many muskets, much armour, &amp;c."
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn gives' the equipment he considers necessary for each man going to
- New England to settle:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-"Armor compleat:&mdash;
- One long piece [musket] five feet or five and a half long.
- One Sword.
- One bandoleer.
- One belt.
- Twenty pounds of powder.
- Sixty pounds of shot or lead, pistol and Goose-shot."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-"Another list gives an idea of 'complete armor.'"
- Corselet
- Breast [plate or piece].
- Back [ditto].
- Culet (?).
- Gorget [throat-piece].
- Tussis [thigh-pieces].
- Head-piece "[morion skull-cap]."
-</pre>
- <p>
- Bradford states that they used their "curtlaxes" (cutlasses) to dig the
- frozen ground to get at the Indians' corn, "having forgotten to bring
- spade or mattock." "Daggers" are mentioned as used in their celebrated
- duel by Dotey and Leister, servants of Stephen Hopkins. Bradford narrates
- that on one of their exploring tours on the Cape the length of guard duty
- performed at night by each "relief" was determined by the inches of
- slow-match burned ("every one standing when his turn came while five or
- six inches of match was burning"), clearly indicating that they had no
- watches with them. The "drum" and "trumpet" are both mentioned in "Mourt's
- Relation" in the account given of Massasoit's reception, the latter as
- eliciting the especial attention of his men, and their efforts at blowing
- it.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Ordnance (cannon) brought in the ship consisted (probably) of ten
- guns, certainly of six. Of these, two (2) were "sakers,"&mdash;guns ten
- feet long of 3 to 4 inches bore, weighing from fifteen to eighteen hundred
- pounds each; two (2) were "minions" (or "falcons"),&mdash;guns of 3 1/2
- inch bore, weighing twelve hundred pounds (1200 lbs.) each; and two (2)
- were "bases,"&mdash;small guns of 1 1/4 inch bore, weighing some three
- hundred pounds (300 lbs.) each. These were mounted on "the Hill" fort or
- platform. It is probable that besides these were the four smallest cannon,
- called "patereros" (or "murderers"), which, at the time of De Rasiere's
- visit to Plymouth in 1627, were mounted on a platform (in front of the
- Governor's house), at the intersection of the two streets of the town, and
- commanded its several approaches. It is not likely that they were sent for
- after 1621, because the Adventurers were never in mood to send if asked,
- while Bradford, in speaking of the first alarm by the Indians, says, "This
- caused us to plant our great ordnance in places most convenient," leaving
- a possible inference that they had smaller ordnance in reserve. With this
- ordnance was of course a proper supply of ammunition adapted to its use.
- The "sakers" are said to have carried a four-pound ball, the "minions" a
- three-pound ball, and the "bases" a ball of a pound weight. There is not
- entire agreement between authorities, in regard to the size, weight, and
- calibre of these different classes of early ordnance, or the weight of
- metal thrown by them, but the above are approximate data, gathered from
- careful comparison of the figures given by several. There is no doubt that
- with this heavy ordnance and ammunition they stowed among their ballast
- and dunnage (as was the case in Higginson's ships), their "spare chains
- and anchors, chalk, bricks, sea-coal (for blacksmithing), iron, steel,
- lead, copper, red-lead, salt," etc.; all of which they also necessarily
- had, and from their bulk, character, and weight, would stow as low in the
- ship as might be.
- </p>
- <p>
- That a considerable "stock of trading goods" was included in the
- MAY-FLOWER'S lading is mentioned by at least one writer, and that this was
- a fact is confirmed by the records of the colonists' dealings with the
- Indians, and the enumeration of not a few of the goods which could have
- had, for the most part, no other use or value. They consisted largely of
- knives, bracelets (bead and metal), rings, scissors, copper-chains, beads,
- "blue and red trading cloth," cheap (glass) jewels ("for the ears," etc.),
- small mirrors, clothing (e. g. "red-cotton horseman's coats&mdash;laced,"
- jerkins, blankets, etc.), shoes, "strong waters," pipes, tobacco, tools
- and hard ware (hatchets, nails, hoes, fish-hooks, etc.), rugs, twine,
- nets, etc., etc. A fragment of one of the heavy hoes of the ancient
- pattern&mdash;"found on the site of the Pilgrim trading house at Manomet"&mdash;is
- owned by the Pilgrim Society, and speaks volumes of the labor performed by
- the Pilgrims, before they had ploughs and draught-cattle, in the raising
- of their wonderful crops of corn. Such was the MAY-FLOWER'S burden,
- animate and inanimate, whe &mdash;the last passenger and the last piece of
- freight transferred from the SPEEDWELL&mdash;her anchor "hove short," she
- swung with the tide in Plymouth roadstead, ready to depart at last for
- "the Virginia plantations."
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER IX
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE JOURNAL OF THE SHIP MAY-FLOWER
- </h3>
- <p>
- Thomas Jones, Master, from London, England, towards "Hudson's River" in
- Virginia
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The voyage of the MAY-FLOWER began at London, as her consort's did
- at Delfshaven, and though, as incident to the tatter's brief career,
- we have been obliged to take note of some of the happenings to the
- larger ship and her company (at Southampton, etc.), out of due
- course and time, they have been recited only because of their
- insuperable relation to the consort and her company, and not as part
- of the MAY-FLOWER'S own proper record]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, July 15/25, 1620
- Gravesend. Finished lading. Got
- passengers aboard and got under way for
- Southampton. Dropped down the Thames to
- Gravesend with the tide.
-
- [Vessels leaving the port of London always, in that day, "dropped
- down with the tide," tug-boats being unknown, and sail-headway
- against the tide being difficult in the narrow river.]
-
- Masters Cushman and Martin, agents of the
- chartering&mdash;party, came aboard at London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, July 16/26
- Gravesend. Channel pilot aboard. Favoring
- wind.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, July 17/27
- In Channel. Course D.W. by W. Favoring
- wind.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, July 18/28
- In Channel. Southampton Water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, July 19/29
- Southampton Water. Arrived at Southampton
- and came to anchor.
-
- [Both ships undoubtedly lay at anchor a day or two, before hauling
- in to the quay. The MAY-FLOWER undoubtedly lay at anchor until
- after the SPEEDWELL arrived, to save expense]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, July 20/30
- Lying at Southampton off north end of "West
- Quay."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, July 21/31
- Lying at Southampton. Masters Carver,
- Cushman, and Martin, three of the agents
- here. Outfitting ship, taking in lading,
- and getting ready for sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, July 22/Aug 1
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, July 23/Aug 2
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, July 24/Aug 3
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, July 25/Aug 4
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Waiting for
- consort to arrive from Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, July 26/Aug 5
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Pinnace
- SPEEDWELL, 60 tons, Reynolds, Master, from
- Delfshaven, July 22, consort to this ship,
- arrived in harbor, having on board some 70
- passengers and lading for Virginia. She
- came to anchor off north end "West Quay."
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, July 27/Aug. 6
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, SPEEDWELL
- warped to berth at Quay near the ship, to
- transfer lading.
-
- [Some of the cargo of the SPEEDWELL is understood to have been here
- transferred to the larger ship; doubtless the cheese, "Hollands,"
- and other provisions, ordered, as noted, by Cushman]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, July 28/Aug. 7
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, Much parleying
- and discontent among the passengers.
-
- [Bradford gives an account of the bickering and recrimination at
- Southampton, when all parties had arrived. Pastor Robinson had
- rather too strenuously given instructions, which it now began to be
- seen were not altogether wise. Cushman was very much censured, and
- there was evidently some acrimony. See Cushman's Dartmouth letter
- of August 17 to Edward Southworth, Bradford's Historie, Mass. ed.
- p. 86.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, July 29/Aug. 8
- Lying at Quay, Southampton. Some of the
- passengers transferred from SPEEDWELL and
- some to her. Master Christopher Martin
- chosen by passengers their "Governour" for
- the voyage to order them by the way, see to
- the disposing of their pro visions, etc.
- Master Robert Cushman chosen "Assistant."
- The ship ready for sea this day, but
- obliged to lie here on account of leakiness
- of consort, which is forced to retrim. Ship
- has now 90 passengers and consort 30.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, July 30/Aug. 9
- Lying at Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, July 31/Aug. 10
- Lying at Southampton. Letters received for
- passengers from Holland. One from the
- Leyden Pastor [Robinson] read out to the
- company that came from that place.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 1/Aug. 11
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. SPEEDWELL
- retrimmed a second time to overcome
- leakiness.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 2/Aug. 12
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Master
- Weston, principal agent of the Merchants
- setting out the voyage, came up from Lon
- don to see the ships dispatched, but, on
- the refusal of the Planters to sign certain
- papers, took offence and returned to London
- in displeasure, bidding them "stand on
- their own legs," etc.
-
- [The two "conditions" which Weston had changed in the proposed
- agreement between the Adventurers and Planters, the Leyden leaders
- refused to agree to. Bradford, op cit. p. 61. He says: "But they
- refused to sign, and answered him that he knew right well that these
- were not according to the first Agreement." Dr. Griffis has made
- one of those little slips common to all writers&mdash;though perfectly
- conversant with the facts&mdash;in stating as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, etc. p. 158), with reference to the new
- "conditions" which some blamed Cushman for assenting to, as "more
- fit for thieves and slaves than for honest men," that, "nevertheless
- they consented to them;" while on p. 169 he says "The SPEEDWELL
- people [i.e. the Leyden leaders would not agree with the new
- conditions, without the consent of those left behind in Leyden."
-
- The fact is that the Pilgrims did not assent to the new conditions,
- unwarrantably imposed by Weston, though of small consequence in any
- view of the case, until Cushman came over to New Plymouth in the
- FORTUNE, in 1621, and by dint of his sermon on the "Sin and Danger
- of Self-Love," and his persuasion, induced them (they being also
- advised thereto by Robinson) to sign them. All business up to this
- time had been done between the Adventurers and the Pilgrims,
- apparently, without any agreement in writing. It was probably felt,
- both by Robinson and the Plymouth leaders, that it was the least
- reparation they could make Cushman for their cruel and unjust
- treatment of him, realizing at length that, through all
- vicissitudes, he had proven their just, sagacious, faithful, and
- efficient friend. There does not appear to be any conclusive
- evidence that any articles of agreement between the Adventurers and
- colonists were signed before the MAY-FLOWER Sailed.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 3/Aug. 13
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. After
- Master Weston's departure, the Planters had
- a meeting and resolved to sell some of such
- stores as they could best spare, to clear
- port charges, etc., and to write a general
- letter to the Adventurers explaining the
- case, which they did. Landed some three
- score firkins of butter, sold as
- determined.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Aug. 4/Aug. 14
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Consort
- nearly ready for sea. Heard that the
- King's warrant had issued to Sir James
- Coventry, under date of July 23, to prepare
- a Patent for the Council for the Affairs of
- New England to supersede the Plymouth
- Virginia Company, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and
- Sir Robert Rich the Earl of Warwick among
- the Patentees.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 5/Aug. 15
- Weighed anchor, as did consort, and in
- company dropped down Southampton Water.
- Took departure from Cowes, Isle of Wight,
- and laid course down the Solent to Channel.
- Winds baffling. General course S.W. by S.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 6/Aug. 16
- Head winds. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In Company. Passed Bill of
- Portland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 7/Aug. 17
- Wind contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 8/Aug. 18
- Wind still contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9/Aug. 19
- Wind ahead. Beating down Channel. Consort
- in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 10/20
- Wind fair. All sail set. SPEEDWELL in
- company. Signalled by consort, which hove
- to. Found to be leaking badly. On
- consultation of Masters and chief of
- passengers of both ships, it was concluded
- that both should put into Dartmouth, being
- nearest port. Laid course for Dartmouth
- with wind ahead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 11/21
- Wind ahead. Bearing up to Dartmouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 12/22
- Made port at Dartmouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company, and came to anchor in harbor.
-
- [Bradford, op. cit. Deane's ed. p. 68, note. Russell (Pilgrim
- Memorials, p. 15) says: "The ships put back into Dartmouth, August
- 13/23." Goodwin (op. cit. p. 55) says: "The port was reached
- about August 23." Captain John Smith strangely omits the return of
- the ships to Dartmouth, and confuses dates, as he says "But the next
- day after leaving Southampton the lesser ship sprung a leak that
- forced their return to Plymouth," etc. Smith, New England's Trials,
- 2d ed. 1622. Cushman's letter, written the 17th, says they had
- then lain there "four days," which would mean, if four full days,
- the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 13/23
- Lying at anchor with SPEEDWELL leaking
- badly in Dartmouth harbor. No passengers,
- except leaders, allowed ashore.
-
- [Cushman in his letter to Edward Southworth, written at Dartmouth,
- August 17, says that Martin, the "governour" of the passengers in
- the MAY-FLOWER, "will not suffer them the passengers to go, ashore
- lest they should run away." This probably applied especially to
- such as had become disaffected by the delays and disasters, the
- apprenticed ("bound") servants, etc. Of course no responsible
- colonist would be thus restrained for the reason alleged.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 14/24
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL at Quay taking out lading for
- thorough overhauling.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 15/25
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16/26
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL being thoroughly overhauled for
- leaks. Pronounced "as open and leaky as a
- sieve." Much dissatisfaction between the
- passengers, and discontent with the ship's
- "governour" Master Martin, between whom
- and Mr. Cushman, the "assistant," there is
- constant disagreement.
-
- [Cushman portrays the contemptible character and manner of Martin
- very sharply, and could not have wished to punish him worse for his
- meannesses than he has, by thus holding him up to the scorn of the
- world, for all time. He says, 'inter alia': "If I speak to him, he
- flies in my face and saith no complaints shall be heard or received
- but by himself, and saith: 'They are froward, and waspish,
- discontented people, and I do ill to hear them.'"]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 17/27
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- being searched and mended. Sailors offended
- at Master Martin because of meddling.
-
- [Cushman's letter, Dartmouth, August 17. He says: "The sailors also
- are so offended at his ignorant boldness in meddling and controling
- in things he knows not what belongs to, as that some threaten to
- mischief him . . . . But at best this cometh of it, that he
- makes himself a scorn and laughing stock unto them."]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Aug. 18/28
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- still repairing. Judged by workmen that
- mended her sufficient for the voyage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 19/29
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL relading.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 20/30
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 21/31
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- relading.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 22/Sept. 1
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Both
- ships ready for sea.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Deane's ed. p. 68. He says: "Some leaks were
- found and mended and now it was conceived by the workmen and all,
- that she was sufficient, and they might proceed without either fear
- or danger." Bradford shows (op. cit. p. 69) note that they must
- have left Dartmouth "about the 21st" of August. Captain John Smith
- gives that date, though somewhat confusedly. Arber (the Story of
- the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 343 says: "They actually left on 23 August."
- Goodwin (Pilgrim Republic, p. 55) says : "Ten days were spent in
- discharging and re-stowing the SPEEDWELL and repairing her from stem
- to stern," etc.)]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23/Sept. 2
- Weighed anchor, as did consort. Laid
- course W.S.W. Ships in company. Wind
- fair.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 24/Sept. 3
- Comes in with wind fair. General course
- W.S.W. Consort in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Aug. 25/Sept. 4
- Comes in with wind fair. Course W.S.W.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 26/Sept. 5
- Observations showed ship above 100 leagues
- W.S.W. of Land's End. SPEEDWELL signalled
- and hove to. Reported leaking dangerously.
- On consultation between Masters and
- carpenters of both ships, it was concluded
- to put back into Plymouth&mdash;Bore up for
- Plymouth. Consort in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 27/Sept. 6
- Ship on course for Plymouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 28/Sept. 7
- Made Plymouth harbor, and came to anchor in
- the Catwater, followed by consort.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- At anchor in roadstead. At conference of
- officers of ship and consort and the chief
- of the Planters, it was decided to send the
- SPEEDWELL back to London with some 18 or 20
- of her passengers, transferring a dozen or
- more, with part of her lading, to the
- MAY-FLOWER.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead off the
- Barbican. Transferring passengers and
- lading from consort, lying near by.
- Weather fine.
-
- [Goodwin notes (Pilgrim Republic, p. 57) that "it was fortunate for
- the overloaded MAY-FLOWER that she had fine weather while lying at
- anchor there, . . . for the port of Plymouth was then only a
- shallow, open bay, with no protection. In southwesterly gales its
- waters rose into enormous waves, with such depressions between that
- ships while anchored sometimes struck the bottom of the harbor and
- were dashed in pieces."]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 31/Sept. 10
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring cargo from SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Sept. 1/Sept. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring passengers and freight to and
- from consort. Master Cushman and family,
- Master Blossom and son, William Ring, and
- others with children, going back to London
- in SPEEDWELL. All Of SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers who are to make the voyage now
- aboard. New "governour" of ship and
- assistants chosen. Master Carver
- "governour."
-
- [We have seen that Christopher Martin was made "governour" of the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER for the voyage, and Cushman
- "assistant." It is evident from Cushman's oft-quoted letter (see
- ante) that Martin became obnoxious, before the ship reached
- Dartmouth, to both passengers and crew. It is also evident that
- when the emigrants were all gathered in the MAY-FLOWER there was a
- new choice of officers (though no record is found of it), as Cushman
- vacated his place and went back to London, and we find that, as
- noted before, on November 11 the colonists "confirmed" John Carver
- as their "governour," showing that he had been such hitherto.
- Doubtless Martin was deposed at Southampton (perhaps put into
- Cushman's vacant place, and Carver made "governour" in his stead.)]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Sept. 2/Sept. 12
- At anchor, Plymouth roadstead. Some of
- principal passengers entertained ashore by
- friends of their faith. SPEEDWELL sailed
- for London. Quarters assigned, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Sept. 3/Sept. 13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Sept. 4/Sept. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Some Of
- company ashore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Sept. 5/Sept. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Ready for
- sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Sept. 6/Sept. 16
- Weighed anchor. Wind E.N.E., a fine gale.
- Laid course W.S.W. for northern coasts of
- Virginia.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Sept. 7/Sept. 17
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Light gale
- continues. Made all sail on ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Sept. 8/Sept. 18
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale continues.
- All sails full.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Sept. 9/Sept. 19
- Comes in with wind E.N E. Gale holds.
- Ship well off the land.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Sept. 10/Sept. 20
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale holds.
- Distance lost, when ship bore up for
- Plymouth, more than regained.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Sept. 11/Sept. 21
- Same; and so without material change, the
- daily record of wind, weather, and the
- ship's general course&mdash;the repetition of
- which would be both useless and wearisome
- &mdash;continued through the month and until the
- vessel was near half the seas over. Fine
- warm weather and the "harvest-moon." The
- usual equinoctial weather deferred.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Sept. 23/Oct. 3
- One of the seamen, some time sick with a
- grievous disease, died in a desperate manner.
- The first death and burial at sea of the
- voyage.
-
- [We can readily imagine this first burial at sea on the MAY FLOWER,
- and its impressiveness. Doubtless the good Elder "committed the
- body to the deep" with fitting ceremonial, for though the young man
- was of the crew, and not of the Pilgrim company, his reverence for
- death and the last rites of Christian burial would as surely impel
- him to offer such services, as the rough, buccaneering Master (Jones
- would surely be glad to evade them).
-
- Dr. Griffis (The Pilgrims in their Three Homes, p. 176) says "The
- Puritans [does this mean Pilgrims ?] cared next to nothing about
- ceremonies over a corpse, whether at wave or grave." This will
- hardly bear examination, though Bradford's phraseology in this case
- would seem to support it, as he speaks of the body as "thrown
- overboard;" yet it is not to be supposed that it was treated quite
- so indecorously as the words would imply. It was but a few years
- after, certainly, that we find both Pilgrim and Puritan making much
- ceremony at burials. We find considerable ceremony at Carver's
- burial only a few months later. Choate, in his masterly oration at
- New York, December 22, 1863, pictures Brewster's service at the open
- grave of one of the Pilgrims in March, 1621.]
-
- A sharp change. Equinoctial weather,
- followed by stormy westerly gales;
- encountered cross winds and continued
- fierce storms. Ship shrewdly shaken and
- her upper works made very leaky. One of
- the main beams in the midships was bowed
- and cracked. Some fear that the ship could
- not be able to perform the voyage. The
- chief of the company perceiving the
- mariners to fear the sufficiency of the
- ship (as appeared by their mutterings) they
- entered into serious consultation with the
- Master and other officers of the ship, to
- consider, in time, of the danger, and
- rather to return than to cast themselves
- into a desperate and inevitable peril.
-
- There was great distraction and difference
- of opinion amongst the mariners themselves.
- Fain would they do what would be done for
- their wages' sake, being now near half the
- seas over; on the other hand, they were
- loath to hazard their lives too
- desperately. In examining of all opinions,
- the Master and others affirmed they knew
- the ship to be strong and firm under water,
- and for the buckling bending or bowing of
- the main beam, there was a great iron scrue
- the passengers brought out of Holland which
- would raise the beam into its place. The
- which being done, the carpenter and Master
- affirmed that a post put under it, set firm
- in the lower deck, and otherwise bound,
- would make it sufficient. As for the decks
- and upper works, they would caulk them as
- well as they could; and though with the
- working of the ship they would not long
- keep staunch, yet there would otherwise be
- no great danger if they did not overpress
- her with sails. So they resolved to
- proceed.
-
- In sundry of these stormes, the winds were
- so fierce and the seas so high, as the ship
- could not bear a knot of sail, but was
- forced to hull drift under bare poles for
- divers days together. A succession of
- strong westerly gales. In one of the
- heaviest storms, while lying at hull, [hove
- to D.W.] a lusty young man, one of the
- passengers, John Howland by name, coming
- upon some occasion above the gratings
- latticed covers to the hatches, was with
- the seel [roll] of the ship thrown into the
- sea, but caught hold of the topsail
- halliards, which hung overboard and ran out
- at length; yet he held his hold, though he
- was sundry fathoms under water, till he was
- hauled up by the same rope to the brim of
- the water, and then with a boathook and
- other means got into the ship again and his
- life saved. He was something ill with it.
-
- The equinoctial disturbances over and the
- strong October gales, the milder, warmer
- weather of late October followed.
-
- Mistress Elizabeth Hopkins, wife of Master
- Stephen Hopkins, of Billericay, in Essex,
- was delivered of a son, who, on account of
- the circumstances of his birth, was named
- Oceanus, the first birth aboard the ship
- during the voyage.
-
- A succession of fine days, with favoring
- winds.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 6/16
- William Butten; a youth, servant to Doctor
- Samuel Fuller, died. The first of the
- passengers to die on this voyage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 7/17
- The body of William Butten committed to the
- deep. The first burial at sea of a
- passenger, on this voyage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 8/18
- Signs of land.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 9/19
- Closing in with the land at nightfall.
- Sighted land at daybreak. The landfall
- made out to be Cape Cod the bluffs [in what
- is now the town of Truro, Mass.]. After a
- conference between the Master of the ship
- and the chief colonists, tacked about and
- stood for the southward. Wind and weather
- fair. Made our course S.S.W., continued
- proposing to go to a river ten leagues
- south of the Cape Hudson's River. After
- had sailed that course about half the day
- fell amongst dangerous shoals and foaming
- breakers [the shoals off Monomoy] got out of
- them before night and the wind being
- contrary put round again for the Bay of
- Cape Cod. Abandoned efforts to go further
- south and so announced to passengers.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 93) says: "They resolved to bear
- up again for the Cape." No one will question that Jones's assertion
- of inability to proceed, and his announced determination to return
- to Cape Cod harbor, fell upon many acquiescent ears, for, as Winslow
- says: "Winter was come; the seas were dangerous; the season was
- cold; the winds were high, and the region being well furnished for a
- plantation, we entered upon discovery." Tossed for sixty-seven days
- on the north Atlantic at that season of the year, their food and
- firing well spent, cold, homesick, and ill, the bare thought of once
- again setting foot on any land, wherever it might be, must have been
- an allurement that lent Jones potential aid in his high-handed
- course.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY Nov. 11/21
- Comes in with light, fair wind. On course
- for Cape Cod harbor, along the coast. Some
- hints of disaffection among colonists, on
- account of abandonment of location
-
- [Bradford (in Mourt's Relation) says: "This day before we come to
- harbor Italics the author's, observing some not well affected to
- unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was
- thought good there should be an Association and Agreement that we
- should combine together in one body; and to submit to such
- Government and Governors as we should, by common consent, agree to
- make and choose, and set our hands to this that follows word for
- word." Then follows the Compact. Bradford is even more explicit in
- his Historie (Mass. ed. p. 109), where he says: "I shall a little
- returne backe and begin with a combination made by them before they
- came ashore, being ye first foundation of their governments in this
- place; occasioned partly by ye discontent &amp; mutinous speeches that
- some of the strangers amongst them [i.e. not any of the Leyden
- contingent had let fall from them in ye ship&mdash;That when they came
- ashore they would use their owne libertie: for none had power to
- command them, the patents they had being for Virginia, and not for
- New-England which belonged to another Government, with which ye
- London [or First Virginia Company had nothing to doe, and partly
- that such an acte by them done . . . might be as firm as any
- patent, and in some respects more sure." Dr. Griffis is hardly
- warranted in making Bradford to say, as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, p. 182), that "there were a few people I
- 'shuffled' in upon them the company who were probably unmitigated
- scoundrels." Bradford speaks only of Billington and his family as
- those "shuffled into their company," and while he was not improbably
- one of the agitators (with Hopkins) who were the proximate causes of
- the drawing up of the Compact, he was not, in this case, the
- responsible leader. It is evident from the foregoing that the
- "appearance of faction" did not show itself until the vessel's prow
- was turned back toward Cape Cod Harbor, and it became apparent that
- the effort to locate "near Hudson's River" was to be abandoned, and
- a location found north of 41 degrees north latitude, which would
- leave them without charter rights or authority of any kind. It is
- undoubtedly history that Master Stephen Hopkins,&mdash;then "a
- lay-reader" for Chaplain Buck,&mdash;on Sir Thomas Gates's expedition to
- Virginia, had, when some of them were cast away on the Bermudas,
- advocated just such sentiments&mdash;on the same basis&mdash;as were now
- bruited upon the MAY-FLOWER, and it could hardly have been
- coincidence only that the same were repeated here. That Hopkins
- fomented the discord is well-nigh certain. It caused him, as
- elsewhere noted, to receive sentence of death for insubordination,
- at the hands of Sir Thomas Gates, in the first instance, from which
- his pardon was with much difficulty procured by his friends. In the
- present case, it led to the drafting and execution of the Pilgrim
- Compact, a framework of civil self-government whose fame will never
- die; though the author is in full accord with Dr. Young (Chronicles,
- p. 120) in thinking that "a great deal more has been discovered in
- this document than the signers contemplated,"&mdash;wonderfully
- comprehensive as it is. Professor Herbert B. Adams, of Johns
- Hopkins University, says in his admirable article in the Magazine of
- American History, November, 1882 (pp&mdash;798 799): "The fundamental
- idea of this famous document was that of a contract based upon the
- common law of England,"&mdash;certainly a stable and ancient basis of
- procedure. Their Dutch training (as Griffis points out) had also
- led naturally to such ideas of government as the Pilgrims adopted.
- It is to be feared that Griffis's inference (The Pilgrims in their
- Three Homes, p. 184), that all who signed the Compact could write,
- is unwarranted. It is more than probable that if the venerated
- paper should ever be found, it would show that several of those
- whose names are believed to have been affixed to it "made their
- 'mark.'" There is good reason, also, to believe that neither
- "sickness" (except unto death) nor "indifference" would have
- prevented the ultimate obtaining of the signatures (by "mark," if
- need be) of every one of the nine male servants who did not
- subscribe, if they were considered eligible. Severe illness was, we
- know, answerable for the absence of a few, some of whom died a few
- days later.
-
- The fact seems rather to be, as noted, that age&mdash;not social status
- was the determining factor as to all otherwise eligible. It is
- evident too, that the fact was recognized by all parties (by none so
- clearly as by Master Jones) that they were about to plant themselves
- on territory not within the jurisdiction of their steadfast friends,
- the London Virginia Company, but under control of those formerly of
- the Second (Plymouth) Virginia Company, who (by the intelligence
- they received while at Southampton) they knew would be erected into
- the "Council for the Affairs of New England." Goodwin is in error
- in saying (Pilgrim Republic, p. 62), "Neither did any other body
- exercise authority there;" for the Second Virginia Company under Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges, as noted, had been since 1606 in control of this
- region, and only a week before the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod (i.e.
- on November 3) King James had signed the patent of the Council for
- New England, giving them full authority over all territory north of
- the forty-first parallel of north latitude, as successors to the
- Second Virginia Company. If the intention to land south of the
- forty-first parallel had been persisted in, there would, of course,
- have been no occasion for the Compact, as the patent to John Pierce
- (in their interest) from the London Virginia Company would have been
- in force. The Compact became a necessity, therefore, only when they
- turned northward to make settlement above 41 deg. north latitude.
- Hence it is plain that as no opportunity for "faction"&mdash;and so no
- occasion for any "Association and Agreement"&mdash;existed till the
- MAY-FLOWER turned northward, late in the afternoon of Friday,
- November to, the Compact was not drawn and presented for signature
- until the morning of Saturday, November 11. Bradford's language,
- "This day, before we came into harbour," leaves no room for doubt
- that it was rather hurriedly drafted&mdash;and also signed&mdash;before noon
- of the 11th. That they had time on this winter Saturday&mdash;hardly
- three weeks from the shortest day in the year&mdash;to reach and
- encircle the harbor; secure anchorage; get out boats; arm, equip,
- and land two companies of men; make a considerable march into the
- land; cut firewood; and get all aboard again before dark, indicates
- that they must have made the harbor not far from noon. These facts
- serve also to correct another error of traditional Pilgrim history,
- which has been commonly current, and into which Davis falls
- (Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth, p. 60), viz. that the Compact was
- signed "in the harbor of Cape Cod." It is noticeable that the
- instrument itself simply says, "Cape Cod," not "Cape Cod harbour,"
- as later they were wont to say. The leaders clearly did not mean
- to get to port till there was a form of law and authority.]
-
- for settlement on territory under the
- protection of the patent granted in their
- interest to John Pierce, by the London
- Virginia Company.
-
- [The patent granted John Pierce, one of the Merchant Adventurers,
- by the London Virginia Company in the interest of the Pilgrims,
- was signed February 2/12, 1619, and of course could convey no rights
- to, or upon, territory not conveyed to the Company by its charter
- from the King issued in 1606, and the division of territory made
- thereunder to the Second Virginia Company. By this division the
- London Company was restricted northward by the 41st parallel, as
- noted, while the Second Company could not claim the 38th as its
- southern bound, as the charter stipulated that the nearest
- settlements under the respective companies should not be within one
- hundred miles of each other.]
-
- Meeting in main cabin of all adult male
- passengers except their two hired seamen,
- Trevore and Ely, and those too ill&mdash;to make
- and sign a mutual 'Compact"
-
- [The Compact is too well known to require reprinting here (see
- Appendix); but a single clause of it calls for comment in this
- connection. In it the framers recite that, "Having undertaken to
- plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia," etc.
- From this phraseology it would appear that they here used the words
- "northern parts of Virginia" understandingly, and with a new
- relation and significance, from their connection with the words "the
- first colony in," for such declaration could have no force or truth
- except as to the region north of 41 deg. north latitude. They knew,
- of course, of the colonies in Virginia under Gates, Wingfield,
- Smith, Raleigh, and others (Hopkins having been with Gates), and
- that, though there had been brief attempts at settlements in the
- "northern plantations," there were none there then, and that hence
- theirs would be in a sense "the first," especially if considered
- with reference to the new Council for New England. The region of
- the Hudson had heretofore been included in the term "northern parts
- of Virginia," although in the southern Company's limit; but a new
- meaning was now designedly given to the words as used in the
- Compact, and New England was contemplated. ]
-
- to regulate their civil government. This
- done, they confirmed Master Carver their
- "governour" in the ship on the voyage,
- their "governour" for the year. Bore up
- for the Cape, and by short tacks made the
- Cape [Paomet, now Provincetown] Harbor,
- coming to an anchorage a furlong within the
- point. The bay so circular that before
- coming to anchor the ship boxed the compass
- [i.e. went clear around all points of it].
-
- Let go anchors three quarters of an English
- mile off shore, because of shallow water,
- sixty-seven days from Plymouth (Eng.),
- eighty-one days from Dartmouth, ninety-nine
- days from Southampton, and one hundred and
- twenty from London. Got out the long-boat
- and set ashore an armed party of fifteen or
- sixteen in armor, and some to fetch wood,
- having none left, landing them on the long
- point or neck, toward the sea.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p258.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The strip of land now known as Long Point, Provincetown (Mass.)
- harbor.]
- Those going ashore were forced to wade a
- bow-shot or two in going aland. The party
- sent ashore returned at night having seen
- no person or habitation, having laded the
- boat with juniper wood.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Nov. 12/22
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. All hands
- piped to service. Weather mild.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Nov. 13/23
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor, unshipped the
- shallop and drew her on land to mend and
- repair her.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 97) says: "Having brought a large
- shallop with them out of England, stowed in quarters in ye ship they
- now gott her out and sett their carpenters to worke to trime her up:
- but being much brused and shatered in ye ship with foule weather,
- they saw she sould be longe in mending." In 'Mourt's Relation' he
- says: "Monday, the 13th of November, we unshipped our shallop and
- drew her on land to mend and repair her, having been forced to cut
- her down, in bestowing her betwixt the decks, and she was much
- opened, with the peoples lying in her, which kept us long there: for
- it was sixteen or seventeen days before the Carpenter had finished
- her." Goodwin says she was "a sloop-rigged craft of twelve or
- fifteen tons." There is an intimation of Bradford that she was
- "about thirty feet long." It is evident from Bradford's account
- (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 105) of her stormy entrance to Plymouth
- harbor that the shallop had but one mast, as he says "But herewith
- they broake their mast in 3 pieces and their saill fell overboard in
- a very grown sea."]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Many went ashore to refresh themselves, and
- the women to wash.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Nov. 14/24
- Lying at anchor. Carpenter at work on
- shallop. Arms and accoutrements being got
- ready for an exploring party inland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15/25
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Master and
- boat's crew went ashore, followed in the
- afternoon by an armed party of sixteen men
- under command of Captain Myles Standish.
- Masters William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins,
- and Edward Tilley being joined to him for
- council. The party to be gone from the
- ship a day or two. Weather mild and ground
- not frozen.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Nov. 16/26
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Exploring party
- still absent from ship. Weather continues
- open.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Nov. 17/27
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Weather open.
- Saw signal-fire on the other side of bay
- this morning, built by exploring party as
- arranged. The Master, Governor Carver, and
- many of the company ashore in afternoon,
- and met exploring party there on their
- return to ship. Hearing their signal-guns
- before they arrived at the shore, sent
- long-boat to fetch them aboard. They
- reported seeing Indians and following them
- ten miles without coming up to them the
- first afternoon out, and the next day found
- store of corn buried, and a big ship's
- kettle, which they brought to the ship with
- much corn. Also saw deer and found
- excellent water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Nov. 18/28
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Planters
- helving tools, etc. Carpenter at work on
- shallop, which takes more labor than at
- first supposed. Weather still moderate.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Nov. 19/29
- At anchor, Gape Cod harbor. Second Sunday
- in harbor. Services aboard ship. Seamen
- ashore. Change in weather. Colder.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Nov. 20/30
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter and
- others at work on shallop, getting out
- stock for a new shallop, helving tools,
- making articles needed, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Nov. 21/Dec. 1
- At anchor in harbor. Much inconvenienced
- in going ashore. Can only go and come at
- high water except by wading, from which
- many have taken coughs and colds.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22/Dec. 2
- At anchor in harbor. Weather cold and
- stormy, having changed suddenly.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Nov. 23/Dec. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and stormy.
- Work progressing on shallop.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Nov. 24/Dec. 4
- At anchor in harbor. Continues cold and
- stormy.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Nov. 25/Dec. 5
- At anchor in harbor. Weather same. Work
- on shallop pretty well finished and she can
- be used, though more remains to be done.
- Another exploration getting ready for
- Monday. Master and crew anxious to unlade
- and return for England. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Nov. 26/Dec. 6
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Third Sunday
- here. Master notified Planters that they
- must find permanent location and that he
- must and would keep sufficient supplies for
- ship's company and their return.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 96. The doubt as to how the
- ship's and the colonists' provisions were divided and held is again
- suggested here. It is difficult, however, to understand how the
- Master "must and would" retain provisions with his small force
- against the larger, if it came to an issue of strength between Jones
- and Standish.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Nov. 27/Dec. 7
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Rough weather
- and cross winds. The Planters determined
- to send out a strong exploring party, and
- invited the Master of the ship to join them
- and go as leader, which he agreed continued
- to, and offered nine of the crew and the
- long-boat, which were accepted. Of the
- colonists there were four-and-twenty,
- making the party in all four-and-thirty.
- Wind so strong that setting out from the
- ship the shallop and long-boat were obliged
- to row to the nearest shore and the men to
- wade above the knees to land. The wind
- proved so strong that the shallop was
- obliged to harbor where she landed. Mate
- in charge of ship. Blowed and snowed all
- day and at night, and froze withal.
- Mistress White delivered of a son which is
- called "Peregrine." The second child born
- on the voyage, the first in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Nov. 28/Dec. 8
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Master
- Jones and exploring party absent on shore
- with long-boat and colonists' shallop. The
- latter, which beached near ship yesterday
- in a strong wind and harbored there last
- night, got under way this morning and
- sailed up the harbor, following the course
- taken by the long-boat yesterday, the wind
- favoring. Six inches of snow fell
- yesterday and last night. Crew at work
- clearing snow from ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29/Dec. 9
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Foul
- weather threatening. Master Jones with
- sixteen men in the long-boat and shallop
- came aboard towards night (eighteen men
- remaining ashore), bringing also about ten
- bushels of Indian corn which had been found
- buried. The Master reports a long march,
- the exploration of two creeks, great
- numbers of wild fowl, the finding of much
- corn and beans,' etc.
-
- [This seems to be the first mention of beans (in early Pilgrim
- literature) as indigenous (presumably) to New England. They have
- held an important place in her dietary ever since.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Nov. 30/Dec. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Sent shallop to head
- of harbor with mattocks and spades, as
- desired by those ashore, the seamen taking
- their muskets also. The shallop came
- alongside at nightfall with the rest of the
- explorers&mdash;the tide being out&mdash;bringing a
- lot of Indian things, baskets, pottery,
- wicker-ware, etc., discovered in two graves
- and sundry Indian houses they found after
- the Master left them. They report ground
- frozen a foot deep.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 1/11
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- finishing work on shallop. Colonists
- discussing locations visited, as places for
- settlement.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 2/12
- At anchor in harbor. Much discussion among
- colonists as to settlement, the Master
- insisting on a speedy determination.
- Whales playing about the ship in
- considerable numbers. One lying within
- half a musket-shot of the ship, two of the
- Planters shot at her, but the musket of the
- one who gave fire first blew in pieces both
- stock and barrel, yet no one was hurt.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 3/13
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fourth
- Sunday here. Scarce any of those aboard
- free from vehement coughs, some very ill.
- Weather very variable.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 4/14
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- completing repairs on shallop. Much
- discussion of plans for settlement. The
- Master urging that the Planters should
- explore with their shallop at some
- distance, declining in such season to stir
- from the present anchorage till a safe
- harbor is discovered by them where they
- would be and he might go without danger.
- This day died Edward Thompson, a servant of
- Master William White, the first to die
- aboard the ship since she anchored in the
- harbor. Burying-party sent ashore after
- services to bury him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Francis Billington, a
- young son of one of the passengers, put the
- ship and all in great jeopardy, by shooting
- off a fowling-piece in his father's cabin
- between decks where there was a small
- barrel of powder open, and many people
- about the fire close by. None hurt.
- Weather cold and foul.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Very cold, bad
- weather. This day died Jasper More, a lad
- bound to Governor Carver. The second death
- in the harbor. The third exploring party
- got away from the ship in the afternoon in
- the shallop, intent on finding a harbor
- recommended by the second mate, Robert
- Coppin, who had visited it. Captain
- Standish in command, with whom were
- Governor Carver, Masters Bradford, Winslow,
- John Tilley and Edward Tilley, Warren and
- Hopkins, John Howland, Edward Dotey, and
- two of the colonists' seamen, Alderton and
- English, and of the ship's company, the
- mates Clarke and Coppin, the master-gunner
- and three sailors, eighteen in all. The
- shallop was a long time getting clear of
- the point, having to row, but at last got
- up her sails and out of the harbor. Sent
- burying-party ashore with body of little
- More boy, after services aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 7/17
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. This day
- Mistress Dorothy Bradford, wife of Master
- Bradford, who is away with the exploring
- party to the westward, fell over board and
- was drowned.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. A strong south-east
- gale with heavy rain, turning to snow and
- growing cold toward night, as it cleared.
- This day Master James Chilton died aboard
- the ship. The third passenger, and first
- head of a family; to die in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 9/19
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party sent
- ashore after services aboard, to bury
- Chilton. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The death of Chilton was the first of the head of a family, and it
- may readily be imagined that the burial was an especially affecting
- scene, especially as following so closely upon the tragic death of
- Mrs. Bradford (for whom no funeral or burial arrangements are
- mentioned?? D.W.)]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 10/20
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fifth
- Sunday in this harbor. The exploring party
- still absent. Four deaths one by drowning;
- very severe weather; the ship's narrow
- escape from being blown up; and the absence
- of so many of the principal men, have made
- it a hard, gloomy week.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 11/21
- At anchor in harbor. Clear weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 12/22
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- still absent.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p272.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13/23
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- returned to ship, where much sad
- intelligence met them (especially Master
- Bradford), as to his wife's drowning. The
- exploring party report finding a
- considerable Indian burying-place; several
- Indian houses; a fierce attack on them by
- Indians on Friday morning, but without
- harm; a severe gale on the same afternoon,
- in which their rudder-hinges broke, their
- mast was split in three pieces, their sail
- fell over board in a heavy sea, and they
- were like to have been cast away in making
- a harbor which Master Coppin thought he
- knew, but was deceived about. They landed
- on an island at the mouth of the harbor,
- which they named for Master Clarke, the
- first mate, and spent Saturday and Sunday
- there, and on Monday examined the harbor
- they found, and are agreed that it is the
- place for settlement. Much satisfaction
- with the report among the colonists.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 14/24
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. The colonists
- have determined to make settlement at the
- harbor they visited, and which is
- apparently, by Captain John Smith's chart
- of 1616, no other than the place he calls
- "Plimoth" thereon. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 15/25
- Weighed anchor to go to the place the
- exploring party discovered. Course west,
- after leaving harbor. Shallop in company.
- Coming within two leagues, the wind coming
- northwest, could not fetch the harbor, and
- was faine to put round again towards Cape
- Cod. Made old anchorage at night. The
- thirty-fifth night have lain at anchor
- here. Shallop returned with ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 16/26
- Comes in with fair wind for Plymouth.
- Weighed anchor and put to sea again and made
- harbor safely. Shallop in company. Within
- half an hour of anchoring the wind changed,
- so if letted [hindered] but a little had
- gone back to Cape Cod. A fine harbor.
- Let go anchors just within a long spur of
- beach a mile or more from shore. The end of
- the outward voyage; one hundred and two days
- from Plymouth (England to Plymouth New
- England). One hundred and fifty-five days
- from London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- THE SHIPS JOURNAL WHILE SHE LAY IN
- PLYMOUTH HARBOR
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p274a.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p274b.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p278.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 17/27
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Services on
- ship. This harbor is a bay greater than
- Cape Cod, compassed with goodly land. It is
- in fashion like a sickle or fish-hook.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 18/28
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor: The Master of
- the ship, with three or four of the sailors
- and several of the Planters, went aland and
- marched along the coast several miles.
- Made careful examination of locality. Found
- many brooks of fine water, abundant wood,
- etc. The party came aboard at night weary
- with marching.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 19/29
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. A party from
- the ship went ashore to discover, some
- going by land and some keeping to the
- shallop. A creek was found leading up
- within the land and followed up three
- English miles, a very pleasant river at
- full sea. It was given the name of "Jones
- River" in compliment to the Master of the
- ship. A bark of thirty tons may go up at
- high tide, but the shallop could scarcely
- pass at low water. All came aboard at
- night with resolution to fix, to-morrow,
- which of the several places examined they
- would settle upon.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20/30
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor, many ill. Dec.
- After service the colonists decided to go
- ashore this morning and determine upon one
- of two places which were thought most
- fitting for their habitation. So a
- considerable party went ashore and left
- twenty of their number there to make a
- rendezvous, the rest coming on board at
- night. They reported that they had chosen
- by the most voices the site first looked at
- by the largest brook, near where they
- landed on the 11th on a large rock
- [Plymouth Rock].
-
- [The "Rock" seems to have become the established landing place of
- the Pilgrims, from the time of the first visit of the third
- exploring party on December 11/21. The absurdity of the claims of
- the partisans of Mary Chilton, in the foolish contention which
- existed for many years as to whether she or John Alden was the first
- person to set foot upon the "Rock," is shown by the fact that, of
- course, no women were with the third exploring party which first
- landed there, while it is also certain that Alden was not of that
- exploring party. That Mary Chilton may have been the first woman to
- land at Cape Cod harbor is entirely possible, as it is that she or
- John Alden may have been the first person to land on the "Rock"
- after the ship arrived in Plymouth harbor. It was a vexatious
- travesty upon history (though perpetuated by parties who ought to
- have been correct) that the Association for building the Pilgrim
- Monument at Plymouth should issue a pamphlet giving a picture of the
- "Landing of the Pilgrims, December 21, 1620," in which women are
- pictured, and in which the shallop is shown with a large
- fore-and-aft mainsail, while on the same page is another picture
- entitled, "The Shallop of the MAY-FLOWER," having a large yard and
- square-sail, and a "Cuddy" (which last the MAY-FLOWER'S shallop we
- know did not have). The printed description of the picture,
- however, says: "The cut is copied from a picture by Van der Veldt,
- a Dutch painter of the seventeenth century, representing a
- shallop," etc. It is matter of regret to find that a book like
- Colonel T. W. Higginson's 'Book of American Explorers', intended
- for a text-book, and bearing the imprint of a house like Longmans,
- Green &amp; Co. should actually print a "cut" showing Mary Chilton
- landing from a boat full of men (in which she is the only woman)
- upon a rock, presumably Plymouth Rock.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 21/31
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Wet and
- stormy, so the Planters could not go ashore
- as planned, having blown hard and rained
- extremely all night. Very uncomfortable
- for the party on shore. So tempestuous
- that the shallop could not go to land as
- soon as was meet, for they had no victuals
- on land. About eleven o'clock the shallop
- went off with much ado with provision, but
- could not return, it blew so strong. Such
- foul weather forced to ride with three
- anchors ahead. This day Richard
- Britteridge, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship, the first to die in this
- harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 22/Jan. 1
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The storm
- continues, so that no one could go ashore,
- or those on land come aboard. This morning
- goodwife Allerton was delivered of a son,
- but dead-born. The third child born on
- board the ship since leaving England,&mdash;the
- first in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 23/Jan. 2
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sent body of
- Britteridge ashore for burial, the storm
- having prevented going before, and also a
- large party of colonists to fell timber,
- etc. Left a large number on shore at the
- rendezvous. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 24/Jan. 3
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Second Sunday
- here. This day died Solomon Prower, one of
- the family of Master Martin, the treasurer
- of the colonists, being the sixth death
- this month, and the second in this harbor.
- A burying-party went ashore with Prower's
- body, after services aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 25/Jan. 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Christmas
- Day, but not observed by these colonists,
- they being opposed to all saints' days,
- etc. The men on shore Sunday reported that
- they "heard a cry of some savages," as they
- thought, that day. A large party went
- ashore this morning to fell timber and
- begin building. They began to erect the
- first house about twenty feet square for
- their common use, to receive them and their
- goods. Another alarm as of Indians this
- day. All but twenty of the Planters came
- aboard at night, leaving the rest to keep
- court of guard. The colonists began to
- drink water, but at night the Master caused
- them to have some beer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 26/Jan. 5
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A violent
- storm of wind and rain. The weather so
- foul this morning that none could go
- ashore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27/Jan. 6
- At anchor in harbor. Sent working party
- ashore. All but the guard came aboard at
- night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 28/Jan. 7
- At anchor. All able went ashore this
- morning to work on a platform for ordnance
- on the hill back of the settlement,
- commanding the harbor. The Planters this
- day laid out their town-site and allotted
- ground to the several families. Many of
- the colonists ill from exposure. All but
- the guard came off to the ship at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 29/Jan. 8
- At anchor in harbor. No working-party went
- aland. The Planters fitting tools, etc.,
- for their work. The weather wet and cold.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 30/Jan. 9
- At anchor in harbor. Very stormy and cold.
- No working-party sent aland. The Planters
- fitting tools, etc. Great smokes of fires
- visible from the ship, six or seven miles
- away, probably made by Indians.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 31/Jan. 10
- At anchor in harbor. The third Sunday in
- this harbor. Sailors given leave to go
- ashore. Many colonists ill.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 1/Jan. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. This day
- Degory Priest, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship. A large party went ashore
- early to work. Much time lost between ship
- and shore, the ship drawing so much water
- as obliged to anchor a mile and a half off.
- The working-party came aboard at nightfall.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 2/Jan. 12
- At anchor in harbor. Sent burying-party
- ashore with Priest's body. Weather good.
- Working-party aland and returned to ship at
- night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3/Jan. 13
- At anchor in harbor. Working-party aland,
- returned at night. They report seeing
- great fires of the Indians. Smoke seen
- from the ship. Have seen no savages since
- arrival.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 4/Jan. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Captain
- Standish, with four or five men, went to
- look for savages, and though they found
- some of their old houses "wigwams" could
- not meet with any of them.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 5/Jan. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Working-
- party went aland early. One of the sailors
- found a live herring upon the shore, which
- the Master had to his supper. As yet have
- caught but one cod.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 6/Jan. 16
- At anchor in harbor. In judgment of
- Masters Brewster, Bradford, and others,
- Master Martin, the colonists' treasurer,
- was so hopelessly ill that Governor Carver,
- who had taken up his quarters on land, was
- sent for to come aboard to speak with him
- about his accounts. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 7/Jan. 17
- At anchor in harbor. Fourth Sunday here.
- Governor Carver came aboard to talk with
- Master Martin, who was sinking fast.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 8/Jan. 18
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A very fan
- fair day. The working-party went aland
- early. The Master sent, the shallop for
- fish. They had a great tempest at sea and
- were in some danger. They returned to the
- ship at night, with three great seals they
- had shot, and an excellent great cod.
- Master Martin died this day. He had been a
- "governour" of the passengers on the ship,
- and an "assistant," and was an Adventurer.
- One of the Master-mates took a musket, and
- went with young Francis Billington to find
- the great inland sea the latter had seen
- from the top of a tree, and found a great
- water, in two great lakes [Billington Sea,]
- also Indian houses.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 9/Jan. 19
- At anchor in harbor. Fair day. Sent
- burying-party ashore after services aboard,
- with the body of Master Martin, and he was
- buried with some ceremony on the hill near
- the landing-place. The settlers drew lots
- for their meersteads and garden-plots. The
- common-house nearly finished, wanting only
- covering.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10/Jan. 20
- At anchor in harbor. Party went aland from
- ship. Frosty.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 11/Jan. 21
- At anchor in harbor. A fair day. Party
- ashore from ship and coming off at night,
- reported Master William Bradford very ill:
- Many ill aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 12/Jan. 22
- At anchor in harbor. Began to rain at noon
- and stopped all work. Those coming aboard
- ship at night reported John Goodman and
- Peter Browne, two of the colonists,
- missing, and fears entertained that they
- may have been taken by Indians. Froze and
- snowed at night. The first snow for a
- month. An extremely cold night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 13/Jan. 23
- At anchor in harbor. The Governor sent out
- an armed party of ten or twelve to look for
- the missing men, but they returned without
- seeing or hearing anything at all of them.
- Those on shipboard much grieved, as deeming
- them lost. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 14/Jan. 24
- At anchor in harbor. About six o'clock in
- the morning, the wind being very great, the
- watch on deck spied the great new
- rendezvous on shore on fire and feared it
- fired by Indians, but the tide being out,
- men could not get ashore for three quarters
- of an hour, when they went armed. At the
- landing they heard that the lost men were
- returned, some frost-bitten, and that the
- thatch of the common-house only was burnt
- by a spark, but no other harm done the
- roof. The most loss was Governor Carver's
- and Master Bradford's, both of whom lay
- sick in bed, and narrowly missed being
- blown up with powder. The meeting was to
- have been kept ashore to-day, the greater
- number of the people now being there, but
- the fire, etc., prevented. Some of those
- sick in the common-house were fain to
- return aboard for shelter. Fifth Sunday in
- this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 15/Jan. 25
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Rained much
- all day. They on shipboard could not go
- ashore nor they on shore do any labor, but
- were all wet.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 16/Jan. 26
- At anchorage. A fine, sunshining day like
- April. Party went aland betimes. Many ill
- both on ship and on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17/Jan. 27
- At anchorage. Another fine, sunshining
- day. Working-party went aland early. Set
- on shore some of the Planters' goods.
-
- [Mourt's Relation, Dexter's ed. p. 77. Bradford states (op. cit.
- Mass. ed. p. 110) that they were hindered in getting goods ashore
- by "want of boats," as well as sickness. Mention is made only of
- the "long-boat" and shallop. It is possible there were no others,
- except the Master's skiff]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 18/Jan. 28
- At anchorage. Another fine, bright day.
- Some of the common goods [i.e. belonging
- to all] set on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 19/Jan. 29
- At anchorage. A shed was begun on shore to
- receive the goods from the ship. Rained at
- noon but cleared toward night.
-
- [Cleared toward evening (though wet at noon), and John Goodman went
- out to try his frozen feet, as is recorded, and had his encounter
- with wolves.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 20/Jan. 30
- At anchorage. Shed made ready for goods
- from ship. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 21/Jan. 31
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sixth Sunday
- in this harbor. Many ill. The Planters
- kept their meeting on land to-day for the
- first time, in the common-house.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 22/Feb. 1
- At anchorage. Fair day. Hogsheads of meal
- sent on shore from ship and put in
- storehouse.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 23/Feb. 2
- At anchorage. The general sickness
- increases, both on shipboard and on land.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24/Feb. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Fair weather. Party
- on shore from ship and returned at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 25/Feb. 4
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore and came aboard at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 26/Feb. 5
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore. The sickness increases.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 27/Feb. 6
- At anchorage. Weather fair. Good working
- weather all the week, but many sick.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 28/Feb. 7
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. Seventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Meeting kept on
- shore. Those of Planters on board who were
- able, and some of the ship's company, went
- ashore, and came off after service.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 29/Feb. 8
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Morning cold,
- with frost and sleet, but after reason ably
- fair. Both long-boat and shallop carrying
- Planters' goods on shore. Those returning
- reported that Mistress Rose Standish, wife
- of Captain Standish, died to-day.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 30/Feb. 9
- At anchorage. Cold, frosty weather, so no
- working-party went on shore from ship. The
- Master and others of the ship's company saw
- two savages that had been on the island
- near the ship [Clarke's Island]. They were
- gone so far back again before they were
- discovered that could not speak with them.
- The first natives actually seen since the
- encounter on the Cape.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31/Feb. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Still cold and
- frosty, with sleet. No party went on
- shore. Eight of the colonists have died
- this month on the ship and on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 1/Feb. 11
- At anchor in harbor. Weather better, and
- some of those on board the ship went on
- shore to work, but many ill.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 2/Feb. 12
- At anchorage. The same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 3/13
- At anchorage. Weather threatening. Fetched
- wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 4/14
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The eighth
- Sunday in this harbor, and now inexpedient
- to think of getting away, till both Planters
- and crew in better condition as to health.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, p. 92; Young, Chronicler, p. 198. Bradford
- says (op. cit. Mass. ed, pp. 120, 121): "The reason on their parts
- why she stayed so long was ye necessitie and danger that lay upon
- them, for it was well toward ye ende of December before she could
- land anything here, or they able to receive anything ashore. After
- wards, ye 14 of January the house which they had made for a general
- randevoze by casulty fell afire, and some were faine to retire
- aboard for shelter. Then the sickness begane to fall sore amongst
- them, and ye weather so bad as they could not make much sooner
- dispatch. Againe, the Governor &amp; chiefe of them seeing so many dye,
- and fall down sick dayly, thought it no wisdom to send away the
- ship, their condition considered, and the danger they stood in from
- ye Indians, till they could procure some shelter; and therefore
- thought it better to draw some more charge upon themselves &amp; friends
- ["demurrage?"] than hazard all. The Mr. and sea-men likewise;
- though before they hasted ye passengers a shore to be goone [gone],
- now many of their men being dead, and of ye ablest of them [as is
- before noted, and of ye rest many lay sick &amp; weake, ye Mr, durst not
- put to sea till he saw his men begine to recover, and ye hart of
- winter over."]]
-
- A very rainy day with the heaviest gusts of
- wind yet experienced. The ship in some
- danger of oversetting, being light and
- unballasted.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Clearing weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and clear.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Much colder.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 8/18
- At anchorage. Hard, cold weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 9/19
- At anchorage. Cold weather continues.
- Little work possible. The little house for
- the sick people on shore took fire this
- afternoon, by a spark that kindled in the
- roof. No great harm done. The Master
- going ashore, killed five geese, which he
- distributed among the sick people. He also
- found a good deer the savages had killed,
- having also cut off his horns. A wolf was
- eating him. Cannot conceive how he came
- there.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 10/20
- At anchor in harbor. Getting goods on
- shore, but sickness makes both Planters and
- crew shorthanded. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 11/21
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Ninth Sunday
- in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 12/22
- At anchorage. Getting goods on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 13/23
- At anchorage. Rainy.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14/24
- At anchorage. More sickness on ship and on
- shore than at any time, and more deaths.
- Rainy, clearing.
-
- [The sickness and mortality had rapidly increased and was now at its
- height]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 15/25
- At anchorage. Northerly wind and frost.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 16/26
- At anchorage. Northerly wind continues,
- which continues the frost. Those from
- shore reported that one of the Planters,
- being out fowling and hidden in the reeds,
- about a mile and a half from the
- settlement, saw twelve Indians marching
- toward the plantation and heard many more.
- He hurried home with all speed and gave the
- alarm, so all the people in the woods at
- work returned and armed themselves, but saw
- nothing of the Indians. Captain Standish's
- and Francis Cooke's tools also stolen by
- Indians in woods. A great fire toward
- night seen from the ship, about where the
- Indians were discovered.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 17/27
- At anchorage. All the colonists on the
- ship able to go on shore went this morning
- to attend the meeting for the establishment
- of military orders among them. They chose
- Captain Standish their captain, and gave
- him authority of command in affairs. Two
- savages appeared on the hill, a quarter of
- a mile from the plantation, while the
- Planters were consulting, and made signs
- for Planters to come to them. All armed
- and stood ready, and sent two towards them,
- Captain Standish and Master Hopkins, but
- the natives would not tarry. It was
- determined to plant the great ordnance in
- convenient places at once. Fetched wood
- and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The Feb.
- tenth Sunday in this harbor. Many sick,
- both on board the ship and on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 19/Mar. 1
- At anchorage. Got one of the great guns on
- shore with the help of some of the
- Planters.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 20/Mar. 2
- At anchorage. Getting cannon ashore and
- mounted.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21/Mar. 3
- At anchorage. The Master, with many of the
- sailors, went on shore, taking one of the
- great pieces called a minion, and with the
- Planters drew it up the hill, with another
- piece that lay on the shore, and mounted
- them and a saller and two bases&mdash;five guns
- &mdash;on the platform made for them. A hard
- day's work. The Master took on shore with
- him a very fat goose he had shot, to which
- the Planters added a fat crane, a mallard,
- and a dried neat's tongue (ox tongue), and
- Planters and crew feasted together. When
- the Master went on shore, he sent off the
- Governor to take the directions of Master
- Mullens as to his property, as he was lying
- near to death,&mdash;as also Master White.
- Master Mullens dictated his will to the
- Governor, which he noted down, and Giles
- Heale, the chirurgeon, and Christopher
- Joanes, of the crew, witnessed, they being
- left aboard to care for the sick, keep the
- ship, etc. Master Mullens and Master White
- both died this day. Two others also died.
- Got the men aboard about nightfall.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 22/Mar. 4
- At anchorage. Large burial-party went
- ashore with bodies of Masters Mullens and
- White, and joined with those on shore made
- the chief burial thus far had. The service
- on shore, the most of the people being
- there, Master Mullens being one of the
- chief subscribing Adventurers, as well as
- one of the chief men of the Planters, as
- was Master White. Their deaths much
- deplored.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 23/Mar. 5
- At anchorage. Party from the ship went on
- shore to help finish work on the ordnance.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 24/Mar. 6
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 25/Mar. 7
- At anchorage in Plymouth harbor. Eleventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Mistress Mary
- Allerton, wife of Master Isaac Allerton,
- one of the chief men of the colonists, died
- on board this day, not having mended well
- since the birth of her child, dead-born
- about two months agone.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 26/Mar. 8
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party went
- ashore to bury Mistress Allerton, services
- being held there.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 27/Mar. 9
- At anchorage. The sickness and deaths of
- the colonists on shore have steadily
- increased, and have extended to the ship,
- which has lost several of its petty
- officers, including the master gunner,
- three quarter-masters, and cook, and a
- third of the crew, many from scurvy.
-
- [There can be no doubt that both planters and ship's crew suffered
- severely from scurvy. The conditions all favored it, the sailors
- were familiar with it, and would not be likely to be mistaken in
- their recognition of it, and Dr. Fuller, their competent physician,
- would not be likely to err in his diagnosis of it. Tuberculosis was
- its very natural associate.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28/Mar. 10
- At anchorage. The last day of the month.
- The fifty-third day the ship has lain in
- this harbor, and from the present rate of
- sickness and death aboard, no present
- capacity or prospect of getting away, those
- better being yet weak. The Planters have
- lost seventeen this month, their largest
- mortality.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 1/11
- At anchorage. Blustering but milder
- weather.
-</pre>
- <p>
- FRIDAY, Mar. 2/12
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 3/13
- At anchorage. Wind south. Morning misty
- [foggy]. Towards noon warm and fine
- weather. At one o'clock it thundered. The
- first heard. It rained sadly from two
- o'clock till midnight. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 4/14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The twelfth
- Sunday in this harbor. Cooler. Clear
- weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 5/15
- At anchorage. Rough weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 6/16
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Wind full east, cold
- but fair. The Governor went this day with
- a party of five, to the great ponds,
- discovered by one of the ship's mates and
- Francis Billington. Some planting done in
- the settlement.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. Rough easterly
- weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 9/19
- At anchorage. Same. Many sick aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 10/20
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 11/21
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. The
- thirteenth Sunday the ship has lain in this
- harbor. Many of crew yet ill, including
- boatswain.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 12/22
- At anchorage. Easterly weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 13/23
- At anchorage. The sickness and mortality
- on ship and on shore continue.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 14/24
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 15/25
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 16/26
- At anchorage. A fair, warm day, towards
- noon. The Master and others went ashore to
- the general meeting. The plantation was
- startled this morning by a visit from an
- Indian who spoke some English and bade
- "Welcome." He is from Monhiggon, an island
- to the eastward some days' sail, near where
- Sir Ferdinando Gorges had a settlement. He
- was friendly, and having had much
- intercourse with Englishmen who came to
- fish in those parts, very comfortable with
- them. He saw the ship in the harbor from a
- distance and supposed her to be a fishing
- vessel. He told the Governor that the
- plantation was formerly called "Patuxet"
- [or Apaum], and that all its inhabitants
- had been carried off by a plague about four
- years ago. All the afternoon was spent in
- communication with him. The Governor
- purposed sending him aboard the ship at
- night, and he was well content to go and
- went aboard the shallop to come to the
- ship, but the wind was high and water scant
- [low], so that the shallop could not go to
- the ship. The Governor sent him to Master
- Hopkins's house and set a watch over him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 17/27
- At anchor in harbor. The Master and others
- came off to the ship. Samoset the Indian
- went away back to the Massasoits whence he
- came. A reasonably fair day. Fetched wood
- and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fourteenth Sunday the ship has lain at this
- anchorage. A fair day. The sickness
- stayed a little. Many went on shore to the
- meeting in the common-house. Samoset the
- savage came again, and brought five others
- with him.
-
- [This Sunday visit was doubtless very much to the dislike of the
- good brethren, or at least of the leaders, but policy dictated every
- possible forbearance. Their consciences drew the line at trade,
- however, and they got rid of their untimely visitors as soon as
- possible without giving offense. Massasoit's men seem to have
- shown, by leaving their peltry with them, a confidence in their new
- white neighbors that is remarkable in view of the brevity of their
- friendship.]
-
- They left their bows and arrows a quarter
- of a mile from the town, as instructed.
- The Planters gave them entertainment, but
- would not truck with them.
-
- ["Truck&mdash;to trade." All early and modern lexicographers give the
- word, which, though now obsolete, was in common use in parts of New
- England fifty years ago.]
-
- They sang and danced after their manner,
- and made semblance of amity and friendship.
- They drank tobacco and carried pounded corn
- to eat. Their faces were painted. They
- brought a few skins which they left with
- the Planters, and returned the tools which
- Captain Standish and Francis Cooke left in
- the woods. The Planters dismissed them
- with a few trifles as soon as they could,
- it being Sunday, and they promised soon to
- return and trade. Samoset would not go
- with them, feigning sick, and stayed.
- Those on shore from the ship came off to
- her at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 19/29
- At anchorage. A fair day. The Planters
- digging and sowing seeds.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 20/30
- At anchorage. A fine day. Digging and
- planting of gardens on shore. Those sick
- of the crew mending.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 21/31
- At anchorage. A fine warm day. Beginning
- to put ship in trim for return voyage.
- Bringing ballast, etc. Some, including
- the Masters-mates, went on shore, who on
- return reported that the Planters sent the
- Indian Samoset away. A general meeting of
- the Planters was held at the common-house,
- to conclude laws and orders, and to confirm
- the military orders formerly proposed, and
- twice broken off by the savages coming, as
- happened again. After the meeting had held
- an hour or so, two or three savages
- appeared on the hill over against the town,
- and made semblance of daring the Planters.
- Captain Standish and another, with their
- muskets, went over to them, with the two
- Masters-mates of the ship, who were ashore,
- also armed with muskets. The savages made
- show of defiance, but as our men drew near
- they ran away. This day the carpenter, who
- has long been ill of scurvy, fitted the
- shallop to carry all the goods and
- furniture aboard the ship, on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 22/Apr. 1
- At anchorage. A very fair, warm day.
- At work on ship getting ready for sea,
- bringing ballast aboard, etc. Another
- general meeting of the Planters which all
- able attended. They had scarce been an
- hour together when Samoset the Indian came
- again with one Squanto, the only native of
- Patuxet (where the Planters now inhabit)
- surviving, who was one of the twenty captives
- carried away from this place by Captain Hunt,
- to England. He could speak a little English.
- They brought three other Indians with them.
- They signified that their great Sagamore,
- Masasoyt, was hard by, with Quadequina his
- brother, and all their men. They could not
- well express what they would in English,
- but after an hour the king came to the top
- of the hill, over against the plantation,
- with his train of about sixty men. Squanto
- went to him and brought a message that one
- should be sent to parley with him, and Master
- Edward Winslow went, to know hisnmind, and
- signify the wish of the Governor to have
- trading and peace with him, the Governor
- sending presents to the king and his brother,
- with something to eat and drink.
-
- [Edward Winslow gives us here another proof of that rare
- self-sacrifice, that entire devotion to his work, and that splendid
- intrepidity which so signally characterized his whole career. At
- this most critical moment, the fate of the little colony trembling
- in the balance, when there was evident fear of treachery and
- surprise on the part of both the English and the savages; though the
- wife of his youth lay at the point of death (which came but two days
- later), and his heart was heavy with grief; forgetting all but the
- welfare of his little band of brethren, he goes forward alone, his
- life in his hand, to meet the great sachem surrounded by his whole
- tribe, as the calm, adroit diplomatist, upon whom all must depend;
- and as the fearless hostage, to put himself in pawn for the savage
- chief.]
-
- The king, leaving Master Winslow with
- brother, came over the brook, with some
- twenty of his men, leaving their bows and
- arrows behind them, and giving some six or
- seven of their men as hostages for Master
- Winslow. Captain Standish, with Master
- Williamson, the ship's-merchant, as
- interpreter,
-
- [It would seem from the frequent mention of the presence of some of
- the ship's company, Master Jones, the "Masters-mates," and now the
- "ship's-merchant," that the ship was daily well represented in the
- little settlement on shore. The presence of Master Williamson on
- this occasion is perhaps readily accounted for. Every other meeting
- with the Indians had been unexpected, the present one was
- anticipated, and somewhat eagerly, for upon its successful issue
- almost everything depended. By this time Standish had probably
- become aware that Tisquantum's command of English was very limited,
- and he desired all the aid the ship's interpreter could give. By
- some means, the sachem and the colonists succeeded in establishing
- on this day a very good and lasting understanding.]
-
- and a guard of half a dozen musketeers, met
- the king at the brook,
-
- [The guard was probably made thus small to leave the body of the
- colonists as strong a reserve force as possible to meet any surprise
- attack on the part of the Indians. Colonel Higginson, in his Book
- of American Explorers, gives a cut of this meeting of Massasoit and
- his pineses with Standish and his guard of honor, but it is
- defective in that the guard seems to have advanced to the hill
- ("Strawberry," or later "Watson's") to meet the sachem, instead of
- only to "the brook;" and more especially in that there are but two
- officers with the "six musketeers," where there ought to be three,
- viz. Standish, in command, Edward Window, as the envoy and hostage
- (in full armor), and "Mr. Williamson," the ship's-merchant or
- purser, as interpreter, perhaps acting as lieutenant of the guard.
- It is always matter of regret when books, especially text-books,
- written by authors of some repute, and published by reputable
- houses, fail, for want of only a little care in the study of the
- available history of events they pictorially represent, to make
- their pictures and the known facts correspond.]
-
- and they saluted each other, and the guard
- conducted the Sagamore to one of the new
- houses then building, where were placed a
- green rug and three or four cushions. Then
- came the Governor with drum and trumpet,
- and a guard of musketeers, and they drank
- to each other in some strong waters, and
- the Governor gave the king and his
- followers meat, and they made a treaty in
- King James's name, and drank tobacco
- together. His face was painted a sad red,
- and his head and face were oiled, which
- made him look greasy. All his followers
- were more or less painted. So after all
- was done, the Governor conducted him to the
- brook, and his brother came, and was also
- feasted, and then conveyed him to the
- brook, and Master Winslow returned.
- Samoset and Squanto stayed in the town and
- the Indians stayed all night in the woods
- half a mile away. The last of the
- colonists on board the ship went ashore to
- remain to-day.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 23/Apr. 2
- At anchor. A fair day. Some of the ship's
- company went on shore. Some of the Indians
- came again, and Captain Standish and Master
- Allerton went to see the king, and were
- welcomed by him. This morning the Indians
- stayed till ten or eleven of the clock, and
- the Governor, sending for the king's
- kettle, filled it with pease, and they went
- their way? Making ready for sea, getting
- ballast, wood, and water from the shore,
- etc. The Planters held a meeting and
- concluded both of military orders and some
- laws, and chose as Governor, for the coming
- year, Master John Carver, who was
- "governor" on the ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 24/April 3
- At anchorage. The ship's company busy with
- preparations for the return voyage,
- bringing ballast, wood, and water from the
- shore, etc., the ship having no lading for
- the return. This day died, on shore,
- Mistress Elizabeth Winslow, wife of Master
- Winslow. Many still sick. More on the
- ship than on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 25/April 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fifteenth Sunday in this port. Many of the
- crew dead and some still sick, but the
- sickness and mortality lessening.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 26/April 5
- At anchor. Bringing ballast from shore and
- getting ship in trim.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 27/April 6
- At anchorage. Getting ballast, overhauling
- rigging, getting wood, water, etc., from
- shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 28/April 7
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 29/April 8
- At anchorage. The Master offered to take
- back any of the colonists who wished to
- return to England, but none desired to go.
- Getting in stores and ballast.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 30/April 9
- At anchorage. Hastening all preparations
- for sailing. Getting ballast, etc. Water
- butts filled.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 31/April 10
- At anchorage. Setting up rigging, bending
- light sails, etc. Getting ballast and wood
- from the beach and island. The colonists
- have lost thirteen by death the past month,
- making in all half of their number.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, April 1/11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- sixteenth Sunday the ship has lain at
- anchor here, and to be the last, being
- nearly ready to sail. Most of the crew
- ashore on liberty. In the sixteen weeks the
- ship has lain here, half of her crew (but
- none of her officers) have died, and a few
- are still weak. Among the petty officers
- who have died have been the master gunner,
- boatswain, and three quartermasters, beside
- the cook, and more than a third of the
- sailors. A bad voyage for the owner,
- Adventurers, ship, and crew.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, April 2/12
- Still at anchor, but making last
- preparations for voyage. Ship's officers
- made farewells on shore. Governor Carver
- copied out, and Giles Heale and Chris.
- Jones witnessed, Master Mullens's will, to
- go to England.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, April 3/13
- Still at anchorage, but (near) ready to
- sail with a fair wind. Master Williamson,
- the ship's-merchant [purser], appointed by
- Master Mullens an overseer of his will,
- takes copy of same to England for probate,
- with many letters, keepsakes, etc., etc.,
- to Adventurers and friends. Very little
- lading, chiefly skins and roots. Make
- adieus to Governor Carver and company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, April 4/14
- Still at anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sails
- loosened and all ready for departure except
- Governor's letters. Last visits of shore
- people to ship. Sail with morning tide, if
- wind serves. One hundred and ten days in
- this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, April 5/15
- Got anchors, and with fair wind got
- underway at full tide. Many to bid adieu.
- Set colors and gave Planters a parting
- salute with the ensign and ordnance.
- Cleared the harbor without hindrance, and
- laid general course E.S.E. for England
- with a fine wind. Took departure from Cape
- Cod early in the day, shook off the land
- and got ship to rights before night. All
- sails set and the ship logging her best.
-</pre>
- <p>
- And so the MAY-FLOWER began her speedy, uneventful, homeward run, of but
- thirty-one days, arriving in England May 6, 1621, having been absent, on
- her "round voyage," from her sailing port, two hundred and ninety-six
- days.
- </p>
- <h3>
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE<br /> AND OF THIS<br /> JOURNAL<br />
- </h3>
- <p>
- AUTHOR'S NOTE. Of the "Log" Of the MAY-FLOWER, the author is able to
- repeat the assurance given as to the brief Journal of the SPEEDWELL, and
- is able to say, in the happy phrase of Griffis, "I have tried to state
- only recorded facts, or to give expression to well grounded inferences."
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkappendix" id="linkappendix"></a> <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- APPENDIX
- </h2>
- <p>
- In view of the natural wish of many of "restricted facilities," to consult
- for themselves the full text of certain of the principal letters and
- documents which have imparted much of the most definite and valuable
- information concerning the Pilgrim movement, it has been thought well to
- include certain of them here verbatim, that they may be of ready
- availability to the reader. The list comprises copies of&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- I. The Agreement of the Merchant Adventurers and Planters;
- </p>
- <p>
- II. The Letter of the Leyden Leaders to John Carver and Robert Cushman (at
- London), May 31/June 10, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- III. The Letter of Robert Cushman to John Carver (then at Southampton),
- Saturday, June 10/20, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- IV. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, June 10/20, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- V. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, Sunday, June 11/21,
- 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- VI. The Letter of Rev. John Robinson to John Carver at London, June 14/24,
- 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- VII. The Letter of the Planters to the Merchant Adventurers from Southamp
- ton, August 3, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- VIII. The Letter of Robert Cushman (from Dartmouth) to Edward Southworth,
- Thursday, August 17,1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- IX. The MAY-FLOWER Compact;
- </p>
- <p>
- X. The Nuncupative Will of Master William Mullens; and
- </p>
- <p>
- XI. The Letter of "One of the Chiefe of ye Companie" (The Merchant
- Adventurers), dated at London, April 9, 1623&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- Many other early original documents frequently referred to in this volume
- are of no less interest than those here given, but most of them have
- either had such publication as to be more generally known or accessible,
- or involve space and cost disproportionate to their value in this
- connection.
- </p>
- <h3>
- I<br /> THE AGREEMENT OF THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS AND PLANTERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- Anno: 1620, July 1.
- </p>
- <p>
- 1. The adventurers &amp; planters doe agree, that every person that goeth
- being aged 16. years &amp; upward, be rated at 10li., and ten pounds to be
- accounted a single share.
- </p>
- <p>
- 2. That he goeth in person, and furnisheth him selfe out with 10li. either
- in money or other provisions, be accounted as haveing 20li. in stock, and
- in ye devission shall receive a double share.
- </p>
- <p>
- 3. The persons transported &amp; ye adventurers shall continue their joynt
- stock &amp; partnership togeather, ye space of 7 years, (excepte some
- unexpected impedimente doe cause ye whole company to agree otherwise,)
- during which time, all profits &amp; benifits that are gott by trade,
- traffick, trucking, working, fishing, or any other means of any person or
- persons, remaine still in ye comone stock untill ye division.
- </p>
- <p>
- 4. That at their coming ther, they chose out such a number of fitt
- persons, as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing upon ye sea;
- imploying the rest of their severall faculties upon ye land; as building
- houses, tilling, and planting ye ground, &amp; makeing shuch comodities as
- shall be most usefull for ye collonie.
- </p>
- <p>
- 5. That at ye end of ye 7 years, ye capitall &amp; profits, viz. the
- houses, lands, goods and chatels, be equally devided betwixte ye
- adventurers, and planters; wch done, every man shall be free from other of
- them of any debt or detrimente concerning this adventure.
- </p>
- <p>
- 6. Whosoever cometh to ye colonie hereafter, or putteth any into ye stock,
- shall at the ende of ye 7. years be alowed proportionably to ye time of
- his so doing.
- </p>
- <p>
- 7. He that shall carie his wife &amp; children, or servants, shall be
- alowed for everie person now aged 16. years &amp; upward, a single share
- in ye devision, or if he provid them necessaries, a duble share, or if
- they be between 10. year old and 16., then 2. of them to be reconed for a
- person, both in trasportation and devision.
- </p>
- <p>
- 8. That such children as now goe, &amp; are under ye age of ten years,
- have noe other shar in ye devision, but 50. acers of unmanured land.
- </p>
- <p>
- 9. That such persons as die before ye 7. years be expired, their executors
- to have their parte or sharr at ye devision, proportionably to ye time of
- their life in ye collonie.
- </p>
- <p>
- 10. That all such persons as are of this collonie, are to have their
- meate, drink, apparell, and all provissions out of ye comon stock &amp;
- goods of ye said collonie.
- </p>
- <p>
- Governor Bradford adds:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- "The chief and principal differences betwene these &amp; the former
- [original] conditions, stood in those 2. points; that ye houses, &amp;
- lands improved, espetialy gardens &amp; home lotts should remaine
- undevided wholy to ye planters at ye 7. years end. 2ly, yt they should
- have had 2. days in a weeke for their owne private imploymente, for ye
- more comforte of themselves and their families, espetialy such as had
- families."
- </p>
- <p>
- [Apparently, as has been noted, neither these articles of agreement, nor
- their predecessors which received the approval of the Leyden leaders, were
- ever signed by the contracting parties, until Robert Cushman brought the
- later draft over in the FORTUNE, in 1621, and the planter body (advised
- thereto by Pastor Robinson, who had previously bitterly opposed) signed
- them. Much might be truly said on either side of this controversy&mdash;indeed
- was said at the time; but if the Pilgrims were to abandon their
- contention, whatever its merits, in a year's time, as they did, it would
- seemingly have been much better not to have begun it, for it undoubtedly
- cost them dear.]
- </p>
- <h3>
- II<br /> LETTER OF THE LEYDEN LEADERS TO JOHN CARVER AND ROBERT CUSHMAN, AT
- LONDON
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-May 31/June 10, 1620.
-
- To their loving freinds John Carver and Robart Cushman, these, &amp;c.
-
-Good bretheren, after salutations, &amp;c. We received diverse letters at ye
-coming of Mr. [Thomas] Nash &amp; our pilott, which is a great incouragmente
-unto us, and for whom we hop after times will minister occasion of
-praising God; and indeed had you not sente him, many would have been
-ready to fainte and goe backe. Partly in respecte of ye new conditions
-which have bene taken up by you, which all men are against, and partly in
-regard of our owne inabillitie to doe any one of those many waightie
-bussineses you referr to us here. For ye former wherof, wheras Robart
-Cushman desirs reasons for our dislike, promising therupon to alter ye
-same, or els saing we should thinke he hath no brains, we desire him to
-exercise them therin, refering him to our pastors former reasons, and
-them to ye censure of ye godly wise. But our desires are that you will
-not entangle your selvs and us in any such unreasonable courses as those
-are, viz. yt the marchants should have ye halfe of mens houses and lands
-at ye dividente; and that persons should be deprived of ye 2. days in a
-weeke agreed upon, yea every momente of time for their owne perticuler;
-by reason wherof we cannot conceive why any should carie servants for
-their own help and comfort; for that we can require no more of them than
-all men one of another. This we have only by relation from Mr. Nash, &amp;
-not from any writing of your owne, &amp; therfore hope you have not proceeded
-farr in so great a thing without us. But requiring you not to exseed the
-bounds of your comission, which was to proceed upon ye things or
-conditions agred upon and expressed in writing (at your going over it),
-we leave it, not without marveling, that your selfe, as you write,
-knowing how smale a thing troubleth our consultations, and how few,
-as you fear, understands the busnes aright, should trouble us with such
-matters as these are, &amp;c. Salute Mr. Weston from us, in whom we hope we
-are not deceived; we pray you make known our estate unto him, and if you
-thinke good shew him our letters, at least tell him (yt under God) we
-much relie upon him &amp; put our confidence in him; and, as your selves well
-know, that if he had not been an adventurer with us, we had not taken it
-in hand; presuming that if he had not seene means to accomplish it, he
-would not have begune it; so we hope in our extremitie he will so farr
-help us as our expectation be no way made frustrate concerning him.
-Since therfor, good brethren, we have plainly opened ye state of things
-with us in this matter, you will, &amp;c. Thus beseeching ye Allmightie, who
-is allsufficiente to raise us out of this depth of difficulties, to
-assiste us herin; raising such means by his providence and fatherly care
-for us, his pore children &amp; servants, as we may with comforte behould ye
-hand of our God for good towards us in this our bussines, which we
-undertake in his name &amp; fear, we take leave &amp; remaine
- Your perplexed, yet hopful
- bretheren,
-June 10, New Stille
-Ano: 1620. SAMUEL FULLER, EDWARD WINSLOW,
- WILLIAM BRADFORD, ISAAC ALLERTON.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- III<br /> THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (AT LONDON), TO JOHN CARVER (AT
- SOUTHAMPTON)
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.
-
- To his loving freind Mr. John Carver, these, &amp;c.
-
- Loving freind, I have received from you some letters, full of affection &amp;
- complaints, &amp; what it is you would have of me I know not; for your
- crieing out, Negligence, negligence, negligence, I marvell why so
- negligente a man was used in ye bussines: Yet know you yt all that I have
- power to doe hear, shall not be one hower behind, I warent you. You have
- reference to Mr. Weston to help us with money, more then his adventure;
- wher he protesteth but for his promise, he would not have done any thing.
- He saith we take a heady course, and is offended yt our provissions are
- made so farr of; as also that he was not made aquainted with our
- quantitie of things; and saith yt in now being in 3. places, so farr
- remote, (i.e. Leyden, London, and Southampton) we will, with going up &amp;
- downe, and wrangling &amp; expostulating, pass over ye sourer before we will
- goe. And to speake ye trueth, they is fallen already amongst us a flatt
- schisme; and we are redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde a
- vaiage. I have received from Leyden since you wente (to Southampton) 3.
- or 4. letters directed to you, though they only conscerne me. I will not
- trouble you with them. I always feared ye event of ye Amsterdamers
- (members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth's church there) striking in with us.
- I trow you must excomunicate me, or els you must goe without their
- companie, or we shall wante no quareling; but let them pass.
-
-We have reckoned, it should seeme, without our host; and, count upon a
-150. persons, ther cannot be founde above 1200li. &amp; odd moneys of all ye
-venturs you can reckone, besids some cloath, stockings, &amp; shoes, which
-are not counted; so we shall come shorte at least 3. or 400li. I would
-have had some thing shortened at first of beare (beer) &amp; other
-provissions in hope of other adventurs, &amp; now we could have, both in
-Amsterd &amp; Kente, beere inough to serve our turne, but now we cannot
-accept it without prejudice. You fear we have begune to build &amp; and
-shall not be able to make an end; indeed, our courses were never
-established by counsell, we may therfore justly fear their standing.
-Yea, then was a schisme amongst us 3. at ye first. You wrote to Mr.
-Martin, to prevente ye making of ye provissions in Kente, which he did,
-and sett downe his resolution how much he would have of every thing,
-without respecte to any counsell or exception. Surely he yt is in a
-societie &amp; yet regards not counsell, may better be a king then a
-consorte. To be short, if then be not some other dispossition setled
-unto then yet is, we yt should be partners of humilitie and peace, shall
-be examples of jangling &amp; insulting. Yet your money which you ther
-[Southampton] must have, we will get provided for you instantly. 500li.
-you say will serve; for ye rest which hear &amp; in Holand is to be used, we
-may goe scratch for it. For Mr. Crabe, of whom you write, he hath
-promised to goe with us, yet I tell you I shall not be without feare till
-I see him shipped, for he [i.e. his going] is much opposed, yet I hope
-he will not faile. Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is
-wanting, and ye Lord guid us all.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-London June 10.
-Ano: 1620.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- IV THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- (Probably written at London, Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.)
- </p>
- <p>
- Brethern, I understand by letters &amp; passagess yt have come to me, that
- ther are great discontents, &amp; dislike of my proceedings amongst you.
- Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it, as not doubting but yt
- partly by writing, and more principally by word when we shall come
- togeather, I shall satisfie any reasonable man. I have been perswaded by
- some, espetialy this bearer, to come and clear things unto you; but as
- things now stand I cannot be absente one day, excepte I should hazard all
- ye viage. Neither conceive I any great good would come of it. Take then,
- brethern, this as a step to give you contente. First, for your dislike of
- ye alteration of one clause in ye conditions, if you conceive it right,
- ther can be no blame lye on me at all. For ye articles first brought over
- by John Carver were never seene of any of ye adventurers hear, excepte Mr.
- Weston, neither did any of them like them because of that clause; nor Mr.
- Weston him selfe, after he had well considered it. But as at ye first ther
- was 500li. withdrawne by Sr. Georg Farrer and his brother upon that
- dislike, so all ye rest would have withdrawne (Mr. Weston excepted) if we
- had not altered yt clause. Now whilst we at Leyden conclude upon points,
- as we did, we reckoned without our host, which was not my faulte. Besids,
- I shewed you by a letter ye equitie of yt condition, &amp; our
- inconveniences, which might be sett against all Mr. Rob: [Robinson's]
- inconveniences, that without ye alteration of yt clause, we could neither
- have means to gett thither, nor supplie wherby to subsiste when we were
- ther. Yet notwithstanding all those reasons, which were not mine, but
- other mens wiser than my selfe, without answer to any one of them, here
- cometh over many quirimonies, and complaints against me, of lording it
- over my brethern, and making conditions fitter for theeves &amp;
- bondslaves then honest men, and that of my owne head I did what I list.
- And at last a paper of reasons, framed against yt clause in ye conditions,
- which as yey were delivered me open, so my answer is open to you all. And
- first, as they are no other but inconveniences, such as a man might frame
- 20. as great on ye other side, and yet prove nor disprove nothing by them,
- so they misse &amp; mistake both ye very ground of ye article and nature
- of ye project.
- </p>
- <p>
- For, first, it is said, that if ther had been no divission of houses &amp;
- lands, it had been better for ye poore. True, and yt showeth ye
- inequalitie of ye condition; we should more respect him yt ventureth both
- his money and his person, then him yt ventureth but his person only.
- </p>
- <p>
- 2. Consider whereaboute we are, not giveing almes, but furnishing a store
- house; no one shall be porer then another for 7. years, and if any be
- rich, none can be pore. At ye least, we must not in such bussines crie,
- Pore, pore, mercie, mercie. Charitie hath it[s] life in wraks, not in
- venturs; you are by this most in a hopefull pitie of makeing, therefore
- complaine not before you have need.
- </p>
- <p>
- 3. This will hinder ye building of good and faire houses, contrarie to ye
- advise of pollitiks. A. So we would have it; our purpose is to build for
- ye presente such houses as, if need be, we may with litle greefe set a
- fire, and rune away by the lighte; our riches shall not be in pompe, but
- in strength; if God send us riches, we will imploye them to provid more
- men, ships, munition, &amp;c. You may see it amongst the best pollitiks,
- that a comonwele is readier to ebe then to flow, when once fine houses and
- gay cloaths come up.
- </p>
- <p>
- 4. The Govet may prevente excess in building. A. But if it be on all men
- beforehand resolved on, to build mean houses, ye Govet laboure is spared.
- </p>
- <p>
- 5. All men are not of one condition. A. If by condition you mean wealth,
- you are mistaken; if you mean by condition, qualities, then I say he that
- is not contente his neighbour shall have as good a house, fare, means,
- &amp;c. as him selfe, is not of a good qualitie. 2ly. Such retired
- persons, as have an eie only to them selves, are fitter to come wher
- catching is, then closing; and are fitter to live alone, then in any
- societie, either civil or religious.
- </p>
- <p>
- 6. It will be of litle value, scarce worth 5li. A. True, it may not be
- worth halfe 5li. If then so smale a thing will content them, (the
- Adventurers) why strive we thus aboute it, and give them occasion to
- suspecte us to be worldly &amp; covetous? I will not say what I have heard
- since these complaints came first over [from Leyden].
- </p>
- <p>
- 7. Our freinds with us yt adventure mind not their owne profite, as did ye
- old adventurers. A. Then they are better than we, who for a little matter
- of profite are readie to draw back, and it is more apparente, brethern
- looke too it, that make profit your maine end; repente of this, els goe
- not least you be like Jonas to Tarshis. Though some of them mind not their
- profite, yet others doe mind it; and why not as well as we? venturs are
- made by all sorts of men, and we must labour to give them all contente, if
- we can.
- </p>
- <p>
- 8. It will break ye course of comunitie, as may be showed by many reasons.
- A. That is but said, and I say againe, it will best foster comunion, as
- may be showed by many reasons.
- </p>
- <p>
- 9. Great profite is like to be made by trucking, fishing, &amp;c. A. As it
- is better for them, so for us; for halfe is ours, besids our living still
- upon it, and if such profite in yt way come, our labour shall be ye less
- on ye land, and our houses &amp; lands will be of less value.
- </p>
- <p>
- 10. Our hazard is greater than theirs. A. True, but doe they put us upon
- it? doe they urge or egg us? hath not ye motion &amp; resolution been
- always in our selves? doe they any more then in seeing us resolute if we
- had means, help us to means upon equall termes &amp; conditions! If we
- will not goe, they are content to keep their moneys.
- </p>
- <p>
- Thus I have pointed at a way to loose those knots, which I hope you will
- consider seriously, and let me have no more stirr about them.
- </p>
- <p>
- Now furder, I hear a noise of slavish conditions by me made; but surly
- this is all I have altered, and reasons I have sent you. If you mean it of
- ye 2. days in a week for perticuler, as some insinuate, you are deceived;
- you may have 3. days in a week for me if you will. And when I have spoken
- to ye adventurers of times of working, they have said they hope we are men
- of discretion &amp; conscience, and so fitt to be trusted our selves with
- that. But indeed ye ground of our proceedings at Leyden was mistaken, and
- so here is nothing but tottering every day, &amp;c.
- </p>
- <p>
- As for them of Amsterdam, [i.e. the members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth's
- church there] I had thought they would as soon gone to Rome as with us;
- for our libertie is to them as ratts bane, and their riggour as bad to us
- as ye Spanish Inquisition. If any practise of mine discourage them, let
- them yet draw back; I will undertake they shall have their money againe
- presently paid hear. Or if the Company think me to be ye Jonas, let them
- cast me of before we goe; I shall be content to stay with good will,
- having but ye cloaths on my back; only let us have quietnes, and no more
- of these clamors; full little did I expect these things which are now come
- to pass, &amp;c.<br /><br /> Yours,<br /> R. CUSHMAN.<br />
- </p>
- <h3>
- V<br /> THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS, LONDON
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">(Sunday, June 11/21, 1620.)
-
- Salutations, &amp;c. I received your letter [of May 31/June 10] yesterday,
- by John Turner, with another ye same day from Amsterdam by Mr. W.
- savouring of ye place whenc it came. And indeed the many discouragements
- I find her,[London] togeather with ye demurrs and retirings ther,[Leyden]
- had made me to say, I would give up my accounts to John Carver, &amp; at his
- comeing aquainte him fully with all courses, and so leave it quite, with
- only ye pore cloaths on my back. But gathering up my selfe by further
- consideration, I resolved yet to make one triall more, and to acquainte
- Mr. Weston with ye fainted state of our bussines; and though he hath been
- much discontented at some thing amongst us of late, which hath made him
- often say, that save for his promise, he would not meadle at all with ye
- bussines any more, yet considering how farr we were plunged into maters,
- &amp; how it stood both on our credits &amp; undoing, at ye last he gathered up
- him selfe a litle more, &amp; coming to me 2. hours after, he tould me he
- would not yet leave it. And so advising togeather we resolved to hire a
- ship, and have tooke liking of one till Monday, about 60. laste, for a
- greater we cannot gett, excepte it be tow great; but a fine ship it is.
- And seeing our neer freinds ther are so streite lased, we hope to assure
- her without troubling them any further; and if ye ship fale too small, it
- fitteth well yt such as stumble at strawes already, may rest them ther a
- while, least worse blocks come in ye way ere 7. years be ended. If you
- had beaten this bussines so throuly a month agoe, and write to us as now
- you doe, we could thus have done much more conveniently. But it is as it
- is; I hope our freinds they, if they be quitted of ye ship hire, will be
- indusced to venture ye more. All yt I now require is yt salt and netts
- may ther be boughte, and for all ye rest we will here provid it; yet if
- that will not be, let them but stand for it a month or tow, and we will
- take order to pay it all. Let Mr. Reinholds tarie ther, and bring ye
- ship to Southampton. We have hired another pilote here, one Mr. Clarke,
- who went last year to Virginia with a ship of kine.
-
-You shall here distinctly by John Turner, who I thinke shall come hence
-on tewsday night. I had thought to have come with him, to have answered
-to my complaints; but I shal lerne to pass litle for their censurs; and
-if I had more minde to goe &amp; dispute &amp; expostulate with them, then I have
-care of this waightie bussines, I were like them who live by clamours &amp;
-jangling. But neither my mind nor my body is at libertie to doe much,
-for I am fettered with bussines, and had rather study to be quiet, then
-to make answer to their exceptions. If men be set on it, let them beat
-ye eair; I hope such as are my sinceire freinds will not thinke but I can
-give some reason of my actions. But of your mistaking aboute ye mater,
- &amp; other things tending to this bussines, I shall nexte informe you
-more distinctly. Mean space entreate our freinds not to be too bussie in
-answering matters, before they know them. If I doe such things as I
-canot give reasons for, it is like you have sett a foole aboute your
-bussines, and so turne ye reproofe to your selves, &amp; send an other, and
-let me come againe to my Combes. But setting aside my naturall
-infirmities, I refuse not to have my cause judged, both of God, &amp; all
-indifferent men; and when we come togeather I shall give accounte of my
-actions hear. The Lord, who judgeth justly without respect of persons,
-see into ye equitie of my cause, and give us quiet, peacable, and patient
-minds, in all these turmoils, and sanctifie unto us all crosses
-whatsoever. And so I take my leave of you all, in all love &amp; affection.
- I hope we shall gett all hear ready in 14. days.
- Your pore brother,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-[London]
-June 11. 1620 [O.S.].
-</pre>
- <h3>
- VI<br /> A LETTER OF MR. JOHN ROBINSON TO JOHN CARVER,/h3<br /> JUNE 14.
- (N.S.), 1620
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Professor Arber ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers," p. 317) has
- apparently failed to notice that in the original MS. of Bradford,
- this letter is dated "June 14, 1620, N. Stile," which would make it
- June 4., O.S., while Arber dates it "14/24 June," which is
- manifestly incorrect. A typographical error in Arber (p. 317)
- directs the letter to "Leyden" instead of to London. ]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- June 14. 1620. N. Stile.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-My dear freind &amp; brother, whom with yours I alwaise remember in my best
-affection, and whose wellfare I shall never cease to comend to God by my
-best &amp; most earnest praires. You doe throwly understand by our generall
-letters ye estate of things hear, which indeed is very pitifull;
-espetialy by wante of shiping, and not seeing means lickly, much less
-certaine, of having it provided; though withall ther be great want of
-money &amp; means to doe needfull things. Mr. [Edward] Pickering, you know
-before this, will not defray a peny hear; though Robert Cushman presumed
-of I know not how many 100li. from him, &amp; I know not whom. Yet it seems
-strange yt we should be put to him to receive both his &amp; his partners
-[William Greene's] adventer, and yet Mr. Weston write unto him, yt in
-regard of it, he hath drawne upon him a 100li. more. But they is in this
-some misterie, as indeed it seems ther is in ye whole course. Besids,
-wheras diverse are to pay in some parts of their moneys yet behinde, they
-refuse to doe it, till they see shiping provided, or a course taken for
-it. Neither doe I thinke is ther a man hear would pay anything, if he
-had againe his money in his purse. You know right well we depended on
-Mr. Weston alone, and upon such means as he would procure for this
-commone bussines; and when we had in hand an other course with ye
-Dutchmen, broke it of at his motion, and upon ye conditions by him
-shortly after propounded. He did this in his love I know, but things
-appeare not answerable from him hitherto. That he should have first have
-put in his moneys, is thought by many to have been but fitt, but yt I can
-well excuse, he being a marchante and haveing use of it to his benefite;
-whereas others, if it had been in their hands, would have consumed it.
-But yt he should not but have had either shipping ready before this time,
-or at least certaine means, and course, and ye same knowne to us for it,
-or have taken other order otherwise, cannot in my conscience be excused.
-I have heard yt wen he hath been moved in the bussines, he hath put it of
-from him selfe, and referred it to ye others; and would come to Georg
-Morton [in London] &amp; enquire news of him aboute things, as if he had
-scarce been some accessarie unto it. Wlether he hath failed of some helps
-from others which he expected, and so be not well able to goe through
-with things, or whether he hath feared least you should be ready too
-soone &amp; so encrease ye charge of shiping above yt is meete, or whether he
-hath thought by withhoulding to put us upon straits, thinking yt therby
-Mr. Brewer and Mr. Pickering would be drawne by importunitie to doe more,
-or what other misterie is in it, we know not; but sure we are yt things
-are not answerable to such an occasion. Mr. Weston maks himselfe mery
-with our endeavors aboute buying a ship, [the SPEEDWELL], but we have
-done nothing in this but with good reason, as I am perswaded, nor yet
-that I know in any thing els, save in those tow: ye one, that we imployed
-Robart Cushman, who is known (though a good man &amp; of spetiall abilities
-in his kind, yet) most unfitt to deale for other by reason of his
-singularitie, and too great indifferancie for any conditions, and for (to
-speak truly) that we have had nothing from him but termes &amp; presumptions.
-The other, yt we have so much relyed, by implicite faith as it were, upon
-generalities, without seeing ye perticuler course &amp; means for so waghtie
-an affaire set down unto us. For shiping, Mr. Weston, it should seeme,
-is set upon hireing, which yet I wish he may presently effecte; but I see
-litle hope of help from hence if so it be. Of Mr. [Thomas] Brewer, you
-know what to expecte. I doe not thinke Mr. Pickering will ingage,
-excepte in ye course of buying [ships?] in former letters specified.
-Aboute ye conditions, you have our reason for our judgments of what is
-agreed. And let this spetially be borne in minde, yt the greatest pane
-of ye Collonie is like to be imployed constantly, not upon dressing they
-perticuler land &amp; building houses, but upon fishing, trading, &amp;c. So as
-ye land &amp; house will be but a trifell for advantage to ye adventurers,
-and yet the devission of it a great discouragmente to ye planters, who
-would with singuler care make it comfortable with borowed houres from
-their sleep. The same consideration of comone imploymente constantly by
-the most is a good reason not to have ye 2, daies in a week denyed ye few
-planters for private use, which yet is subordinate to comone good.
-Consider also how much unfite that you &amp; your liks must serve a new
-prentishipe of 7. years, and not a daies freedome from taske. Send me
-word what persons are to goe, who of usefull faculties, &amp; how many, &amp;
-perticulerly of every thing. I know you wante not a minde. I am sorie
-you have not been at London all this while, but ye provissions could not
-want you. Time will suffer me to write no more; fare, you &amp; yours well
-allways in ye Lord, in whom I rest.
- Yours to use,
- JOHN' ROBINSON.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- VII<br /> THE LETTER OF THE PLANTERS TO THE<br /> MERCHANT ADVENTURERS (FROM
- SOUTHAMPTON)
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-
- Aug. 3. Ano. 1620.
-
-
- Beloved freinds, sory we are that ther should be occasion of writing at
- all unto you, partly because we ever expected to see ye most of you hear,
- but espetially because ther should any difference at all be conceived
- betweene us. But seing it faleth out that we cannot conferr togeather,
- we thinke it meete (though brefly) to show you ye just cause &amp; reason of
- our differing from those articles last made by Robert Cushman, without
- our comission or knowledg.
-
-
-And though he might propound good ends to himselfe, yet it no way
-justifies his doing it. Our maine diference is in ye 5.&amp; 9. article,
-concerning ye deviding or holding of house and lands; the injoying
-whereof some of your selves well know, was one spetiall motive, amongst
-many other, to provoke us to goe. This was thought so reasonable, yt
-when ye greatest of you in adventure (whom we have much cause to
-respecte), when he propounded conditions to us freely of his owne
-accorde, he set this downe for one; a coppy wherof we have sent unto you,
-with some additions then added by us; which being liked on both sids, and
-a day set for ye paimente of moneys, those in Holland paid in theirs.
-After yt, Robert Cushman, Mr. [John] Pierce, &amp; Mr. [Christopher] Martine,
-brought them into a better forme, &amp; write them in a booke now extante;
-and upon Robarts [Cushmans] shewing them and delivering Mr. [William]
-Mullins a coppy thereof under his hand (which we have), he payed in his
-money. And we of Holland had never seen other before our coming to
-Hamton, but only as one got for him selfe a private coppy of them; upon
-sight wherof we manyfested uter dislike, but had put of our estats &amp; were
-ready to come, and therfore was too late to rejecte ye vioage. Judge
-therefore we beseech you indifferently of things, and if a faulte have
-bene comited, lay it where it is, &amp; not upon us, who have more cause to
-stand for ye one, then you have for ye other. We never gave Robart
-Cushman comission to make any one article for us, but only sent him to
-receive moneys upon articles before agreed on, and to further ye
-provissions till John Carver came, and to assiste him in it. Yet since
-you conceive your selves wronged as well as we, we thought meete to add a
-branch to ye end of our 9. article, as will allmost heale that wound of
-it selfe, which you conceive to be in it. But that it may appeare to all
-men yt we are not lovers of our selves only, but desire also ye good &amp;
-inriching of our freinds who have adventured your moneys with our
-persons, we have added our last article to ye rest, promising you againe
-by leters in ye behalfe of the whole company, that if large profits
-should not arise within ye 7. years, yt we will continue togeather longer
-with you, if ye Lord give a blessing.&mdash;[Bradford adds in a note, "It is
-well for them yt this was not accepted."]&mdash;This we hope is sufficente to
-satisfie any in this case, espetialy freinds, since we are asured yt if
-the whole charge was devided into 4. parts, 3. of them will not stand
-upon it, nether doe regarde it, &amp;c. We are in shuch a streate at
-presente, as we are forced to sell away 60li. worth of our provissions to
-cleare ye Haven [Southampton] &amp; withall put our selves upon great
-extremities, scarce haveing any butter, no oyle, not a sole to mend a
-shoe, nor every man a sword to his side, wanting many muskets, much
-armoure, etc. And yet we are willing to expose our selves to shuch
-eminente dangers as are like to insue, &amp; trust to ye good providence of
-God, rather then his name &amp; truth should be evill spoken of for us. Thus
-saluting all of you in love, and beseeching ye Lord to give a blesing to
-our endeavore, and keepe all our harts in ye bonds of peace &amp; love, we
-take leave &amp; rest,
- Yours, &amp;c
-
- Aug. 3. 1620.
-
- ["It was subscribed with many names of ye cheefest of ye company."
- &mdash;Bradford, "Historie," Mass. ed. p. 77.]
-</pre>
- <h3>
- VIII THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (FROM SOUTHAMPTON) TO EDWARD SOUTHWORTH
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- To his loving friend Ed[ward] S[outhworth] at Henige House, in ye Duks
- Place [London], these, &amp;c.
-
- Dartmouth [Thursday] Aug. 17, [Anno 1620.]
-
- Loving friend, my most kind remembrance to you &amp; your wife, with loving
- E. M. &amp;c. whom in this world I never looke to see againe. For besids ye
- eminente dangers of this viage, which are no less then deadly, an
- infirmitie of body Hath seased me, which will not in all licelyhoode
- leave me till death. What to call it I know not, but it it is a bundle
- of lead, as it were, crushing my harte more &amp; more these 14. days, as
- that allthough I doe ye acctions of a liveing man, yet I am but as dead;
- but ye will of God be done. Our pinass [the SPEEDWELL] will not cease
- leaking, els I thinke we had been halfe way at Virginia, our viage hither
- hath been as full of crosses, as our, selves have been of crokednes. We
- put in hear to trime her, &amp; I thinke, as others also, if we had stayed at
- sea but 3. or 4. howers more, shee would have sunke right downe. And
- though she was twice trimed at Hamton, yet now shee is open and lekie as
- a seine; and ther was a borde, a man might have puld of with his fingers,
- 2 foote longe, wher ye water came in as at a mole hole. We lay at Hamton
- 7. days, in fair weather, waiting for her, and now we lye hear waiting
- for her in as faire a wind as can blowe, and so have done these 4. days,
- and are like to lye 4. more, and by yt time ye wind will happily turne as
- it did at Hamton. Our victualls will be halfe eaten up, I thinke, before
- we goe from the coaste of England, and if our viage last longe, we shall
- not have a months victialls when we come in ye countrie. Near 700li.
- hath bene bestowed at Hamton upon what I know not. Mr. Martin saith he
- neither can nor will give any accounte of it, and if he be called upon
- for accounts he crieth out of unthankfulness for his paines &amp; care, that
- we are susspitious of him, and flings away, and will end nothing. Also
- he so insulteh over our poore people with shuch scorne and contempte, as
- if they were not good enough to wipe his shoes. It would break your hart
- to see his dealing, and ye mourning of our people. They complaine to me,
- &amp; alass! I can doe nothing for them; if I speake to him, he flies in my
- face, as mutinous, and saith no complaints shall be heard or received but
- by him selfe, and saith they are forwarde, &amp; waspish, discontented
- people, &amp; I doe ill to hear them. Ther are others yt would lose all they
- have put in, or make satisfaction for what they have had, that they might
- departe; but he will not hear them, nor suffer them to goe ashore, least
- they should rune away. The sailors also are so offended at his ignorante
- bouldnes, in medling &amp; controuling in things he knows not what belongs
- too, as yt some threaten to misscheefe him, others say they will leave ye
- shipe &amp; goe their way. But at ye best this cometh of it, yt he maks him
- selfe a scorne &amp; laughing stock unto them. As for Mr. Weston, excepte
- grace doe greatly swaye with him, he will hate us ten times more then
- ever he loved us, for not confirming ye conditions. But now, since some
- pinches have taken them, they begine to reveile ye trueth, and say Mr.
- Robinson was in ye falte who charged them never to consente to those
- conditions, nor chuse me into office, but indeede apointed them to chose
- them they did chose. But he and they will rue too late, they may now
- see, &amp; all be ashamed when it is too late, that they were so ignorante,
- yea, &amp; so inordinate in their courses. I am sure as they were resolved
- not to seale those conditions, I was not so resolute at Hamton to have
- left ye whole bussines, excepte they would seale them, and better ye
- vioage to have bene broken of then, then to have brought such miserie to
- our selves, dishonour to God, &amp; detrimente to our loving freinds, as now
- it is like to doe. 4. or 5. of ye cheefe of them which came from Leyden,
- came resolved never to goe on those conditions. And Mr. Martine, he said
- he never received no money on those conditions, he was not beholden to ye
- marchants, for a pine [pennie], they were bloudsuckers, &amp; I know not
- what. Simple man, he indeed never made any conditions wth the marchants,
- nor ever spake with them.
-
-But did all that money flie to Hamton, or was it his owne? Who will goe
-lay out money so rashly &amp; lavishly as he did, and never know how he comes
-by it, or on what conditions? I tould him of ye alteration longe
-agoe, &amp; he was contente; but now he dominires, &amp; said I had betrayed them
-into ye hands of slaves; he is not beholden to them, he can set out 2
-ships him selfe to a viage. When, good man? He hath but 50li. in, &amp; if
-he should give up his accounts he would not have a penie left him,
-&mdash;["This was found true afterwards.] W[illiam] B"[radford]]&mdash;as I
-am persuaded, &amp;c. Freind, if ever we make a plantation, God works a
-mirakle; especially considering how scante we shall be of victualls, and
-most of all ununited amongst our selves, &amp; devoyd of good tutors and
-regimente. Violence will break all. Wher is ye meek &amp; humble spirite of
-Moyses? &amp; of Nehemiah who reedified ye wals of Jerusalem, and ye state of
-Israell? Is not ye sound of Rehoboams braggs daly hear amongst us? Have
-not ye philosophers and all wise men observed yt, even in setled comone
-welths, violente governours bring either them selves, or people, or
-boath, to ruine; how much more in ye raising of comone wealths, when ye
-mortar is yet scarce tempered yt should bind ye wales [walls]. If I
-should write to you of all things which promiscuously forerune our ruine,
-I should over charge my weake head and greeve your tender hart; only
-this, I pray you prepare for evill tidings of us every day. But pray for
-us instantly, it may be ye Lord will be yet entreated one way or other to
-make for us. I see not in reason how we shall escape even ye gasping of
-hunger starved persons; but God can doe much, &amp; his will be done. It is
-better for me to dye, then now for me to bear it, which I doe daly, &amp;
-expect it howerly; haveing received ye sentance of death, both within me
-&amp; with out me. Poore William Ring &amp; my selfe doe strive who shall be
-meate first for ye fishes; but we looke for a glorious resurrection,
-knowing Christ Jesus after ye flesh no more, but looking unto ye joye yt
-is before us, we will endure all these things and accounte them light in
-comparison of ye joye we hope for. Remember me in all love to our
-freinds as if I named them, whose praiers I desire earnestly, &amp; wish
-againe to see, but not till I can with more comforte looke them in ye
-face. The Lord give us that true comforte which none can take from us.
-I had a desire to make a breefe relation of our estate to some freind.
-I doubte not but your wisdome will teach you seasonably to utter things
-as here after you shall be called to it. That which I have writen is
-treue, &amp; many things more which I have for borne. I write it as upon my
-life, and last confession in England. What is of use to be spoken of
-presently, you may speake of it, and what is fitt to conceile, conceall.
-Pass by my weake maner, for my head is weake, and my body feeble, ye Lord
-make me strong in him, and keepe both you &amp; yours.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-
-Dartmouth, Aug. 17, 1620.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- IX<br /> THE MAY-FLOWER COMPACT
- </h3>
- <p>
- In ye name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall
- subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord, King James, by ye grace of God, of
- Great Britaine, Franc, &amp; Ireland king, defender of ye faith, &amp;c.,
- haveing under taken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye
- Christian faith, and honour of our king &amp; countrie, a voyage to plant
- ye first colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents
- solemnly &amp; mutualy in ye presence of God, and one of another, covenant
- &amp; combine our selves together into a civill body politick, for our
- better ordering &amp; preservation &amp; furtherance of ye ends aforesaid:
- and by vertue hearof to enacte, constitute, and frame such just &amp;
- equall lawes, ordinances, actes, constitutions, &amp; offices, from time
- to time, as shall be thought most meete &amp; convenient for ye generall
- good of ye Colonie, unto which we promise all due submission and
- obedience. In witnes wherof we have here under subscribed our names at
- Cape-Codd ye 11. of November, in ye year of ye raigne of our soveraigne
- lord, King James, of England, France, &amp; Ireland ye eighteenth, and of
- Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano. Dom. 1620
- </p>
- <h3>
- X<br /> A COPY OF THE NUNCUPATIVE WILL OF MASTER WILLIAM MULLENS
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Undoubtedly taken by Governor Carver on board the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
- [Although the dictation must, apparently, have been taken on the day
- of Master Mullens's death, February 21/March 3, 1620, Governor
- Carver evidently did not write out his notes, and have them
- witnessed, till April 2, 1621, some weeks later.]
-
- "April, 1621.
-
- In the name of God, Amen: I comfit my Soule to God that gave it and my
- bodie to the earth from whence it came. Alsoe I give my goodes as
- followeth: That fforty poundes wch is in the hand of good-man Woodes I
- give my wife tenn poundes, my sonne Joseph tenn poundes, my daughter
- Priscilla tenn poundes, and my eldest sonne tenn poundes. Alsoe I give to
- my eldest sonne all my debtes, bonds, bills (onelye yt forty poundes
- excepted in the handes of goodman Wood) given as aforesaid wth all the
- stock in his owne handes. To my eldest daughter I give ten shillinges to
- be paied out of my sonnes stock Furthermore that goodes I have in
- Virginia as followeth To my wife Alice halfe my goodes. 2. to Joseph and
- Priscilla the other halfe equallie to be devided betweene them. Alsoe I
- have xxi dozen of shoes, and thirteene paire of bootes wch I give into
- the Companies handes for forty poundes at seaven years end if they like
- them at that rate. If it be thought to deare as my Overseers shall
- thinck good. And if they like them at that rate at the devident I shall
- have nyne shares whereof I give as followeth twoe to my wife, twoe to my
- sonne William, twoe to my sonne Joseph, towe to my daughter Priscilla,
- and one to the Companie. Allsoe if my sonne William will come to
- Virginia I give him my share of land furdermore I give to my two
- Overseers Mr. John Carver and Mr. Williamson, twentye shillinges apeece
- to see this my will performed desiringe them that he would have an eye
- over my wife and children to be as fathers and freindes to them, Allsoe
- to have a speciall eye to my man Robert wch hathe not so approved
- himselfe as I would he should have done.
-
- This is a Coppye of Mr. Mullens his Will of all particulars he hathe
- given. In witnes whereof I have sette my hande John Carver, Giles Heale,
- Christopher Joanes."
-</pre>
- <h3>
- XI<br /> THE LETTER OF "ONE OF THE CHIEFE OF YE COMPANIE"<br /> [THE
- MERCHANT ADVENTURERS]<br /> DATED AT LONDON, APRIL 9, 1623<br />
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-
- Loving friend, when I write my last leter, I hope to have received one
- from you well-nigh by this time. But when I write in Des: I little
- thought to have seen Mr. John Pierce till he had brought some good
- tidings from you. But it pleased God, he brought us ye wofull tidings of
- his returne when he was half-way over, by extraime tempest, werin ye
- goodnes &amp; mercie of God appeared in sparing their lives, being 109.
- souls. The loss is so great to Mr. Pierce &amp;c., and ye companie put upon
- so great charge, as veryly, &amp;c. Now with great trouble &amp; loss, we have
- got Mr. John Pierce to assigne over ye grand patente to ye companie,
- which he had taken in his owne name, and made quite voyd our former
- grante. I am sorie to writ how many hear thinke yt the hand of God was
- justly against him, both ye first and 2. time of his returne; in regard
- he, whom you and we so confidently trusted, but only to use his name for
- ye company, should aspire to be lord over us all, and so make you &amp; us
- tenants at his will and pleasure, our assurance or patente being quite
- voyd &amp; disanuled by his means. I desire to judg charitably of him. But
- his unwillingness to part with his royall lordship, and ye high rate he
- set it at, which was 500li. which cost him but 50li., maks many speake
- and judg hardly of him. The company are out for goods in his ship, with
- charge aboute ye passengers, 640li., &amp;c.
-
- We have agreed with 2 merchants for a ship of 140 tunes, caled ye Anne,
- which is to be ready ye last of this month, to bring 60 passengers &amp;
- 60 tune of goods, &amp;c&mdash;[Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 167.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- ADDENDA
- </h2>
- <p>
- Governor Winslow, in his "Hypocrisie Unmasked" (pp. 89,90), indicates that
- the representatives of the Leyden congregation (Cushman and Carver) sought
- the First (or London) Virginia Company as early as 1613. It is beyond
- doubt that preliminary steps toward securing the favor, both of the King
- and others, were taken as early as 1617, and that the Wincob Patent was
- granted in their interest, June 9/19, 1619. But the Leyden people were but
- little advanced by the issue of this Patent. They became discouraged, and
- began early in 1620 (perhaps earlier) negotiations with the Dutch, which
- were in progress when, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Thomas
- Weston undertook (February 2/12, April 1/11, 1620) to secure the Leyden
- party, avowedly for the London Virginia Company, but really for its rival,
- the Second Virginia Company, soon to be merged in the "Council of Affairs
- for New England." It was then, and under these influences, that the Leyden
- leaders "broke off," as Bradford puts it, their negotiations with the
- Dutch authorities, who, however, apparently about the same time,
- determined to reject their propositions. While the renewal of the Leyden
- leaders' negotiations, through Weston, were, "on their face" (and so far
- as the Pilgrims were concerned), with the First Virginia Company, with
- whom, through Sir Edwin Sandys and other friends, their original efforts
- were made, they were, as stated, subverted by Gorges's plans and Weston's
- cooperation, in the interest of the Second Virginia Company. The Merchant
- Adventurers were represented, in the direct negotiations for the Patent
- only, by John Pierce, who, at that time, was apparently dealing honestly,
- and was not, so far as appears, in Gorges's confidence, though later he
- proved a traitor and a consummate rascal, albeit he always acted,
- apparently, alone. The so-called "Pierce Patent" (which displaced the
- Wincob) was rendered worthless by the landing of the Pilgrims north of 41
- deg. north latitude. The third Patent (Pierce's second) was from the
- Council for New England to Pierce, for the colonists, but was exchanged by
- him for a "deed-pole" to himself, though at last surrendered to the colony
- under stress.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h3>
- ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- All business without any agreement in writing
- Anxiety to get English clothes upon their red brethren
- As 1620 did not begin until March 25
- Borowed houres from their sleep
- Crime&mdash;for such it was, in inception, nature, and results
- Forks there were none
- Genius,&mdash;proverbially indifferent to detail
- Lanterns&mdash;only "serving to make darkness visible"
- Malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has wronged
- Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the knife
- Not to be too bussie in answering matters, before they know them
- Old Style and the New Style dates
- Personal inference rather than a verity
- Redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde
- Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it
- The old adage, "second thief best owner"
- Theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony
- Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is wanting
- Transplantation to the "northern parts of Virginia"
- Welcome lies acquired a hold on the public mind
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg's The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-***** This file should be named 4107-h.htm or 4107-h.zip *****
-This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
- http://www.gutenberg.net/4/1/0/4107/
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
-will be renamed.
-
-Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
-one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
-(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
-permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
-set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
-copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
-protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
-Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
-charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
-do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
-rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
-such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
-research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
-practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
-subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
-redistribution.
-
-
-
-*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
-
-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
-http://gutenberg.net/license).
-
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works
-
-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
-all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
-If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
-terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
-entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
-
-1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
-and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
-or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
-collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
-individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
-located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
-copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
-works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
-are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
-Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
-freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
-this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
-the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
-keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
-
-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
-a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
-the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
-before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
-creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
-Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
-the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
-States.
-
-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
-access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
-whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
-phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
-copied or distributed:
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
-
-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
-from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
-posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
-and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
-or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
-with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
-work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
-through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
-Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
-1.E.9.
-
-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
-terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
-to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
-permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
-
-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
-
-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm License.
-
-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
-word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
-distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
-"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
-posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.net),
-you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
-copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
-request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
-form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
-that
-
-- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
- the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
- you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
- owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
- has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
- Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
- must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
- prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
- returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
- sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
- address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
- the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
-
-- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
- you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
- does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
- License. You must require such a user to return or
- destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
- and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
- Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
- money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
- electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
- of receipt of the work.
-
-- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
- distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
-forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
-both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
-Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
-Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
-
-1.F.
-
-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
-public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
-collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
-"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
-corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
-property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
-computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
-your equipment.
-
-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
-of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
-your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
-the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
-refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
-providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
-receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
-is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
-opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
-WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
-WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
-If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
-law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
-interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
-the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
-provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
-
-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
-with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
-promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
-harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
-that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
-or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
-work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
-Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
-
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
-including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
-because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
-people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
-To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
-and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
-Foundation
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
-http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
-permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
-
-The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
-Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
-throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
-809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
-business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact
-information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
-page at http://pglaf.org
-
-For additional contact information:
- Dr. Gregory B. Newby
- Chief Executive and Director
- gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
-spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
-freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
-status with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
-SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
-particular state visit http://pglaf.org
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
-donations. To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
-
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works.
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
-concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
-with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
-Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
-
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
-unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
-keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
-
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
-
- http://www.gutenberg.net
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
-
-
-</pre>
- </body>
-</html>
diff --git a/old/mf07v10.txt b/old/mf07v10.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index d25c59b..0000000
--- a/old/mf07v10.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10939 +0,0 @@
-The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log by Ames, entire
-#7 in our series by Azel Ames
-
-Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check
-the laws for your country before redistributing these files!!!!!
-
-Please take a look at the important information in this header.
-We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an
-electronic path open for the next readers.
-
-Please do not remove this.
-
-This should be the first thing seen when anyone opens the book.
-Do not change or edit it without written permission. The words
-are carefully chosen to provide users with the information they
-need about what they can legally do with the texts.
-
-
-**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
-
-**Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**
-
-*****These Etexts Are Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****
-
-Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get Etexts, and
-further information is included below, including for donations.
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
-organization with EIN [Employee Identification Number] 64-6221541
-
-
-
-Title: The Mayflower and Her Log, entire
-
-Author: Azel Ames
-
-Release Date: June, 2003 [Etext #4107]
-[Yes, we are about one year ahead of schedule]
-[The actual date this file first posted = 10/06/01]
-
-Edition: 10
-
-Language: English
-
-The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log by Ames, entire
-**********This file should be named mf07v10.txt or mf07v10.zip**********
-
-Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, mf07v11.txt
-VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, mf07v10a.txt
-
-This etext was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
-
-Project Gutenberg Etexts are usually created from multiple editions,
-all of which are in the Public Domain in the United States, unless a
-copyright notice is included. Therefore, we usually do NOT keep any
-of these books in compliance with any particular paper edition.
-
-We are now trying to release all our books one year in advance
-of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing.
-Please be encouraged to send us error messages even years after
-the official publication date.
-
-Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til
-midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement.
-The official release date of all Project Gutenberg Etexts is at
-Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month. A
-preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment
-and editing by those who wish to do so.
-
-Most people start at our sites at:
-http://gutenberg.net
-http://promo.net/pg
-
-
-Those of you who want to download any Etext before announcement
-can surf to them as follows, and just download by date; this is
-also a good way to get them instantly upon announcement, as the
-indexes our cataloguers produce obviously take a while after an
-announcement goes out in the Project Gutenberg Newsletter.
-
-http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext03
-or
-ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext03
-
-Or /etext02, 01, 00, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90
-
-Just search by the first five letters of the filename you want,
-as it appears in our Newsletters.
-
-
-Information about Project Gutenberg (one page)
-
-We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work. The
-time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours
-to get any etext selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright
-searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc. This
-projected audience is one hundred million readers. If our value
-per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2
-million dollars per hour this year as we release fifty new Etext
-files per month, or 500 more Etexts in 2000 for a total of 3000+
-If they reach just 1-2% of the world's population then the total
-should reach over 300 billion Etexts given away by year's end.
-
-The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away One Trillion Etext
-Files by December 31, 2001. [10,000 x 100,000,000 = 1 Trillion]
-This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers,
-which is only about 4% of the present number of computer users.
-
-At our revised rates of production, we will reach only one-third
-of that goal by the end of 2001, or about 4,000 Etexts unless we
-manage to get some real funding.
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been created
-to secure a future for Project Gutenberg into the next millennium.
-
-We need your donations more than ever!
-
-As of July 12, 2001 contributions are only being solicited from people in:
-Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho,
-Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
-Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North
-Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina*, South Dakota,
-Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia,
-Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
-
-*In Progress
-
-We have filed in about 45 states now, but these are the only ones
-that have responded.
-
-As the requirements for other states are met,
-additions to this list will be made and fund raising
-will begin in the additional states. Please feel
-free to ask to check the status of your state.
-
-In answer to various questions we have received on this:
-
-We are constantly working on finishing the paperwork
-to legally request donations in all 50 states. If
-your state is not listed and you would like to know
-if we have added it since the list you have, just ask.
-
-While we cannot solicit donations from people in
-states where we are not yet registered, we know
-of no prohibition against accepting donations
-from donors in these states who approach us with
-an offer to donate.
-
-
-International donations are accepted,
-but we don't know ANYTHING about how
-to make them tax-deductible, or
-even if they CAN be made deductible,
-and don't have the staff to handle it
-even if there are ways.
-
-All donations should be made to:
-
-Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-PMB 113
-1739 University Ave.
-Oxford, MS 38655-4109
-
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
-organization with EIN [Employee Identification Number] 64-6221541,
-and has been approved as a 501(c)(3) organization by the US Internal
-Revenue Service (IRS). Donations are tax-deductible to the maximum
-extent permitted by law. As the requirements for other states are met,
-additions to this list will be made and fund raising will begin in the
-additional states.
-
-We need your donations more than ever!
-
-You can get up to date donation information at:
-
-http://www.gutenberg.net/donation.html
-
-
-***
-
-If you can't reach Project Gutenberg,
-you can always email directly to:
-
-Michael S. Hart <hart@pobox.com>
-
-hart@pobox.com forwards to hart@prairienet.org and archive.org
-if your mail bounces from archive.org, I will still see it, if
-it bounces from prairienet.org, better resend later on. . . .
-
-Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message.
-
-We would prefer to send you information by email.
-
-
-***
-
-
-Example command-line FTP session:
-
-ftp ftp.ibiblio.org
-login: anonymous
-password: your@login
-cd pub/docs/books/gutenberg
-cd etext90 through etext99 or etext00 through etext02, etc.
-dir [to see files]
-get or mget [to get files. . .set bin for zip files]
-GET GUTINDEX.?? [to get a year's listing of books, e.g., GUTINDEX.99]
-GET GUTINDEX.ALL [to get a listing of ALL books]
-
-
-**The Legal Small Print**
-
-
-(Three Pages)
-
-***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS**START***
-Why is this "Small Print!" statement here? You know: lawyers.
-They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with
-your copy of this etext, even if you got it for free from
-someone other than us, and even if what's wrong is not our
-fault. So, among other things, this "Small Print!" statement
-disclaims most of our liability to you. It also tells you how
-you may distribute copies of this etext if you want to.
-
-*BEFORE!* YOU USE OR READ THIS ETEXT
-By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
-etext, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept
-this "Small Print!" statement. If you do not, you can receive
-a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this etext by
-sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person
-you got it from. If you received this etext on a physical
-medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request.
-
-ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM ETEXTS
-This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etexts,
-is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart
-through the Project Gutenberg Association (the "Project").
-Among other things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright
-on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and
-distribute it in the United States without permission and
-without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth
-below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this etext
-under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark.
-
-Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market
-any commercial products without permission.
-
-To create these etexts, the Project expends considerable
-efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain
-works. Despite these efforts, the Project's etexts and any
-medium they may be on may contain "Defects". Among other
-things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or
-corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
-intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged
-disk or other etext medium, a computer virus, or computer
-codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.
-
-LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES
-But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below,
-[1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any other party you may
-receive this etext from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext) disclaims
-all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including
-legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR
-UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT,
-INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE
-OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE
-POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
-
-If you discover a Defect in this etext within 90 days of
-receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any)
-you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that
-time to the person you received it from. If you received it
-on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and
-such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement
-copy. If you received it electronically, such person may
-choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to
-receive it electronically.
-
-THIS ETEXT IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS". NO OTHER
-WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS
-TO THE ETEXT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT
-LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
-PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
-
-Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or
-the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the
-above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you
-may have other legal rights.
-
-INDEMNITY
-You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation,
-and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers associated
-with the production and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
-texts harmless, from all liability, cost and expense, including
-legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the
-following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this etext,
-[2] alteration, modification, or addition to the etext,
-or [3] any Defect.
-
-DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm"
-You may distribute copies of this etext electronically, or by
-disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this
-"Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg,
-or:
-
-[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this
- requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the
- etext or this "small print!" statement. You may however,
- if you wish, distribute this etext in machine readable
- binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form,
- including any form resulting from conversion by word
- processing or hypertext software, but only so long as
- *EITHER*:
-
- [*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and
- does *not* contain characters other than those
- intended by the author of the work, although tilde
- (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may
- be used to convey punctuation intended by the
- author, and additional characters may be used to
- indicate hypertext links; OR
-
- [*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at
- no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent
- form by the program that displays the etext (as is
- the case, for instance, with most word processors);
- OR
-
- [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at
- no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the
- etext in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC
- or other equivalent proprietary form).
-
-[2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this
- "Small Print!" statement.
-
-[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the
- gross profits you derive calculated using the method you
- already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you
- don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are
- payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation"
- the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were
- legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent
- periodic) tax return. Please contact us beforehand to
- let us know your plans and to work out the details.
-
-WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO?
-Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of
-public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed
-in machine readable form.
-
-The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time,
-public domain materials, or royalty free copyright licenses.
-Money should be paid to the:
-"Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
-
-If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or
-software or other items, please contact Michael Hart at:
-hart@pobox.com
-
-[Portions of this header are copyright (C) 2001 by Michael S. Hart
-and may be reprinted only when these Etexts are free of all fees.]
-[Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be used in any sales
-of Project Gutenberg Etexts or other materials be they hardware or
-software or any other related product without express permission.]
-
-*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.10/04/01*END*
-
-
-
-
-
-This etext was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
-
-
-
-
-
-[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the
-file for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making an
-entire meal of them. D.W.]
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-
- "Next to the fugitives whom Moses led out of Egypt, the little
- shipload of outcasts who landed at Plymouth are destined to
- influence the future of the world."
- JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTORY
-
-O civilized humanity, world-wide, and especially to the descendants of
-the Pilgrims who, in 1620, laid on New England shores the foundations of
-that civil and religious freedom upon which has been built a refuge for
-the oppressed of every land, the story of the Pilgrim "Exodus" has an
-ever-increasing value and zest. The little we know of the inception,
-development, and vicissitudes of their bold scheme of colonization in the
-American wilderness only serves to sharpen the appetite for more.
-
-Every detail and circumstance which relates to their preparations; to the
-ships which carried them; to the personnel of the Merchant Adventurers
-associated with them, and to that of the colonists themselves; to what
-befell them; to their final embarkation on their lone ship,--the immortal
-MAY-FLOWER; and to the voyage itself and to its issues, is vested to-day
-with, a supreme interest, and over them all rests a glamour peculiarly
-their own.
-
-For every grain of added knowledge that can be gleaned concerning the
-Pilgrim sires from any field, their children are ever grateful, and
-whoever can add a well-attested line to their all-too-meagre annals is
-regarded by them, indeed by all, a benefactor.
-
-Of those all-important factors in the chronicles of the "Exodus,"--the
-Pilgrim ships, of which the MAY-FLOWER alone crossed the seas,--and of
-the voyage itself, there is still but far too little known. Of even this
-little, the larger part has not hitherto been readily accessible, or in
-form available for ready reference to the many who eagerly seize upon
-every crumb of new-found data concerning these pious and intrepid
-Argonauts.
-
-To such there can be no need to recite here the principal and familiar
-facts of the organization of the English "Separatist" congregation under
-John Robinson; of its emigration to Holland under persecution of the
-Bishops; of its residence and unique history at Leyden; of the broad
-outlook of its members upon the future, and their resultant determination
-to cross the sea to secure larger life and liberty; and of their initial
-labors to that end. We find these Leyden Pilgrims in the early summer of
-1620, their plans fairly matured and their agreements between themselves
-and with their merchant associates practically concluded, urging forward
-their preparations for departure; impatient of the delays and
-disappointments which befell, and anxiously seeking shipping for their
-long and hazardous voyage.
-
-It is to what concerns their ships, and especially that one which has
-passed into history as "the Pilgrim bark," the MAY-FLOWER, and to her
-pregnant voyage, that the succeeding chapters chiefly relate. In them the
-effort has been made to bring together in sequential relation, from many
-and widely scattered sources, everything germane that diligent and
-faithful research could discover, or the careful study and re-analysis of
-known data determine. No new and relevant item of fact discovered,
-however trivial in itself, has failed of mention, if it might serve to
-correct, to better interpret, or to amplify the scanty though priceless
-records left us, of conditions, circumstances, and events which have
-meant so much to the world.
-
-As properly antecedent to the story of the voyage of the MAY-FLOWER as
-told by her putative "Log," albeit written up long after her boned lay
-bleaching on some unknown shore, some pertinent account has been given of
-the ship herself and of her "consort," the SPEEDWELL; of the difficulties
-attendant on securing them; of the preparations for the voyage; of the
-Merchant Adventurers who had large share in sending them to sea; of their
-officers and crews; of their passengers and lading; of the troubles that
-assailed before they had "shaken off the land," and of the final
-consolidation of the passengers and lading of both ships upon the MAY-
-FLOWER, for the belated ocean passage. The wholly negative results of
-careful search render it altogether probable that the original journal or
-"Log" of the MAY-FLOWER (a misnomer lately applied by the British press,
-and unhappily continued in that of the United States, to the recovered
-original manuscript of Bradford's "History of Plimoth Plantation "), if
-such journal ever existed, is now hopelessly lost.
-
-So far as known, no previous effort has been made to bring together in
-the consecutive relation of such a journal, duly attested and in their
-entirety, the ascertained daily happenings of that destiny-freighted
-voyage. Hence, this later volume may perhaps rightly claim to present--
-and in part to be, though necessarily imperfect--the sole and a true "Log
-of the MAY-FLOWER." No effort has been made, however, to reduce the
-collated data to the shape and style of the ship's "Log" of recent times,
-whose matter and form are largely prescribed by maritime law. While it is
-not possible to give, as the original--if it existed--would have done,
-the results of the navigators' observations day by day; the "Lat." and
-"Long."; the variations of the wind and of the magnetic needle; the
-tallies of the "lead" and "log" lines; "the daily run," etc.--in all
-else the record may confidently be assumed to vary little from that
-presumably kept, in some form, by Captain Jones, the competent Master of
-the Pilgrim bark, and his mates, Masters Clarke and Coppin.
-
-As the charter was for the "round voyage," all the features and incidents
-of that voyage until complete, whether at sea or in port, properly find
-entry in its journal, and are therefore included in this compilation,
-which it is hoped may hence prove of reference value to such as take
-interest in Pilgrim studies. Although the least pleasant to the author,
-not the least valuable feature of the work to the reader--especially if
-student or writer of Pilgrim history--will be found, it is believed, in
-the numerous corrections of previously published errors which it
-contains, some of which are radical and of much historical importance.
-It is true that new facts and items of information which have been coming
-to light, in long neglected or newly discovered documents, etc., are
-correctives of earlier and natural misconceptions, and a certain
-percentage of error is inevitable, but many radical and reckless errors
-have been made in Pilgrim history which due study and care must have
-prevented. Such errors have so great and rapidly extending power for
-harm, and, when built upon, so certainly bring the superstructure
-tumbling to the ground, that the competent and careful workman can render
-no better service than to point out and correct them wherever found,
-undeterred by the association of great names, or the consciousness of his
-own liability to blunder. A sound and conscientious writer will welcome
-the courteous correction of his error, in the interest of historical
-accuracy; the opinion of any other need not be regarded.
-
-Some of the new contributions (or original demonstrations), of more or
-less historical importance, made to the history of the Pilgrims, as the
-author believes, by this volume, are as follows:--
-
-(a) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left Delfshaven on
-the SPEEDWELL for Southampton; in other words, the names--those of Carver
-and Cushman and of the latter's family being added--of the Leyden
-contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-(b) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left London in the
-MAY-FLOWER for Southampton; in other words, the names (with the deduction
-of Cushman and family, of Carver, who was at Southampton, and of an
-unknown few who abandoned the voyage at Plymouth) of the English
-contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-(c) The establishment as correct, beyond reasonable doubt, of the date,
-Sunday, June 11/21, 1620, affixed by Robert Cushman to his letter to the
-Leyden leaders (announcing the "turning of the tide" in Pilgrim affairs,
-the hiring of the "pilott" Clarke, etc.), contrary to the conclusions of
-Prince, Arber, and others, that the letter could not have been written on
-Sunday.
-
-(d) The demonstration of the fact that on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620,
-Cushman's efforts alone apparently turned the tide in Pilgrim affairs;
-brought Weston to renewed and decisive cooperation; secured the
-employment of a "pilot," and definite action toward hiring a ship,
-marking it as one of the most notable and important of Pilgrim "red-
-letter days."
-
-(e) The demonstration of the fact that the ship of which Weston and
-Cushman took "the refusal," on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620, was not the
-MAY-FLOWER, as Young, Deane, Goodwin, and other historians allege.
-
-(f) The demonstration of the fact (overthrowing the author's own earlier
-views) that the estimates and criticisms of Robinson, Carver, Brown,
-Goodwin, and others upon Robert Cushman were unwarranted, unjust, and
-cruel, and that he was, in fact, second to none in efficient service to
-the Pilgrims; and hence so ranks in title to grateful appreciation and
-memory.
-
-(g) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER was not chartered
-later than June 19/29, 1620, and was probably chartered in the week of
-June 12/22--June 19/29 of that year.
-
-(h) The addition of several new names to the list of the Merchant
-Adventurers, hitherto unpublished as such, with considerable new data
-concerning the list in general.
-
-(i) The demonstration of the fact that Martin and Mullens, of the MAY-
-FLOWER colonists, were also Merchant Adventurers, while William White was
-probably such.
-
-(j) The demonstration of the fact that "Master Williamson," the much-
-mooted incognito of Bradford's "Mourt's Relation" (whose existence even
-has often been denied by Pilgrim writers), was none other than the
-"ship's-merchant," or "purser" of the MAY-FLOWER,--hitherto unknown as
-one of her officers, and historically wholly unidentified.
-
-(k) The general description of; and many particulars concerning, the MAY-
-FLOWER herself; her accommodations (especially as to her cabins), her
-crew, etc., hitherto unknown.
-
-(1) The demonstration of the fact that the witnesses to the nuncupative
-will of William Mullens were two of the MAY-FLOWER'S crew (one being
-possibly the ship's surgeon), thus furnishing the names of two more of
-the ship's company, and the only names--except those of her chief
-officers--ever ascertained.
-
-(m) The indication of the strong probability that the entire company of
-the Merchant Adventurers signed, on the one part, the charter-party of
-the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-(n) An (approximate) list of the ages of the MAY-FLOWER'S passengers and
-the respective occupations of the adults.
-
-(o) The demonstration of the fact that no less than five of the Merchant
-Adventurers cast in their lots and lives with the Plymouth Pilgrims as
-colonists.
-
-(p) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas Goffe, Esquire,
-one of the Merchant Adventurers, owned the "MAY-FLOWER" when she was
-chartered for the Pilgrim voyage,--as also on her voyages to New England
-in 1629 and 1630.
-
-(q) The demonstration of the fact that the Master of the MAY-FLOWER was
-Thomas Jones, and that there was an intrigue with Master Jones to land
-the Pilgrims at some point north of the 41st parallel of north latitude,
-the other parties to which were, not the Dutch, as heretofore claimed,
-but none other than Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the Earl of Warwick, chiefs
-of the "Council for New England," in furtherance of a successful scheme
-of Gorges to steal the Pilgrim colony from the London Virginia Company,
-for the more "northern Plantations" of the conspirators.
-
-(r) The demonstration of the fact that a second attempt at stealing the
-colony--by which John Pierce, one of the Adventurers, endeavored to
-possess himself of the demesne and rights of the colonists, and to make
-them his tenants--was defeated only by the intervention of the "Council"
-and the Crown, the matter being finally settled by compromise and the
-transfer of the patent by Pierce (hitherto questioned) to the colony.
-
-(s) The demonstration of the actual relations of the Merchant Adventurers
-and the Pilgrim colonists--their respective bodies being associated as
-but two partners in an equal copartnership, the interests of the
-respective partners being (probably) held upon differing bases--contrary
-to the commonly published and accepted view.
-
-(t) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER--contrary to the
-popular impression--did not enter Plymouth harbor, as a "lone vessel,"
-slowly "feeling her way" by chart and lead-line, but was undoubtedly
-piloted to her anchorage--previously "sounded" for her--by the Pilgrim
-shallop, which doubtless accompanied her from Cape Cod harbor, on both
-her efforts to make this haven, under her own sails.
-
-(u) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas English was
-helmsman of the MAY-FLOWER'S shallop (and so savior of her sovereign
-company, at the entrance of Plymouth harbor on the stormy night of the
-landing on Clarke's Island), and that hence to him the salvation of the
-Pilgrim colony is probably due; and
-
-(v) Many facts not hitherto published, or generally known, as to the
-antecedents, relationships, etc., of individual Pilgrims of both the
-Leyden and the English contingents, and of certain of the Merchant
-Adventurers.
-
-
-For convenience' sake, both the Old Style and the New Style dates of many
-events are annexed to their mention, and double-dating is followed
-throughout the narrative journal or "Log" of the Pilgrim ship.
-
-As the Gregorian and other corrections of the calendar are now generally
-well understood, and have been so often stated in detail in print, it is
-thought sufficient to note here their concrete results as affecting dates
-occurring in Pilgrim and later literature.
-
-From 1582 to 1700 the difference between O.S. and N.S. was ten (10) days
-(the leap-year being passed in 1600). From 1700 to 1800 it was eleven
-(11) days, because 1700 in O.S. was leap-year. From 1800 to 1900 the
-difference is twelve (12) days, and from 1900 to 2000 it will be thirteen
-(13) days. All the Dutch dates were New Style, while English dates were
-yet of the Old Style.
-
-There are three editions of Bradford's "History of Plimoth Plantation"
-referred to herein; each duly specified, as occasion requires. (There
-is, beside, a magnificent edition in photo-facsimile.) They are:--
-
-(a) The original manuscript itself, now in possession of the State of
-Massachusetts, having been returned from England in 1897, called herein
-"orig. MS."
-
-(b) The Deane Edition (so-called) of 1856, being that edited by the late
-Charles Deane for the Massachusetts Historical Society and published in
-"Massachusetts Historical Collections," vol. iii.; called herein "Deane's
-ed."
-
-(c) The Edition recently published by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
-and designated as the "Mass. ed."
-
-Of "Mourt's Relation" there are several editions, but the one usually
-referred to herein is that edited by Rev. Henry M. Dexter, D. D., by far
-the best. Where reference is made to any other edition, it is indicated,
-and "Dexter's ed." is sometimes named.
-
- AZEL AMES.
-
-WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS,
-March 1, 1901.
-
-
-
-
-
- THE MAYFLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-
-
- "Hail to thee, poor little ship MAY-FLOWER--of Delft Haven--
- poor, common-looking ship, hired by common charter-party for
- coined dollars,--caulked with mere oakum and tar, provisioned
- with vulgarest biscuit and bacon,--yet what ship Argo or
- miraculous epic ship, built by the sea gods, was other than a
- foolish bumbarge in comparison!"
-
- THOMAS CARLYLE
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER I
-
-THE NAME--"MAY-FLOWER"
-
-"Curiously enough," observes Professor Arber, "these names [MAY-FLOWER
-and "SPEEDWELL] do not occur either in the Bradford manuscript or in
-'Mourt's Relation.'"
-
- [A Relation, or Journal, of the Beginning and Proceedings of the
- English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, etc. G.
- Mourt, London, 1622. Undoubtedly the joint product of Bradford and
- Winslow, and sent to George Morton at London for publication.
- Bradford says (op, cit. p. 120): "Many other smaler maters I omite,
- sundrie of them having been already published, in a Jurnall made by
- one of ye company," etc. From this it would appear that Mourt's
- Relation was his work, which it doubtless principally was, though
- Winslow performed an honorable part, as "Mourt's" introduction and
- other data prove.]
-
-He might have truthfully added that they nowhere appear in any of the
-letters of the "exodus" period, whether from Carver, Robinson, Cushman,
-or Weston; or in the later publications of Window; or in fact of any
-contemporaneous writer. It is not strange, therefore, that the Rev. Mr.
-Blaxland, the able author of the "Mayflower Essays," should have asked
-for the authority for the names assigned to the two Pilgrim ships of
-1620.
-
-It seems to be the fact, as noted by Arber, that the earliest authentic
-evidence that the bark which bore the Pilgrims across the North Atlantic
-in the late autumn of 1620 was the MAY-FLOWER, is the "heading" of the
-"Allotment of Lands"--happily an "official" document--made at New
-Plymouth, New England, in March, 1623--It is not a little remarkable
-that, with the constantly recurring references to "the ship,"--the all-
-important factor in Pilgrim history,--her name should nowhere have found
-mention in the earliest Pilgrim literature. Bradford uses the terms, the
-"biger ship," or the "larger ship," and Winslow, Cushman, Captain John
-Smith, and others mention simply the "vessel," or the "ship," when
-speaking of the MAY-FLOWER, but in no case give her a name.
-
-It is somewhat startling to find so thorough-paced an Englishman as
-Thomas Carlyle calling her the MAY-FLOWER "of Delft-Haven," as in the
-quotation from him on a preceding page. That he knew better cannot be
-doubted, and it must be accounted one of those 'lapsus calami' readily
-forgiven to genius,--proverbially indifferent to detail.
-
-Sir Ferdinando Gorges makes the curious misstatement that the Pilgrims
-had three ships, and says of them: "Of the three ships (such as their
-weak fortunes were able to provide), whereof two proved unserviceable and
-so were left behind, the third with great difficulty reached the coast of
-New England," etc.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S CONSORT THE SPEEDWELL
-
-The SPEEDWELL was the first vessel procured by the Leyden Pilgrims for
-the emigration, and was bought by themselves; as she was the ship of
-their historic embarkation at Delfshaven, and that which carried the
-originators of the enterprise to Southampton, to join the MAY-FLOWER,--
-whose consort she was to be; and as she became a determining factor in
-the latter's belated departure for New England, she may justly claim
-mention here as indeed an inseparable "part and parcel" of the May-
-FLOWER'S voyage.
-
-The name of this vessel of associate historic renown with the MAY-FLOWER
-was even longer in finding record in the early literature of the Pilgrim
-hegira than that of the larger It first appeared, so far as discovered,
-in 1669--nearly fifty years after her memorable service to the Pilgrims
-on the fifth page of Nathaniel Morton's "New England's Memorial."
-
-Davis, in his "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth," makes a singular error for
-so competent a writer, when he says: "The agents of the company in
-England had hired the SPEEDWELL, of sixty tons, and sent her to
-Delfthaven, to convey the colonists to Southampton." In this, however,
-he but follows Mather and the "Modern Universal History," though both are
-notably unreliable; but he lacks their excuse, for they were without his
-access to Bradford's "Historie." That the consort-pinnace was neither
-"hired" nor "sent to Delfthaven" duly appears.
-
-Bradford states the fact,--that "a smale ship (of some 60 tune), was
-bought and fitted in Holand, which was intended to serve to help to
-transport them, so to stay in ye countrie and atend ye fishing and such
-other affairs as might be for ye good and benefite of ye colonie when
-they come ther." The statements of Bradford and others indicate that she
-was bought and refitted with moneys raised in Holland, but it is not easy
-to understand the transaction, in view of the understood terms of the
-business compact between the Adventurers and the Planters, as hereinafter
-outlined. The Merchant Adventurers--who were organized (but not
-incorporated) chiefly through the activity of Thomas Weston, a merchant
-of London, to "finance" the Pilgrim undertaking--were bound, as part of
-their engagement, to provide the necessary shipping,' etc., for the
-voyage. The "joint-stock or partnership," as it was called in the
-agreement of the Adventurers and Planters, was an equal partnership
-between but two parties, the Adventurers, as a body, being one of the
-co-partners; the Planter colonists, as a body, the other. It was a
-partnership to run for seven years, to whose capital stock the first-
-named partner (the Adventurers) was bound to contribute whatever moneys,
-or their equivalents,--some subscriptions were paid in goods,--were
-necessary to transport, equip, and maintain the colony and provide it the
-means of traffic, etc., for the term named. The second-named partner (the
-Planter body) was to furnish the men, women, and children,--the colonists
-themselves, and their best endeavors, essential to the enterprise,--and
-such further contributions of money or provisions, on an agreed basis,
-as might be practicable for them. At the expiration of the seven years,
-all properties of every kind were to be divided into two equal parts,
-of which the Adventurers were to take one and the Planters the other,
-in full satisfaction of their respective investments and claims. The
-Adventurers' half would of course be divided among themselves, in such
-proportion as their individual contributions bore to the sum total
-invested. The Planters would divide their half among their number,
-according to their respective contributions of persons, money, or
-provisions, as per the agreed basis, which was:
-
- [Bradford's Historie, Deane's ed.; Arber, op. cit. p. 305.
- The fact that Lyford (Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 217)
- recommended that every "particular" (i.e. non-partnership colonist)
- sent out by the Adventurers--and they had come to be mostly of that
- class--"should come over as an Adventurer, even if only a ser vant,"
- and the fact that he recognized that some one would have to pay in
- L10 to make each one an Adventurer, would seem to indicate that any
- one was eligible and that either L10 was the price of the Merchant
- Adventurer's share, or that this was the smallest subscription which
- would admit to membership. Such "particular," even although an
- Adventurer, had no partnership share in the Planters' half-interest;
- had no voice in the government, and no claim for maintenance. He
- was, however, amenable to the government, subject to military duty
- and to tax. The advantage of being an Adventurer without a voice in
- colony affairs would be purely a moral one.]
-
-that every person joining the enterprise, whether man, woman, youth,
-maid, or servant, if sixteen years old, should count as a share; that a
-share should be reckoned at L10, and hence that L10 worth of money or
-provisions should also count as a share. Every man, therefore, would be
-entitled to one share for each person (if sixteen years of age) he
-contributed, and for each L10 of money or provisions he added thereto,
-another share. Two children between ten and sixteen would count as one
-and be allowed a share in the division, but children under ten were to
-have only fifty acres of wild land. The scheme was admirable for its
-equity, simplicity, and elasticity, and was equally so for either
-capitalist or colonist.
-
-Goodwin notes, that, "in an edition of Cushman's 'Discourse,' Judge Davis
-of Boston advanced the idea that at first the Pilgrims put all their
-possessions into a common stock, and until 1623 had no individual
-property. In his edition of Morton's 'Memorial' he honorably admits his
-error." The same mistake was made by Robertson and Chief Justice
-Marshall, and is occasionally repeated in this day. "There was no
-community of goods, though there was labor in common, with public
-supplies of food and clothing." Neither is there warrant for the
-conclusion of Goodwin, that because the holdings of the Planters' half
-interest in the undertaking were divided into L10 shares, those of the
-Adventurers were also. It is not impossible, but it does not necessarily
-follow, and certain known facts indicate the contrary.
-
-Rev. Edward Everett Hale, in "The Pilgrims' Life in Common," says:
-"Carver, Winslow, Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Fuller, and Allerton.
-were the persons of largest means in the Leyden group of the emigrants.
-It seems as if their quota of subscription to the common stock were paid
-in 'provisions' for the voyage and the colony, and that by 'provisions'
-is meant such articles of food as could be best bought in Holland." The
-good Doctor is clearly in error, in the above. Allerton was probably as
-"well off" as any of the Leyden contingent, while Francis Cooke and
-Degory Priest were probably "better off" than either Brewster or
-Standish, who apparently had little of this world's goods. Neither is
-there any evidence that any considerable amount of "provision" was bought
-in Holland. Quite a large sum of money, which came, apparently, from the
-pockets of the Leyden Adventurers (Pickering, Greene, etc.), and some of
-the Pilgrims, was requisite to pay for the SPEEDWELL and her refitting,
-etc.; but how much came from either is conjectural at best. But aside
-from "Hollands cheese," "strong-waters" (schnapps), some few things that
-Cushman names; and probably a few others, obtained in Holland, most of
-the "provisioning," as repeatedly appears, was done at the English
-Southampton. In fact, after clothing and generally "outfitting"
-themselves, it is pretty certain that but few of the Leyden party had
-much left. There was evidently an understanding between the partners that
-there should be four principal agents charged with the preparations for,
-and carrying out of, the enterprise,--Thomas Weston and Christopher
-Martin representing the Adventurers and the colonists who were recruited
-in England (Martin being made treasurer), while Carver and Cushman acted
-for the Leyden company. John Pierce seems to have been the especial
-representative of the Adventurers in the matter of the obtaining of the
-Patent from the (London) Virginia Company, and later from the Council for
-New England. Bradford says: "For besides these two formerly mentioned,
-sent from Leyden, viz., Master Carver and Robert Cushman, there was one
-chosen in England to be joyned with them, to make the provisions for the
-Voyage. His name was Master Martin. He came from Billerike in Essexe;
-from which parts came sundry others to go with them; as also from London
-and other places, and therefore it was thought meet and convenient by
-them in Holand, that these strangers that were to goe with them, should
-appointe one thus to be joyned with them; not so much from any great need
-of their help as to avoid all susspition, or jealosie, of any
-partialitie." But neither Weston, Martin, Carver, nor Cushman seems to
-have been directly concerned in the purchase of the SPEEDWELL. The most
-probable conjecture concerning it is, that in furtherance of the purpose
-of the Leyden leaders, stated by Bradford, that there should be a small
-vessel for their service in fishing, traffic, etc., wherever they might
-plant the colony, they were permitted by the Adventurers to purchase the
-SPEEDWELL for that service, and as a consort, "on general account."
-
-It is evident, however, from John Robinson's letter of June 14, 1620, to
-John Carver, that Weston ridiculed the transaction, probably on selfish
-grounds, but, as events proved, not without some justification.
-
-Robinson says: "Master Weston makes himself merry with our endeavors
-about buying a ship," [the SPEEDWELL] "but we have done nothing in this
-but with good reason, as I am persuaded." Although bought with funds
-raised in Holland,
-
- [Arber (The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341) arrives at the
- conclusion that "The SPEEDWELL had been bought with Leyden money.
- The proceeds of her sale, after her return to London, would, of
- course, go to the credit of the common joint-Stock there." This
- inference seems warranted by Robinson's letter of June 16/26 to
- Carver, in which he clearly indicates that the Leyden brethren
- collected the "Adventurers" subscriptions of Pickering and his
- partner (Greene), which were evidently considerable.]
-
-it was evidently upon "joint-account," and she was doubtless so sold, as
-alleged, on her arrival in September, at London, having proved
-unseaworthy. In fact, the only view of this transaction that harmonizes
-with the known facts and the respective rights and relations of the
-parties is, that permission was obtained (perhaps through Edward
-Pickering, one of the Adventurers, a merchant of Leyden, and others that
-the Leyden leaders should buy and refit the consort, and in so doing
-might expend the funds which certain of the Leyden Pilgrims were to pay
-into the enterprise, which it appears they did,--and for which they would
-receive, as shown, extra shares in the Planters' half-interest. It was
-very possibly further permitted by the Adventurers, that Mr. Pickering's
-and his partners' subscriptions to their capital stock should be applied
-to the purchase of the SPEEDWELL, as they were collected by the Leyden
-leaders, as Pastor Robinson's letter of June 14/24 to John Carver,
-previously noted, clearly shows.
-
-She was obviously bought some little time before May 31, 1620,--probably
-in the early part of the month,--from the fact that in their letter of
-May 31st to Carver and Cushman, then in London, Messrs. Fuller, Winslow,
-Bradford, and Allerton state that "we received divers letters at the
-coming of Master Nash and our Pilott," etc. From this it is clear that
-time enough had elapsed, since their purchase of the pinnace, for their
-messenger (Master Nash) to go to London,--evidently with a request to
-Carver and Cushman that they would send over a competent "pilott" to
-refit her, and for Nash to return with him, while the letter announcing
-their arrival does not seem to have been immediately written.
-
-The writers of the above-mentioned letter use the words "we received,"--
-using the past tense, as if some days before, instead of "we have your
-letters," or "we have just received your letters," which would rather
-indicate present, or recent, time. Probably some days elapsed after the
-"pilott's" arrival, before this letter of acknowledgment was sent. It is
-hence fair to assume that the pinnace was bought early in May, and that
-no time was lost by the Leyden party in preparing for the exodus, after
-their negotiations with the Dutch were "broken off" and they had "struck
-hands" with Weston, sometime between February 2/12, 1619/20, and April
-1/11, 1620,--probably in March.
-
-The consort was a pinnace--as vessels of her class were then and for many
-years called--of sixty tons burden, as already stated, having two masts,
-which were put in--as we are informed by Bradford, and are not allowed by
-Professor Arber to forget--as apart of her refitting in Holland. That
-she was "square-rigged," and generally of the then prevalent style of
-vessels of her size and class, is altogether probable. The name pinnace
-was applied to vessels having a wide range in tonnage, etc., from a craft
-of hardly more than ten or fifteen tons to one of sixty or eighty. It
-was a term of pretty loose and indefinite adaptation and covered most of
-the smaller craft above a shallop or ketch, from such as could be
-propelled by oars, and were so fitted, to a small ship of the SPEEDWELL'S
-class, carrying an armament.
-
-None of the many representations of the SPEEDWELL which appear in
-historical pictures are authentic, though some doubtless give correct
-ideas of her type. Weir's painting of the "Embarkation of the Pilgrims,"
-in the Capitol at Washington (and Parker's copy of the same in Pilgrim
-Hall, Plymouth); Lucy's painting of the "Departure of the Pilgrims," in
-Pilgrim Hall; Copes great painting in the corridor of the British Houses
-of Parliament, and others of lesser note, all depict the vessel on much
-the same lines, but nothing can be claimed for any of them, except
-fidelity to a type of vessel of that day and class. Perhaps the best
-illustration now known of a craft of this type is given in the painting
-by the Cuyps, father and son, of the "Departure of the Pilgrims from
-Delfshaven," as reproduced by Dr. W. E. Griffis, as the frontispiece to
-his little monograph, "The Pilgrims in their Three Homes." No reliable
-description of the pinnace herself is known to exist, and but few facts
-concerning her have been gleaned. That she was fairly "roomy" for a
-small number of passengers, and had decent accommodations, is inferable
-from the fact that so many as thirty were assigned to her at Southampton,
-for the Atlantic voyage (while the MAY-FLOWER, three times her tonnage,
-but of greater proportionate capacity, had but ninety), as also from the
-fact that "the chief [i.e. principal people] of them that came from
-Leyden went in this ship, to give Master Reynolds content." That she
-mounted at least "three pieces of ordnance" appears by the testimony of
-Edward Winslow, and they probably comprised her armament.
-
-We have seen that Bradford notes the purchase and refitting of this
-"smale ship of 60 tune" in Holland. The story of her several sailings,
-her "leakiness," her final return, and her abandonment as unseaworthy,
-is familiar. We find, too, that Bradford also states in his "Historie,"
-that "the leakiness of this ship was partly by her being overmasted and
-too much pressed with sails." It will, however, amaze the readers of
-Professor Arber's generally excellent "Story of the Pilgrim Fathers," so
-often referred to herein, to find him sharply arraigning "those members
-of the Leyden church who were responsible for the fitting of the
-SPEEDWELL," alleging that "they were the proximate causes of most of the
-troubles on the voyage [of the MAY-FLOWER] out; and of many of the deaths
-at Plymouth in New England in the course of the following Spring; for
-they overmasted the vessel, and by so doing strained her hull while
-sailing." To this straining, Arber wholly ascribes the "leakiness" of
-the SPEEDWELL and the delay in the final departure of the MAYFLOWER, to
-which last he attributes the disastrous results he specifies. It would
-seem that the historian, unduly elated at what he thought the discovery
-of another "turning-point of modern history," endeavors to establish it
-by such assertions and such partial references to Bradford as would
-support the imaginary "find." Briefly stated, this alleged discovery,
-which he so zealously announces, is that if the SPEEDWELL had not been
-overmasted, both she and the MAY-FLOWER would have arrived early in the
-fall at the mouth of the Hudson River, and the whole course of New
-England history would have been entirely different. Ergo, the
-"overmasting" of the SPEEDWELL was a "pivotal point in modern history."
-With the idea apparently of giving eclat to this announcement and of
-attracting attention to it, he surprisingly charges the responsibility
-for the "overmasting" and its alleged dire results upon the leaders of
-the Leyden church, "who were," he repeatedly asserts, "alone
-responsible." As a matter of fact, however, Bradford expressly states
-(in the same paragraph as that upon which Professor Arber must wholly
-base his sweeping assertions) that the "overmasting" was but "partly"
-responsible for the SPEEDWELL'S leakiness, and directly shows that the
-"stratagem" of her master and crew, "afterwards," he adds, "known, and by
-some confessed," was the chief cause of her leakiness.
-
-Cushman also shows, by his letter,--written after the ships had put back
-into Dartmouth,--a part of which Professor Arber uses, but the most
-important part suppresses, that what he evidently considers the principal
-leak was caused by a very "loose board" (plank), which was clearly not
-the result of the straining due to "crowding sail," or of "overmasting."
-(See Appendix.)
-
-Moreover, as the Leyden chiefs were careful to employ a presumably
-competent man ("pilott," afterwards "Master" Reynolds) to take charge of
-refitting the consort, they were hence clearly, both legally and morally,
-exempt from responsibility as to any alterations made. Even though the
-"overmasting" had been the sole cause of the SPEEDWELL'S leakiness, and
-the delays and vicissitudes which resulted to the MAY-FLOWER and her
-company, the leaders of the Leyden church--whom Professor Arber arraigns
---(themselves chiefly the sufferers) were in no wise at fault! It is
-clear, however, that the "overmasting" cut but small figure in the case;
-"confessed" rascality in making a leak otherwise, being the chief
-trouble, and this, as well as the "overmasting," lay at the door of
-Master Reynolds.
-
-Even if the MAY-FLOWER had not been delayed by the SPEEDWELL'S condition,
-and both had sailed for "Hudson's River" in midsummer, it is by no means
-certain that they would have reached there, as Arber so confidently
-asserts. The treachery of Captain Jones, in league with Gorges, would as
-readily have landed them, by some pretext, on Cape Cod in October, as in
-December. But even though they had landed at the mouth of the Hudson,
-there is no good reason why the Pilgrim influence should not have worked
-north and east, as well as it did west and south, and with the
-Massachusetts Bay Puritans there, Roger Williams in Rhode Island, and the
-younger Winthrop in Connecticut, would doubtless have made New England
-history very much what it has been, and not, as Professor Arber asserts,
-"entirely different."
-
-The cruel indictment fails, and the imaginary "turning point in modern
-history," to announce which Professor Arber seems to have sacrificed so
-much, falls with it.
-
-The Rev. Dr. Griffis ("The Pilgrims in their Three Homes," p. 158) seems
-to give ear to Professor Arber's untenable allegations as to the Pilgrim
-leaders' responsibility for any error made in the "overmasting" of the
-SPEEDWELL, although he destroys his case by saying of the "overmasting:"
-"Whether it was done in England or Holland is not certain." He says,
-unhappily chiming in with Arber's indictment: "In their eagerness to get
-away promptly, they [the Leyden men] made the mistake of ordering for the
-SPEEDWELL heavier and taller masts and larger spars than her hull had
-been built to receive, thus altering most unwisely and disastrously her
-trim." He adds still more unhappily: "We do not hear of these inveterate
-landsmen and townsfolk [of whom he says, 'possibly there was not one man
-familiar with ships or sea life'] who were about to venture on the
-Atlantic, taking counsel of Dutch builders or mariners as to the
-proportion of their craft." Why so discredit the capacity and
-intelligence of these nation-builders? Was their sagacity ever found
-unequal to the problems they met? Were the men who commanded confidence
-and respect in every avenue of affairs they entered; who talked with
-kings and dealt with statesmen; these diplomats, merchants, students,
-artisans, and manufacturers; these men who learned law, politics, state
-craft, town building, navigation, husbandry, boat-building, and medicine,
-likely to deal negligently or presumptuously with matters upon which they
-were not informed? Their first act, after buying the SPEEDWELL, was to
-send to England for an "expert" to take charge of all technical matters
-of her "outfitting," which was done, beyond all question, in Holland.
-What need had they, having done this (very probably upon the advice of
-those experienced ship-merchants, their own "Adventurers" and townsmen,
-Edward Pickering and William Greene), to consult Dutch ship-builders or
-mariners? She was to be an English ship, under the English flag, with
-English owners, and an English captain; why: should they defer to Dutch
-seamen or put other than an English "expert" in charge of her
-alterations, especially when England rightfully boasted the best? But
-not only were these Leyden leaders not guilty of any laches as indicted
-by Arber and too readily convicted by Griffis, but the "overmasting" was
-of small account as compared with the deliberate rascality of captain and
-crew, in the disabling of the consort, as expressly certified by
-Bradford, who certainly, as an eye-witness, knew whereof he affirmed.
-
-Having bought a vessel, it was necessary to fit her for the severe
-service in which she was to be employed; to provision her for the voyage,
-etc.; and this could be done properly only by experienced hands. The
-Pilgrim leaders at Leyden seem, therefore, as noted, to have sent to
-their agents at London for a competent man to take charge of this work,
-and were sent a "pilott" (or "mate"), doubtless presumed to be equal to
-the task. Goodwin mistakenly says: "As Spring waned, Thomas Nash went
-from Leyden to confer with the agents at London. He soon returned with a
-pilot (doubtless [sic] Robert Coppin), who was to conduct the Continental
-party to England." This is both wild and remarkable "guessing" for the
-usually careful compiler of the "Pilgrim Republic." There is no warrant
-whatever for this assumption, and everything contra-indicates it,
-although two such excellent authorities as Dr. Dexter and Goodwin
-coincide--the latter undoubtedly copying the former--concerning Coppin;
-both being doubtless in error, as hereafter shown. Dexter says "My
-impression is that Coppin was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL,
-and that he was the 'pilott' whose coming was 'a great incouragement' to
-the Leyden expectants, in the last of May, or first of June, 1620 [before
-May 31, as shown]; that he sailed with them in the SPEEDWELL, but on her
-final putting back was transferred to the MAY-FLOWER." All the direct
-light any one has upon the matter comes from the letter of the Leyden
-brethren of May 31 [O.S.], 1620, previously cited, to Carver and Cushman,
-and the reply of the latter thereto, of Sunday, June 11, 1620. The
-former as noted, say: "We received diverse letters at the coming of
-Master Nash [probably Thomas] and our pilott, which is a great
-incouragement unto us . . . and indeed had you not sente him [the
-'pilott,' presumably] many would have been ready to fainte and goe
-backe." Neither here nor in any other relation is there the faintest
-suggestion of Coppin, except as what he was, "the second mate," or
-"pilott," of the MAY-FLOWER. It is not reasonable to suppose that, for
-so small a craft but just purchased, and with the expedition yet
-uncertain, the Leyden leaders or their London agents had by June 11,
-employed both a "Master" and a "pilott" for the SPEEDWELL, as must have
-been the case if this "pilott" was, as Goodwin so confidently assumes,
-"doubtless Robert Coppin." For in Robert Cushman's letter of Sunday,
-June 11, as if proposing (now that the larger vessel would be at once
-obtained, and would, as he thought, be "ready in fourteen days") that the
-"pilott" sent over to "refit" the SPEEDWELL should be further utilized,
-he says: "Let Master Reynolds tarrie there [inferentially, not return
-here when his work is done, as we originally arranged] and bring the ship
-[the SPEEDWELL], to Southampton." The latter service we know he
-performed.
-
-The side lights upon the matter show, beyond doubt:--
-
-(a) That a "pilott" had been sent to Holland, with Master Nash, before
-May 31, 1620;
-
-(b) That unless two had been sent (of which there is no suggestion, and
-which is entirely improbable, for obvious reasons), Master Reynolds was
-the "pilott" who was thus sent;
-
-(c) That it is clear, from Cushman's letter of June 11/21, that Reynolds
-was then in Holland, for Cushman directs that " Master Reynolds tarrie
-there and bring the ship to Southampton;"
-
-(d) That Master Reynolds was not originally intended to "tarrie there,"
-and "bring the ship," etc., as, if he had been, there would have been no
-need of giving such an order; and
-
-(e) That he had been sent there for some other purpose than to bring the
-SPEEDWELL to Southampton. Duly considering all the facts together, there
-can be no doubt that only one "pilott" was sent from England; that he was
-expected to return when the work was done for which he went (apparently
-the refitting of the SPEEDWELL); that he was ordered to remain for a new
-duty, and that the man who performed that duty and brought the ship to
-Southampton (who, we know was Master Reynolds) must have been the
-"pilott", sent over.
-
-We are told too, by Bradford,
-
- [Bradford's Historie, as already cited; Arber, The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341. John Brown, in his Pilgrim Fathers of New
- England, p. 198, says: "She [the SPEEDWELL] was to remain with the
- colony for a year." Evidently a mistake, arising from the length of
- time for which her crew were shipped. The pinnace herself was
- intended, as we have seen, for the permanent use of they colonists,
- and was to remain indefinitely.]
-
-that the crew of the SPEEDWELL "were hired for a year," and we know, in a
-general way, that most of them went with her to London when she abandoned
-the voyage. This there is ample evidence Coppin did not do, going as he
-did to New England as "second mate" or "pilott" of the MAY-FLOWER, which
-there is no reason to doubt he was when she left London. Neither is
-there anywhere any suggestion that there was at Southampton any change in
-the second mate of the larger ship, as there must have been to make good
-the suggestion of Dr. Dexter.
-
-Where the SPEEDWELL lay while being "refitted" has not been ascertained,
-though presumably at Delfshaven, whence she sailed, though possibly at
-one of the neighboring larger ports, where her new masts and cordage
-could be "set up" to best advantage.
-
-We know that Reynolds--"pilott" and "Master" went from London to
-superintend the "making-ready" for sea. Nothing is known, however, of
-his antecedents, and nothing of his history after he left the service of
-the Pilgrims in disgrace, except that he appears to have come again to
-New England some years later, in command of a vessel, in the service of
-the reckless adventurer Weston (a traitor to the Pilgrims), through whom,
-it is probable, he was originally selected for their service in Holland.
-Bradford and others entitled to judge have given their opinions of this
-cowardly scoundrel (Reynolds) in unmistakable terms.
-
-What other officers and crew the pinnace had does not appear, and we know
-nothing certainly of them, except the time for which they shipped; that
-some of them were fellow-conspirators with the Master (self-confessed),
-in the "strategem" to compel the SPEEDWELL'S abandonment of the voyage;
-and that a few were transferred to the MAYFLOWER. From the fact that the
-sailors Trevore and Ely returned from New Plymouth on the FORTUNE in
-1621, "their time having expired," as Bradford notes, it may be fairly
-assumed that they were originally of the SPEEDWELL'S crew.
-
-That the fears of the SPEEDWELL'S men had been worked upon, and their
-cooperation thus secured by the artful Reynolds, is clearly indicated by
-the statement of Bradford: "For they apprehended that the greater ship
-being of force and in which most of the provisions were stored, she would
-retain enough for herself, whatever became of them or the passengers, and
-indeed such speeches had been cast out by some of them."
-
-Of the list of passengers who embarked at Delfshaven, July 22, 1620,
-"bound for Southampton on the English coast, and thence for the northern
-parts of Virginia," we fortunately have a pretty accurate knowledge.
-All of the Leyden congregation who were to emigrate, with the exception
-of Robert Cushman and family, and (probably) John Carver, were doubtless
-passengers upon the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to Southampton, though the
-presence of Elder Brewster has been questioned. The evidence that he was
-there is well-nigh as conclusive as that Robert Cushman sailed on the
-MAY-FLOWER from London, and that Carver, who had been for some months in
-England,--chiefly at Southampton, making preparations for the voyage, was
-there to meet the ships on their arrival. It is possible, of course,
-that Cushman's wife and son came on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven; but is
-not probable. Among the passengers, however, were some who, like Thomas
-Blossom and his son, William Ring, and others, abandoned the voyage to
-America at Plymouth, and returned in the pinnace to London and thence
-went back to Holland. Deducting from the passenger list of the MAYFLOWER
-those known to have been of the English contingent, with Robert Cushman
-and family, and John Carver, we have a very close approximate to the
-SPEEDWELL'S company on her "departure from Delfshaven." It has not been
-found possible to determine with absolute certainty the correct relation
-of a few persons. They may have been of the Leyden contingent and so
-have come with their brethren on the SPEEDWELL, or they may have been of
-the English colonists, and first embarked either at London or at
-Southampton, or even at Plymouth,--though none are supposed to have
-joined the emigrants there or at Dartmouth.
-
-The list of those embarking at Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, and so of the
-participants in that historic event,--a list now published for the first
-time, so far as known,--is undoubtedly accurate, within the limitations
-stated, as follows, being for convenience' sake arranged by families:
-
-The Family of Deacon John Carver (probably in charge of John Howland),
-embracing:--
- Mrs. Katherine Carver,
- John Howland (perhaps kinsman of Carver), "servant" or "employee,"
- Desire Minter, or Minther (probably companion of Mrs. Carver,
- perhaps kinswoman),
- Roger Wilder, "servant,"
- "Mrs. Carver's maid" (whose name has never transpired).
-
-Master William Bradford and
- Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford.
-
-Master Edward Winslow and
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow,
- George Soule a "servant" (or employee),
- Elias Story, "servant."
-
-Elder William Brewster and
- Mrs. Mary Brewster,
- Love Brewster, a son,
- Wrestling Brewster, a son.
-
-Master Isaac Allerton and
- Mrs. Mary (Morris) Allerton,
- Bartholomew Allerton, a son,
- Remember Allerton, a daughter,
- Mary Allerton, a daughter,
- John Hooke, "servant-boy."
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller and
- William Butten, "servant"-assistant.
-
-Captain Myles Standish and
- Mrs. Rose Standish.
-
-Master William White and
- Mrs. Susanna (Fuller) White,
- Resolved White, a son,
- William Holbeck, "servant,"
- Edward Thompson, "servant."
-
-Deacon Thomas Blossom and
- ----- Blossom, a son.
-
-Master Edward Tilley and
- Mrs. Ann Tilley.
-
-Master John Tilley and
- Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde?) Tilley (2d wife),
- Elizabeth Tilley, a daughter of Mr. Tilley by a former wife(?)
-
-John Crackstone and
- John Crackstone (Jr.), a son.
-
-Francis Cooke and
- John Cooke, a son.
-
-John Turner and
- ---- Turner, a son,
- ---- Turner, a son.
-
-Degory Priest.
-
-Thomas Rogers and
- Joseph Rogers, a son.
-
-Moses Fletcher.
-
-Thomas Williams.
-
-Thomas Tinker and
- Mrs. ---- Tinker,
- ---- Tinker, a son.
-
-Edward Fuller and
- Mrs. ---- Fuller,
- Samuel Fuller, a son.
-
-John Rigdale and
- Mrs. Alice Rigdale.
-
-Francis Eaton and
- Mrs. ---- Eaton,
- Samuel Eaton, an infant son.
-
-Peter Browne.
-
-William Ring.
-
-Richard Clarke.
-
-John Goodman.
-
-Edward Margeson.
-
-Richard Britteridge.
-
-
-Mrs. Katherine Carver and her family, it is altogether probable, came
- over in charge of Howland, who was probably a kinsman, both he and
- Deacon Carver coming from Essex in England,--as they could hardly
- have been in England with Carver during the time of his exacting
- work of preparation. He, it is quite certain, was not a passenger
- on the Speedwell, for Pastor Robinson would hardly have sent him
- such a letter as that received by him at Southampton, previously
- mentioned (Bradford's "Historie," Deane's ed. p. 63), if he had been
- with him at Delfshaven at the "departure," a few days before. Nor
- if he had handed it to him at Delfshaven, would he have told him in
- it, "I have written a large letter to the whole company."
-
-John Howland was clearly a "secretary" or "steward," rather than a
- "servant," and a man of standing and influence from the outset.
- That he was in Leyden and hence a SPEEDWELL passenger appears
- altogether probable, but is not absolutely certain.
-
-Desire Minter (or Minther) was undoubtedly the daughter of Sarah, who,
- the "Troth Book" (or "marriage-in-tention" records) for 1616, at the
- Stadtbuis of Leyden, shows, was probably wife or widow of one
- William Minther--evidently of Pastor Robinson's congregation--when
- she appeared on May 13 as a "voucher" for Elizabeth Claes, who then
- pledged herself to Heraut Wilson, a pump-maker, John Carver being
- one of Wilson's "vouchers." In 1618 Sarah Minther (then recorded as
- the widow of William) reappeared, to plight her troth to Roger
- Simons, brick-maker, from Amsterdam. These two records and the
- rarity of the name warrant an inference that Desire Minter (or
- Minther) was the daughter of William and Sarah (Willet) Minter (or
- Minther), of Robinson's flock; that her father had died prior to
- 1618 (perhaps before 1616); that the Carvers were near friends,
- perhaps kinsfolk; that her father being dead, her mother, a poor
- widow (there were clearly no rich ones in the Leyden congregation),
- placed this daughter with the Carvers, and, marrying herself, and
- removing to Amsterdam the year before the exodus, was glad to leave
- her daughter in so good a home and such hands as Deacon and Mistress
- Carver's. The record shows that the father and mother of Mrs. Sarah
- Minther, Thomas and Alice Willet, the probable grandparents of
- Desire Minter, appear as "vouchers" for their daughter at her Leyden
- betrothal. Of them we know nothing further, but it is a reasonable
- conjecture that they may have returned to England after the
- remarriage of their daughter and her removal to Amsterdam, and the
- removal of the Carvers and their granddaughter to America, and that
- it was to them that Desire went, when, as Bradford records, "she
- returned to her friends in England, and proved not very well and
- died there."
-
-"Mrs. Carver's maid" we know but little about, but the presumption is
- naturally strong that she came from; Leyden with her mistress. Her
- early marriage and; death are duly recorded.
-
-Roger Wilder, Carver's "servant;" was apparently in his service at Leyden
- and accompanied the family from thence. Bradford calls him "his
- [Carver's] man Roger," as if an old, familiar household servant,
- which (as Wilder died soon after the arrival at Plymouth) Bradford
- would not have been as likely to do--writing in 1650, thirty years
- after--if he had been only a short-time English addition to Carver's
- household, known to Bradford only during the voyage. The fact that
- he speaks of him as a "man" also indicates something as to his age,
- and renders it certain that he was not an "indentured" lad. It is
- fair to presume he was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL to Southampton.
- (It is probable that Carver's "servant-boy," William Latham, and
- Jasper More, his "bound-boy," were obtained in England, as more
- fully appears.)
-
-Master William Bradford and his wife were certainly of the party in the
- SPEEDWELL, as shown by his own recorded account of the embarkation.
- (Bradford's "Historie," etc.)
-
-Master Edward Winslow's very full (published) account of the embarkation
- ("Hypocrisie Unmasked," pp. 10-13, etc.) makes it certain that
- himself and family were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-
-George Soule, who seems to have been a sort of "upper servant" or
- "steward," it is not certain was with Winslow in Holland, though it
- is probable.
-
-Elias Story, his "under-servant," was probably also with him in Holland,
- though not surely so. Both servants might possibly have been
- procured from London or at Southampton, but probably sailed from
- Delfshaven with Winslow in the SPEEDWELL.
-
-Elder William Brewster and his family, his wife and two boys, were
- passengers on the SPEEDWELL, beyond reasonable doubt. He was, in
- fact, the ranking man of the Leyden brethren till they reached
- Southampton and the respective ships' "governors" were chosen. The
- Church to that point was dominant. (The Elder's two "bound-boys,"
- being from London, do not appear as SPEEDWELL passengers.) There is,
- on careful study, no warrant to be found for the remarkable
- statements of Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 33), that, during the
- hunt for Brewster in Holland in 1619, by the emissaries of James I.
- of England (in the endeavor to apprehend and punish him for printing
- and publishing certain religious works alleged to be seditious),
- "William Brewster was in London . . . and there he remained until
- the sailing of the MAYFLOWER, which he helped to fit out;" and that
- during that time "he visited Scrooby." That he had no hand whatever
- in fitting out the MAYFLOWER is certain, and the Scrooby statement
- equally lacks foundation. Professor Arber, who is certainly a
- better authority upon the "hidden press" of the Separatists in
- Holland, and the official correspondence relating to its proprietors
- and their movements, says ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,"
- p.196): "The Ruling Elder of the Pilgrim Church was, for more than a
- year before he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, on the 22 July-
- 1 August, 1620, a hunted man." Again (p. 334), he says: "Here let
- us consider the excellent management and strategy of this Exodus.
- If the Pilgrims had gone to London to embark for America, many, if
- not most of them, would have been put in prison [and this is the
- opinion of a British historian, knowing the temper of those times,
- especially William Brewster.] So only those embarked in London
- against whom the Bishops could take no action." We can understand,
- in light, why Carver--a more objectionable person than Cushman to
- the prelates, because of his office in the Separatist Church--was
- chiefly employed out of their sight, at Southampton, etc., while the
- diplomatic and urbane Cushman did effective work at London, under
- the Bishops' eyes. It is not improbable that the personal
- friendship of Sir Robert Naunton (Principal Secretary of State to
- King James) for Sir Edward Sandys and the Leyden brethren (though
- officially seemingly active under his masters' orders in pushing Sir
- Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, to an
- unrelenting search for Brewster) may have been of material aid to
- the Pilgrims in gaining their departure unmolested. The only basis
- known for the positive expression of Goodwin resides in the
- suggestions of several letters' of Sir Dudley Carleton to Sir Robert
- Naunton, during the quest for Brewster; the later seeming clearly to
- nullify the earlier.
-
- Under date of July 22, 1619, Carleton says: "One William Brewster,
- a Brownist, who has been for some years an inhabitant and printer at
- Leyden, but is now within these three weeks removed from thence and
- gone back to dwell in London," etc.
-
- On August 16, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: "I am told William Brewster is
- come again for Leyden," but on the 30th adds: "I have made good
- enquiry after William Brewster and am well assured he is not
- returned thither, neither is it likely he will; having removed from
- thence both his family and goods," etc.
-
- On September 7, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: "Touching Brewster, I am now
- informed that he is on this side the seas [not in London, as before
- alleged]; and that he was seen yesterday, at Leyden, but, as yet, is
- not there settled," etc.
-
- On September 13, 1619 (N.S.), he says: "I have used all diligence to
- enquire after Brewster; and find he keeps most at Amsterdam; but
- being 'incerti laris', he is not yet to be lighted upon. I
- understand he prepares to settle himself at a village called
- Leerdorp, not far from Leyden, thinking there to be able to print
- prohibited books without discovery, but I shall lay wait for him,
- both there and in other places, so as I doubt but either he must
- leave this country; or I shall, sooner or later, find him out."
-
- On September 20, 1619 (N.S.), he says: "I have at length found out
- Brewster at Leyden," etc. It was a mistake, and Brewster's partner
- (Thomas Brewer), one of the Merchant Adventurers, was arrested
- instead.
-
- On September 28, 1619 (N.S.), he states, writing from Amsterdam:
- "If he lurk here for fear of apprehension, it will be hard to find
- him," etc.
-
- As late as February 8, 1619/20, there was still a desire and hope
- for his arrest, but by June the matter had become to the King--and
- all others--something of an old story. While, as appears by a
- letter of Robert Cushman, written in London, in May, 1619, Brewster
- was then undoubtedly there, one cannot agree, in the light of the
- official correspondence just quoted, with the conclusion of Dr.
- Alexander Young ("Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers," vol. i.
- p. 462), that "it is probable he [Brewster] did not return to
- Leyden, but kept close till the MAYFLOWER sailed."
-
- Everything indicates that he was at Leyden long after this; that he
- did not again return to London, as supposed; and that he was in
- hiding with his family (after their escape from the pursuit at
- Leyden), somewhere among friends in the Low Countries. Although by
- July, 1620, the King had, as usual, considerably "cooled off," we
- may be sure that with full knowledge of the harsh treatment meted
- out to his partner (Brewer) when caught, though unusually mild (by
- agreement with the authorities of the University and Province of
- Holland), Brewster did not deliberately put himself "under the
- lion's paw" at London, or take any chances of arrest there, even in
- disguise. Dr. Griffis has lent his assent (" The Pilgrims in their
- Homes," p, 167), though probably without careful analysis of all the
- facts, to the untenable opinion expressed by Goodwin, that Brewster
- was "hiding in England" when the SPEEDWELL sailed from Delfshaven.
- There can be no doubt that, with his ever ready welcome of sound
- amendment, he will, on examination, revise his opinion, as would the
- clear-sighted Goodwin, if living and cognizant of the facts as
- marshalled against his evident error. As the leader and guide of
- the outgoing part of the Leyden church we may, with good warrant,
- believe--as all would wish--that Elder Brewster was the chief figure
- the departing Pilgrims gathered on the SPEEDWELL deck, as she took
- her departure from Delfshaven.
-
-Master Isaac Allerton and his family, his wife and three children, two
- sons and a daughter, were of the Leyden company and passengers in
- the SPEEDWELL. We know he was active there as a leader, and was
- undoubtedly one of those who bought the SPEEDWELL. He was one of
- the signers of the joint-letter from Leyden, to Carver and Cushman,
- May 31 (O.S.) 1620.
-
-John Hooke, Allerton's "servant-lad," may have been detained at London or
- Southampton, but it is hardly probable, as Allerton was a man of
- means, consulted his comfort, and would have hardly started so large
- a family on such a journey without a servant.
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller was, as is well known, one of the Leyden chiefs,
- connected by blood and marriage with many of the leading families of
- Robinson's congregation. He was active in the preparations for the
- voyage the first signer of the joint-letter of May 31, and doubtless
- one of the negotiators for the SPEEDWELL. His wife and child were
- left behind, to follow later as they did.
-
-William Butten, the first of the Pilgrim party to die, was, in all
- probability, a student-"servant" of Doctor Fuller at Leyden, and
- doubtless embarked with him at Delfshaven. Bradford calls him
- (writing of his death) "Wm. Butten, a youth, servant to Samuel
- Fuller." Captain Myles Standish and his wife Rose, we know from
- Bradford, were with the Pilgrims in Leyden and doubtless shipped
- with them. Arber calls him ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,"
- p. 378) a "chief of the Pilgrim Fathers" in the sense of a father
- and leader in their Israel; but there is no warrant for this
- assumption, though he became their "sword-hand" in the New World.
- By some writers, though apparently with insufficient warrant,
- Standish has been declared a Roman Catholic. It does not appear
- that he was ever a communicant of the Pilgrim Church. His family,
- moreover, was not of the Roman Catholic faith, and all his conduct
- in the colony is inconsistent with the idea that he was of that
- belief. Master William White, his wife and son, were of the Leyden
- congregation, both husband and wife being among its principal
- people, and nearly related to several of the Pilgrim band. The
- marriage of Mr. and Mrs. White is duly recorded in Leyden. William
- Holbeck and Edward Thompson, Master White's two servants, he
- probably took with him from Leyden, as his was a family of means and
- position, though they might possibly have been procured at
- Southampton. They were apparently passengers in the SPEEDWELL.
- Deacon Thomas Blossom and his son were well known as of Pastor
- Robinson's flock at Leyden. They returned, moreover, to Holland
- from Plymouth, England (where they gave up the voyage), via London.
- The father went to New Plymouth ten years later, the son dying
- before that time. (See Blossom's letter to Governor Bradford.
- Bradford's Letter Book, "Plymouth Church Records," i. 42.) In his
- letter dated at Leyden, December 15, 1625, he says: "God hath taken
- away my son that was with me in the ship MAYFLOWER when I went back
- again."
-
-Edward Tilley (sometimes given the prefix of Master) his wife Ann are
- known to have been of the Leyden company. (Bradford's "Historie,"
- p. 83.) It is doubtful if their "cousins," Henry Sampson and
- Humility Cooper, were of Leyden. They apparently were English
- kinsfolk, taken to New England with the Tilleys, very likely joined
- them at Southampton and hence were not of the SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers. Humility Cooper returned to England after the death of
- Tilley and his wife. That Mrs. Tilley's "given name" was Ann is not
- positively established, but rests on Bradford's evidence.
-
-John Tilley (who is also sometimes called Master) is reputed a brother of
- Edward, and is known to have been--as also his wife--of the Leyden
- church (Bradford, Deane's ed. p. 83.) His second wife Bridget Van
- der Velde, was evidently of Holland blood, and their marriage is
- recorded in Leyden. Elizabeth Tilley was clearly a daughter by an
- earlier wife. He is said by Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 32) to
- have been a "silk worker" Leyden, but earlier authority for this
- occupation is not found.
-
-John Crackstone is of record as of the Leyden congregation. His daughter
- remained there, and came later to America.
-
-John Crackstone, Jr., son of above. Both were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-
-Francis Cooke has been supposed a very early member of Robinson's flock
- in England, who escaped with them to Holland, in 1608. He and his
- son perhaps embarked at Delfshaven, leaving his wife and three other
- children to follow later. (See Robinson's letter to Governor
- Bradford, "Mass. Hist. Coll.," vol. iii. p. 45, also Appendix for
- account of Cooke's marriage.)
-
-John Cooke, the son, was supposed to have lived to be the last male
- survivor of the MAY-FLOWER, but Richard More proves to have survived
- him. He was a prominent man in the colony, like his father, and the
- founder of Dartmouth (Mass.).
-
-John Turner and his sons are also known to have been of the Leyden party,
- as he was undoubtedly the messenger sent to London with the letter
- (of May 31) of the leaders to Carver and Cushman, arriving there
- June 10, 1620. They were beyond doubt of the SPEEDWELL'S list.
-
-Degory Priest--or "Digerie," as Bradford calls him--was a prominent
- member of the Leyden body. His marriage is recorded there, and he
- left his family in the care of his pastor and friends, to follow him
- later. He died early.
-
-Thomas Rogers and his son are reputed of the Leyden company. He left
- (according to Bradford) some of his family there--as did Cooke and
- Priest--to follow later. It has been suggested that Rogers might
- have been of the Essex (England) lineage, but no evidence of this
- appears. The Rogers family of Essex were distinctively Puritans,
- both in England and in the Massachusetts colony.
-
-Moses Fletcher was a "smith" at Leyden, and of Robinson's church. He was
- married there, in 1613, to his second wife. He was perhaps of the
- English Amsterdam family of Separatists, of that name. As the only
- blacksmith of the colonists, his early death was a great loss.
-
-Thomas Williams, there seems no good reason to doubt, was the Thomas
- Williams known to have been of Leyden congregation. Hon. H. C.
- Murphy and Arber include him--apparently through oversight alone--
- in the list of those of Leyden who did not go, unless there were two
- of the name, one of whom remained in Holland.
-
-Thomas Tinker, wife, and son are not certainly known to have been of the
- Leyden company, or to have embarked at Delfshaven, but their
- constant association in close relation with others who were and who
- so embarked warrants the inference that they were of the SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers. It is, however, remotely possible, that they were of
- the English contingent.
-
-Edward Fuller and his wife and little son were of the Leyden company, and
- on the SPEEDWELL. He is reputed to have been a brother of Dr.
- Fuller, and is occasionally so claimed by early writers, but by what
- warrant is not clear.
-
-John Rigdale and his wife have always been placed by tradition and
- association with the Leyden emigrants but there is a possibility
- that they were of the English party. Probability assigns them to
- the SPEEDWELL, and they are needed to make her accredited number.
-
-Francis Eaton, wife, and babe were doubtless of the Leyden list. He is
- said to have been a carpenter there (Goodwin, "Pilgrim Republic," p.
- 32), and was married there, as the record attests.
-
-Peter Browne has always been classed with the Leyden party. There is no
- established authority for this except tradition, and he might
- possibly have been of the English emigrants, though probably a
- SPEEDWELL passenger; he is needed to make good her putative number.
-
-William Ring is in the same category as are Eaton and Browne. Cushman
- speaks of him, in his Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth (of
- August 17), in terms of intimacy, though this, while suggestive, of
- course proves nothing, and he gave up the voyage and returned from
- Plymouth to London with Cushman. He was certainly from Leyden.
-
-Richard Clarke is on the doubtful list, as are also John Goodman, Edward
- Margeson, and Richard Britteridge. They have always been
- traditionally classed with the Leyden colonists, yet some of them
- were possibly among the English emigrants. They are all needed,
- however, to make up the number usually assigned to Leyden, as are
- all the above "doubtfuls," which is of itself somewhat confirmatory
- of the substantial correctness of the list.
-
-Thomas English, Bradford records, "was hired to goe master of a [the]
- shallopp" of the colonists, in New England waters. He was probably
- hired in Holland and was almost certainly of the SPEEDWELL.
-
-John Alderton (sometimes written Allerton) was, Bradford states, "a hired
- man, reputed [reckoned] one of the company, but was to go back
- (being a seaman) [and so making no account of the voyages for the
- help of others behind" [probably at Leyden]. It is probable that he
- was hired in Holland, and came to Southampton on the SPEEDWELL.
- Both English and Alderton seem to have stood on a different footing
- from Trevore and Ely, the other two seamen in the employ of the
- colonists.
-
-William Trevore was, we are told by Bradford, "a seaman hired to stay a
- year in the countrie," but whether or not as part of the SPEEDWELL'S
- Crew (who, he tells us, were all hired for a year) does not appear.
- As the Master (Reynolds) and others of her crew undoubtedly returned
- to London in her from Plymouth, and her voyage was cancelled, the
- presumption is that Trevore and Ely were either hired anew or--more
- probably--retained under their former agreement, to proceed by the
- MAY-FLOWER to America, apparently (practically) as passengers.
- Whether of the consort's crew or not, there can be little doubt that
- he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL.
-
---- Ely, the other seaman in the Planters' employ, also hired to "remain
- a year in the countrie," appears to have been drafted, like Trevore,
- from the SPEEDWELL before she returned to London, having, no doubt,
- made passage from Holland in her. Both Trevore and Ely survived
- "the general sickness" at New Plimoth, and at the expiration of the
- time for which they were employed returned on the FORTUNE to England
-
-
-Of course the initial embarkation, on Friday, July 21/31 1620, was at
-Leyden, doubtless upon the Dutch canal-boats which undoubtedly brought
-them from a point closely adjacent to Pastor Robinson's house in the
-Klock-Steeg (Bell, Belfry, Alley), in the garden of which were the houses
-of many, to Delfshaven.
-
-Rev. John Brown, D.D., says: "The barges needed for the journey were
-most likely moored near the Nuns' Bridge which spans the Rapenburg
-immediately opposite the Klok-Steeg, where Robinsons house was. This,
-being their usual meeting-place, would naturally be the place of
-rendezvous on the morning of departure. From thence it was but a stone's
-throw to the boats, and quickly after starting they would enter the
-Vliet, as the section of the canal between Leyden and Delft is named, and
-which for a little distance runs within the city bounds, its quays
-forming the streets. In those days the point where the canal leaves the
-city was guarded by a water-gate, which has long since been removed, as
-have also the town walls, the only remaining portions of which are the
-Morsch-gate and the Zylgate. So, gliding along the quiet waters of the
-Vliet, past the Water-gate, and looking up at the frowning turrets of the
-Cow-gate, 'they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their
-resting-place near twelve years.' . . . Nine miles from Leyden a
-branch canal connects the Vliet with the Hague, and immediately beyond
-their junction a sharp turn is made to the left, as the canal passes
-beneath the Hoom-bridge; from this point, for the remaining five miles,
-the high road from the Hague to Delft, lined with noble trees, runs side
-by side with the canal. In our time the canal-boats make a circuit of
-the town to the right, but in those days the traffic went by canal
-through the heart of the city . . . . Passing out of the gates of
-Delft and leaving the town behind, they had still a good ten miles of
-canal journey before them ere they reached their vessel and came to the
-final parting, for, as Mr. Van Pelt has clearly shown, it is a mistake to
-confound Delft with Delfshaven, as the point of embarkation in the
-SPEEDWELL. Below Delft the canal, which from Leyden thither is the
-Vliet, then becomes the Schie, and at the village of Overschie the
-travellers entered the Delfshaven Canal, which between perfectly straight
-dykes flows at a considerable height above the surrounding pastures.
-Then finally passing through one set of sluice gates after another, the
-Pilgrims were lifted from the canal into a broad receptacle for vessels,
-then into the outer haven, and so to the side of the SPEEDWELL as she lay
-at the quay awaiting their arrival."
-
-Dr. Holmes has prettily pictured the "Departure" in his "Robinson of
-Leyden," even if not altogether correctly, geographically.
-
- "He spake; with lingering, long embrace,
- With tears of love and partings fond,
- They floated down the creeping Maas,
- Along the isle of Ysselmond.
-
- "They passed the frowning towers of Briel,
- The 'Hook of Holland's' shelf of sand,
- And grated soon with lifting keel
- The sullen shores of Fatherland.
-
- "No home for these! too well they knew
- The mitred king behind the throne;
- The sails were set, the pennons flew,
- And westward ho! for worlds unknown."
-
-
-Winslow informs us that they of the Leyden congregation who volunteered
-for the American enterprise were rather the smaller fraction of the whole
-body, though he adds, as noted "that the difference was not great."
-A careful analysis of the approximate list of the Leyden colonists,--
-including, of course, Carver, and Cushman and his family,--whose total
-number seems to have been seventy-two, indicates that of this number,
-forty-two, or considerably more than half (the rest being children,
-seamen, or servants), were probably members of the Leyden church. Of
-these, thirty, probably, were males and twelve females. The exact
-proportion this number bore to the numerical strength of Robinson's
-church at that time cannot be determined, because while something less
-than half as we know, gave their votes for the American undertaking, it
-cannot be known whether or not the women of church had a vote in the
-matter. Presumably they did not, the primitive church gave good heed to
-the words of Paul (i Corinthians xiv. 34), "Let your women keep silence
-in the churches." Neither can it be known--if they had a voice--whether
-the wives and daughters of some of the embarking Pilgrims, who did not go
-themselves at this time, voted with their husbands and fathers for the
-removal. The total number, seventy-two, coincides very nearly with the
-estimate made by Goodwin, who says: "Only eighty or ninety could go in
-this party from Leyden," and again: "Not more than eighty of the MAY-
-FLOWER company were from Leyden. Allowing for [i.e. leaving out] the
-younger children and servants, it is evident that not half the company
-can have been from Robinson's congregation." As the total number of
-passengers on the MAYFLOWER was one hundred and two when she took her
-final departure from England, it is clear that Goodwin's estimate is
-substantially correct, and that the number representing the Leyden church
-as given above, viz., forty-two, is very close to the fact.
-
-"When they came to the place" [Delfshaven], says Bradford, "they found
-the ship and all things ready; and such of their friends as could not
-come with them [from Leyden] followed after them; and sundry also came
-from Amsterdam (about fifty miles) to see them shipped, and to take their
-leave of them."
-
-Saturday, July 22/Aug. 1, 1620, the Pilgrim company took their farewells,
-and Winslow records: "We only going aboard, the ship lying to the key
-[quay] and ready to sail; the wind being fair, we gave them [their
-friends] a volley of small shot [musketry] and three pieces of ordnance
-and so lifting up our hands to each other and our hearts for each other
-to the Lord our God, we departed."
-
-Goodwin says of the parting: "The hull was wrapped in smoke, through
-which was seen at the stern the white flag of England doubly bisected by
-the great red cross of St. George, a token that the emigrants had at last
-resumed their dearly-loved nationality. Far above them at the main was
-seen the Union Jack of new device."
-
-
-And so after more than eleven years of banishment for conscience' sake
-from their native shores, this little band of English exiles, as true to
-their mother-land--despite persecutions--as to their God, raised the
-flag of England, above their own little vessel, and under its folds set
-sail to plant themselves for a larger life in a New World.
-
-And thus opens the "Log" of the SPEEDWELL, and the "Westward-Ho" of the
-Pilgrim Fathers.
-
-
-
- THE SPEEDWELL'S LOG
-
-
-Sunday, July 23/Aug. 2.
- On the German Ocean. Wind fair. General
- course D.W., toward Southampton. sails
- set, running free.
-
-Monday, July 24/Aug. 3.
- Fair. Wind moderate. Dover Straits
- English Channel. In sight Dover Cliffs.
-
-Tuesday, July 25/Aug. 5
- Hugging English shore. Enters Southampton
- Water.
-
-Wednesday, July 26/Aug. 5.
- Came to anchor in Port of Southampton near
- ship MAYFLOWER of Yarmouth, from London (to
- which this pinnace is consort), off the
- north of the West Quay.'
-
-Thursday, July 27/Aug. 6.
- At anchor in port of Southampton.
-
-Friday, July 28/Aug. 7.
- Lying at anchor at Southampton.
-
-Saturday, July 29/Aug. 8.
- Lying at Southampton. MAY-FLOWER ready for
- sea, but pinnace leaking and requires re-
- trimming.
-
-Sunday, July 30/Aug. 9.
- Lying at Southampton.
-
-Monday, July 31/Aug. 10.
- Ditto.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 1/11.
- Ditto.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 2/22.
- Ditto. Pinnace leaking. Re-trimmed again.
-
-Thursday, Aug 3/13.
- Ditto. Receiving passengers, etc. Some of
- principal Leyden men assigned to SPEEDWELL.
-
-Friday, Aug. 4/14
- Southampton. Making ready to leave.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 5/55.
- Dropped down Southampton Water and beat
- down Channel. Wind dead ahead. Laid general
- course W.S.W.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 6/16.
- Wind baffling. Beating down Channel.
-
-Monday, Aug. 7/17.
- Ditto.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 8/18.
- Ditto. Ship leaking.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 9/19.
- Ship leaking badly. Wind still ahead.
-
-Thursday, Aug. 10/20.
- Ship still leaking badly. Gaining on
- pumps. Hove to. Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in
- company. Consultation with Captain Jones
- and principal passengers. Decided vessels
- shall put back, Dartmouth, being nearest
- convenient port. Wore ship and laid course
- for Dartmouth with good wind.
-
-Friday, Aug. 11/21.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking badly.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 12/22.
- Made port at Dartmouth MAY-FLOWER in
- company. Came to anchor near MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 13/23.
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-Monday, Aug. 14/24.
- Moving cargo and overhauling and retrimming
- ship.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 15/25.
- Lying at Dartmouth. At on ship.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 16/26.
- Ditto. Found a plank feet long loose and
- admitting water freely, as at a mole hole.
- Seams opened some.
-
-Thursday, Aug. 17/27.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Some dissension among
- chief of passengers. Ship's "Governor"
- unsatisfactory.
-
-Friday, Aug. 18/28.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Still at work on ship.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 19/29.
- Still lying at Dartmouth.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 20/30.
- Lying at Dartmouth.
-
-Monday, Aug. 21/31
- Still at Dartmouth. Overhauling completed.
- Cargo relaced. Making ready to go to sea.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 22/Sept. 1.
- Still at Dartmouth. Lying at anchor ready
- for sea.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 23/Sept. 2.
- Weighed anchor,' as did also MAY-FLOWER,
- and set sail. Laid general course W.S.W.
- Wind fair
-
-Thursday, Aug. 24/Sept.3.
- Fair wind, but ship leaking.
-
-Friday, Aug. 25/Sept. 4.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking dangerously. MAY-
- FLOWER in company.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 26/Sept. 5.
- About 100 leagues [300 miles] from Land's
- End. Ship leaking badly. Hove to.
- Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in company.
- Consultation between masters, carpenters,
- and principal passengers. Decided to put
- back into Plymouth and determine whether
- pinnace is seaworthy. Put about and laid
- course for Plymouth.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 27/Sept. 6.
- Wind on starboard quarter. Made Plymouth
- harbor and came to anchor. MAY-FLOWER in
- company.
-
-Monday, Aug. 28/Sept. 7.
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Conference of
- chief of Colonists and officers of MAY-
- FLOWER and SPEEDWELL. No special leak
- could be found, but it was judged to be the
- general weakness of the ship, and that she
- would not prove sufficient for the voyage.
- It was resolved to dismiss her the
- SPEEDWELL, and part of the company, and
- proceed with the other ship.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-
-Saturday, Sept. 2/12
- Ditto. Reassignment of passengers. Master
- Cushman and family, Master Blossom and son,
- Wm. Ring and others to return in pinnace to
- London.
-
-Sunday, Sept. 3/13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-
-Monday, Sept. 4/14
- Weighed anchor and took departure for
- London, leaving MAY-FLOWER at anchor in
- roadstead.
-
-Saturday, Sept. 9/19
- Off Gravesend. Came to anchor in Thames.
-
-
-
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE AND
- OF THE LOG OF THE
- MAY-FLOWER'S
- CONSORT
-
-
-From Bradford we learn that the SPEEDWELL was sold at London, and was
-"refitted", her old trip being restored, and that she afterwards made for
-her new owners many and very prosperous voyages.
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
-
-Genius,--proverbially indifferent to detail
-Old Style and the New Style dates
-
-
-
-
-End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log, v1
-by Azel Ames
-
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-
-BOOK 2.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S CHARTER AND THE ADVENTURERS
-
-
-The ship MAY-FLOWER was evidently chartered about the middle of June,
-1620 at London, by Masters Thomas West Robert Cushman acting together in
-behalf of the Merchant Adventurers (chiefly of London) and the English
-congregation of "Separatists" (the "Pilgrims"), at Leyden in Holland who,
-with certain of England associated, proposed to colony in America.
-
-Professor Arber, when he says, in speaking of Cushman and Weston, "the
-hiring of the MAY-FLOWER, when they did do it, was their act alone, and
-the Leyden church nothing to do with it," seems to forget that Cushman
-and his associate Carver had no other function or authority in their
-conjunction with Weston and Martin, except to represent the Leyden
-congregation. Furthermore, it was the avowed wish of Robinson (see his
-letter dated June 14, 1620, to John Carver), that Weston "may [should]
-presently succeed in hiring" [a ship], which was equivalent to hoping
-that Carver and Cushman--Weston's associates representing Leyden--would
-aid in so doing. Moreover, Bradford expressly states that: "Articles of
-Agreement, drawn by themselves were, by their [the Leyden congregation's]
-said messenger [Carver] sent into England, who together with Robert
-Cushman were to receive moneys and make provisions, both for shipping,
-and other things for the voyage."
-
-Up to Saturday, June 10, nothing had been effected in the way of
-providing shipping for the migrating planters though the undertaking had
-been four months afoot--beyond the purchase and refitting, in Holland, by
-the Leyden people themselves, of a pinnace of sixty tons (the SPEEDWELL)
-intended as consort to a larger ship--and the hiring of a "pilott" to
-refit her, as we have seen.
-
-The Leyden leaders had apparently favored purchasing also the larger
-vessel still needed for the voyage, hoping, perhaps, to interest therein
-at least one of their friends, Master Edward Pickering, a merchant of
-Holland, himself one of the Adventurers, while Master Weston had, as
-appears, inclined to hire. From this disagreement and other causes,
-perhaps certain sinister reasons, Weston had become disaffected, the
-enterprise drooped, the outlook was dubious, and several formerly
-interested drew back, until shipping should be provided and the good
-faith of the enterprise be thus assured.
-
-It transpires from Robinson's letter dated June 14., before quoted (in
-which he says: "For shipping, Master Weston, it should seem is set upon
-hiring"), that Robinson's own idea was to purchase, and he seems to have
-dominated the rest. There is perhaps a hint of his reason for this in
-the following clause of the same letter, where he writes: "I do not think
-Master Pickering [the friend previously named] will ingage, except in the
-course of buying ['ships?'--Arber interpolates] as in former letters
-specified." If he had not then "ingaged" (as Robinson intimates), as an
-Adventurer, he surely did later, contrary to the pastor's prediction, and
-the above may have been a bit of special pleading. Robinson naturally
-wished to keep their, affairs, so far as possible, in known and
-supposedly friendly hands, and had possibly some assurances that, as a
-merchant, Pickering would be willing to invest in a ship for which he
-could get a good charter for an American voyage. He proved rather an
-unstable friend.
-
-Robinson is emphatic, in the letter cited, as to the imperative necessity
-that shipping should be immediately provided if the enterprise was to be
-held together and the funds subscribed were to be secured. He evidently
-considered this the only guaranty of good faith and of an honest
-intention to immediately transport the colony over sea, that would be
-accepted. After saying, as already noted, that those behind-hand with
-their payments refuse to pay in "till they see shipping provided or a
-course taken for it," he adds, referring to Master Weston: "That he
-should not have had either shipping ready before this time, or at least
-certain [i.e. definite] means and course, and the same known to us, for
-it; or have taken other order otherwise; cannot in [according to] my
-conscience be excused."
-
-Bradford also states that one Master Thomas Weston a merchant of London,
-came to Leyden about the same time [apparently while negotiations for
-emigration under their auspices were pending with the Dutch, in February
-or March, 1620], who was "well acquainted with some of them and a
-furtherer of them in their former proceedings.... and persuaded them....
-not to meddle with the Dutch," etc. This Robinson confirms in his letter
-to Carver before referred to, saying: "You know right well we depend on
-Master Weston alone,.... and when we had in hand another course with the
-Dutchman, broke it off at his motion."
-
-On the morning of the 10th of June, 1620, Robert Cushman, one of the
-Leyden agents at London, after writing to his associate, Master John
-Carver, then at Southampton; and to the Leyden leaders--in reply to
-certain censorious letters received by him from both these sources--
-although disheartened by the difficulties and prospects before him,
-sought Master Weston, and by an urgent appeal so effectively wrought upon
-him, that, two hours later, coming to Cushman, he promised "he would not
-yet give it [the undertaking] up." Cushman's patience and endurance were
-evidently nearly "at the breaking point," for he says in his letter of
-Sunday, June 11, when success had begun to crown his last grand effort:
-"And, indeed, the many discouragements I find here [in London] together
-with the demurs and retirings there [at Leyden] had made me to say, 'I
-would give up my accounts to John Carver and at his coming from
-Southampton acquaint him fully with all courses [proceedings] and so
-leave it quite, with only the poor clothes on my back: But gathering up
-myself by further consideration, I resolved yet to make one trial more,"
-etc. It was this "one trial more" which meant so much to the Pilgrims;
-to the cause of Religion; to America; and to Humanity. It will rank with
-the last heroic and successful efforts of Robert the Bruce and others,
-which have become historic. The effect of Cushman's appeal upon Weston
-cannot be doubted. It not only apparently influenced him at the time,
-but, after reflection and the lapse of hours, it brought him to his
-associate to promise further loyalty, and, what was much better, to act.
-The real animus of Weston's backwardness, it is quite probable, lay in
-the designs of Gorges, which were probably not yet fully matured, or, if
-so, involved delay as an essential part. "And so," Cushman states,
-"advising together, we resolved to hire a ship." They evidently found one
-that afternoon, "of sixty last" (120 tons) which was called "a fine
-ship," and which they "took liking of [Old English for trial (Dryden),
-equivalent to refusal] till Monday." The same afternoon they "hired
-another pilot . . . one Master Clarke."--of whom further.
-
-It seems certain that by the expression, "we have hired another pilot
-here, one Master Clarke," etc.; that Cushman was reckoning the "pilott"
-Reynolds whom he had hired and sent over to them in Holland, as shown--as
-at the first, and now Clarke as "another." It nowhere appears that up to
-this date, any other than these two had been hired, nor had there been
-until then, any occasion for more than one.
-
-If Cushman had been engaged in such important negotiations as these
-before he wrote his letters to Carver and the Leyden friends, on Saturday
-morning, he would certainly have mentioned them. As he named neither, it
-is clear that they had not then occurred. It is equally certain that
-Cushman's appeal to Weston was not made, and his renewed activity
-aroused, until after these letters had been dispatched and nothing of the
-kind could have been done without Weston.
-
-His letter-writing of June 10 was obviously in the morning, as proven by
-the great day's work Cushman performed subsequently. He must have
-written his letters early and have taken them to such place as his
-messenger had suggested (Who his messenger was does not appear, but it
-was not John Turner, as suggested by Arber, for he did not arrive till
-that night.) Cushman must then have looked up Weston and had an hour or
-more of earnest argument with him, for he says: "at the last [as if some
-time was occupied] he gathered himself up a little more" [i.e. yielded
-somewhat.] Then came an interval of "two hours," at the end of which
-Weston came to him,
-
- [It would be highly interesting to know whether, in the two hours
- which intervened between Cushman's call on Weston and the latter's
- return call, Weston consulted Gorges and got his instructions. It
- is certain that he came prepared to act, and that vigorously, which
- he had not previously been.]
-
-and they "advised together,"--which took time. It was by this evidently
-somewhat past noon, a four or five hours having been consumed. They then
-went to look for a ship and found one, which, from Cushman's remark, "but
-a fine ship it is," they must (at least superficially) have examined.
-While hunting for the ship they seem to have come across, and to have
-hired, John Clarke the "pilot," with whom they necessarily, as with the
-ship's people, spent some time. It is not improbable that the approach
-of dusk cut short their examination of the ship, which they hence "took
-liking of [refusal of] till Monday." It is therefore evident that the
-"refusal" of the "sixty last" ship was taken, and the "pilot" Clarke was
-"hired," on Saturday afternoon, June 10, as on Sunday, June 11, Cushman
-informed the Leyden leaders of these facts by letter, as above indicated,
-and gave instructions as to the SPEEDWELL'S "pilott," Master Reynolds.
-
-We are therefore able to fix, nearly to an hour, the "turning of the
-tide" in the affairs of the Pilgrim movement to America.
-
-It is also altogether probable that the Pilgrims and humanity at large
-are still further (indirectly) indebted to Cushman's "one more trial" and
-resultant Saturday afternoon's work, for the MAY-FLOWER (though not found
-that day), and her able commander Jones, who, whatever his faults, safely
-brought the Pilgrims through stormy seas to their "promised land."
-
-Obligations of considerable and rapidly cumulative cost had now been
-incurred, making it imperative to go forward to embarkation with all
-speed, and primarily, to secure the requisite larger ship. Evidently
-Weston and Cushman believed they had found one that would serve, when on
-Saturday, they "took liking," as we have seen, of the "fine ship" of 120
-tons, "till Monday." No less able authorities than Charles Deane, Goodwin,
-and Brown, with others, have mistakenly concluded that this ship was the
-MAY-FLOWER, and have so stated in terms. As editor of Bradford's history
-"Of Plimoth Plantation," Mr. Deane (in a footnote to the letter of
-Cushman written Sunday, June 11), after quoting the remark, "But it is a
-fine ship," mistakenly adds, "The renowned MAYFLOWER.--Ed.," thus
-committing himself to the common error in this regard. John Brown, in
-his "Pilgrim Fathers of New England," confuses the vessels, stating
-that, "when all was ready for the start, a pilot came over to conduct the
-emigrants to England, bringing also a letter from Cushman announcing that
-the MAYFLOWER, a vessel of one hundred and eighty tons, Thomas Jones,
-Master, would start from London to Southampton in a week or two," etc.
-As we have seen, these statements are out of their relation. No pilot
-went for that purpose and none carried such a letter (certainly none from
-Cushman), as alleged. Cushman's letter, sent as we know by John Turner,
-announced the finding of an entirely different vessel, which was neither
-of 180 tons burden, nor had any relation to the MAY-FLOWER or her future
-historic freight. Neither was there in his letter any time of starting
-mentioned, or of the port of Southampton as the destination of any vessel
-to go from London, or of Jones as captain. Such loose statements are the
-bane of history. Goodwin, usually so accurate, stumbles unaccountably in
-this matter--which has been so strangely misleading to other competent
-men--and makes the sadly perverted statement that, "In June, John Turner
-was sent, and he soon returned with a petulant (sic) letter from Cushman,
-which, however, announced that the ship MAYFLOWER had been selected and
-in two weeks would probably leave London for Southampton." He adds, with
-inexcusable carelessness in the presence of the words "sixty last" (which
-his dictionary would have told him, at a glance, was 120 tons), that:
-"This vessel (Thomas Jones, master) was rated at a hundred and eighty
-tons . . . . Yet she was called a fine ship," etc. It is evident
-that, like Brown, he confused the two vessels, with Cushman's letter
-before his eyes, from failure to compute the "sixty last." He moreover
-quotes Cushman incorrectly. The great disparity in size, however, should
-alone render this confusion impossible, and Cushman is clear as to the
-tonnage ("sixty last"), regretting that the ship found is not larger,
-while Bradford and all other chroniclers agree that the MAY-FLOWER was of
-"9 score" tons burden.
-
-It is also evident that for some reason this smaller ship (found on
-Saturday afternoon) was not taken, probably because the larger one, the
-MAY-FLOWER, was immediately offered to and secured by Masters Weston and
-Cushman, and very probably with general approval. Just how the MAY-
-FLOWER was obtained may never be certainly known. It was only on
-Saturday, June 10, as we have seen, that Master Weston had seriously set
-to work to look for a ship; and although the refusal of one--not wholly
-satisfactory--had been prudently taken that day, it was both natural and
-politic that as early as possible in the following week he should make
-first inquiry of his fellow-merchants among the Adventurers, whether any
-of them had available such a ship as was requisite, seeking to find, if
-possible, one more nearly of the desired capacity than that of which he
-had "taken the refusal" on Saturday. It appears altogether probable that,
-in reply to this inquiry, Thomas Goffe, Esq., a fellow Adventurer and
-shipping-merchant of London, offered the MAY-FLOWER, which, there is
-ample reason to believe, then and for ten years thereafter, belonged to
-him.
-
-It is quite likely that Clarke, the newly engaged "pilot," learning that
-his employers required a competent commander for their ship, brought to
-their notice the master of the ship (the FALCON) in which he had made his
-recent voyage to Virginia, Captain Jones, who, having powerful friends at
-his back in both Virginia Companies (as later appears), and large
-experience, was able to approve himself to the Adventurers. It is also
-probable that Thomas Weston engaged him himself, on the recommendation of
-the Earl of Warwick, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges.
-
-As several weeks would be required to fit the ship for her long voyage on
-such service, and as she sailed from London July 15, her charter-party
-must certainly have been signed by June 20, 1620. The SPEEDWELL, as
-appears from various sources (Bradford, Winslow et al.), sailed from
-Delfshaven, Saturday, July 22. She is said to have been four days on the
-passage to Southampton, reaching there Wednesday, July 26. Cushman, in
-his letter of Thursday, August 17, from Dartmouth to Edward Southworth,
-says, "We lay at Southampton seven days waiting for her" (the SPEEDWELL),
-from which it is evident, both that Cushman came on the MAY-FLOWER from
-London, and that the MAY-FLOWER must have left London at least ten days
-before the 26th of July, the date of the SPEEDWELL'S arrival. As given
-traditionally, it was on the 15th, or eleven days before the SPEEDWELL'S
-arrival at Southampton.
-
-By whom the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed will probably
-remain matter of conjecture, though we are not without intimations of
-some value regarding it. Captain John Smith tells us that the Merchant
-Adventurers (presumably one of the contracting parties) "were about
-seventy, . . . not a Corporation, but knit together by a voluntary
-combination in a Society without constraint or penalty. They have a
-President and Treasurer every year newly chosen by the most voices, who
-ordereth the affairs of their Courts and meetings; and with the assent of
-most of them, undertaketh all the ordinary business, but in more weighty
-affairs, the assent of the whole Company is required." It would seem
-from the foregoing--which, from so intelligent a source at a date so
-contemporaneous, ought to be reliable--that, not being an incorporated
-body, it would be essential that all the Adventurers (which Smith
-expressly states was their rule) should "assent" by their signatures,
-which alone could bind them to so important a business document as this
-charter-party. It was certainly one of their "more weighty affairs," and
-it may well be doubted, also, if the owner of the vessel (even though one
-of their number) would accept less than the signatures of all, when there
-was no legal status by incorporation or co-partnership to hold them
-collectively.
-
-If the facts were indeed as stated by Smith,--whose knowledge of what he
-affirmed there is no reason to doubt,--there can be little question that
-the contract for the service of the MAY-FLOWER was signed by the entire
-number of the Adventurers on the one part. If so, its covenants would be
-equally binding upon each of them except as otherwise therein stipulated,
-or provided by the law of the realm. In such case, the charter-party of
-the MAY-FLOWER, with the autograph of each Merchant Adventurer appended,
-would constitute, if it could be found, one of the most interesting and
-valuable of historical documents. That it was not signed by any of the
-Leyden congregation--in any representative capacity--is well-nigh
-certain. Their contracts were with the Adventurers alone, and hence they
-were not directly concerned in the contracts of the latter, their
-"agents" being but co-workers with the Adventurers (under their
-partnership agreements), in finding shipping, collecting moneys,
-purchasing supplies, and in generally promoting the enterprise. That
-they were not signing-parties to this contract, in particular, is made
-very certain by the suggestion of Cushman's letter of Sunday, June 11,
-to the effect that he hoped that "our friends there [at Leyden] if they
-be quitted of the ship-hire [as then seemed certain, as the Adventurers
-would hire on general account] will be induced to venture [invest] the
-more." There had evidently been a grave fear on the part of the Leyden
-people that if they were ever to get away, they would have to hire the
-necessary ship themselves.
-
-There is just the shadow of a doubt thrown upon the accuracy of Smith's
-statement as to the non-corporate status of the Adventurers, by the loose
-and unwieldy features which must thereby attach to their business
-transactions, to which it seems probable that merchants like Weston,
-Andrews, Beauchamp, Shirley, Pickering, Goffe, and others would object,
-unless the law at that time expressly limited and defined the rights and
-liabilities of members in such voluntary associations. Neither evidences
-of (primary) incorporation, or of such legal limitation, have, however,
-rewarded diligent search. There was evidently some more definite and
-corporate form of ownership in the properties and values of the
-Adventurers, arrived at later. A considerable reduction in the number of
-proprietors was effected before 1624--in most cases by the purchase of
-the interests of certain ones by their associates--for we find their
-holdings spoken of in that year as "sixteenths," and these shares to have
-sometimes been attached for their owners' debts. A letter of Shirley,
-Brewer et als., to Bradford, Allerton et als., dated London, April 7,
-1624, says: "If it had not been apparently sold, Mr. Beauchamp, who is of
-the company also, unto whom he [Weston] oweth a great deal more, had long
-ago attached it (as he did other's 16ths)," etc. It is exceedingly
-difficult to reconcile these unquestionable facts with the equal
-certainty that, at the "Composition" of the Adventurers with the Planters
-in 1626, there were forty-two who signed as of the Adventurers. The
-weight, however, of evidence and of probability must be held to support
-the conclusion that in June, 1620, the organization was voluntary, and
-that the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed--" on the one part
-"--by each of the enrolled Adventurers engaged in the Leyden
-congregation's colonization scheme. Goodwin' alone pretends to any
-certain knowledge of the matter, but although a veracious usually
-reliable writer, he is not infallible, as already shown, and could hardly
-have had access to the original documents,--which alone, in this case,
-could be relied on to prove his assertion that "Shortly articles were
-signed by both parties, Weston acting for the Adventurers." Not a
-particle of confirmatory evidence has anywhere been found in Pilgrim or
-contemporaneous literature to warrant this statement, after exhaustive
-search, and it must hence, until sustained by proof, be regarded as a
-personal inference rather than a verity. If the facts were as appears,
-they permit the hope that a document of so much prima facie importance
-may have escaped destruction, and will yet be found among the private
-papers of some of the last survivors of the Adventurers, though with the
-acquisition of all their interests by the Pilgrim leaders such documents
-would seem, of right, to have become the property of the purchasers, and
-to have been transferred to the Plymouth planters.
-
-This all-important and historic body--the company of Merchant
-Adventurers--is entitled to more than passing notice. Associated to
-"finance" the projected transplantation of the Leyden congregation of
-"Independents" to the "northern parts of Virginia," under such patronage
-and protection of the English government and its chartered Companies as
-they might be able to secure, they were no doubt primarily brought
-together by the efforts of one of their number, Thomas Weston, Esq., the
-London merchant previously named, though for some obscure reason Master
-John Pierce (also one of them) was their "recognized" representative in
-dealing with the (London) Virginia Company and the Council for the
-Affairs of New England, in regard to their Patents.
-
-Bradford states that Weston "was well acquainted with some of them the
-Leyden leaders and a furtherer of them in their former proceedings,"
-and this fact is more than once referred to as ground for their gratitude
-and generosity toward him, though where, or in what way, his friendship
-had been exercised, cannot be learned,--perhaps in the difficulties
-attending their escape from "the north country" to Holland. It was
-doubtless largely on this account, that his confident assurances of all
-needed aid in their plans for America were so relied upon; that he was so
-long and so fully trusted; and that his abominable treachery and later
-abuse were so patiently borne.
-
-We are indebted to the celebrated navigator, Captain John Smith, of
-Virginia fame, always the friend of the New England colonists, for most
-of what we know of the organization and purposes of this Company. His
-ample statement, worthy of repetition here, recites, that
-"the Adventurers which raised the stock to begin and supply this
-Plantation, were about seventy: some, Gentlemen; some, Merchants; some,
-handicraftsmen; some adventuring great sums, some, small; as their
-estates and affections served . . . . These dwell most about London.
-They are not a corporation but knit together, by a voluntary combination,
-in a Society, with out constraint or penalty; aiming to do good and to
-plant Religion." Their organization, officers, and rules of conduct, as
-given by Smith, have already been quoted. It is to be feared from the
-conduct of such men as Weston, Pierce, Andrews, Shirley, Thornell,
-Greene, Pickering, Alden, and others, that profitable investment, rather
-than desire "to do good and to plant Religion," was their chief interest.
-That the higher motives mentioned by Smith governed such tried and
-steadfast souls as Bass, Brewer, Collier, Fletcher, Goffe, Hatherly,
-Ling, Mullens, Pocock, Thomas, and a few others, there can be no doubt.
-
- [Weston wrote Bradford, April 10, 1622, "I perceive and know as well
- as another ye disposition of your adventurers, whom ye hope of gaine
- hath drawne on to this they have done; and yet I fear ye hope will
- not draw them much further." While Weston's character was utterly
- bad, and he had then alienated his interest in both Pilgrims and
- Adventurers, his judgment of men was evidently good.]
-
-No complete list of the original "seventy" has ever been found, and we
-are indebted for the names of forty-two, of the fifty who are now known,
-to the final "Composition" made with the Pilgrim colonists, through the
-latter's representatives, November 15/25, 1626, as given by Bradford,
-and to private research for the rest. The list of original members of the
-company of Merchant Adventurers, as ascertained to date, is as follows.
-More extended mention of them appears in the notes appended to this list.
-
-Robert Allden, Thomas Fletcher, Emanuel Altham, Thomas Goffe, Richard
-Andrews, Peter Gudburn, Thomas Andrews, William Greene, Lawrence Anthony,
-Timothy Hatherly, Edward Bass, Thomas Heath, John Beauchamp, William
-Hobson, Thomas Brewer, Robert Holland, Henry Browning, Thomas Hudson,
-William Collier, Robert Keayne, Thomas Coventry, Eliza Knight,
-John Knight, John Revell, Miles Knowles, Newman Rookes, John Ling, Samuel
-Sharpe, Christopher Martin(Treasurer pro tem.), James Shirley
-(Treasurer), Thomas Millsop, William Thomas, Thomas Mott, John Thornell
-William Mullens, Fria Newbald, Matthew Thornell William Pennington,
-William Penrin. Joseph Tilden, Edward Pickering, Thomas Ward, John
-Pierce, John White, John Pocock, John Wincob, Daniel Poynton, Thomas
-Weston, William Quarles, Richard Wright.
-
-Shirley, in a letter to Governor Bradford, mentions a Mr. Fogge and a Mr.
-Coalson, in a way to indicate that they might have been, like himself,
-Collier, Thomas, Hatherly, Beauchamp, and Andrews, also of the original
-Merchant Adventurers, but no proof that they were such has yet been
-discovered. It has been suggested that Sir Edwin Sandys was one of the
-number, at the inception of the enterprise, but--though there is evidence
-to indicate that he stood the friend of the Pilgrims in many ways,
-possibly lending them money, etc.--there is no proof that he was ever
-one of the Adventurers. It is more probable that certain promoters of
-Higginson's and Winthrop's companies, some ten years later, were early
-financial sponsers of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Some of them were
-certainly so, and it is likely that others not known as such, in reality,
-were. Bradford suggests, in a connection to indicate the possibility of
-his having been an "Adventurer," the name of a "Mr. Denison," of whom
-nothing more is known. George Morton of London, merchant, and friend of
-the leaders from the inception, and later a colonist, is sometimes
-mentioned as probably of the list, but no evidence of the fact as yet
-appears. Sir George Farrer and his brother were among the first of the
-Adventurers, but withdrew themselves and their subscriptions very early,
-on account of some dissatisfaction.
-
-It is impossible, in the space at command, to give more than briefest
-mention of each of these individual Adventurers.
-
-Allden. Was at one time unfriendly to the Pilgrims,--Bradford calls him
- "one of our powerfullest opposers,"--but later their ally. Little
- is known of him. He appears to have been of London.
-
-Altham. Was Master of the pinnace LITTLE JAMES, belonging chiefly to
- Fletcher, and apparently expected to command her on her voyage to
- New Plymouth in 1623, as consort of the ANNE, but for some reason
- did not go, and William Bridge went as her Master, in his stead.
-
-Andrews (Richard). Was one of the wealthiest and most liberal of the
- Adventurers. He was a haberdasher of Cheapside, London, and an
- Alderman of the city. He became an early proprietor and liberal
- benefactor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, but most illogically
- gave the debt due him from Plymouth Colony (L540) to the stronger
- and richer Bay Colony. He had been, however, unjustly prejudiced
- against the Pilgrims, probably through the deceit of Pierce, Weston,
- Shirley, and Allerton.
-
-Andrews (Thomas). A Lord Mayor of London, reputed a brother of the last-
- named. Never very active in the Adventurers' affairs, but friendly,
- so far as appears.
-
-Anthony. Little or nothing is known concerning him.
-
-Bass. Was one of the enduring friends of the struggling Colony and
- loaned them money when they were in dire straits and the prospect of
- recovery was not good. He was of London, and considerable is known
- concerning him.
-
-Beauchamp. Was one of the most active of the Company for many years.
- Generally to be relied upon as the Colony's friend, but not without
- some sordid self seeking. Apparently a wealthy citizen and "salter"
- of London.
-
-Brewer. Is too well-known as long the partner of Brewster in the conduct
- of the "hidden press" at Leyden, and as a sufferer for conscience'
- sake, to require identification. He was a wealthy man, a scholar,
- writer, printer, and publisher. Was of the University of Leyden,
- but removed to London after the departure of the chief of the
- Pilgrims. Was their stanch friend, a loyal defender of the faith,
- and spent most of his later life in prison, under persecution of the
- Bishops.
-
-Browning. Does not appear to have been active, and little is known of
- him.
-
-Collier. Was a stanch and steadfast friend. Finally cast in his lot
- with the Pilgrims at New Plymouth and be came a leading man in the
- government there. His life is well known. He was a "brewer."
-
-Coventry. Appears only as a signer, and nothing is known of him.
-
-Fletcher. Was a well-to-do merchant of London, a warm friend and a
- reliance of the Pilgrims. The loss of the LITTLE JAMES was a severe
- blow to him financially.
-
-Greene. Appears to have been a merchant and a partner in Holland (and
- perhaps at London) of Edward Pickering. They were well acquainted
- personally with the Pilgrims, and should have been among their most
- liberal and surest friends. Facts indicate, however, that they were
- sordid in their interest and not entirely just.
-
-Goffe. Was a London merchant and ship-owner, as else where appears. He
- was not only a Merchant Adventurer, but a patentee and deputy-
- governor of the Massachusetts Company, and an intimate friend of
- Winthrop. He lost heavily by his New England ventures. There is,
- as shown elsewhere, good reason to believe that he was the owner of
- the MAY-FLOWER on her historic voyage, as also when she came over in
- Higginson's and Winthrop's fleets, ten years later.
-
-Gudburn. Appears only as a signer, so far as known.
-
-Hatherly. Was a well-to-do friend of the Pilgrims, and after many
- complaints had been made against them among the "Purchasers"--
- arising out of the rascality of Shirley and Allerton--went to New
- England on a mission of inquiry. He was perfectly convinced of the
- Pilgrims' integrity and charmed with the country. He made another
- visit, and removed thither in 1633, to remain. He became at once
- prominent in the government of New Plimoth Colony.
-
-Heath. Does not appear to have been active, and naught is known of him.
-
-Hobson. Is known only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Holland. Was a friend and ally of the Pilgrims, and one of their
- correspondents. He is supposed to have been of the ancient house of
- that name and to have lived in London.
-
-Hudson. Was not active, and appears as a signer only.
-
-Keayne. Was a well-to-do citizen of the vicinity of London, a friend, in
- a general way, of the Pilgrims. He came to Boston with Winthrop.
- Was prominent in the Massachusetts Colony. Was the founder and
- first commander of the early Artillery Company of Boston, the oldest
- military organization of the United States, and died at Boston,
- leaving a large estate and a very remarkable will, of which he made
- Governor Winslow an "overseer." He was an erratic,--but valuable,
- citizen.
-
-Knight (Eliza). Seems to have been the only woman of the Adventurers, so
- far as they are known, but no thing is known of her. It has been
- suggested that the given name has been wrongly spelled and should be
- "Eleazar,"--a man's name,--but the "Composition" gives the signature
- as Eliza, clearly, as published.
-
-Knight (John). Finds no especial mention. He was probably a relative of
- Eliza.
-
-Knowles. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Ling. Was a wealthy friend of the colonists and always true to them. He
- lost his property and was in poverty when the Pilgrims (though not
- yet well on their feet), in grateful remembrance of his fidelity,
- sent him a generous gift.
-
-Martin. Was the first treasurer of the colonists and also a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim. Mention of him appears later. He was no credit to the
- Company, and his early death probably prevented much vexation.
-
-Millsop. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Mott. Has no especial mention, but is believed to have sent some of his
- people to Plymouth Colony at an early day.
-
-Mullens. Was, as appears elsewhere, a well-conditioned tradesman of
- Surrey, England, who was both an Adventurer and a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim, and Martin and himself appear to have been the only ones
- who enjoyed that distinction. He died, however, soon after the
- arrival at Plymouth. That he was an Adventurer is but recently
- discovered by the author, but there appears no room for doubt as to
- the fact. His record was brief, but satisfactory, in its relation to
- the Pilgrims.
-
-Newbald. Finds no especial mention.
-
-Pennington. Appears only as a signer. It is a London name.
-
-Penrin. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Pickering. Is introduced to us first as a Leyden merchant, through John
- Robinson's letters. He appears to have been a shrewd, cold-blooded
- calculator, like his partner-Adventurer, Greene, not interested
- especially in the Pilgrims, except for gain, and soon deserting the
- Adventurers. His family seem to have been in favor with Charles II.
- (See Pepys' "Diary.")
-
-Pierce (John). Although recognized by the Virginia Companies and Council
- for New England, as the representative of the Adventurers, he has
- only been recently generally reckoned a chief man of the
- Adventurers. A Protean friend of the Pilgrims, never reliable, ever
- pretentious, always self-seeking, and of no help. He was finally
- ruined by the disasters to his ship, the PARAGON, which cost him all
- his interests. Having attempted treacherously to secure to himself
- the Patent granted in the Colony's interest, he was compelled by the
- Council to surrender its advantages to the Adventurers and
- colonists.
-
-Pocock. Was a stanch and firm supporter of the Pilgrims and their
- interests, at all times, and to the end. He was also a financial
- supporter and deputy-governor the Massachusetts Company, under
- Winthrop. A correspondent of Bradford. A good man.
-
-Poyton. Finds no especial mention. He appears as a signer only.
-
-Quarles. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Revell. Was a very wealthy citizen, merchant, and ship owner of London,
- and a good man. He became also ardently interested in Winthrop's
- Company. Was an "assistant" and one of the five "undertakers"
- chosen to go to New England to reside. He went to New England on
- the JEWELL of Winthrop's fleet, and was part owner of the LADY
- ARBELLA. He evidently, however, did not like the life, and returned
- after a few weeks' stay.
-
-Rookes. Appears only as a signer.
-
-Sharpe. Was also a friend of both Pilgrim and Puritan. He came to New
- England in 1629, and settled first at Salem, in the Massachusetts
- Company. He died in 1658, having long been a ruling elder of the
- church there. He met with many enemies, but was a valuable man and
- an able one. He was Governor Cradock's New England agent.
-
-Shirley. Requires little mention here. The perfidious friend of the
- Pilgrims,--perhaps originally true to them,--he sunk everything for
- hope of gain. He was treasurer of the Adventurers, one of their
- most active and intelligent men, but proved a rascal and a canting
- hypocrite. He was a "citizen and gold-smith" of London.
-
-Thomas. Has nowhere been enumerated in any list of the Adventurers
- (though occasionally mentioned as such by recent writers), which is
- strange, as repeated letters of his to Bradford, and other data,
- show him to have been one of the best and truest of them all. He
- sold his interests before the "Composition" and became a colonist
- after 1630. He was the fifth of the Adventurers to come to New
- England to remain, and cast in his lot with the Pilgrims at New
- Plimoth--Martin, Mullens, Collier, and Hatherly preceding him. A
- wealthy and well-informed man, he became a power in the government.
- Probably Welsh by birth, he was a London merchant when the
- Adventurers were organized. His home at Marshfield, Massachusetts,
- has since become additionally famous as the home of Daniel Webster.
-
-Thornell (John). Is sometimes confounded with another Adventurer,
- Matthew Thornhill, as his name is some times so spelled. There is
- reason to believe they were related. He was not a friend to the
- Pilgrims.
-
-Thornhill (or Thornell), (Matthew). Little is known concerning him.
-
-Tilden. Was of an old family in Kent, "a citizen and girdler of London,"
- as his will declares, his brother (Nathaniel) later coming to New
- England and settling near Hatherly at Scituate. Nathaniel's son
- Joseph--named for his uncle--was made his executor and heir. The
- uncle was always a firm friend of the Pilgrims. Mr. Tilden's will
- is given by Waters ("Genealogical Gleanings," vol. i. p. 71), and
- is of much interest.
-
-Ward. Appears only as a signer.
-
-White. Probably the Rev. John White, a stanch friend of the Pilgrims,
- although not a "Separatist," and intimately connected with the
- upbuilding of New England. His record was a broad and noble one.
- Goodwin says: "Haven thinks White was that Dorchester clergyman
- reputed to be the author of the Planters' Plea." Probably, but
- not certainly, William White of the Pilgrims was also an Adventurer.
-
-Wincob (?). Was a gentleman of the family of the Countess of Lincoln,
- and the one in whose name the first patent in behalf of the
- Adventurers and Pilgrims (which, however, was never used) was taken.
- It is only recently that evidences which, though not conclusive, are
- yet quite indicative, have caused his name to be added to the list,
- though there is still a measure of doubt whether it belongs there.
-
-Weston. Requires little mention here. Once a friend of the Pilgrims and
- unmistakably the organizer of the Adventurers, he became a graceless
- ingrate and rascal. An instrument of good at first, he became a
- heartless and designing enemy of the Planters. He was a "citizen
- and merchant [ironmonger] of London." It is altogether probable
- that he was originally a tool of Sir Ferdinando Gorges and was led
- by him to influence the Leyden brethren to break off negotiations
- with the Dutch. He died poor, at Bristol, England.
-
-Wright. Perhaps came to New Plimoth and married a daughter of the MAY-
- FLOWER Pilgrim, Francis Cooke. If so, he settled at Rehoboth and
- became its leading citizen. He may possibly have been the settler
- of that name in the Bay-Colony, and the weight of evidence rather
- favors the latter supposition.
-
-Of the Adventurers, Collier, Hatherly, Keayne, Mullens, Revell, Pierce,
-Sharpe, Thomas, and Weston, probably Wright and White, possibly others,
-came to America for longer or shorter periods. Several of them were back
-and forth more than once. The records show that Andrews, Goffe, Pocock,
-Revell, Sharpe, and White were subsequently members of the Massachusetts
-(Winthrop's) Company.
-
-Professor Arberl finds but six of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers who
-later were among the Adventurers with Winthrop's Company of Massachusetts
-Bay, viz.:--Thomas Andrews, John Pocock, Samuel Sharpe, Thomas Goffe,
-John Revell, John White.
-
-He should have added at least, the names of Richard Andrews and Robert
-Keayne, and probably that of Richard Wright.
-
-Of their number, Collier, Hatherly, Martin, Mullens, Thomas, and
-(possibly) Wright were Plymouth colonists Martin and Mullens, as noted,
-being MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Nathaniel Tilden, a brother of Joseph Tilden
-of the Adventurers, came, as previously mentioned, to the Colony from
-Kent, settling at Scituate. Joseph, being apparently unmarried, made his
-nephew, Joseph of Scituate, his residuary legatee, and his property
-mostly came over to the Colony.
-
-Collier, Hatherly, and Thomas all located within a few miles of one
-another, were all wealthy and prominent men in the government of the
-Colony, were intimate friends,--the first and last especially,--and lent
-not a little dignity and character to this new dependency of King James
-the First. The remaining twenty or thereabouts whose names are not
-surely known--though a few of them are pretty safely conjectured, some
-being presumably of the Holland Pilgrims and their friends--were probably
-chiefly small contributors, whose rights were acquired from time to time
-by others of larger faith in the enterprise, or greater sympathy or
-means. Not all, however, who had ceased to hold their interests when the
-"Composition" was made with Allerton in behalf of the colonists, in 1626,
-were of these small holders. Weston was forced out by stress of
-circumstances; Thomas moved to New England; Pierce was ruined by his
-ventures by sea; Martin and Mullens died in 1621; Pickering and Greene
-got out early, from distrust as to profits; Wincob alone, of this class,
-was a small investor, if he was one at all.
-
-By far the greater portion of the sums invested by the Adventurers in
-behalf of the Colony is represented by those whose names are known, those
-still unknown representing, doubtless, numbers rather than amounts. It
-is, however, interesting to note, that more than four sevenths of the
-original number, as given by Captain John Smith, continued to retain
-their interests till the "Composition" of 1626. It is to be hoped that
-it may yet be possible to increase considerably, if not to perfect, the
-list of these coadjutors of the Pilgrims--the Merchant Adventurers--the
-contracting "party of the second part," to the charter-party of the MAY-
-FLOWER.
-
-
-Who the Owner of the MAY-FLOWER was, or who his representative, the
-"party of the first part," to the charter party of the Pilgrim ship,
-cannot be declared with absolute certainty, though naturally a matter of
-absorbing interest. There is, however, the strongest probability, as
-before intimated, that Thomas Goffe, Esq., one of the Merchant
-Adventurers, and always a stanch friend of the Pilgrims, was the owner of
-the historic vessel,--and as such has interwoven his name and hers with
-the histories of both the Pilgrim and Puritan hegiras from Old to New
-England. He was, as previously stated, a wealthy "merchant and ship
-owner of London," and not only an Adventurer with the Leyden Pilgrims,
-but--nearly ten years later--a patentee of the Massachusetts Company and
-one of its charter officers.
-
-We are told in the journal of Governor Winthrop of that Company--then on
-board the LADY ARBELLA, the, "Admiral" or flagship of his fleet, riding
-at Cowes, ready to set sail for New England--that on "Easter Monday
-(March 29), 1630, the CHARLES, the MAY-FLOWER, the WILLIAM AND FRANCIS,
-the HOPEWELL, the WHALE, the SUCCESS, and the TRIAL," of his fleet, were
-"still at Hampton [Southampton] and are not ready." Of these seven ships
-it is certain that Mr. Goffe owned at least two, as Governor Winthrop--in
-writing, some days later, of the detention of his son Henry and his
-friend Mr. Pelham, who, going ashore, failed to return to the governor's
-ship before she sailed from Cowes, and so went to the fleet at
-Southampton for passage--says: "So we have left them behind and suppose
-they will come after in one of Mr. Goffe's ships." It is clear,
-therefore, that Mr. Goffe, who was an intimate friend and business
-associate of Governor Winthrop, as the latter's correspondence amply
-attests, and was a charter deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company,
-and at this time "an assistant," was the owner of at least two (probably
-not more) of these seven belated ships of the governor's fleet, riding at
-Southampton. Bearing in mind that the MAY-FLOWER and the WHALE were two
-of those ships, it becomes of much importance to find that these two
-ships, evidently sailing in company (as if of one owner), arrived
-together in the harbor of Charlestown, New England, on Thursday, July 1,
-having on board one of them the governor's missing son, Henry Winthrop.
-If he came--as his father expected and as appears certain--"in one of Mr.
-Goffe's ships," then evidently, either the MAY-FLOWER or the WHALE, or
-both, belonged to Mr. Goffe. That both were Goffe's is rendered probable
-by the fact that Governor Winthrop--writing of the vessels as if
-associated and a single interest--states that "most of their cattle [on
-these ships] were dead, whereof a mare and horse of mine." This
-probability is increased, too, by the facts that the ships evidently kept
-close company across the Atlantic (as if under orders of a common owner,
-and as was the custom, for mutual defence and assistance, if occasion
-required), and that Winthrop who, as we above noted, had large dealings
-with Goffe, seems to have practically freighted both these ships for
-himself and friends, as his freight bills attest. They would hence, so
-far as possible, naturally keep together and would discharge their
-cargoes and have their accountings to a single consignee, taken as nearly
-together as practicable. Both these ships came to Charlestown,--as only
-one other did,--and both were freighted, as noted, by one party.
-
-Sadly enough, the young man, Henry Winthrop, was drowned at Salem the
-very day after his arrival, and before that of either of the other
-vessels: the HOPEWELL, or WILLIAM AND FRANCIS (which arrived at Salem the
-3d); or the TRIAL or CHARLES (which arrived--the first at Charlestown, of
-the last at Salem--the 5th); or the SUCCESS (which arrived the 6th);
-making it certain that he must have come in either the MAY-FLOWER or the
-WHALE. If, as appears, Goffe owned them both, then his ownership of the
-MAY-FLOWER in 1630 is assured, while all authorities agree without cavil
-that the MAY-FLOWER of Winthrop's fleet in that year (1630) and the MAY-
-FLOWER of the Pilgrims were the same. In the second "General Letter of
-Instructions" from the Massachusetts Company in England--dated London,
-May 28, 1629--to Governor Endicott and his Council, a duplicate of which
-is preserved in the First Book of the Suffolk Registry of Deeds at
-Boston, the historic vessel is described as "The MAY-FLOWER, of Yarmouth-
---William Pierse, Master," and Higginson, in his "Journal of a Voyage to
-New England," says, "The fifth ship is called the MAY-FLOWER carrying
-passengers and provisions." Yarmouth was hence undoubtedly the place of
-register, and the hailing port of the MAY-FLOWER,--she was very likely
-built there,--and this would remain the same, except by legal change of
-register, wherever she was owned, or from what ever port she might sail.
-Weston and Cushman, according to Bradford, found and hired her at London,
-and her probable owner, Thomas Goffe, Esq., was a merchant of that city.
-Dr. Young remarks: "The MAYFLOWER Of Higginson's fleet is the renowned
-vessel that brought the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth in 1620." Hon.
-James Savage says "The MAYFLOWER had been a name of renown without
-forming part of this fleet [Winthrop's, 1630], because in her came the
-devoted planters of Plimouth [1620] and she had also brought in the year
-preceding [1629] some of Higginson's company to Salem." Goodwin' says:
-"In 1629 she [the Pilgrim MAY-FLOWER] came to Salem with a company of the
-Leyden people for Plymouth, and in 1630 was one of the large fleet that
-attended John Winthrop, discharging her passengers at Charlestown." Dr.
-Young remarks in a footnote: "Thirty-five of the Leyden congregation with
-their families came over to Plymouth via Salem, in the MAY-FLOWER and
-TALBOT."
-
-In view of such positive statements as these, from such eminent
-authorities and others, and of the collateral facts as to the probable
-ownership of the MAY-FLOWER in 1630, and on her earlier voyages herein
-presented, the doubt expressed by the Rev. Mr. Blaxland in his "Mayflower
-Essays," whether the ship bearing her name was the same, on these three
-several voyages, certainly does not seem justified.
-
-Captain William Pierce, who commanded the MAY-FLOWER in 1629, when she
-brought over part of the Leyden company, was the very early and intimate
-friend of the Pilgrims--having brought over the ANNE with Leyden
-passengers in 1623--and sailed exclusively in the employ of the Merchant
-Adventurers, or some of their number, for many years, which is of itself
-suggestive.
-
-To accept, as beyond serious doubt, Mr. Goffe's ownership of the MAY-
-FLOWER, when she made her memorable voyage to New Plimoth, one need only
-to compare, and to interpret logically, the significant facts;--that he
-was a ship-owner of London and one of the body of Merchant Adventurers
-who set her forth on her Pilgrim voyage in 1620; and that he stood, as
-her evident owner, in similar relation to the Puritan company which
-chartered her for New England, similarly carrying colonists, self-exiled
-for religion's sake, in 1629 and again in 1630. This conviction is
-greatly strengthened by the fact that Mr. Goffe continued one of the
-Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers, until their interests were transferred to
-the colonists by the "Composition" of 1626, and three years later (1629)
-sent by the MAY-FLOWER, on her second New England voyage, although under
-a Puritan charter, another company from the Leyden congregation. The
-(cipher) letter of the "Governor and deputies of the New-England Company
-for a plantation in Massachusetts Bay" to Captain John Endicott, written
-at Gravesend, England, the 17th of April, 1629, says: "If you want any
-Swyne wee have agreed with those of Ne[w] Plimouth that they deliver you
-six Sowes with pigg for which they a[re] to bee allowed 9 lb. in accompt
-of what they the Plymouth people owe unto Mr. Goffe [our] deputie
-[Governor]." It appears from the foregoing that the Pilgrims at New
-Plymouth were in debt to Mr. Goffe in 1629, presumably for advances and
-passage money on account of the contingent of the Leyden congregation,
-brought over with Higginson's company to Salem, on the second trip of the
-MAY-FLOWER. Mr. Goffe's intimate connection with the Pilgrims was
-certainly unbroken from the organization of their Merchant Adventurers in
-1619/20, through the entire period of ten years, to 1630. There is every
-reason to believe, and none to doubt, that his ownership of the MAY-
-FLOWER of imperishable renown remained equally unbroken throughout these
-years, and that his signature as her owner was appended to her Pilgrim
-charter-party in 1620. Whoever the signatories of her charter-party may
-have been, there can be no doubt that the good ship MAY-FLOWER, in charge
-of her competent, if treacherous, Master, Captain Thomas Jones, and her
-first "pilot," John Clarke, lay in the Thames near London through the
-latter part of June and the early part of July, in the summer of 1620,
-undergoing a thorough overhauling, under contract as a colonist-
-transport, for a voyage to the far-off shores of "the northern parts of
-Virginia."
-
-In whatever of old English verbiage, with quaint terms and cumbersome
-repetition, the stipulations of this contract of were concealed, there
-can be no doubt that they purported and designed to "ingage" that "the
-Good ship MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth, of 9 score tuns burthen, whereof for
-the present viage Thomas Joanes is Master," should make the "viage" as a
-colonist-transport, "from the city of London in His Majesty's Kingdom of
-Great Britain," etc., "to the neighborhood of the mouth of Hudson's
-River, in the northern parts of Virginia and return, calling at the Port
-of Southampton, outward bound, to complete her lading, the same of all
-kinds, to convey to, and well and safely deliver at, such port or place,
-at or about the mouth of Hudson's River, so-called, in Virginia
-aforesaid, as those in authority of her passengers shall direct," etc.,
-with provision as to her return lading, through her supercargo, etc.
-
-It is probable that the exact stipulations of the contract will never
-transpire, and we can only roughly guess at them, by somewhat difficult
-comparison with the terms on which the LADY ARBELLA, the "Admiral," or
-flagship, of Winthrop's fleet, was chartered in 1630, for substantially
-the like voyage (of course, without expectation or probability, of so
-long a stay on the New England coast), though the latter was much the
-larger ship. The contract probably named an "upset" or total sum for the
-"round voyage," as was the of the case with the LADY ARBELLA, though it
-is to be hoped there was no "demurrage" clause, exacting damage, as is
-usual, for each day of detention beyond the "lay days" allowed, for the
-long and unexpected tarries in Cape Cod and Plymouth harbors must have
-rolled up an appalling "demurrage" claim. Winthrop enters among his
-memoranda, "The agreement for the ARBELLA L750, whereof is to be paid in
-hand [i e. cash down] the rest upon certificate of our safe arrival."
-The sum was doubtless considerably in excess of that paid for the MAY-
-FLOWER, both because she was a much larger, heavier-armed, and better-
-manned ship, of finer accommodations, and because ships were, in 1630, in
-far greater demand for the New England trade than in 1620, Winthrop's own
-fleet including no less than ten. The adjustments of freight and passage
-moneys between the Adventurers and colonists are matter of much doubt and
-perplexity, and are not likely to be fully ascertained. The only light
-thrown upon them is by the tariffs for such service on Winthrop's fleet,
-and for passage, etc., on different ships, at a little later day. It is
-altogether probable that transportation of all those accepted as
-colonists, by the agents of the Adventurers and "Planters," was without
-direct charge to any individual, but was debited against the whole. But
-as some had better quarters than others, some much more and heavier
-furniture, etc., while some had bulky and heavy goods for their personal
-benefit (such as William Mullen's cases of "boots and shoes," etc.), it
-is fair to assume that some schedule of rates for "tonnage," if not for
-individuals, became necessary, to prevent complaints and to facilitate
-accounts. Winthrop credits Mr. Goffe--owner of two of the ships in 1630
---as follows:--
-
- "For ninety-six passengers at L4, L384.
- For thirty-two tons of goods at L3 (per ton).
- For passage for a man, his wife and servant, (3 persons)
- L16/10, L5/10 each."
-
-Goodwin shows the cost of transportation at different times and under
-varying conditions. "The expense of securing and shipping Thos. Morton
-of 'Merry Mount' to England, was L12 7 0," but just what proportion the
-passage money bore to the rest of the account, cannot now be told. The
-expense of Mr. Rogers, the young insane clergyman brought over by Isaac
-Allerton, without authority, was, for the voyage out: "For passage L1 0
-0. For diet for eleven weeks at 4s. 8d. per week, total L3 11 4" [A
-rather longer passage than usual.] Constant Southworth came in the same
-ship and paid the same, L3 11 4, which may hence be assumed as the
-average charge, at that date, for a first-class passage. This does not
-vary greatly from the tariff of to-day, (1900) as, reduced to United
-States currency, it would be about $18; and allowing the value of
-sterling to be about four times this, in purchase ratio, it would mean
-about $73. The expenses of the thirty-five of the Leyden congregation
-who came over in the MAY-FLOWER in 1620, and of the others brought in the
-LION in 1630, were slightly higher than these figures, but the cost of
-the trip from Leyden to England was included, with that of some clothing.
-In 1650, Judge Sewall, who as a wealthy man would be likely to indulge in
-some luxury, gives his outlay one way, as, "Fare, L2 3 0; cabin expenses,
-L4 11 4; total, L6 14 4."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER--THE SHIP HERSELF
-
-Unhappily the early chroniclers familiar with the MAY-FLOWER have left us
-neither representation nor general description of her, and but few data
-from which we may reconstruct her outlines and details for ourselves.
-Tradition chiefly determines her place in one of the few classes into
-which the merchant craft of her day were divided, her tonnage and service
-being almost the only other authentic indices to this class.
-
-Bradford helps us to little more than the statement, that a vessel, which
-could have been no other, "was hired at London, being of burden about 9
-score" [tons], while the same extraordinary silence, which we have
-noticed as to her name, exists as to her description, with Smith,
-Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and the other contemporaneous or early writers
-of Pilgrim history. Her hundred and eighty tons register indicates in
-general her size, and to some extent her probable model and rig.
-
-Long search for a reliable, coetaneous picture of one of the larger ships
-of the merchant service of England, in the Pilgrim period, has been
-rewarded by the discovery of the excel lent "cut" of such a craft, taken
-from M. Blundeville's "New and Necessarie Treatise of Navigation,"
-published early in the seventeenth century. Appearing in a work of so
-high character, published by so competent a navigator and critic, and
-(approximately) in the very time of the Pilgrim "exodus," there can be no
-doubt that it quite correctly, if roughly and insufficiently, depicts the
-outlines, rig, and general cast of a vessel of the MAY-FLOWER type and
-time, as she appeared to those of that day, familiar therewith.
-
-It gives us a ship corresponding, in the chief essentials, to that which
-careful study of the detail and minutiae of the meagre MAY-FLOWER history
-and its collaterals had already permitted the author and others to
-construct mentally, and one which confirms in general the conceptions
-wrought out by the best artists and students who have attempted to
-portray the historic ship herself.
-
-Captain J. W. Collins, whose experience and labors in this relation are
-further alluded to, and whose opinion is entitled to respect, writes the
-author in this connection, as follows "The cut from Blundeville's
-treatise, which was published more or less contemporaneously with the
-MAYFLOWER, is, in my judgment, misleading, since it doubtless represents
-a ship of an earlier date, and is evidently [sic] reproduced from a
-representation on tapestry, of which examples are still to be seen (with
-similar ships) in England. The actual builder's plans, reproduced by
-Admiral Paris, from drawings still preserved, of ships of the MAYFLOWER'S
-time, seem to me to offer more correct and conclusive data for accurately
-determining what the famous ship of the Pilgrim Fathers was like."
-
-Decidedly one of the larger and better vessels of the merchant class of
-her day, she presumably followed the prevalent lines of that class, no
-doubt correctly represented, in the main, by the few coeval pictures of
-such craft which have come down to us. No one can state with absolute
-authority, her exact rig, model, or dimensions; but there can be no
-question that all these are very closely determined from even the meagre
-data and the prints we possess, so nearly did the ships of each class
-correspond in their respective features in those days. There is a
-notable similarity in certain points of the MAY-FLOWER, as she has been
-represented by these different artists, which is evidence upon two
-points: first, that all delineators have been obliged to study the type
-of vessel to which she belonged from such representations of it as each
-could find, as neither picture nor description of the vessel herself was
-to be had; and second, that as the result of such independent study
-nearly all are substantially agreed as to what the salient features of
-her type and class were. A model of a ship [3 masts] of the MAY-FLOWER
-type, and called in the Society's catalogue "A Model of the MAY FLOWER,
-after De Bry," but itself labelled "Model of one of Sir Walter Raleigh's
-Ships," is (mistakenly) exhibited by the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth.
-It is by no means to be taken as a correct representation of the Pilgrim
-bark. Few of the putative pictures of the MAY-FLOWER herself are at all
-satisfactory,--apart from the environment or relation in which she is
-usually depicted,--whether considered from an historical, a nautical,
-or an artistic point of view. The only one of these found by the author
-which has commanded (general, if qualified) approval is that entitled
-"The MAY-FLOWER at Sea," a reproduction of which, by permission, is the
-frontispiece of this volume. It is from an engraving by the master hand
-of W. J. Linton, from a drawing by Granville Perkins, and appeared in the
-"New England Magazine" for April, 1898, as it has elsewhere. Its
-comparative fidelity to fact, and its spirited treatment, alike commend
-it to those familiar with the subject, as par excellence the modern
-artistic picture of the MAY-FLOWER, although somewhat fanciful, and its
-rig, as Captain Collies observes, "is that of a ship a century later than
-the MAY-FLOWER; a square topsail on the mizzen," he notes, "being unknown
-in the early part of the seventeenth century, and a jib on a ship equally
-rare." Halsall's picture of "The Arrival of the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth
-Harbor," owned by the Pilgrim Society, of Plymouth, and hung in the
-Society's Hall, while presenting several historical inaccuracies,
-undoubtedly more correctly portrays the ship herself, in model, rig,
-etc., than do most of the well-known paintings which represent her.
-It is much to be regretted that the artist, in woeful ignorance, or
-disregard, of the recorded fact that the ship was not troubled with
-either ice or snow on her entrance (at her successful second attempt) to
-Plymouth harbor, should have covered and environed her with both.
-
-Answering, as the MAY-FLOWER doubtless did, to her type, she was
-certainly of rather "blocky," though not unshapely, build, with high poop
-and forecastle, broad of beam, short in the waist, low "between decks,"
-and modelled far more upon the lines of the great nautical prototype, the
-water-fowl, than the requirements of speed have permitted in the carrying
-trade of more recent years. That she was of the "square rig" of her
-time--when apparently no use was made of the "fore-and-aft" sails which
-have so wholly banished the former from all vessels of her size--goes
-without saying. She was too large for the lateen rig, so prevalent in
-the Mediterranean, except upon her mizzenmast, where it was no doubt
-employed.
-
-The chief differences which appear in the several "counterfeit
-presentments" of the historic ship are in the number of her masts and
-the height of her poop and her forecastle. A few make her a brig or
-"snow" of the oldest pattern, while others depict her as a full-rigged
-ship, sometimes having the auxiliary rig of a small "jigger" or "dandy-
-mast," with square or lateen sail, on peak of stern, or on the bow sprit,
-or both, though usually her mizzenmast is set well aft upon the poop.
-There is no reason for thinking that the former of these auxiliaries
-existed upon the MAY-FLOWER, though quite possible. Her 180 tons
-measurement indicates, by the general rule of the nautical construction
-of that period, a length of from 90 to 100 feet, "from taffrail to
-knighthead," with about 24 feet beam, and with such a hull as this, three
-masts would be far more likely than two. The fact that she is always
-called a "ship"--to which name, as indicating a class, three masts
-technically attach--is also somewhat significant, though the term is
-often generically used. Mrs. Jane G. Austin calls the MAY-FLOWER a
-"brig," but there does not appear anywhere any warrant for so doing.
-
-At the Smithsonian Institution (National Museum) at Washington, D. C.,
-there is exhibited a model of the MAY-FLOWER, constructed from the ratio
-of measurements given in connection with the sketch and working plans of
-a British ship of the merchant MAY-FLOWER class of the seventeenth
-century, as laid down by Admiral Francois Edmond Paris, of France, in his
-"Souvenirs de Marine." The hull and rigging of this model were carefully
-worked out by, and under the supervision of Captain Joseph W. Collins
-(long in the service of the Smithsonian Institution, in nautical and
-kindred matters, and now a member of the Massachusetts Commission of
-Inland Fisheries and Game), but were calculated on the erroneous basis of
-a ship of 120 instead of 180 tons measurement. This model, which is upon
-a scale of 1/2 inch to 1 foot, bears a label designating it as "The
-'MAYFLOWER' of the Puritans" [sic], and giving the following description
-(written by Captain Collins) of such a vessel as the Pilgrim ship, if of
-120 tons burthen, as figured from such data as that given by Admiral
-Paris, must, approximately, have been. (See photographs of the model
-presented herewith.) "A wooden, carvel-built, keel vessel, with full
-bluff bow, strongly raking below water line; raking curved stem; large
-open head; long round (nearly log-shaped) bottom; tumble in top side;
-short run; very large and high square stern; quarter galleries; high
-forecastle, square on forward end, with open rails on each side; open
-bulwarks to main [spar] and quarter-decks; a succession of three quarter-
-decks or poops, the after one being nearly 9 feet above main [spar] deck;
-two boats stowed on deck; ship-rigged, with pole masts [i. e. masts in
-one piece]; without jibs; square sprit sail (or water sail under
-bowsprit); two square sails on fore and main masts, and lateen sail on
-mizzenmast."
-
-Dimensions of Vessel. Length, over all, knightheads to taffrail, 82
-feet; beam, 22 feet; depth, 14 feet; tonnage, 120; bowsprit, outboard, 40
-feet 6 inches; spritsail yard, 34 feet 6 inches; foremast, main deck to
-top, 39 feet; total length, main [spar] deck to truck, 67 feet 6 inches;
-fore-yard, 47 feet 6 inches; foretopsail yard, 34 feet 1 2 inches;
-mainmast, deck to top, 46 feet; total, deck to truck, 81 feet; main yard,
-53 feet; maintopsail yard, 38 feet 6 inches; mizzen mast, deck to top, 34
-feet; total, deck to truck, 60 feet 6 inches; spanker yard, 54 feet 6
-inches; boats, one on port side of deck, 17 feet long by 5 feet 2 inches
-wide; one on starboard side, 13 feet 6 inches long by 4 feet 9 inches
-wide. The above description "worked out" by Captain Collins, and in
-conformity to which his putative model of the "MAY FLOWER" was
-constructed, rests, of course, for its correctness, primarily, upon the
-assumptions (which there is no reason to question) that the "plates" of
-Admiral Paris, his sketches, working plans, dimensions, etc., are
-reliable, and that Captain Collins's mathematics are correct, in reducing
-and applying the Admiral's data to a ship of 120 tons. That there would
-be some considerable variance from the description given, in applying
-these data to a ship of 60 tons greater measurement (i.e. of 180 tons),
-goes without saying, though the changes would appear more largely in the
-hull dimensions than in the rigging. That the description given, and its
-expression in the model depicted, present, with considerable fidelity, a
-ship of the MAY-FLOWER'S class arid type, in her day,--though of sixty
-tons less register, and amenable to changes otherwise,--is altogether
-probable, and taken together, they afford a fairly accurate idea of the
-general appearance of such a craft.
-
-In addition to mention of the enlargements which the increased tonnage
-certainly entails, the following features of the description seem to call
-for remark.
-
-It is doubtful whether the vessels of this class had "open bulwarks to
-the main [spar] deck," or "a succession of three quarter-decks or poops."
-Many models and prints of ships of that period and class show but two.
-It is probable that if the jib was absent, as Captain Collins believes
-(though it was evidently in use upon some of the pinnaces and shallops of
-the time, and its utility therefore appreciated), there was a small
-squaresail on a "dandy" mast on the bowsprit, and very possibly the
-"sprit" or "water-sail" he describes. The length of the vessel as given
-by Captain Collins, as well as her beam, being based on a measurement of
-but 120 tons, are both doubtless less than they should be, the depth
-probably also varying slightly, though there would very likely be but few
-and slight departures otherwise from his proximate figures. The long-
-boat would be more likely to be lashed across the hatch amidships than
-stowed on the port side of the deck, unless in use for stowage purposes,
-as previously suggested. Captain Collins very interestingly notes in a
-letter to the author, concerning the measurements indicated by his model:
-"Here we meet with a difficulty, even if it is not insurmountable. This
-is found in the discrepancy which exists between the dimensions--length,
-breadth, and depth--requisite to produce a certain tonnage, as given by
-Admiral Paris and the British Admiralty. Whether this is due to a
-difference in estimating tonnage between France (or other countries) and
-Great Britain, I am unable to say, but it is a somewhat remarkable fact
-that the National Museum model, which was made for a vessel of 120 tons,
-as given by Admiral Paris who was a Frenchman, has almost exactly the
-proportions of length, depth, and breadth that an English ship of 180
-tons would have, if we can accept as correct the lists of measurements
-from the Admiralty records published by Charnock . . . . In the third
-volume of Charnock's 'History of Marine Architecture,' p. 274., I find
-that a supply transport of 175 tons, built in 1759, and evidently a
-merchant ship originally, or at least a vessel of that class, was 79.4
-feet long (tonnage measure), 22.6 feet beam, and 11.61 feet deep." The
-correspondence is noticeable and of much interest, but as the writer
-comments, all depends upon whether or not "the measurement of the middle
-of the eighteenth century materially differed in Great Britain from what
-it was in the early part of the previous century."
-
-Like all vessels having high stems and sterns, she was unquestionably "a
-wet ship,"--upon this voyage especially so, as Bradford shows, from being
-overloaded, and hence lower than usual in the water. Captain John Smith
-says: "But being pestered [vexed] nine weeks in this leaking,
-unwholesome ship, lying wet in their cabins; most of them grew very weak
-and weary of the sea." Bradford says, quoting the master of the MAY-
-FLOWER and others: "As for the decks and upper works they would caulk
-them as well as they could, . . . though with the working of the ship,
-they would not long keep staunch." She was probably not an old craft, as
-her captain and others declared they "knew her to be strong and firm
-under water;" and the weakness of her upper works was doubtless due to
-the strain of her overload, in the heavy weather of the autumnal gales.
-Bradford says: "They met with many contrary winds and fierce storms with
-which their ship was shrewdly shaken and her upper works made very
-leaky." That the confidence of her master in her soundness below the
-water-line was well placed, is additionally proven by her excellent
-voyages to America, already noted, in 1629, and 1630, when she was ten
-years older.
-
-That she was somewhat "blocky" above water was doubtless true of her, as
-of most of her class; but that she was not unshapely below the water-line
-is quite certain, for the re markable return passage she made to England
-(in ballast) shows that her lower lines must have been good. She made
-the run from Plymouth to London on her return voyage in just thirty-one
-days, a passage that even with the "clipper ships" of later days would
-have been respectable, and for a vessel of her model and rig was
-exceptionally good. She was "light" (in ballast), as we know from the
-correspondence of Weston and Bradford, the letter of the former to
-Governor Carver--who died before it was received--upbraiding him for
-sending her home "empty." The terrible sickness and mortality of the
-whole company, afloat and ashore, had, of course, made it impossible to
-freight her as intended with "clapboards" [stave-stock], sassafras roots,
-peltry, etc. No vessels of her class of that day were without the high
-poop and its cabin possibilities,--admirably adapting them to passenger
-service,--and the larger had the high and roomy topgallant forecastles so
-necessary for their larger crews. The breadth of beam was always
-considerably greater in that day than earlier, or until much later,
-necessitated by the proportionately greater height ("topsides"), above
-water, at stem and stern. The encroachments of her high poop and
-forecastle left but short waist-room; her waist-ribs limited the height
-of her "between decks;" while the "perked up" lines of her bow and stern
-produced the resemblance noted, to the croup and neck of the wild duck.
-That she was low "between decks" is demonstrated by the fact that it was
-necessary to "cut down" the Pilgrims' shallop--an open sloop, of
-certainly not over 30 feet in length, some 10 tons burden, and not very
-high "freeboard"--"to stow" her under the MAY-FLOWER'S spar deck. That
-she was "square-rigged" follows, as noted, from the fact that it was the
-only rig in use for ships of her class and size, and that she had
-"topsails" is shown by the fact that the "top-saile halliards" were
-pitched over board with John Howland, and saved his life. Bradford says:
-"A lustie yonge man (called John Howland) coming upon some occasion above
-ye grattings, was with a seele of ye shipe throwne into ye sea: but it
-pleased God yt he caught hould of ye top-saile halliards which hunge over
-board & rane out at length yet he held his hould . . . till he was
-haled up," etc. Howland had evidently just come from below upon the poop-
-deck (as there would be no "grattings" open in the waist to receive the
-heavy seas shipped). The ship was clearly experiencing "heavy weather"
-and a great lurch ("seele") which at the stern, and on the high,
-swinging, tilting poop-deck would be most severely felt, undoubtedly
-tossed him over the rail. The topsail halliards were probably trailing
-alongside and saved him, as they have others under like circumstances.
-
-Whether or not the MAY-FLOWER had the "round house" under her poop-deck,
----a sort of circular-end deck-house, more especially the quarters, by
-day, of the officers and favored passengers; common, but apparently not
-universal, in vessels of her class,--we have no positive knowledge, but
-the presumption is that she had, as passenger ships like the PARAGON (of
-only 140 tons), and others of less tonnage, seem to have been so fitted!
-
-It is plain that, in addition to the larger cabin space and the smaller
-cabins,--"staterooms," nowadays,--common to ships of the MAY-FLOWER'S
-size and class, the large number of her passengers, and especially of
-women and children, made it necessary to construct other cabins between
-decks. Whether these were put up at London, or Southampton, or after the
-SPEEDWELL'S additional passengers were taken aboard at Plymouth, does not
-appear. The great majority of the men and boys were doubtless provided
-with bunks only, "between decks," but it seems that John Billington had a
-cabin there. Bradford narrates of the gunpowder escapade of young
-Francis Billington, that, "there being a fowling-piece, charged in his
-father's cabin [though why so inferior a person as Billington should have
-a cabin when there could not have been enough for better men, is a query],
-shot her off in the cabin, there being a little barrel of powder half-
-full scattered in and about the cabin, the fire being within four feet of
-the bed, between the decks, . . . and many people gathered about the
-fire," etc.
-
-Whatever other deductions may be drawn from this very badly constructed
-and ambiguous paragraph of Bradford, two things appear certain,--one,
-that Billington had a "cabin" of his own "between decks;" and the other,
-that there was a "fire between decks," which "many people" were gathered
-"about." We can quite forgive the young scamp for the jeopardy in which
-he placed the ship and her company, since it resulted in giving us so
-much data concerning the MAY-FLOWER'S "interior." Captain John Smith's
-remark, already quoted, as to the MAY-FLOWER'S people "lying wet in their
-cabins," is a hint of much value from an experienced navigator of that
-time, as to the "interior" construction of ships and the bestowal of
-passengers in them, in that day, doubtless applicable to the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-While it was feasible, when lying quietly at anchor in a land-locked
-harbor, with abundance of fire-wood at hand, to have a fire, about which
-they could gather, even if only upon the "sand-hearth" of the early
-navigators, when upon boisterous seas, in mid-ocean, "lying . . . in
-their cabins" was the only means of keeping warm possible to voyagers.
-In "Good Newes from New England," we find the lines:--
-
- "Close cabins being now prepared,
- With bred, bief, beire, and fish,
- The passengers prepare themselves,
- That they might have their wish."
-
-Her magazine, carpenter's and sailmaker's lockers, etc., were doubtless
-well forward under her forecastle, easily accessible from the spar-deck,
-as was common to merchant vessels of her class and size. Dr. Young, in
-his "Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers" (p. 86, note), says: "This vessel
-was less than the average size of the fishing-smacks that go to the Grand
-Banks. This seems a frail bark in which to cross a stormy ocean of three
-thousand miles in extent. Yet it should be remembered that two of the
-ships of Columbus on his first daring and perilous voyage of discovery,
-were light vessels, without decks, little superior to the small craft
-that ply on our rivers and along our coasts . . . . Frobisher's fleet
-consisted of two barks of twenty-five tons each and a pinnace of ten
-tons, when he sailed in 1576 to discover a north-west passage to the
-Indies. Sir Francis Drake, too, embarked on his voyage for
-circumnavigating the globe, in 1577, with five vessels, of which the
-largest was of one hundred, and the smallest fifteen tons. The bark in
-which Sir Humphrey Gilbert perished was of ten tons only." The LITTLE
-JAMES, which the Company sent to Plymouth in July, 1623, was "a pinnace
-of only forty-four tons," and in a vessel of fifty tons (the SPEEDWELL),
-Martin Pring, in 1603, coasted along the shores of New England. Goodwin
-says: "In 1587 there were not in all England's fleet more than five
-merchant vessels exceeding two hundred tons." The SPARROW-HAWK wrecked
-on Cape Cod in 1626 was only 40 feet "over all." The Dutch seem to have
-built larger vessels. Winthrop records that as they came down the
-Channel, on their way to New England (1630), they passed the wreck of
-"a great Dutch merchantman of a thousand tons."
-
-The MAY-FLOWER'S galley, with its primitive conditions for cooking,
-existed rather as a place for the preparation of food and the keeping of
-utensils, than for the use of fire. The arrangements for the latter were
-exceedingly crude, and were limited to the open "hearth-box" filled with
-sand, the chief cooking appliance being the tripod-kettle of the early
-navigators: This might indeed be set up in any part of the ship where the
-"sand-hearth" could also go, and the smoke be cared for. It not
-infrequently found space in the fore castle, between decks, and, when
-fine weather prevailed, upon the open deck, as in the open caravels of
-Columbus, a hundred years before. The bake-kettle and the frying-pan
-held only less important places than the kettle for boiling. It must have
-been rather a burst of the imagination that led Mrs. Austin, in "Standish
-of Standish," to make Peter Browne remind poor half-frozen Goodman--whom
-he is urging to make an effort to reach home, when they had been lost,
-but had got in sight of the MAY-FLOWER In the harbor--of "the good fires
-aboard of her." Moreover, on January 22, when Goodman was lost, the
-company had occupied their "common-house" on shore. Her ordnance
-doubtless comprised several heavy guns (as such were then reckoned),
-mounted on the spar-deck amid ships, with lighter guns astern and on.
-the rail, and a piece of longer range and larger calibre upon the
-forecastle. Such was the general disposal of ordnance upon merchant
-vessels of her size in that day, when an armament was a 'sine qua non'.
-Governor Winslow in his "Hypocrisie Unmasked," 1646 (p. 91), says, in
-writing of the departure of the Pilgrims from Delfshaven, upon the
-SPEEDWELL: "The wind being fair we gave them a volley of small shot and
-three pieces of ordnance," by which it seems that the SPEEDWELL, of only
-sixty tons, mounted at least "three pieces of ordnance" as, from the form
-of expression, there seem to have been "three pieces," rather than three
-discharges of the same piece.
-
-The inference is warranted that the MAY-FLOWER, being three times as
-large, would carry a considerably heavier and proportionate armament.
-The LADY ARBELLA, Winthrop's ship, a vessel of 350 tons, carried "twenty-
-eight pieces of ordnance;" but as "Admiral" of the fleet, at a time when
-there was a state of war with others, and much piracy, she would
-presumably mount more than a proportionate weight of metal, especially as
-she convoyed smaller and lightly armed vessels, and carried much value.
-There is no reason to suppose that the MAY-FLOWER, in her excessively
-crowded condition, mounted more than eight or ten guns, and these chiefly
-of small calibre. Her boats included her "long-boat," with which the
-experience of her company in "Cape Cod harbor" have made us familiar, and
-perhaps other smaller boats,--besides the Master's "skiff" or "gig," of
-whose existence and necessity there are numerous proofs. "Monday the
-27," Bradford and Winslow state, "it proved rough weather and cross
-winds, so as we were constrained, some in the shallop and others in the
-long-boat," etc. Bradford states, in regard to the repeated springings-
-a-leak of the SPEEDWELL: "So the Master of the bigger ship, called Master
-Jones, being consulted with;" and again, "The Master of the small ship
-complained his ship was so leaky . . . so they [Masters Jones and
-Reynolds] came to consultation, again," etc. It is evident that Jones
-was obliged to visit the SPEEDWELL to inspect her and to consult with the
-leaders, who were aboard her. For this purpose, as for others, a smaller
-boat than the "long-boat" would often serve, while the number of
-passengers and crew aboard would seem to demand still other boats.
-Winthrop notices that their Captain (Melborne) frequently "had his skiff
-heaved out," in the course of their voyage. The Master's small boat,
-called the "skiff" or "gig," was, no doubt, stowed (lashed) in the waist
-of the ship, while the "long-boat" was probably lashed on deck forward,
-being hoisted out and in, as the practice of those days was, by "whips,"
-from the yardarms. It was early the habit to keep certain of the live-
-stock, poultry, rabbits, etc., in the unused boats upon deck, and it is
-possible that in the crowded state of the MAY-FLOWER this custom was
-followed. Bradford remarks that their "goods or common store . . .
-were long in unlading [at New Plimoth] for want of boats." It seems
-hardly possible that the Admiralty authorities,--though navigation laws
-were then few, crude, and poorly enforced,--or that the Adventurers and
-Pilgrim chiefs themselves, would permit a ship carrying some 130 souls to
-cross the Atlantic in the stormy season, without a reasonable boat
-provision. The capacity of the "long-boat" we know to have been about
-twenty persons, as nearly that number is shown by Bradford and Winslow
-to have gone in her on the early expeditions from the ship, at Cape Cod.
-She would therefore accommodate only about one sixth of the ship's
-company. As the "gig" would carry only five or six persons,--while the
-shallop was stowed between decks and could be of no service in case of
-need upon the voyage,--the inference is warranted that other boats were
-carried, which fail of specific mention, or that she was wofully lacking.
-The want of boats for unlading, mentioned by Bradford, suggests the
-possibility that some of the ship's quota may have been lost or destroyed
-on her boisterous voyage, though no such event appears of record, or is
-suggested by any one. In the event of wreck, the Pilgrims must have
-trusted, like the Apostle Paul and his associates when cast away on the
-island of Melita, to get to shore, "some on boards and some on broken
-pieces of the ship." Her steering-gear, rigging, and the mechanism for
-"getting her anchors," "slinging," "squaring," and "cockbilling" her
-yards; for "making" and "shortening" sail; "heaving out" her boats and
-"handling" her cargo, were of course all of the crude and simple patterns
-and construction of the time, usually so well illustrating the ancient
-axiom in physics, that "what is lost [spent] in power is gained in time."
-
-The compass-box and hanging-compass, invented by the English cleric,
-William Barlow, but twelve years before the Pilgrim voyage, was almost
-the only nautical appliance possessed by Captain Jones, of the MAY-
-FLOWER, in which no radical improvement has since been made. Few charts
-of much value--especially of western waters--had yet been drafted, but
-the rough maps and diagrams of Cabot, Smith, Gosnold, Pring, Champlain
-and Dermer, Jones was too good a navigator not to have had. In speaking
-of the landing at Cape Cod, the expression is used by Bradford in
-"Mourt's Relation," "We went round all points of the compass," proving
-that already the mariner's compass had become familiar to the speech even
-of those not using it professionally.
-
-That the ship was "well-found" in anchors (with solid stocks), hemp
-cables, "spare" spars, "boat-tackling" and the heavy "hoisting-gear" of
-those days, we have the evidence of recorded use. "The MAY-FLOWER,"
-writes Captain Collins, would have had a hemp cable about 9 inches in
-circumference. Her anchors would probably weigh as follows: sheet anchor
-(or best bower) 500 to 600 lbs.; stream anchor 350 to 400 lbs.; the spare
-anchors same as the stream anchor.
-
-"Charnock's Illustrations" show that the anchors used in the MAY-FLOWER
-period were shaped very much like the so called Cape Ann anchor now made
-for our deep-sea fishing vessels. They had the conventional shaped
-flukes, with broad pointed palms, and a long shank, the upper end passing
-through a wooden stock. [Tory shows in his diagrams some of the anchors
-of that period with the space between the shank and flukes nearly filled
-up in the lower part with metal.] Such an anchor has the maximum of
-holding powers, and bearing in mind the elasticity of the hemp cables
-then used, would enable a vessel to ride safely even when exposed to
-heavy winds and a racing sea: There is no doubt, according to the
-British Admiralty Office,--which should be authority upon the matter,--
-that the flag under which the MAY-FLOWER, and all other vessels of the
-merchant marine of Great Britain, sailed, at the time she left England
-(as noted concerning the SPEEDWELL), was what became known as the "Union
-Jack," as decreed by James the First, in 1606, supplanting the English
-ensign, which had been the red cross of St. George upon a white field.
-The new flag resulted from the "union" of the crowns and kingdoms of
-England and Scotland, upon the accession of James VI. of Scotland to the
-English throne, as James I. of England, upon the death of queen
-Elizabeth. Its design was formed by superimposing the red cross of St.
-George upon the white cross of St. Andrew, on a dark blue field; in other
-words, by imposing the cross of St. George, taken from the English
-ensign, upon the Scotch flag, and creating there by the new flag of Great
-Britain.
-
-In a little monograph on "The British Flag--Its Origin and History," a
-paper read by its author, Jona. F. Morris, Esq., before the Connecticut
-Historical Society, June 7, 1881, and reprinted at Hartford (1889), Mr.
-Morris, who has made much study of the matter, states (p. 4): "In 1603,
-James VI. of Scotland was crowned James I. of England. The Scots, in
-their pride that they had given a king to England, soon began to contend
-that the cross of St. Andrew should take precedence of the cross of St.
-George, that ships bearing the flag of the latter should salute that of
-St. Andrew. To allay the contention, the King, on the 12th of April,
-1606, ordered that all subjects of Great Britain travelling by sea shall
-bear at the maintop the red cross of St. George and the white cross,
-commonly called the cross of St. Andrew, joined together according to a
-form made by his heralds besides this all vessels belonging to South
-Britain or England might wear the cross of St. George at the peak or
-fore, as they were wont, and all vessels belonging to North Britain or
-Scotland might wear the cross of St. Andrew at the fore top, as they had
-been accustomed; and all vessels were for bidden to wear any other flag
-at their peril. The new flag thus designed by the heralds and proclaimed
-by this order was called the 'King's Colors.' For a long period the red
-cross had been the colors of English navigators, as well as the badge of
-English soldiery . . . . No permanent English settlement in America
-was made until after the adoption of the 'King's Colors.' Jamestown,
-Plymouth, Salem, and Boston were settled under the new flag, though the
-ships bringing over settlers, being English vessels, also carried the red
-cross as permitted." Mr. Barlow Cumberland, of Toronto, Canada, has also
-given, in a little monograph entitled "The Union Jack" (published by
-William Briggs of that city, 1898), an admirable account of the history
-of the British jack, which confirms the foregoing conclusions. The early
-English jack was later restored. Such, roughly sketched, was the Pilgrim
-ship, the renowned MAY-FLOWER, as, drafted from the meagre but fairly
-trustworthy and suggestive data available, she appears to us of to-day.
-
-
-
-
-HER HISTORY:
-
-In even the little we know of the later history of the ship, one cannot
-always be quite sure of her identity in the records of vessels of her
-name, of which there have been many. Dr. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, of
-Boston, says that "a vessel bearing this name was owned in England about
-fifteen years or more before the voyage of our forefathers, but it would
-be impossible to prove or disprove its identity with the renowned MAY-
-FLOWER, however great such a probability might be. It is known,
-nevertheless, that--the identical famous vessel afterwards hailed from
-various English ports, such as London, Yarmouth, and Southampton, and
-that it was much used in transporting immigrants to this country. What
-eventually became of it and what was the end of its career, are equally
-unknown to history." Goodwin says: "It does not appear that the MAY-
-FLOWER ever revisited Plymouth, but in 1629 she came to Salem," with a
-company of the Leyden people for Plymouth, under command of Captain
-William Peirce, the warm friend of the Pilgrims, and in 1630 was one of
-the large fleet that attended John Winthrop, under a different master,
-discharging her passengers at Charlestown. Nothing is certainly known of
-her after that time. In 1648 a ship [hereinafter mentioned by Hunter]
-named the MAY-FLOWER was engaged in the slave trade, and the ill-informed
-as well as the ill-disposed have sometimes sneeringly alleged that this
-was our historic ship; but it is ascertained that the slaver was a vessel
-of three hundred and fifty tons,--nearly twice the size of our ship of
-happy memory. In 1588 the officials of Lynn (England) offered the "MAY-
-FLOWER" (150 tons) to join the fleet against the dreaded Spanish Armada.
-In 1657, Samuel Vassall, of London, complained that the government had
-twice impressed his ship, MAY-FLOWER, which he had "fitted out with sixty
-men, for the Straits." Rev. Joseph Hunter, author of "The Founders of
-New Plymouth," one of the most eminent antiquarians in England, and an
-indefatigable student of Pilgrim history among British archives, says:
-"I have not observed the name of MAY FLOWER [in which style he always
-writes it] before the year 1583 . . . . But the name soon became
-exceedingly popular among those to whom belonged the giving of the names
-to vessels in the merchant-service. Before the close of that century
-[the sixteenth] we have a MAY-FLOWER of Hastings; a MAY-FLOWER of Rie;
-a MAY-FLOWER of Newcastle: a MAY FLOWER of Lynn; and a MAY-FLOWER Of
-Yarmouth: both in 1589. Also a MAY-FLOWER of Hull, 1599; a MAY FLOWER of
-London of eighty tons burden, 1587, and 1594, Of which Richard Ireland
-was the master, and another MAY-FLOWER of the same port, of ninety tons
-burthen, of which Robert White was the master in 1594, and a third MAY-
-FLOWER of London, unless it is the same vessel with one of the two just
-spoken of, only with a different master, William Morecock. In 1587 there
-was a MAY-FLOWER Of Dover, of which John Tooke was the master. In 1593
-there was a MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth of 120 tons, of which William Musgrove
-was the master. In 1608 there was a MAY-FLOWER of Dartmouth, of which
-Nicholas Waterdonne was the master; and in 1609 a MAY-FLOWER of
-Middleburgh entered an English port."
-
-Later in the century we find a MAY-FLOWER of Ipswich, and another of
-Newcastle in 1618; a MAY-FLOWER of York in 1621; a MAY-FLOWER of
-Scarborough in 1630, Robert Hadock the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Sandwich
-the same year, John Oliver the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Dover, 1633,
-Walter Finnis, master, in which two sons of the Earl of Berkshire crossed
-to Calais. "Which of these was the vessell which carried over the
-precious [Pilgrim] freight cannot perhaps be told [apparently neither,
-unless perhaps the MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth of 1593, in which case her
-tonnage is incorrectly given], but we learn from Mr. Sherley's letter to
-Governor Bradford' that the same vessel was employed in 1629 in passing
-between the two countries, a company of the church at Leyden, who had
-joined in the first emigration, intending to pass in it to America; and
-in the same author we find that the vessel arrived in the harbour of
-Charlestown [N. E.] on July 1, 1630. There was a MAY-FLOWER which, in
-1648, gained an unenviable notoriety as a slaver. But this was not the
-MAY-FLOWER which had carried over the first settlers, it being a vessel
-Of 350 tons, while the genuine MAY-FLOWER was of only 180 tons." Of the
-first of her two known visits, after her voyage with the Pilgrim company
-from Leyden, Goodwin says: "In August, 1629, the renowned MAY-FLOWER came
-from England to Salem under Plymouth's old friend [William] Peirce, and
-in her came thirty-five Leyden people, on their way to Plymouth." The
-number has been in dispute, but the large cost of bringing them, over
-L500, would suggest that their families must have also come, as has been
-alleged, but for the following from Governor Bradford's Letter Book:
-"These persons," he says, "were in all thirty-five, which came at this
-time unto us from Leyden, whose charge out of Holland into England, and
-in England till the ship was ready, and then their transportation hither,
-came to a great deal of money, for besides victuals and other expenses,
-they were all newly apparelled." Shirley, one of the Adventurers,
-writing to Governor Bradford in 1629, says: "Here are now many of your
-friends from Leyden coming over. With them also we have sent some
-servants, or in the ship that went lately (I think called the TALBOT),
-and this that these come in is the MAY-FLOWER." All that Higginson's
-journal tells of her, as noted, is, that "she was of Yarmouth;" was
-commanded by William Peirce, and carried provisions and passengers, but
-the fact that she was under command of Captain Peirce of itself tells
-much. On her next trip the MAY-FLOWER sailed from Southampton, in May,
-1630, as part of Winthrop's fleet, and arrived at Charlestown July 1.
-She was, on this voyage, under command of a new master (perhaps a Captain
-Weatherby), Captain Peirce having, at this time, command of the ship
-LYON, apparently in the service of Plymouth Colony. A vessel of this
-name [MAY-FLOWER] was sailing between England and Boston in 1656. Young
-says: "The MAY-FLOWER is a ship of renown in the history of the
-colonization of New England. She was one of the five vessels which, in
-1629, conveyed Higginson's company to Salem, and also one of the fleet
-which, in 1630, brought over his colony to Massachusetts Bay."
-
-October 6, 1652, "Thomas Webber, Mr. of the good shipp called the
-MAYFLOWER of the burden of Two hundred Tuns or there abouts . . . .
-Rideing at Ancor in the Harber of Boston," sold one-sixteenth of the ship
-"for good & valluable Consideracons to Mr. John Pinchon of Springfield
-Mrchant." The next day, October 7, 1652, the same "Thomas Webber, Mr, of
-the good Shipp called the MAY FLOWER of Boston in New England now bound
-for the barbadoes and thence to London," acknowledges an indebtedness to
-Theodore Atkinson, a wealthy "hatter, felt-maker," and merchant of
-Boston, and the same day (October 7, 1652), the said "Thomas Webber, Mr.
-of the good shipp called the MAY FLOWER of the burthen of Two hundred
-tuns or thereabouts," sold "unto Theodore Atkinson felt-maker one-
-sixteenth part as well of said Shipp as of all & singular her masts Sails
-Sail-yards Ancors Cables Ropes Cords Gunns Gunpowder Shott Artillery
-Tackle Munition apparrell boate skiffe and furniture to the same
-belonging." It is of course possible that this was the historic ship,
-though, if so, reappearing twenty two years after her last known voyage
-to New England. If the same, she was apparently under both new master
-and owner. From the facts that she is called "of Boston in New England"
-and was trading between that port, "the Barbadoes" and London, it is not
-impossible that she may have been built at Boston--a sort of namesake
-descendant of the historic ship--and was that MAY-FLOWER mentioned as
-belonging, in 1657, to Mr. Samuel Vassall; as he had large interests
-alike in Boston, Barbadoes, and London. Masters of vessels were often
-empowered to sell their ships or shares in them. Although we know not
-where her keel was laid, by what master she was built, or where she laid
-her timbers when her work was done, by virtue of her grand service to
-humanity, her fame is secure, and her name written among the few, the
-immortal names that were not born to die.
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
-
-Personal inference rather than a verity
-Transplantation to the "northern parts of Virginia"
-
-
-
-
-End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log, V2
-by Azel Ames
-
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-
-BOOK 3.
-
-
-CHAPTER V
-
-THE OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE MAYFLOWER
-
-The officers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER were obviously important factors
-in the success of the Pilgrim undertaking, and it is of interest to know
-what we may concerning them. We have seen that the "pilot," John Clarke,
-was employed by Weston and Cushman, even before the vessel upon which he
-was to serve had been found, and he had hence the distinction of being
-the first man "shipped" of the MAY-FLOWER'S complement. It is evident
-that he was promptly hired on its being known that he had recently
-returned from a voyage to Virginia in the cattle-ship FALCON, as certain
-to be of value in the colonists' undertakings.
-
-Knowing that the Adventurers' agents were seeking both a ship and a
-master for her, it was the natural thing for the latter, that he should
-propose the Captain under whom he had last sailed, on much the same
-voyage as that now contemplated. It is an interesting fact that
-something of the uncertainty which for a time existed as to the names and
-features of the Pilgrim barks attaches the names and identity of their
-respective commanders. The "given" name of "Master" Reynolds, "pilott"
-and "Master" of the SPEED WELL, does not appear, but the assertion of
-Professor Arber, though positive enough, that "the Christian name of the
-Captain of the MAY-FLOWER is not known," is not accepted by other
-authorities in Pilgrim history, though it is true that it does not find
-mention in the contemporaneous accounts of the Pilgrim ship and her
-voyage.
-
-There is no room for doubt that the Captain of the FALCON--whose release
-from arrest while under charge of piracy the Earl of Warwick procured,
-that he might take command of the above-named cattle-ship on her voyage
-to Virginia, as hereinafter shown--was Thomas Jones. The identity of
-this man and "Master Jones" who assumed command of the MAY-FLOWER--with
-the former mate of the FALCON, John Clarke, as his first officer--is
-abundantly certified by circumstantial evidence of the strongest kind, as
-is also the fact that he commanded the ship DISCOVERY a little later.
-
-With the powerful backing of such interested friends as the Earl of
-Warwick and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, undoubtedly already in league with
-Thomas Weston, who probably made the contract with Jones,
-as he had with Clarke, the suggestion of the latter as to the competency
-and availability of his late commander would be sure of prompt approval,
-and thus, in all probability, Captain Thomas Jones, who finds his chief
-place in history--and a most important one--as Master of the MAY-FLOWER,
-came to that service.
-
-In 1619, as appears by Neill, the Virginia Company had one John Clarke in
-Ireland, "buying cattle for Virginia." We know that Captain Jones soon
-sailed for Virginia with cattle, in the FALCON, of 150 tons, and as this
-was the only cattle ship in a long period, we can very certainly identify
-Clarke as the newly-hired mate of the MAY-FLOWER, who, Cush man says
-(letter of June 11/21, 1620), "went last year to Virginia with a ship of
-kine." As 1620 did not begin until March 25, a ship sailing in February
-would have gone out in 1619, and Jones and Clarke could easily have made
-the voyage in time to engage for the MAY-FLOWER in the following June.
-"Six months after Jones's trip in the latter" (i.e. after his return
-from the Pilgrim voyage), Neill says, "he took the DISCOVERY (60 tons) to
-Virginia, and then northward, trading along the coast. The Council for
-New England complained of him to the Virginia Company for robbing the
-natives on this voyage. He stopped at Plymouth (1622), and, taking
-advantage of the distress for food he found there, was extortionate in
-his prices. In July, 1625, he appeared at Jamestown, Virginia, in
-possession of a Spanish frigate, which he said had been captured by one
-Powell, under a Dutch commission, but it was thought a resumption of his
-old buccaneering practices. Before investigation he sickened and died."
-
-That Jones was a man of large experience, and fully competent in his
-profession, is beyond dispute. His disposition, character, and deeds
-have been the subject of much discussion. By most writers he is held to
-have been a man of coarse, "unsympathetic" nature, "a rough sea-dog,"
-capable of good feeling and kindly impulses at times, but neither
-governed by them nor by principle. That he was a "highwayman of the
-seas," a buccaneer and pirate, guilty of blood for gold, there can be no
-doubt. Certainly nothing could justify the estimate of him given by
-Professor Arber, that "he was both fair-minded and friendly toward the
-Pilgrim Fathers," and he certainly stands alone among writers of
-reputation in that opinion. Jones's selfishness,
-
- [Bradford himself--whose authority in the matter will not be
- doubted--says (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 112): "As this calamitie,
- the general sickness, fell among ye passengers that were to be left
- here to plant, and were basted ashore and made to drinke water, that
- the sea-men might have ye more bear [beer] and one in his sickness
- desiring but a small can of beare it was answered that if he were
- their own father he should have none." Bradford also shows (op.
- cit. p. 153) the rapacity of Jones, when in command of the
- DISCOVERY, in his extortionate demands upon the Plymouth planters,
- notwithstanding their necessities.]
-
-threats, boorishness, and extortion, to say nothing of his exceedingly
-bad record as a pirate, both in East and West Indian waters, compel a far
-different estimate of him as a man, from that of Arber, however excellent
-he was as a mariner. Professor Arber dissents from Goodwin's conclusion
-that Captain Jones of the DISCOVERY was the former Master of the MAY-
-FLOWER, but the reasons of his dissent are by no means convincing. He
-argues that Jones would not have accepted the command of a vessel so much
-smaller than his last, the DISCOVERY being only one third the size of the
-MAY-FLOWER. Master-mariners, particularly when just returned from long
-and unsuccessful voyages, especially if in bad repute,--as was Jones,--
-are obliged to take such employment as offers, and are often glad to get
-a ship much smaller than their last, rather than remain idle. Moreover,
-in Jones's case, if, as appears, he was inclined to buccaneering, the
-smaller ship would serve his purpose--as it seems it did satisfactorily.
-Nor is the fact that Bradford speaks of him--although previously so well
-acquainted--as "one Captain Jones," to be taken as evidence, as Arber
-thinks, that the Master of the DISCOVERY was some other of the name.
-Bradford was writing history, and his thought just then was the especial
-Providence of God in the timely relief afforded their necessities by the
-arrival of the ships with food, without regard to the individuals who
-brought it, or the fact that one was an acquaintance of former years.
-On the other hand, Winslow--in his "Good Newes from New England"--
-records the arrival of the two ships in August, 1622, and says, "the one
-as I take [recollect] it, was called the DISCOVERY, Captain Jones having
-command thereof," which on the same line of argument as Arber's might be
-read, "our old acquaintance Captain Jones, you know"! If the expression
-of Bradford makes against its being Captain Jones, formerly of the MAY-
-FLOWER, Winslow's certainly makes quite as much for it, while the fact
-which Winslow recites, viz. that the DISCOVERY, under Jones, was sailing
-as consort to the SPARROW, a ship of Thomas Weston,--who employed him for
-the MAY-FLOWER, was linked with him in the Gorges conspiracy, and had
-become nearly as degenerate as he,--is certainly significant. There are
-still better grounds, as will appear in the closely connected relations
-of Jones, for holding with Goodwin rather than with Arber in the matter.
-The standard authority in the case is the late Rev. E. D. Neill, D. D.,
-for some years United States consul at Dublin, who made very considerable
-research into all matters pertaining to the Virginia Companies,
-consulting their original records and "transactions," the Dutch related
-documents, the "Calendars of the East India Company," etc. Upon him and
-his exhaustive work all others have largely drawn,--notably Professor
-Arber himself,--and his conclusions seem entitled to the same weight here
-which Arber gives them in other relations. Dr. Neill is clearly of
-opinion that the Captains of the MAY-FLOWER and the DISCOVERY were
-identical, and this belief is shared by such authorities in Pilgrim
-literature as Young, Prince, Goodwin, and Davis, and against this
-formidable consensus of opinion, Arber, unless better supported, can
-hardly hope to prevail.
-
-The question of Jones's duplicity and fraud, in bringing the Pilgrims to
-land at Cape Cod instead of the "neighbor-hood of Hudson's River," has
-been much mooted and with much diversity of opinion, but in the light of
-the subjoined evidence and considerations it seems well-nigh impossible
-to acquit him of the crime--for such it was, in inception, nature, and
-results, however overruled for good.
-
-The specific statements of Bradford and others leave no room for doubt
-that the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims fully intended to make their settlement
-somewhere in the region of the mouth of "Hudson's River." Morton states
-in terms that Captain Jones's "engagement was to Hudson's River."
-Presumably, as heretofore noted, the stipulation of his charter party
-required that he should complete his outward voyage in that general
-locality. The northern limits of the patents granted in the Pilgrim
-interest, whether that of John Wincob (or Wincop) sealed June 9/ 19,
-1619, but never used, or the first one to John Pierce, of February 2/12,
-1620, were, of course, brought within the limits of the First (London)
-Virginia Company's charter, which embraced, as is well-known, the
-territory between the parallels of 34 deg. and 41 deg. N. latitude.
-The most northerly of these parallels runs but about twenty miles to the
-north of the mouth of "Hudson's River." It is certain that the Pilgrims,
-after the great expense, labor, and pains of three years, to secure the
-protection of these Patents, would not willingly or deliberately, have
-planted themselves outside that protection, upon territory where they had
-none, and where, as interlopers, they might reasonably expect trouble
-with the lawful proprietors. Nor was there any reason why, if they so
-desired, they should not have gone to "Hudson's River" or its vicinity,
-unless it was that they had once seemed to recognize the States General
-of Holland as the rightful owners of that territory, by making petition
-to them, through the New Netherland Company, for their authority and
-protection in settling there. But even this fact constituted no moral or
-legal bar to such action, if desirable First, because it appears certain
-that, whatever the cause, they "broke off" themselves their negotiations
-with the Dutch,--whether on account of the inducements offered by Thomas
-Weston, or a doubt of the ability of the Dutch to maintain their claim to
-that region, and to protect there, or both, neither appears nor matters.
-Second, because the States General--whether with knowledge that they of
-Leyden had so "broken off" or from their own doubts of their ability to
-maintain their claim on the Hudson region, does not appear--rejected the
-petition made to them in the Pilgrims' behalf. It is probable that the
-latter was the real reason, from the fact that the petition was twice
-rejected.
-
-In view of the high opinion of the Leyden brethren, entertained, as we
-know, by the Dutch, it is clear that the latter would have been pleased
-to secure them as colonists; while if at all confident of their rights to
-the territory, they must have been anxious to colonize it and thus
-confirm their hold, increase their revenues as speedily as possible,
-and
-
-Third, because it appears upon the showing of the petition itself, made
-by the New Netherland Company (to which the Leyden leaders had looked,
-doubtless on account of its pretensions, for the authority and protection
-of the States General, as they afterward did to the English Virginia
-Company for British protection), that this Company had lost its own
-charter by expiration, and hence had absolutely nothing to offer the
-Leyden people beyond the personal and associate influence of its members,
-and the prestige of a name that had once been potential. In fact, the
-New Netherland Company was using the Leyden congregation as a leverage to
-pry for itself from the States General new advantages, larger than it had
-previously enjoyed.
-
-Moreover it appears by the evidence of both the petition of the Directors
-of the New Netherland Company to the Prince of Orange (February 2/12,
-1619/20), and the letters of Sir Dudley Carleton, the British ambassador
-at the Hague, to the English Privy Council, dated February 5/15, 1621/22,
-that, up to this latter date the Dutch had established no colony
-
- [British State Papers, Holland, Bundle 165. Sir Dudley Carleton's
- Letters. "They have certain Factors there, continually resident,
- trading with savages . . . but I cannot learn of any colony,
- either I already planted there by these people, or so much as
- intended." Sir Dudley Carleton's Letters.]
-
-on the territory claimed by them at the Hudson, and had no other
-representation there than the trading-post of a commercial company whose
-charter had expired. There can be no doubt that the Leyden leaders knew,
-from their dealings with the New Netherland Company, and the study of the
-whole problem which they evidently made, that this region was open to
-them or any other parties for habitation and trade, so far as any prior
-grants or charters under the Dutch were concerned, but they required more
-than this.
-
-To Englishmen, the English claim to the territory at "Hudson's River"
-was valid, by virtue of the discovery of the Cabots, under the law of
-nations as then recognized, not withstanding Hudson's more particular
-explorations of those parts in 1609, in the service of Holland,
-especially as no colony or permanent occupancy of the region by the
-Dutch had been made.
-
-Professor John Fiske shows that "it was not until the Protestant England
-of Elizabeth had come to a life-and-death grapple with Spain, and not
-until the discovery of America had advanced much nearer completion, so
-that its value began to be more correctly understood, that political and
-commercial motives combined in determining England to attack Spain
-through America, and to deprive her of supremacy in the colonial and
-maritime world. Then the voyages of the Cabots assumed an importance
-entirely new, and could be quoted as the basis of a prior claim on the
-part of the English Crown, to lands which it [through the Cabots] had
-discovered."
-
-Having in mind the terrible history of slaughter and reprisal between the
-Spanish and French (Huguenot) settlers in Florida in 1565-67,
-
- [Bancroft, History of the United States, vol. i. p. 68; Fiske,
- Discovery of America, vol. ii. p. 511 et seq. With the terrible
- experience of the Florida plantations in memory, the far-sighted
- leaders of the Leyden church proposed to plant under the shelter of
- an arm strong enough to protect them, and we find the Directors of
- the New Netherland Company stating that the Leyden party (the
- Pilgrims) can be induced to settle under Dutch auspices, "provided,
- they would be guarded and preserved from all violence on the part of
- other potentates, by the authority, and under the protection of your
- Princely Excellency and the High and Mighty States General."
- Petition of the Directors of the New Netherland Company to the
- Prince of Orange.]
-
-the Pilgrims recognized the need of a strong power behind them, under
-whose aegis they might safely plant, and by virtue of whose might and
-right they could hope to keep their lives and possessions. The King of
-England had, in 1606, granted charters to the two Virginia Companies,
-covering all the territory in dispute, and, there could be no doubt,
-would protect these grants and British proprietorship therein, against
-all comers. Indeed, the King (James I.) by letter to Sir Dudley
-Carleton, his ambassador at the Hague, under date of December 15, 1621,
-expressly claimed his rights in the New Netherland territory and
-instructed him to impress upon the government of the States General his
-Majesty's claim,--"who, 'jure prime occupation' hath good and sufficient
-title to these parts." There can be no question that the overtures of
-Sandys, Weston, and others to make interest for them with one of these
-English Companies, agreed as well with both the preferences and
-convictions of the Leyden Pilgrims, as they did with the hopes and
-designs of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. In the light of these facts, there
-appears to have been neither legal nor moral bar to the evident intention
-of the Pilgrims to settle in the vicinity of "Hudson's River," if they so
-elected. In their light, also, despite the positive allegations of the
-truthful but not always reliable Morton, his charges of intrigue between
-the Dutch and Master Jones of the MAY-FLOWER, to prevent the settlement
-of his ship's company at "Hudson's River," may well be doubted. Writing
-in "New England's Memorial" in 1669, Morton says: "But some of the Dutch,
-having notice of their intentions, and having thoughts about the same
-time of erecting a plantation there likewise, they fraudulently hired the
-said Jones, by delays while they were in England, and now under pretence
-of the shoals the dangers of the Monomoy Shoals off Cape Cod to
-disappoint them in going thither." He adds: "Of this plot between the
-Dutch and Mr. Jones, I have had late and certain intelligence." If this
-intelligence was more reliable than his assertion concerning the
-responsibility of Jones for the "delays while they were in England," it
-may well be discredited, as not the faintest evidence appears to make him
-responsible for those delays, and they are amply accounted for without
-him. Without questioning the veracity of Morton (while suggesting his
-many known errors, and that the lapse of time made it easy to
-misinterpret even apparently certain facts), it must be remembered that
-he is the original sponsor for the charge of Dutch intrigue with Jones,
-and was its sole support for many years. All other writers who have
-accepted and indorsed his views are of later date, and but follow him,
-while Bradford and Winslow, who were victims of this Dutch conspiracy
-against them, if it ever existed, were entirely silent in their writings
-upon the matter, which we may be sure they would not have been, had they
-suspected the Dutch as prime movers in the treachery. That there was a
-conspiracy to accomplish the landing of the MAY-FLOWER planters at a
-point north of "the Hudson" (in fact, north of the bounds defined by the
-(first) Pierce patent, upon which they relied), i.e. north of 41 deg. N.
-latitude,--is very certain; but that it was of Dutch origin, or based
-upon motives which are attributed to the Dutch, is clearly erroneous.
-While the historical facts indicate an utter lack of motive for such an
-intrigue on the part of the Dutch, either as a government or as
-individuals, there was no lack of motive on the part of certain others,
-who, we can but believe, were responsible for the conspiracy. Moreover,
-the chief conspirators were such, that, even if the plot was ultimately
-suspected by the Pilgrims, a wise policy--indeed, self-preservation--
-would have dictated their silence. That the Dutch were without
-sufficient motive or interest has been declared. That the States General
-could have had no wish to reject so exceptionally excellent a body of
-colonists as subjects, and as tenants to hold and develop their disputed
-territory--if in position to receive them and guarantee them protection--
-is clear. The sole objection that could be urged against them was their
-English birth, and with English regiments garrisoning the Dutch home
-cities, and foreigners of every nation in the States General's employ, by
-land and by sea, such an objection could have had no weight. Indeed, the
-Leyden party proposed, if they effected satisfactory arrangements with
-the States General (as stated by the Directors of the New Netherland
-Company), "to plant there [at "Hudson's River"] a new commonwealth, all
-under the order and command of your Princely Excellency and their High
-Mightinesses the States General: The Leyden Pilgrims were men who kept
-their agreements.
-
-The Dutch trading-companies, who were the only parties in the Low
-Countries who could possibly have had any motive for such a conspiracy,
-were at this time themselves without charters, and the overtures of the
-principal company, made to the government in behalf of themselves and the
-Leyden brethren, had recently, as we have seen, been twice rejected.
-They had apparently, therefore, little to hope for in the near future;
-certainly not enough to warrant expenditure and the risk of disgraceful
-exposure, in negotiations with a stranger--an obscure ship-master--to
-change his course and land his passengers in violation of the terms of
-his charter-party;--negotiations, moreover, in which neither of the
-parties could well have had any guaranty of the other's good faith.
-
-But, as previously asserted, there was a party--to whom such knavery was
-an ordinary affair--who had ample motive, and of whom Master Thomas Jones
-was already the very willing and subservient ally and tool, and had been
-such for years. Singularly enough, the motive governing this party was
-exactly the reverse of that attributed--though illogically and without
-reason--to the Dutch. In the case of the latter, the alleged animus was
-a desire to keep the Pilgrim planters away from their "Hudson's River"
-domain. In the case of the real conspirators, the purpose was to secure
-these planters as colonists for, and bring them to, the more northern
-territory owned by them. It is well known that Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
-the leading spirit of the "Second Virginia Company," as he also became
-(with the Earl of Warwick a close second) of "The Council for the Affairs
-of New England," of which both men were made "Governors," in November of
-1620, when the Council practically superseded the "Second Virginia
-Company." The Great Charter for "The Council of Affairs of New England,"
-commonly known as "The Council for New England," issued Tuesday, November
-3/13, 1620, and it held in force till Sunday, June 7/17, 1635.
-
-Although not its official head, and ranked at its board by dukes and
-earls, Sir Ferdinando Gorges was--as he had been in the old Plymouth (or
-Second) Virginia Company--the leading man. This was largely from his
-superior acquaintance with, and long and varied experience in, New
-England affairs. The "Council" was composed of forty patentees, and
-Baxter truly states, that "Sir Ferdinando Gorges, at this time [1621]
-stood at the head of the Council for New England, so far as influence
-went; in fact, his hand shaped its affairs." This company, holding--by
-the division of territory made under the original charter-grants--a strip
-of territory one hundred miles wide, on the North American coast, between
-the parallels of 41 deg. and 45 deg. N. latitude, had not prospered, and
-its efforts at colonization (on what is now the Maine coast), in 1607 and
-later, had proved abortive, largely through the character of its
-"settlers," who had been, in good degree, a somewhat notable mixture of
-two of the worst elements of society,--convicts and broken-down
-"gentlemen."
-
-"In 1607," says Goodwin, "Gorges and the cruel Judge Popham planted a
-colony at Phillipsburg (or Sagadahoc, as is supposed), by the mouth of
-the Kennebec. Two ships came, 'THE GIFT OF GOD' and the 'MARY AND JOHN,'
-bringing a hundred persons. Through August they found all delightful,
-but when the ships went back in December, fifty five of the number
-returned to England, weary of their experience and fearful of the cold
-.... With spring the ships returned from England; "but by this time the
-remainder were ready to leave," so every soul returned with Gilbert [the
-Admiral] . . . . For thirty years Gorges continued to push
-exploration and emigration to that region, but his ambition and
-liberality ever resulted in disappointment and loss." The annals of the
-time show that not a few of the Sagadahoc colonists were convicts,
-released from the English jails to people this colony.
-
-Hakluyt says: "In 1607 [this should read 1608], disheartened by the death
-of Popham, they all embarked in a ship from Exeter and in the new
-pynnace, the 'VIRGINIA,' built in the colony, and sett sail for England,
-and this was the end of that northern colony upon the river Sachadehoc
-[Kennebec]."
-
-No one knew better than the shrewd Gorges the value of such a colony as
-that of the Leyden brethren would be, to plant, populate, and develop his
-Company's great demesne. None were more facile than himself and the
-buccaneering Earl of Warwick, to plan and execute the bold, but--as it
-proved--easy coup, by which the Pilgrim colony was to be stolen bodily;
-for the benefit of the "Second Virginia Company" and its successor,
-"the Council for New England," from the "First (or London) Company,"
-under whose patent (to John Pierce) and patronage they sailed. They
-apparently did not take their patent with them,--it would have been
-worthless if they had,--and they were destined to have no small trouble
-with Pierce, before they were established in their rights under the new
-patent granted him (in the interest of the Adventurers and themselves),
-by the "Council for New England." Master John Wincob's early and silent
-withdrawal from his apparently active connection with the Pilgrim
-movement, and the evident cancellation of the first patent issued to him
-in its interest, by the (London) Virginia Company, have never been
-satisfactorily explained. Wincob (or Wincop), we are told, "was a
-religious Gentleman, then belonging to the household of the Countess of
-Lincoln, who intended to go with them [the Pilgrims] but God so disposed
-as he never went, nor they ever made use of this Patent, which had cost
-them so much labor and charge." Wincob, it appears by the minutes of the
-(London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, May 26/June 5, 1619, was
-commended to the Company, for the patent he sought, by the fourth Earl of
-Lincoln, and it was doubtless through his influence that it was granted
-and sealed, June 9/19, 1619. But while Wincob was a member of the
-household of the Dowager Countess of Lincoln, mother of the fourth Earl
-of Lincoln; John, the eldest son of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, had married
-the Earl's daughter (sister ?), and hence Gorges stood in a much nearer
-relation to the Earl than did his mother's friend and dependant (as
-Wincob evidently was), as well as on a much more equal social footing.
-By the minutes of the (London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, February 2/
-12, 1619/20, it appears that a patent was "allowed and sealed to John
-Pierce and his associates, heirs and assigns," for practically the same
-territory for which the patent to Wincob had been given but eight months
-before. No explanation was offered, and none appears of record, but the
-logical conclusion is, that the first patent had been cancelled, that
-Master Wincob's personal interest in the Pilgrim exodus had ceased, and
-that the Lincoln patronage had been withdrawn. It is a rational
-conjecture that Sir Ferdinando Gorges, through the relationship he
-sustained to the Earl, procured the withdrawal of Wincob and his patent,
-knowing that the success of his (Gorges's) plot would render the Wincob
-patent worthless, and that the theft of the colony, in his own interest,
-would be likely to breed "unpleasantness" between himself and Wincob's
-sponsors and friends among the Adventurers, many of whom were friends of
-the Earl of Lincoln.
-
-The Earl of Warwick, the man of highest social and political rank in the
-First (or London) Virginia Company, was, at about the same time, induced
-by Gorges to abandon his (the London) Company and unite with himself in
-securing from the Crown the charter of the "Council of Affairs for New
-England." The only inducements he could offer for the change must
-apparently have resided in the promised large results of plottings
-disclosed by him (Gorges), but he needed the influential and unscrupulous
-Earl for the promotion of his schemes, and won him, by some means, to an
-active partnership, which was doubtless congenial to both. The "fine
-Italian hand" of Sir Ferdinando hence appears at every stage, and in
-every phase, of the Leyden movement, from the mission of Weston to
-Holland, to the landing at Cape Cod, and every movement clearly indicates
-the crafty cunning, the skilful and brilliant manipulation, and the
-dogged determination of the man.
-
-That Weston was a most pliant and efficient tool in the hands of Gorges,
-"from start to finish" of this undertaking, is certainly apparent.
-Whether he was, from the outset, made fully aware of the sinister designs
-of the chief conspirator, and a party to them, admits of some doubt,
-though the conviction strengthens with study, that he was, from the
-beginning, 'particeps criminis'. If he was ever single-minded for the
-welfare of the Leyden brethren and the Adventurers, it must have been for
-a very brief time at the inception of the enterprise; and circumstances
-seem to forbid crediting him with honesty of purpose, even then. The
-weight of evidence indicates that he both knew, and was fully enlisted
-in, the entire plot of Gorges from the outset. In all its early stages
-he was its most efficient promoter, and seems to have given ample proof
-of his compliant zeal in its execution. His visit to the Leyden brethren
-in Holland was, apparently, wholly instigated by Gorges, as the latter
-complacently claims and collateral evidence proves. In his endeavor to
-induce the leaders to "break off with the Dutch," their pending
-negotiations for settlement at "Hudson's River," he evidently made
-capital of, and traded upon, his former kindness to some of them when
-they were in straits,--a most contemptible thing in itself, yet
-characteristic of the man. He led the Pilgrims to "break off" their
-dealings with the Dutch by the largest and most positive promises of
-greater advantages through him, few of which he ever voluntarily kept (as
-we see by John Robinson's sharp arraignment of him), his whole object
-being apparently to get the Leyden party into his control and that of his
-friends,--the most subtle and able of whom was Gorges. Bradford recites
-that Weston not only urged the Leyden leaders "not to meddle with ye
-Dutch," but also,--"not too much to depend on ye Virginia [London]
-Company," but to rely on himself and his friends. This strongly suggests
-active cooperation with Gorges, on Weston's part, at the outset, with the
-intent (if he could win them by any means, from allegiance to the First
-(London) Virginia Company), to lead the Leyden party, if possible, into
-Gorges's hands and under the control and patronage of the Second (or
-Plymouth) Virginia Company. Whatever the date may have been, at which
-(as Bradford states) the Leyden people "heard, both by Mr. Weston and
-others, yt sundrie Honble: Lords had obtained a large grante from ye king
-for ye more northerly parts of that countrie, derived out of ye Virginia
-patents, and wholly secluded from theire Governmente, and to be called by
-another name, viz. New England, unto which Mr. Weston and the chiefe of
-them begane to incline;" Bradford leaves us in no doubt as to Weston's
-attitude toward the matter itself. It is certain that the governor,
-writing from memory, long afterward, fixed the time at which the Honble:
-Lords had obtained "their large grante" much earlier than it could
-possibly have occurred, as we know the exact date of the patent for the,
-"Council for New England," and that the order for its issue was not given
-till just as the Pilgrims left Leyden; so that they could not have known
-of the actual "grante" till they reached Southampton. The essential
-fact, stated on this best of authority, is, that "Mr. Weston and the
-chiefe of them [their sponsors, i.e. Weston and Lord Warwick, both in
-league with Gorges "begane to incline" to Gorges's new "Council for New
-England." Such an attitude (evidently taken insidiously) meant, on
-Weston's part, of necessity, no less than treachery to his associates of
-the Adventurers; to the (London) Virginia Company, and to the Leyden
-company and their allied English colonists, in the interest of Sir
-Ferdinando Gorges and his schemes and of the new "Council" that Gorges
-was organizing. Weston's refusal to advance "a penny" to clear the
-departing Pilgrims from their port charges at Southampton; his almost
-immediate severance of connection with both the colonists and the
-Adventurers; and his early association with Gorges,--in open and
-disgraceful violation of all the formers' rights in New England,--to say
-nothing of his exhibition of a malevolence rarely exercised except toward
-those one has deeply wronged, all point to a complete and positive
-surrender of himself and his energies to the plot of Gorges, as a full
-participant, from its inception. In his review of the Anniversary Address
-of Hon. Charles Francis Adams (of July 4, 1892, at Quincy), Daniel W.
-Baker, Esq., of Boston, says: "The Pilgrim Fathers were influenced in
-their decision to come to New England by Weston, who, if not the agent of
-Gorges in this particular matter, was such in other matters and held
-intimate relations with him."
-
-The known facts favor the belief that Gorges's cogitations on colonial
-matters--especially as stimulated by his plottings in relation to the
-Leyden people--led to his project of the grant--and charter for the new
-"Council for New England," designed and constituted to supplant, or
-override, all others. It is highly probable that this grand scheme--
-duly embellished by the crafty Gorges,--being unfolded to Weston, with
-suggestions of great opportunities for Weston himself therein, warmed and
-drew him, and brought him to full and zealous cooperation in all Gorges's
-plans, and that from this time, as Bradford states, he "begane to
-incline" toward, and to suggest to the Pilgrims, association with Gorges
-and the new "Council." Not daring openly to declare his change of
-allegiance and his perfidy, he undertook, apparently, at first, by
-suggestions, e.g. "not to place too much dependence on the London
-Company, but to rely on himself and friends;" that "the fishing of New
-England was good," etc.; and making thus no headway, then, by a policy of
-delay, fault finding, etc., to breed dissatisfaction, on the Pilgrims'
-part, with the Adventurers, the patent of Wincob, etc., with the hope of
-bringing about "a new deal" in the Gorges interest. The same "delays" in
-sailing, that have been adduced as proof of Jones's complicity with the
-Dutch, would have been of equal advantage to these noble schemers, and if
-he had any hand in them-which does not appear--it would have been far
-more likely in the interest of his long-time patron, the Earl of Warwick,
-and of his friends, than of any Dutch conspirators.
-
-Once the colonists were landed upon the American soil, especially if late
-in the season, they would not be likely, it doubtless was argued, to
-remove; while by a liberal policy on the part of the "Council for New
-England" toward them--when they discovered that they were upon its
-territory--they could probably be retained. That just such a policy was,
-at once and eagerly, adopted toward them, as soon as occasion permitted,
-is good proof that the scheme was thoroughly matured from the start. The
-record of the action of the "Council for New England"--which had become
-the successor of the Second Virginia Company before intelligence was
-received that the Pilgrims had landed on its domain--is not at hand,
-but it appears by the record of the London Company, under date of Monday,
-July 16/26, 1621, that the "Council for New England" had promptly made
-itself agreeable to the colonists. The record reads: "It was moved,
-seeing that Master John Pierce had taken a Patent of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges, and thereupon seated his Company [the Pilgrims] within the limits
-of the Northern Plantations, as by some was supposed,"' etc. From this
-it is plain that, on receipt by Pierce of the news that the colony was
-landed within the limits of the "Council for New England," he had, as
-instructed, applied for, and been given (June 1, 1621), the (first)
-"Council" patent for the colony. For confirmation hereof one should see
-also the minutes of the "Council for New England" of March 25/April 4.,
-1623, and the fulsome letter of Robert Cushman returning thanks in behalf
-of the Planters (through John Pierce), to Gorges, for his prompt response
-to their request for a patent and for his general complacency toward them
-Hon. James Phinney Baxter, Gorges's able and faithful biographer, says:
-"We can imagine with what alacrity he [Sir Ferdinando] hastened to give
-to Pierce a patent in their behalf." The same biographer, clearly
-unconscious of the well-laid plot of Gorges and Warwick (as all other
-writers but Neill and Davis have been), bears testimony (all the stronger
-because the witness is unwitting of the intrigue), to the ardent interest
-Gorges had in its success. He says: "The warm desire of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges to see a permanent colony founded within the domain of the
-Plymouth [or Second] Virginia Company was to be realized in a manner of
-which he had never dreamed [sic!] and by a people with whom he had but
-little sympathized, although we know that he favored their settlement
-within the territorial limits of the Plymouth [Second] Company." He had
-indeed "favored their settlement," by all the craft of which he was
-master, and greeted their expected and duly arranged advent with all the
-jubilant open-handedness with which the hunter treats the wild horse he
-has entrapped, and hopes to domesticate and turn to account. Everything
-favored the conspirators. The deflection north-ward from the normal
-course of the ship as she approached the coast, bound for the latitude of
-the Hudson, required only to be so trifling that the best sailor of the
-Pilgrim leaders would not be likely to note or criticise it, and it was
-by no means uncommon to make Cape Cod as the first landfall on Virginia
-voyages. The lateness of the arrival on the coast, and the difficulties
-ever attendant on doubling Cape Cod, properly turned to account, would
-increase the anxiety for almost any landing-place, and render it easy to
-retain the sea-worn colonists when once on shore. The grand advantage,
-however, over and above all else, was the entire ease and certainty with
-which the cooperation of the one man essential to the success of the
-undertaking could be secured, without need of the privity of any other,
-viz. the Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas Jones.
-
-Let us see upon what the assumption of this ready and certain accord on
-the part of Captain Jones rests. Rev. Dr. Neill, whose thorough study of
-the records of the Virginia Companies, and of the East India Company
-Calendars and collateral data, entitles him to speak with authority,
-recites that, "In 1617, Capt. Thomas Jones (sometimes spelled Joanes) had
-been sent to the East Indies in command of the ship LION by the Earl of
-Warwick (then Sir Robt. Rich), under a letter of protection from the Duke
-of Savoy, a foreign prince, ostensibly 'to take pirates,' which [pretext]
-had grown, as Sir Thomas Roe (the English ambassador with the Great
-Mogul) states, 'to be a common pretence for becoming pirate.'" Caught by
-the famous Captain Martin Pring, in full pursuit of the junk of the Queen
-Mother of the Great Mogul, Jones was attacked, his ship fired in the
-fight, and burned,--with some of his crew,--and he was sent a prisoner to
-England in the ship BULL, arriving in the Thames, January 1, 1618/19. No
-action seems to have been taken against him for his offences, and
-presumably his employer, Sir Robert, the coming Earl, obtained his
-liberty on one pretext or another. On January 19, however, complaint was
-made against Captain Jones, "late of the LION," by the East India
-Company, "for hiring divers men to serve the King of Denmark in the East
-Indies." A few days after his arrest for "hiring away the Company's men,
-Lord Warwick got him off" on the claim that he had employed him
-"to go to Virginia with cattle." From the "Transactions" of the Second
-Virginia Company, of which--as we have seen--Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
-the leading spirit, it appears that on "February 2, 1619/20, a commission
-was allowed Captain Thomas Jones of the FALCON, a ship of 150 tons" [he
-having been lately released from arrest by the Earl of Warwick's
-intercession], and that "before the close of the month, he sailed with
-cattle for Virginia," as previously noted. Dr. Neill, than whom there
-can be no better authority, was himself satisfied, and unequivocally
-states, that "Thomas Jones, Captain of the MAY-FLOWER, was without doubt
-the old servant of Lord Warwick in the East Indies." Having done Sir
-Robert Rich's (the Earl of Warwick's) "dirty work" for years, and having
-on all occasions been saved from harm by his noble patron (even when
-piracy and similar practices had involved him in the meshes of the law),
-it would be but a trifling matter, at the request of such powerful
-friends as the Earl and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, to steal the Pilgrim
-Colony from the London Virginia Company, and hand it over bodily to the
-"Council for New England,"--the successor of the Second (Plymouth)
-Virginia Company,--in which their interests were vested, Warwick having,
-significantly, transferred his membership from the London Company to the
-new "Council for New England," as it was commonly called. Neill states,
-and there is abundant proof, that "the Earl of Warwick and Gorges were in
-sympathy," and were active coadjutors, while it is self-evident that both
-would be anxious to accomplish the permanent settlement of the "Northern
-Plantations" held by their Company. That they would hesitate to utilize
-so excellent an opportunity to secure so very desirable a colony, by any
-means available, our knowledge of the men and their records makes it
-impossible to believe,--while nothing could apparently have been easier
-of accomplishment. It will readily be understood that if the
-conspirators were these men,--upon whose grace the Pilgrims must depend
-for permission to remain upon the territory to which they had been
-inveigled, or even for permission to depart from it, without spoliation,
---men whose influence with the King (no friend to the Pilgrims) was
-sufficient to make both of them, in the very month of the Pilgrims'
-landing, "governors" of "The Council for New England," under whose
-authority the Planters must remain,--the latter were not likely to voice
-their suspicions of the trick played upon them, if they discovered it,
-or openly to resent it, when known. Dr. Dexter, in commenting on the
-remark of Bradford, "We made Master Jones our leader, for we thought it
-best herein to gratifie his kindness & forwardness," sensibly says,
-"This proves nothing either way, in regard to the charge which Secretary
-Morton makes of treachery against Jones, in landing the company so far
-north, because, if that were true, it was not known to any of the company
-for years afterward, and of course could not now [at that time] impair
-their feelings of confidence in, or kindness towards, him. "Moreover,
-the phraseology, "we thought it best to gratifie," suggests rather
-considerations of policy than cordial desire, and their acquaintance,
-too, with the man was still young. There is, however, no evidence that
-Jones's duplicity was suspected till long afterward, though his
-character was fully recognized. Gorges himself furnishes, in his
-writings, the strongest confirmation we have of the already apparent
-fact, that he was himself the prime conspirator. He says, in his own
-"Narration," "It was referred [evidently by himself] to their [the London
-Virginia Company's] consideration, how necessary it was that means might
-be used to draw unto those their enterprises, some of those families that
-had retired themselves into Holland for scruple of conscience, giving
-them such freedom and liberty as might stand with their liking." When
-have we ever found Sir Ferdinando Gorges thus solicitous for the success
-of the rival Virginia Company? Why, if he so esteemed the Leyden people
-as excellent colonists, did he not endeavor to secure them himself
-directly, for his own languishing company? Certainly the "scruple of
-conscience" of the Leyden brethren did not hinder him, for he found it no
-bar, though of the Established Church himself, to giving them instantly
-all and more than was asked in their behalf, as soon as he had them upon
-his territory and they had applied for a patent. He well knew that it
-would be matter of some expense and difficulty to bring the Leyden
-congregation into agreement to go to either of the Virginia grants, and
-he doubtless, and with good reason, feared that his repute and the
-character and reputation of his own Company, with its past history of
-failure, convict settlers, and loose living, would be repellent to these
-people of "conscience." If they could be brought to the "going-point,"
-by men more of their ilk, like Sir Edwin Sandys, Weston, and others, it
-would then be time to see if he could not pluck the ripe fruit for
-himself,--as he seems to have done.
-
-"This advice," he says, "being hearkened unto, there were [those] that
-undertook the putting it in practice [Weston and others] and it was
-accordingly brought to effect," etc. Then, reciting (erroneously) the
-difficulties with the SPEEDWELL, etc., he records the MAY-FLOWER'S
-arrival at Cape Cod, saying, "The . . . ship with great difficulty
-reached the coast of New England." He then gives a glowing, though
-absurd, account of the attractions the planters found--in midwinter--
-especially naming the hospitable reception of the Indians, despite the
-fact of the savage attack made upon them by the Nausets at Cape Cod, and
-adds: "After they had well considered the state of their affaiis and
-found that the authority they had from the London Company of Virginia,
-could not warrant their abode in that place," which "they found so
-prosperous and pleasing [sic] they hastened away their ship, with orders
-to their Solicitor to deal with me to be a means they might have a grant
-from the Council of New England Affairs, to settle in the place, which
-was accordingly performed to their particular satisfaction and good
-content of them all." One can readily imagine the crafty smile with
-which Sir Ferdinando thus guilelessly recorded the complete success of
-his plot. It is of interest to note how like a needle to the pole the
-grand conspirator's mind flies to the fact which most appeals to him--
-that they find "that the authority they had . . . could not warrant
-their abode in that place." It is of like interest to observe that in
-that place which he called "pleasant and prosperous" one half their own
-and of the ship's company had died before they hastened the ship away,
-and they had endured trial, hardships, and sorrows untellable,--although
-from pluck and principle they would not abandon it. He tells us "they
-hastened away their ship," and implies that it was for the chief purpose
-of obtaining through him a grant of the land they occupied. While we
-know that the ship did not return till the following April,--and then at
-her Captain's rather than the Pilgrims' pleasure,--it is evident that
-Gorges could think of events only as incident to his designs and from his
-point of view. His plot had succeeded. He had the "Holland families"
-upon his soil, and his willing imagination converted their sober and
-deliberate action into the eager haste with which he had planned that
-they should fly to him for the patent, which his cunning had--as he
-purposed--rendered necessary. Of course their request "was performed,"
-and so readily and delightedly that, recognizing John Pierce as their
-mouthpiece and the plantation as "Mr. Pierces Plantation," Sir Ferdinando
-and his associates--the "Council for New England," including his joint-
-conspirator, the Earl of Warwick--gave Pierce unhesitatingly whatever he
-asked. The Hon. William T. Davis, who alone among Pilgrim historians
-(except Dr. Neill, whom he follows) seems to have suspected the hand of
-Gorges in the treachery of Captain Jones, here demonstrated, has
-suggested that: "Whether Gorges might not have influenced Pierce, in
-whose name the patent of the Pilgrims had been issued--and whether both
-together might not have seduced Capt. Jones, are further considerations
-to be weighed, in solving the problem of a deviation from the intended
-voyage of the MAYFLOWER." Although not aware of these suggestions,
-either of Mr. Davis or of Dr. Neill, till his own labors had satisfied
-him of Gorges's guilt, and his conclusions were formed, the author
-cheerfully recognizes the priority to his own demonstration, of the
-suggestions of both these gentlemen. No thing appears of record,
-however, to indicate that John Pierce was in any way a party to Gorges's
-plot. On the contrary, as his interest was wholly allied to his patent,
-which Gorges's scheme would render of little value to his associate
-Adventurers and himself he would naturally have been, unless heavily
-bribed to duplicity beyond his expectations from their intended venture,
-the last man to whom to disclose such a conspiracy. Neither was he
-necessary in any way to the success of the scheme. He did not hire
-either the ship or her master; he does not appear to have had any Pilgrim
-relations to Captain Jones, and certainly could have had no such
-influence with him as Gorges could himself command, through Warwick and
-his own ability--from his position at the head of the "New England
-Council"--to reward the service he required. That Gorges was able
-himself to exert all the influence requisite to secure Jones's
-cooperation, without the aid of Pierce, who probably could have given
-none, is evident. Mr. Davis's suggestion, while pertinent and potential
-as to Gorges, is clearly wide of the mark as to Pierce. He represented
-the Adventurers in the matter of patents only, but Weston was in
-authority as to the pivotal matter of shipping. An evidently hasty
-footnote of Dr. Neill, appended to the "Memorial" offered by him to the
-Congress of the United States, in 1868, seems to have been the only
-authority of Mr. William T. Davis for the foregoing suggestion as to the
-complicity of Pierce in the treachery of Captain Jones, except the bare
-suspicion, already alluded to, in the records of the London Company.
-Neill says: "Captain Jones, the navigator of the MAY-FLOWER, and John
-Pierce, probably had arranged as to destination without the knowledge of
-the passengers." While of course this is not impossible, there is, as
-stated, absolutely nothing to indicate any knowledge, participation, or
-need of Pierce in the matter, and of course the fewer there were in the
-secret the better.
-
-Unobservant that John Pierce was acting upon the old adage, "second thief
-best owner," when he asked, a little later, even so extraordinary a thing
-as that the "Council for New England" would exchange the patent they had
-so promptly granted him (as representing his associates, the Adventurers
-and Planters) for a "deed-pole," or title in fee, to himself alone, they
-instantly complied, and thus unwittingly enabled him also to steal the
-colony, and its demesne beside. It is evident, from the very servile
-letter of Robert Cushman to John Pierce (written while the former was at
-New Plymouth, in November-December, 1621, on behalf of the MAY-FLOWER
-Adventurers), that up to that time at least, the Pilgrims had no
-suspicion of the trick which had been played upon them. For, while too
-adroit recklessly to open a quarrel with those who could--if they chose--
-destroy them, the Pilgrims were far too high-minded to stoop to flattery
-and dissimulation (especially with any one known to have been guilty of
-treachery toward them), or to permit any one to do so in their stead.
-In the letter referred to, Cush man acknowledges in the name of the
-colonists the "bounty and grace of the President and Council of the
-Affairs of New England [Gorges, Warwick, et als.] for their allowance and
-approbation" of the "free possession and enjoyment" of the territory and
-rights so promptly granted Pierce by the Council, in the colonists'
-interest, upon application. If the degree of promptness with which the
-wily Gorges and his associates granted the petition of Pierce, in the
-colony's behalf for authority to occupy the domain to which Gorges's
-henchman Jones had so treacherously conveyed them, was at all
-proportionate to the fulsome and lavish acknowledgments of Cushman,
-there must have been such eagerness of compliance as to provoke general
-suspicion at the Council table. Gorges and Warwick must have "grinned
-horribly behind their hands" upon receipt of the honest thanks of these
-honest planters and the pious benedictions of their scribe, knowing
-themselves guilty of detestable conspiracy and fraud, which had
-frustrated an honest purpose, filched the results of others' labors, and
-had "done to death" good men and women not a few. Winslow, in
-"Hypocrisie Unmasked," says: "We met with many dangers and the mariners'
-put back into the harbor of the Cape." The original intent of the
-Pilgrims to go to the neighborhood of the Hudson is unmistakable; that
-this intention was still clear on the morning of November 10 (not 9th)--
-after they had "made the land"--has been plainly shown; that there was no
-need of so "standing in with the land" as to become entangled in the
-"rips" and "shoals" off what is now known as Monomoy (in an effort to
-pass around the Cape to the southward, when there was plenty of open
-water to port), is clear and certain; that the dangers and difficulties
-were magnified by Jones, and the abandonment of the effort was urged and
-practically made by him, is also evident from Winslow's language above
-noted,--"and the mariners put back," etc. No indication of the old-time
-consultations with the chief men appears here as to the matter of the
-return. Their advice was not desired. "The mariners put back" on their
-own responsibility.
-
-Goodwin forcibly remarks, "These waters had been navigated by Gosnold,
-Smith, and various English and French explorers, whose descriptions and
-charts must have been familiar to a veteran master like Jones. He
-doubtless magnified the danger of the passage [of the shoals], and managed
-to have only such efforts made as were sure to fail. Of course he knew
-that by standing well out, and then southward in the clear sea, he would
-be able to bear up for the Hudson. His professed inability to devise any
-way for getting south of the Cape is strong proof of guilt."
-
-The sequential acts of the Gorges conspiracy were doubtless practically
-as follows:--
-
-(a) The Leyden leaders applied to the States General of Holland, through
-the New Netherland Company, for their aid and protection in locating at
-the mouth of "Hudson's" River;
-
-(b) Sir Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, doubtless
-promptly reported these negotiations to the King, through Sir Robert
-Naunton;
-
-(c) The King, naturally enough, probably mentioned the matter to his
-intimate and favorite, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the leading man in American
-colonization matters in the kingdom;
-
-(d) Sir Ferdinando Gorges, recognizing the value of such colonists as the
-Leyden congregation would make, anxious to secure them, instead of
-permitting the Dutch to do so, and knowing that he and his Company would
-be obnoxious to the Leyden leaders, suggested, as he admits, to Weston,
-perhaps to Sandys, as the Leyden brethren's friends, that they ought to
-secure them as colonists for their (London) Company;
-
-(e) Weston was dispatched to Holland to urge the Leyden leaders to drop
-the Dutch negotiations, come under English auspices, which he guaranteed,
-and they, placing faith in him, and possibly in Sandys's assurances of
-his (London) Virginia Company's favor, were led to put themselves
-completely into the hands of Weston and the Merchant Adventurers; the
-Wincob patent was cancelled and Pierces substituted;
-
-(f) Weston, failing to lead them to Gorges's company, was next deputed,
-perhaps by Gorges's secret aid, to act with full powers for the
-Adventurers, in securing shipping, etc.;
-
-(g) Having made sure of the Leyden party, and being in charge of the
-shipping, Weston was practically master of the situation. He and
-Cushman, who was clearly entirely innocent of the conspiracy, had the
-hiring of the ship and of her officers, and at this point he and his acts
-were of vital importance to Gorges's plans. To bring the plot to a
-successful issue it remained only to effect the landing of the colony
-upon territory north of the 41 st parallel of north lati tude, to take it
-out of the London Company's jurisdiction, and to do this it was only
-necessary to make Jones Master of the ship and to instruct him
-accordingly. This, with so willing a servant of his masters, was a
-matter of minutes only, the instructions were evidently given, and the
-success of the plot--the theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony--was assured.
-
-To a careful and candid student of all the facts, the proofs are
-seemingly unmistakable, and the conclusion is unavoid able, that the MAY-
-FLOWER Pilgrims were designedly brought to Cape Cod by Captain Jones, and
-their landing in that latitude was effected, in pursuance of a conspiracy
-entered into by him, not with the Dutch, but with certain of the nobility
-of England; not with the purpose of keeping the planters out of Dutch
-territory, but with the deliberate intent of stealing the colony from the
-London Virginia Company, under whose auspices it had organized and set
-sail, in the interest, and to the advantage, of its rival Company of the
-"Northern Plantations."
-
-It is noteworthy that Jones did not command the MAY-FLOWER for another
-voyage, and never sailed afterward in the employ of Thomas Goffe, Esq.,
-or (so far as appears) of any reputable shipowner. Weston was not such,
-nor were the chiefs of the "Council for New England," in whose employ he
-remained till his death.
-
-The records of the Court of the "Council" show, that "as soon as it would
-do," and when his absence would tend to lull suspicion as to the parts
-played, Captain Jones's noble patrons took steps to secure for him due
-recognition and compensation for his services, from the parties who were
-to benefit directly, with themselves, by his knavery. The records read:
-
-"July 17, 1622. A motion was made in the behaffe of Captaine Thomas
-Jones, Captaine of the DISCOVERY, nowe employed in Virginia for trade and
-fishinge [it proved, apparently, rather to be piracy], that he may be
-admitted a freeman in this Companie in reward of the good service he hath
-there [Virginia in general] performed. The Court liked well of the
-motion and condiscended thereunto." The DISCOVERY left London at the
-close of November, 1621. She arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in April,
-1622. She reached Plymouth, New England, in August, 1622. Her outward
-voyage was not, so far as can be learned, eventful, or entitled to
-especial consideration or recognition, and the good store of English
-trading-goods she still had on hand--as Governor Bradford notices--on
-her arrival at Plymouth indicates no notable success up to that time, in
-the way of a trading-voyage, while "fishing" is not mentioned. For
-piracy, in which she was later more successful, she had then had neither
-time nor opportunity. The conclusion is irresistible, that "the good
-service" recognized by the vote recorded was of the past (he had sailed
-only the MAY-FLOWER voyage for the "Council" before), and that this
-recognition was a part of the compensation previously agreed upon, if,
-in the matter of the MAY-FLOWER voyage, Captain Jones did as he was
-bidden. Thus much of the crafty Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas
-Jones,--his Christian name and identity both apparently beyond dispute,--
-whom we first know in the full tide of his piratical career, in the
-corsair LION in Eastern seas; whom we next find as a prisoner in London
-for his misconduct in the East, but soon Master of the cattle-ship FALCON
-on her Virginia voyage; whom we greet next--and best--as Admiral of the
-Pilgrim fleet, commander of the destiny freighted MAY-FLOWER, and though
-a conspirator with nobles against the devoted band he steered, under the
-overruling hand of their Lord God, their unwitting pilot to "imperial
-labors" and mighty honors, to the founding of empire, and to eternal
-Peace; whom we next meet--fallen, "like Lucifer, never to hope again"--
-as Captain of the little buccaneer,--the DISCOVERY, disguised as a
-trading-ship, on the Virginian and New England coasts; and lastly, in
-charge of his leaking prize, a Spanish frigate in West Indian waters,
-making his way--death-stricken--into the Virginia port of Jamestown,
-where (July, 1625), he "cast anchor" for the last time, dying, as we
-first found him, a pirate, to whom it had meantime been given to
-"minister unto saints."
-
-Of JOHN CLARKE, the first mate of the MAY-FLOWER, we have already learned
-that he had been in the employ of the First (or London) Virginia Company,
-and had but just returned (in June, 1620) from a voyage to Virginia with
-Captain Jones in the FALCON, when found and employed by Weston and
-Cushman for the Pilgrim ship. Dr. Neill quotes from the "Minutes of the
-London Virginia Company," of Wednesday, February 13/23, 1621/2, the
-following; which embodies considerable information concerning him:--
-
-"February 13th, 1621. Master Deputy acquainted the Court, that one Master
-John Clarke being taken from Virginia long since [Arber interpolates,
-"in 1612"] by a Spanish ship that came to discover the Plantation, that
-forasmuch as he hath since that time done the Company presumably the
-First (or London) Virginia Company good service in many voyages to
-Virginia; and, of late [1619] went into Ireland, for the transportation of
-cattle to Virginia; he was a humble suitor to this Court that he might be
-a Free brother of the Company, and have some shares of land bestowed upon
-him."
-
-From the foregoing he seems to have begun his American experiences as
-early as 1612, and to have frequently repeated them. That he was at once
-hired by Weston and Cushman as a valuable man, as soon as found, was not
-strange.
-
-He seems to have had the ability to impress men favorably and secure
-their confidence, and to have been a modest and reliable man. Although
-of both experience and capacity, he continued an under-officer for some
-years after the Pilgrim voyage, when, it is fair to suppose, he might
-have had command of a ship. He seems to have lacked confidence in
-himself, or else the breadth of education necessary to make him trust his
-ability as a navigator.
-
-He is not mentioned, in connection with the affairs of the Pilgrims,
-after he was hired as "pilot,"--on Saturday afternoon the 10th of June,
-1620, at London,--until after the arrival at Cape Cod, and evidently was
-steadily occupied during all the experience of "getting away" and of the
-voyage, in the faithful performance of his duty as first mate (or
-"pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER. It was not until the "third party" of
-exploration from Cape Cod harbor was organized and set out, on Wednesday,
-December 6, that he appeared as one of the company who put out in the
-shallop, to seek the harbor which had been commended by Coppin, "the
-second mate." On this eventful voyage--when the party narrowly escaped
-shipwreck at the mouth of Plymouth harbor--they found shelter under the
-lee of an island, which (it being claimed traditionally that he was first
-to land there on) was called, in his honor, "Clarke's Island," which name
-it retains to this day. No other mention of him is made by name, in the
-affairs of ship or shore, though it is known inferentially that he
-survived the general illness which attacked and carried off half of the
-ship's company. In November, 1621,--the autumn following his return from
-the Pilgrim voyage,--he seems to have gone to Virginia as "pilot" (or
-"mate") of the FLYING HART, with cattle of Daniel Gookin, and in 1623 to
-have attained command of a ship, the PROVIDENCE, belonging to Mr. Gookin,
-on a voyage to Virginia where he arrived April 10, 1623, but died in that
-colony soon after his arrival. He seems to have been a competent and
-faithful man, who filled well his part in life. He will always have
-honorable mention as the first officer of the historic MAY-FLOWER, and as
-sponsor at the English christening of the smiling islet in Plymouth
-harbor which bears his name.
-
-Of ROBERT COPPIN, the "second mate" (or "pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER,
-nothing is known before his voyage in the Pilgrim ship, except that he
-seems to have made a former to the coast of New England and the vicinity
-of Cape Cod, though under what auspices, or in what ship, does not
-transpire. Bradford says: "Their Pilotte, one Mr. Coppin, who had been
-in the countrie before." Dr. Young a suggests that Coppin was perhaps on
-the coast with Smith or Hunt. Mrs. Austin imaginatively makes him, of
-"the whaling bark SCOTSMAN of Glasgow," but no warrant whatever for such
-a conception appears.
-
-Dr. Dexter, as elsewhere noted, has said: "My impression is that Coppin
-was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL, . . that he sailed with
-them [the Pilgrims] in the SPEED WELL, but on her final putting back was
-transferred to the MAY-FLOWER." As we have seen in another relation,
-Dr. Dexter also believed Coppin to have been the "pilot" sent over by
-Cushman to Leyden, in May, 1620, and we have found both views to be
-untenable. It was doubtless because of this mistaken view that Dr.
-Dexter believed that Coppin was "hired to go in the SPEEDWELL," and, the
-premise being wrong, the conclusion is sequentially incorrect. But there
-are abundant reasons for thinking that Dexter's "impression" is wholly
-mistaken. It would be unreasonable to suppose (as both vessels were
-expected to cross the ocean), that each had not--certainly on leaving
-Southampton her full complement of officers. If so, each undoubtedly had
-her second mate. The MAY-FLOWER'S officers and crew were, as we know,
-hired for the voyage, and there is no good reason to suppose that the
-second mate of the MAY-FLOWER was dismissed at Plymouth and Coppin put in
-his place which would not be equally potent for such an exchange between
-the first mate of the SPEEDWELL and Clarke of the MAY-FLOWER. The
-assumption presumes too much. In fact, there can be no doubt that
-Dexter's misconception was enbased upon, and arose from, the unwarranted
-impression that Coppin was the "pilot" sent over to Leyden. It is not
-likely that, when the SPEEDWELL'S officers were so evidently anxious to
-escape the voyage, they would seek transfer to the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Charles Deane, the editor of Bradford's "Historie" (ed.1865), makes, in
-indexing, the clerical error of referring to Coppin as the "master-
-gunner," an error doubtless occasioned by the fact that in the text
-referred to, the words, "two of the masters-mates, Master Clarke and
-Master Coppin, the master-gunner," etc., were run so near together that
-the mistake was readily made.
-
-In "Mourt's Relation" it appears that in the conferences that were held
-aboard the ship in Cape Cod harbor, as to the most desirable place for
-the colonists to locate, "Robert Coppin our pilot, made relation of a
-great navigable river and great harbor in the headland of the Bay, almost
-right over against Cape Cod, being a right line not much above eight
-leagues distant," etc. Mrs. Jane G. Austin asserts, though absolutely
-without warrant of any reliable authority, known tradition, or
-probability, that "Coppin's harbor . . . afterward proved to be Cut
-River and the site of Marshfield," but in another place she contradicts
-this by stating that it was "Jones River, Duxbury." As Coppin described
-his putative harbor, called "Thievish Harbor," a "great navigable river
-and good harbor" were in close relation, which was never true of either
-the Jones River or "Cut River" localities, while any one familiar with
-the region knows that what Mrs. Austin knew as "Cut River" had no
-existence in the Pilgrims' early days, but was the work of man,
-superseding a small river-mouth (Green Harbor River), which was so
-shallow as to have its exit closed by the sand-shift of a single storm.
-
-Young, with almost equal recklessness, says: "The other headland of the
-bay, alluded to by Coppin, was Manomet Point, and the river was probably
-the North River in Scituate; "but there are no "great navigable river and
-good harbor" in conjunction in the neighborhood of Manomet, or of the
-North River,--the former having no river and the latter no harbor. If
-Coppin had not declared that he had never seen the mouth of Plymouth
-harbor before ("mine eyes never saw this place before"), it might readily
-have been believed that Plymouth harbor was the "Thievish Harbor" of his
-description, so well do they correspond.
-
-Goodwin, the brother of Mrs. Austin, quite at variance with his sister's
-conclusions, states, with every probability confirming him, that the
-harbor Coppin sought "may have been Boston, Ipswich, Newburyport, or
-Portsmouth."
-
-As a result of his "relation" as to a desirable harbor, Coppin was made
-the "pilot" of the "third expedition," which left the ship in the
-shallop, Wednesday, December 6, and, after varying disasters and a narrow
-escape from shipwreck--through Coppin's mistake--landed Friday night
-after dark, in the storm, on the island previously mentioned, ever since
-called "Clarke's Island," at the mouth of Plymouth harbor.
-
-Nothing further is known of Coppin except that he returned to England
-with the ship. He has passed into history only as Robert Coppin, "the
-second mate" (or "pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-
-But one other officer in merchant ships of the MAY-FLOWER class in her
-day was dignified by the address of "Master" (or Mister), or had rank
-with the Captain and Mates as a quarter-deck officer,--except in those
-instances where a surgeon or a chaplain was carried. That the MAY-FLOWER
-carried no special ship's-surgeon has been supposed from the fact of Dr.
-Fuller's attendance alike on her passengers and crew, and the increased
-mortality of the seamen--after his removal on shore.
-
- [The author is greatly indebted to his esteemed friend, Mr. George
- Ernest Bowman, Secretary-General of the Society of MAY-FLOWER
- Descendants, for information of much value upon this point. He
- believes that he has discovered trustworthy evidence of the
- existence of a small volume bearing upon its title-page an
- inscription that would certainly indicate that the MAY-FLOWER had
- her own surgeon. A copy of the inscription, which Mr. Bowman
- declares well attested (the book not being within reach), reads as
- follows:--
- "To Giles Heale Chirurgeon,
- from Isaac Allerton
- in Virginia.
- Feb. 10, 1620."
-
- Giles Heale's name will be recognized as that of one of the
- witnesses to John Carver's copy of William Mullens's nuncupative
- will, and, if he was the ship's-surgeon, might very naturally appear
- in that relation. If book and inscription exist and the latter is
- genuine, it would be indubitable proof that Heale (who was surely
- not a MAY-FLOWER passenger) was one of the ship's company, and if a
- "chirurgeon," the surgeon of the ship, for no other Englishmen,
- except those of the colonists and the ship's company, could have
- been at New Plymouth, at the date given, and New England was then
- included in the term "Virginia." It is much to be hoped that Mr.
- Bowman's belief may be established, and that in Giles Heale we shall
- have another known officer, the surgeon, of the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
-That she had no chaplain goes without saying. The Pilgrims had their
-spiritual adviser with them in the person of Elder Brewster, and were not
-likely to tolerate a priest of either the English or the Romish church on
-a vessel carrying them. The officer referred to was the representative
-of the business interests of the owner or chartering-party, on whose
-account the ship made the voyage; and in that day was known as the
-"ship's-merchant," later as the "purser," and in some relations as the
-"supercargo." No mention of an officer thus designated, belonging to the
-MAY-FLOWER, has ever been made by any writer, so far as known, and it
-devolves upon the author to indicate his existence and to establish, so
-far as possible, both this and his identity.
-
-A certain "Master Williamson," whose name and presence, though but once
-mentioned by Governor Bradford, have greatly puzzled Pilgrim historians,
-seems to have filled this berth on board the MAY-FLOWER. Bradford tells
-us that on Thursday, March 22, 1620/21, "Master Williamson" was
-designated to accompany Captain Standish--practically as an officer
-of the guard--to receive and escort the Pokanoket chief, Massasoit,
-to Governor Carver, on the occasion of the former's first visit of state.
-Prior to the recent discovery in London, by an American genealogist, of a
-copy of the nuncupative will of Master William Mullens, one of the MAY-
-FLOWER Pilgrims, clearly dictated to Governor John Carver on board the
-ship, in the harbor of New Plymouth (probably) Wednesday, February 21,
-1620 (though not written out by Carver till April 2, 1620), on which day
-(as we learn from Bradford), Master Mullens died, no other mention of
-"Master Williamson" than that above quoted was known, and his very
-existence was seriously questioned. In this will, as elsewhere noted,
-"Master Williamson" is named as one of the "Overseers." By most early
-writers it was held that Bradford had unwittingly substituted the name
-"Williamson" for that of Allerton, and this view--apparently for no
-better reasons than that both names had two terminal letters in common,
-and that Allerton was associated next day with Standish on some military
-duty--came to be generally accepted, and Allerton's name to be even
-frequently substituted without question.---Miss Marcia A. Thomas, in her
-"Memorials of Marshfield" (p. 75), says: "In 1621, Master Williamson,
-Captain Standish, and Edward Winslow made a journey to make a treaty with
-Massasoit. He is called 'Master George,' meaning probably Master George
-Williamson," etc.
-
-This is certainly most absurd, and by one not familiar with the
-exceptional fidelity and the conscientious work of Miss Thomas would
-rightly be denounced as reckless and reprehensible fabrication. Of
-course Williamson, Standish, and Winslow made no such journey, and made
-no treaty with Massasoit, but aided simply in conducting, with due
-ceremonial, the first meeting between Governor John Carver and the Indian
-sachem at Plymouth, at which a treaty was concluded. There is no
-historical warrant whatever for the name of "George," as appertaining to
-"Master William son." The fact, however,--made known by the fortunate
-discovery mentioned,--that "Master Williamson" was named in his will by
-Master Mullens as one of its "Overseers," and undoubtedly probated the
-will in England, puts the existence of such a person beyond reasonable
-doubt. That he was a person of some dignity, and of very respectable
-position, is shown by the facts that he was chosen as Standish's
-associate, as lieutenant of the guard, on an occasion of so much
-importance, and was thought fit by Master Mullens, a careful and clear-
-headed man as his will proves,--to be named an "Overseer" of that will,
-charged with responsible duties to Mullens's children and property.
-It is practically certain that on either of the above-mentioned dates
-(February 21, or March 22) there were no human beings in the Colony of
-New Plymouth beside the passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, her officers and
-crew, and the native savages. Visitors, by way of the fishing vessels on
-the Maine coast, had not yet begun to come, as they did a little later.
-It is certain that no one of the name of "Williamson" was among the
-colonist passengers, or indeed for several years in the colony, and we
-may at once dismiss both the passengers and the savages from our
-consideration. This elimination renders it inevitable that "Master
-Williamson" must have been of the ship's company. It remains to
-determine, if possible, what position upon the MAY-FLOWER'S roster he
-presumably held. His selection by "Master" Mullens as one of the "Over
-seers" of his will suggests the probability that, having named Governor
-Carver as the one upon whom he would rely for the care of his family and
-affairs in New England, Mr. Mullens sought as the other a proper person,
-soon to return to England, and hence able to exercise like personal
-interest in his two children and his considerable property left there?
-Such a suggestion points to a returning and competent officer of the
-ship. That "Master Williamson" was above the grade of "petty officer,"
-and ranked at least with the mates or "pilots," is clear from the fact
-that he is invariably styled "Master" (equivalent to Mister), and we know
-with certainty that he was neither captain nor mate. That he was a man of
-address and courage follows the fact that he was chosen by Standish as
-his lieutenant, while the choice in and of itself is a strong bit of
-presumptive proof that he held the position on the MAY-FLOWER to which he
-is here assigned.
-
-The only officer commonly carried by a ship of the MAY-FLOWER class,
-whose rank, capacities, and functions would comport with every fact and
-feature of the case, was "the ship's-merchant," her accountant, factor,
-and usually--when such was requisite--her "interpreter," on every
-considerable (trading) voyage.
-
-It is altogether probable that it was in his capacity of "interpreter"
-(as Samoset and Tisquantum knew but little English), and on account of
-what knowledge of the Indian tongue he very probably possessed, that
-Standish chose Williamson as his associate for the formal reception of
-Massasoit. It is indeed altogether probable that it was this familiarity
-with the "trade lingo" of the American coast tribes which influenced--
-perhaps determined--his employ ment as "ship's-merchant" of the MAY-
-FLOWER for her Pilgrim voyage, especially as she was expected to "load
-back" for England with the products of the country, only to be had by
-barter with the Indians. It is evident that there must naturally have
-been some provision made for communication with the natives, for the
-purposes of that trade, etc., which the Planters hoped to establish.
-Trading along the northern coast of Virginia (as the whole coast strip
-was then called), principally for furs, had been carried on pretty
-actively, since 1584, by such navigators as Raleigh's captains, Gosnold,
-Pring, Champlain, Smith, Dermer, Hunt, and the French and Dutch, and much
-of the "trade lingo" of the native tribes had doubtless been "picked up"
-by their different "ship's-merchants." It appears by Bradford' that
-Dermer, when coasting the shores of New England, in Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges's employ, brought the Indian Tisquantum with him, from England,
-as his interpreter, and doubtless from him Dermer and other ship's
-officers "picked up" more or less Indian phrases, as Tisquantum (Squanto)
-evidently did of English. Winslow, in his "Good Newes from New England,"
-written in 1622, says of the Indian tongue, as spoken by the tribes about
-them at Plymouth, "it is very copious, large, and difficult. As yet we
-cannot attain to any great measure thereof, but can understand them, and
-explain ourselves to their understanding, by the help of those that daily
-converse with us." This being the case, after two years of constant
-communication, and noting how trivial knowledge of English speech Samoset
-and Tisquantum had, it is easy to understand that, if Williamson had any
-knowledge of the native tongue, Standish would be most anxious to have
-the benefit of it, in this prime and all-important effort at securing a
-permanent alliance with the ruling sachem of the region. Bradford, in
-"Mourt's Relation," speaking of the speech of Governor Carver to
-Massasoit, says: "He [Massasoit] liked well of the speech and heard it
-attentively, though the interpreters did not well express it." Probably
-all three, Tisquantum, Samoset, and Williamson, had a voice in it.
-
-That "Master Williamson" was a veritable person at New Plymouth, in
-February and March, 1620/21, is now beyond dispute; that he must have
-been of the ship's company of the MAY-FLOWER is logically certain; that
-he was one of her officers, and a man of character, is proven by his
-title of "Master" and his choice by Standish and Mullens for exceptional
-and honorable service; that the position of "ship's-merchant" alone
-answers to the conditions precedent, is evident; and that such an officer
-was commonly carried by ships of the MAY-FLOWER class on such voyages as
-hers is indicated by the necessity, and proven by the facts known as to
-other ships on similar New England voyages, both earlier and later. The
-fact that he was called simply "Master Williamson," in both cases where
-he is mentioned, with out other designation or identification, is highly
-significant, and clearly indicates that he was some one so familiarly
-known to all concerned that no occasion for any further designation
-apparently occurred to the minds of Mullens, Carver, or Bradford, when
-referring to him. In the case of Master John Hampden, the only other
-notable incognito of early Pilgrim literature, the description is full,
-and the only question concerning him has been of his identity with John
-Hampden, the English patriot of the Cromwellian era. It is, therefore,
-not too much to assert that the MAY-FLOWER carried a "ship's-merchant"
-(or purser), and that "Master Williamson" was that officer. If close-
-linked circumstantial evidence is ever to be relied upon, it clearly
-establishes in this case the identity of the "Master Williamson" who was
-Governor Bradford's incognito, and the person of the same name mentioned
-a month earlier in "Master" Mullens's will; as also the fact that in him
-we have a new officer of the MAY FLOWER, hitherto unknown as such to
-Pilgrim literature. If Mr. Bowman's belief as to Giles Heale (see note)
-proves correct, we have yet another, the Surgeon.
-
-The Carpenter, Gunner, Boatswain, Quartermaster, and "Masters-mates" are
-the only "petty officers" of the Pilgrim ship of whom any record makes
-mention. The carpenter is named several times, and was evidently, as
-might be expected, one of the most useful men of the ship's crew. Called
-into requisition, doubtless, in the conferences as to the condition of
-the SPEEDWELL, on both of her returns to port, at the inception of the
-voyage, he was especially in evidence when, in mid-ocean, "the cracking
-and bending of a great deck-beam," and the "shaken" condition of "the
-upper works" of the MAY-FLOWER, gave rise to much alarm, and it was by
-his labors and devices, and the use of the now famous "jack-screw," that
-the bending beam and leaking deck were made secure. The repairs upon the
-shallop in Cape Cod harbor also devolved upon him, and mention is made of
-his illness and the dependence placed upon him. No doubt, in the
-construction of the first dwellings and of the ordnance platform on the
-hill, etc., he was the devising and principal workman. He undoubtedly
-returned to England with the ship, and is known in history only by his
-"billet," as "the carpenter" of the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-The Master Gunner seems to have been a man with a proclivity for Indian
-barter, that led him to seek a place with the "third expedition" at Cape
-Cod, thereby nearly accomplishing his death, which indeed occurred later,
-in Plymouth harbor, not long before the return of the ship.
-
-The Boatswain is known, by Bradford's records, to have died in the
-general sickness which attacked the crew while lying in Plymouth harbor.
-The brief narrative of his sickness and death is all that we know of his
-personality. The writer says: "He was a proud young man, and would often
-curse and scoff at the passengers," but being nursed when dying, by those
-of them who remained aboard, after his shipmates had deserted him in
-their craven fear of infection, "he bewailed his former conduct," saying,
-"Oh! you, I now see, show your love like Christians indeed, one to
-another, but we let one another lie and die like dogs."
-
-Four Quartermasters are mentioned (probably helmsmen simply), of whom
-three are known to have died in Plymouth harbor.
-
-"Masters-mates" are several times mentioned, but it is pretty certain
-that the "pilots" (or mates) are intended. Bradford and Winslow, in
-"Mourt's Relation," say of the reappearance of the Indians: "So Captain
-Standish, with another [Hopkins], with their muskets, went over to them,
-with two of the masters-mates that follow them without [side?] arms,
-having two muskets with them: Who these "masters-mates" were does not
-appear." The language, "two of the masters-mates," would possibly suggest
-that there were more of them. It hardly seems probable that both the
-mates of the MAY-FLOWER would thus volunteer, or thrust themselves
-forward in such a matter, and it seems doubtful if they would have been
-permitted (even if both ashore at one time, which, though unusual, did
-occur), to assume such duty. Whoever they were, they did not lack
-courage.
-
-The names of the petty officers and seamen of the MAY-FLOWER do not
-appear as such, but the discovery of the (evidently) nuncupative will of
-William Mullens--herein referred to--has perhaps given us two of them.
-Attached to John Carver's certificate of the particulars of this will,
-filed at Somerset House, London, are the names, "Giles Heale" and
-"Christopher Joanes." As Mr Mullens died Wednesday, February 21, 1620,
-on board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, on which day we know from
-Bradford' that "the Master [Jones, whose name was Thomas] came on shore
-with many of his sailors," to land and mount the cannon on the fort, and
-as they had a full day's work to draw up the hill and mount five guns,
-and moreover brought the materials for, and stayed to eat, a considerable
-dinner with the Pilgrims, they were doubtless ashore all day. It is
-rational to interpret the known facts to indicate that in this absence of
-the Captain and most of his crew ashore, Mr. Mullens, finding himself
-failing fast, sent for Governor Carver and--unable to do more than speak
---dictated to him the disposition of his property which he desired to
-make. Carver, noting this down from his dictation, undoubtedly called in
-two of the ship's company (Heale very likely being the ship's-surgeon),
-who were left aboard to "keep ship," to hear his notes read to Mullens
-and assented to by him, they thus becoming the witnesses to his will, to
-the full copy of which, as made by Carver (April 2), they affixed their
-names as such. As there were then at Plymouth (besides savages) only the
-passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, and these men were certainly not
-among the passengers, it seems inevitable that they were of the crew.
-That "Christopher Joanes" was not the Master of the ship is clear,
-because Heale's is the first signature, and no man of the crew would have
-dared to sign before the Captain; because the Captain's name was (as
-demonstrated) Thomas; and because we know that he was ashore all that
-day, with most of his men. It is by no means improbable that Captain
-Jones had shipped one of his kinsmen in his crew, possibly as one of the
-"masters mates" or quartermasters referred to (and it is by no means
-certain that there were not more than two), though these witnesses may
-have been quartermasters or other petty officers left on board as "ship-
-keepers." Certain it is that these two witnesses must have been of the
-crew, and that "Christopher Joanes" was not the Captain, while it is
-equally sure, from the collateral evidence, that Master Mullens died on
-shipboard. Had he died on shore it is very certain that some of the
-leaders, Brewster, Bradford, or others, would have been witnesses, with
-such of the ship's officers as could aid in proving the will in England.
-It is equally evident that the officers of the ship were absent when
-Master Mullens dictated his will, except perhaps the surgeon.
-
-The number of seamen belonging to the ship is nowhere definitely stated.
-At least four in the employ of the Pilgrims were among the passengers
-and not enrolled upon the ships' lists. From the size of the ship,
-the amount of sail she probably carried, the weight of her anchors,
-and certain other data which appear,--such as the number allowed to
-leave the ship at a time, etc.,--it is probably not a wild estimate to
-place their number at from twenty to twenty-five. This is perhaps a
-somewhat larger number than would be essential to work the ship, and than
-would have been shipped if the voyage had been to any port of a civilized
-country; but on a voyage to a wild coast, the possibilities of long
-absence and of the weakening of the crew by death, illness, etc.,
-demanded consideration and a larger number. The wisdom and necessity
-of carrying, on a voyage to an uninhabited country, some spare men,
-is proven by the record of Bradford, who says: "The disease begane to
-fall amongst them the seamen also, so as allmost halfe of their company
-dyed before they went away and many of their officers and lustyest men;
-as ye boatson, gunner, 3 quarter maisters, the cooke, and others."
-
-The LADY ARBELLA, the "Admiral" of Governor Winthrop's fleet, a ship of
-350 tons, carried 52 men, and it is a fair inference that the MAY-FLOWER,
-of a little more than half her tonnage, would require at least half as
-many. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the officers and crew of the
-MAY-FLOWER, all told, mustered thirty men, irrespective of the sailors,
-four in number (Alderton, English, Trevore, and Ely), in the Pilgrims'
-employ.
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
-
-As 1620 did not begin until March 25
-Crime--for such it was, in inception, nature, and results
-Malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has wronged
-The old adage, "second thief best owner"
-Theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony
-
-
-
-
-End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log, v3
-by Azel Ames
-
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-
-BOOK 4.
-
-
-CHAPTER VI
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S PASSENGERS
-
-The passenger list of the SPEEDWELL has given us the names of the Leyden
-members of the company which, with the cooperation of the associated
-Merchant Adventurers, was, in the summer of 1620, about to emigrate to
-America.
-
-Though it is not possible, with present knowledge, positively to
-determine every one of those who were passengers in the MAY-FLOWER from
-London to Southampton, most of them can be named with certainty.
-
-Arranged for convenience, so far as possible, by families, they were:--
-
-Master Robert Cushman, the London agent of the Leyden company,
- Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman, 2d wife,
- Thomas Cushman, son (by 1st wife).
-
-Master Christopher Martin, treasurer-agent of the colonists,
- Mrs. Martin, wife,
- Solomon Prower, "servant,"
- John Langemore, "servant."
-
-Master Richard Warren.
-
-Master William Mullens,
- Mrs. Alice Mullens, wife,
- Joseph Mullens, 2d son,
- Priscilla Mullens, 2d daughter,
- Robert Carter, "servant."
-
-Master Stephen Hopkins,
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Fisher?) Hopkins, 2d wife,
- Giles Hopkins, son (by former wife),
- Constance Hopkins, daughter (by former wife),
- Damaris Hopkins, daughter,
- Edward Dotey, "servant,"
- Edward Leister, "servant."
-
-Gilbert Winslow.
-
-James Chilton,
- Mrs. Susanna (2) Chilton, wife,
- Mary Chilton, daughter.
-
-Richard Gardiner.
-
-John Billington,
- Mrs. Eleanor (or Helen) Billington, wife,
- John Billington (Jr.), son,
- Francis Billington, son.
-
-William Latham, "servant-boy" to Deacon Carver.
-
-Jasper More, "bound-boy" to Deacon Carver.
-
-Ellen More, "little bound girl" to Master Edward Winslow.
-
-Richard More, "bound-boy" to Elder Brewster.
-------- More, "bound-boy" to Elder Brewster.
-
-
-There is a possibility that Thomas Rogers and his son, Joseph, who are
-usually accredited to the Leyden company, were of the London contingent,
-and sailed from there, though this is contra-indicated by certain
-collateral data.
-
-It is possible, also, of course, that any one or more of the English
-colonists (with a few exceptions--such as Cushman and family, Mullens and
-family, the More children and others--known to have left London on the
-MAY-FLOWER) might have joined her (as did Carver and Alden, perhaps
-Martin and family) at Southampton, but the strong presumption is that
-most of the English passengers joined the ship at London.
-
-It is just possible, too, that the seamen, Alderton (or Allerton),
-English, Trevore, and Ely, were hired in London and were on board the
-MAY-FLOWER when she left that port, though they might have been employed
-and joined the ship at either Southampton, Dartmouth, or Plymouth.
-It is strongly probable, however, that they were part, if not all, hired
-in Holland, and came over to Southampton in the pinnace.
-
-Robert Cushman--the London agent (for more than three years) of the
- Leyden congregation, and, in spite of the wickedly unjust criticism
- of Robinson and others, incompetent to judge his acts, their brave,
- sagacious, and faithful servant--properly heads the list.
-
- Bradford says: "Where they find the bigger ship come from London,
- Mr. Jones, Master, with the rest of the company who had been waiting
- there with Mr. Cushman seven days." Deacon Carver, probably from
- being on shore, was not here named. In a note appended to the
- memoir of Robert Cushman (prefatory to his Discourse delivered at
- Plymouth, New England, on "The Sin and Danger of Self-Love") it is
- stated in terms as follows: "The fact is, that Mr. Cushman procured
- the larger vessel, the MAY-FLOWER, and its pilot, at London, and
- left in that vessel." The statement--though published long after the
- events of which it treats and by other than Mr. Cushman--we know to
- be substantially correct, and the presumption is that the writer,
- whoever he may have been, knew also.
-
- Sailing with his wife and son (it is not probable that he had any
- other living child at the time), in full expectation that it was for
- Virginia, he encountered so much of ungrateful and abusive
- treatment, after the brethren met at Southampton,--especially at the
- hands of the insufferable Martin, who, without merit and with a most
- reprehensible record (as it proved), was chosen over him as
- "governor" of the ship,--that he was doubtless glad to return from
- Plymouth when the SPEEDWELL broke down. He and his family appear,
- therefore, as "MAY-FLOWER passengers," only between London and
- Plymouth during the vexatious attendance upon the scoundrelly Master
- of the SPEEDWELL, in his "doublings" in the English Channel. His
- Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth, one of the most valuable
- contributions to the early literature of the Pilgrims extant,
- clearly demonstrates that he was suffering severely from dyspepsia
- and deeply wounded feelings. The course of events was his complete
- vindication, and impartial history to-day pronounces him second to
- none in his service to the Pilgrims and their undertaking. His
- first wife is shown by Leyden records to have been Sarah Reder, and
- his second marriage to have occurred May 19/June 3, 1617, [sic]
- about the time he first went to England in behalf of the Leyden
- congregation.
-
-Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman appears only as a passenger of the
- MAY-FLOWER on her channel voyage, as she returned with her husband
- and son from Plymouth, England, in the SPEEDWELL.
-
-Thomas Cushman, it is quite clear, must have been a son by a former wife,
- as he would have been but a babe, if the son of the latest wife,
- when he went to New England with his father, in the FORTUNE, to
- remain. Goodwin and others give his age as fourteen at this time,
- and his age at death is their warrant. Robert Cushman died in 1625,
- but a "Mary, wife [widow?] of Robert Cushman, and their son,
- Thomas," seem to have been remembered in the will of Ellen Bigge,
- widow, of Cranbrooke, England, proved February 12, 1638
- (Archdeaconry, Canterbury, vol. lxx. leaf 482). The will intimates
- that the "Thomas" named was "under age" when the bequest was made.
- If this is unmistakably so (though there is room for doubt), then
- this was not the Thomas of the Pilgrims. Otherwise the evidence is
- convincing.
-
-Master Christopher Martin, who was made, Bradford informs us, the
- treasurer-agent of the Planter Company, Presumably about the time of
- the original conclusions between the Adventurers and the Planters,
- seems to have been appointed such, as Bradford states, not because
- he was needed, but to give the English contingent of the Planter
- body representation in the management, and to allay thereby any
- suspicion or jealousy. He was, if we are to judge by the evidence
- in hand concerning his contention and that of his family with the
- Archdeacon, the strong testimony that Cushman bears against him in
- his Dartmouth letter of August 17, and the fact that there seems to
- have been early dissatisfaction with him as "governor" on the ship,
- a very self-sufficient, somewhat arrogant, and decidedly contentious
- individual. His selection as treasurer seems to have been very
- unfortunate, as Bradford indicates that his accounts were in
- unsatisfactory shape, and that he had no means of his own, while his
- rather surprising selection for the office of "governor" of the
- larger ship, after the unpleasant experience with him as treasurer-
- agent, is difficult to account for, except that he was evidently an
- active opponent of Cushman, and the latter was just then in disfavor
- with the colonists. He was evidently a man in the prime of life, an
- "Independent" who had the courage of his convictions if little
- discretion, and much of that energy and self-reliance which,
- properly restrained, are excellent elements for a colonist. Very
- little beside the fact that he came from Essex is known of him, and
- nothing of his wife. He has further mention hereafter.
-
-Solomon Prower is clearly shown by the complaint made against him by the
- Archdeacon of Chelmsford, the March before he sailed on the MAY-
- FLOWER, to have been quite a youth, a firm "Separatist," and
- something more than an ordinary "servant." He seems to have been
- summoned before the Archdeacon at the same time with young Martin (a
- son of Christopher), and this fact suggests some nearer relation
- than that of "servant." He is sometimes spoken of as Martin's
- "son," by what warrant does not appear, but the fact suggests that
- he may have been a step-son. Bradford, in recording his death,
- says: "Dec. 24, this day dies Solomon Martin." This could, of
- course, have been none other than Solomon Prower. Dr. Young, in his
- "Chronicles," speaking of Martin, says, "he brought his wife and two
- children." If this means Martin's children, it is evidently an
- error. It may refer to age only. His case is puzzling, for
- Bradford makes him both "servant" and "son." If of sufficient age
- and account to be cited before the Archdeacon for discipline, it
- seems strange that he should not have signed the "Compact." Even if
- a "servant" this would seem to have been no bar, as Dotey and
- Leister were certainly such, yet signers. The indications are that
- he was but a well-grown lad, and that his youth, or severe illness,
- and not his station, accounts for the absence of his signature. If
- a young foster-son or kinsman of Martin, as seems most likely, then
- Martin's signature was sufficient, as in the cases of fathers for
- their sons; if really a "ser vant" then too young (like Latham and
- Hooke) to be called upon, as were Dotey and Leister.
-
-John Langemore; there is nothing (save the errors of Dr. Young) to
- indicate that he was other than a "servant."
-
-Richard Warren was probably from Kent or Essex. Surprisingly little is
- known of his antecedents, former occupation, etc.
-
-William Mullens and his family were, as shown, from Dorking in Surrey,
- and their home was therefore close to London, whence they sailed,
- beyond doubt, in the MAY-FLOWER. The discovery at Somerset House,
- London, by Mr. Henry F. Waters, of Salem, Massachusetts; of what is
- evidently the nuncupative will of William Mullens, proves an
- important one in many particulars, only one of which need be
- referred to in this connection, but all of which will receive due
- consideration. It conclusively shows Mr. Mullens not to have been
- of the Leyden congregation, as has sometimes been claimed, but that
- he was a well-to-do tradesman of Dorking in Surrey, adjacent to
- London. It renders it certain, too, that he had been some time
- resident there, and had both a married daughter and a son (William),
- doubtless living there, which effectually overthrows the "imaginary
- history" of Baird, and of that pretty story, "Standish of Standish,"
- whereby the Mullens (or Molines) family are given French (Huguenot)
- antecedents and the daughter is endowed with numerous airs, graces,
- and accomplishments, professedly French.
-
- Dr. Griffis, in his delightful little narrative, "The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, England, Holland, America," cites the name
- "Mullins" as a Dutch distortion of Molines or Molineaux. Without
- questioning that such it might be,--for the Dutch scribes were
- gifted in remarkable distortions of simple names, even of their own
- people,--they evidently had no hand in thus maltreating the patronym
- of William Mullens (or Mullins) of the Pilgrims, for not only is
- evidence entirely wanting to show that he was ever a Leyden citizen,
- though made such by the fertile fiction of Mrs. Austin, but Governor
- Carver, who knew him well, wrote it in his will "Mullens," while two
- English probate functionaries of his own home-counties wrote it
- respectively "Mullens" and "Mullins."
-
- Dr. Grifs speaks of "the Mullens family" as evidently [sic] of
- Huguenot or Walloon birth or descent, but in doing so probably knew
- no other authority than Mrs. Austin's little novel, or (possibly)
- Dr. Baird's misstatements.
-
- A writer in the "New England Historic-Genealogical Register," vol.
- xlvii, p. 90, states, that "Mrs. Jane G. Austin found her authority
- for saying that Priscilla Mullens was of a Huguenot family, in Dr.
- Baird's 'History of Huguenot Emigration to America,' vol. i.
- p. 158," etc., referring to Rev. Charles W. Baird, D. D., New York.
- The reference given is a notable specimen of very bad historical
- work. Of Dr. Baird, one has a right to expect better things, and
- the positiveness of his reckless assertion might well mislead those
- not wholly familiar with the facts involved, as it evidently has
- more than one. He states, without qualification or reservation,
- that "among the passengers in the SPEEDWELL were several of the
- French who had decided to cast in their lot with these English
- brethren. William Molines and his daughter Priscilla, afterwards
- the wife of John Alden and Philip Delanoy, born in Leyden of French
- parents, were of the number." One stands confounded by such a
- combination of unwarranted errors. Not only is it not true that
- there "were several of the French among the passengers in the
- SPEEDWELL," but there is no evidence whatever that there was even
- one. Those specifically named as there, certainly were not, and
- there is not the remotest proof or reason to believe, that William
- Mullens (or Molines) and his daughter Priscilla (to say nothing of
- the wife and son who accompanied him to America, whom Baird forgets)
- ever even saw Leyden or Delfshaven. Their home had been at Dorking
- in Surrey, just across the river from London, whence the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed for New England, and nothing could be more absurd than to
- assume that they were passengers on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to
- Southampton.
-
- So far from Philip Delanoy (De La Noye or Delano) being a passenger
- on the SPEEDWELL, he was not even one of the Pilgrim company, did
- not go to New England till the following year (in the FORTUNE), and
- of course had no relation to the SPEEDWELL. Neither does Edward
- Winslow--the only authority for the parentage of "Delanoy"--state
- that "he was born in Leyden," as Baird alleges, but only that "he
- was born of French parents . . . and came to us from Leyden to
- New Plymouth,"--an essential variance in several important
- particulars. Scores and perhaps hundreds of people have been led to
- believe Priscilla Mullens a French Protestant of the Leyden
- congregation, and themselves--as her descendants--"of Huguenot
- stock," because of these absolutely groundless assertions of Dr.
- Baird. They lent themselves readily to Mrs. Austin's fertile
- imagination and facile pen, and as "welcome lies" acquired a hold on
- the public mind, from which even the demonstrated truth will never
- wholly dislodge them. The comment of the intelligent writer in the
- "Historic-Genealogical Register" referred to is proof of this. So
- fast-rooted had these assertions become in her thought as the truth,
- that, confronted with the evidence that Master Mullens and his
- family were from Dorking in England, it does not occur to her to
- doubt the correctness of the impression which the recklessness of
- Baird had created,--that they were of Leyden,--and she hence
- amusingly suggests that "they must have moved from Leyden to
- Dorking." These careless utterances of one who is especially bound
- by his position, both as a writer and as a teacher of morals, to be
- jealous for the truth, might be partly condoned as attributable to
- mistake or haste, except for the facts that they seem to have been
- the fountain-head of an ever-widening stream of serious error, and
- that they are preceded on the very page that bears them by others as
- to the Pilgrim exodus equally unhappy. It seems proper to suggest
- that it is high time that all lovers of reliable history should
- stand firmly together against the flood of loose statement which is
- deluging the public; brand the false wherever found; and call for
- proof from of all new and important historical propositions put
- forth.
-
-Stephen Hopkins may possibly have had more than one wife before
- Elizabeth, who accompanied him to New England and was mother of the
- sea-born son Oceanus. Hopkins's will indicates his affection for
- this latest wife, in unusual degree for wills of that day. With
- singular carelessness, both of the writer and his proof-reader, Hon.
- William T. Davis states that Damaris Hopkins was born "after the
- arrival" in New England. The contrary is, of course, a well
- established fact. Mr. Davis was probably led into this error by
- following Bradford's "summary" as affecting the Hopkins family. He
- states therein that Hopkins "had one son, who became a seaman and
- died at Barbadoes probably Caleb, and four daugh ters born here."
- To make up these "four" daughters "born here" Davis found it
- necessary to include Damaris, unmindful that Bradford names her in
- his list of MAY-FLOWER passengers. It is evident, either that
- Bradford made a mistake in the number, or that there was some
- daughter who died in infancy. It is evident that Dotey and Leister,
- the "servants" of Hopkins, were of English origin and accompanied
- their master from London.
-
-Gilbert Winslow was a brother of Edward Winslow, a young man, said to
- have been a carpenter, who returned to England after "divers years"
- in New England. There is a possibility that he was at Leyden and
- was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL. It has been suggested that he
- spent the greater part of the time he was in New England, outside of
- the Pilgrim Colony. He took no part in its affairs.
-
-James Chilton and his family are but little known to Pilgrim writers,
- except the daughter Mary, who came into notice principally through
- her marriage with John Winslow, another brother of Governor Edward,
- who came over later. Their name has assumed a singular prominence
- in popular regard, altogether disproportionate to either their
- personal characteristics, station, or the importance of their early
- descendants. Some unaccountable glamour of romance, without any
- substantial foundation, is probably responsible for it. They left a
- married daughter behind them in England, which is the only hint we
- have as to their home just prior to the embarkation. There has been
- a disposition, not well grounded, to regard them as of Leyden.
-
-Richard Gardiner, Goodwin unequivocally places with the English colonists
- (but on what authority does not fully appear), and he has been
- claimed, but without any better warrant, for the Leyden list.
-
-John Billington and his family were unmistakably of the English
- colonists. Mrs. Billington's name has been variously given,
- e.g. Helen, Ellen, and Eleanor, and the same writer has used them
- interchangeably. One writer has made the inexcusable error of
- stating that "the younger son, Francis, was born after the arrival
- at New Plymouth," but his own affidavit shows him to have been born
- in 1606.
-
-William Latham, a "servant-boy" of Deacon Carver, has always been of
- doubtful relation, some circumstances indicating that he was of
- Leyden and hence was a SPEEDWELL passenger, but others--and these
- the more significant--rendering it probable that he was an English
- boy, who was obtained in London (like the More children) and
- apprenticed to Carver, in which case he probably came in the MAY-
- FLOWER from London, though he may have awaited her coming with his
- master at Southampton, in which case he probably originally embarked
- there, with him, on the SPEEDWELL, and was transferred with him, at
- Plymouth, to the MAY-FLOWER. There is, of course, also still the
- possibility that he came with Carver's family from Leyden. Governor
- Carver's early death necessarily changed his status somewhat, and
- Plymouth early records do not give much beyond suggestion as to what
- the change was; but all indications confirm the opinion that he was
- a poor boy--very likely of London or vicinity--taken by Carver as
- his "servant."
-
-The More children, Jasper, Richard, their brother (whose given name has
- never transpired), and Ellen, their sister, invite more than passing
- mention. The belief has always been current and confident among
- students of Pilgrim history that these More children, four in
- number, "put" or "indentured" to three of the Leyden leaders, were
- probably orphaned children of some family of the Leyden
- congregation, and were so "bound" to give them a chance in the new
- colony, in return for such services as they could render to those
- they accompanied. If thus of the Leyden contingent they would,
- of course, be enumerated as passengers in the SPEEDWELL from
- Delfshaven, but if of the English contingent they should probably be
- borne on the list of passengers sailing from London in the MAY-
- FLOWER, certainly should be reckoned as part of the English
- contingent on the MAY-FLOWER at Southampton. An affidavit of
- Richard More, perhaps the eldest of these children, indentured to
- Elder Brewster, dated in 1684., found in "Proceedings of the
- Provincial Court, Maryland Archives, vol. xiv. ('New England
- Historic-Genealogical Register,' vol 1. p. 203 )," affirms the
- deponent to be then "seaventy years or thereabouts" of age, which
- would have made him some six years of age, "or thereabouts," in
- 1620. He deposes "that being in London at the house of Mr. Thomas
- Weston, Iron monger, in the year 1620, he was from there transported
- to New Plymouth in New England," etc. This clearly identifies
- Richard More of the MAY FLOWER, and renders it well-nigh certain
- that he and his brothers and sister, "bound out" like himself to
- Pilgrim leaders, were of the English company, were probably never in
- Leyden or on the SPEEDWELL, and were very surely passengers on the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, in charge of Mr. Cushman or others. The
- fact that the lad was in London, and went from thence direct to New
- England, is good evidence that he was not of the Leyden party. The
- fair presump tion is that his brothers and sister were, like
- himself, of English birth, and humble--perhaps deceased--parents,
- taken because of their orphaned condition. It is highly improbable
- that they would be taken from London to Southampton by land, at the
- large expense of land travel in those days, when the MAY-FLOWER was
- to sail from London. That they would accompany their respective
- masters to their respectively assigned ships at Southampton is
- altogether likely. The phraseology of his affidavit suggests the
- probability that Richard More, his brothers, and sister were brought
- to Mr. Weston's house, to be by him sent aboard the MAY-FLOWER,
- about to sail. The affidavit is almost conclusive evidence as to
- the fact that the More children were all of the English colonists'
- party, though apprenticed to Leyden families, and belonged to the
- London passenger list of the Pilgrim ship. The researches of Dr.
- Neill among the MS. "minutes" and "transactions" of the (London)
- Virginia Company show germanely that, on November 17, 1619, "the
- treasurer, council, and company" of this Virginia Company addressed
- Sir William Cockaine, Knight, Lord Mayor of the city of London, and
- the right worthys the aldermen, his brethren, and the worthys the
- common council of the city," and returning thanks for the benefits
- conferred, in furnishing out one hundred children this last year
- for "the plantation in Virginia" (from what Neill calls the
- "homeless boys and girls of London"), states, that, "forasmuch as we
- have now resolved to send this next spring [1620] very large
- supplies," etc., "we pray your Lordship and the rest . . . to
- renew the like favors, and furnish us again with one hundred more
- for the next spring. Our desire is that we may have them of twelve
- years old and upward, with allowance of L3 apiece for their trans
- portation, and 40s. apiece for their apparel, as was formerly
- granted. They shall be apprenticed; the boys till they come to 21
- years of age, the girls till like age or till they be married," etc.
- A letter of Sir Edwin Sandys (dated January 28, 1620) to Sir Robert
- Naunton shows that "The city of London have appointed one hundred
- children from the superfluous multitude to be transported to
- Virginia, there to be bound apprentices upon very beneficial
- conditions." In view of the facts that these More children--and
- perhaps others--were "apprenticed" or "bound" to the Pilgrims
- (Carver, Winslow, Brewster, etc.), and that there must have been
- some one to make the indentures, it seems strongly probable that
- these four children of one family,--as Bradford shows, --very likely
- orphaned, were among those designated by the city of London for the
- benefit of the (London) Virginia Company in the spring of 1620.
- They seem to have been waifs caught up in the westward-setting
- current, but only Richard survived the first winter. Bradford,
- writing in 1650, states of Richard More that his brothers and sister
- died, "but he is married [1636] and hath 4 or 5 children." William
- T. Davis, in his "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth" (p. 24), states,
- and Arber copies him, that "he was afterwards called Mann; and died
- at Scituate, New England, in 1656." The researches of Mr. George E.
- Bowman, the able Secretary of the Massachusetts Society of MAY-
- FLOWER Descendants, some time since disproved this error, but Mores
- affidavit quoted conclusively determines the matter.
-
-The possible accessions to the company, at London or Southampton, of
-Henry Sampson and Humility Cooper, cousins of Edward Tilley and wife,
-would be added to the passengers of the pinnace rather than to the MAY-
-FLOWER'S, if, as seems probable, their relatives were of the SPEEDWELL.
-If Edward Tilley and his wife were assigned to the MAY FLOWER, room would
-doubtless also be found for these cousins on the ship. John Alden, the
-only positively known addition (except Carver) made to the list at
-Southampton, was, from the nature of his engagement as "cooper," quite
-likely assigned to the larger ship. There are no known hints as to the
-assignments of passengers to the respective vessels at Southampton--then
-supposed to be final--beyond the remarks of Bradford that "the chief
-[principal ones] of them that came from Leyden went on this ship [the
-SPEEDWELL] to give the Master content," and his further minute, that
-"Master Martin was governour in the biger ship and Master Cushman
-assistante." It is very certain that Deacon Carver, one of the four
-agents of the colonists, who had "fitted out" the voyage in England, was
-a passenger in the SPEEDWELL from Southampton,--as the above mentioned
-remark of Bradford would suggest,--and was made "governour" of her
-passengers, as he later was of the whole company, on the MAY-FLOWER.
-It has sometimes been queried whether, in the interim between the arrival
-of the SPEEDWELL at Southampton and the assignment of the colonists to
-their respective ships (especially as both vessels were taking in and
-transferring cargo), the passengers remained on board or were quartered
-on shore. The same query has arisen, with even better reason, as to the
-passengers of the SPEEDWELL during the stay at Dartmouth, when the
-consort was being carefully overhauled to find her leaks, the suggestion
-being made that in this case some of them might have found accommodation
-on board the larger ship. The question may be fairly considered as
-settled negatively, from the facts that the colonists, with few
-exceptions, were unable to bear such extra expense themselves; the funds
-of the Adventurers--if any were on hand, which appears doubtful--were not
-available for the purpose; while the evidence of some of the early
-writers renders it very certain that the Leyden party were not released
-from residence on shipboard from the time they embarked on the SPEEDWELL
-at Delfshaven till the final landing in the harbor of New Plimoth. Just
-who of the Leyden chiefs caused themselves to be assigned to the smaller
-vessel, to encourage its cowardly Master, cannot be definitely known.
-It may be confidently assumed, however, that Dr. Samuel Fuller, the
-physician of the colonists, was transferred to the MAY-FLOWER, upon which
-were embarked three fourths of the entire company, including most of the
-women and children, with some of whom, it was evident, his services would
-be certainly in demand. There is little doubt that the good Elder
-(William Brewster) was also transferred to the larger ship at
-Southampton, while it would not be a very wild guess--in the light of
-Bradford's statement--to place Carver, Winslow, Bradford, Standish,
-Cooke, Howland, and Edward Tilley, and their families, among the
-passengers on the consort. Just how many passengers each vessel carried
-when they sailed from Southampton will probably never be positively
-known. Approximately, it may be said, on the authority of such
-contemporaneous evidence as is available, and such calculations as are
-possible from the data we have, that the SPEEDWELL had thirty (30), and
-the MAY-FLOWER her proportionate number, ninety (90)--a total of one
-hundred and twenty (120).
-
-Captain John Smith says,
-
- [Smith, New England's Trials, ed. 1622, London, p. 259. It is a
- singular error of the celebrated navigator that he makes the ships
- to have, in less than a day's sail, got outside of Plymouth, as he
- indicates by his words, "the next day," and "forced their return to
- Plymouth." He evidently intends to speak only in general terms, as
- he entirely omits the (first) return to Dartmouth, and numbers the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER, on her final departure, at but "one
- hundred." He also says they "discharged twenty passengers."]
-
-apparently without pretending to be exact, "They left the coast of
-England the 23 of August, with about 120 persons, but the next day [sic]
-the lesser ship sprung a leak that forced their return to Plymouth; where
-discharging her [the ship] and twenty passengers, with the great ship and
-a hundred persons, besides sailors, they set sail again on the 6th of
-September."
-
- [Dr. Ames, so stringent in his requirements of other authors, for
- example Jane Austin, has to this point been pathetically naive as to
- the opinions of Captain John Smith. Captain Smith's self-serving
- and very subjective narratives of his own voyages obtained for him
- the very derogatory judgement by his contemporaries. One of the
- best reviews of John Smith's life may be found in a small book on
- this adventurer by Charles Dudley Warner. D.W.]
-
-If the number one hundred and twenty (120) is correct, and the
-distribution suggested is also exact, viz. thirty (30) to the SPEEDWELL
-and ninety (90) to the MAY-FLOWER, it is clear that there must have been
-more than twelve (the number usually named) who went from the consort to
-the larger ship, when the pinnace was abandoned. We know that at least
-Robert Cushman and his family (wife and son), who were on the MAY-FLOWER,
-were among the number who returned to London upon the SPEEDWELL (and the
-language of Thomas Blossom in his letter to Governor Bradford, else where
-quoted, indicates that he and his son were also there), so that if the
-ship's number was ninety (90), and three or more were withdrawn, it would
-require fifteen (15) or more to make the number up to one hundred and two
-(102), the number of passengers we know the MAY-FLOWER had when she took
-her final departure. It is not likely we shall ever be able to determine
-exactly the names or number of those transferred to the MAY-FLOWER from
-the consort, or the number or names of all those who went back to London
-from either vessel. Several of the former and a few of the latter are
-known, but we must (except for some fortunate discovery) rest content
-with a very accurate knowledge of the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER
-when she left Plymouth (England), and of the changes which occurred in it
-afterward; and a partial knowledge of the ship's own complement of
-officers and men.
-
-Goodwin says: "The returning ones were probably of those who joined in
-England, and had not yet acquired the Pilgrim spirit." Unhappily this
-view is not sustained by the relations of those of the number who are
-known. Robert Cushman and his family (3 persons), Thomas Blossom and his
-son (2 persons), and William Ring (1 person), a total of six, or just one
-third of the putative eighteen who went back, all belonged to the Leyden
-congregation, and were far from lacking "the Pilgrim spirit." Cushman
-was both ill and heart-sore from fatigue, disappointment, and bad
-treatment; Ring was very ill, according to Cushman's Dartmouth letter;
-but the motives governing Blossom and his son do not appear, unless the
-comparatively early death of the son--after which his father went to New
-England--furnishes a clue thereto. Bradford says: "Those that went back
-were, for the most part, such as were willing to do so, either out of
-some discontent, or fear they conceived of the ill success of the Voyage,
-seeing so many crosses befallen and the year time so far spent. But
-others, in regard of their own weakness and the charge of many young
-children, were thought [by the Managers] least useful and most unfit to
-bear the brunt of this hard adventure." It is evident from the above
-that, while the return of most was from choice, some were sent back by
-those in authority, as unfit for the undertaking, and that of these some
-had "many young chil dren." There are said to have been eighteen who
-returned on the SPEEDWELL to London. We know who six of them were,
-leaving twelve, or two thirds, unknown. Whether these twelve were in
-part from Leyden, and were part English, we shall probably never know.
-If any of them were from Holland, then the number of those who left
-Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL is increased by so many. If any were of the
-English contingent, and probably the most were,--then the passenger list
-of the MAY-FLOWER from London to Southampton was probably, by so many,
-the larger. It is evident, from Bradford's remark, that, among the
-twelve unknown, were some who, from "their own weakness and charge of
-many young children, were thought least useful and most unfit," etc.
-From this it is clear that at least one family was included which had a
-number of young children, the parents' "own weakness" being recognized.
-A father, mother, and four children (in view of the term "many") would
-seem a reasonable surmise, and would make six, or another third of the
-whole number. The probability that the unknown two thirds were chiefly
-from England, rather than Holland, is increased by observation of the
-evident care with which, as a rule, those from the Leyden congregation
-were picked, as to strength and fitness, and also by the fact that their
-Leyden homes were broken up. Winslow remarks, "the youngest and
-strongest part were to go," and an analysis of the list shows that those
-selected were mostly such. Bradford, in stating that Martin was "from
-Billericay in Essex," says, "from which part came sundry others." It is
-quite possible that some of the unknown twelve who returned were from
-this locality, as none of those who went on the MAY-FLOWER are understood
-to have hailed from there, beside the Martins.
-
-All the colonists still intending to go to America were now gathered in
-one vessel. Whatever previous disposition of them had been made, or
-whatever relations they might have had in the disjointed record of the
-exodus, were ephemeral, and are now lost sight of in the enduring
-interest which attaches to their final and successful "going forth" as
-MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-Bradford informs us--as already noted--that, just before the departure
-from Southampton, having "ordered and distributed their company for
-either ship, as they conceived for the best," they "chose a Governor and
-two or three assistants for each ship, to order the people by the way,
-and see to the disposing of the provisions, and such like affairs. All
-which was not only with the liking of the Masters of the ships, but
-according to their desires." We have seen that under this arrangement--
-the wisdom and necessity of which are obvious--Martin was made "Governor"
-on the "biger ship" and Cushman his "assistante." Although we find no
-mention of the fact, it is rendered certain by the record which Bradford
-makes of the action of the Pilgrim company on December 11, 1620, at Cape
-Cod,--when they "confirmed" Deacon John Carver as "Governor,"--that he
-was and had been such, over the colonist passengers for the voyage (the
-ecclesiastical authority only remaining to Elder Brewster), Martin
-holding certainly no higher than the second place, made vacant by
-Cushman's departure.
-
-Thus, hardly had the Pilgrims shaken the dust of their persecuting
-mother-country from their feet before they set up, by popular voice
-(above religious authority, and even that vested by maritime law in their
-ships' officers), a government of themselves, by themselves, and for
-themselves. It was a significant step, and the early revision they made
-of their choice of "governors" certifies their purpose to have only
-rulers who could command their confidence and respect. Dr. Young says:
-"We know the age of but few of the Pilgrims," which has hitherto been
-true; yet by careful examination of reliable data, now available, we are
-able to deter mine very closely the ages of a considerable number, and
-approximately the years of most of the others, at the time of the exodus.
-No analysis, so far as known, has hitherto been made of the vocations
-(trades, etc.) represented by the MAY-FLOWER company. They were, as
-befitted those bent on founding a colony, of considerable variety, though
-it should be understood that the vocations given were, so far as
-ascertained, the callings the individuals who represented them had
-followed before taking ship. Several are known to have been engaged
-in other pursuits at some time, either before their residence in Holland,
-or during their earlier years there. Bradford tells us that most of the
-Leyden congregation (or that portion of it which came from England, in or
-about 1608) were agricultural people. These were chiefly obliged to
-acquire handicrafts or other occupations. A few, e.g. Allerton,
-Brewster, Bradford, Carver, Cooke, and Winslow, had possessed some means,
-while others had been bred to pursuits for which there was no demand in
-the Low Countries. Standish, bred to arms, apparently followed his
-profession nearly to the time of departure, and resumed it in the colony,
-adding thereto the calling which, in all times and all lands, had been
-held compatible in dignity with that of arms,--the pursuit of
-agriculture. While always the "Sword of the White Men," he was the
-pioneer "planter" in the first settlement begun (at Duxbury) beyond
-Plymouth limits. Of the "arts, crafts or trades" of the colonists from
-London and neighboring English localities, but little has been gleaned.
-They were mostly people of some means, tradesmen rather than artisans,
-and at least two (Martin and Mullens) were evidently also of the Merchant
-Adventurers.
-
-Their social (conjugal) conditions--not previously analyzed, it is
-thought--have been determined, it is believed, with approximate accuracy;
-though it is of course possible that some were married, of whom that fact
-does not appear, especially among the seamen.
-
-
-The passengers of the MAY-FLOWER on her departure from Plymouth
-(England), as arranged for convenience by families, were as appears by
-the following lists.
-
-While the ages given in these lists are the result of much careful study
-of all the latest available data, and are believed, when not exact, to be
-very close approximates; as it has been possible to arrive at results,
-in several cases, only by considerable calculation, the bases of which
-may not always have been entirely reliable, errors may have crept in.
-Though the author is aware that, in a few instances, the age stated does
-not agree with that assigned by other recognized authority, critical
-re-analysis seems to warrant and confirm the figures given.
-
-The actual and comparative youth of the majority of the colonist leaders
---the Pilgrim Fathers--is matter of comment, even of surprise, to most
-students of Pilgrim history, especially in view of what the Leyden
-congregation had experienced before embarking for America. Only two of
-the leaders exceeded fifty years of age, and of these Governor Carver
-died early. Of the principal men only nine could have been over forty,
-and of these Carver, Chilton, Martin, Mullins, and Priest (more than half
-died within a few months after landing), leaving Brewster, Warren (who
-died early), Cooke, and Hopkins--neither of the latter hardly forty--the
-seniors. One does not readily think of Alden as but twenty-one, Winslow
-as only twenty-five, Dr. Fuller as about thirty, Bradford as only thirty-
-one when chosen Governor, Allerton as thirty-two, and Captain Standish as
-thirty-six. Verily they were "old heads on young shoulders." It is
-interesting to note that the dominant influence at all times was that of
-the Leyden contingent.
-
-Of these, all except William Butten, who died upon the voyage, reached
-Cape Cod in safety, though some of them had become seriously ill from the
-hardships encountered, and Howland had narrowly escaped drowning. Two
-were added to the number en voyage,--Oceanus Hopkins, born upon the sea,
-and Peregrine White, born soon after the arrival in Cape Cod harbor.
-This made the total of the passenger list 103, before further depletion
-by death occurred, though several deaths again reduced it before the MAY-
-FLOWER cast anchor in Plymouth harbor, her final haven on the outward
-voyage.
-
-Deacon John Carver's place of birth or early life is not known, but he
- was an Essex County man, and was probably not, until in middle life,
- a member of Robinson's congregation of "Independents." His age is
- determined by collateral evidence.
-
-Mrs. Katherine Carver, it has been supposed by some, was a sister of
- Pastor Robinson. This supposition rests, apparently, upon the
- expression of Robinson in his parting letter to Carver, where he
- says: "What shall I say or write unto you and your good wife, my
- loving sister?" Neither the place of Mrs. Carver's nativity nor her
- age is known.
-
-Desire Minter was evidently a young girl of the Leyden congregation,
- between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, who in some way (perhaps
- through kinship) had been taken into Carver's family. She returned
- to England early. See ante, for account of her (probable)
- parentage.
-
-John Howland was possibly of kin to Carver and had been apparently some
- years in his family. Bradford calls him a "man-servant," but it is
- evident that "employee" would be the more correct term, and that he
- was much more than a "servant." It is observable that Howland
- signed the Compact (by Morton's List) before such men as Hopkins,
- the Tilleys, Cooke, Rogers, and Priest, which does not indicate much
- of the "servant" relation. His antecedents are not certainly known,
- but that he was of the Essex family of the name seems probable.
- Much effort has been made in recent years to trace his ancestry,
- but without any considerable result. His age at death (1673)
- determines his age in 1620. He was older than generally supposed,
- being born about 1593.
-
-Roger Wilder is also called a "man-servant" by Bradford, and hardly more
- than this is known of him, his death occurring early. There is no
- clue to his age except that his being called a "man-servant" would
- seem to suggest that he was of age; but the fact that he did not
- sign the Compact would indicate that he was younger, or he may have
- been extremely ill, as he died very soon after arrival.
-
-William Latham is called a "boy" by Bradford, though a lad of 18. It is
- quite possible he was one of those "indentured" by the corporation
- of London, but there is no direct intimation of this.
-
-"Mrs. Carver's maid," it is fair to presume, from her position as lady's-
- maid and its requirements in those days, was a young woman of
- eighteen or twenty years, and this is confirmed by her early
- marriage. Nothing is known of her before the embarkation. She died
- early.
-
-Jasper More, Bradford says, "was a child yt was put to him." Further
- information concerning him is given in connection with his brother
- Richard, "indentured" to Elder Brewster. He is erroneously called
- by Justin Winsor in his "History of Duxbury" (Massachusetts) a child
- of Carver's, as Elizabeth Tilley is "his daughter." Others have
- similarly erred.
-
-Elder William Brewster's known age at his death determines his age in
- 1620. He was born in 1566-67. His early life was full of interest
- and activity, and his life in Holland and America no less so. In
- early life he filled important stations. Steele's "Chief of the
- Pilgrims" is a most engaging biography of him, and there are others
- hardly less so, Bradford's sketch being one of the best.
-
-Mrs. Mary Brewster's age at her death determines it at the embarkation,
- and is matter of computation.
-
-Love Brewster was the second son of his parents, his elder brother
-Jonathan coming over afterwards.
-
-Wrestling Brewster was but a "lad," and his father's third son.
-
-Richard More and his brother, Bradford states, "were put to him" (Elder
- Brewster) as bound-boys. For a full account of their English
- origin, Richard's affidavit, etc., see ante. This makes him but
- about six, but he was perhaps older.
-
-Governor Edward Winslow's known age at his death fixes his age at the
- time of the exodus, and his birth is duly recorded at Droitwich, in
- Worcester, England. (See "Winslow Memorial," David Parsons Holton,
- vol. i. p. 16.)
-
-Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, the first wife of the Governor, appears
- by the data supplied by the record of her marriage in Holland, May
- 27, 1618, to have been a maiden of comporting years to her
- husband's, he being then twenty-three. Tradition makes her slightly
- younger than her husband.
-
-George Soule, it is evident,--like Howland,--though denominated a
- "servant" by Bradford, was more than this, and should rather have
- been styled, as Goodwin points out, "an employee" of Edward Winslow.
- His age is approximated by collateral evidence, his marriage, etc.
-
-Elias Story is called "man-servant" by Bradford, and his age is unknown.
- The fact that he did not sign the Compact indicates that he was
- under age, but extreme illness may have prevented, as he died early.
-
-Ellen More, "a little girl that was put to him" (Winslow), died early.
- She was sister of the other More children, "bound out" to Carver and
- Brewster, of whom extended mention has been made.
-
-Governor William Bradford's date of birth fixes his age in 1620. His
- early home was at Austerfield, in Yorkshire. Belknap (" American
- Biography," vol. ii. p. 218) says: "He learned the art of silk-
- dyeing."
-
-Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford's age (the first wife of the Governor) is
- fixed at twenty-three by collateral data, but she may have been
- older. She was probably from Wisbeach, England. The manner of her
- tragic death (by drowning, having fallen overboard from the ship in
- Cape Cod harbor), the first violent death in the colony, was
- especially sad, her husband being absent for a week afterward. It
- is not known that her body was recovered.
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller, from his marriage record at Leyden, made in 1613, when
- he was a widower, it is fair to assume was about thirty, perhaps
- older, in 1620, as he could, when married, have hardly been under
- twenty-one. His (third) wife and child were left in Holland.
-
-William Butten (who died at sea, November 6/16), Bradford calls
- "a youth." He was undoubtedly a "servant"-assistant to the doctor.
-
-Isaac Allerton, it is a fair assumption, was about thirty-four in 1620,
- from the fact that he married his first wife October 4, 1611, as he
- was called "a young man" in the Leyden marriage record. He is
- called "of London, England," by Bradford and on the Leyden records.
- He was made a "freeman" of Leyden, February 7, 1614. Arber and
- others state that his early occupation was that of "tailor," but he
- was later a tradesman and merchant.
-
-Mary (Norris) Allerton is called a "maid of Newbury in England," in the
- Leyden record of her marriage, in October, 1611, and it is the only
- hint as to her age we have. She was presumably a young woman. Her
- death followed (a month later) the birth of her still-born son, on
- board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, February 25/March 7, 1621.
-
-Bartholomew Allerton, born probably in 1612/13 (his parents married
- October, 1611), was hence, as stated, about seven or eight years old
- at the embarkation. He has been represented as older, but this was
- clearly impossible. He was doubtless born in Holland.
-
-Remember Allerton, apparently Allerton's second child, has (with a
- novelist's license) been represented by Mrs. Austin as considerably
- older than six, in fact nearer sixteen (Goodwin, p. 183, says,
- "over 13"), but the known years of her mother's marriage and her
- brother's birth make this improbable. She was, no doubt, born in
- Holland about 1614--She married Moses Maverick by 1635, and Thomas
- Weston's only child, Elizabeth, was married from her house at
- Marblehead to Roger Conant, son of the first "governor" of a
- Massachusetts Bay "plantation."
-
-Mary Allerton, apparently the third child, could hardly have been much
- more than four years old in 1620, though Goodwin ("Pilgrim
- Republic," p. 184) calls her eleven, which is an error. She was
- probably born in Holland about 1616. She was the last survivor of
- the passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, dying at Plymouth, New England,
- 1699.
-
-John Hooke, described by Bradford as a "servant-boy," was probably but a
- youth. He did not sign the Compact. Nothing further is known of him
- except that he died early. It is quite possible that he may have
- been of London and have been "indentured" by the municipality to
- Allerton, but the presumption has been that he came, as body-servant
- of Allerton, with him from Leyden.
-
-Captain Standish's years in 1620 are conjectural (from fixed data), as is
- his age at death. His early home was at Duxborough Hall, in
- Lancashire. His commission as Captain, from Queen Elizabeth, would
- make his birth about 1584. Rose Standish, his wife, is said by
- tradition to have been from the Isle of Man, but nothing is known of
- her age or antecedents, except that she was younger than the
- Captain. She died during the "general sickness," early in 1621.
-
-Master Christopher Martin, as previously noted, was from Billerica, in
- Essex. From collateral data it appears that he must have been
- "about forty" years old when he joined the Pilgrims. He appears to
- have been a staunch "Independent" and to have drawn upon himself the
- ire of the Archdeacon of Chelmsford, (probably) by his loud-mouthed
- expression of his views, as only "a month before the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed" he, with his son and Solomon Prower of his household
- (probably a relative), were cited before the archdeacon to answer
- for their shortcomings, especially in reverence for this church
- dignitary. He seems to have been at all times a self-conceited,
- arrogant, and unsatisfactory man. That he was elected treasurer
- and ship's "governor" and permitted so much unbridled liberty as
- appears, is incomprehensible. It was probably fortunate that he
- died early, as he did, evidently in utter poverty. He had a son,
- in 1620, apparently quite a grown youth, from which it is fair to
- infer that the father was at that time "about forty." Of his wife
- nothing is known. She also died early.
-
-Solomon Prower, who is called by Bradford both "son" and "servant" of
- Martin, seems from the fact of his "citation" before the Archdeacon
- of Chelmsford, etc., to have been something more than a "servant,"
- possibly a kinsman, or foster-son, and probably would more properly
- have been termed an "employee." He was from Billerica, in Essex,
- and was, from the fact that he did not sign the Compact, probably
- under twenty-one or very ill at the time. He died early. Of John
- Langemore, his fellow "servant," nothing is known, except that he is
- spoken of by Young as one of two "children" brought over by Martin
- (but on no apparent authority), and he did not sign the Compact,
- though this might have been from extreme illness, as he too died
- early.
-
-William White was of the Leyden congregation. He is wrongly called by
- Davis a son of Bishop John White, as the only English Bishop of that
- name and time died a bachelor. At White's marriage, recorded at the
- Stadthaus at Leyden, January 27/February 1, 1612, to Anna [Susanna]
- Fuller, he is called "a young man of England." As he presumably was
- of age at that time, he must have been at least some twenty-nine or
- thirty years old at the embarkation, eight years later. His son
- Peregrine was born in Cape Cod harbor. Mr. White died very early.
-
-Susanna (Fuller) White, wife of William, and sister of Dr. Fuller (?),
- was apparently somewhat younger than her first husband and perhaps
- older than her second. She must, in all probability (having been
- married in Leyden in 1612), have been at least twenty-five at the
- embarkation eight years later. Her second husband, Governor
- Winslow, was but twenty-five in 1620, and the presumption is that
- she was slightly his senior. There appears no good reason for
- ascribing to her the austere and rather unlovable characteristics
- which the pen of Mrs. Austin has given her.
-
-Resolved White, the son of William and Susanna White, could not have been
- more than six or seven years old, and is set down by Goodwin and
- others--on what seems inconclusive evidence--at five. He was
- doubtless born at Leyden.
-
-William Holbeck is simply named as "a servant" of White, by Bradford.
- His age does not appear, but as he did not sign the Compact he was
- probably "under age." From the fact that he died early, it is
- possible that he was too ill to sign.
-
-Edward Thompson is named by Bradford as a second "servant" of Master
- White, but nothing more is known of him, except that he did not sign
- the Compact, and was therefore probably in his nonage, unless
- prevented by severe sickness. He died very early.
-
-Master William Mullens (or Molines, as Bradford some times calls him) is
- elsewhere shown to have been a tradesman of some means, of Dorking,
- in Surrey, one of the Merchant Adventurers, and a man of ability.
- From the fact that he left a married daughter (Mrs. Sarah Blunden)
- and a son (William) a young man grown, in England, it is evident
- that he must have been forty years old or more when he sailed for
- New England, only to die aboard the ship in New Plymouth harbor.
- That he was not a French Huguenot of the Leyden contingent, as
- pictured by Rev. Dr. Baird and Mrs. Austin, is certain.
-
-Mrs. Alice Mullens, whose given name we know only from her husband's
- will, filed in London, we know little about. Her age was (if she
- was his first wife) presumably about that of her husband, whom she
- survived but a short time.
-
-Joseph Mullens was perhaps older than his sister Priscilla, and the third
- child of his parents; but the impression prevails that he was
- slightly her junior,--on what evidence it is hard to say. That he
- was sixteen is rendered certain by the fact that he is reckoned by
- his father, in his will, as representing a share in the planter's
- half-interest in the colony, and to do so must have been of that
- age.
-
-Priscilla Mullens, whom the glamour of unfounded romance and the pen of
- the poet Longfellow have made one of the best known and best beloved
- of the Pilgrim band, was either a little older, or younger, than her
- brother Joseph, it is not certain which. But that she was over
- sixteen is made certain by the same evidence as that named
- concerning her brother.
-
-Robert Carter is named by Bradford as a "man-servant," and Mrs. Austin,
- in her imaginative "Standish of Standish," which is never to be
- taken too literally, has made him (see p. 181 of that book) "a dear
- old servant," whom Priscilla Mullens credits with carrying her in
- his arms when a small child, etc. Both Bradford's mention and Mr.
- Mullens's will indicate that he was yet a young man and "needed
- looking after." He did not sign the Compact, which of itself
- indicates nonage, unless illness was the cause, of which, in his
- case, there is no evidence, until later.
-
-Richard Warren, as he had a wife and five pretty well grown daughters,
- must have been forty-five or more when he came over. He is
- suggested to have been from Essex.
-
-Stephen Hopkins is believed to have been a "lay-reader" with Mr. Buck,
- chaplain to Governor Gates, of the Bermuda expedition of 1609 (see
- Purchas, vol. iv. p. 174). As he could hardly have had this
- appointment, or have taken the political stand he did, until of
- age, he must have been at least twenty-one at that time. If so, he
- would have been not less than thirty two years old in 1620, and was
- probably considerably older, as his son Giles is represented by
- Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 184) as being "about 15." If the
- father was but twenty-one when the son was born, he must have been
- at least thirty-seven when he became a MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim. The
- probabilities are that he was considerably older. His English home
- is not known. Professor Arber makes an error (The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers," p. 261) in regard to Hopkins which, unless noted,
- might lead to other and more serious mistakes. Noting the
- differences between John Pierce and a Master Hopkins, heard before
- the Council for New England, May 5/15, 1623, Arber designates Master
- Hopkins as "Stephen" (on what authority does not appear), and leaves
- us to infer that it was the Pilgrim Hopkins. On further inquiry it
- transpires that the person who was at variance with Master John
- Pierce over the matter of passage and freight money, on account of
- the unfortunate PARAGON, was a Rev. Master Hopkins (not Stephen of
- the MAY-FLOWER), who, we learn from Neill's "History of the Virginia
- Company," was "recommended July 3, 1622, by the Court of the Company
- to the Governor of Virginia, . . . being desirous to go over at
- his own charge. He was evidently a passenger on both of the
- disastrous attempts of the PARAGON under Captain William Pierce, and
- being forced back the second time, apparently gave up the intention
- of going.
-
-Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, nothing is known concerning, except that she was
- not her husband's first wife. Sometime apparently elapsed between
- her husband's marriages.
-
-Giles Hopkins we only know was the son of his father's first wife, and
- "about 15." An error (of the types presumably) makes Griffis ("The
- Pilgrims in their Three Homes," p. 176) give the name of Oceanus
- Hopkins's father as Giles, instead of Stephen. Constance (or
- Constantia) Hopkins was apparently about eleven years old in 1620,
- as she married in 1627, and probably was then not far from eighteen
- years old. Damaris Hopkins, the younger daughter of Master Hopkins,
- was probably a very young child when she came in the MAY-FLOWER, but
- her exact age has not been as certained. Davis, as elsewhere noted,
- makes the singular mistake of saying she was born after her parents
- arrived in New England. She married Jacob Cooke, and the ante-
- nuptial agreement of his parents is believed to be the earliest of
- record in America, except that between Gregory Armstrong and the
- widow Billington.
-
-Edward Dotey is called by Bradford "a servant," but nothing is known of
- his age or antecedents. It is very certain from the fact that he
- signed the Compact that he was twenty-one. He was a very energetic
- man. He seems to have been married before coming to New England, or
- soon after.
-
-Edward Leister (the name is variously spelled) was a "servant," by
- Bradford's record. He was doubtless of age, as he signed the
- Compact.
-
-Master John Crackstone, being (apparently) a widower with a son, a child
- well grown, was evidently about thirty five years old when he
- embarked for New England. He left a daughter behind. He died early.
-
-John Crackstone, Jr., was but a lad, and died early.
-
-Master Edward Tilley (sometimes spelled Tillie) and his wife Ann seem to
- have been without children of their own, and as they took with them
- to New England two children who were their kindred, it may be
- inferred that they had been married some little time. It is hence
- probable that Mr. Tilley was in the neighborhood of thirty. His
- wife's age is purely conjectural. They were, Bradford states, "of
- the Leyden congregation."
-
-Henry Sampson was apparently but a young English lad when he came over in
- the MAY-FLOWER with his cousins the Tilleys. As he married in 1636,
- he was probably then about twenty-one, which would make him five or
- six when he came over. Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 184) says he
- was "six."
-
-Humility Cooper is said by Bradford to have been a "cosen" of the
- Tilleys, but no light is given as to her age or antecedents. She
- was but a child, apparently. She returned to England very soon
- after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Tilley, and "died young."
-
-Master John Tilley, having twice married, and having a daughter some
- fourteen years old, must have been over thirty-five years old when
- he sailed on the Pilgrim ship. His birthplace and antecedents are
- not known, but he was "of the Leyden congregation."
-
-Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde) Tilley was just possibly a second wife.
- Nothing is known concerning her except that she was of Holland, and
- that she had, apparently, no child.
-
-Elizabeth Tilley is said by Goodwin (op. cit. p. 298) and others to have
- been fourteen years old at her parents' death in 1621, soon after
- the arrival in New England. She was the child of her father's first
- wife. She married John Howland before 1624. Historians for many
- years called her the "daughter of Governor Carver," but the recovery
- of Bradford's MS. "historie" corrected this, with many other
- misconceptions, though to some the error had become apparent before.
- Her will also suggests her age.
-
-Francis Cooke's age in 1620 is fixed by his known age at his death
- ("about 81") in 1663. He was from the north of England, and long a
- member of Robinson's congregation, both in England and in
- Holland(?).
-
-John Cooke, son of Francis, is known to have been about ten years old
- when he sailed with his father for America, as his parents did not
- marry before 1609. He was undoubtedly born at Leyden. He was long
- supposed to have been the last male survivor of the original
- passengers (dying at Dartmouth in 1695.)
-
-James Chilton's antecedents and his age are quite unknown. He must have
- been at least fifty, as he had a married daughter in Leyden,
- according to Bradford. He died among the first, and there is
- nothing of record to inform us concerning him, except Bradford's
- meagre mention. He may have lived at Leyden.
-
-Mrs. Chilton's given name is declared by one writer to have been Susanna,
- but it is not clearly proven. Whence she came, her ancestry, and
- her age, are alike unknown.
-
-Mary Chilton was but a young girl in 1620. She married, before 1627,
- John Winslow, and was probably not then over twenty, nor over
- fourteen when she came with her parents in the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Thomas Rogers appears, from the fact that he had a son, a lad well-grown,
- to have been thirty or more in 1620. His birthplace, antecedents,
- and history are unknown, but he appears to have been "of the Leyden
- congregation." His wife arid children came later.
-
-Joseph Rogers was only a "lad" aboard the MAY-FLOWER, but he left a
- considerable posterity. Nothing is surely known of him, except that
- he was Thomas's son.
-
-Degory Priest had the distinction of being "freeman" of Leyden, having
- been admitted such, November 16, 1615. He was by occupation a
- "hatter," a man of some means, who left a wife and at least two
- children in Holland when he embarked for America. His known age at
- death gives his age at sailing but a few months previous. At his
- marriage in Leyden, October 4, 1611, he was called "of London." He
- was about thirty-two when he married. His wife (a widow Vincent)
- was a sister of Isaac Allerton, who also was married at the same
- time that he was. Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 183) also gives
- his age as "forty-one." His widow remarried and came over later.
- Dexter ("Mourt's Relation," p. 69, note) states, quoting from Leyden
- MS. records, that "Degory Priest in April, 1619, calling himself a
- 'hatter,' deposes that he 'is forty years of age.'" He must,
- therefore, have been about forty-one when he sailed on the MAY-
- FLOWER, and forty-two years old at his death.
-
-John Rigdale and his wife Alice afford no data. They both died early,
- and there is no record concerning either of them beyond the fact
- that they were passengers.
-
-Edward Fuller and his wife have left us little record of themselves save
- that they were of Leyden, that he is reputed a brother of Dr. Samuel
- Fuller (for whom they seem to have named the boy they brought over
- with them,--leaving apparently another son, Matthew, behind), and
- that both died the first winter. He must have been at least twenty-
- five, judging from the fact that he was married and had two
- children, and was perhaps somewhat older (though traditionally
- represented as younger) than his brother. Neither his occupation
- nor antecedents are surely known.
-
-Samuel Fuller--the son of Edward Fuller and his wife--is called by
- Bradford "a young child." He must have been some five or six years
- of age, as he married in 1635, fifteen years later, and would
- presumably have been of age, or nearly so.
-
-Thomas Tinker's name, the mention of his "wife" and "son," the tradition
- that they were "of the Leyden congregation" (which is not sure), the
- certainty that they were MAY-FLOWER passengers,--on Brad ford's
- list,--and that all died early, are all we know of the Tinker
- family.
-
-John Turner and his two sons we know little about. He seems to have been
- a widower, as no mention is found of his wife, though this is not
- certain. He was of the Leyden congregation, and evidently a man of
- some standing with the leaders, as he was made their messenger to
- Carver and Cushman in London, in June, 1620, and was apparently
- accustomed to travel. He appears to have had business of his own in
- England at the time, and was apparently a man of sober age. As he
- had three children,--a daughter who came later to New England, and
- two sons, as stated by Bradford,--it is probable that he was thirty
- or over. He and both his sons died in the spring of 1621.
-
-Francis Eaton was of Leyden, a carpenter, and, having a wife and child,
- was probably a young man about twenty five, perhaps a little
- younger. He married three times.
-
-Mrs. Sarah Eaton, wife of Francis, was evidently a young woman, with an
- infant, at the date of embarkation. Nothing more is known of her,
- except that she died the spring following the arrival at Plymouth.
-
-Samuel Eaton, the son of Francis and his wife, Sarah, Bradford calls "a
- sucking child:" He lived to marry.
-
-Gilbert Window was the third younger brother of Governor Edward Winslow,
- and is reputed to have been a carpenter. He was born on Wednesday,
- October 26, 1600, at Droitwitch, in Worcester, England. ("Winslow
- Memorial," vol. i. p. 23.) He apparently did not remain long in
- the colony, as he does not appear in either the "land division" of
- 1623 or the "cattle division" of 1627; and hence was probably not
- then in the "settlement," though land was later allowed his heirs,
- he having been an "original" voyager of the Plymouth colony. He was
- but twenty years and fifteen days old when he signed the Compact,
- but probably was--from his brother's prominence and his nearness to
- his majority--counted as eligible. Bradford states that he returned
- to England after "divers years" in New England, and died there. It
- has been suggested that he went very early to some of the other
- "plantations."
-
-John Alden was of Southampton, England, was hired as "a cooper," was
- twenty-one years old in 1620, as determined by the year of his
- birth, 1599 ("Alden Memorial," p. 1), and became the most prominent
- and useful of any of the English contingent of the MAY FLOWER
- company. Longfellow's delightful poem, "The Courtship of Miles
- Standish," has given him and his bride, Priscilla Mullens, world-
- wide celebrity, though it is to be feared that its historical
- accuracy would hardly stand criticism. Why young Alden should have
- been "hired for a cooper at Southampton," with liberty to "go or
- stay" in the colony, as Bradford says he was (clearly indicating
- that he went to perform some specific work and return, if he liked,
- with the ship), has mystified many. The matter is clear, however,
- when it is known, as Griffis shows, that part of a Parliamentary Act
- of 1543 reads: "Whosoever shall carry Beer beyond Sea, shall find
- Sureties to the Customers (?) of that Port, to bring in Clapboard
- [staves] meet [sufficient] to make so much Vessel [barrel or
- "kilderkin"] as he shall carry forth." As a considerable quantity of
- beer was part of the MAY-FLOWER'S lading, and her consignors stood
- bound to make good in quantity the stave-stock she carried away,
- it was essential, in going to a wild country where it could not be
- bought, but must be "got out" from the growing timber, to take along
- a "cooper and cleaver" for that purpose. Moreover, the great demand
- for beer-barrel stock made "clapboard" good and profitable return
- lading. It constituted a large part of the FORTUNE'S return freight
- (doubtless "gotten out" by Alden), as it would have undoubtedly of
- the MAY-FLOWER'S, had the hardship of the colony's condition
- permitted.
-
-Peter Browne we know little concerning. That he was a man of early
- middle age is inferable from the fact that he married the widow
- Martha Ford, who came in the FORTUNE in 1621. As she then was the
- mother of three children, it is improbable that she would have
- married a very young man. He appears, from certain collateral
- evidence, to have been a mechanic of some kind, but it is not clear
- what his handicraft was or whence he came.
-
-John Billington (Bradford sometimes spells it Billinton) and his family,
- Bradford tells us, "were from London." They were evidently an ill-
- conditioned lot, and unfit for the company of the planters, and
- Bradford says, "I know not by what friend shuffled into their
- Company." As he had a wife and two children, the elder of whom must
- have been about sixteen years old, he was apparently over thirty-
- five years of age. There is a tradition that he was a countryman
- bred, which certain facts seem to confirm. (See land allotments for
- data as to age of boys, 1632.) He was the only one of the original
- colonists to suffer the "death penalty" for crime.
-
-Mrs. Ellen (or "Elen") Billington, as Bradford spells the name, was
- evidently of comporting age to her husband's, perhaps a little
- younger. Their two sons, John and Francis, were lively urchins who
- frequently made matters interesting for the colonists, afloat and
- ashore. The family was radically bad throughout, but they have had
- not a few worthy descendants. Mrs. Billington married Gregory
- Armstrong, and their antenuptial agreement is the first of record
- known in America.
-
-John Billington, Jr., is always first named of his father's two sons, and
- hence the impression prevails that he was the elder, and Bradford so
- designates him. The affidavit of Francis Billington (Plymouth
- County, Mass., Deeds, vol. i. p. 81), dated 1674, in which he
- declares himself sixty-eight years old, would indicate that he was
- born in 1606, and hence must have been about fourteen years of age
- when he came on the MAY-FLOWER to New Plymouth. If John, his
- brother, was older than he, he must have been born about 1604, and
- so was about sixteen when, he came to New England. The indications
- are that it was Francis, the younger son, who got hold of the
- gunpowder in his father's cabin in Cape Cod harbor, and narrowly
- missed blowing up the ship. John died before 1630. Francis lived,
- as appears, to good age, and had a family.
-
-Moses Fletcher was of the Leyden company, a "smith," and at the time of
- his second marriage at Leyden, November 30/December 21, 1613, was
- called a "widower" and "of England." As he was probably of age at
- the time of his first marriage,--presumably two years or more before
- his last,--he must have been over thirty in 1620. He was perhaps
- again a widower when he came over, as no mention is made of his
- having wife or family. He was possibly of the Amsterdam family of
- that name. His early death was a great loss to the colony.
-
-A Thomas Williams is mentioned by Hon. Henry C Murphy ("Historical
- Magazine," vol. iii. pp. 358, 359), in a list of some of Robinson's
- congregation who did not go to New England in either the MAY-FLOWER,
- FORTUNE, ANNE, Or LITTLE JAMES. He either overlooked the fact that
- Williams was one of the MAY-FLOWER passengers, or else there were
- two of the name, one of whom did not go. Nothing is known of the
- age or former history of the Pilgrim of that name. He died in the
- spring of 1621 (before the end of March). As he signed the Compact,
- he must have been over twenty-one. He may have left a wife, Sarah.
-
-John Goodman we know little more about than that he and Peter Browne seem
- to have been "lost" together, on one occasion (when he was badly
- frozen), and to have had, with his little spaniel dog, a rencontre
- with "two great wolves," on another. He was twice married, the last
- time at Leyden in 1619. He died before the end of March, 1621.
- As he signed the Compact, he must have been over twenty-one.
-
-Edward Margeson we know nothing about. As he signed the Compact, he was
- presumably of age.
-
-Richard Britteridge affords little data. His age, birthplace, or
- occupation do not transpire, but he was, it seems, according to
- Bradford, the first of the company to die on board the ship after
- she had cast anchor in the harbor of New Plymouth. This fact
- negatives the pleasant fiction of Mrs. Austin's "Standish of
- Standish" (p. 104), that Britteridge was one of those employed in
- cutting sedge on shore on Friday, January 12. Poor Britteridge died
- December 21, three weeks earlier. He signed the Compact, and hence
- may be accounted of age at the landing at Cape Cod.
-
-Richard Clarke appears only as one of the passengers and as dying before
- the end of March. He signed the Compact, and hence was doubtless
- twenty-one or over.
-
-Richard Gardiner, we know from Bradford, "became a seaman and died in
- England or at sea." He was evidently a young man, but of his age or
- antecedents nothing appears. He signed the Compact, and hence was
- at least twenty-one years old.
-
-John Alderton (sometimes spelled Allerton), we are told by Bradford,--as
- elsewhere noted,--"was hired, but was reputed one of the company,
- but was to go back, being a seaman and so, presumably, unmindful of
- the voyages, for the help of others." Whether Bradford intended by
- the latter clause to indicate that he had left his family behind,
- and came "to spy out the land," and, if satisfied, to return for
- them, or was to return for the counsel and assistance of Robinson
- and the rest, who were to follow, is not clear, but the latter view
- has most to support it. We learn his occupation, but can only infer
- that he was a young man over twenty-one from the above and the fact
- that he signed the Compact. It has been suggested that he was a
- relative of Isaac Allerton, but this is nowhere shown and is
- improbable. He died before the MAY-FLOWER returned to England.
-
-Thomas English (or Enlish), Bradford tells us ("Historie," Mass. ed.
- p. 533), "was hired to goe Master of a [the] shallop here." He,
- however, "died here before the ship returned." It is altogether
- probable that he was the savior of the colony on that stormy night
- when the shallop made Plymouth harbor the first time, and, narrowly
- escaping destruction, took shelter under Clarke's Island. The first
- three governors of the colony, its chief founders,--Carver,
- Bradford, and Winslow,--with Standish, Warren, Hopkins, Howland,
- Dotey, and others, were on board, and but for the heroism and prompt
- action of "the lusty sea man which steered," who was--beyond
- reasonable doubt--English, as Bradford's narrative ("Morton's
- Memorial") shows, the lives of the entire party must, apparently,
- have been lost. That English was, if on board--Bradford shows in
- the "Memorial" that he was--as Master of the shallop, properly her
- helmsman in so critical a time, goes without saying, especially as
- the "rudder was broken" and an oar substituted; that the ship's
- "mates," Clarke and Coppin, were not in charge (although on board)
- fully appears by Bradford's account; and as it must have taken all
- of the other (four) seamen on board to pull the shallop, bereft of
- her sail, in the heavy breakers into which she had been run by
- Coppin's blunder, there would be no seaman but English for the
- steering-oar, which was his by right. Had these leaders been lost
- at this critical time,--before a settlement had been made, --it is
- certain that the colony must have been abandoned, and the Pilgrim
- impress upon America must have been lost. English's name should, by
- virtue of his great service, be ever held in high honor by all of
- Pilgrim stock. His early death was a grave loss. Bradford spells
- the name once Enlish, but presumably by error. He signed the
- Compact as Thomas English.
-
-William Trevore was, according to Bradford, one of "two seamen hired to
- stay a year in the countrie." He went back when his time expired,
- but later returned to New England. Cushman (Bradford, "Historie,"
- p. 122) suggests that he was telling "sailors' yarns." He says:
- "For William Trevore hath lavishly told but what he knew or imagined
- of Capewock Martha's Vineyard, Monhiggon, and ye Narragansetts." In
- 1629 he was at Massachusetts Bay in command of the HANDMAID
- (Goodwin, p. 320), and in February, 1633 (Winthrop, vol. i. p. 100),
- he seems to have been in command of the ship WILLIAM at Plymouth,
- with passengers for Massachusetts Bay. Captain Standish testified
- in regard to Thompson's Island in Boston harbor, that about 1620 he
- "was on that Island with Trevore," and called it "Island Trevore."
- (Bradford, "Historie," Deane's ed. p. 209.) He did not sign the
- Compact, perhaps because of the limitations of his contract (one
- year).
-
---- Ely (not Ellis, as Arber miscalls him, "The Story of the Pilgrim
- Fathers," p. 377) was the other of the "two seamen hired to stay a
- year," etc. He also returned when his time expired. (Bradford,
- Hist. Mass. ed. p. 534.) He did not sign the Compact, probably for
- the reason operative in .Trevore's case. A digest of the foregoing
- data gives the following interesting, if incomplete, data (errors
- excepted):--
-
-Adult males (hired seamen and servants of age included)... 44
-Adult females (including Mrs. Carver's maid).............. 19
-Youths, male children, and male servants, minors.......... 29
-Maidens, female children.................................. 10
- -------
- 102
-
-Married males............................................. 26
-Married females........................................... 18
-Single (adult) males (and young men)...................... 25
-Single (adult) females (Mrs. Carver's maid)............... 1
-
-
-Vocations of adults so far as known (except wives, who are presumed
-housekeepers for their husbands):--
-
-Carpenters................................................ 2
-Cooper.................................................... 1
-Fustian-worker and silk-dyer.............................. 1
-Hatter.................................................... 1
-Lay-reader................................................ 1
-Lady's-maid............................................... 1
-Merchants................................................. 3
-Physician................................................. 1
-Printers and publishers................................... 2
-Seamen.................................................... 4
-Servants (adult).......................................... 10
-Smith..................................................... 1
-Soldier................................................... 1
-Tailor.................................................... 1
-Tradesmen................................................. 2
-Wool-carders.............................................. 2
-
-Allowing for the addition of Wilder and the two sailors, Trevore and Ely,
-who did not sign it, the number of those who signed the Compact tallies
-exactly with the adult males. Besides these occupations, it is known
-that several of the individuals representing them were skilled in other
-callings, and were at some time teachers, accountants, linguists,
-writers, etc., while some had formerly practised certain handicrafts;
-Dr. Fuller, e.g. having formerly been a "silk-worker," Brad ford (on the
-authority of Belknap), a "silk-dyer," and others "fustian-workers."
-Hopkins had apparently sometime before dropped his character of "lay-
-reader," and was a pretty efficient man of affairs, but his vocation at
-the time of the exodus is not known.
-
-The former occupations of fourteen of the adult colonists, Browne,
-Billington, Britteridge, Cooke, Chilton, Clarke, Crackstone, Goodman,
-Gardiner, Rogers, Rigdale, Turner, Warren, and Williams are not certainly
-known. There is evidence suggesting that Browne was a mechanic;
-Billington and Cooke had been trained to husbandry; that Chilton had been
-a small tradesman; that Edward Tilley had been, like his brother, a silk-
-worker; that Turner was a tradesman, and Warren a farmer; while it is
-certain that Cooke, Rogers, and Warren had been men of some means.
-
-Of the above list of fourteen men whose last occupations before joining
-the colonists are unknown, only five, viz. Browne, Billington, Cooke,
-Gardiner, and Warren lived beyond the spring of 1621. Of these, Warren
-died early, Gardiner left the colony and "became a seaman;" the other
-three, Billington, Browne, and Cooke, became "planters." Thomas Morton,
-of "Merry Mount," in his "New Eng land's Canaan" (p. 217), gives
-Billington the sobriquet "Ould Woodman."
-
-The early deaths of the others make their former handicrafts--except as
-so much data pertaining to the composi tion and history of the colony--
-matters of only ephemeral interest.
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARK:
-
-Welcome lies acquired a hold on the public mind
-
-
-
-
-End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log, v4
-by Azel Ames
-
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-
-BOOK 5.
-
-CHAPTER VII
-
-QUARTERS, COOKING, PROVISIONS
-
-Probably no more vexatious problem presented itself for the time being to
-the "governors" of the two vessels and their "assistants," upon their
-selection, than the assignment of quarters to the passengers allotted to
-their respective ships. That these allotments were in a large measure
-determined by the requirements of the women and children may be
-considered certain. The difficulties attendant on due recognition of
-social and official station (far more imperative in that day than this)
-were in no small degree lessened by the voluntary assignment of
-themselves, already mentioned, of some of the Leyden chief people to the
-smaller ship; but in the interests of the general welfare and of harmony,
-certain of the leaders, both of the Leyden and London contingents, were
-of necessity provided for in the larger vessel. The allotments to the
-respective ships made at Southampton, the designation of quarters in the
-ships themselves, and the final readjustments upon the MAY-FLOWER at
-Plymouth (England), when the remaining passengers of both ships had been
-united, were all necessarily determined chiefly with regard to the needs
-of the women, girls, and babes. Careful analysis of the list shows that
-there were, requiring this especial consideration, nineteen women, ten
-young girls, and one infant. Of the other children, none were so young
-that they might not readily bunk with or near their fathers in any part
-of the ship in which the latter might be located.
-
-We know enough of the absolute unselfishness and devotion of all the
-Leyden leaders, whatever their birth or station,--so grandly proven in
-those terrible days of general sickness and death at New Plymouth,--to be
-certain that with them, under all circumstances, it was noblesse oblige,
-and that no self-seeking would actuate them here. It should be
-remembered that the MAY-FLOWER was primarily a passenger transport, her
-passengers being her principal freight and occupying the most of the
-ship, the heavier cargo being chiefly confined to the "hold." As in that
-day the passenger traffic was, of course, wholly by sailing vessels, they
-were built with cabin accommodations for it, as to numbers, etc.,
-proportionately much beyond those of the sailing craft of to-day. The
-testimony of Captain John Smith, "the navigator," as to the passengers of
-the MAY-FLOWER "lying wet in their cabins," and that of Bradford as to
-Billington's "cabin between decks," already quoted, is conclusive as to
-the fact that she had small cabins (the "staterooms" of to-day), intended
-chiefly, no doubt, for women and children. The advice of Edward Winslow
-to his friend George Morton, when the latter was about to come to New
-England in the ANNE, "build your cabins as open as possible,"
-is suggestive of close cabins and their discomforts endured upon the
-MAY-FLOWER. It also suggests that the chartering-party was expected in
-those days to control, if not to do, the "fitting up" of the ship for her
-voyage. In view of the usual "breadth of beam" of ships of her class and
-tonnage, aft, and the fore and aft length of the poop, it is not
-unreasonable to suppose that there were not less than four small cabins
-on either side of the common (open) cabin or saloon (often depicted as
-the signing-place of the Compact), under the high poop deck. Constructed
-on the general plan of such rooms or cabins to-day (with four single
-berths, in tiers of two on either hand), there would be--if the women and
-girls were conveniently distributed among them--space for all except the
-Billingtons, who we know had a cabin (as had also doubtless several of
-the principal men) built between decks. This would also leave an after
-cabin for the Master, who not infrequently made his quarters, and those
-of his chief officer, in the "round house," when one existed, especially
-in a crowded ship.
-
-Cabins and bunks "between decks" would provide for all of the males of
-the company, while the seamen, both of the crew and (some of) those in
-the employ of the Pilgrims--like Trevore and Ely--were no doubt housed in
-the fore castle. Alderton and English seem to have been counted "of the
-company." The few data we have permit us to confidently assume that some
-such disposition of the passengers was (necessarily) made, and that but
-for the leaky decks, the inseparable discomforts of the sea, and those of
-over crowding, the wives of the Pilgrims (three of whom gave birth to
-children aboard the ship), and their daughters, were fairly "berthed."
-
-Bradford is authority for the statement that with the "governor" of the
-ship's company were chosen "two or three assistants . . . to order
-[regulate] the people by the way [on the passage] and see to the
-disposition of the provisions," etc. The last-named duty must have been a
-most difficult and wearisome one. From what has been shown of the
-poverty of the ship's cooking facilities (especially for so large a
-company), one must infer that it would be hopeless to expect to cook food
-in any quantity, except when all conditions favored, and then but slowly
-and with much difficulty. From the fact that so many would require food
-at practically the same hours of the day, it is clear that there must
-have been distribution of food (principally uncooked) to groups or
-families, who, with the aid of servants (when available), must each have
-prepared their own meals, cooking as occasion and opportu nity indicated;
-much after the manner of the steerage passengers in later days, but
-before those of the great ocean liners. There appears to have been but
-one cook for the officers and crew of the ship, and his hands were
-doubtless full with their demands. It is certain that his service to the
-passengers must have been very slight. That "the cook" is named as one
-of the ship's crew who died in Plymouth harbor (New England) is all the
-knowledge we have concerning him.
-
-The use of and dependence upon tea and coffee, now so universal, and at
-sea so seemingly indispensable, was then unknown, beer supplying their
-places, and this happily did not have to be prepared with fire. "Strong
-waters"--Holland gin and to some extent "aqua vitae" (brandy)--were
-relied upon for the (supposed) maintenance of warmth. Our Pilgrim
-Fathers were by no means "total abstainers," and sadly bewailed being
-deprived of their beer when the supply failed. They also made general
-and habitual (moderate) use of wine and spirits, though they sharply
-interdicted and promptly punished their abuse.
-
-In the absence of cooking facilities, it became necessary in that day to
-rely chiefly upon such articles of food as did not require to be prepared
-by heat, such as biscuit (hard bread), butter, cheese ("Holland cheese"
-was a chief staple with the Pilgrims), "haberdyne" (or dried salt
-codfish), smoked herring, smoked ("cured ") ham and bacon, "dried neat's
-tongues," preserved and "potted" meats (a very limited list in that day),
-fruits, etc. Mush, oatmeal, pease-puddings, pickled eggs, sausage meats,
-salt beef and pork, bacon, "spiced beef," such few vegetables as they had
-(chiefly cabbages, turnips, and onions,--there were no potatoes in that
-day), etc., could be cooked in quantity, when the weather permitted, and
-would then be eaten cold.
-
-Except as dried or preserved fruits, vegetables (notably onions), limes,
-lemon juice, and the free use of vinegar feebly counteracted, their food
-was distinctively stimulant of scorbutic and tuberculosis disease, which
-constant exposure to cold and wet and the overcrowded state of the ship
-could but increase and aggravate. Bradford narrates of one of the crew
-of the MAY-FLOWER when in Plymouth harbor, as suggestive of the wretched
-conditions prevalent in the ship, that one of his shipmates, under an
-agreement to care for him, "got him a little spice and made him a mess of
-beef, once or twice," and then deserted him.
-
-Josselyn, in his "Two Voyages to New England," gives as the result of the
-experience and observations had in his voyages, but a few years later,
-much that is interesting and of exceptional value as to the food and
-equipment of passengers to, and colonists in, this part of America. It
-has especial interest, perhaps, for the author and his readers, in the
-fact that Josselyn's statements were not known until after the data given
-in these pages had been independently worked out from various sources,
-and came therefore as a gratifying confirmation of the conclusions
-already reached.
-
-Josselyn says as to food, as follows:--"The common proportion of
-victuals for the sea to a mess (being 4 men) is as followeth:--
-
-"2 pieces of Beef of 3 lb. 1/4 apiece. Pork seems to have been
-inadvertently omitted.
-
-"Four pounds of Bread [ship-bread].
-
-"One pint & 1/2 of Pease.
-
-"Four Gallons of Bear [Beer], with mustard and vinegar for 3 flesh days
-in the week."
-
-
-"For four fish days to each mess per day:--
-
-"Two pieces of Codd or Haberdine, making 3 pieces of a fish, i.e. a
-dried salt cod being divided into three pieces, 2 of those pieces were to
-be a day's ration for 4 men.
-
-"Four pounds of Bread.
-
-"Three-quarters of a pound of cheese.
-
-"Bear as before."
-
-"Oatmeal per day for 50 men 1 Gallon [dry], and so proportionable for
-more or fewer."
-
-"Thus you see the ship's provision is Beefe and Porke, Fish, Butter,
-Cheese, Pease, Pottage, Water-Gruel, Bisket, and six shilling Bear."
-
-
-"For private fresh provision you may carry with you (in case you or any
-of yours should be sick at sea):--
-
-"Conserves of Roses, Clove-Gilliflowers, Wormwood, Green-Ginger, Burnt-
-Wine, English Spirits, Prunes to stew, Raisons of the Sun, Currence
-[currants], Sugar, Nutmeg, Mace, Cinna mon, Pepper and Ginger, White
-Bisket, Butter, or 'Captains biscuit,' made with wheat flour or Spanish
-Rusk, Eggs, Rice, Juice of Lemons, well put up to cure or prevent the
-Scurvy, Small Skillets, Pipkins, Porringers and small Frying Pans."
-
-Josselyn further gives us an estimate for:--
-
-"Victuals for a whole year to be carried out of England for one man and so
-for more after this rate." He annexed also their current prices:--
-
-"Eight bushels of Meal [Rye meal probably intended]
-Two bushels of Pease at 3/s
-Two bushels of Oatmeal at 4s/6d
-One Gallon of Aqua Vitae
-One Gallon of Oyl
-Two Gallons of Vinegar
-[No estimate of Beef or Pork, or of vegetables, is included.]
-A Hogshead of English Bear
-A Hogshead of Irish Bear
-A Hogshead of Vinegar
-A bushel of Mustard seed
-A Kental [Quintal] of fish, Cod or Haberdine, 112 lb."
-
-
-Edward Window, in his letter to George Morton before mentioned, advising
-him as to his voyage, says: "Bring juice of lemons and take it fasting.
-It is of good use."
-
-It is indeed remarkable that, totally unused to any such conditions, wet,
-cold, poorly fed, overcrowded, storm-tossed, bruised and beaten, anxious,
-and with no homes to welcome them, exposed to new hardships and dangers
-on landing, worn and exhausted, any of the MAY-FLOWER'S company survived.
-It certainly cannot be accounted strange that infectious diseases, once
-started among them, should have run through their ranks like fire, taking
-both old and young. Nor is it strange that--though more inured to
-hardship and the conditions of sea life--with the extreme and unusual
-exposure of boat service on the New England coast in mid winter, often
-wading in the icy water and living aboard ship in a highly infected
-atmosphere, the seamen should have succumbed to disease in almost equal
-ratio with the colonists. The author is prepared, after careful
-consideration, to accept and professionally indorse, with few exceptions,
-the conclusions as to the probable character of the decimating diseases
-of the passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, so ably and interestingly
-presented by Dr. Edward E. Cornwall in the "New England Magazine" for
-February, 1897--From the fact that Edward Thompson, Jasper More, and
-Master James Chilton died within a month of the arrival at Cape Cod (and
-while the ship lay in that harbor), and following the axiom of vital
-statistics that "for each death two are constantly sick," there must have
-been some little (though not to say general) sickness on the MAY-FLOWER
-when she arrived at Cape Cod. It would, in view of the hardship of the
-voyage, have been very remarkable if this had not been the case. It
-would have been still more remarkable if the ill-conditioned, thin-
-blooded, town-bred "servants" and apprentices had not suffered first and
-most. It is significant that eight out of nine of the male "servants"
-should have died in the first four months. It was impossible that scurvy
-should not have been prevalent with both passengers and crew.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VIII
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S LADING
-
-Beside her human freight of one hundred and thirty or more passengers and
-crew, the lading of the MAY-FLOWER when she sailed from Plymouth
-(England), September 6/16, 1620, was considerable and various. If
-clearing at a custom-house of to-day her manifest would excite no little
-interest and surprise. Taking no account of the ship's stores and
-supplies (necessarily large, like her crew, when bound upon such a
-voyage, when every possible need till her return to her home port must be
-provided for before sailing), the colonists' goods and chattels were
-many, their provisions bulky, their ordnance, arms, and stores (in the
-hold) heavy, and their trading-stock fairly ample. Much of the cargo
-originally stowed in the SPEEDWELL, a part, as we know, of her company,
-and a few of her crew were transferred to the MAY-FLOWER at Plymouth, and
-there can be no doubt that the ship was both crowded and overladen.
-
-It is altogether probable that the crowded condition of her spar and main
-decks caused the supply of live-stock taken--whether for consumption upon
-the voyage or for the planters' needs on shore--to be very limited as to
-both number and variety. It has been matter of surprise to many that no
-cattle (not even milch-cows) were taken, but if--as is not unlikely--it
-was at first proposed to take a cow or two (when both ships were to go
-and larger space was available), this intent was undoubtedly abandoned at
-Plymouth, England, when it became evident that there would be dearth of
-room even for passengers, none whatever for cattle or their fodder (a
-large and prohibitive quantity of the latter being required for so long a
-voyage), and that the lateness of the season and its probable hardships
-would endanger the lives of the animals if taken. So far as appears the
-only domestic live-stock aboard the MAY-FLOWER consisted of goats, swine,
-poultry, and dogs. It is quite possible that some few sheep, rabbits, and
-poultry for immediate consumption (these requiring but little forage) may
-have been shipped, this being customary then as now. It is also probable
-that some household pets--cats and caged singing-birds, the latter always
-numerous in both England and Holland--were carried on board by their
-owners, though no direct evidence of the fact is found. There is ample
-proof that goats, swine, poultry, and dogs were landed with the colonists
-at New Plymouth, and it is equally certain that they had at first neither
-cattle, horses, nor sheep. Of course the she-goats were their sole
-reliance for milk for some time, whether afloat or ashore, and goat's
-flesh and pork their only possibilities in the way of fresh meat for many
-months, save poultry (and game after landing), though we may be sure, in
-view of the breeding value of their goats, poultry, and swine, few were
-consumed for food. The "fresh meat" mentioned as placed before
-Massasoit' on his first visit was probably venison, though possibly kid's
-meat, pork, or poultry. Of swine and poultry they must have had a pretty
-fair supply, judging from their rapid increase, though their goats must
-have been few. They were wholly without beasts of draft or burden (though
-it seems strange that a few Spanish donkeys or English "jacks" had not
-been taken along, as being easily kept, hardy, and strong, and quite
-equal to light ploughing, hauling, carrying, etc.), and their lack was
-sorely felt. The space they and their forage demanded it was doubtless
-considered impracticable to spare. The only dogs that appear in evidence
-are a large mastiff bitch (the only dog of that breed probably seen on
-these shores since Pring's "bigge dogges" so frightened the Indians' in
-this region seventeen years before)
-
- [Captain Martin Pring had at Plymouth, in 1603, two great "mastive
- dogges" named "Fool" and "Gallant," the former being trained to carry
- a half-pike in his mouth. "The Indians were more afraid of these
- dogs than of twenty men." American Magazine of History; Goodwin,
- Pilgrim Republic, p. 3.]
-
-and a small spaniel, both the property of passengers, though there may
-have been others not mentioned. Speaking of the venison found in a tree
-by one of the exploring parties, Winslow says: "We thought it fitter for
-the dogs than for us," perhaps suggesting by his word "the" their own
-dogs aboard ship and provision for them. There is an intimation as to
-the ownership of these two dogs in the facts that on certainly two
-occasions John Goodman was accompanied by the little spaniel (once when
-alone), from which it may perhaps be inferred that he was the dog's
-master; while the big mastiffs presence when only Peter Browne and
-Goodman were together suggests that Browne was her owner. The goats,
-swine, rabbits, and poultry were doubtless penned on the spar-deck
-forward, while possibly some poultry, and any sheep brought for food, may
-have been temporarily housed--as was a practice with early voyagers--in
-the (unused) ship's boats, though these appear to have been so few in
-number and so much in demand that it is doubtful if they were here
-available as pens. The heavy cargo and most of the lighter was of course
-stowed in the hold, as the main deck (or "'tween decks") was mostly
-occupied as quarters for the male passengers, old and young, though the
-colonists' shallop, a sloop-rigged boat some thirty feet in length, had
-been "cut down" and stowed "between the decks" for the voyage. A glimpse
-of the weary life at sea on that long and dreary passage is given in
-Bradford's remark that "she was much opened with the people's lying in
-her during the voyage:' This shallop with her equipment, a possible spare
-skiff or two, the chests, "boxes," and other personal belongings of the
-passengers, some few cases of goods, some furniture, etc., constituted
-the only freight for which there could have been room "between decks,"
-most of the space (aft) being occupied by cabins and bunks.
-
-The provisions in use, both by passengers and crew, were probably kept in
-the lazarette or "runs," in the stern of the ship, which would be
-unusually capacious in vessels of this model; some--the bulkiest--in the
-hold under the forward hatch, as the custom was, and to some extent still
-is. The food supply of the Pilgrims, constituting part of the MAY-
-FLOWER'S Cargo, included, as appears from authentic sources:--
-
-Breadstuff's, including,--
- Biscuits or ship-bread (in barrels).
- Oatmeal (in barrels or hogsheads).
- Rye meal (in hogsheads).
-Butter (in firkins).
-Cheese, "Hollands" and English (in boxes).
-Eggs, pickled (in tubs).
-Fish, "haberdyne" [or salt dried cod] (in boxes).
-Smoked herring (in boxes).
-Meats, including,--
- Beef, salt, or "corned" (in barrels).
- Dry-salted (in barrels).
- Smoked (in sacks).
- Dried neats'-tongues (in boxes).
- Pork, bacon, smoked (in sacks or boxes).
- Salt [" corned "] (in barrels).
- Hams and shoulders, smoked (in canvas sacks or hogsheads).
-Salt (in bags and barrels).
-Vegetables, including,--
- Beans (in bags and barrels).
- Cabbages (in sacks and barrels).
- Onions (in sacks).
- Turnips (in sacks).
- Parsnips (in sacks).
- Pease (in barrels), and
-Vinegar (in hogsheads), while,--
-Beer (in casks), brandy, "aqua vitae" (in pipes), and gin ["Hollands,"
- "strong waters," or "schnapps"] (in pipes) were no small or
- unimportant part, from any point of view, of the provision supply.
-
-Winslow, in his letter to George Morton advising him as to his
-preparations for the voyage over, says: "Be careful to have a very good
-bread-room to keep your biscuit in." This was to keep them from
-dampness. Winthrop gives us the memorandum of his order for the ship-
-bread for his voyage in 1630. He says: "Agreed with Keene of Southwark,
-baker, for 20,000 of Biscuit, 15,000 of brown, and 5,000 of white."
-Captain Beecher minutes: "10 M. of bread for the ship ARBELLA."
-Beecher's memorandum of "oatmeal" is "30 bushels." Winslow mentions
-"oatmeal," and Winthrop notes among the provisions bought by Captain
-William Pierce, "4 hhds. of oatmeal." Rye meal was usually meant by the
-term "meal," and Window in his letter to George Morton advises him: "Let
-your meal be so hard-trod in your casks that you shall need an adz or
-hatchet to work it out with;" and also to "be careful to come by [be able
-to get at] some of your meal to spend [use] by the way." Notwithstanding
-that Bradford' speaks of their "selling away" some "60 firkins of
-butter," to clear port charges at Southampton, and the leaders, in their
-letter to the Adventurers from that port (August 3), speak of themselves,
-when leaving Southampton in August, 1620, as "scarce having any butter,"
-there seems to have been some left to give as a present to Quadrequina,
-Massasoit's brother, the last of March following, which would indicate
-its good "keeping" qualities. Wood, in his "New England's Prospect"
-(ch. 2), says: "Their butter and cheese were corrupted." Bradford
-mentions that their lunch on the exploration expedition of November 15,
-on Cape Cod, included "Hollands cheese," which receives also other
-mention. There is a single mention, in the literature of the day, of
-eggs preserved in salt, for use on shipboard. "Haberdyne" (or dried salt
-cod) seems to have been a favorite and staple article of diet aboard
-ship. Captain Beecher minutes "600 haberdyne for the ship ARBELLA."
-Wood says: "Their fish was rotten." Smoked "red-herring" were familiar
-food to all the MAY-FLOWER company. No house or ship of England or
-Holland in that day but made great dependence upon them. Bacon was, of
-course, a main staple at sea. In its half-cooked state as it came from
-the smoke-house it was much relished with their biscuit by seamen and
-others wishing strong food, and when fried it became a desirable article
-of food to all except the sick. Mention is made of it by several of the
-early Pilgrim writers. Carlyle, as quoted, speaks of it as a diet-staple
-on the MAY-FLOWER. Salt ("corned") beef has always been a main article
-of food with seamen everywhere. Wood' states that the "beef" of the
-Pilgrims was "tainted." In some way it was made the basis of a reputedly
-palatable preparation called "spiced beef," mentioned as prepared by one
-of the sailors for a shipmate dying on the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor.
-It must have been a very different article from that we now find so
-acceptable under that name in England. Winthrop' gives the price of his
-beef at "19 shillings per cwt." Winslow advises his friend Morton, in
-the letter so often quoted, not to have his beef "dry-salted," saying,
-"none can do it better than the sailors," which is a suggestion not
-readily understood. "Smoked" beef was practically the same as that known
-as "jerked," "smoked," or "dried" beef in America. A "dried neat's-
-tongue" is named as a contribution of the Pilgrims to the dinner for
-Captain Jones and his men on February 21, 1621, when they had helped to
-draw up and mount the cannon upon the platform on the hill at Plymouth.
-Winthrop paid "14d. a piece" for his "neats' tongues." The pork of the
-Pilgrims is also said by Wood' to have been "tainted." Winthrop states
-that his pork cost "20 pence the stone" (14 lbs.).
-
-Hams seem to have been then, as now, a highly-prized article of diet.
-Goodwin mentions that the salt used by the Pilgrims was (evaporated)
-"sea-salt" and very "impure." Winthrop mentions among his supplies,
-"White, Spanish, and Bay salt."
-
-The beans of the Pilgrims were probably of the variety then known as
-"Spanish beans." The cabbages were apparently boiled with meat, as
-nowadays, and also used considerably for "sour-krout" and for pickling,
-with which the Leyden people had doubtless become familiar during their
-residence among the Dutch. As anti-scorbutics they were of much value.
-The same was true of onions, whether pickled, salted, raw, or boiled.
-Turnips and parsnips find frequent mention in the early literature of the
-first settlers, and were among their stock vegetables. Pease were
-evidently staple articles of food with the Plymouth people, and are
-frequently named. They probably were chiefly used for porridge and
-puddings, and were used in large quantities, both afloat and ashore.
-
-Vinegar in hogsheads was named on the food-list of every ship of the
-Pilgrim era. It was one of their best antiscorbutics, and was of course
-a prime factor in their use of "sour krout," pickling, etc. The fruits,
-natural, dried, and preserved, were probably, in that day, in rather
-small supply. Apples, limes, lemons, prunes, olives, rice, etc., were
-among the luxuries of a voyage, while dried or preserved fruits and small
-fruits were not yet in common use. Winslow, in the letter cited, urges
-that "your casks for beer . . . be iron bound, at least for the first
-[end] tyre" [hoop]. Cushman states that they had ample supplies of beer
-offered them both in Kent and Amsterdam. The planters' supply seems to
-have failed, however, soon after the company landed, and they were
-obliged to rely upon the whim of the Captain of the MAY-FLOWER for their
-needs, the ship's supply being apparently separate from that of the
-planters, and lasting longer. Winthrop's supply seems to have been large
-("42 tons"--probably tuns intended). It was evidently a stipulation of
-the charter-party that the ship should, in part at least, provision her
-crew for the voyage,--certainly furnish their beer. This is rendered
-certain by Bradford's difficulty (as stated by himself) with Captain
-Jones, previously referred to, showing that the ship had her own supply
-of beer, separate from that of the colonists, and that it was intended
-for the seamen as well as the officers.
-
-Bradford mentions "aqua vitae" as a constituent of their lunch on the
-exploring party of November 15. "Strong waters" (or Holland gin) are
-mentioned as a part of the entertainment given Massasoit on his first
-visit, and they find frequent mention otherwise. Wine finds no mention.
-Bradford states in terms: "Neither ever had they any supply of foode from
-them [the Adventurers] but what they first brought with them;" and again,
-"They never had any supply of vitales more afterwards (but what the Lord
-gave them otherwise), for all ye company [the Adventurers] sent at any
-time was allways too short for those people yt came with it."
-
-The clothing supplies of the Pilgrims included hats, caps, shirts, neck-
-cloths, jerkins, doublets, waistcoats, breeches (stuff and leather),
-"hosen," stockings, shoes, boots, belts (girdles), cloth, piece-goods
-(dress-stuff's), "haberdasherie," etc., etc., all of which, with minor
-items for men's and women's use, find mention in their early narratives,
-accounts, and correspondence. By the will of Mr. Mullens it appears that
-he had twenty-one dozen of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots on board,
-doubtless intended as medium of exchange or barter. By the terms of the.
-contract with the colonists, the Merchant Adventurers were to supply all
-their actual necessities of Clothing food, clothing, etc., for the full
-term of seven years, during which the labors of the "planters" were to be
-for the joint account. Whether under this agreement they were bound to
-fully "outfit" the colonists before they embarked (and did so), as was
-done by Higginson's company coming to Salem in 1628-29 at considerable
-cost per capita, and as was done for those of the Leyden people who came
-over in 1629 with Pierce in the MAY-FLOWER and the TALBOT to Salem, and
-again in 1630 with the same Master (Pierce) in the LION by the Plymouth
-successors to the Adventurers (without recompense), does not clearly
-appear. No mention is found of any "outfitting" of the MAY-FLOWER
-passengers except the London apprentices. There is no doubt that a
-considerable supply of all the above-named articles was necessarily sent
-by the Adventurers on the MAY-FLOWER, both for the Pilgrims' needs on the
-voyage and in the new colony, as also for trading purposes. There seems
-to have been at all times a supreme anxiety, on the part of both Pilgrim
-and Puritan settlers, to get English clothes upon their red brethren of
-the forest, whether as a means of exchange for peltry, or for decency's
-sake, is not quite clear. There was apparently a greater disparity in
-character, intelligence, and station between the leaders of Higginson's
-and Winthrop's companies and their followers than between the chief men
-of the Pilgrims and their associates. With the former were titles and
-considerable representation of wealth and position. With the passengers
-of the MAY-FLOWER a far greater equality in rank, means, intelligence,
-capacity, and character was noticeable. This was due in part, doubtless,
-to the religious beliefs and training of the Leyden contingent, and had
-prompt illustration in their Compact, in which all stood at once on an
-equal footing. There was but little of the "paternal" nature in the form
-of their government (though something at times in their punishments), and
-there was much personal dignity and independence of the indi vidual.
-An equipment having so much of the character of a uniform--not to say
-"livery "--as that furnished by Higginson's company to its people
-suggests the "hedger and ditcher" type of colonists (of whom there were
-very few among the Plymouth settlers), rather than the scholar,
-publisher, tradesman, physician, hatter, smith, carpenter, "lay reader,"
-and soldier of the Pilgrims, and would certainly have been obnoxious to
-their finer sense of personal dignity and proportion. Doubtless an
-equivalent provision existed--though in less "all-of-a-pattern "
-character--in the bales and boxes of the MAY-FLOWER'S cargo for every
-need suggested by the list of the Higginson "outfit," which is given
-herewith, both as matter of interest and as affording an excellent idea
-of the accepted style and needs in dress of a New England settler (at
-least of the men) of 1620-30. One cannot fail to wonder at the
-noticeably infrequent mention of provision in apparel, etc., for the
-women and children. The inventory of the "Apparell for 100 men" furnished
-by Higginson's company in 1628-29 gives us, among others, the following
-items of clothing for each emigrant:--
-4 "peares of shoes."
-4 "peares of stockings."
-1 "peare Norwich gaiters."
-4 "shirts."
-2 "suits dublet and hose of leather lyn'd with oyld skyn leather, ye hose
- & dublett with hooks & eyes."
-1 "sute of Norden dussens or hampshire kersies lynd the hose with skins,
-dublets with lynen of gilford or gedlyman kerseys."
-4 bands.
-2 handkerchiefs.
-1 "wastecoat of greene cotton bound about with red tape."
-1 leather girdle.
-1 "Monmouth cap."
-1 "black hatt lyned in the brows with lether."
-5 "Red knitt capps milf'd about 5d apiece."
-2 "peares of gloves."
-1 "Mandiliion lynd with cotton" [mantle or greatcoat].
-1 "peare of breeches and waistcoat."
-1 "leather sute of Dublett & breeches of oyled leather."
-1 "peare of leather breeches and drawers to weare with both there other
-sutes."
-
-In 1628 Josselyn put the average cost of clothing to emigrants to New
-England at L4 each. In 1629 good shoes cost the "Bay" colonists 2s/7d
-per pair. In his "Two Voyages to New England "previously referred to,
-Josselyn gives an estimate (made about 1628) of the "outfit" in clothing
-needed by a New England settler of his time. He names as "Apparel for
-one man--and after this rate for more:--"
- One Hatt
- One Monmouth Cap
- Three falling bands
- Three Shirts
- One Wastcoat
- One Suite of Frize (Frieze)
- One Suite of Cloth
- One Suite of Canvas
- Three Pairs of Irish Stockings
- Four Pairs of Shoes
- One Pair of Canvas Sheets
- Seven ells of coarse canvas, to make a bed at sea for two men,
- to be filled with straw
- One Coarse Rug at Sea
-
-The Furniture of the Pilgrims has naturally been matter of much interest
-to their descendants and others for many years. While it is doubtful if
-a single article now in existence can be positively identified and
-truthfully certified as having made the memorable voyage in the MAY-
-FLOWER (nearly everything having, of course, gone to decay with the wear
-and tear of more than two hundred and fifty years), this honorable origin
-is still assigned to many heirlooms, to some probably correctly. Dr.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes in his delightful lines, "On Lending a Punch Bowl,"
-humorously claims for his convivial silver vessel a place with the
-Pilgrims:--
-
- "Along with all the furniture, to fill their new abodes,
- To judge by what is still on hand, at least a hundred loads."
-
-To a very few time-worn and venerated relics--such as Brewster's chair
-and one or more books, Myles Standish's Plymouth sword, the Peregrine
-White cradle, Winslow's pewter, and one or two of Bradford's books--a
-strong probability attaches that they were in veritate, as traditionally
-avowed, part of the MAY-FLOWER'S freight, but of even these the fact
-cannot be proven beyond the possibility of a doubt.
-
-From its pattern and workmanship, which are of a period antedating the
-"departure from Delfshaven," and the ancient tradition which is traceable
-to Brewster's time, it appears altogether probable that what is known as
-"Elder Brewster's chair" came with him on the ship. There is even
-greater probability as to one of his books bearing his autograph.
-
-The sword of Myles Standish, in possession of the Pilgrim Society, may
-claim, with equal probability, MAY-FLOWER relation, from its evident
-antiquity and the facts that, as a soldier, his trusty blade doubtless
-stayed with him, and that it is directly traceable in his descendants'
-hands, back to his time; but an equally positive claim is made for
-similar honors for another sword said to have also belonged to the
-Captain, now in the keeping of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
-
-The Peregrine White cradle "is strongly indorsed as of the MAY-FLOWER,
-from the facts that it is, indubitably, of a very early Dutch pattern and
-manufacture; that Mrs. White was anticipating the early need of a cradle
-when leaving Holland; and that the descent of this one as an heirloom in
-her (second) family is so fairly traced."
-
-The pewter and the silver flask of Winslow not only bear very early
-"Hallmarks," but also the arms of his family, which it is not likely he
-would have had engraved on what he may have bought after notably becoming
-the defender of the simplicity and democracy of the "Pilgrim Republic."
-Long traceable use in his family strengthens belief in the supposition
-that these articles came with the Pilgrims, and were then very probably
-heirlooms. One of Governor Bradford's books (Pastor John Robinson's
-"Justification of Separation"), published in 1610, and containing the
-Governor's autograph, bears almost 'prima facie' evidence of having come
-with him in the MAY-FLOWER, but of course might, like the above-named
-relics, have come in some later ship.
-
-In this connection it is of interest to note what freight the MAY-FLOWER
-carried for the intellectual needs of the Pilgrims. Of Bibles, as the
-"book of books," we may be sure--even without the evidence of the
-inventories of the early dead--there was no lack, and there is reason to
-believe that they existed in several tongues, viz. in English, Dutch, and
-possibly French (the Walloon contribution from the Huguenots), while
-there is little doubt that, alike as publishers and as "students of the
-Word," Brewster, Bradford, and Winslow, at least, were possessed of, and
-more or less familiar with, both the Latin and Greek Testaments. It is
-altogether probable, however, that Governor Bradford's well attested
-study of "the oracles of God in the original" Hebrew, and his possession
-of the essential Hebrew Bible, grammar, and lexicon, were of a later day.
-Some few copies of the earliest hymnals ("psalme-bookes")--then very
-limited in number--there is evidence that the Holland voyagers had with
-them in the singing of their parting hymns at Leyden and Delfshaven, as
-mentioned by Winslow and in the earlier inventories: These metrical
-versions of the Psalms constituted at the time, practically, the only
-hymnology permitted in the worship of the "Separatists," though the grand
-hymn of Luther, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott," doubtless familiar to
-them, must have commended itself as especially comforting and apposite.
-
-Of the doctrinal tracts of their beloved Pastor, John Robinson, there is
-every probability, as well as some proof, that there was good supply, as
-well as those of Ainsworth and Clyfton and of the works of William Ames,
-the renowned Franeker Professor, the controversial opponent but sincere
-friend of Robinson: the founder of evangelical "systematic theology,"
-[method--Methodist? D.W.] whom death alone prevented from becoming the
-President of Harvard College. We may be equally sure that the few cases
-of books in the freight of the Pilgrim ship included copies of the
-publications of the "hidden and hunted press" of Brewster and Brewer, and
-some at least of the issues of their fellows in tribulation at Amsterdam
-and in Scotland and England. Some few heavy tomes and early classics in
-English, Dutch, Latin, and Greek were also presumably among the goodly
-number of books brought in the MAY FLOWER by Brewster, Bradford, Winslow,
-Fuller, Hopkins, Allerton, Standish, and others, though it is probable
-that the larger part of the very considerable library of four hundred
-volumes, left at his death by Brewster (including sixty-two in Latin),
-and of the respectable libraries of Fuller, Standish, and others, named
-in their respective inventories, either were brought over in the later
-ships, or were the products of the earliest printers of New England. One
-is surprised and amused that the library of the good Dr. Fuller should
-contain so relatively small a proportion of medical works (although the
-number in print prior to his death in 1633 was not great), while rich in
-religious works pertinent to his functions as deacon. It is equally
-interesting to note that the inventory of the soldier Standish should
-name only one book on military science, "Bariffe's Artillery," though it
-includes abundant evidence to controvert, beyond reasonable doubt, the
-suggestion which has been made, that he was of the Romanist faith. Just
-which of the books left by the worthies named, and others whose
-inventories we possess, came with them in the Pilgrim ship, cannot be
-certainly determined, though, as before noted, some still in existence
-bear intrinsic testimony that they were of the number. There is evidence
-that Allerton made gift of a book to Giles Heale of the MAY-FLOWER
-(perhaps the ship's surgeon), while the ship lay at Plymouth, and Francis
-Cooke's inventory includes "1 great Bible and 4 olde bookes," which as
-they were "olde," and he was clearly not a book-buyer, very probably came
-with him in the ship. In fact, hardly an adult of the Leyden colonists,
-the inventory of whose estate at death we possess, but left one or more
-books which may have been his companions on the voyage.
-
-Some of the early forms of British and Dutch calendars, "annuals," and
-agricultural "hand-books," it is certain were brought over by several
-families, and were doubtless much consulted and well-thumbed "guides,
-counsellors, and friends" in the households of their possessors. The
-great preponderance of reading matter brought by the little colony was,
-however, unquestionably of the religious controversial order, which had
-been so much a part of their lives, and its sum total was considerable.
-There are intimations, in the inventories of the Fathers, of a few works
-of historical cast, but of these not many had yet been printed.
-"Caesar's Commentaries," a "History of the World," and a "History of
-Turkey" on Standish's shelves, with the two Dictionaries and "Peter
-Martyr on Rome" on Dr. Fuller's, were as likely to have come in the first
-ship, and to have afforded as much satisfaction to the hungry readers of
-the little community as any of the books we find named in the lists of
-their little stock. It is pathetic to note, in these days of utmost
-prodigality in juvenile literature, that for the Pilgrim children, aside
-from the "Bible stories," some of the wonderful and mirth-provoking
-metrical renderings of the "Psalme booke," and the "horne booke," or
-primer (the alphabet and certain elementary contributions in verse or
-prose, placed between thin covers of transparent horn for protection),
-there was almost absolutely nothing in the meagre book-freight of the
-Pilgrim ark. "Milk for Babes," whether as physical or mental pabulum,
-was in poor supply aboard the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-The most that can be claimed with confidence, for particular objects of
-alleged MAY-FLOWER relation, is that there is logical and moral certainty
-that there was a supply of just such things on board, because they were
-indispensable, and because every known circumstance and condition
-indicates their presence in the hands to which they are assigned, while
-tradition and collateral evidence confirm the inference and sometimes go
-very far to establish their alleged identity, and their presence with
-their respective owners upon the ship. A few other articles besides those
-enumerated in possession of the Pilgrim Society, and of other societies
-and individuals, present almost equally strong claims with those named,
-to be counted as "of MAY-FLOWER belonging," but in no case is the
-connection entirely beyond question. Where so competent, interested, and
-conscientious students of Pilgrim history as Hon. William T. Davis, of
-Plymouth, and the late Dr. Thomas B. Drew, so long the curator of the
-Pilgrim Society, cannot find warrant for a positive claim in behalf of
-any article as having come, beyond a doubt, "in the MAY FLOWER," others
-may well hesitate to insist upon that which, however probable and
-desirable, is not susceptible of conclusive proof.
-
-That certain articles of household furniture, whether now existent or
-not, were included in the ship's cargo, is attested by the inventories of
-the small estates of those first deceased, and, by mention or
-implication, in the narratives of Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and other
-contemporaries, as were also many utensils and articles of domestic use.
-There were also beyond question many not so mentioned, which may be
-safely named as having very certainly been comprised in the ship's
-lading, either because in themselves indispensable to the colonists, or
-because from the evidence in hand we know them to have been inseparable
-from the character, social status, daily habits, home life, or
-ascertained deeds of the Pilgrims. When it is remembered that
-furnishings, however simple, were speedily required for no less than
-nineteen "cottages" and their households, the sum total called for was not
-inconsiderable.
-
- [Bradford, in Mourt's Relation (p. 68), shows that the colonists
- were divided up into "nineteen families," that "so we might build
- fewer houses." Winslow, writing to George Morton, December 11/21,
- 1621, says: "We have built seven dwelling-houses and four for the
- use of the plantation." Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 110)
- calls the houses "small cottages."]
-
-Among the furniture for these "cottages" brought on the Pilgrim ship may
-be enumerated: chairs, table-chairs, stools and forms (benches), tables
-of several sizes and shapes (mostly small), table-boards and "cloathes,"
-trestles, beds; bedding and bed-clothing, cradles, "buffets," cupboards
-and "cabinets," chests and chests of drawers, boxes of several kinds and
-"trunks," andirons, "iron dogs," "cob-irons," fire-tongs and "slices"
-(shovels), cushions, rugs, and "blanckets," spinning wheels, hand-looms,
-etc., etc. Among household utensils were "spits," "bake-kettles," pots
-and kettles (iron, brass, and copper), frying-pans, "mortars" and pestles
-(iron, brass, and "belle-mettle"), sconces, lamps (oil "bettys"),
-candlesticks, snuffers, buckets, tubs, "runlets," pails and baskets,
-"steel yards," measures, hour-glasses and sun-dials, pewter-ware
-(platters, plates, mugs, porringers, etc.), wooden trenchers, trays,
-"noggins," "bottles," cups, and "lossets." Earthen ware, "fatten" ware
-(mugs, "jugs," and "crocks "), leather ware (bottles, "noggins," and
-cups), table-ware (salt "sellars," spoons, knives, etc), etc. All of the
-foregoing, with numerous lesser articles, have received mention in the
-early literature of the Pilgrim exodus, and were undeniably part of the
-MAY-FLOWER'S lading.
-
-The MAY-FLOWER origin claimed for the "Governor Carver chair" and the
-"Elder Brewster chair" rests wholly upon tradition, and upon the
-venerable pattern and aspect of the chairs themselves. The "Winslow
-chair," in possession of the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth (Mass.), though
-bearing evidence of having been "made in Cheapside, London, in 1614," is
-not positively known to have been brought on the MAY-FLOWER. Thacher's
-"History of Plymouth" (p. 144.) states that "a sitting-chair, said to
-have been screwed to the floor of the MAY-FLOWER'S cabin for the
-convenience of a lady, is known to have been in the possession of
-Penelope Winslow (who married James Warren), and is now in possession of
-Hannah White." There are certain venerable chairs alleged, with some
-show of probability, to have been the property of Captain Standish, now
-owned in Bridgewater, but there is no record attached to them, and they
-are not surely assignable to either ship or owner. That some few tables
---mostly small--were brought in the MAY-FLOWER, there is some evidence,
-but the indications are that what were known as "table-boards"--long and
-narrow boards covered with what were called "board-cloths"--very largely
-took the place of tables. The walnut-top table, said to have once been
-Governor Winslow's and now in possession of the Pilgrim Society, is not
-known to have come over with him, and probably did not. It was very
-likely bought for the use of the Council when he was governor. The
-"table-boards" mentioned were laid on "trestles" (cross-legged and folding
-supports of proper height), which had the great merit that they could be
-placed in any convenient spot and as easily folded up, and with the board
-put away, leaving the space which a table would have permanently occupied
-free for other use.
-
-Bradford mentions that when the fire of Sunday, January 14., 1621,
-occurred in the "common house," the "house was as full of beds as they
-could lie one by another." There is a doubt, however, whether this
-indicates bedsteads or (probably) "pallets" only. Beds, bedding of all
-sorts, pillow-"beers," pillow-cases and even "mattrises," are of most
-frequent mention in the earliest wills and inventories. (See Appendix.)
-"Buffets," "cupboards," and "cabinets," all find mention in the earliest
-writers and inventories, and one or two specimens, for which a MAY-FLOWER
-history is claimed, are in possession of the Pilgrim Society and others.
-The "White" cabinet, of putative MAY-FLOWER connection, owned by the
-Pilgrim Society, is a fine example of its class, and both its "ear marks"
-and its known history support the probable truth of the claim made for
-it. Of "chests" and "chests-of-drawers" there were doubtless goodly
-numbers in the ship, but with the exception of a few chests (or the
-fragments of them), for which a MAY-FLOWER passage is vaunted, little is
-known of them. The chest claimed to be that of Elder Brewster, owned by
-the Connecticut Historical Society, was not improb ably his, but that it
-had any MAY-FLOWER relation is not shown. A fragment of a chest claimed
-to have been "brought by Edward Winslow in the MAY-FLOWER" is owned by
-the Pilgrim Society, and bears considerable evidence of the probable
-validity of such claim, but proof positive is lacking. Boxes of several
-kinds and sizes were part of the Pilgrims' chattels on their ship, some
-of them taking the place of the travellers' "trunks" of to-day, though
-"trunks" were then known by that name and find early mention in Pilgrim
-inventories, and there were no doubt some upon the Pilgrim ship. A few
-claiming such distinction are exhibited, but without attested records of
-their origin.
-
-"Andirons, fire-dogs, and cob-irons" (the latter to rest roasting spits
-upon) were enumerated among the effects of those early deceased among the
-Pilgrims, rendering it well-certain that they must have been part of
-their belongings on the MAY-FLOWER. Fire-tongs and "slices" [shovels]
-are also frequently mentioned in early Pilgrim inventories, placing them
-in the same category with the "andirons and fire-dogs."
-
-In "Mourt's Relation," in the accounts given of the state reception of
-Massasoit, "a green rug and three or four cushions" are shown to have
-performed their parts in the official ceremonies, and were, of course,
-necessarily brought in the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Spinning-wheels and hand-looms were such absolute necessities, and were
-so familiar and omnipresent features of the lives and labors of the
-Pilgrim housewives and their Dutch neighbors of Leyden, that we should be
-certain that they came with the Pilgrims, even if they did not find
-mention in the earliest Pilgrim inventories. Many ancient ones are
-exhibited in the "Old Colony," but it is not known that it is claimed for
-any of them that they came in the first ship. It is probable that some of
-the "cheese fatts" and churns so often named in early inventories came in
-the ship, though at first there was, in the absence of milch kine, no
-such use for them as there had been in both England and Holland, and soon
-was in New England.
-
-Among cooking utensils the roasting "spit" was, in one form or another,
-among the earliest devices for cooking flesh, and as such was an
-essential of every household. Those brought by the Plymouth settlers
-were probably, as indicated by the oldest specimens that remain to us, of
-a pretty primitive type. The ancient "bake-kettle" (sometimes called
-"pan"), made to bury in the ashes and thus to heat above and below, has
-never been superseded where resort must be had to the open fire for
-cooking, and (practically unchanged) is in use to-day at many a sheep-
-herder's and cowboy's camp fire of the Far West. We may be sure that it
-was in every MAY-FLOWER family, and occasional ancient specimens are yet
-to be found in "Old Colony" garrets. Pots and kettles of all sorts find
-more frequent mention in the early inventories than anything else, except
-muskets and swords, and were probably more numerous upon the ship than
-any other cooking utensil. A few claimed to be from the Pilgrim ship are
-exhibited, chief of which is a large iron pot, said to have been "brought
-by Myles Standish in the MAY-FLOWER," now owned by the Pilgrim Society.
-
-Hardly an early Pilgrim inventory but includes "a mortar and pestle,"
-sometimes of iron, sometimes of "brass" or "belle-mettle" (bell metal).
-They were of course, in the absence of mills, and for some purposes for
-which small hand mills were not adapted, prime necessities, and every
-house hold had one. A very fine one of brass (with an iron pestle), nine
-and a half inches across its bell-shaped top,--exhibited by the Pilgrim
-Society, and said to have been "brought in the MAY-FLOWER by Edward
-Winslow,"--seems to the author as likely to have been so as almost any
-article for which that distinction is claimed.
-
-The lighting facilities of the Pilgrims were fewer and cruder than those
-for cooking. They possessed the lamp of the ancient Romans, Greeks, and
-Hebrews, with but few improvements,--a more or less fanciful vessel for
-oil, with a protuberant nose for a wick, and a loose-twisted cotton wick.
-Hand-lamps of this general form and of various devices, called "betty-
-lamps," were commonly used, with candlesticks of various metals,--iron,
-brass, silver, and copper,--though but few of any other ware. For wall-
-lighting two or more candle sockets were brought together in "sconces,"
-which were more or less elaborate in design and finish. One of the early
-writers (Higginson) mentions the abundance of oil (from fish) available
-for lamps, but all tallow and suet used by the early colonists was, for
-some years (till cattle became plentiful), necessarily imported. Some of
-the "candle-snuffers" of the "first comers" doubtless still remain. We
-may be sure every family had its candles, "betty-lamps," candlesticks,
-and "snuffers." "Lanthorns" were of the primitive, perforated tin
-variety--only "serving to make darkness visible" now found in a few old
-attics in Pilgrim towns, and on the "bull-carts" of the peons of Porto
-Rico, by night. Fire, for any purpose, was chiefly procured by the use
-of flint, steel, and tinder, of which many very early specimens exist.
-Buckets, tubs, and pails were, beyond question, numerous aboard the ship,
-and were among the most essential and highly valued of Pilgrim utensils.
-Most, if not all of them, we may confidently assert, were brought into
-requisition on that Monday "wash-day" at Cape Cod, the first week-day
-after their arrival, when the women went ashore to do their long-
-neglected laundrying, in the comparatively fresh water of the beach pond
-at Cape Cod harbor. They are frequently named in the earliest
-inventories. Bradford also mentions the filling of a "runlet" with water
-at the Cape. The "steel-yards" and "measures" were the only determiners
-of weight and quantity--as the hour-glass and sun dial were of time--
-possessed at first (so far as appears) by the passengers of the Pilgrim
-ship, though it is barely possible that a Dutch clock or two may have
-been among the possessions of the wealthiest. Clocks and watches were
-not yet in common use (though the former were known in England from 1540),
-and except that in "Mourt's Relation" and Bradford's "Historie" mention
-is made of the time of day as such "o'clock" (indicating some degree of
-familiarity with clocks), no mention is made of their possession at the
-first. Certain of the leaders were apparently acquainted at Leyden with
-the astronomer Galileo, co-resident with them there, and through this
-acquaintance some of the wealthier and more scholarly may have come to
-know, and even to own, one of the earliest Dutch clocks made with the
-pendulum invented by Galileo, though hardly probable as early as 1620.
-Pocket watches were yet practically unknown.
-
-Except for a few pieces of silver owned by the wealthiest of their
-number, pewter was the most elegant and expensive of the Pilgrims' table-
-ware. A pewter platter said to have been "brought over in the MAY-
-FLOWER" is now owned by the Pilgrim Society, which also exhibits smaller
-pewter formerly Edward Winslow's, and bearing his "arms," for which, as
-previously noted, a like claim is made. Platters, dishes, "potts,"
-ladles, bottles, "flaggons," "skelletts," cups, porringers, "basons,"
-spoons, candlesticks, and salt "sellars," were among the many pewter
-utensils unmistakably brought on the good ship.
-
-The wooden-ware of the colonists, brought with them, was
-considerable and various. The Dutch were long famous for its
-fabrication. There was but very little china, glass, or pottery of any
-kind in common use in western Europe in 1620; some kinds were not yet
-made, and pewter, wood, and leather largely filled their places. Wooden
-trenchers (taking the place of plates), trays, "noggins" (jug or pitcher-
-like cups), cups, and "lossets" (flat dishes like the bread-plates of to
-day), were of course part of every housewife's providings. Some few of
-Pilgrim origin possibly still exist. As neither coffee, tea, nor china
-had come into use, the cups and saucers which another century brought in
---to delight their owners in that day and the ceramic hunter in this--
-were not among the "breakables" of the "good-wife" of the MAY-FLOWER.
-The "table-plenishings" had not much variety, but in the aggregate the
-(first) "nineteen families" must have required quite a quantity of
-spoons, knives, salt "sellars," etc. Forks there were none, and of the
-accessories of to-day (except napkins), very few. Meat was held by the
-napkin while being cut with the knife. Josselyn' gives a list of
-"Implements for a family of six persons" going to New England.
-
-Kitchen utensils:--
- "1 Iron Pot.
- 1 Great Copper Kettle.
- 1 Small Kettle.
- 1 Lesser Kettle.
- 1 Large Frying pan.
- 1 Brass Mortar.
- 1 Spit.
- 1 Gridiron.
- 2 Skillets.
- Platters, dishes, and spoons of wood.
- A pair of Bellows.
- A Skoope, etc."
-
-Among the implements of husbandry, etc., and mechanics' tools we find
-evidence of hoes, spades, shovels, scythes, "sikles," mattocks, bill-
-hooks, garden-rakes, hay-forks ("pitch-forks"), besides seed-grain and
-garden seeds. Axes, saws, hammers, "adzs," augers, chisels, gouges,
-squares, hatchets, an "iron jack-scrue," "holdfasts" (vises),
-blacksmiths' tools, coopers' tools, iron and steel in bar, anvils,
-chains, etc., "staples and locks," rope, lime (for mortar), nails, etc.,
-are also known to have been in the ship. Francis Eaton, the carpenter,
-seems to have had a very respectable "kit," and Fletcher, the smith, was
-evidently fairly "outfitted."
-
-The implements of husbandry were of the lighter (?) sort; no ploughs,
-harrows, carts, harness, stone-drags, or other farming tools requiring
-the strength of beasts for their use, were included. In nothing could
-they have experienced so sharp a contrast as in the absence of horses,
-cattle, and sheep in their husbandry, and especially of milch kine.
-Bradford and Window both mention hoes, spades, mattocks, and sickles,
-while shovels, scythes, bill-hooks (brush-scythes, the terrible weapons
-of the English peasantry in their great "Mon mouth" and earlier
-uprisings), pitchforks, etc., find very early mention in inventories and
-colonial records. Josselyn, in his "Two Voyages to New England," gives,
-in 1628, the following very pertinent list of "Tools for a Family of six
-persons, and so after this rate for more,--intending for New England."
-This may be taken as fairly approximating the possessions of the average
-MAY-FLOWER planter, though probably somewhat exceeding individual
-supplies. Eight years of the Pilgrims' experience had taught those who
-came after them very much that was of service.
-
-5 Broad Howes [hoes].
-6 Chisels.
-5 Narrow Howes [hoes].
-3 Gimblets.
-5 Felling Axes.
-2 hatchets.
-2 steel hand saws.
-2 frones (?) to cleave pail! (Probably knives for cleaving pail stock.)
-2 hand saws.
-2 hand-bills.
-1 whip saw, set and files with box.
-Nails of all sorts.
-2 Pick-axes.
-A file and rest.
-3 Locks and 3 paire fetters.
-2 Hammers.
-2 Currie Combs.
-3 Shovels.
-Brands for beasts.
-2 Spades.
-A hand vice.
-2 Augers.
-A pitchfork, etc.
-2 Broad Axes.
-
-Unhappily we know little from contemporaneous authority as to what grain
-and other seeds the Pilgrims brought with them for planting. We may be
-sure, however, that rye, barley, oats, wheat, pease, and beans were the
-bulkiest of this part of their freight, though Bradford mentions the
-planting of "garden seeds" their first spring.
-
-While we know from the earliest Pilgrim chronicles that their mechanics'
-implements embraced axes, saws, hammers, "adzs," augers, hatchets, an
-"iron jack-scrue," "staples and locks," etc., we know there must have
-been many other tools not mentioned by them, brought over with the
-settlers. The "great iron-scrue," as Bradford calls it in his original
-MS., played, as all know, a most important part on the voyage, in forcing
-the "cracked and bowed" deck-beam of the ship into place. Governor
-Bradford tells us that "it was brought on board by one of the Leyden
-passengers," and one may hazard the guess that it was by either Moses
-Fletcher, the smith, or Francis Eaton, the "carpenter." "Staples" and
-"locks" found their place and mention, as well as the "chains,"
-"manacles," and "leg-irons" named in the list of accoutrements for
-offence or defence, when it became necessary to chain up the Indian spy
-of the Neponsets (as narrated by Winslow in his "Good Newes from New
-England") and other evil-doers. The planters seem to have made stiff
-"mortar," which premises the use of lime and indicates a supply.
-
-Among the fishing and fowling implements of the MAY FLOWER colonists are
-recorded, nets, "seynes," twine, fish hooks, muskets (for large game),
-"fowling pieces," powder, "goose-shot," "hail-shot," etc.
-
-Such early mention is found of the nets, "seynes," etc., of their fishing
-equipment, as to leave no room for doubt that store of them was brought
-in the ship. They seem to have been unfortunate in the size of their
-fish-hooks, which are spoken of as "too large" even for cod. They must,
-as Goodwin remarks, "have been very large." Window also says, "We wanted
-fit and strong seines and other netting."
-
-They seem to have relied upon their muskets to some extent for wild fowl
-(as witness Winslow's long and successful shot at a duck, on his visit to
-Massasoit), as they undoubtedly did for deer, etc. They were apparently
-fairly well supplied with them, of either the "matchlock" or "snaphance"
-(flintlock) pattern, though the planters complained to the Merchant
-Adventurers (in their letter of August 3, from Southampton), that they
-were "wanting many muskets," etc. That they had some "fowling-pieces" is
-shown by the fact that young Billington seems (according to Bradford) to
-have "shot one off in his father's cabin" aboard ship in Cape Cod harbor,
-and there are several other coeval mentions of them.
-
-The arms and accoutrements (besides ordnance) of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims,
-known on the authority of Bradford and Winslow to have been brought by
-them, included muskets ("matchlocks"), "snaphances" (flintlocks), armor
-("corslets," "cuirasses," "helmets," "bandoliers," etc.), swords,
-"curtlaxes" (cutlasses), "daggers," powder, "mould-shot," "match" (slow-
-match for guns), "flints," belts, "knapsacks," "drum," "trumpet,"
-"manacles," "leg-irons," etc., etc. "Pistols" (brass) appear in early
-inventories, but their absence in the early hand-to-hand encounter at
-Wessagussett indicates that none were then available, or that they were
-not trusted. It is evident from the statement of Bradford that every one
-of the sixteen men who went out (under command of Standish) on the "first
-exploration" at Cape Cod had his "musket, sword,, and corslet;" that they
-relied much on their armor, and hence, doubtless, took all possible with
-them on the ship. They probably did not long retain its use. In the
-letter written to the Adventurers from Southampton, the leaders complain
-of "wanting many muskets, much armour, &c."
-
-Josselyn gives' the equipment he considers necessary for each man going
-to New England to settle:--
-
-"Armor compleat:--
- One long piece [musket] five feet or five and a half long.
- One Sword.
- One bandoleer.
- One belt.
- Twenty pounds of powder.
- Sixty pounds of shot or lead, pistol and Goose-shot."
-
-"Another list gives an idea of 'complete armor.'"
- Corselet
- Breast [plate or piece].
- Back [ditto].
- Culet (?).
- Gorget [throat-piece].
- Tussis [thigh-pieces].
- Head-piece "[morion skull-cap]."
-
-Bradford states that they used their "curtlaxes" (cutlasses) to dig the
-frozen ground to get at the Indians' corn, "having forgotten to bring
-spade or mattock." "Daggers" are mentioned as used in their celebrated
-duel by Dotey and Leister, servants of Stephen Hopkins. Bradford
-narrates that on one of their exploring tours on the Cape the length of
-guard duty performed at night by each "relief" was determined by the
-inches of slow-match burned ("every one standing when his turn came
-while five or six inches of match was burning"), clearly indicating that
-they had no watches with them. The "drum" and "trumpet" are both
-mentioned in "Mourt's Relation" in the account given of Massasoit's
-reception, the latter as eliciting the especial attention of his men, and
-their efforts at blowing it.
-
-The Ordnance (cannon) brought in the ship consisted (probably) of ten
-guns, certainly of six. Of these, two (2) were "sakers,"--guns ten feet
-long of 3 to 4 inches bore, weighing from fifteen to eighteen hundred
-pounds each; two (2) were "minions" (or "falcons"),--guns of 3 1/2 inch
-bore, weighing twelve hundred pounds (1200 lbs.) each; and two (2) were
-"bases,"--small guns of 1 1/4 inch bore, weighing some three hundred
-pounds (300 1bs.) each. These were mounted on "the Hill" fort or
-platform. It is probable that besides these were the four smallest
-cannon, called "patereros" (or "murderers"), which, at the time of De
-Rasiere's visit to Plymouth in 1627, were mounted on a platform (in front
-of the Governor's house), at the intersection of the two streets of the
-town, and commanded its several approaches. It is not likely that they
-were sent for after 1621, because the Adventurers were never in mood to
-send if asked, while Bradford, in speaking of the first alarm by the
-Indians, says, "This caused us to plant our great ordnance in places most
-convenient," leaving a possible inference that they had smaller ordnance
-in reserve. With this ordnance was of course a proper supply of
-ammunition adapted to its use. The "sakers" are said to have carried a
-four-pound ball, the "minions" a three-pound ball, and the "bases" a ball
-of a pound weight. There is not entire agreement between authorities, in
-regard to the size, weight, and calibre of these different classes of
-early ordnance, or the weight of metal thrown by them, but the above are
-approximate data, gathered from careful comparison of the figures given
-by several. There is no doubt that with this heavy ordnance and
-ammunition they stowed among their ballast and dunnage (as was the case
-in Higginson's ships), their "spare chains and anchors, chalk, bricks,
-sea-coal (for blacksmithing), iron, steel, lead, copper, red-lead, salt,"
-etc.; all of which they also necessarily had, and from their bulk,
-character, and weight, would stow as low in the ship as might be.
-
-That a considerable "stock of trading goods" was included in the MAY-
-FLOWER'S lading is mentioned by at least one writer, and that this was a
-fact is confirmed by the records of the colonists' dealings with the
-Indians, and the enumeration of not a few of the goods which could have
-had, for the most part, no other use or value. They consisted largely of
-knives, bracelets (bead and metal), rings, scissors, copper-chains,
-beads, "blue and red trading cloth," cheap (glass) jewels ("for the
-ears," etc.), small mirrors, clothing (e. g. "red-cotton horseman's
-coats--laced," jerkins, blankets, etc.), shoes, "strong waters," pipes,
-tobacco, tools and hard ware (hatchets, nails, hoes, fish-hooks, etc.),
-rugs, twine, nets, etc., etc. A fragment of one of the heavy hoes of the
-ancient pattern --"found on the site of the Pilgrim trading house at
-Manomet "--is owned by the Pilgrim Society, and speaks volumes of the
-labor performed by the Pilgrims, before they had ploughs and draught-
-cattle, in the raising of their wonderful crops of corn. Such was the
-MAY-FLOWER'S burden, animate and inanimate, when--the last passenger and
-the last piece of freight transferred from the SPEEDWELL--her anchor
-"hove short," she swung with the tide in Plymouth roadstead, ready to
-depart at last for "the Virginia plantations."
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
-
-Anxiety to get English clothes upon their red brethren
-Forks there were none
-Lanterns--only "serving to make darkness visible"
-Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the knife
-
-
-
-
-End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log, v5
-by Azel Ames
-
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-BOOK 6.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IX
-
-THE JOURNAL OF THE SHIP MAY-FLOWER
-
-Thomas Jones, Master, from London, England, towards "Hudson's River" in
-Virginia
-
- [The voyage of the MAY-FLOWER began at London, as her consort's did
- at Delfshaven, and though, as incident to the tatter's brief career,
- we have been obliged to take note of some of the happenings to the
- larger ship and her company (at Southampton, etc.), out of due
- course and time, they have been recited only because of their
- insuperable relation to the consort and her company, and not as part
- of the MAY-FLOWER'S own proper record]
-
-
-SATURDAY, July 15/25, 1620
- Gravesend. Finished lading. Got
- passengers aboard and got under way for
- Southampton. Dropped down the Thames to
- Gravesend with the tide.
-
- [Vessels leaving the port of London always, in that day, "dropped
- down with the tide," tug-boats being unknown, and sail-headway
- against the tide being difficult in the narrow river.]
-
- Masters Cushman and Martin, agents of the
- chartering--party, came aboard at London.
-
-SUNDAY, July 16/26
- Gravesend. Channel pilot aboard. Favoring
- wind.
-
-MONDAY, July 17/27
- In Channel. Course D.W. by W. Favoring
- wind.
-
-TUESDAY, July 18/28
- In Channel. Southampton Water.
-
-WEDNESDAY, July 19/29
- Southampton Water. Arrived at Southampton
- and came to anchor.
-
- [Both ships undoubtedly lay at anchor a day or two, before hauling
- in to the quay. The MAY-FLOWER undoubtedly lay at anchor until
- after the SPEEDWELL arrived, to save expense]
-
-THURSDAY, July 20/30
- Lying at Southampton off north end of "West
- Quay."
-
-FRIDAY, July 21/31
- Lying at Southampton. Masters Carver,
- Cushman, and Martin, three of the agents
- here. Outfitting ship, taking in lading,
- and getting ready for sea.
-
-SATURDAY, July 22/Aug 1
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-SUNDAY, July 23/Aug 2
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-MONDAY, July 24/Aug 3
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-TUESDAY, July 25/Aug 4
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Waiting for
- consort to arrive from Holland.
-
-WEDNESDAY, July 26/Aug 5
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Pinnace
- SPEEDWELL, 60 tons, Reynolds, Master, from
- Delfshaven, July 22, consort to this ship,
- arrived in harbor, having on board some 70
- passengers and lading for Virginia. She
- came to anchor off north end "West Quay."
-
-THURSDAY, July 27/Aug. 6
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, SPEEDWELL
- warped to berth at Quay near the ship, to
- transfer lading.
-
- [Some of the cargo of the SPEEDWELL is understood to have been here
- transferred to the larger ship; doubtless the cheese, "Hollands,"
- and other provisions, ordered, as noted, by Cushman]
-
-FRIDAY, July 28/Aug. 7
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, Much parleying
- and discontent among the passengers.
-
- [Bradford gives an account of the bickering and recrimination at
- Southampton, when all parties had arrived. Pastor Robinson had
- rather too strenuously given instructions, which it now began to be
- seen were not altogether wise. Cushman was very much censured, and
- there was evidently some acrimony. See Cushman's Dartmouth letter
- of August 17 to Edward Southworth, Bradford's Historie, Mass. ed.
- p. 86.]
-
-SATURDAY, July 29/Aug. 8
- Lying at Quay, Southampton. Some of the
- passengers transferred from SPEEDWELL and
- some to her. Master Christopher Martin
- chosen by passengers their "Governour" for
- the voyage to order them by the way, see to
- the disposing of their pro visions, etc.
- Master Robert Cushman chosen "Assistant."
- The ship ready for sea this day, but
- obliged to lie here on account of leakiness
- of consort, which is forced to retrim. Ship
- has now 90 passengers and consort 30.
-
-SUNDAY, July 30/Aug. 9
- Lying at Southampton.
-
-MONDAY, July 31/Aug. 10
- Lying at Southampton. Letters received for
- passengers from Holland. One from the
- Leyden Pastor [Robinson] read out to the
- company that came from that place.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 1/Aug. 11
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. SPEEDWELL
- retrimmed a second time to overcome
- leakiness.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 2/Aug. 12
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Master
- Weston, principal agent of the Merchants
- setting out the voyage, came up from Lon
- don to see the ships dispatched, but, on
- the refusal of the Planters to sign certain
- papers, took offence and returned to London
- in displeasure, bidding them "stand on
- their own legs," etc.
-
- [The two "conditions" which Weston had changed in the proposed
- agreement between the Adventurers and Planters, the Leyden leaders
- refused to agree to. Bradford, op cit. p. 61. He says: "But they
- refused to sign, and answered him that he knew right well that these
- were not according to the first Agreement." Dr. Griffis has made
- one of those little slips common to all writers--though perfectly
- conversant with the facts--in stating as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, etc. p. 158), with reference to the new
- "conditions" which some blamed Cushman for assenting to, as "more
- fit for thieves and slaves than for honest men," that, "nevertheless
- they consented to them;" while on p. 169 he says "The SPEEDWELL
- people [i.e. the Leyden leaders would not agree with the new
- conditions, without the consent of those left behind in Leyden."
-
- The fact is that the Pilgrims did not assent to the new conditions,
- unwarrantably imposed by Weston, though of small consequence in any
- view of the case, until Cushman came over to New Plymouth in the
- FORTUNE, in 1621, and by dint of his sermon on the "Sin and Danger
- of Self-Love," and his persuasion, induced them (they being also
- advised thereto by Robinson) to sign them. All business up to this
- time had been done between the Adventurers and the Pilgrims,
- apparently, without any agreement in writing. It was probably felt,
- both by Robinson and the Plymouth leaders, that it was the least
- reparation they could make Cushman for their cruel and unjust
- treatment of him, realizing at length that, through all
- vicissitudes, he had proven their just, sagacious, faithful, and
- efficient friend. There does not appear to be any conclusive
- evidence that any articles of agreement between the Adventurers and
- colonists were signed before the MAY-FLOWER Sailed.]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 3/Aug. 13
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. After
- Master Weston's departure, the Planters had
- a meeting and resolved to sell some of such
- stores as they could best spare, to clear
- port charges, etc., and to write a general
- letter to the Adventurers explaining the
- case, which they did. Landed some three
- score firkins of butter, sold as
- determined.
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 4/Aug. 14
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Consort
- nearly ready for sea. Heard that the
- King's warrant had issued to Sir James
- Coventry, under date of July 23, to prepare
- a Patent for the Council for the Affairs of
- New England to supersede the Plymouth
- Virginia Company, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and
- Sir Robert Rich the Earl of Warwick among
- the Patentees.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 5/Aug. 15
- Weighed anchor, as did consort, and in
- company dropped down Southampton Water.
- Took departure from Cowes, Isle of Wight,
- and laid course down the Solent to Channel.
- Winds baffling. General course S.W. by S.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 6/Aug. 16
- Head winds. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In Company. Passed Bill of
- Portland.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 7/Aug. 17
- Wind contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In company.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 8/Aug. 18
- Wind still contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9/Aug. 19
- Wind ahead. Beating down Channel. Consort
- in company.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 10/20
- Wind fair. All sail set. SPEEDWELL in
- company. Signalled by consort, which hove
- to. Found to be leaking badly. On
- consultation of Masters and chief of
- passengers of both ships, it was concluded
- that both should put into Dartmouth, being
- nearest port. Laid course for Dartmouth
- with wind ahead.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 11/21
- Wind ahead. Bearing up to Dartmouth.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 12/22
- Made port at Dartmouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company, and came to anchor in harbor.
-
- [Bradford, op. cit. Deane's ed. p. 68, note. Russell (Pilgrim
- Memorials, p. 15) says: "The ships put back into Dartmouth, August
- 13/23." Goodwin (op. cit. p. 55) says: "The port was reached
- about August 23: Captain John Smith strangely omits the return of
- the ships to Dartmouth, and confuses dates, as he says "But the next
- day after leaving Southampton the lesser ship sprung a leak that
- forced their return to Plymouth," etc. Smith, New England's Trials,
- 2d ed. 1622. Cushman's letter, written the 17th, says they had
- then lain there "four days," which would mean, if four full days,
- the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th.]
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 13/23
- Lying at anchor with SPEEDWELL leaking
- badly in Dartmouth harbor. No passengers,
- except leaders, allowed ashore.
-
- [Cushman in his letter to Edward Southworth, written at Dartmouth,
- August 17, says that Martin, the "governour" of the passengers in
- the MAY-FLOWER, "will not suffer them the passengers to go, ashore
- lest they should run away." This probably applied especially to
- such as had become disaffected by the delays and disasters, the
- apprenticed ("bound") servants, etc. Of course no responsible
- colonist would be thus restrained for the reason alleged.]
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 14/24
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL at Quay taking out lading for
- thorough overhauling.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 15/25
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16/26
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL being thoroughly overhauled for
- leaks. Pronounced "as open and leaky as a
- sieve." Much dissatisfaction between the
- passengers, and discontent with the ship's
- "governour" Master Martin, between whom
- and Mr. Cushman, the "assistant," there is
- constant disagreement.
-
- [Cushman portrays the contemptible character and manner of Martin
- very sharply, and could not have wished to punish him worse for his
- meannesses than he has, by thus holding him up to the scorn of the
- world, for all time. He says, 'inter alia': "If I speak to him, he
- flies in my face and saith no complaints shall be heard or received
- but by himself, and saith: 'They are froward, and waspish,
- discontented people, and I do ill to hear them.'"]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 17/27
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- being searched and mended. Sailors offended
- at Master Martin because of meddling.
-
- [Cushman's letter, Dartmouth, August 17. He says: "The sailors also
- are so offended at his ignorant boldness in meddling and controling
- in things he knows not what belongs to, as that some threaten to
- mischief him . . . . But at best this cometh of it, that he
- makes himself a scorn and laughing stock unto them."]
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 18/28
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- still repairing. Judged by workmen that
- mended her sufficient for the voyage.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 19/29
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL relading.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 20/30
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 21/31
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- relading.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 22/Sept. 1
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Both
- ships ready for sea.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Deane's ed. p. 68. He says: "Some leaks were
- found and mended and now it was conceived by the workmen and all,
- that she was sufficient, and they might proceed without either fear
- or danger." Bradford shows (op. cit. p. 69, note that they must
- have left Dartmouth "about the 21st" of August. Captain John Smith
- gives that date, though somewhat confusedly. Arber (the Story of
- the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 343 says: "They actually left on 23 August."
- Goodwin (Pilgrim Republic, p. 55) says : "Ten days were spent in
- discharging and re-stowing the SPEEDWELL and repairing her from stem
- to stern," etc.)]
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23/Sept. 2
- Weighed anchor, as did consort. Laid
- course W.S.W. Ships in company. Wind
- fair.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 24/Sept. 3
- Comes in with wind fair. General course
- W.S.W. Consort in company.
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 25/Sept. 4
- Comes in with wind fair. Course W.S.W.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 26/Sept. 5
- Observations showed ship above 100 leagues
- W.S.W. of Land's End. SPEEDWELL signalled
- and hove to. Reported leaking dangerously.
- On consultation between Masters and
- carpenters of both ships, it was concluded
- to put back into Plymouth--Bore up for
- Plymouth. Consort in company.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 27/Sept. 6
- Ship on course for Plymouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 28/Sept. 7
- Made Plymouth harbor, and came to anchor in
- the Catwater, followed by consort.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- At anchor in roadstead. At conference of
- officers of ship and consort and the chief
- of the Planters, it was decided to send the
- SPEEDWELL back to London with some 18 or 20
- of her passengers, transferring a dozen or
- more, with part of her lading, to the MAY-
- FLOWER.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead off the
- Barbican. Transferring passengers and
- lading from consort, lying near by.
- Weather fine.
-
- [Goodwin notes (Pilgrim Republic, p. 57) that "it was fortunate for
- the overloaded MAY-FLOWER that she had fine weather while lying at
- anchor there, . . . for the port of Plymouth was then only a
- shallow, open bay, with no protection. In southwesterly gales its
- waters rose into enormous waves, with such depressions between that
- ships while anchored sometimes struck the bottom of the harbor and
- were dashed in pieces."]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 31/Sept. 10
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring cargo from SPEEDWELL.
-
-FRIDAY, Sept. 1/Sept. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring passengers and freight to and
- from consort. Master Cushman and family,
- Master Blossom and son, William Ring, and
- others with children, going back to London
- in SPEEDWELL. All Of SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers who are to make the voyage now
- aboard. New "governour" of ship and
- assistants chosen. Master Carver
- "governour."
-
- [We have seen that Christopher Martin was made "governour" of the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER for the voyage, and Cushman
- "assistant." It is evident from Cushman's oft-quoted letter (see
- ante) that Martin became obnoxious, before the ship reached
- Dartmouth, to both passengers and crew. It is also evident that
- when the emigrants were all gathered in the MAY-FLOWER there was a
- new choice of officers (though no record is found of it), as Cushman
- vacated his place and went back to London, and we find that, as
- noted before, on November 11 the colonists "confirmed" John Carver
- as their "governour," showing that he had been such hitherto.
- Doubtless Martin was deposed at Southampton (perhaps put into
- Cushman's vacant place, and Carver made "governour" in his stead.)]
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 2/Sept. 12
- At anchor, Plymouth roadstead. Some of
- principal passengers entertained ashore by
- friends of their faith. SPEEDWELL sailed
- for London. Quarters assigned, etc.
-
-SUNDAY, Sept. 3/Sept. 13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-
-MONDAY, Sept. 4/Sept. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Some Of
- company ashore.
-
-TUESDAY, Sept. 5/Sept. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Ready for
- sea.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Sept. 6/Sept. 16
- Weighed anchor. Wind E.N.E., a fine gale.
- Laid course W.S.W. for northern coasts of
- Virginia.
-
-THURSDAY, Sept. 7/Sept. 17
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Light gale
- continues. Made all sail on ship.
-
-FRIDAY, Sept. 8/Sept. 18
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale continues.
- All sails full.
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 9/Sept. 19
- Comes in with wind E.N E. Gale holds.
- Ship well off the land.
-
-SUNDAY, Sept. 10/Sept. 20
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale holds.
- Distance lost, when ship bore up for
- Plymouth, more than regained.
-
-MONDAY, Sept. 11/Sept. 21
- Same; and so without material change, the
- daily record of wind, weather, and the
- ship's general course--the repetition of
- which would be both useless and wearisome--
- continued through the month and until the
- vessel was near half the seas over. Fine
- warm weather and the "harvest-moon." The
- usual equinoctial weather deferred.
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 23/Oct. 3
- One of the seamen, some time sick with a
- grievous disease, died in a desperate manner.
- The first death and burial at sea of the
- voyage.
-
- [We can readily imagine this first burial at sea on the MAY FLOWER,
- and its impressiveness. Doubtless the good Elder "committed the
- body to the deep" with fitting ceremonial, for though the young man
- was of the crew, and not of the Pilgrim company, his reverence for
- death and the last rites of Christian burial would as surely impel
- him to offer such services, as the rough, buccaneering Master (Jones
- would surely be glad to evade them).
-
- Dr. Griffis (The Pilgrims in their Three Homes, p. 176) says "The
- Puritans [does this mean Pilgrims ?] cared next to nothing about
- ceremonies over a corpse, whether at wave or grave." This will
- hardly bear examination, though Bradford's phraseology in this case
- would seem to support it, as he speaks of the body as "thrown
- overboard;" yet it is not to be supposed that it was treated quite
- so indecorously as the words would imply. It was but a few years
- after, certainly, that we find both Pilgrim and Puritan making much
- ceremony at burials. We find considerable ceremony at Carver's
- burial only a few months later. Choate, in his masterly oration at
- New York, December 22, 1863, pictures Brewster's service at the open
- grave of one of the Pilgrims in March, 1621.]
-
- A sharp change. Equinoctial weather,
- followed by stormy westerly gales;
- encountered cross winds and continued
- fierce storms. Ship shrewdly shaken and
- her upper works made very leaky. One of
- the main beams in the midships was bowed
- and cracked. Some fear that the ship could
- not be able to perform the voyage. The
- chief of the company perceiving the
- mariners to fear the sufficiency of the
- ship (as appeared by their mutterings) they
- entered into serious consultation with the
- Master and other officers of the ship, to
- consider, in time, of the danger, and
- rather to return than to cast themselves
- into a desperate and inevitable peril.
-
- There was great distraction and difference
- of opinion amongst the mariners themselves.
- Fain would they do what would be done for
- their wages' sake, being now near half the
- seas over; on the other hand, they were
- loath to hazard their lives too
- desperately. In examining of all opinions,
- the Master and others affirmed they knew
- the ship to be strong and firm under water,
- and for the buckling bending or bowing of
- the main beam, there was a great iron scrue
- the passengers brought out of Holland which
- would raise the beam into its place. The
- which being done, the carpenter and Master
- affirmed that a post put under it, set firm
- in the lower deck, and otherwise bound,
- would make it sufficient. As for the decks
- and upper works, they would caulk them as
- well as they could; and though with the
- working of the ship they would not long
- keep staunch, yet there would otherwise be
- no great danger if they did not overpress
- her with sails. So they resolved to
- proceed.
-
- In sundry of these stormes, the winds were
- so fierce and the seas so high, as the ship
- could not bear a knot of sail, but was
- forced to hull drift under bare poles for
- divers days together. A succession of
- strong westerly gales. In one of the
- heaviest storms, while lying at hull, [hove
- to D.W.] a lusty young man, one of the
- passengers, John Howland by name, coming
- upon some occasion above the gratings
- latticed covers to the hatches, was with
- the seel [roll] of the ship thrown into the
- sea, but caught hold of the topsail
- halliards, which hung overboard and ran out
- at length; yet he held his hold, though he
- was sundry fathoms under water, till he was
- hauled up by the same rope to the brim of
- the water, and then with a boathook and
- other means got into the ship again and his
- life saved. He was something ill with it.
-
- The equinoctial disturbances over and the
- strong October gales, the milder, warmer
- weather of late October followed.
-
- Mistress Elizabeth Hopkins, wife of Master
- Stephen Hopkins, of Billericay, in Essex,
- was delivered of a son, who, on account of
- the circumstances of his birth, was named
- Oceanus, the first birth aboard the ship
- during the voyage.
-
- A succession of fine days, with favoring
- winds.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 6/16
- William Butten; a youth, servant to Doctor
- Samuel Fuller, died. The first of the
- passengers to die on this voyage.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 7/17
- The body of William Butten committed to the
- deep. The first burial at sea of a
- passenger, on this voyage.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 8/18
- Signs of land.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 9/19
- Closing in with the land at nightfall.
- Sighted land at daybreak. The landfall
- made out to be Cape Cod the bluffs [in what
- is now the town of Truro, Mass.]. After a
- conference between the Master of the ship
- and the chief colonists, tacked about and
- stood for the southward. Wind and weather
- fair. Made our course S.S.W., continued
- proposing to go to a river ten leagues
- south of the Cape Hudson's River. After
- had sailed that course about half the day
- fell amongst dangerous shoals and foaming
- breakers [the shoals off Monomoy] got out of
- them before night and the wind being
- contrary put round again for the Bay of
- Cape Cod. Abandoned efforts to go further
- south and so announced to passengers.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 93) says: "They resolved to bear
- up again for the Cape." No one will question that Jones's assertion
- of inability to proceed, and his announced determination to return
- to Cape Cod harbor, fell upon many acquiescent ears, for, as Winslow
- says: "Winter was come; the seas were dangerous; the season was
- cold; the winds were high, and the region being well furnished for a
- plantation, we entered upon discovery." Tossed for sixty-seven days
- on the north Atlantic at that season of the year, their food and
- firing well spent, cold, homesick, and ill, the bare thought of once
- again setting foot on any land, wherever it might be, must have been
- an allurement that lent Jones potential aid in his high-handed
- course.]
-
-SATURDAY Nov. 11/21
- Comes in with light, fair wind. On course
- for Cape Cod harbor, along the coast. Some
- hints of disaffection among colonists, on
- account of abandonment of location
-
- [Bradford (in Mourt's Relation) says: "This day before we come to
- harbor Italics the author's, observing some not well affected to
- unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was
- thought good there should be an Association and Agreement that we
- should combine together in one body; and to submit to such
- Government and Governors as we should, by common consent, agree to
- make and choose, and set our hands to this that follows word for
- word." Then follows the Compact. Bradford is even more explicit in
- his Historie (Mass. ed. p. 109), where he says: "I shall a little
- returne backe and begin with a combination made by them before they
- came ashore, being ye first foundation of their governments in this
- place; occasioned partly by ye discontent & mutinous speeches that
- some of the strangers amongst them [i.e. not any of the Leyden
- contingent had let fall from them in ye ship--That when they came
- ashore they would use their owne libertie: for none had power to
- command them, the patents they had being for Virginia, and not for
- New-England which belonged to another Government, with which ye
- London [or First Virginia Company had nothing to doe, and partly
- that such an acte by them done . . . might be as firm as any
- patent, and in some respects more sure." Dr. Griffis is hardly
- warranted in making Bradford to say, as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, p. 182), that "there were a few people I
- 'shuffled' in upon them the company who were probably unmitigated
- scoundrels." Bradford speaks only of Billington and his family as
- those "shuffled into their company," and while he was not improbably
- one of the agitators (with Hopkins) who were the proximate causes of
- the drawing up of the Compact, he was not, in this case, the
- responsible leader. It is evident from the foregoing that the
- "appearance of faction" did not show itself until the vessel's prow
- was turned back toward Cape Cod Harbor, and it became apparent that
- the effort to locate "near Hudson's River" was to be abandoned, and
- a location found north of 41 degrees north latitude, which would
- leave them without charter rights or authority of any kind. It is
- undoubtedly history that Master Stephen Hopkins,--then "a lay-
- reader" for Chaplain Buck,--on Sir Thomas Gates's expedition to
- Virginia, had, when some of them were cast away on the Bermudas,
- advocated just such sentiments--on the same basis--as were now
- bruited upon the MAY-FLOWER, and it could hardly have been
- coincidence only that the same were repeated here. That Hopkins
- fomented the discord is well-nigh certain. It caused him, as
- elsewhere noted, to receive sentence of death for insubordination,
- at the hands of Sir Thomas Gates, in the first instance, from which
- his pardon was with much difficulty procured by his friends. In the
- present case, it led to the drafting and execution of the Pilgrim
- Compact, a framework of civil self-government whose fame will never
- die; though the author is in full accord with Dr. Young (Chronicles,
- p. 120) in thinking that "a great deal more has been discovered in
- this document than the signers contemplated,"--wonderfully
- comprehensive as it is. Professor Herbert B. Adams, of Johns
- Hopkins University, says in his admirable article in the Magazine of
- American History, November, 1882 (pp--798 799): "The fundamental
- idea of this famous document was that of a contract based upon the
- common law of England,"--certainly a stable and ancient basis of
- procedure. Their Dutch training (as Griffis points out) had also
- led naturally to such ideas of government as the Pilgrims adopted.
- It is to be feared that Griffis's inference (The Pilgrims in their
- Three Homes, p. 184), that all who signed the Compact could write,
- is unwarranted. It is more than probable that if the venerated
- paper should ever be found, it would show that several of those
- whose names are believed to have been affixed to it "made their
- 'mark.'" There is good reason, also, to believe that neither
- "sickness" (except unto death) nor "indifference" would have
- prevented the ultimate obtaining of the signatures (by "mark," if
- need be) of every one of the nine male servants who did not
- subscribe, if they were considered eligible. Severe illness was, we
- know, answerable for the absence of a few, some of whom died a few
- days later.
-
- The fact seems rather to be, as noted, that age--not social status
- was the determining factor as to all otherwise eligible. It is
- evident too, that the fact was recognized by all parties (by none so
- clearly as by Master Jones) that they were about to plant themselves
- on territory not within the jurisdiction of their steadfast friends,
- the London Virginia Company, but under control of those formerly of
- the Second (Plymouth) Virginia Company, who (by the intelligence
- they received while at Southampton) they knew would be erected into
- the "Council for the Affairs of New England." Goodwin is in error
- in saying (Pilgrim Republic, p. 62), "Neither did any other body
- exercise authority there;" for the Second Virginia Company under Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges, as noted, had been since 1606 in control of this
- region, and only a week before the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod (i.e.
- on November 3) King James had signed the patent of the Council for
- New England, giving them full authority over all territory north of
- the forty-first parallel of north latitude, as successors to the
- Second Virginia Company. If the intention to land south of the
- forty-first parallel had been persisted in, there would, of course,
- have been no occasion for the Compact, as the patent to John Pierce
- (in their interest) from the London Virginia Company would have been
- in force. The Compact became a necessity, therefore, only when they
- turned northward to make settlement above 41 deg. north latitude.
- Hence it is plain that as no opportunity for "faction"--and so no
- occasion for any "Association and Agreement"--existed till the MAY-
- FLOWER turned northward, late in the afternoon of Friday, November
- to, the Compact was not drawn and presented for signature until the
- morning of Saturday, November 11. Bradford's language, "This day,
- before we came into harbour," leaves no room for doubt that it was
- rather hurriedly drafted--and also signed--before noon of the 11th.
- That they had time on this winter Saturday--hardly three weeks from
- the shortest day in the year--to reach and encircle the harbor;
- secure anchorage; get out boats; arm, equip, and land two companies
- of men; make a considerable march into the land; cut firewood; and
- get all aboard again before dark, indicates that they must have made
- the harbor not far from noon. These facts serve also to correct
- another error of traditional Pilgrim history, which has been
- commonly current, and into which Davis falls (Ancient Landmarks of
- Plymouth, p. 60), viz. that the Compact was signed "in the harbor
- of Cape Cod." It is noticeable that the instrument itself simply
- says, "Cape Cod," not "Cape Cod harbour," as later they were wont to
- say. The leaders clearly did not mean to get to port till there was
- a form of law and authority.]
-
- for settlement on territory under the
- protection of the patent granted in their
- interest to John Pierce, by the London
- Virginia Company.
-
- [The patent granted John Pierce, one of the Merchant Adventurers,
- by the London Virginia Company in the interest of the Pilgrims,
- was signed February 2/12, 1619, and of course could convey no rights
- to, or upon, territory not conveyed to the Company by its charter
- from the King issued in 1606, and the division of territory made
- thereunder to the Second Virginia Company. By this division the
- London Company was restricted northward by the 41st parallel, as
- noted, while the Second Company could not claim the 38th as its
- southern bound, as the charter stipulated that the nearest
- settlements under the respective companies should not be within one
- hundred miles of each other.]
-
- Meeting in main cabin of all adult male
- passengers except their two hired seamen,
- Trevore and Ely, and those too ill--to make
- and sign a mutual 'Compact"
-
- [The Compact is too well known to require reprinting here (see
- Appendix); but a single clause of it calls for comment in this
- connection. In it the framers recite that, "Having undertaken to
- plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia," etc.
- From this phraseology it would appear that they here used the words
- "northern parts of Virginia" understandingly, and with a new
- relation and significance, from their connection with the words "the
- first colony in," for such declaration could have no force or truth
- except as to the region north of 41 deg. north latitude. They knew,
- of course, of the colonies in Virginia under Gates, Wingfield,
- Smith, Raleigh, and others (Hopkins having been with Gates), and
- that, though there had been brief attempts at settlements in the
- "northern plantations," there were none there then, and that hence
- theirs would be in a sense "the first," especially if considered
- with reference to the new Council for New England. The region of
- the Hudson had heretofore been included in the term "northern parts
- of Virginia," although in the southern Company's limit; but a new
- meaning was now designedly given to the words as used in the
- Compact, and New England was contemplated. ]
-
- to regulate their civil government. This
- done, they confirmed Master Carver their
- "governour" in the ship on the voyage,
- their "governour" for the year. Bore up
- for the Cape, and by short tacks made the
- Cape [Paomet, now Provincetown] Harbor,
- coming to an anchorage a furlong within the
- point. The bay so circular that before
- coming to anchor the ship boxed the compass
- [i.e. went clear around all points of it].
-
- Let go anchors three quarters of an English
- mile off shore, because of shallow water,
- sixty-seven days from Plymouth (Eng.),
- eighty-one days from Dartmouth, ninety-nine
- days from Southampton, and one hundred and
- twenty from London. Got out the long-boat
- and set ashore an armed party of fifteen or
- sixteen in armor, and some to fetch wood,
- having none left, landing them on the long
- point or neck, toward the sea.
-
- [The strip of land now known as Long Point, Provincetown (Mass.)
- harbor.]
- Those going ashore were forced to wade a
- bow-shot or two in going aland. The party
- sent ashore returned at night having seen
- no person or habitation, having laded the
- boat with juniper wood.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 12/22
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. All hands
- piped to service. Weather mild.
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 13/23
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor, unshipped the
- shallop and drew her on land to mend and
- repair her.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 97) says: "Having brought a large
- shallop with them out of England, stowed in quarters in ye ship they
- now gott her out and sett their carpenters to worke to trime her up:
- but being much brused and shatered in ye ship with foule weather,
- they saw she sould be longe in mending." In 'Mourt's Relation' he
- says: "Monday, the 13th of November, we unshipped our shallop and
- drew her on land to mend and repair her, having been forced to cut
- her down, in bestowing her betwixt the decks, and she was much
- opened, with the peoples lying in her, which kept us long there: for
- it was sixteen or seventeen days before the Carpenter had finished
- her." Goodwin says she was "a sloop-rigged craft of twelve or
- fifteen tons." There is an intimation of Bradford that she was
- "about thirty feet long." It is evident from Bradford's account
- (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 105) of her stormy entrance to Plymouth
- harbor that the shallop had but one mast, as he says "But herewith
- they broake their mast in 3 pieces and their saill fell overboard in
- a very grown sea."]
-
-
- Many went ashore to refresh themselves, and
- the women to wash.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 14/24
- Lying at anchor. Carpenter at work on
- shallop. Arms and accoutrements being got
- ready for an exploring party inland.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15/25
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Master and
- boat's crew went ashore, followed in the
- afternoon by an armed party of sixteen men
- under command of Captain Myles Standish.
- Masters William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins,
- and Edward Tilley being joined to him for
- council. The party to be gone from the
- ship a day or two. Weather mild and ground
- not frozen.
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 16/26
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Exploring party
- still absent from ship. Weather continues
- open.
-
-FRIDAY, Nov. 17/27
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Weather open.
- Saw signal-fire on the other side of bay
- this morning, built by exploring party as
- arranged. The Master, Governor Carver, and
- many of the company ashore in afternoon,
- and met exploring party there on their
- return to ship. Hearing their signal-guns
- before they arrived at the shore, sent
- long-boat to fetch them aboard. They
- reported seeing Indians and following them
- ten miles without coming up to them the
- first afternoon out, and the next day found
- store of corn buried, and a big ship's
- kettle, which they brought to the ship with
- much corn. Also saw deer and found
- excellent water.
-
-SATURDAY, Nov. 18/28
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Planters
- helving tools, etc. Carpenter at work on
- shallop, which takes more labor than at
- first supposed. Weather still moderate.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 19/29
- At anchor, Gape Cod harbor. Second Sunday
- in harbor. Services aboard ship. Seamen
- ashore. Change in weather. Colder.
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 20/30
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter and
- others at work on shallop, getting out
- stock for a new shallop, helving tools,
- making articles needed, etc.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 21/Dec. 1
- At anchor in harbor. Much inconvenienced
- in going ashore. Can only go and come at
- high water except by wading, from which
- many have taken coughs and colds.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22/Dec. 2
- At anchor in harbor. Weather cold and
- stormy, having changed suddenly.
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 23/Dec. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and stormy.
- Work progressing on shallop.
-
-FRIDAY, Nov. 24/Dec. 4
- At anchor in harbor. Continues cold and
- stormy.
-
-SATURDAY, Nov. 25/Dec. 5
- At anchor in harbor. Weather same. Work
- on shallop pretty well finished and she can
- be used, though more remains to be done.
- Another exploration getting ready for
- Monday. Master and crew anxious to unlade
- and return for England. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 26/Dec. 6
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Third Sunday
- here. Master notified Planters that they
- must find permanent location and that he
- must and would keep sufficient supplies for
- ship's company and their return.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 96. The doubt as to how the
- ship's and the colonists' provisions were divided and held is again
- suggested here. It is difficult, however, to understand how the
- Master "must and would" retain provisions with his small force
- against the larger, if it came to an issue of strength between Jones
- and Standish.]
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 27/Dec. 7
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Rough weather
- and cross winds. The Planters determined
- to send out a strong exploring party, and
- invited the Master of the ship to join them
- and go as leader, which he agreed continued
- to, and offered nine of the crew and the
- long-boat, which were accepted. Of the
- colonists there were four-and-twenty,
- making the party in all four-and-thirty.
- Wind so strong that setting out from the
- ship the shallop and long-boat were obliged
- to row to the nearest shore and the men to
- wade above the knees to land. The wind
- proved so strong that the shallop was
- obliged to harbor where she landed. Mate
- in charge of ship. Blowed and snowed all
- day and at night, and froze withal.
- Mistress White delivered of a son which is
- called "Peregrine." The second child born
- on the voyage, the first in this harbor.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 28/Dec. 8
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Master
- Jones and exploring party absent on shore
- with long-boat and colonists' shallop. The
- latter, which beached near ship yesterday
- in a strong wind and harbored there last
- night, got under way this morning and
- sailed up the harbor, following the course
- taken by the long-boat yesterday, the wind
- favoring. Six inches of snow fell
- yesterday and last night. Crew at work
- clearing snow from ship.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29/Dec. 9
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Foul
- weather threatening. Master Jones with
- sixteen men in the long-boat and shallop
- came aboard towards night (eighteen men
- remaining ashore), bringing also about ten
- bushels of Indian corn which had been found
- buried. The Master reports a long march,
- the exploration of two creeks, great
- numbers of wild fowl, the finding of much
- corn and beans,' etc.
-
- [This seems to be the first mention of beans (in early Pilgrim
- literature) as indigenous (presumably) to New England. They have
- held an important place in her dietary ever since.]
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 30/Dec. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Sent shallop to head
- of harbor with mattocks and spades, as
- desired by those ashore, the seamen taking
- their muskets also. The shallop came
- alongside at nightfall with the rest of the
- explorers--the tide being out--bringing a
- lot of Indian things, baskets, pottery,
- wicker-ware, etc., discovered in two graves
- and sundry Indian houses they found after
- the Master left them. They report ground
- frozen a foot deep.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 1/11
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- finishing work on shallop. Colonists
- discussing locations visited, as places for
- settlement.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 2/12
- At anchor in harbor. Much discussion among
- colonists as to settlement, the Master
- insisting on a speedy determination.
- Whales playing about the ship in
- considerable numbers. One lying within
- half a musket-shot of the ship, two of the
- Planters shot at her, but the musket of the
- one who gave fire first blew in pieces both
- stock and barrel, yet no one was hurt.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 3/13
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fourth
- Sunday here. Scarce any of those aboard
- free from vehement coughs, some very ill.
- Weather very variable.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 4/14
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- completing repairs on shallop. Much
- discussion of plans for settlement. The
- Master urging that the Planters should
- explore with their shallop at some
- distance, declining in such season to stir
- from the present anchorage till a safe
- harbor is discovered by them where they
- would be and he might go without danger.
- This day died Edward Thompson, a servant of
- Master William White, the first to die
- aboard the ship since she anchored in the
- harbor. Burying-party sent ashore after
- services to bury him.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Francis Billington, a
- young son of one of the passengers, put the
- ship and all in great jeopardy, by shooting
- off a fowling-piece in his father's cabin
- between decks where there was a small
- barrel of powder open, and many people
- about the fire close by. None hurt.
- Weather cold and foul.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Very cold, bad
- weather. This day died Jasper More, a lad
- bound to Governor Carver. The second death
- in the harbor. The third exploring party
- got away from the ship in the afternoon in
- the shallop, intent on finding a harbor
- recommended by the second mate, Robert
- Coppin, who had visited it. Captain
- Standish in command, with whom were
- Governor Carver, Masters Bradford, Winslow,
- John Tilley and Edward Tilley, Warren and
- Hopkins, John Howland, Edward Dotey, and
- two of the colonists' seamen, Alderton and
- English, and of the ship's company, the
- mates Clarke and Coppin, the master-gunner
- and three sailors, eighteen in all. The
- shallop was a long time getting clear of
- the point, having to row, but at last got
- up her sails and out of the harbor. Sent
- burying-party ashore with body of little
- More boy, after services aboard.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 7/17
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. This day
- Mistress Dorothy Bradford, wife of Master
- Bradford, who is away with the exploring
- party to the westward, fell over board and
- was drowned.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. A strong south-east
- gale with heavy rain, turning to snow and
- growing cold toward night, as it cleared.
- This day Master James Chilton died aboard
- the ship. The third passenger, and first
- head of a family; to die in this harbor.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 9/19
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party sent
- ashore after services aboard, to bury
- Chilton. Fetched wood and water.
-
-
- [The death of Chilton was the first of the head of a family, and it
- may readily be imagined that the burial was an especially affecting
- scene, especially as following so closely upon the tragic death of
- Mrs. Bradford (for whom no funeral or burial arrangements are
- mentioned?? D.W.)]
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 10/20
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fifth
- Sunday in this harbor. The exploring party
- still absent. Four deaths one by drowning;
- very severe weather; the ship's narrow
- escape from being blown up; and the absence
- of so many of the principal men, have made
- it a hard, gloomy week.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 11/21
- At anchor in harbor. Clear weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 12/22
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- still absent.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13/23
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- returned to ship, where much sad
- intelligence met them (especially Master
- Bradford), as to his wife's drowning. The
- exploring party report finding a
- considerable Indian burying-place; several
- Indian houses; a fierce attack on them by
- Indians on Friday morning, but without
- harm; a severe gale on the same afternoon,
- in which their rudder-hinges broke, their
- mast was split in three pieces, their sail
- fell over board in a heavy sea, and they
- were like to have been cast away in making
- a harbor which Master Coppin thought he
- knew, but was deceived about. They landed
- on an island at the mouth of the harbor,
- which they named for Master Clarke, the
- first mate, and spent Saturday and Sunday
- there, and on Monday examined the harbor
- they found, and are agreed that it is the
- place for settlement. Much satisfaction
- with the report among the colonists.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 14/24
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. The colonists
- have determined to make settlement at the
- harbor they visited, and which is
- apparently, by Captain John Smith's chart
- of 1616, no other than the place he calls
- "Plimoth" thereon. Fetched wood and water.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 15/25
- Weighed anchor to go to the place the
- exploring party discovered. Course west,
- after leaving harbor. Shallop in company.
- Coming within two leagues, the wind coming
- northwest, could not fetch the harbor, and
- was faine to put round again towards Cape
- Cod. Made old anchorage at night. The
- thirty-fifth night have lain at anchor
- here. Shallop returned with ship.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 16/26
- Comes in with fair wind for Plymouth.
- Weighed anchor and put to sea again and made
- harbor safely. Shallop in company. Within
- half an hour of anchoring the wind changed,
- so if letted [hindered] but a little had
- gone back to Cape Cod. A fine harbor.
- Let go anchors just within a long spur of
- beach a mile or more from shore. The end of
- the outward voyage; one hundred and two days
- from Plymouth (England to Plymouth New
- England). One hundred and fifty-five days
- from London.
-
-
-
-
- THE SHIPS JOURNAL WHILE SHE LAY IN
- PLYMOUTH HARBOR
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 17/27
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Services on
- ship. This harbor is a bay greater than
- Cape Cod, compassed with goodly land. It is
- in fashion like a sickle or fish-hook.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 18/28
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor: The Master of
- the ship, with three or four of the sailors
- and several of the Planters, went aland and
- marched along the coast several miles.
- Made careful examination of locality. Found
- many brooks of fine water, abundant wood,
- etc. The party came aboard at night weary
- with marching.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 19/29
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. A party from
- the ship went ashore to discover, some
- going by land and some keeping to the
- shallop. A creek was found leading up
- within the land and followed up three
- English miles, a very pleasant river at
- full sea. It was given the name of "Jones
- River" in compliment to the Master of the
- ship. A bark of thirty tons may go up at
- high tide, but the shallop could scarcely
- pass at low water. All came aboard at
- night with resolution to fix, to-morrow,
- which of the several places examined they
- would settle upon.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20/30
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor, many ill. Dec.
- After service the colonists decided to go
- ashore this morning and determine upon one
- of two places which were thought most
- fitting for their habitation. So a
- considerable party went ashore and left
- twenty of their number there to make a
- rendezvous, the rest coming on board at
- night. They reported that they had chosen
- by the most voices the site first looked at
- by the largest brook, near where they
- landed on the 11th on a large rock
- [Plymouth Rock].
-
- [The "Rock" seems to have become the established landing place of
- the Pilgrims, from the time of the first visit of the third
- exploring party on December 11/21. The absurdity of the claims of
- the partisans of Mary Chilton, in the foolish contention which
- existed for many years as to whether she or John Alden was the first
- person to set foot upon the "Rock," is shown by the fact that, of
- course, no women were with the third exploring party which first
- landed there, while it is also certain that Alden was not of that
- exploring party. That Mary Chilton may have been the first woman to
- land at Cape Cod harbor is entirely possible, as it is that she or
- John Alden may have been the first person to land on the "Rock"
- after the ship arrived in Plymouth harbor. It was a vexatious
- travesty upon history (though perpetuated by parties who ought to
- have been correct) that the Association for building the Pilgrim
- Monument at Plymouth should issue a pamphlet giving a picture of the
- "Landing of the Pilgrims, December 21, 1620," in which women are
- pictured, and in which the shallop is shown with a large fore-and-
- aft mainsail, while on the same page is another picture entitled,
- "The Shallop of the MAY-FLOWER," having a large yard and square-
- sail, and a "Cuddy" (which last the MAY-FLOWER'S shallop we know did
- not have). The printed description of the picture, however, says:
- "The cut is copied from a picture by Van der Veldt, a Dutch painter
- of the seventeenth century, representing a shallop," etc. It is
- matter of regret to find that a book like Colonel T. W. Higginson's
- 'Book of American Explorers', intended for a text-book, and bearing
- the imprint of a house like Longmans, Green & Co. should actually
- print a "cut" showing Mary Chilton landing from a boat full of men
- (in which she is the only woman) upon a rock, presumably Plymouth
- Rock.]
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 21/31
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Wet and
- stormy, so the Planters could not go ashore
- as planned, having blown hard and rained
- extremely all night. Very uncomfortable
- for the party on shore. So tempestuous
- that the shallop could not go to land as
- soon as was meet, for they had no victuals
- on land. About eleven o'clock the shallop
- went off with much ado with provision, but
- could not return, it blew so strong. Such
- foul weather forced to ride with three
- anchors ahead. This day Richard
- Britteridge, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship, the first to die in this
- harbor.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 22/Jan. 1
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The storm
- continues, so that no one could go ashore,
- or those on land come aboard. This morning
- goodwife Allerton was delivered of a son,
- but dead-born. The third child born on
- board the ship since leaving England,--the
- first in this harbor.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 23/Jan. 2
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sent body of
- Britteridge ashore for burial, the storm
- having prevented going before, and also a
- large party of colonists to fell timber,
- etc. Left a large number on shore at the
- rendezvous. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 24/Jan. 3
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Second Sunday
- here. This day died Solomon Prower, one of
- the family of Master Martin, the treasurer
- of the colonists, being the sixth death
- this month, and the second in this harbor.
- A burying-party went ashore with Prower's
- body, after services aboard.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 25/Jan. 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Christmas
- Day, but not observed by these colonists,
- they being opposed to all saints' days,
- etc. The men on shore Sunday reported that
- they "heard a cry of some savages," as they
- thought, that day. A large party went
- ashore this morning to fell timber and
- begin building. They began to erect the
- first house about twenty feet square for
- their common use, to receive them and their
- goods. Another alarm as of Indians this
- day. All but twenty of the Planters came
- aboard at night, leaving the rest to keep
- court of guard. The colonists began to
- drink water, but at night the Master caused
- them to have some beer.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 26/Jan. 5
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A violent
- storm of wind and rain. The weather so
- foul this morning that none could go
- ashore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27/Jan. 6
- At anchor in harbor. Sent working party
- ashore. All but the guard came aboard at
- night.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 28/Jan. 7
- At anchor. All able went ashore this
- morning to work on a platform for ordnance
- on the hill back of the settlement,
- commanding the harbor. The Planters this
- day laid out their town-site and allotted
- ground to the several families. Many of
- the colonists ill from exposure. All but
- the guard came off to the ship at night.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 29/Jan. 8
- At anchor in harbor. No working-party went
- aland. The Planters fitting tools, etc.,
- for their work. The weather wet and cold.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 30/Jan. 9
- At anchor in harbor. Very stormy and cold.
- No working-party sent aland. The Planters
- fitting tools, etc. Great smokes of fires
- visible from the ship, six or seven miles
- away, probably made by Indians.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 31/Jan. 10
- At anchor in harbor. The third Sunday in
- this harbor. Sailors given leave to go
- ashore. Many colonists ill.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 1/Jan. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. This day
- Degory Priest, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship. A large party went ashore
- early to work. Much time lost between ship
- and shore, the ship drawing so much water
- as obliged to anchor a mile and a half off.
- The working-party came aboard at nightfall.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 2/Jan. 12
- At anchor in harbor. Sent burying-party
- ashore with Priest's body. Weather good.
- Working-party aland and returned to ship at
- night.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3/Jan. 13
- At anchor in harbor. Working-party aland,
- returned at night. They report seeing
- great fires of the Indians. Smoke seen
- from the ship. Have seen no savages since
- arrival.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 4/Jan. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Captain
- Standish, with four or five men, went to
- look for savages, and though they found
- some of their old houses "wigwams" could
- not meet with any of them.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 5/Jan. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Working-
- party went aland early. One of the sailors
- found a live herring upon the shore, which
- the Master had to his supper. As yet have
- caught but one cod.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 6/Jan. 16
- At anchor in harbor. In judgment of
- Masters Brewster, Bradford, and others,
- Master Martin, the colonists' treasurer,
- was so hopelessly ill that Governor Carver,
- who had taken up his quarters on land, was
- sent for to come aboard to speak with him
- about his accounts. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 7/Jan. 17
- At anchor in harbor. Fourth Sunday here.
- Governor Carver came aboard to talk with
- Master Martin, who was sinking fast.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 8/Jan. 18
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A very fan
- fair day. The working-party went aland
- early. The Master sent, the shallop for
- fish. They had a great tempest at sea and
- were in some danger. They returned to the
- ship at night, with three great seals they
- had shot, and an excellent great cod.
- Master Martin died this day. He had been a
- "governour" of the passengers on the ship,
- and an "assistant," and was an Adventurer.
- One of the Master-mates took a musket, and
- went with young Francis Billington to find
- the great inland sea the latter had seen
- from the top of a tree, and found a great
- water, in two great lakes [Billington Sea,]
- also Indian houses.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 9/Jan. 19
- At anchor in harbor. Fair day. Sent
- burying-party ashore after services aboard,
- with the body of Master Martin, and he was
- buried with some ceremony on the hill near
- the landing-place. The settlers drew lots
- for their meersteads and garden-plots. The
- common-house nearly finished, wanting only
- covering.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10/Jan. 20
- At anchor in harbor. Party went aland from
- ship. Frosty.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 11/Jan. 21
- At anchor in harbor. A fair day. Party
- ashore from ship and coming off at night,
- reported Master William Bradford very ill:
- Many ill aboard.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 12/Jan. 22
- At anchor in harbor. Began to rain at noon
- and stopped all work. Those coming aboard
- ship at night reported John Goodman and
- Peter Browne, two of the colonists,
- missing, and fears entertained that they
- may have been taken by Indians. Froze and
- snowed at night. The first snow for a
- month. An extremely cold night.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 13/Jan. 23
- At anchor in harbor. The Governor sent out
- an armed party of ten or twelve to look for
- the missing men, but they returned without
- seeing or hearing anything at all of them.
- Those on shipboard much grieved, as deeming
- them lost. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 14/Jan. 24
- At anchor in harbor. About six o'clock in
- the morning, the wind being very great, the
- watch on deck spied the great new
- rendezvous on shore on fire and feared it
- fired by Indians, but the tide being out,
- men could not get ashore for three quarters
- of an hour, when they went armed. At the
- landing they heard that the lost men were
- returned, some frost-bitten, and that the
- thatch of the common-house only was burnt
- by a spark, but no other harm done the
- roof. The most loss was Governor Carver's
- and Master Bradford's, both of whom lay
- sick in bed, and narrowly missed being
- blown up with powder. The meeting was to
- have been kept ashore to-day, the greater
- number of the people now being there, but
- the fire, etc., prevented. Some of those
- sick in the common-house were fain to
- return aboard for shelter. Fifth Sunday in
- this harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 15/Jan. 25
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Rained much
- all day. They on shipboard could not go
- ashore nor they on shore do any labor, but
- were all wet.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 16/Jan. 26
- At anchorage. A fine, sunshining day like
- April. Party went aland betimes. Many ill
- both on ship and on shore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17/Jan. 27
- At anchorage. Another fine, sunshining
- day. Working-party went aland early. Set
- on shore some of the Planters' goods.
-
- [Mourt's Relation, Dexter's ed. p. 77. Bradford states (op. cit.
- Mass. ed. p. 110) that they were hindered in getting goods ashore
- by "want of boats," as well as sickness. Mention is made only of
- the "long-boat" and shallop. It is possible there were no others,
- except the Master's skiff]
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 18/Jan. 28
- At anchorage. Another fine, bright day.
- Some of the common goods [i.e. belonging
- to all] set on shore.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 19/Jan. 29
- At anchorage. A shed was begun on shore to
- receive the goods from the ship. Rained at
- noon but cleared toward night.
-
- [Cleared toward evening (though wet at noon), and John Goodman went
- out to try his frozen feet, as is recorded, and had his encounter
- with wolves.]
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 20/Jan. 30
- At anchorage. Shed made ready for goods
- from ship. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 21/Jan. 31
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sixth Sunday
- in this harbor. Many ill. The Planters
- kept their meeting on land to-day for the
- first time, in the common-house.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 22/Feb. 1
- At anchorage. Fair day. Hogsheads of meal
- sent on shore from ship and put in
- storehouse.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 23/Feb. 2
- At anchorage. The general sickness
- increases, both on shipboard and on land.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24/Feb. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Fair weather. Party
- on shore from ship and returned at night.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 25/Feb. 4
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore and came aboard at night.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 26/Feb. 5
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore. The sickness increases.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 27/Feb. 6
- At anchorage. Weather fair. Good working
- weather all the week, but many sick.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 28/Feb. 7
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. Seventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Meeting kept on
- shore. Those of Planters on board who were
- able, and some of the ship's company, went
- ashore, and came off after service.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 29/Feb. 8
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Morning cold,
- with frost and sleet, but after reason ably
- fair. Both long-boat and shallop carrying
- Planters' goods on shore. Those returning
- reported that Mistress Rose Standish, wife
- of Captain Standish, died to-day.
-
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 30/Feb. 9
- At anchorage. Cold, frosty weather, so no
- working-party went on shore from ship. The
- Master and others of the ship's company saw
- two savages that had been on the island
- near the ship [Clarke's Island]. They were
- gone so far back again before they were
- discovered that could not speak with them.
- The first natives actually seen since the
- encounter on the Cape.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31/Feb. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Still cold and
- frosty, with sleet. No party went on
- shore. Eight of the colonists have died
- this month on the ship and on shore.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 1/Feb. 11
- At anchor in harbor. Weather better, and
- some of those on board the ship went on
- shore to work, but many ill.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 2/Feb. 12
- At anchorage. The same.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 3/13
- At anchorage. Weather threatening. Fetched
- wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 4/14
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The eighth
- Sunday in this harbor, and now inexpedient
- to think of getting away, till both Planters
- and crew in better condition as to health.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, p. 92; Young, Chronicler, p. 198. Bradford
- says (op. cit. Mass. ed, pp. 120, 121): "The reason on their parts
- why she stayed so long was ye necessitie and danger that lay upon
- them, for it was well toward ye ende of December before she could
- land anything here, or they able to receive anything ashore. After
- wards, ye 14 of January the house which they had made for a general
- randevoze by casulty fell afire, and some were faine to retire
- aboard for shelter. Then the sickness begane to fall sore amongst
- them, and ye weather so bad as they could not make much sooner
- dispatch. Againe, the Governor & chiefe of them seeing so many dye,
- and fall down sick dayly, thought it no wisdom to send away the
- ship, their condition considered, and the danger they stood in from
- ye Indians, till they could procure some shelter; and therefore
- thought it better to draw some more charge upon themselves & friends
- ["demurrage?"] than hazard all. The Mr. and sea-men likewise;
- though before they hasted ye passengers a shore to be goone [gone],
- now many of their men being dead, and of ye ablest of them [as is
- before noted, and of ye rest many lay sick & weake, ye Mr, durst not
- put to sea till he saw his men begine to recover, and ye hart of
- winter over."]]
-
- A very rainy day with the heaviest gusts of
- wind yet experienced. The ship in some
- danger of oversetting, being light and
- unballasted.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Clearing weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and clear.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Much colder.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 8/18
- At anchorage. Hard, cold weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 9/19
- At anchorage. Cold weather continues.
- Little work possible. The little house for
- the sick people on shore took fire this
- afternoon, by a spark that kindled in the
- roof. No great harm done. The Master
- going ashore, killed five geese, which he
- distributed among the sick people. He also
- found a good deer the savages had killed,
- having also cut off his horns. A wolf was
- eating him. Cannot conceive how he came
- there.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 10/20
- At anchor in harbor. Getting goods on
- shore, but sickness makes both Planters and
- crew shorthanded. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 11/21
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Ninth Sunday
- in this harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 12/22
- At anchorage. Getting goods on shore.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 13/23
- At anchorage. Rainy.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14/24
- At anchorage. More sickness on ship and on
- shore than at any time, and more deaths.
- Rainy, clearing.
-
- [The sickness and mortality had rapidly increased and was now at its
- height]
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 15/25
- At anchorage. Northerly wind and frost.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 16/26
- At anchorage. Northerly wind continues,
- which continues the frost. Those from
- shore reported that one of the Planters,
- being out fowling and hidden in the reeds,
- about a mile and a half from the
- settlement, saw twelve Indians marching
- toward the plantation and heard many more.
- He hurried home with all speed and gave the
- alarm, so all the people in the woods at
- work returned and armed themselves, but saw
- nothing of the Indians. Captain Standish's
- and Francis Cooke's tools also stolen by
- Indians in woods. A great fire toward
- night seen from the ship, about where the
- Indians were discovered.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 17/27
- At anchorage. All the colonists on the
- ship able to go on shore went this morning
- to attend the meeting for the establishment
- of military orders among them. They chose
- Captain Standish their captain, and gave
- him authority of command in affairs. Two
- savages appeared on the hill, a quarter of
- a mile from the plantation, while the
- Planters were consulting, and made signs
- for Planters to come to them. All armed
- and stood ready, and sent two towards them,
- Captain Standish and Master Hopkins, but
- the natives would not tarry. It was
- determined to plant the great ordnance in
- convenient places at once. Fetched wood
- and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The Feb.
- tenth Sunday in this harbor. Many sick,
- both on board the ship and on shore.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 19/Mar. 1
- At anchorage. Got one of the great guns on
- shore with the help of some of the
- Planters.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 20/Mar. 2
- At anchorage. Getting cannon ashore and
- mounted.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21/Mar. 3
- At anchorage. The Master, with many of the
- sailors, went on shore, taking one of the
- great pieces called a minion, and with the
- Planters drew it up the hill, with another
- piece that lay on the shore, and mounted
- them and a saller and two bases--five guns--
- on the platform made for them. A hard
- day's work. The Master took on shore with
- him a very fat goose he had shot, to which
- the Planters added a fat crane, a mallard,
- and a dried neat's tongue (ox tongue), and
- Planters and crew feasted together. When
- the Master went on shore, he sent off the
- Governor to take the directions of Master
- Mullens as to his property, as he was lying
- near to death,--as also Master White.
- Master Mullens dictated his will to the
- Governor, which he noted down, and Giles
- Heale, the chirurgeon, and Christopher
- Joanes, of the crew, witnessed, they being
- left aboard to care for the sick, keep the
- ship, etc. Master Mullens and Master White
- both died this day. Two others also died.
- Got the men aboard about nightfall.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 22/Mar. 4
- At anchorage. Large burial-party went
- ashore with bodies of Masters Mullens and
- White, and joined with those on shore made
- the chief burial thus far had. The service
- on shore, the most of the people being
- there, Master Mullens being one of the
- chief subscribing Adventurers, as well as
- one of the chief men of the Planters, as
- was Master White. Their deaths much
- deplored.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 23/Mar. 5
- At anchorage. Party from the ship went on
- shore to help finish work on the ordnance.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 24/Mar. 6
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 25/Mar. 7
- At anchorage in Plymouth harbor. Eleventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Mistress Mary
- Allerton, wife of Master Isaac Allerton,
- one of the chief men of the colonists, died
- on board this day, not having mended well
- since the birth of her child, dead-born
- about two months agone.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 26/Mar. 8
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party went
- ashore to bury Mistress Allerton, services
- being held there.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 27/Mar. 9
- At anchorage. The sickness and deaths of
- the colonists on shore have steadily
- increased, and have extended to the ship,
- which has lost several of its petty
- officers, including the master gunner,
- three quarter-masters, and cook, and a
- third of the crew, many from scurvy.
-
- [There can be no doubt that both planters and ship's crew suffered
- severely from scurvy. The conditions all favored it, the sailors
- were familiar with it, and would not be likely to be mistaken in
- their recognition of it, and Dr. Fuller, their competent physician,
- would not be likely to err in his diagnosis of it. Tuberculosis was
- its very natural associate.]
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28/Mar. 10
- At anchorage. The last day of the month.
- The fifty-third day the ship has lain in
- this harbor, and from the present rate of
- sickness and death aboard, no present
- capacity or prospect of getting away, those
- better being yet weak. The Planters have
- lost seventeen this month, their largest
- mortality.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 1/11
- At anchorage. Blustering but milder
- weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 2/12
-
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 3/13
- At anchorage. Wind south. Morning misty
- [foggy]. Towards noon warm and fine
- weather. At one o'clock it thundered. The
- first heard. It rained sadly from two
- o'clock till midnight. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 4/14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The twelfth
- Sunday in this harbor. Cooler. Clear
- weather.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 5/15
- At anchorage. Rough weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 6/16
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Wind full east, cold
- but fair. The Governor went this day with
- a party of five, to the great ponds,
- discovered by one of the ship's mates and
- Francis Billington. Some planting done in
- the settlement.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. Rough easterly
- weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 9/19
- At anchorage. Same. Many sick aboard.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 10/20
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 11/21
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. The
- thirteenth Sunday the ship has lain in this
- harbor. Many of crew yet ill, including
- boatswain.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 12/22
- At anchorage. Easterly weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 13/23
- At anchorage. The sickness and mortality
- on ship and on shore continue.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 14/24
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 15/25
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 16/26
- At anchorage. A fair, warm day, towards
- noon. The Master and others went ashore to
- the general meeting. The plantation was
- startled this morning by a visit from an
- Indian who spoke some English and bade
- "Welcome." He is from Monhiggon, an island
- to the eastward some days' sail, near where
- Sir Ferdinando Gorges had a settlement. He
- was friendly, and having had much
- intercourse with Englishmen who came to
- fish in those parts, very comfortable with
- them. He saw the ship in the harbor from a
- distance and supposed her to be a fishing
- vessel. He told the Governor that the
- plantation was formerly called "Patuxet"
- [or Apaum], and that all its inhabitants
- had been carried off by a plague about four
- years ago. All the afternoon was spent in
- communication with him. The Governor
- purposed sending him aboard the ship at
- night, and he was well content to go and
- went aboard the shallop to come to the
- ship, but the wind was high and water scant
- [low], so that the shallop could not go to
- the ship. The Governor sent him to Master
- Hopkins's house and set a watch over him.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 17/27
- At anchor in harbor. The Master and others
- came off to the ship. Samoset the Indian
- went away back to the Massasoits whence he
- came. A reasonably fair day. Fetched wood
- and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fourteenth Sunday the ship has lain at this
- anchorage. A fair day. The sickness
- stayed a little. Many went on shore to the
- meeting in the common-house. Samoset the
- savage came again, and brought five others
- with him.
-
- [This Sunday visit was doubtless very much to the dislike of the
- good brethren, or at least of the leaders, but policy dictated every
- possible forbearance. Their consciences drew the line at trade,
- however, and they got rid of their untimely visitors as soon as
- possible without giving offense. Massasoit's men seem to have
- shown, by leaving their peltry with them, a confidence in their new
- white neighbors that is remarkable in view of the brevity of their
- friendship.]
-
- They left their bows and arrows a quarter
- of a mile from the town, as instructed.
- The Planters gave them entertainment, but
- would not truck with them.
-
- ["Truck--to trade." All early and modern lexicographers give the
- word, which, though now obsolete, was in common use in parts of New
- England fifty years ago.]
-
- They sang and danced after their manner,
- and made semblance of amity and friendship.
- They drank tobacco and carried pounded corn
- to eat. Their faces were painted. They
- brought a few skins which they left with
- the Planters, and returned the tools which
- Captain Standish and Francis Cooke left in
- the woods. The Planters dismissed them
- with a few trifles as soon as they could,
- it being Sunday, and they promised soon to
- return and trade. Samoset would not go
- with them, feigning sick, and stayed.
- Those on shore from the ship came off to
- her at night.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 19/29
- At anchorage. A fair day. The Planters
- digging and sowing seeds.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 20/30
- At anchorage. A fine day. Digging and
- planting of gardens on shore. Those sick
- of the crew mending.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 21/31
- At anchorage. A fine warm day. Beginning
- to put ship in trim for return voyage.
- Bringing ballast, etc. Some, includ ing
- the Masters-mates, went on shore, who on
- return reported that the Planters sent the
- Indian Samoset away. A general meeting of
- the Planters was held at the common-house,
- to conclude laws and orders, and to confirm
- the military orders formerly proposed, and
- twice broken off by the savages coming, as
- happened again. After the meeting had held
- an hour or so, two or three savages
- appeared on the hill over against the town,
- and made semblance of daring the Planters.
- Captain Standish and another, with their
- muskets, went over to them, with the two
- Masters-mates of the ship, who were ashore,
- also armed with muskets. The savages made
- show of defiance, but as our men drew near
- they ran away. This day the carpenter, who
- has long been ill of scurvy, fitted the
- shallop to carry all the goods and
- furniture aboard the ship, on shore.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 22/Apr. 1
- At anchorage. A very fair, warm day.
- At work on ship getting ready for sea,
- bringing ballast aboard, etc. Another
- general meeting of the Planters which all
- able attended. They had scarce been an
- hour together when Samoset the Indian came
- again with one Squanto, the only native of
- Patuxet (where the Planters now inhabit)
- surviving, who was one of the twenty captives
- carried away from this place by Captain Hunt,
- to England. He could speak a little English.
- They brought three other Indians with them.
- They signified that their great Sagamore,
- Masasoyt, was hard by, with Quadequina his
- brother, and all their men. They could not
- well express what they would in English,
- but after an hour the king came to the top
- of the hill, over against the plantation,
- with his train of about sixty men. Squanto
- went to him and brought a message that one
- should be sent to parley with him, and Master
- Edward Winslow went, to know hisnmind, and
- signify the wish of the Governor to have
- trading and peace with him, the Governor
- sending presents to the king and his brother,
- with something to eat and drink.
-
- [Edward Winslow gives us here another proof of that rare self-
- sacrifice, that entire devotion to his work, and that splendid
- intrepidity which so signally characterized his whole career. At
- this most critical moment, the fate of the little colony trembling
- in the balance, when there was evident fear of treachery and
- surprise on the part of both the English and the savages; though the
- wife of his youth lay at the point of death (which came but two days
- later), and his heart was heavy with grief; forgetting all but the
- welfare of his little band of brethren, he goes forward alone, his
- life in his hand, to meet the great sachem surrounded by his whole
- tribe, as the calm, adroit diplomatist, upon whom all must depend;
- and as the fearless hostage, to put himself in pawn for the savage
- chief.]
-
- The king, leaving Master Winslow with
- brother, came over the brook, with some
- twenty of his men, leaving their bows and
- arrows behind them, and giving some six or
- seven of their men as hostages for Master
- Winslow. Captain Standish, with Master
- Williamson, the ship's-merchant, as
- interpreter,
-
- [It would seem from the frequent mention of the presence of some of
- the ship's company, Master Jones, the "Masters-mates," and now the
- "ship's-merchant," that the ship was daily well represented in the
- little settlement on shore. The presence of Master Williamson on
- this occasion is perhaps readily accounted for. Every other meeting
- with the Indians had been unexpected, the present one was
- anticipated, and somewhat eagerly, for upon its successful issue
- almost everything depended. By this time Standish had probably
- become aware that Tisquantum's command of English was very limited,
- and he desired all the aid the ship's interpreter could give. By
- some means, the sachem and the colonists succeeded in establishing
- on this day a very good and lasting understanding.]
-
- and a guard of half a dozen musketeers, met
- the king at the brook,
-
- [The guard was probably made thus small to leave the body of the
- colonists as strong a reserve force as possible to meet any surprise
- attack on the part of the Indians. Colonel Higginson, in his Book
- of American Explorers, gives a cut of this meeting of Massasoit and
- his pineses with Standish and his guard of honor, but it is
- defective in that the guard seems to have advanced to the hill
- ("Strawberry," or later "Watson's") to meet the sachem, instead of
- only to "the brook;" and more especially in that there are but two
- officers with the "six musketeers," where there ought to be three,
- viz. Standish, in command, Edward Window, as the envoy and hostage
- (in full armor), and "Mr. Williamson," the ship's-merchant or
- purser, as interpreter, perhaps acting as lieutenant of the guard.
- It is always matter of regret when books, especially text-books,
- written by authors of some repute, and published by reputable
- houses, fail, for want of only a little care in the study of the
- available history of events they pictorially represent, to make
- their pictures and the known facts correspond.]
-
- and they saluted each other, and the guard
- conducted the Sagamore to one of the new
- houses then building, where were placed a
- green rug and three or four cushions. Then
- came the Governor with drum and trumpet,
- and a guard of musketeers, and they drank
- to each other in some strong waters, and
- the Governor gave the king and his
- followers meat, and they made a treaty in
- King James's name, and drank tobacco
- together. His face was painted a sad red,
- and his head and face were oiled, which
- made him look greasy. All his followers
- were more or less painted. So after all
- was done, the Governor conducted him to the
- brook, and his brother came, and was also
- feasted, and then conveyed him to the
- brook, and Master Winslow returned.
- Samoset and Squanto stayed in the town and
- the Indians stayed all night in the woods
- half a mile away. The last of the
- colonists on board the ship went ashore to
- remain to-day.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 23/Apr. 2
- At anchor. A fair day. Some of the ship's
- company went on shore. Some of the Indians
- came again, and Captain Standish and Master
- Allerton went to see the king, and were
- welcomed by him. This morning the Indians
- stayed till ten or eleven of the clock, and
- the Governor, sending for the king's
- kettle, filled it with pease, and they went
- their way? Making ready for sea, getting
- ballast, wood, and water from the shore,
- etc. The Planters held a meeting and
- concluded both of military orders and some
- laws, and chose as Governor, for the coming
- year, Master John Carver, who was
- "governor" on the ship.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 24/April 3
- At anchorage. The ship's company busy with
- preparations for the return voyage,
- bringing ballast, wood, and water from the
- shore, etc., the ship having no lading for
- the return. This day died, on shore,
- Mistress Elizabeth Winslow, wife of Master
- Winslow. Many still sick. More on the
- ship than on shore.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 25/April 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fifteenth Sunday in this port. Many of the
- crew dead and some still sick, but the
- sickness and mortality lessening.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 26/April 5
- At anchor. Bringing ballast from shore and
- getting ship in trim.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 27/April 6
- At anchorage. Getting ballast, overhauling
- rigging, getting wood, water, etc., from
- shore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 28/April 7
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 29/April 8
- At anchorage. The Master offered to take
- back any of the colonists who wished to
- return to England, but none desired to go.
- Getting in stores and ballast.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 30/April 9
- At anchorage. Hastening all preparations
- for sailing. Getting ballast, etc. Water
- butts filled.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 31/April 10
- At anchorage. Setting up rigging, bending
- light sails, etc. Getting ballast and wood
- from the beach and island. The colonists
- have lost thirteen by death the past month,
- making in all half of their number.
-
-SUNDAY, April 1/11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- sixteenth Sunday the ship has lain at
- anchor here, and to be the last, being
- nearly ready to sail. Most of the crew
- ashore on liberty. In the sixteen weeks the
- ship has lain here, half of her crew (but
- none of her officers) have died, and a few
- are still weak. Among the petty officers
- who have died have been the master gunner,
- boatswain, and three quartermasters, beside
- the cook, and more than a third of the
- sailors. A bad voyage for the owner,
- Adventurers, ship, and crew.
-
-MONDAY, April 2/12
- Still at anchor, but making last
- preparations for voyage. Ship's officers
- made farewells on shore. Governor Carver
- copied out, and Giles Heale and Chris.
- Jones witnessed, Master Mullens's will, to
- go to England.
-
-TUESDAY, April 3/13
- Still at anchorage, but (near) ready to
- sail with a fair wind. Master Williamson,
- the ship's-merchant [purser], appointed by
- Master Mullens an overseer of his will,
- takes copy of same to England for probate,
- with many letters, keepsakes, etc., etc.,
- to Adventurers and friends. Very little
- lading, chiefly skins and roots. Make
- adieus to Governor Carver and company.
-
-WEDNESDAY, April 4/14
- Still at anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sails
- loosened and all ready for departure except
- Governor's letters. Last visits of shore
- people to ship. Sail with morning tide, if
- wind serves. One hundred and ten days in
- this harbor.
-
-THURSDAY, April 5/15
- Got anchors, and with fair wind got
- underway at full tide. Many to bid adieu.
- Set colors and gave Planters a parting
- salute with the ensign and ordnance.
- Cleared the harbor without hindrance, and
- laid general course E.S.E. for England
- with a fine wind. Took departure from Cape
- Cod early in the day, shook off the land
- and got ship to rights before night. All
- sails set and the ship logging her best.
-
-
-
-And so the MAY-FLOWER began her speedy, uneventful, homeward run,
-of but thirty-one days, arriving in England May 6, 1621, having been
-absent, on her "round voyage," from her sailing port, two hundred and
-ninety-six days.
-
-
-
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE
- AND OF THIS
- JOURNAL
-
-
-
-AUTHOR'S NOTE. Of the "Log" Of the MAY-FLOWER, the author is able to
-repeat the assurance given as to the brief Journal of the SPEEDWELL, and
-is able to say, in the happy phrase of Griffis, "I have tried to state
-only recorded facts, or to give expression to well grounded inferences."
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX
-
-
-In view of the natural wish of many of "restricted facilities," to consult
-for themselves the full text of certain of the principal letters and
-documents which have imparted much of the most definite and valuable
-information concerning the Pilgrim movement, it has been thought well to
-include certain of them here verbatim, that they may be of ready
-availability to the reader. The list comprises copies of--
-
-I. The Agreement of the Merchant Adventurers and Planters;
-
-II. The Letter of the Leyden Leaders to John Carver and Robert Cushman
-(at London), May 31/June 10, 1620;
-
-III. The Letter of Robert Cushman to John Carver (then at Southampton),
-Saturday, June 10/20, 1620;
-
-IV. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, June 10/20,
-1620;
-
-V. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, Sunday, June
-11/21, 1620;
-
-VI. The Letter of Rev. John Robinson to John Carver at London, June
-14/24, 1620;
-
-VII. The Letter of the Planters to the Merchant Adventurers from
-Southamp ton, August 3, 1620;
-
-VIII. The Letter of Robert Cushman (from Dartmouth) to Edward
-Southworth, Thursday, August 17,1620;
-
-IX. The MAY-FLOWER Compact;
-
-X. The Nuncupative Will of Master William Mullens; and
-
-XI. The Letter of "One of the Chiefe of ye Companie" (The Merchant
-Adventurers), dated at London, April 9, 1623--
-
-Many other early original documents frequently referred to in this volume
-are of no less interest than those here given, but most of them have
-either had such publication as to be more generally known or accessible,
-or involve space and cost disproportionate to their value in this
-connection.
-
-
- I
- THE AGREEMENT OF THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS AND PLANTERS
-
-Anno: 1620, July 1.
-
-1. The adventurers & planters doe agree, that every person that goeth
-being aged 16. years & upward, be rated at 10li., and ten pounds to be
-accounted a single share.
-
-2. That he goeth in person, and furnisheth him selfe out with 10li.
-either in money or other provisions, be accounted as haveing 20li. in
-stock, and in ye devission shall receive a double share.
-
-3. The persons transported & ye adventurers shall continue their joynt
-stock & partnership togeather, ye space of 7 years, (excepte some
-unexpected impedimente doe cause ye whole company to agree otherwise,)
-during which time, all profits & benifits that are gott by trade,
-traffick, trucking, working, fishing, or any other means of any person or
-persons, remaine still in ye comone stock untill ye division.
-
-4. That at their coming ther, they chose out such a number of fitt
-persons, as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing upon ye sea;
-imploying the rest of their severall faculties upon ye land; as building
-houses, tilling, and planting ye ground, & makeing shuch comodities as
-shall be most usefull for ye collonie.
-
-5. That at ye end of ye 7 years, ye capitall & profits, viz. the
-houses, lands, goods and chatels, be equally devided betwixte ye
-adventurers, and planters; wch done, every man shall be free from other
-of them of any debt or detrimente concerning this adventure.
-
-6. Whosoever cometh to ye colonie hereafter, or putteth any into ye
-stock, shall at the ende of ye 7. years be alowed proportionably to ye
-time of his so doing.
-
-7. He that shall carie his wife & children, or servants, shall be alowed
-for everie person now aged 16. years & upward, a single share in ye
-devision, or if he provid them necessaries, a duble share, or if they be
-between 10. year old and 16., then 2. of them to be reconed for a person,
-both in trasportation and devision.
-
-8. That such children as now goe, & are under ye age of ten years, have
-noe other shar in ye devision, but 50. acers of unmanured land.
-
-9. That such persons as die before ye 7. years be expired, their
-executors to have their parte or sharr at ye devision, proportionably to
-ye time of their life in ye collonie.
-
-10. That all such persons as are of this collonie, are to have their
-meate, drink, apparell, and all provissions out of ye comon stock & goods
-of ye said collonie.
-
-
-Governor Bradford adds:--
-
-"The chief and principal differences betwene these & the former
-[original] conditions, stood in those 2. points; that ye houses, & lands
-improved, espetialy gardens & home lotts should remaine undevided wholy
-to ye planters at ye 7. years end. 2ly, yt they should have had 2. days
-in a weeke for their owne private imploymente, for ye more comforte of
-themselves and their families, espetialy such as had families."
-
-[Apparently, as has been noted, neither these articles of agreement, nor
-their predecessors which received the approval of the Leyden leaders,
-were ever signed by the contracting parties, until Robert Cushman brought
-the later draft over in the FORTUNE, in 1621, and the planter body
-(advised thereto by Pastor Robinson, who had previously bitterly opposed)
-signed them. Much might be truly said on either side of this
-controversy--indeed was said at the time; but if the Pilgrims were to
-abandon their contention, whatever its merits, in a year's time, as they
-did, it would seemingly have been much better not to have begun it, for
-it undoubtedly cost them dear.]
-
-
-
-
- II
- LETTER OF THE LEYDEN LEADERS TO JOHN CARVER AND
- ROBERT CUSHMAN, AT LONDON
-
-May 31/June 10, 1620.
-
-To their loving freinds John Carver and Robart Cushman, these, &c.
-
-Good bretheren, after salutations, &c. We received diverse letters at ye
-coming of Mr. [Thomas] Nash & our pilott, which is a great incouragmente
-unto us, and for whom we hop after times will minister occasion of
-praising God; and indeed had you not sente him, many would have been
-ready to fainte and goe backe. Partly in respecte of ye new conditions
-which have bene taken up by you, which all men are against, and partly in
-regard of our owne inabillitie to doe any one of those many waightie
-bussineses you referr to us here. For ye former wherof, wheras Robart
-Cushman desirs reasons for our dislike, promising therupon to alter ye
-same, or els saing we should thinke he hath no brains, we desire him to
-exercise them therin, refering him to our pastors former reasons, and
-them to ye censure of ye godly wise. But our desires are that you will
-not entangle your selvs and us in any such unreasonable courses as those
-are, viz. yt the marchants should have ye halfe of mens houses and lands
-at ye dividente; and that persons should be deprived of ye 2. days in a
-weeke agreed upon, yea every momente of time for their owne perticuler;
-by reason wherof we cannot conceive why any should carie servants for
-their own help and comfort; for that we can require no more of them than
-all men one of another. This we have only by relation from Mr. Nash, &
-not from any writing of your owne, & therfore hope you have not proceeded
-farr in so great a thing without us. But requiring you not to exseed the
-bounds of your comission, which was to proceed upon ye things or
-conditions agred upon and expressed in writing (at your going over it),
-we leave it, not without marveling, that your selfe, as you write,
-knowing how smale a thing troubleth our consultations, and how few,
-as you fear, understands the busnes aright, should trouble us with such
-matters as these are, &c. Salute Mr. Weston from us, in whom we hope we
-are not deceived; we pray you make known our estate unto him, and if you
-thinke good shew him our letters, at least tell him (yt under God) we
-much relie upon him & put our confidence in him; and, as your selves well
-know, that if he had not been an adventurer with us, we had not taken it
-in hand; presuming that if he had not seene means to accomplish it, he
-would not have begune it; so we hope in our extremitie he will so farr
-help us as our expectation be no way made frustrate concerning him.
-Since therfor, good brethren, we have plainly opened ye state of things
-with us in this matter, you will, &c. Thus beseeching ye Allmightie, who
-is allsufficiente to raise us out of this depth of difficulties, to
-assiste us herin; raising such means by his providence and fatherly care
-for us, his pore children & servants, as we may with comforte behould ye
-hand of our God for good towards us in this our bussines, which we
-undertake in his name & fear, we take leave & remaine
- Your perplexed, yet hopful
- bretheren,
-June 10, New Stille
-Ano: 1620. SAMUEL FULLER, EDWARD WINSLOW,
- WILLIAM BRADFORD, ISAAC ALLERTON.
-
-
-
-
- III
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (AT LONDON), TO
- JOHN CARVER (AT SOUTHAMPTON)
-
-Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.
-
-To his loving freind Mr. John Carver, these, &c.
-
-Loving freind, I have received from you some letters, full of affection &
-complaints, & what it is you would have of me I know not; for your
-crieing out, Negligence, negligence, negligence, I marvell why so
-negligente a man was used in ye bussines: Yet know you yt all that I have
-power to doe hear, shall not be one hower behind, I warent you. You have
-reference to Mr. Weston to help us with money, more then his adventure;
-wher he protesteth but for his promise, he would not have done any thing.
-He saith we take a heady course, and is offended yt our provissions are
-made so farr of; as also that he was not made aquainted with our
-quantitie of things; and saith yt in now being in 3. places, so farr
-remote, (i.e. Leyden, London, and Southampton) we will, with going up &
-downe, and wrangling & expostulating, pass over ye sourer before we will
-goe. And to speake ye trueth, they is fallen already amongst us a flatt
-schisme; and we are redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde a
-vaiage. I have received from Leyden since you wente (to Southampton) 3.
-or 4. letters directed to you, though they only conscerne me. I will not
-trouble you with them. I always feared ye event of ye Amsterdamers
-(members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth's church there) striking in with us.
-I trow you must excomunicate me, or els you must goe without their
-companie, or we shall wante no quareling; but let them pass.
-
-We have reckoned, it should seeme, without our host; and, count upon a
-150. persons, ther cannot be founde above 1200li. & odd moneys of all ye
-venturs you can reckone, besids some cloath, stockings, & shoes, which
-are not counted; so we shall come shorte at least 3. or 400li. I would
-have had some thing shortened at first of beare (beer) & other
-provissions in hope of other adventurs, & now we could have, both in
-Amsterd & Kente, beere inough to serve our turne, but now we cannot
-accept it without prejudice. You fear we have begune to build & and
-shall not be able to make an end; indeed, our courses were never
-established by counsell, we may therfore justly fear their standing.
-Yea, then was a schisme amongst us 3. at ye first. You wrote to Mr.
-Martin, to prevente ye making of ye provissions in Kente, which he did,
-and sett downe his resolution how much he would have of every thing,
-without respecte to any counsell or exception. Surely he yt is in a
-societie & yet regards not counsell, may better be a king then a
-consorte. To be short, if then be not some other dispossition setled
-unto then yet is, we yt should be partners of humilitie and peace, shall
-be examples of jangling & insulting. Yet your money which you ther
-[Southampton] must have, we will get provided for you instantly. 500li.
-you say will serve; for ye rest which hear & in Holand is to be used, we
-may goe scratch for it. For Mr. Crabe, of whom you write, he hath
-promised to goe with us, yet I tell you I shall not be without feare till
-I see him shipped, for he [i.e. his going] is much opposed, yet I hope
-he will not faile. Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is
-wanting, and ye Lord guid us all.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-London June 10.
-Ano: 1620.
-
-
-
-
- IV
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS
-
-(Probably written at London, Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.)
-
-Brethern, I understand by letters & passagess yt have come to me, that
-ther are great discontents, & dislike of my proceedings amongst you.
-Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it, as not doubting but yt
-partly by writing, and more principally by word when we shall come
-togeather, I shall satisfie any reasonable man. I have been perswaded by
-some, espetialy this bearer, to come and clear things unto you; but as
-things now stand I cannot be absente one day, excepte I should hazard all
-ye viage. Neither conceive I any great good would come of it. Take
-then, brethern, this as a step to give you contente. First, for your
-dislike of ye alteration of one clause in ye conditions, if you conceive
-it right, ther can be no blame lye on me at all. For ye articles first
-brought over by John Carver were never seene of any of ye adventurers
-hear, excepte Mr. Weston, neither did any of them like them because of
-that clause; nor Mr. Weston him selfe, after he had well considered it.
-But as at ye first ther was 500li. withdrawne by Sr. Georg Farrer and his
-brother upon that dislike, so all ye rest would have withdrawne (Mr.
-Weston excepted) if we had not altered yt clause. Now whilst we at
-Leyden conclude upon points, as we did, we reckoned without our host,
-which was not my faulte. Besids, I shewed you by a letter ye equitie of
-yt condition, & our inconveniences, which might be sett against all Mr.
-Rob: [Robinson's] inconveniences, that without ye alteration of yt
-clause, we could neither have means to gett thither, nor supplie wherby
-to subsiste when we were ther. Yet notwithstanding all those reasons,
-which were not mine, but other mens wiser than my selfe, without answer
-to any one of them, here cometh over many quirimonies, and complaints
-against me, of lording it over my brethern, and making conditions fitter
-for theeves & bondslaves then honest men, and that of my owne head I did
-what I list. And at last a paper of reasons, framed against yt clause in
-ye conditions, which as yey were delivered me open, so my answer is open
-to you all. And first, as they are no other but inconveniences, such as
-a man might frame 20. as great on ye other side, and yet prove nor
-disprove nothing by them, so they misse & mistake both ye very ground of
-ye article and nature of ye project.
-
-For, first, it is said, that if ther had been no divission of houses &
-lands, it had been better for ye poore. True, and yt showeth ye
-inequalitie of ye condition; we should more respect him yt ventureth both
-his money and his person, then him yt ventureth but his person only.
-
-2. Consider whereaboute we are, not giveing almes, but furnishing a
-store house; no one shall be porer then another for 7. years, and if any
-be rich, none can be pore. At ye least, we must not in such bussines
-crie, Pore, pore, mercie, mercie. Charitie hath it[s] life in wraks, not
-in venturs; you are by this most in a hopefull pitie of makeing,
-therefore complaine not before you have need.
-
-3. This will hinder ye building of good and faire houses, contrarie to
-ye advise of pollitiks. A. So we would have it; our purpose is to build
-for ye presente such houses as, if need be, we may with litle greefe set
-a fire, and rune away by the lighte; our riches shall not be in pompe,
-but in strength; if God send us riches, we will imploye them to provid
-more men, ships, munition, &c. You may see it amongst the best
-pollitiks, that a comonwele is readier to ebe then to flow, when once
-fine houses and gay cloaths come up.
-
-4. The Govet may prevente excess in building. A. But if it be on all
-men beforehand resolved on, to build mean houses, ye Govet laboure is
-spared.
-
-5. All men are not of one condition. A. If by condition you mean
-wealth, you are mistaken; if you mean by condition, qualities, then I say
-he that is not contente his neighbour shall have as good a house, fare,
-means, &c. as him selfe, is not of a good qualitie. 2ly. Such retired
-persons, as have an eie only to them selves, are fitter to come wher
-catching is, then closing; and are fitter to live alone, then in any
-societie, either civil or religious.
-
-6. It will be of litle value, scarce worth 5li. A. True, it may not be
-worth halfe 5li. If then so smale a thing will content them, (the
-Adventurers) why strive we thus aboute it, and give them occasion to
-suspecte us to be worldly & covetous? I will not say what I have heard
-since these complaints came first over [from Leyden].
-
-7. Our freinds with us yt adventure mind not their owne profite, as did
-ye old adventurers. A. Then they are better than we, who for a little
-matter of profite are readie to draw back, and it is more apparente,
-brethern looke too it, that make profit your maine end; repente of this,
-els goe not least you be like Jonas to Tarshis. Though some of
-them mind not their profite, yet others doe mind it; and why not as well
-as we? venturs are made by all sorts of men, and we must labour to give
-them all contente, if we can.
-
-8. It will break ye course of comunitie, as may be showed by many
-reasons. A. That is but said, and I say againe, it will best foster
-comunion, as may be showed by many reasons.
-
-9. Great profite is like to be made by trucking, fishing, &c. A. As it
-is better for them, so for us; for halfe is ours, besids our living still
-upon it, and if such profite in yt way come, our labour shall be ye less
-on ye land, and our houses & lands will be of less value.
-
-10. Our hazard is greater than theirs. A. True, but doe they put us
-upon it? doe they urge or egg us? hath not ye motion & resolution been
-always in our selves? doe they any more then in seeing us resolute if we
-had means, help us to means upon equall termes & conditions! If we will
-not goe, they are content to keep their moneys.
-
-Thus I have pointed at a way to loose those knots, which I hope you will
-consider seriously, and let me have no more stirr about them.
-
-Now furder, I hear a noise of slavish conditions by me made; but surly
-this is all I have altered, and reasons I have sent you. If you mean it
-of ye 2. days in a week for perticuler, as some insinuate, you are
-deceived; you may have 3. days in a week for me if you will. And when I
-have spoken to ye adventurers of times of working, they have said they
-hope we are men of discretion & conscience, and so fitt to be trusted our
-selves with that. But indeed ye ground of our proceedings at Leyden was
-mistaken, and so here is nothing but tottering every day, &c.
-
-As for them of Amsterdam, [i.e. the members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth's
-church there] I had thought they would as soon gone to Rome as with us;
-for our libertie is to them as ratts bane, and their riggour as bad to us
-as ye Spanish Inquisition. If any practise of mine discourage them, let
-them yet draw back; I will undertake they shall have their money againe
-presently paid hear. Or if the Company think me to be ye Jonas, let them
-cast me of before we goe; I shall be content to stay with good will,
-having but ye cloaths on my back; only let us have quietnes, and no more
-of these clamors; full little did I expect these things which are now
-come to pass, &c.
- Yours,
- R. CUSHMAN.
-
-
-
-
- V
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS, LONDON
-
- (Sunday, June 11/21, 1620.)
-
-Salutations, &c. I received your letter [of May 31/June 10] yesterday,
-by John Turner, with another ye same day from Amsterdam by Mr. W.
-savouring of ye place whenc it came. And indeed the many discouragements
-I find her,[London] togeather with ye demurrs and retirings ther,[Leyden]
-had made me to say, I would give up my accounts to John Carver, & at his
-comeing aquainte him fully with all courses, and so leave it quite, with
-only ye pore cloaths on my back. But gathering up my selfe by further
-consideration, I resolved yet to make one triall more, and to acquainte
-Mr. Weston with ye fainted state of our bussines; and though he hath been
-much discontented at some thing amongst us of late, which hath made him
-often say, that save for his promise, he would not meadle at all with ye
-bussines any more, yet considering how farr we were plunged into maters,
-& how it stood both on our credits & undoing, at ye last he gathered up
-him selfe a litle more, & coming to me 2. hours after, he tould me he
-would not yet leave it. And so advising togeather we resolved to hire a
-ship, and have tooke liking of one till Monday, about 60. laste, for a
-greater we cannot gett, excepte it be tow great; but a fine ship it is.
-And seeing our neer freinds ther are so streite lased, we hope to assure
-her without troubling them any further; and if ye ship fale too small, it
-fitteth well yt such as stumble at strawes already, may rest them ther a
-while, least worse blocks come in ye way ere 7. years be ended. If you
-had beaten this bussines so throuly a month agoe, and write to us as now
-you doe, we could thus have done much more conveniently. But it is as it
-is; I hope our freinds they, if they be quitted of ye ship hire, will be
-indusced to venture ye more. All yt I now require is yt salt and netts
-may ther be boughte, and for all ye rest we will here provid it; yet if
-that will not be, let them but stand for it a month or tow, and we will
-take order to pay it all. Let Mr. Reinholds tarie ther, and bring ye
-ship to Southampton. We have hired another pilote here, one Mr. Clarke,
-who went last year to Virginia with a ship of kine.
-
-You shall here distinctly by John Turner, who I thinke shall come hence
-on tewsday night. I had thought to have come with him, to have answered
-to my complaints; but I shal lerne to pass litle for their censurs; and
-if I had more minde to goe & dispute & expostulate with them, then I have
-care of this waightie bussines, I were like them who live by clamours &
-jangling. But neither my mind nor my body is at libertie to doe much,
-for I am fettered with bussines, and had rather study to be quiet, then
-to make answer to their exceptions. If men be set on it, let them beat
-ye eair; I hope such as are my sinceire freinds will not thinke but I can
-give some reason of my actions. But of your mistaking aboute ye mater,
- & other things tending to this bussines, I shall nexte informe you
-more distinctly. Mean space entreate our freinds not to be too bussie in
-answering matters, before they know them. If I doe such things as I
-canot give reasons for, it is like you have sett a foole aboute your
-bussines, and so turne ye reproofe to your selves, & send an other, and
-let me come againe to my Combes. But setting aside my naturall
-infirmities, I refuse not to have my cause judged, both of God, & all
-indifferent men; and when we come togeather I shall give accounte of my
-actions hear. The Lord, who judgeth justly without respect of persons,
-see into ye equitie of my cause, and give us quiet, peacable, and patient
-minds, in all these turmoils, and sanctifie unto us all crosses
-whatsoever. And so I take my leave of you all, in all love & affection.
- I hope we shall gett all hear ready in 14. days.
- Your pore brother,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-[London]
-June 11. 1620 [O.S.].
-
-
-
-
- VI
- A LETTER OF MR. JOHN ROBINSON TO JOHN CARVER,
- JUNE 14. (N.S.), 1620
-
- [Professor Arber ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers," p. 317) has
- apparently failed to notice that in the original MS. of Bradford,
- this letter is dated "June 14, 1620, N. Stile," which would make it
- June 4., O.S., while Arber dates it "14/24 June," which is
- manifestly incorrect. A typographical error in Arber (p. 317)
- directs the letter to "Leyden" instead of to London. ]
-
-
- June 14. 1620. N. Stile.
-
-My dear freind & brother, whom with yours I alwaise remember in my best
-affection, and whose wellfare I shall never cease to comend to God by my
-best & most earnest praires. You doe throwly understand by our generall
-letters ye estate of things hear, which indeed is very pitifull;
-espetialy by wante of shiping, and not seeing means lickly, much less
-certaine, of having it provided; though withall ther be great want of
-money & means to doe needfull things. Mr. [Edward] Pickering, you know
-before this, will not defray a peny hear; though Robert Cushman presumed
-of I know not how many 100li. from him, & I know not whom. Yet it seems
-strange yt we should be put to him to receive both his & his partners
-[William Greene's] adventer, and yet Mr. Weston write unto him, yt in
-regard of it, he hath drawne upon him a 100li. more. But they is in this
-some misterie, as indeed it seems ther is in ye whole course. Besids,
-wheras diverse are to pay in some parts of their moneys yet behinde, they
-refuse to doe it, till they see shiping provided, or a course taken for
-it. Neither doe I thinke is ther a man hear would pay anything, if he
-had againe his money in his purse. You know right well we depended on
-Mr. Weston alone, and upon such means as he would procure for this
-commone bussines; and when we had in hand an other course with ye
-Dutchmen, broke it of at his motion, and upon ye conditions by him
-shortly after propounded. He did this in his love I know, but things
-appeare not answerable from him hitherto. That he should have first have
-put in his moneys, is thought by many to have been but fitt, but yt I can
-well excuse, he being a marchante and haveing use of it to his benefite;
-whereas others, if it had been in their hands, would have consumed it.
-But yt he should not but have had either shipping ready before this time,
-or at least certaine means, and course, and ye same knowne to us for it,
-or have taken other order otherwise, cannot in my conscience be excused.
-I have heard yt wen he hath been moved in the bussines, he hath put it of
-from him selfe, and referred it to ye others; and would come to Georg
-Morton [in London] & enquire news of him aboute things, as if he had
-scarce been some accessarie unto it. Wlether he hath failed of some helps
-from others which he expected, and so be not well able to goe through
-with things, or whether he hath feared least you should be ready too
-soone & so encrease ye charge of shiping above yt is meete, or whether he
-hath thought by withhoulding to put us upon straits, thinking yt therby
-Mr. Brewer and Mr. Pickering would be drawne by importunitie to doe more,
-or what other misterie is in it, we know not; but sure we are yt things
-are not answerable to such an occasion. Mr. Weston maks himselfe mery
-with our endeavors aboute buying a ship, [the SPEEDWELL], but we have
-done nothing in this but with good reason, as I am perswaded, nor yet
-that I know in any thing els, save in those tow: ye one, that we imployed
-Robart Cushman, who is known (though a good man & of spetiall abilities
-in his kind, yet) most unfitt to deale for other by reason of his
-singularitie, and too great indifferancie for any conditions, and for (to
-speak truly) that we have had nothing from him but termes & presumptions.
-The other, yt we have so much relyed, by implicite faith as it were, upon
-generalities, without seeing ye perticuler course & means for so waghtie
-an affaire set down unto us. For shiping, Mr. Weston, it should seeme,
-is set upon hireing, which yet I wish he may presently effecte; but I see
-litle hope of help from hence if so it be. Of Mr. [Thomas] Brewer, you
-know what to expecte. I doe not thinke Mr. Pickering will ingage,
-excepte in ye course of buying [ships?] in former letters specified.
-Aboute ye conditions, you have our reason for our judgments of what is
-agreed. And let this spetially be borne in minde, yt the greatest pane
-of ye Collonie is like to be imployed constantly, not upon dressing they
-perticuler land & building houses, but upon fishing, trading, &c. So as
-ye land & house will be but a trifell for advantage to ye adventurers,
-and yet the devission of it a great discouragmente to ye planters, who
-would with singuler care make it comfortable with borowed houres from
-their sleep. The same consideration of comone imploymente constantly by
-the most is a good reason not to have ye 2, daies in a week denyed ye few
-planters for private use, which yet is subordinate to comone good.
-Consider also how much unfite that you & your liks must serve a new
-prentishipe of 7. years, and not a daies freedome from taske. Send me
-word what persons are to goe, who of usefull faculties, & how many, &
-perticulerly of every thing. I know you wante not a minde. I am sorie
-you have not been at London all this while, but ye provissions could not
-want you. Time will suffer me to write no more; fare, you & yours well
-allways in ye Lord, in whom I rest.
- Yours to use,
- JOHN' ROBINSON.
-
-
-
-
- VII
- THE LETTER OF THE PLANTERS TO THE
- MERCHANT ADVENTURERS (FROM SOUTHAMPTON)
-
- Aug. 3. Ano. 1620.
-
-Beloved freinds, sory we are that ther should be occasion of writing at
-all unto you, partly because we ever expected to see ye most of you hear,
-but espetially because ther should any difference at all be conceived
-betweene us. But seing it faleth out that we cannot conferr togeather,
-we thinke it meete (though brefly) to show you ye just cause & reason of
-our differing from those articles last made by Robert Cushman, without
-our comission or knowledg.
-
-And though he might propound good ends to himselfe, yet it no way
-justifies his doing it. Our maine diference is in ye 5.& 9. article,
-concerning ye deviding or holding of house and lands; the injoying
-whereof some of your selves well know, was one spetiall motive, amongst
-many other, to provoke us to goe. This was thought so reasonable, yt
-when ye greatest of you in adventure (whom we have much cause to
-respecte), when he propounded conditions to us freely of his owne
-accorde, he set this downe for one; a coppy wherof we have sent unto you,
-with some additions then added by us; which being liked on both sids, and
-a day set for ye paimente of moneys, those in Holland paid in theirs.
-After yt, Robert Cushman, Mr. [John] Pierce, & Mr. [Christopher] Martine,
-brought them into a better forme, & write them in a booke now extante;
-and upon Robarts [Cushmans] shewing them and delivering Mr. [William]
-Mullins a coppy thereof under his hand (which we have), he payed in his
-money. And we of Holland had never seen other before our coming to
-Hamton, but only as one got for him selfe a private coppy of them; upon
-sight wherof we manyfested uter dislike, but had put of our estats & were
-ready to come, and therfore was too late to rejecte ye vioage. Judge
-therefore we beseech you indifferently of things, and if a faulte have
-bene comited, lay it where it is, & not upon us, who have more cause to
-stand for ye one, then you have for ye other. We never gave Robart
-Cushman comission to make any one article for us, but only sent him to
-receive moneys upon articles before agreed on, and to further ye
-provissions till John Carver came, and to assiste him in it. Yet since
-you conceive your selves wronged as well as we, we thought meete to add a
-branch to ye end of our 9. article, as will allmost heale that wound of
-it selfe, which you conceive to be in it. But that it may appeare to all
-men yt we are not lovers of our selves only, but desire also ye good &
-inriching of our freinds who have adventured your moneys with our
-persons, we have added our last article to ye rest, promising you againe
-by leters in ye behalfe of the whole company, that if large profits
-should not arise within ye 7. years, yt we will continue togeather longer
-with you, if ye Lord give a blessing.--[Bradford adds in a note, "It is
-well for them yt this was not accepted."]--This we hope is sufficente to
-satisfie any in this case, espetialy freinds, since we are asured yt if
-the whole charge was devided into 4. parts, 3. of them will not stand
-upon it, nether doe regarde it, &c. We are in shuch a streate at
-presente, as we are forced to sell away 60li. worth of our provissions to
-cleare ye Haven [Southampton & withall put our selves upon great
-extremities, scarce haveing any butter, no oyle, not a sole to mend a
-shoe, nor every man a sword to his side, wanting many muskets, much
-armoure, etc. And yet we are willing to expose our selves to shuch
-eminente dangers as are like to insue, & trust to ye good providence of
-God, rather then his name & truth should be evill spoken of for us. Thus
-saluting all of you in love, and beseeching ye Lord to give a blesing to
-our endeavore, and keepe all our harts in ye bonds of peace & love, we
-take leave & rest,
- Yours, &c
-
-Aug. 3. 1620.
-
- ["It was subscribed with many names of ye cheefest of ye company."
- --Bradford, "Historie," Mass. ed. p. 77.]
-
-
-
-
- VIII
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (FROM SOUTHAMPTON)
- TO EDWARD SOUTHWORTH
-
-To his loving friend Ed[ward] S[outhworth] at Henige House, in ye Duks
-Place [London], these, &c.
-
- Dartmouth [Thursday] Aug. 17, [Anno 1620.]
-
-Loving friend, my most kind remembrance to you & your wife, with loving
-E. M. &c. whom in this world I never looke to see againe. For besids ye
-eminente dangers of this viage, which are no less then deadly, an
-infirmitie of body Hath seased me, which will not in all licelyhoode
-leave me till death. What to call it I know not, but it it is a bundle
-of lead, as it were, crushing my harte more & more these 14. days, as
-that allthough I doe ye acctions of a liveing man, yet I am but as dead;
-but ye will of God be done. Our pinass [the SPEEDWELL] will not cease
-leaking, els I thinke we had been halfe way at Virginia, our viage hither
-hath been as full of crosses, as our, selves have been of crokednes. We
-put in hear to trime her, & I thinke, as others also, if we had stayed at
-sea but 3. or 4. howers more, shee would have sunke right downe. And
-though she was twice trimed at Hamton, yet now shee is open and lekie as
-a seine; and ther was a borde, a man might have puld of with his fingers,
-2 foote longe, wher ye water came in as at a mole hole. We lay at Hamton
-7. days, in fair weather, waiting for her, and now we lye hear waiting
-for her in as faire a wind as can blowe, and so have done these 4. days,
-and are like to lye 4. more, and by yt time ye wind will happily turne as
-it did at Hamton. Our victualls will be halfe eaten up, I thinke, before
-we goe from the coaste of England, and if our viage last longe, we shall
-not have a months victialls when we come in ye countrie. Near 700li.
-hath bene bestowed at Hamton upon what I know not. Mr. Martin saith he
-neither can nor will give any accounte of it, and if he be called upon
-for accounts he crieth out of unthankfulness for his paines & care, that
-we are susspitious of him, and flings away, and will end nothing. Also
-he so insulteh over our poore people with shuch scorne and contempte, as
-if they were not good enough to wipe his shoes. It would break your hart
-to see his dealing, and ye mourning of our people. They complaine to me,
-& alass! I can doe nothing for them; if I speake to him, he flies in my
-face, as mutinous, and saith no complaints shall be heard or received but
-by him selfe, and saith they are forwarde, & waspish, discontented
-people, & I doe ill to hear them. Ther are others yt would lose all they
-have put in, or make satisfaction for what they have had, that they might
-departe; but he will not hear them, nor suffer them to goe ashore, least
-they should rune away. The sailors also are so offended at his ignorante
-bouldnes, in medling & controuling in things he knows not what belongs
-too, as yt some threaten to misscheefe him, others say they will leave ye
-shipe & goe their way. But at ye best this cometh of it, yt he maks him
-selfe a scorne & laughing stock unto them. As for Mr. Weston, excepte
-grace doe greatly swaye with him, he will hate us ten times more then
-ever he loved us, for not confirming ye conditions. But now, since some
-pinches have taken them, they begine to reveile ye trueth, and say Mr.
-Robinson was in ye falte who charged them never to consente to those
-conditions, nor chuse me into office, but indeede apointed them to chose
-them they did chose. But he and they will rue too late, they may now
-see, & all be ashamed when it is too late, that they were so ignorante,
-yea, & so inordinate in their courses. I am sure as they were resolved
-not to seale those conditions, I was not so resolute at Hamton to have
-left ye whole bussines, excepte they would seale them, and better ye
-vioage to have bene broken of then, then to have brought such miserie to
-our selves, dishonour to God, & detrimente to our loving freinds, as now
-it is like to doe. 4. or 5. of ye cheefe of them which came from Leyden,
-came resolved never to goe on those conditions. And Mr. Martine, he said
-he never received no money on those conditions, he was not beholden to ye
-marchants, for a pine [pennie], they were bloudsuckers, & I know not
-what. Simple man, he indeed never made any conditions wth the marchants,
-nor ever spake with them.
-
-But did all that money flie to Hamton, or was it his owne? Who will goe
-lay out money so rashly & lavishly as he did, and never know how he comes
-by it, or on what conditions? I tould him of ye alteration longe
-agoe, & he was contente; but now he dominires, & said I had betrayed them
-into ye hands of slaves; he is not beholden to them, he can set out 2
-ships him selfe to a viage. When, good man? He hath but 50li. in, & if
-he should give up his accounts he would not have a penie left him,--
-["This was found true afterwards. W(illiam] B"[radford]]--as I
-am persuaded, &c. Freind, if ever we make a plantation, God works a
-mirakle; especially considering how scante we shall be of victualls, and
-most of all ununited amongst our selves, & devoyd of good tutors and
-regimente. Violence will break all. Wher is ye meek & humble spirite of
-Moyses? & of Nehemiah who reedified ye wals of Jerusalem, and ye state of
-Israell? Is not ye sound of Rehoboams braggs daly hear amongst us? Have
-not ye philosophers and all wise men observed yt, even in setled comone
-welths, violente governours bring either them selves, or people, or
-boath, to ruine; how much more in ye raising of comone wealths, when ye
-mortar is yet scarce tempered yt should bind ye wales [walls]. If I
-should write to you of all things which promiscuously forerune our ruine,
-I should over charge my weake head and greeve your tender hart; only
-this, I pray you prepare for evill tidings of us every day. But pray for
-us instantly, it may be ye Lord will be yet entreated one way or other to
-make for us. I see not in reason how we shall escape even ye gasping of
-hunger starved persons; but God can doe much, & his will be done. It is
-better for me to dye, then now for me to bear it, which I doe daly, &
-expect it howerly; haveing received ye sentance of death, both within me
-& with out me. Poore William Ring & my selfe doe strive who shall be
-meate first for ye fishes; but we looke for a glorious resurrection,
-knowing Christ Jesus after ye flesh no more, but looking unto ye joye yt
-is before us, we will endure all these things and accounte them light in
-comparison of ye joye we hope for. Remember me in all love to our
-freinds as if I named them, whose praiers I desire earnestly, & wish
-againe to see, but not till I can with more comforte looke them in ye
-face. The Lord give us that true comforte which none can take from us.
-I had a desire to make a breefe relation of our estate to some freind.
-I doubte not but your wisdome will teach you seasonably to utter things
-as here after you shall be called to it. That which I have writen is
-treue, & many things more which I have for borne. I write it as upon my
-life, and last confession in England. What is of use to be spoken of
-presently, you may speake of it, and what is fitt to conceile, conceall.
-Pass by my weake maner, for my head is weake, and my body feeble, ye Lord
-make me strong in him, and keepe both you & yours.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-
-Dartmouth, Aug. 17, 1620.
-
-
-
-
- IX
- THE MAY-FLOWER COMPACT
-
-In ye name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall
-subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord, King James, by ye grace of God, of
-Great Britaine, Franc, & Ireland king, defender of ye faith, &c., haveing
-under taken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye Christian
-faith, and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first
-colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly
-& mutualy in ye presence of God, and one of another, covenant & combine
-our selves together into a civill body politick, for our better ordering
-& preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid: and by vertue hearof
-to enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equall lawes, ordinances,
-actes, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought
-most meete & convenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie, unto which we
-promise all due submission and obedience. In witnes wherof we have here
-under subscribed our names at Cape-Codd ye 11. of November, in ye year of
-ye raigne of our soveraigne lord, King James, of England, France, &
-Ireland ye eighteenth, and of Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano. Dom. 1620
-
-
-
-
- X
- A COPY OF THE NUNCUPATIVE WILL OF MASTER WILLIAM MULLENS
-
- [Undoubtedly taken by Governor Carver on board the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
- [Although the dictation must, apparently, have been taken on the day
- of Master Mullens's death, February 21/March 3, 1620, Governor
- Carver evidently did not write out his notes, and have them
- witnessed, till April 2, 1621, some weeks later.]
-
- "April, 1621.
-
-In the name of God, Amen: I comfit my Soule to God that gave it and my
-bodie to the earth from whence it came. Alsoe I give my goodes as
-followeth: That fforty poundes wch is in the hand of good-man Woodes I
-give my wife tenn poundes, my sonne Joseph tenn poundes, my daughter
-Priscilla tenn poundes, and my eldest sonne tenn poundes. Alsoe I give to
-my eldest sonne all my debtes, bonds, bills (onelye yt forty poundes
-excepted in the handes of goodman Wood) given as aforesaid wth all the
-stock in his owne handes. To my eldest daughter I give ten shillinges to
-be paied out of my sonnes stock Furthermore that goodes I have in
-Virginia as followeth To my wife Alice halfe my goodes. 2. to Joseph and
-Priscilla the other halfe equallie to be devided betweene them. Alsoe I
-have xxi dozen of shoes, and thirteene paire of bootes wch I give into
-the Companies handes for forty poundes at seaven years end if they like
-them at that rate. If it be thought to deare as my Overseers shall
-thinck good. And if they like them at that rate at the devident I shall
-have nyne shares whereof I give as followeth twoe to my wife, twoe to my
-sonne William, twoe to my sonne Joseph, towe to my daughter Priscilla,
-and one to the Companie. Allsoe if my sonne William will come to
-Virginia I give him my share of land furdermore I give to my two
-Overseers Mr. John Carver and Mr. Williamson, twentye shillinges apeece
-to see this my will performed desiringe them that he would have an eye
-over my wife and children to be as fathers and freindes to them, Allsoe
-to have a speciall eye to my man Robert wch hathe not so approved
-himselfe as I would he should have done."
-
-This is a Coppye of Mr. Mullens his Will of all particulars he hathe
-given. In witnes whereof I have sette my hande John Carver, Giles Heale,
-Christopher Joanes."
-
-
-
-
- XI
- THE LETTER OF "ONE OF THE CHIEFE OF YE COMPANIE"
- [THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS]
- DATED AT LONDON, APRIL 9, 1623
-
-Loving friend, when I write my last leter, I hope to have received one
-from you well-nigh by this time. But when I write in Des: I little
-thought to have seen Mr. John Pierce till he had brought some good
-tidings from you. But it pleased God, he brought us ye wofull tidings of
-his returne when he was half-way over, by extraime tempest, werin ye
-goodnes & mercie of God appeared in sparing their lives, being 109.
-souls. The loss is so great to Mr. Pierce &c., and ye companie put upon
-so great charge, as veryly, &c. Now with great trouble & loss, we have
-got Mr. John Pierce to assigne over ye grand patente to ye companie,
-which he had taken in his owne name, and made quite voyd our former
-grante. I am sorie to writ how many hear thinke yt the hand of God was
-justly against him, both ye first and 2. time of his returne; in regard
-he, whom you and we so confidently trusted, but only to use his name for
-ye com pany, should aspire to be lord over us all, and so make you & us
-tenants at his will and pleasure, our assurance or patente being quite
-voyd & disanuled by his means. I desire to judg charitably of him. But
-his unwillingness to part with his royall lordship, and ye high rate he
-set it at, which was 500li. which cost him but 50li., maks many speake
-and judg hardly of him. The company are out for goods in his ship, with
-charge aboute ye passengers, 640li., &c.
-
-We have agreed with 2 merchants for a ship of 140 tunes, caled ye Anne,
-which is to be ready ye last of this month, to bring 60 passengers &
-60 tune of goods, &c--[Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 167.]
-
-
-
-ADDENDA
-
-Governor Winslow, in his "Hypocrisie Unmasked" (pp. 89,90), indicates
-that the representatives of the Leyden congregation (Cushman and Carver)
-sought the First (or London) Virginia Company as early as 1613. It is
-beyond doubt that preliminary steps toward securing the favor, both of
-the King and others, were taken as early as 1617, and that the Wincob
-Patent was granted in their interest, June 9/19, 1619. But the Leyden
-people were but little advanced by the issue of this Patent. They became
-discouraged, and began early in 1620 (perhaps earlier) negotiations with
-the Dutch, which were in progress when, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges, Thomas Weston undertook (February 2/12, April 1/11, 1620) to
-secure the Leyden party, avowedly for the London Virginia Company, but
-really for its rival, the Second Virginia Company, soon to be merged in
-the "Council of Affairs for New England." It was then, and under these
-influences, that the Leyden leaders "broke off," as Bradford puts it,
-their negotiations with the Dutch authorities, who, however, apparently
-about the same time, determined to reject their propositions. While the
-renewal of the Leyden leaders' negotiations, through Weston, were, "on
-their face" (and so far as the Pilgrims were concerned), with the First
-Virginia Company, with whom, through Sir Edwin Sandys and other friends,
-their original efforts were made, they were, as stated, subverted by
-Gorges's plans and Weston's cooperation, in the interest of the Second
-Virginia Company. The Merchant Adventurers were represented, in the
-direct negotiations for the Patent only, by John Pierce, who, at that
-time, was apparently dealing honestly, and was not, so far as appears,
-in Gorges's confidence, though later he proved a traitor and a consummate
-rascal, albeit he always acted, apparently, alone. The so-called "Pierce
-Patent" (which displaced the Wincob) was rendered worthless by the
-landing of the Pilgrims north of 41 deg. north latitude. The third
-Patent (Pierce's second) was from the Council for New England to Pierce,
-for the colonists, but was exchanged by him for a "deed-pole" to himself,
-though at last surrendered to the colony under stress.
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
-
-All business without any agreement in writing
-Borowed houres from their sleep
-Not to be too bussie in answering matters, before they know them
-Redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde
-Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it
-Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is wanting
-
-
-
-
-End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log, v7
-by Azel Ames
-
-
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS FOR THE ENTIRE MAYFLOWER AND HER LOG:
-
-All business without any agreement in writing
-Anxiety to get English clothes upon their red brethren
-As 1620 did not begin until March 25
-Borowed houres from their sleep
-Crime--for such it was, in inception, nature, and results
-Forks there were none
-Genius,--proverbially indifferent to detail
-Lanterns--only "serving to make darkness visible"
-Malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has wronged
-Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the knife
-Not to be too bussie in answering matters, before they know them
-Old Style and the New Style dates
-Personal inference rather than a verity
-Redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde
-Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it
-The old adage, "second thief best owner"
-Theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony
-Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is wanting
-Transplantation to the "northern parts of Virginia"
-Welcome lies acquired a hold on the public mind
-
-
-
-End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Mayflower and Her Log, entire
-by Azel Ames
-
diff --git a/old/mf07v10.zip b/old/mf07v10.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index 9d93447..0000000
--- a/old/mf07v10.zip
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/mf07v11h.zip b/old/mf07v11h.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index cc7d0b9..0000000
--- a/old/mf07v11h.zip
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.txt b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index b13f876..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10790 +0,0 @@
-Project Gutenberg’s The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-Title: The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete
-
-Author: Azel Ames
-
-Release Date: October 6, 2006 [EBook #4107]
-Last Updated: August 24, 2016
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-
- “Next to the fugitives whom Moses led out of Egypt, the little
- shipload of outcasts who landed at Plymouth are destined to
- influence the future of the world.”
- JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTORY
-
-O civilized humanity, world-wide, and especially to the descendants of
-the Pilgrims who, in 1620, laid on New England shores the foundations of
-that civil and religious freedom upon which has been built a refuge for
-the oppressed of every land, the story of the Pilgrim “Exodus” has an
-ever-increasing value and zest. The little we know of the inception,
-development, and vicissitudes of their bold scheme of colonization in the
-American wilderness only serves to sharpen the appetite for more.
-
-Every detail and circumstance which relates to their preparations; to the
-ships which carried them; to the personnel of the Merchant Adventurers
-associated with them, and to that of the colonists themselves; to what
-befell them; to their final embarkation on their lone ship,--the immortal
-MAY-FLOWER; and to the voyage itself and to its issues, is vested to-day
-with, a supreme interest, and over them all rests a glamour peculiarly
-their own.
-
-For every grain of added knowledge that can be gleaned concerning the
-Pilgrim sires from any field, their children are ever grateful, and
-whoever can add a well-attested line to their all-too-meagre annals is
-regarded by them, indeed by all, a benefactor.
-
-Of those all-important factors in the chronicles of the “Exodus,”--the
-Pilgrim ships, of which the MAY-FLOWER alone crossed the seas,--and of
-the voyage itself, there is still but far too little known. Of even this
-little, the larger part has not hitherto been readily accessible, or in
-form available for ready reference to the many who eagerly seize upon
-every crumb of new-found data concerning these pious and intrepid
-Argonauts.
-
-To such there can be no need to recite here the principal and familiar
-facts of the organization of the English “Separatist” congregation under
-John Robinson; of its emigration to Holland under persecution of the
-Bishops; of its residence and unique history at Leyden; of the broad
-outlook of its members upon the future, and their resultant determination
-to cross the sea to secure larger life and liberty; and of their initial
-labors to that end. We find these Leyden Pilgrims in the early summer of
-1620, their plans fairly matured and their agreements between themselves
-and with their merchant associates practically concluded, urging forward
-their preparations for departure; impatient of the delays and
-disappointments which befell, and anxiously seeking shipping for their
-long and hazardous voyage.
-
-It is to what concerns their ships, and especially that one which has
-passed into history as “the Pilgrim bark,” the MAY-FLOWER, and to her
-pregnant voyage, that the succeeding chapters chiefly relate. In them the
-effort has been made to bring together in sequential relation, from many
-and widely scattered sources, everything germane that diligent and
-faithful research could discover, or the careful study and re-analysis of
-known data determine. No new and relevant item of fact discovered,
-however trivial in itself, has failed of mention, if it might serve to
-correct, to better interpret, or to amplify the scanty though priceless
-records left us, of conditions, circumstances, and events which have
-meant so much to the world.
-
-As properly antecedent to the story of the voyage of the MAY-FLOWER as
-told by her putative “Log,” albeit written up long after her boned lay
-bleaching on some unknown shore, some pertinent account has been given of
-the ship herself and of her “consort,” the SPEEDWELL; of the difficulties
-attendant on securing them; of the preparations for the voyage; of the
-Merchant Adventurers who had large share in sending them to sea; of their
-officers and crews; of their passengers and lading; of the troubles that
-assailed before they had “shaken off the land,” and of the final
-consolidation of the passengers and lading of both ships upon the
-MAY-FLOWER, for the belated ocean passage. The wholly negative results of
-careful search render it altogether probable that the original journal or
-“Log” of the MAY-FLOWER (a misnomer lately applied by the British press,
-and unhappily continued in that of the United States, to the recovered
-original manuscript of Bradford’s “History of Plimoth Plantation “), if
-such journal ever existed, is now hopelessly lost.
-
-So far as known, no previous effort has been made to bring together in
-the consecutive relation of such a journal, duly attested and in their
-entirety, the ascertained daily happenings of that destiny-freighted
-voyage. Hence, this later volume may perhaps rightly claim to present
---and in part to be, though necessarily imperfect--the sole and a true “Log
-of the MAY-FLOWER.” No effort has been made, however, to reduce the
-collated data to the shape and style of the ship’s “Log” of recent times,
-whose matter and form are largely prescribed by maritime law. While it is
-not possible to give, as the original--if it existed--would have done,
-the results of the navigators’ observations day by day; the “Lat.” and
-“Long.”; the variations of the wind and of the magnetic needle; the
-tallies of the “lead” and “log” lines; “the daily run,” etc.--in all
-else the record may confidently be assumed to vary little from that
-presumably kept, in some form, by Captain Jones, the competent Master of
-the Pilgrim bark, and his mates, Masters Clarke and Coppin.
-
-As the charter was for the “round voyage,” all the features and incidents
-of that voyage until complete, whether at sea or in port, properly find
-entry in its journal, and are therefore included in this compilation,
-which it is hoped may hence prove of reference value to such as take
-interest in Pilgrim studies. Although the least pleasant to the author,
-not the least valuable feature of the work to the reader--especially if
-student or writer of Pilgrim history--will be found, it is believed, in
-the numerous corrections of previously published errors which it
-contains, some of which are radical and of much historical importance.
-It is true that new facts and items of information which have been coming
-to light, in long neglected or newly discovered documents, etc., are
-correctives of earlier and natural misconceptions, and a certain
-percentage of error is inevitable, but many radical and reckless errors
-have been made in Pilgrim history which due study and care must have
-prevented. Such errors have so great and rapidly extending power for
-harm, and, when built upon, so certainly bring the superstructure
-tumbling to the ground, that the competent and careful workman can render
-no better service than to point out and correct them wherever found,
-undeterred by the association of great names, or the consciousness of his
-own liability to blunder. A sound and conscientious writer will welcome
-the courteous correction of his error, in the interest of historical
-accuracy; the opinion of any other need not be regarded.
-
-Some of the new contributions (or original demonstrations), of more or
-less historical importance, made to the history of the Pilgrims, as the
-author believes, by this volume, are as follows:--
-
-(a) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left Delfshaven on
-the SPEEDWELL for Southampton; in other words, the names--those of Carver
-and Cushman and of the latter’s family being added--of the Leyden
-contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-(b) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left London in the
-MAY-FLOWER for Southampton; in other words, the names (with the deduction
-of Cushman and family, of Carver, who was at Southampton, and of an
-unknown few who abandoned the voyage at Plymouth) of the English
-contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-(c) The establishment as correct, beyond reasonable doubt, of the date,
-Sunday, June 11/21, 1620, affixed by Robert Cushman to his letter to the
-Leyden leaders (announcing the “turning of the tide” in Pilgrim affairs,
-the hiring of the “pilott” Clarke, etc.), contrary to the conclusions of
-Prince, Arber, and others, that the letter could not have been written on
-Sunday.
-
-(d) The demonstration of the fact that on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620,
-Cushman’s efforts alone apparently turned the tide in Pilgrim affairs;
-brought Weston to renewed and decisive cooperation; secured the
-employment of a “pilot,” and definite action toward hiring a ship,
-marking it as one of the most notable and important of Pilgrim
-“red-letter days.”
-
-(e) The demonstration of the fact that the ship of which Weston and
-Cushman took “the refusal,” on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620, was not the
-MAY-FLOWER, as Young, Deane, Goodwin, and other historians allege.
-
-(f) The demonstration of the fact (overthrowing the author’s own earlier
-views) that the estimates and criticisms of Robinson, Carver, Brown,
-Goodwin, and others upon Robert Cushman were unwarranted, unjust, and
-cruel, and that he was, in fact, second to none in efficient service to
-the Pilgrims; and hence so ranks in title to grateful appreciation and
-memory.
-
-(g) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER was not chartered
-later than June 19/29, 1620, and was probably chartered in the week of
-June 12/22--June 19/29 of that year.
-
-(h) The addition of several new names to the list of the Merchant
-Adventurers, hitherto unpublished as such, with considerable new data
-concerning the list in general.
-
-(i) The demonstration of the fact that Martin and Mullens, of the
-MAY-FLOWER colonists, were also Merchant Adventurers, while William
-White was probably such.
-
-(j) The demonstration of the fact that “Master Williamson,” the
-much-mooted incognito of Bradford’s “Mourt’s Relation” (whose existence
-even has often been denied by Pilgrim writers), was none other than the
-“ship’s-merchant,” or “purser” of the MAY-FLOWER,--hitherto unknown as
-one of her officers, and historically wholly unidentified.
-
-(k) The general description of; and many particulars concerning, the
-MAY-FLOWER herself; her accommodations (especially as to her cabins),
-her crew, etc., hitherto unknown.
-
-(1) The demonstration of the fact that the witnesses to the nuncupative
-will of William Mullens were two of the MAY-FLOWER’S crew (one being
-possibly the ship’s surgeon), thus furnishing the names of two more of
-the ship’s company, and the only names--except those of her chief
-officers--ever ascertained.
-
-(m) The indication of the strong probability that the entire company of
-the Merchant Adventurers signed, on the one part, the charter-party of
-the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-(n) An (approximate) list of the ages of the MAY-FLOWER’S passengers and
-the respective occupations of the adults.
-
-(o) The demonstration of the fact that no less than five of the Merchant
-Adventurers cast in their lots and lives with the Plymouth Pilgrims as
-colonists.
-
-(p) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas Goffe, Esquire,
-one of the Merchant Adventurers, owned the “MAY-FLOWER” when she was
-chartered for the Pilgrim voyage,--as also on her voyages to New England
-in 1629 and 1630.
-
-(q) The demonstration of the fact that the Master of the MAY-FLOWER was
-Thomas Jones, and that there was an intrigue with Master Jones to land
-the Pilgrims at some point north of the 41st parallel of north latitude,
-the other parties to which were, not the Dutch, as heretofore claimed,
-but none other than Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the Earl of Warwick, chiefs
-of the “Council for New England,” in furtherance of a successful scheme
-of Gorges to steal the Pilgrim colony from the London Virginia Company,
-for the more “northern Plantations” of the conspirators.
-
-(r) The demonstration of the fact that a second attempt at stealing the
-colony--by which John Pierce, one of the Adventurers, endeavored to
-possess himself of the demesne and rights of the colonists, and to make
-them his tenants--was defeated only by the intervention of the “Council”
- and the Crown, the matter being finally settled by compromise and the
-transfer of the patent by Pierce (hitherto questioned) to the colony.
-
-(s) The demonstration of the actual relations of the Merchant Adventurers
-and the Pilgrim colonists--their respective bodies being associated as
-but two partners in an equal copartnership, the interests of the
-respective partners being (probably) held upon differing bases--contrary
-to the commonly published and accepted view.
-
-(t) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER--contrary to the
-popular impression--did not enter Plymouth harbor, as a “lone vessel,”
- slowly “feeling her way” by chart and lead-line, but was undoubtedly
-piloted to her anchorage--previously “sounded” for her--by the Pilgrim
-shallop, which doubtless accompanied her from Cape Cod harbor, on both
-her efforts to make this haven, under her own sails.
-
-(u) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas English was
-helmsman of the MAY-FLOWER’S shallop (and so savior of her sovereign
-company, at the entrance of Plymouth harbor on the stormy night of the
-landing on Clarke’s Island), and that hence to him the salvation of the
-Pilgrim colony is probably due; and
-
-(v) Many facts not hitherto published, or generally known, as to the
-antecedents, relationships, etc., of individual Pilgrims of both the
-Leyden and the English contingents, and of certain of the Merchant
-Adventurers.
-
-
-For convenience’ sake, both the Old Style and the New Style dates of many
-events are annexed to their mention, and double-dating is followed
-throughout the narrative journal or “Log” of the Pilgrim ship.
-
-As the Gregorian and other corrections of the calendar are now generally
-well understood, and have been so often stated in detail in print, it is
-thought sufficient to note here their concrete results as affecting dates
-occurring in Pilgrim and later literature.
-
-From 1582 to 1700 the difference between O.S. and N.S. was ten (10) days
-(the leap-year being passed in 1600). From 1700 to 1800 it was eleven
-(11) days, because 1700 in O.S. was leap-year. From 1800 to 1900 the
-difference is twelve (12) days, and from 1900 to 2000 it will be thirteen
-(13) days. All the Dutch dates were New Style, while English dates were
-yet of the Old Style.
-
-There are three editions of Bradford’s “History of Plimoth Plantation”
- referred to herein; each duly specified, as occasion requires. (There
-is, beside, a magnificent edition in photo-facsimile.) They are:--
-
-(a) The original manuscript itself, now in possession of the State of
-Massachusetts, having been returned from England in 1897, called herein
-“orig. MS.”
-
-(b) The Deane Edition (so-called) of 1856, being that edited by the late
-Charles Deane for the Massachusetts Historical Society and published in
-“Massachusetts Historical Collections,” vol. iii.; called herein “Deane’s
-ed.”
-
-(c) The Edition recently published by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
-and designated as the “Mass. ed.”
-
-Of “Mourt’s Relation” there are several editions, but the one usually
-referred to herein is that edited by Rev. Henry M. Dexter, D. D., by far
-the best. Where reference is made to any other edition, it is indicated,
-and “Dexter’s ed.” is sometimes named.
-
- AZEL AMES.
-
-WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS,
-March 1, 1901.
-
-
-
-
-
- THE MAYFLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-
-
- “Hail to thee, poor little ship MAY-FLOWER--of Delft Haven
- --poor, common-looking ship, hired by common charter-party for
- coined dollars,--caulked with mere oakum and tar, provisioned
- with vulgarest biscuit and bacon,--yet what ship Argo or
- miraculous epic ship, built by the sea gods, was other than a
- foolish bumbarge in comparison!”
-
- THOMAS CARLYLE
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER I
-
-THE NAME--“MAY-FLOWER”
-
-“Curiously enough,” observes Professor Arber, “these names [MAY-FLOWER
-and SPEEDWELL] do not occur either in the Bradford manuscript or in
-‘Mourt’s Relation.’”
-
- [A Relation, or Journal, of the Beginning and Proceedings of the
- English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, etc. G.
- Mourt, London, 1622. Undoubtedly the joint product of Bradford and
- Winslow, and sent to George Morton at London for publication.
- Bradford says (op, cit. p. 120): “Many other smaler maters I omite,
- sundrie of them having been already published, in a Jurnall made by
- one of ye company,” etc. From this it would appear that Mourt’s
- Relation was his work, which it doubtless principally was, though
- Winslow performed an honorable part, as “Mourt’s” introduction and
- other data prove.]
-
-He might have truthfully added that they nowhere appear in any of the
-letters of the “exodus” period, whether from Carver, Robinson, Cushman,
-or Weston; or in the later publications of Window; or in fact of any
-contemporaneous writer. It is not strange, therefore, that the Rev. Mr.
-Blaxland, the able author of the “Mayflower Essays,” should have asked
-for the authority for the names assigned to the two Pilgrim ships of
-1620.
-
-It seems to be the fact, as noted by Arber, that the earliest authentic
-evidence that the bark which bore the Pilgrims across the North Atlantic
-in the late autumn of 1620 was the MAY-FLOWER, is the “heading” of the
-“Allotment of Lands”--happily an “official” document--made at New
-Plymouth, New England, in March, 1623--It is not a little remarkable
-that, with the constantly recurring references to “the ship,”--the
-all-important factor in Pilgrim history,--her name should nowhere have
-found mention in the earliest Pilgrim literature. Bradford uses the
-terms, the “biger ship,” or the “larger ship,” and Winslow, Cushman,
-Captain John Smith, and others mention simply the “vessel,” or the
-“ship,” when speaking of the MAY-FLOWER, but in no case give her a name.
-
-It is somewhat startling to find so thorough-paced an Englishman as
-Thomas Carlyle calling her the MAY-FLOWER “of Delft-Haven,” as in the
-quotation from him on a preceding page. That he knew better cannot be
-doubted, and it must be accounted one of those ‘lapsus calami’ readily
-forgiven to genius,--proverbially indifferent to detail.
-
-Sir Ferdinando Gorges makes the curious misstatement that the Pilgrims
-had three ships, and says of them: “Of the three ships (such as their
-weak fortunes were able to provide), whereof two proved unserviceable and
-so were left behind, the third with great difficulty reached the coast of
-New England,” etc.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER’S CONSORT THE SPEEDWELL
-
-The SPEEDWELL was the first vessel procured by the Leyden Pilgrims for
-the emigration, and was bought by themselves; as she was the ship of
-their historic embarkation at Delfshaven, and that which carried the
-originators of the enterprise to Southampton, to join the MAY-FLOWER,
---whose consort she was to be; and as she became a determining factor
-in the latter’s belated departure for New England, she may justly claim
-mention here as indeed an inseparable “part and parcel” of the
-MAY-FLOWER’S voyage.
-
-The name of this vessel of associate historic renown with the MAY-FLOWER
-was even longer in finding record in the early literature of the Pilgrim
-hegira than that of the larger It first appeared, so far as discovered,
-in 1669--nearly fifty years after her memorable service to the Pilgrims
-on the fifth page of Nathaniel Morton’s “New England’s Memorial.”
-
-Davis, in his “Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth,” makes a singular error for
-so competent a writer, when he says: “The agents of the company in
-England had hired the SPEEDWELL, of sixty tons, and sent her to
-Delfthaven, to convey the colonists to Southampton.” In this, however,
-he but follows Mather and the “Modern Universal History,” though both are
-notably unreliable; but he lacks their excuse, for they were without his
-access to Bradford’s “Historie.” That the consort-pinnace was neither
-“hired” nor “sent to Delfthaven” duly appears.
-
-Bradford states the fact,--that “a smale ship (of some 60 tune), was
-bought and fitted in Holand, which was intended to serve to help to
-transport them, so to stay in ye countrie and atend ye fishing and such
-other affairs as might be for ye good and benefite of ye colonie when
-they come ther.” The statements of Bradford and others indicate that she
-was bought and refitted with moneys raised in Holland, but it is not easy
-to understand the transaction, in view of the understood terms of the
-business compact between the Adventurers and the Planters, as hereinafter
-outlined. The Merchant Adventurers--who were organized (but not
-incorporated) chiefly through the activity of Thomas Weston, a merchant
-of London, to “finance” the Pilgrim undertaking--were bound, as part of
-their engagement, to provide the necessary shipping,’ etc., for the
-voyage. The “joint-stock or partnership,” as it was called in the
-agreement of the Adventurers and Planters, was an equal partnership
-between but two parties, the Adventurers, as a body, being one of the
-co-partners; the Planter colonists, as a body, the other. It was a
-partnership to run for seven years, to whose capital stock the
-first-named partner (the Adventurers) was bound to contribute whatever
-moneys, or their equivalents,--some subscriptions were paid in goods,
---were necessary to transport, equip, and maintain the colony and provide
-it the means of traffic, etc., for the term named. The second-named
-partner (the Planter body) was to furnish the men, women, and children,
---the colonists themselves, and their best endeavors, essential to the
-enterprise,--and such further contributions of money or provisions, on
-an agreed basis, as might be practicable for them. At the expiration of
-the seven years, all properties of every kind were to be divided into
-two equal parts, of which the Adventurers were to take one and the
-Planters the other, in full satisfaction of their respective investments
-and claims. The Adventurers’ half would of course be divided among
-themselves, in such proportion as their individual contributions bore to
-the sum total invested. The Planters would divide their half among
-their number, according to their respective contributions of persons,
-money, or provisions, as per the agreed basis, which was:
-
- [Bradford’s Historie, Deane’s ed.; Arber, op. cit. p. 305.
- The fact that Lyford (Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 217)
- recommended that every “particular” (i.e. non-partnership colonist)
- sent out by the Adventurers--and they had come to be mostly of that
- class--“should come over as an Adventurer, even if only a ser vant,”
- and the fact that he recognized that some one would have to pay in
- L10 to make each one an Adventurer, would seem to indicate that any
- one was eligible and that either L10 was the price of the Merchant
- Adventurer’s share, or that this was the smallest subscription which
- would admit to membership. Such “particular,” even although an
- Adventurer, had no partnership share in the Planters’ half-interest;
- had no voice in the government, and no claim for maintenance. He
- was, however, amenable to the government, subject to military duty
- and to tax. The advantage of being an Adventurer without a voice in
- colony affairs would be purely a moral one.]
-
-that every person joining the enterprise, whether man, woman, youth,
-maid, or servant, if sixteen years old, should count as a share; that a
-share should be reckoned at L10, and hence that L10 worth of money or
-provisions should also count as a share. Every man, therefore, would be
-entitled to one share for each person (if sixteen years of age) he
-contributed, and for each L10 of money or provisions he added thereto,
-another share. Two children between ten and sixteen would count as one
-and be allowed a share in the division, but children under ten were to
-have only fifty acres of wild land. The scheme was admirable for its
-equity, simplicity, and elasticity, and was equally so for either
-capitalist or colonist.
-
-Goodwin notes, that, “in an edition of Cushman’s ‘Discourse,’ Judge Davis
-of Boston advanced the idea that at first the Pilgrims put all their
-possessions into a common stock, and until 1623 had no individual
-property. In his edition of Morton’s ‘Memorial’ he honorably admits his
-error.” The same mistake was made by Robertson and Chief Justice
-Marshall, and is occasionally repeated in this day. “There was no
-community of goods, though there was labor in common, with public
-supplies of food and clothing.” Neither is there warrant for the
-conclusion of Goodwin, that because the holdings of the Planters’ half
-interest in the undertaking were divided into L10 shares, those of the
-Adventurers were also. It is not impossible, but it does not necessarily
-follow, and certain known facts indicate the contrary.
-
-Rev. Edward Everett Hale, in “The Pilgrims’ Life in Common,” says:
-“Carver, Winslow, Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Fuller, and Allerton.
-were the persons of largest means in the Leyden group of the emigrants.
-It seems as if their quota of subscription to the common stock were paid
-in ‘provisions’ for the voyage and the colony, and that by ‘provisions’
-is meant such articles of food as could be best bought in Holland.” The
-good Doctor is clearly in error, in the above. Allerton was probably as
-“well off” as any of the Leyden contingent, while Francis Cooke and
-Degory Priest were probably “better off” than either Brewster or
-Standish, who apparently had little of this world’s goods. Neither is
-there any evidence that any considerable amount of “provision” was bought
-in Holland. Quite a large sum of money, which came, apparently, from the
-pockets of the Leyden Adventurers (Pickering, Greene, etc.), and some of
-the Pilgrims, was requisite to pay for the SPEEDWELL and her refitting,
-etc.; but how much came from either is conjectural at best. But aside
-from “Hollands cheese,” “strong-waters” (schnapps), some few things that
-Cushman names; and probably a few others, obtained in Holland, most of
-the “provisioning,” as repeatedly appears, was done at the English
-Southampton. In fact, after clothing and generally “outfitting”
- themselves, it is pretty certain that but few of the Leyden party had
-much left. There was evidently an understanding between the partners that
-there should be four principal agents charged with the preparations for,
-and carrying out of, the enterprise,--Thomas Weston and Christopher
-Martin representing the Adventurers and the colonists who were recruited
-in England (Martin being made treasurer), while Carver and Cushman acted
-for the Leyden company. John Pierce seems to have been the especial
-representative of the Adventurers in the matter of the obtaining of the
-Patent from the (London) Virginia Company, and later from the Council for
-New England. Bradford says: “For besides these two formerly mentioned,
-sent from Leyden, viz., Master Carver and Robert Cushman, there was one
-chosen in England to be joyned with them, to make the provisions for the
-Voyage. His name was Master Martin. He came from Billerike in Essexe;
-from which parts came sundry others to go with them; as also from London
-and other places, and therefore it was thought meet and convenient by
-them in Holand, that these strangers that were to goe with them, should
-appointe one thus to be joyned with them; not so much from any great need
-of their help as to avoid all susspition, or jealosie, of any
-partialitie.” But neither Weston, Martin, Carver, nor Cushman seems to
-have been directly concerned in the purchase of the SPEEDWELL. The most
-probable conjecture concerning it is, that in furtherance of the purpose
-of the Leyden leaders, stated by Bradford, that there should be a small
-vessel for their service in fishing, traffic, etc., wherever they might
-plant the colony, they were permitted by the Adventurers to purchase the
-SPEEDWELL for that service, and as a consort, “on general account.”
-
-It is evident, however, from John Robinson’s letter of June 14, 1620, to
-John Carver, that Weston ridiculed the transaction, probably on selfish
-grounds, but, as events proved, not without some justification.
-
-Robinson says: “Master Weston makes himself merry with our endeavors
-about buying a ship,” [the SPEEDWELL] “but we have done nothing in this
-but with good reason, as I am persuaded.” Although bought with funds
-raised in Holland,
-
- [Arber (The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341) arrives at the
- conclusion that “The SPEEDWELL had been bought with Leyden money.
- The proceeds of her sale, after her return to London, would, of
- course, go to the credit of the common joint-Stock there.” This
- inference seems warranted by Robinson’s letter of June 16/26 to
- Carver, in which he clearly indicates that the Leyden brethren
- collected the “Adventurers” subscriptions of Pickering and his
- partner (Greene), which were evidently considerable.]
-
-it was evidently upon “joint-account,” and she was doubtless so sold, as
-alleged, on her arrival in September, at London, having proved
-unseaworthy. In fact, the only view of this transaction that harmonizes
-with the known facts and the respective rights and relations of the
-parties is, that permission was obtained (perhaps through Edward
-Pickering, one of the Adventurers, a merchant of Leyden, and others) that
-the Leyden leaders should buy and refit the consort, and in so doing
-might expend the funds which certain of the Leyden Pilgrims were to pay
-into the enterprise, which it appears they did,--and for which they would
-receive, as shown, extra shares in the Planters’ half-interest. It was
-very possibly further permitted by the Adventurers, that Mr. Pickering’s
-and his partners’ subscriptions to their capital stock should be applied
-to the purchase of the SPEEDWELL, as they were collected by the Leyden
-leaders, as Pastor Robinson’s letter of June 14/24 to John Carver,
-previously noted, clearly shows.
-
-She was obviously bought some little time before May 31, 1620,--probably
-in the early part of the month,--from the fact that in their letter of
-May 31st to Carver and Cushman, then in London, Messrs. Fuller, Winslow,
-Bradford, and Allerton state that “we received divers letters at the
-coming of Master Nash and our Pilott,” etc. From this it is clear that
-time enough had elapsed, since their purchase of the pinnace, for their
-messenger (Master Nash) to go to London,--evidently with a request to
-Carver and Cushman that they would send over a competent “pilott” to
-refit her, and for Nash to return with him, while the letter announcing
-their arrival does not seem to have been immediately written.
-
-The writers of the above-mentioned letter use the words “we received,”
- --using the past tense, as if some days before, instead of “we have your
-letters,” or “we have just received your letters,” which would rather
-indicate present, or recent, time. Probably some days elapsed after the
-“pilott’s” arrival, before this letter of acknowledgment was sent. It is
-hence fair to assume that the pinnace was bought early in May, and that
-no time was lost by the Leyden party in preparing for the exodus, after
-their negotiations with the Dutch were “broken off” and they had “struck
-hands” with Weston, sometime between February 2/12, 1619/20, and April
-1/11, 1620,--probably in March.
-
-The consort was a pinnace--as vessels of her class were then and for many
-years called--of sixty tons burden, as already stated, having two masts,
-which were put in--as we are informed by Bradford, and are not allowed by
-Professor Arber to forget--as apart of her refitting in Holland. That
-she was “square-rigged,” and generally of the then prevalent style of
-vessels of her size and class, is altogether probable. The name pinnace
-was applied to vessels having a wide range in tonnage, etc., from a craft
-of hardly more than ten or fifteen tons to one of sixty or eighty. It
-was a term of pretty loose and indefinite adaptation and covered most of
-the smaller craft above a shallop or ketch, from such as could be
-propelled by oars, and were so fitted, to a small ship of the SPEEDWELL’S
-class, carrying an armament.
-
-None of the many representations of the SPEEDWELL which appear in
-historical pictures are authentic, though some doubtless give correct
-ideas of her type. Weir’s painting of the “Embarkation of the Pilgrims,”
- in the Capitol at Washington (and Parker’s copy of the same in Pilgrim
-Hall, Plymouth); Lucy’s painting of the “Departure of the Pilgrims,” in
-Pilgrim Hall; Copes great painting in the corridor of the British Houses
-of Parliament, and others of lesser note, all depict the vessel on much
-the same lines, but nothing can be claimed for any of them, except
-fidelity to a type of vessel of that day and class. Perhaps the best
-illustration now known of a craft of this type is given in the painting
-by the Cuyps, father and son, of the “Departure of the Pilgrims from
-Delfshaven,” as reproduced by Dr. W. E. Griffis, as the frontispiece to
-his little monograph, “The Pilgrims in their Three Homes.” No reliable
-description of the pinnace herself is known to exist, and but few facts
-concerning her have been gleaned. That she was fairly “roomy” for a
-small number of passengers, and had decent accommodations, is inferable
-from the fact that so many as thirty were assigned to her at Southampton,
-for the Atlantic voyage (while the MAY-FLOWER, three times her tonnage,
-but of greater proportionate capacity, had but ninety), as also from the
-fact that “the chief [i.e. principal people] of them that came from
-Leyden went in this ship, to give Master Reynolds content.” That she
-mounted at least “three pieces of ordnance” appears by the testimony of
-Edward Winslow, and they probably comprised her armament.
-
-We have seen that Bradford notes the purchase and refitting of this
-“smale ship of 60 tune” in Holland. The story of her several sailings,
-her “leakiness,” her final return, and her abandonment as unseaworthy,
-is familiar. We find, too, that Bradford also states in his “Historie,”
- that “the leakiness of this ship was partly by her being overmasted and
-too much pressed with sails.” It will, however, amaze the readers of
-Professor Arber’s generally excellent “Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,” so
-often referred to herein, to find him sharply arraigning “those members
-of the Leyden church who were responsible for the fitting of the
-SPEEDWELL,” alleging that “they were the proximate causes of most of the
-troubles on the voyage [of the MAY-FLOWER] out; and of many of the deaths
-at Plymouth in New England in the course of the following Spring; for
-they overmasted the vessel, and by so doing strained her hull while
-sailing.” To this straining, Arber wholly ascribes the “leakiness” of
-the SPEEDWELL and the delay in the final departure of the MAYFLOWER, to
-which last he attributes the disastrous results he specifies. It would
-seem that the historian, unduly elated at what he thought the discovery
-of another “turning-point of modern history,” endeavors to establish it
-by such assertions and such partial references to Bradford as would
-support the imaginary “find.” Briefly stated, this alleged discovery,
-which he so zealously announces, is that if the SPEEDWELL had not been
-overmasted, both she and the MAY-FLOWER would have arrived early in the
-fall at the mouth of the Hudson River, and the whole course of New
-England history would have been entirely different. Ergo, the
-“overmasting” of the SPEEDWELL was a “pivotal point in modern history.”
- With the idea apparently of giving eclat to this announcement and of
-attracting attention to it, he surprisingly charges the responsibility
-for the “overmasting” and its alleged dire results upon the leaders of
-the Leyden church, “who were,” he repeatedly asserts, “alone
-responsible.” As a matter of fact, however, Bradford expressly states
-(in the same paragraph as that upon which Professor Arber must wholly
-base his sweeping assertions) that the “overmasting” was but “partly”
- responsible for the SPEEDWELL’S leakiness, and directly shows that the
-“stratagem” of her master and crew, “afterwards,” he adds, “known, and by
-some confessed,” was the chief cause of her leakiness.
-
-Cushman also shows, by his letter,--written after the ships had put back
-into Dartmouth,--a part of which Professor Arber uses, but the most
-important part suppresses, that what he evidently considers the principal
-leak was caused by a very “loose board” (plank), which was clearly not
-the result of the straining due to “crowding sail,” or of “overmasting.”
- (See Appendix.)
-
-Moreover, as the Leyden chiefs were careful to employ a presumably
-competent man (“pilott,” afterwards “Master” Reynolds) to take charge of
-refitting the consort, they were hence clearly, both legally and morally,
-exempt from responsibility as to any alterations made. Even though the
-“overmasting” had been the sole cause of the SPEEDWELL’S leakiness, and
-the delays and vicissitudes which resulted to the MAY-FLOWER and her
-company, the leaders of the Leyden church--whom Professor Arber arraigns
---(themselves chiefly the sufferers) were in no wise at fault! It is
-clear, however, that the “overmasting” cut but small figure in the case;
-“confessed” rascality in making a leak otherwise, being the chief
-trouble, and this, as well as the “overmasting,” lay at the door of
-Master Reynolds.
-
-Even if the MAY-FLOWER had not been delayed by the SPEEDWELL’S condition,
-and both had sailed for “Hudson’s River” in midsummer, it is by no means
-certain that they would have reached there, as Arber so confidently
-asserts. The treachery of Captain Jones, in league with Gorges, would as
-readily have landed them, by some pretext, on Cape Cod in October, as in
-December. But even though they had landed at the mouth of the Hudson,
-there is no good reason why the Pilgrim influence should not have worked
-north and east, as well as it did west and south, and with the
-Massachusetts Bay Puritans there, Roger Williams in Rhode Island, and the
-younger Winthrop in Connecticut, would doubtless have made New England
-history very much what it has been, and not, as Professor Arber asserts,
-“entirely different.”
-
-The cruel indictment fails, and the imaginary “turning point in modern
-history,” to announce which Professor Arber seems to have sacrificed so
-much, falls with it.
-
-The Rev. Dr. Griffis (“The Pilgrims in their Three Homes,” p. 158) seems
-to give ear to Professor Arber’s untenable allegations as to the Pilgrim
-leaders’ responsibility for any error made in the “overmasting” of the
-SPEEDWELL, although he destroys his case by saying of the “overmasting:”
- “Whether it was done in England or Holland is not certain.” He says,
-unhappily chiming in with Arber’s indictment: “In their eagerness to get
-away promptly, they [the Leyden men] made the mistake of ordering for the
-SPEEDWELL heavier and taller masts and larger spars than her hull had
-been built to receive, thus altering most unwisely and disastrously her
-trim.” He adds still more unhappily: “We do not hear of these inveterate
-landsmen and townsfolk [of whom he says, ‘possibly there was not one man
-familiar with ships or sea life’] who were about to venture on the
-Atlantic, taking counsel of Dutch builders or mariners as to the
-proportion of their craft.” Why so discredit the capacity and
-intelligence of these nation-builders? Was their sagacity ever found
-unequal to the problems they met? Were the men who commanded confidence
-and respect in every avenue of affairs they entered; who talked with
-kings and dealt with statesmen; these diplomats, merchants, students,
-artisans, and manufacturers; these men who learned law, politics, state
-craft, town building, navigation, husbandry, boat-building, and medicine,
-likely to deal negligently or presumptuously with matters upon which they
-were not informed? Their first act, after buying the SPEEDWELL, was to
-send to England for an “expert” to take charge of all technical matters
-of her “outfitting,” which was done, beyond all question, in Holland.
-What need had they, having done this (very probably upon the advice of
-those experienced ship-merchants, their own “Adventurers” and townsmen,
-Edward Pickering and William Greene), to consult Dutch ship-builders or
-mariners? She was to be an English ship, under the English flag, with
-English owners, and an English captain; why: should they defer to Dutch
-seamen or put other than an English “expert” in charge of her
-alterations, especially when England rightfully boasted the best? But
-not only were these Leyden leaders not guilty of any laches as indicted
-by Arber and too readily convicted by Griffis, but the “overmasting” was
-of small account as compared with the deliberate rascality of captain and
-crew, in the disabling of the consort, as expressly certified by
-Bradford, who certainly, as an eye-witness, knew whereof he affirmed.
-
-Having bought a vessel, it was necessary to fit her for the severe
-service in which she was to be employed; to provision her for the voyage,
-etc.; and this could be done properly only by experienced hands. The
-Pilgrim leaders at Leyden seem, therefore, as noted, to have sent to
-their agents at London for a competent man to take charge of this work,
-and were sent a “pilott” (or “mate”), doubtless presumed to be equal to
-the task. Goodwin mistakenly says: “As Spring waned, Thomas Nash went
-from Leyden to confer with the agents at London. He soon returned with a
-pilot (doubtless [sic] Robert Coppin), who was to conduct the Continental
-party to England.” This is both wild and remarkable “guessing” for the
-usually careful compiler of the “Pilgrim Republic.” There is no warrant
-whatever for this assumption, and everything contra-indicates it,
-although two such excellent authorities as Dr. Dexter and Goodwin
-coincide--the latter undoubtedly copying the former--concerning Coppin;
-both being doubtless in error, as hereafter shown. Dexter says “My
-impression is that Coppin was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL,
-and that he was the ‘pilott’ whose coming was ‘a great incouragement’ to
-the Leyden expectants, in the last of May, or first of June, 1620 [before
-May 31, as shown]; that he sailed with them in the SPEEDWELL, but on her
-final putting back was transferred to the MAY-FLOWER.” All the direct
-light any one has upon the matter comes from the letter of the Leyden
-brethren of May 31 [O.S.], 1620, previously cited, to Carver and Cushman,
-and the reply of the latter thereto, of Sunday, June 11, 1620. The
-former as noted, say: “We received diverse letters at the coming of
-Master Nash [probably Thomas] and our pilott, which is a great
-incouragement unto us . . . and indeed had you not sente him [the
-‘pilott,’ presumably] many would have been ready to fainte and goe
-backe.” Neither here nor in any other relation is there the faintest
-suggestion of Coppin, except as what he was, “the second mate,” or
-“pilott,” of the MAY-FLOWER. It is not reasonable to suppose that, for
-so small a craft but just purchased, and with the expedition yet
-uncertain, the Leyden leaders or their London agents had by June 11,
-employed both a “Master” and a “pilott” for the SPEEDWELL, as must have
-been the case if this “pilott” was, as Goodwin so confidently assumes,
-“doubtless Robert Coppin.” For in Robert Cushman’s letter of Sunday,
-June 11, as if proposing (now that the larger vessel would be at once
-obtained, and would, as he thought, be “ready in fourteen days”) that the
-“pilott” sent over to “refit” the SPEEDWELL should be further utilized,
-he says: “Let Master Reynolds tarrie there [inferentially, not return
-here when his work is done, as we originally arranged] and bring the ship
-[the SPEEDWELL], to Southampton.” The latter service we know he
-performed.
-
-The side lights upon the matter show, beyond doubt:--
-
-(a) That a “pilott” had been sent to Holland, with Master Nash, before
-May 31, 1620;
-
-(b) That unless two had been sent (of which there is no suggestion, and
-which is entirely improbable, for obvious reasons), Master Reynolds was
-the “pilott” who was thus sent;
-
-(c) That it is clear, from Cushman’s letter of June 11/21, that Reynolds
-was then in Holland, for Cushman directs that “Master Reynolds tarrie
-there and bring the ship to Southampton;”
-
-(d) That Master Reynolds was not originally intended to “tarrie there,”
- and “bring the ship,” etc., as, if he had been, there would have been no
-need of giving such an order; and
-
-(e) That he had been sent there for some other purpose than to bring the
-SPEEDWELL to Southampton. Duly considering all the facts together, there
-can be no doubt that only one “pilott” was sent from England; that he was
-expected to return when the work was done for which he went (apparently
-the refitting of the SPEEDWELL); that he was ordered to remain for a new
-duty, and that the man who performed that duty and brought the ship to
-Southampton (who, we know was Master Reynolds) must have been the
-“pilott”, sent over.
-
-We are told too, by Bradford,
-
- [Bradford’s Historie, as already cited; Arber, The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341. John Brown, in his Pilgrim Fathers of New
- England, p. 198, says: “She [the SPEEDWELL] was to remain with the
- colony for a year.” Evidently a mistake, arising from the length of
- time for which her crew were shipped. The pinnace herself was
- intended, as we have seen, for the permanent use of they colonists,
- and was to remain indefinitely.]
-
-that the crew of the SPEEDWELL “were hired for a year,” and we know, in a
-general way, that most of them went with her to London when she abandoned
-the voyage. This there is ample evidence Coppin did not do, going as he
-did to New England as “second mate” or “pilott” of the MAY-FLOWER, which
-there is no reason to doubt he was when she left London. Neither is
-there anywhere any suggestion that there was at Southampton any change in
-the second mate of the larger ship, as there must have been to make good
-the suggestion of Dr. Dexter.
-
-Where the SPEEDWELL lay while being “refitted” has not been ascertained,
-though presumably at Delfshaven, whence she sailed, though possibly at
-one of the neighboring larger ports, where her new masts and cordage
-could be “set up” to best advantage.
-
-We know that Reynolds--“pilott” and “Master” went from London to
-superintend the “making-ready” for sea. Nothing is known, however, of
-his antecedents, and nothing of his history after he left the service of
-the Pilgrims in disgrace, except that he appears to have come again to
-New England some years later, in command of a vessel, in the service of
-the reckless adventurer Weston (a traitor to the Pilgrims), through whom,
-it is probable, he was originally selected for their service in Holland.
-Bradford and others entitled to judge have given their opinions of this
-cowardly scoundrel (Reynolds) in unmistakable terms.
-
-What other officers and crew the pinnace had does not appear, and we know
-nothing certainly of them, except the time for which they shipped; that
-some of them were fellow-conspirators with the Master (self-confessed),
-in the “strategem” to compel the SPEEDWELL’S abandonment of the voyage;
-and that a few were transferred to the MAYFLOWER. From the fact that the
-sailors Trevore and Ely returned from New Plymouth on the FORTUNE in
-1621, “their time having expired,” as Bradford notes, it may be fairly
-assumed that they were originally of the SPEEDWELL’S crew.
-
-That the fears of the SPEEDWELL’S men had been worked upon, and their
-cooperation thus secured by the artful Reynolds, is clearly indicated by
-the statement of Bradford: “For they apprehended that the greater ship
-being of force and in which most of the provisions were stored, she would
-retain enough for herself, whatever became of them or the passengers, and
-indeed such speeches had been cast out by some of them.”
-
-Of the list of passengers who embarked at Delfshaven, July 22, 1620,
-“bound for Southampton on the English coast, and thence for the northern
-parts of Virginia,” we fortunately have a pretty accurate knowledge.
-All of the Leyden congregation who were to emigrate, with the exception
-of Robert Cushman and family, and (probably) John Carver, were doubtless
-passengers upon the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to Southampton, though the
-presence of Elder Brewster has been questioned. The evidence that he was
-there is well-nigh as conclusive as that Robert Cushman sailed on the
-MAY-FLOWER from London, and that Carver, who had been for some months in
-England,--chiefly at Southampton, making preparations for the voyage, was
-there to meet the ships on their arrival. It is possible, of course,
-that Cushman’s wife and son came on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven; but is
-not probable. Among the passengers, however, were some who, like Thomas
-Blossom and his son, William Ring, and others, abandoned the voyage to
-America at Plymouth, and returned in the pinnace to London and thence
-went back to Holland. Deducting from the passenger list of the MAYFLOWER
-those known to have been of the English contingent, with Robert Cushman
-and family, and John Carver, we have a very close approximate to the
-SPEEDWELL’S company on her “departure from Delfshaven.” It has not been
-found possible to determine with absolute certainty the correct relation
-of a few persons. They may have been of the Leyden contingent and so
-have come with their brethren on the SPEEDWELL, or they may have been of
-the English colonists, and first embarked either at London or at
-Southampton, or even at Plymouth,--though none are supposed to have
-joined the emigrants there or at Dartmouth.
-
-The list of those embarking at Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, and so of the
-participants in that historic event,--a list now published for the first
-time, so far as known,--is undoubtedly accurate, within the limitations
-stated, as follows, being for convenience’ sake arranged by families:
-
-The Family of Deacon John Carver (probably in charge of John Howland),
-embracing:--
- Mrs. Katherine Carver,
- John Howland (perhaps kinsman of Carver), “servant” or “employee,”
- Desire Minter, or Minther (probably companion of Mrs. Carver,
- perhaps kinswoman),
- Roger Wilder, “servant,”
- “Mrs. Carver’s maid” (whose name has never transpired).
-
-Master William Bradford and
- Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford.
-
-Master Edward Winslow and
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow,
- George Soule a “servant” (or employee),
- Elias Story, “servant.”
-
-Elder William Brewster and
- Mrs. Mary Brewster,
- Love Brewster, a son,
- Wrestling Brewster, a son.
-
-Master Isaac Allerton and
- Mrs. Mary (Morris) Allerton,
- Bartholomew Allerton, a son,
- Remember Allerton, a daughter,
- Mary Allerton, a daughter,
- John Hooke, “servant-boy.”
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller and
- William Butten, “servant”-assistant.
-
-Captain Myles Standish and
- Mrs. Rose Standish.
-
-Master William White and
- Mrs. Susanna (Fuller) White,
- Resolved White, a son,
- William Holbeck, “servant,”
- Edward Thompson, “servant.”
-
-Deacon Thomas Blossom and
- ----- Blossom, a son.
-
-Master Edward Tilley and
- Mrs. Ann Tilley.
-
-Master John Tilley and
- Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde?) Tilley (2d wife),
- Elizabeth Tilley, a daughter of Mr. Tilley by a former wife(?)
-
-John Crackstone and
- John Crackstone (Jr.), a son.
-
-Francis Cooke and
- John Cooke, a son.
-
-John Turner and
- ---- Turner, a son,
- ---- Turner, a son.
-
-Degory Priest.
-
-Thomas Rogers and
- Joseph Rogers, a son.
-
-Moses Fletcher.
-
-Thomas Williams.
-
-Thomas Tinker and
- Mrs. ---- Tinker,
- ---- Tinker, a son.
-
-Edward Fuller and
- Mrs. ---- Fuller,
- Samuel Fuller, a son.
-
-John Rigdale and
- Mrs. Alice Rigdale.
-
-Francis Eaton and
- Mrs. ---- Eaton,
- Samuel Eaton, an infant son.
-
-Peter Browne.
-
-William Ring.
-
-Richard Clarke.
-
-John Goodman.
-
-Edward Margeson.
-
-Richard Britteridge.
-
-
-Mrs. Katherine Carver and her family, it is altogether probable, came
- over in charge of Howland, who was probably a kinsman, both he and
- Deacon Carver coming from Essex in England,--as they could hardly
- have been in England with Carver during the time of his exacting
- work of preparation. He, it is quite certain, was not a passenger
- on the Speedwell, for Pastor Robinson would hardly have sent him
- such a letter as that received by him at Southampton, previously
- mentioned (Bradford’s “Historie,” Deane’s ed. p. 63), if he had been
- with him at Delfshaven at the “departure,” a few days before. Nor
- if he had handed it to him at Delfshaven, would he have told him in
- it, “I have written a large letter to the whole company.”
-
-John Howland was clearly a “secretary” or “steward,” rather than a
- “servant,” and a man of standing and influence from the outset.
- That he was in Leyden and hence a SPEEDWELL passenger appears
- altogether probable, but is not absolutely certain.
-
-Desire Minter (or Minther) was undoubtedly the daughter of Sarah, who,
- the “Troth Book” (or “marriage-in-tention” records) for 1616, at the
- Stadtbuis of Leyden, shows, was probably wife or widow of one
- William Minther--evidently of Pastor Robinson’s congregation--when
- she appeared on May 13 as a “voucher” for Elizabeth Claes, who then
- pledged herself to Heraut Wilson, a pump-maker, John Carver being
- one of Wilson’s “vouchers.” In 1618 Sarah Minther (then recorded as
- the widow of William) reappeared, to plight her troth to Roger
- Simons, brick-maker, from Amsterdam. These two records and the
- rarity of the name warrant an inference that Desire Minter (or
- Minther) was the daughter of William and Sarah (Willet) Minter (or
- Minther), of Robinson’s flock; that her father had died prior to
- 1618 (perhaps before 1616); that the Carvers were near friends,
- perhaps kinsfolk; that her father being dead, her mother, a poor
- widow (there were clearly no rich ones in the Leyden congregation),
- placed this daughter with the Carvers, and, marrying herself, and
- removing to Amsterdam the year before the exodus, was glad to leave
- her daughter in so good a home and such hands as Deacon and Mistress
- Carver’s. The record shows that the father and mother of Mrs. Sarah
- Minther, Thomas and Alice Willet, the probable grandparents of
- Desire Minter, appear as “vouchers” for their daughter at her Leyden
- betrothal. Of them we know nothing further, but it is a reasonable
- conjecture that they may have returned to England after the
- remarriage of their daughter and her removal to Amsterdam, and the
- removal of the Carvers and their granddaughter to America, and that
- it was to them that Desire went, when, as Bradford records, “she
- returned to her friends in England, and proved not very well and
- died there.”
-
-“Mrs. Carver’s maid” we know but little about, but the presumption is
- naturally strong that she came from; Leyden with her mistress. Her
- early marriage and; death are duly recorded.
-
-Roger Wilder, Carver’s “servant;” was apparently in his service at Leyden
- and accompanied the family from thence. Bradford calls him “his
- [Carver’s] man Roger,” as if an old, familiar household servant,
- which (as Wilder died soon after the arrival at Plymouth) Bradford
- would not have been as likely to do--writing in 1650, thirty years
- after--if he had been only a short-time English addition to Carver’s
- household, known to Bradford only during the voyage. The fact that
- he speaks of him as a “man” also indicates something as to his age,
- and renders it certain that he was not an “indentured” lad. It is
- fair to presume he was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL to Southampton.
- (It is probable that Carver’s “servant-boy,” William Latham, and
- Jasper More, his “bound-boy,” were obtained in England, as more
- fully appears.)
-
-Master William Bradford and his wife were certainly of the party in the
- SPEEDWELL, as shown by his own recorded account of the embarkation.
- (Bradford’s “Historie,” etc.)
-
-Master Edward Winslow’s very full (published) account of the embarkation
- (“Hypocrisie Unmasked,” pp. 10-13, etc.) makes it certain that
- himself and family were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-
-George Soule, who seems to have been a sort of “upper servant” or
- “steward,” it is not certain was with Winslow in Holland, though it
- is probable.
-
-Elias Story, his “under-servant,” was probably also with him in Holland,
- though not surely so. Both servants might possibly have been
- procured from London or at Southampton, but probably sailed from
- Delfshaven with Winslow in the SPEEDWELL.
-
-Elder William Brewster and his family, his wife and two boys, were
- passengers on the SPEEDWELL, beyond reasonable doubt. He was, in
- fact, the ranking man of the Leyden brethren till they reached
- Southampton and the respective ships’ “governors” were chosen. The
- Church to that point was dominant. (The Elder’s two “bound-boys,”
- being from London, do not appear as SPEEDWELL passengers.) There is,
- on careful study, no warrant to be found for the remarkable
- statements of Goodwin (“Pilgrim Republic,” p. 33), that, during the
- hunt for Brewster in Holland in 1619, by the emissaries of James I.
- of England (in the endeavor to apprehend and punish him for printing
- and publishing certain religious works alleged to be seditious),
- “William Brewster was in London . . . and there he remained until
- the sailing of the MAYFLOWER, which he helped to fit out;” and that
- during that time “he visited Scrooby.” That he had no hand whatever
- in fitting out the MAYFLOWER is certain, and the Scrooby statement
- equally lacks foundation. Professor Arber, who is certainly a
- better authority upon the “hidden press” of the Separatists in
- Holland, and the official correspondence relating to its proprietors
- and their movements, says (“The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,”
- p.196): “The Ruling Elder of the Pilgrim Church was, for more than a
- year before he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, on the 22 July-
- 1 August, 1620, a hunted man.” Again (p. 334), he says: “Here let
- us consider the excellent management and strategy of this Exodus.
- If the Pilgrims had gone to London to embark for America, many, if
- not most of them, would have been put in prison [and this is the
- opinion of a British historian, knowing the temper of those times,
- especially William Brewster.] So only those embarked in London
- against whom the Bishops could take no action.” We can understand,
- in light, why Carver--a more objectionable person than Cushman to
- the prelates, because of his office in the Separatist Church--was
- chiefly employed out of their sight, at Southampton, etc., while the
- diplomatic and urbane Cushman did effective work at London, under
- the Bishops’ eyes. It is not improbable that the personal
- friendship of Sir Robert Naunton (Principal Secretary of State to
- King James) for Sir Edward Sandys and the Leyden brethren (though
- officially seemingly active under his masters’ orders in pushing Sir
- Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, to an
- unrelenting search for Brewster) may have been of material aid to
- the Pilgrims in gaining their departure unmolested. The only basis
- known for the positive expression of Goodwin resides in the
- suggestions of several letters’ of Sir Dudley Carleton to Sir Robert
- Naunton, during the quest for Brewster; the later seeming clearly to
- nullify the earlier.
-
- Under date of July 22, 1619, Carleton says: “One William Brewster,
- a Brownist, who has been for some years an inhabitant and printer at
- Leyden, but is now within these three weeks removed from thence and
- gone back to dwell in London,” etc.
-
- On August 16, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: “I am told William Brewster is
- come again for Leyden,” but on the 30th adds: “I have made good
- enquiry after William Brewster and am well assured he is not
- returned thither, neither is it likely he will; having removed from
- thence both his family and goods,” etc.
-
- On September 7, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: “Touching Brewster, I am now
- informed that he is on this side the seas [not in London, as before
- alleged]; and that he was seen yesterday, at Leyden, but, as yet, is
- not there settled,” etc.
-
- On September 13, 1619 (N.S.), he says: “I have used all diligence to
- enquire after Brewster; and find he keeps most at Amsterdam; but
- being ‘incerti laris’, he is not yet to be lighted upon. I
- understand he prepares to settle himself at a village called
- Leerdorp, not far from Leyden, thinking there to be able to print
- prohibited books without discovery, but I shall lay wait for him,
- both there and in other places, so as I doubt but either he must
- leave this country; or I shall, sooner or later, find him out.”
-
- On September 20, 1619 (N.S.), he says: “I have at length found out
- Brewster at Leyden,” etc. It was a mistake, and Brewster’s partner
- (Thomas Brewer), one of the Merchant Adventurers, was arrested
- instead.
-
- On September 28, 1619 (N.S.), he states, writing from Amsterdam:
- “If he lurk here for fear of apprehension, it will be hard to find
- him,” etc.
-
- As late as February 8, 1619/20, there was still a desire and hope
- for his arrest, but by June the matter had become to the King--and
- all others--something of an old story. While, as appears by a
- letter of Robert Cushman, written in London, in May, 1619, Brewster
- was then undoubtedly there, one cannot agree, in the light of the
- official correspondence just quoted, with the conclusion of Dr.
- Alexander Young (“Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers,” vol. i.
- p. 462), that “it is probable he [Brewster] did not return to
- Leyden, but kept close till the MAYFLOWER sailed.”
-
- Everything indicates that he was at Leyden long after this; that he
- did not again return to London, as supposed; and that he was in
- hiding with his family (after their escape from the pursuit at
- Leyden), somewhere among friends in the Low Countries. Although by
- July, 1620, the King had, as usual, considerably “cooled off,” we
- may be sure that with full knowledge of the harsh treatment meted
- out to his partner (Brewer) when caught, though unusually mild (by
- agreement with the authorities of the University and Province of
- Holland), Brewster did not deliberately put himself “under the
- lion’s paw” at London, or take any chances of arrest there, even in
- disguise. Dr. Griffis has lent his assent (“The Pilgrims in their
- Homes,” p, 167), though probably without careful analysis of all the
- facts, to the untenable opinion expressed by Goodwin, that Brewster
- was “hiding in England” when the SPEEDWELL sailed from Delfshaven.
- There can be no doubt that, with his ever ready welcome of sound
- amendment, he will, on examination, revise his opinion, as would the
- clear-sighted Goodwin, if living and cognizant of the facts as
- marshalled against his evident error. As the leader and guide of
- the outgoing part of the Leyden church we may, with good warrant,
- believe--as all would wish--that Elder Brewster was the chief figure
- the departing Pilgrims gathered on the SPEEDWELL deck, as she took
- her departure from Delfshaven.
-
-Master Isaac Allerton and his family, his wife and three children, two
- sons and a daughter, were of the Leyden company and passengers in
- the SPEEDWELL. We know he was active there as a leader, and was
- undoubtedly one of those who bought the SPEEDWELL. He was one of
- the signers of the joint-letter from Leyden, to Carver and Cushman,
- May 31 (O.S.) 1620.
-
-John Hooke, Allerton’s “servant-lad,” may have been detained at London or
- Southampton, but it is hardly probable, as Allerton was a man of
- means, consulted his comfort, and would have hardly started so large
- a family on such a journey without a servant.
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller was, as is well known, one of the Leyden chiefs,
- connected by blood and marriage with many of the leading families of
- Robinson’s congregation. He was active in the preparations for the
- voyage the first signer of the joint-letter of May 31, and doubtless
- one of the negotiators for the SPEEDWELL. His wife and child were
- left behind, to follow later as they did.
-
-William Butten, the first of the Pilgrim party to die, was, in all
- probability, a student-“servant” of Doctor Fuller at Leyden, and
- doubtless embarked with him at Delfshaven. Bradford calls him
- (writing of his death) “Wm. Butten, a youth, servant to Samuel
- Fuller.” Captain Myles Standish and his wife Rose, we know from
- Bradford, were with the Pilgrims in Leyden and doubtless shipped
- with them. Arber calls him (“The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,”
- p. 378) a “chief of the Pilgrim Fathers” in the sense of a father
- and leader in their Israel; but there is no warrant for this
- assumption, though he became their “sword-hand” in the New World.
- By some writers, though apparently with insufficient warrant,
- Standish has been declared a Roman Catholic. It does not appear
- that he was ever a communicant of the Pilgrim Church. His family,
- moreover, was not of the Roman Catholic faith, and all his conduct
- in the colony is inconsistent with the idea that he was of that
- belief. Master William White, his wife and son, were of the Leyden
- congregation, both husband and wife being among its principal
- people, and nearly related to several of the Pilgrim band. The
- marriage of Mr. and Mrs. White is duly recorded in Leyden. William
- Holbeck and Edward Thompson, Master White’s two servants, he
- probably took with him from Leyden, as his was a family of means and
- position, though they might possibly have been procured at
- Southampton. They were apparently passengers in the SPEEDWELL.
- Deacon Thomas Blossom and his son were well known as of Pastor
- Robinson’s flock at Leyden. They returned, moreover, to Holland
- from Plymouth, England (where they gave up the voyage), via London.
- The father went to New Plymouth ten years later, the son dying
- before that time. (See Blossom’s letter to Governor Bradford.
- Bradford’s Letter Book, “Plymouth Church Records,” i. 42.) In his
- letter dated at Leyden, December 15, 1625, he says: “God hath taken
- away my son that was with me in the ship MAYFLOWER when I went back
- again.”
-
-Edward Tilley (sometimes given the prefix of Master) his wife Ann are
- known to have been of the Leyden company. (Bradford’s “Historie,”
- p. 83.) It is doubtful if their “cousins,” Henry Sampson and
- Humility Cooper, were of Leyden. They apparently were English
- kinsfolk, taken to New England with the Tilleys, very likely joined
- them at Southampton and hence were not of the SPEEDWELL’S
- passengers. Humility Cooper returned to England after the death of
- Tilley and his wife. That Mrs. Tilley’s “given name” was Ann is not
- positively established, but rests on Bradford’s evidence.
-
-John Tilley (who is also sometimes called Master) is reputed a brother of
- Edward, and is known to have been--as also his wife--of the Leyden
- church (Bradford, Deane’s ed. p. 83.) His second wife Bridget Van
- der Velde, was evidently of Holland blood, and their marriage is
- recorded in Leyden. Elizabeth Tilley was clearly a daughter by an
- earlier wife. He is said by Goodwin (“Pilgrim Republic,” p. 32) to
- have been a “silk worker” Leyden, but earlier authority for this
- occupation is not found.
-
-John Crackstone is of record as of the Leyden congregation. His daughter
- remained there, and came later to America.
-
-John Crackstone, Jr., son of above. Both were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-
-Francis Cooke has been supposed a very early member of Robinson’s flock
- in England, who escaped with them to Holland, in 1608. He and his
- son perhaps embarked at Delfshaven, leaving his wife and three other
- children to follow later. (See Robinson’s letter to Governor
- Bradford, “Mass. Hist. Coll.,” vol. iii. p. 45, also Appendix for
- account of Cooke’s marriage.)
-
-John Cooke, the son, was supposed to have lived to be the last male
- survivor of the MAY-FLOWER, but Richard More proves to have survived
- him. He was a prominent man in the colony, like his father, and the
- founder of Dartmouth (Mass.).
-
-John Turner and his sons are also known to have been of the Leyden party,
- as he was undoubtedly the messenger sent to London with the letter
- (of May 31) of the leaders to Carver and Cushman, arriving there
- June 10, 1620. They were beyond doubt of the SPEEDWELL’S list.
-
-Degory Priest--or “Digerie,” as Bradford calls him--was a prominent
- member of the Leyden body. His marriage is recorded there, and he
- left his family in the care of his pastor and friends, to follow him
- later. He died early.
-
-Thomas Rogers and his son are reputed of the Leyden company. He left
- (according to Bradford) some of his family there--as did Cooke and
- Priest--to follow later. It has been suggested that Rogers might
- have been of the Essex (England) lineage, but no evidence of this
- appears. The Rogers family of Essex were distinctively Puritans,
- both in England and in the Massachusetts colony.
-
-Moses Fletcher was a “smith” at Leyden, and of Robinson’s church. He was
- married there, in 1613, to his second wife. He was perhaps of the
- English Amsterdam family of Separatists, of that name. As the only
- blacksmith of the colonists, his early death was a great loss.
-
-Thomas Williams, there seems no good reason to doubt, was the Thomas
- Williams known to have been of Leyden congregation. Hon. H. C.
- Murphy and Arber include him--apparently through oversight alone
- --in the list of those of Leyden who did not go, unless there were
- two of the name, one of whom remained in Holland.
-
-Thomas Tinker, wife, and son are not certainly known to have been of the
- Leyden company, or to have embarked at Delfshaven, but their
- constant association in close relation with others who were and who
- so embarked warrants the inference that they were of the SPEEDWELL’S
- passengers. It is, however, remotely possible, that they were of
- the English contingent.
-
-Edward Fuller and his wife and little son were of the Leyden company, and
- on the SPEEDWELL. He is reputed to have been a brother of Dr.
- Fuller, and is occasionally so claimed by early writers, but by what
- warrant is not clear.
-
-John Rigdale and his wife have always been placed by tradition and
- association with the Leyden emigrants but there is a possibility
- that they were of the English party. Probability assigns them to
- the SPEEDWELL, and they are needed to make her accredited number.
-
-Francis Eaton, wife, and babe were doubtless of the Leyden list. He is
- said to have been a carpenter there (Goodwin, “Pilgrim Republic,” p.
- 32), and was married there, as the record attests.
-
-Peter Browne has always been classed with the Leyden party. There is no
- established authority for this except tradition, and he might
- possibly have been of the English emigrants, though probably a
- SPEEDWELL passenger; he is needed to make good her putative number.
-
-William Ring is in the same category as are Eaton and Browne. Cushman
- speaks of him, in his Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth (of
- August 17), in terms of intimacy, though this, while suggestive, of
- course proves nothing, and he gave up the voyage and returned from
- Plymouth to London with Cushman. He was certainly from Leyden.
-
-Richard Clarke is on the doubtful list, as are also John Goodman, Edward
- Margeson, and Richard Britteridge. They have always been
- traditionally classed with the Leyden colonists, yet some of them
- were possibly among the English emigrants. They are all needed,
- however, to make up the number usually assigned to Leyden, as are
- all the above “doubtfuls,” which is of itself somewhat confirmatory
- of the substantial correctness of the list.
-
-Thomas English, Bradford records, “was hired to goe master of a [the]
- shallopp” of the colonists, in New England waters. He was probably
- hired in Holland and was almost certainly of the SPEEDWELL.
-
-John Alderton (sometimes written Allerton) was, Bradford states, “a hired
- man, reputed [reckoned] one of the company, but was to go back
- (being a seaman) and so making no account of the voyages for the
- help of others behind” [probably at Leyden]. It is probable that he
- was hired in Holland, and came to Southampton on the SPEEDWELL.
- Both English and Alderton seem to have stood on a different footing
- from Trevore and Ely, the other two seamen in the employ of the
- colonists.
-
-William Trevore was, we are told by Bradford, “a seaman hired to stay a
- year in the countrie,” but whether or not as part of the SPEEDWELL’S
- Crew (who, he tells us, were all hired for a year) does not appear.
- As the Master (Reynolds) and others of her crew undoubtedly returned
- to London in her from Plymouth, and her voyage was cancelled, the
- presumption is that Trevore and Ely were either hired anew or--more
- probably--retained under their former agreement, to proceed by the
- MAY-FLOWER to America, apparently (practically) as passengers.
- Whether of the consort’s crew or not, there can be little doubt that
- he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL.
-
---- Ely, the other seaman in the Planters’ employ, also hired to “remain
- a year in the countrie,” appears to have been drafted, like Trevore,
- from the SPEEDWELL before she returned to London, having, no doubt,
- made passage from Holland in her. Both Trevore and Ely survived
- “the general sickness” at New Plimoth, and at the expiration of the
- time for which they were employed returned on the FORTUNE to England
-
-
-Of course the initial embarkation, on Friday, July 21/31 1620, was at
-Leyden, doubtless upon the Dutch canal-boats which undoubtedly brought
-them from a point closely adjacent to Pastor Robinson’s house in the
-Klock-Steeg (Bell, Belfry, Alley), in the garden of which were the houses
-of many, to Delfshaven.
-
-Rev. John Brown, D.D., says: “The barges needed for the journey were
-most likely moored near the Nuns’ Bridge which spans the Rapenburg
-immediately opposite the Klok-Steeg, where Robinsons house was. This,
-being their usual meeting-place, would naturally be the place of
-rendezvous on the morning of departure. From thence it was but a stone’s
-throw to the boats, and quickly after starting they would enter the
-Vliet, as the section of the canal between Leyden and Delft is named, and
-which for a little distance runs within the city bounds, its quays
-forming the streets. In those days the point where the canal leaves the
-city was guarded by a water-gate, which has long since been removed, as
-have also the town walls, the only remaining portions of which are the
-Morsch-gate and the Zylgate. So, gliding along the quiet waters of the
-Vliet, past the Water-gate, and looking up at the frowning turrets of the
-Cow-gate, ‘they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their
-resting-place near twelve years.’ . . . Nine miles from Leyden a
-branch canal connects the Vliet with the Hague, and immediately beyond
-their junction a sharp turn is made to the left, as the canal passes
-beneath the Hoom-bridge; from this point, for the remaining five miles,
-the high road from the Hague to Delft, lined with noble trees, runs side
-by side with the canal. In our time the canal-boats make a circuit of
-the town to the right, but in those days the traffic went by canal
-through the heart of the city . . . . Passing out of the gates of
-Delft and leaving the town behind, they had still a good ten miles of
-canal journey before them ere they reached their vessel and came to the
-final parting, for, as Mr. Van Pelt has clearly shown, it is a mistake to
-confound Delft with Delfshaven, as the point of embarkation in the
-SPEEDWELL. Below Delft the canal, which from Leyden thither is the
-Vliet, then becomes the Schie, and at the village of Overschie the
-travellers entered the Delfshaven Canal, which between perfectly straight
-dykes flows at a considerable height above the surrounding pastures.
-Then finally passing through one set of sluice gates after another, the
-Pilgrims were lifted from the canal into a broad receptacle for vessels,
-then into the outer haven, and so to the side of the SPEEDWELL as she lay
-at the quay awaiting their arrival.”
-
-Dr. Holmes has prettily pictured the “Departure” in his “Robinson of
-Leyden,” even if not altogether correctly, geographically.
-
- “He spake; with lingering, long embrace,
- With tears of love and partings fond,
- They floated down the creeping Maas,
- Along the isle of Ysselmond.
-
- “They passed the frowning towers of Briel,
- The ‘Hook of Holland’s’ shelf of sand,
- And grated soon with lifting keel
- The sullen shores of Fatherland.
-
- “No home for these! too well they knew
- The mitred king behind the throne;
- The sails were set, the pennons flew,
- And westward ho! for worlds unknown.”
-
-
-Winslow informs us that they of the Leyden congregation who volunteered
-for the American enterprise were rather the smaller fraction of the whole
-body, though he adds, as noted “that the difference was not great.”
- A careful analysis of the approximate list of the Leyden colonists,
---including, of course, Carver, and Cushman and his family,--whose total
-number seems to have been seventy-two, indicates that of this number,
-forty-two, or considerably more than half (the rest being children,
-seamen, or servants), were probably members of the Leyden church. Of
-these, thirty, probably, were males and twelve females. The exact
-proportion this number bore to the numerical strength of Robinson’s
-church at that time cannot be determined, because while something less
-than half as we know, gave their votes for the American undertaking, it
-cannot be known whether or not the women of church had a vote in the
-matter. Presumably they did not, the primitive church gave good heed to
-the words of Paul (i Corinthians xiv. 34), “Let your women keep silence
-in the churches.” Neither can it be known--if they had a voice--whether
-the wives and daughters of some of the embarking Pilgrims, who did not go
-themselves at this time, voted with their husbands and fathers for the
-removal. The total number, seventy-two, coincides very nearly with the
-estimate made by Goodwin, who says: “Only eighty or ninety could go in
-this party from Leyden,” and again: “Not more than eighty of the
-MAY-FLOWER company were from Leyden. Allowing for [i.e. leaving out]
-the younger children and servants, it is evident that not half the
-company can have been from Robinson’s congregation.” As the total
-number of passengers on the MAYFLOWER was one hundred and two when she
-took her final departure from England, it is clear that Goodwin’s
-estimate is substantially correct, and that the number representing the
-Leyden church as given above, viz., forty-two, is very close to the
-fact.
-
-“When they came to the place” [Delfshaven], says Bradford, “they found
-the ship and all things ready; and such of their friends as could not
-come with them [from Leyden] followed after them; and sundry also came
-from Amsterdam (about fifty miles) to see them shipped, and to take their
-leave of them.”
-
-Saturday, July 22/Aug. 1, 1620, the Pilgrim company took their farewells,
-and Winslow records: “We only going aboard, the ship lying to the key
-[quay] and ready to sail; the wind being fair, we gave them [their
-friends] a volley of small shot [musketry] and three pieces of ordnance
-and so lifting up our hands to each other and our hearts for each other
-to the Lord our God, we departed.”
-
-Goodwin says of the parting: “The hull was wrapped in smoke, through
-which was seen at the stern the white flag of England doubly bisected by
-the great red cross of St. George, a token that the emigrants had at last
-resumed their dearly-loved nationality. Far above them at the main was
-seen the Union Jack of new device.”
-
-
-And so after more than eleven years of banishment for conscience’ sake
-from their native shores, this little band of English exiles, as true to
-their mother-land--despite persecutions--as to their God, raised the
-flag of England, above their own little vessel, and under its folds set
-sail to plant themselves for a larger life in a New World.
-
-And thus opens the “Log” of the SPEEDWELL, and the “Westward-Ho” of the
-Pilgrim Fathers.
-
-
-
- THE SPEEDWELL’S LOG
-
-
-Sunday, July 23/Aug. 2.
- On the German Ocean. Wind fair. General
- course D.W., toward Southampton. sails
- set, running free.
-
-Monday, July 24/Aug. 3.
- Fair. Wind moderate. Dover Straits
- English Channel. In sight Dover Cliffs.
-
-Tuesday, July 25/Aug. 5
- Hugging English shore. Enters Southampton
- Water.
-
-Wednesday, July 26/Aug. 5.
- Came to anchor in Port of Southampton near
- ship MAYFLOWER of Yarmouth, from London (to
- which this pinnace is consort), off the
- north of the West Quay.’
-
-Thursday, July 27/Aug. 6.
- At anchor in port of Southampton.
-
-Friday, July 28/Aug. 7.
- Lying at anchor at Southampton.
-
-Saturday, July 29/Aug. 8.
- Lying at Southampton. MAY-FLOWER ready for
- sea, but pinnace leaking and requires
- re-trimming.
-
-Sunday, July 30/Aug. 9.
- Lying at Southampton.
-
-Monday, July 31/Aug. 10.
- Ditto.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 1/11.
- Ditto.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 2/22.
- Ditto. Pinnace leaking. Re-trimmed again.
-
-Thursday, Aug 3/13.
- Ditto. Receiving passengers, etc. Some of
- principal Leyden men assigned to SPEEDWELL.
-
-Friday, Aug. 4/14
- Southampton. Making ready to leave.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 5/55.
- Dropped down Southampton Water and beat
- down Channel. Wind dead ahead. Laid general
- course W.S.W.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 6/16.
- Wind baffling. Beating down Channel.
-
-Monday, Aug. 7/17.
- Ditto.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 8/18.
- Ditto. Ship leaking.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 9/19.
- Ship leaking badly. Wind still ahead.
-
-Thursday, Aug. 10/20.
- Ship still leaking badly. Gaining on
- pumps. Hove to. Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in
- company. Consultation with Captain Jones
- and principal passengers. Decided vessels
- shall put back, Dartmouth, being nearest
- convenient port. Wore ship and laid course
- for Dartmouth with good wind.
-
-Friday, Aug. 11/21.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking badly.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 12/22.
- Made port at Dartmouth MAY-FLOWER in
- company. Came to anchor near MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 13/23.
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-Monday, Aug. 14/24.
- Moving cargo and overhauling and retrimming
- ship.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 15/25.
- Lying at Dartmouth. At on ship.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 16/26.
- Ditto. Found a plank feet long loose and
- admitting water freely, as at a mole hole.
- Seams opened some.
-
-Thursday, Aug. 17/27.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Some dissension among
- chief of passengers. Ship’s “Governor”
- unsatisfactory.
-
-Friday, Aug. 18/28.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Still at work on ship.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 19/29.
- Still lying at Dartmouth.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 20/30.
- Lying at Dartmouth.
-
-Monday, Aug. 21/31
- Still at Dartmouth. Overhauling completed.
- Cargo relaced. Making ready to go to sea.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 22/Sept. 1.
- Still at Dartmouth. Lying at anchor ready
- for sea.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 23/Sept. 2.
- Weighed anchor,’ as did also MAY-FLOWER,
- and set sail. Laid general course W.S.W.
- Wind fair
-
-Thursday, Aug. 24/Sept.3.
- Fair wind, but ship leaking.
-
-Friday, Aug. 25/Sept. 4.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking dangerously.
- MAY-FLOWER in company.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 26/Sept. 5.
- About 100 leagues [300 miles] from Land’s
- End. Ship leaking badly. Hove to.
- Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in company.
- Consultation between masters, carpenters,
- and principal passengers. Decided to put
- back into Plymouth and determine whether
- pinnace is seaworthy. Put about and laid
- course for Plymouth.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 27/Sept. 6.
- Wind on starboard quarter. Made Plymouth
- harbor and came to anchor. MAY-FLOWER in
- company.
-
-Monday, Aug. 28/Sept. 7.
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Conference
- of chief of Colonists and officers of
- MAY-FLOWER and SPEEDWELL. No special leak
- could be found, but it was judged to be the
- general weakness of the ship, and that she
- would not prove sufficient for the voyage.
- It was resolved to dismiss her the
- SPEEDWELL, and part of the company, and
- proceed with the other ship.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-
-Saturday, Sept. 2/12
- Ditto. Reassignment of passengers. Master
- Cushman and family, Master Blossom and son,
- Wm. Ring and others to return in pinnace to
- London.
-
-Sunday, Sept. 3/13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-
-Monday, Sept. 4/14
- Weighed anchor and took departure for
- London, leaving MAY-FLOWER at anchor in
- roadstead.
-
-Saturday, Sept. 9/19
- Off Gravesend. Came to anchor in Thames.
-
-
-
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE AND
- OF THE LOG OF THE
- MAY-FLOWER’S
- CONSORT
-
-
-From Bradford we learn that the SPEEDWELL was sold at London, and was
-“refitted”, her old trip being restored, and that she afterwards made for
-her new owners many and very prosperous voyages.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER’S CHARTER AND THE ADVENTURERS
-
-
-The ship MAY-FLOWER was evidently chartered about the middle of June,
-1620 at London, by Masters Thomas West Robert Cushman acting together in
-behalf of the Merchant Adventurers (chiefly of London) and the English
-congregation of “Separatists” (the “Pilgrims”), at Leyden in Holland who,
-with certain of England associated, proposed to colony in America.
-
-Professor Arber, when he says, in speaking of Cushman and Weston, “the
-hiring of the MAY-FLOWER, when they did do it, was their act alone, and
-the Leyden church nothing to do with it,” seems to forget that Cushman
-and his associate Carver had no other function or authority in their
-conjunction with Weston and Martin, except to represent the Leyden
-congregation. Furthermore, it was the avowed wish of Robinson (see his
-letter dated June 14, 1620, to John Carver), that Weston “may [should]
-presently succeed in hiring” [a ship], which was equivalent to hoping
-that Carver and Cushman--Weston’s associates representing Leyden--would
-aid in so doing. Moreover, Bradford expressly states that: “Articles of
-Agreement, drawn by themselves were, by their [the Leyden congregation’s]
-said messenger [Carver] sent into England, who together with Robert
-Cushman were to receive moneys and make provisions, both for shipping,
-and other things for the voyage.”
-
-Up to Saturday, June 10, nothing had been effected in the way of
-providing shipping for the migrating planters though the undertaking had
-been four months afoot--beyond the purchase and refitting, in Holland, by
-the Leyden people themselves, of a pinnace of sixty tons (the SPEEDWELL)
-intended as consort to a larger ship--and the hiring of a “pilott” to
-refit her, as we have seen.
-
-The Leyden leaders had apparently favored purchasing also the larger
-vessel still needed for the voyage, hoping, perhaps, to interest therein
-at least one of their friends, Master Edward Pickering, a merchant of
-Holland, himself one of the Adventurers, while Master Weston had, as
-appears, inclined to hire. From this disagreement and other causes,
-perhaps certain sinister reasons, Weston had become disaffected, the
-enterprise drooped, the outlook was dubious, and several formerly
-interested drew back, until shipping should be provided and the good
-faith of the enterprise be thus assured.
-
-It transpires from Robinson’s letter dated June 14., before quoted (in
-which he says: “For shipping, Master Weston, it should seem is set upon
-hiring”), that Robinson’s own idea was to purchase, and he seems to have
-dominated the rest. There is perhaps a hint of his reason for this in
-the following clause of the same letter, where he writes: “I do not think
-Master Pickering [the friend previously named] will ingage, except in the
-course of buying [‘ships?’--Arber interpolates] as in former letters
-specified.” If he had not then “ingaged” (as Robinson intimates), as an
-Adventurer, he surely did later, contrary to the pastor’s prediction, and
-the above may have been a bit of special pleading. Robinson naturally
-wished to keep their, affairs, so far as possible, in known and
-supposedly friendly hands, and had possibly some assurances that, as a
-merchant, Pickering would be willing to invest in a ship for which he
-could get a good charter for an American voyage. He proved rather an
-unstable friend.
-
-Robinson is emphatic, in the letter cited, as to the imperative necessity
-that shipping should be immediately provided if the enterprise was to be
-held together and the funds subscribed were to be secured. He evidently
-considered this the only guaranty of good faith and of an honest
-intention to immediately transport the colony over sea, that would be
-accepted. After saying, as already noted, that those behind-hand with
-their payments refuse to pay in “till they see shipping provided or a
-course taken for it,” he adds, referring to Master Weston: “That he
-should not have had either shipping ready before this time, or at least
-certain [i.e. definite] means and course, and the same known to us, for
-it; or have taken other order otherwise; cannot in [according to] my
-conscience be excused.”
-
-Bradford also states that one Master Thomas Weston a merchant of London,
-came to Leyden about the same time [apparently while negotiations for
-emigration under their auspices were pending with the Dutch, in February
-or March, 1620], who was “well acquainted with some of them and a
-furtherer of them in their former proceedings.... and persuaded them....
-not to meddle with the Dutch,” etc. This Robinson confirms in his letter
-to Carver before referred to, saying: “You know right well we depend on
-Master Weston alone,.... and when we had in hand another course with the
-Dutchman, broke it off at his motion.”
-
-On the morning of the 10th of June, 1620, Robert Cushman, one of the
-Leyden agents at London, after writing to his associate, Master John
-Carver, then at Southampton; and to the Leyden leaders--in reply to
-certain censorious letters received by him from both these sources
---although disheartened by the difficulties and prospects before him,
-sought Master Weston, and by an urgent appeal so effectively wrought upon
-him, that, two hours later, coming to Cushman, he promised “he would not
-yet give it [the undertaking] up.” Cushman’s patience and endurance were
-evidently nearly “at the breaking point,” for he says in his letter of
-Sunday, June 11, when success had begun to crown his last grand effort:
-“And, indeed, the many discouragements I find here [in London] together
-with the demurs and retirings there [at Leyden] had made me to say, ‘I
-would give up my accounts to John Carver and at his coming from
-Southampton acquaint him fully with all courses [proceedings] and so
-leave it quite, with only the poor clothes on my back: But gathering up
-myself by further consideration, I resolved yet to make one trial more,”
- etc. It was this “one trial more” which meant so much to the Pilgrims;
-to the cause of Religion; to America; and to Humanity. It will rank with
-the last heroic and successful efforts of Robert the Bruce and others,
-which have become historic. The effect of Cushman’s appeal upon Weston
-cannot be doubted. It not only apparently influenced him at the time,
-but, after reflection and the lapse of hours, it brought him to his
-associate to promise further loyalty, and, what was much better, to act.
-The real animus of Weston’s backwardness, it is quite probable, lay in
-the designs of Gorges, which were probably not yet fully matured, or, if
-so, involved delay as an essential part. “And so,” Cushman states,
-“advising together, we resolved to hire a ship.” They evidently found one
-that afternoon, “of sixty last” (120 tons) which was called “a fine
-ship,” and which they “took liking of [Old English for trial (Dryden),
-equivalent to refusal] till Monday.” The same afternoon they “hired
-another pilot . . . one Master Clarke.”--of whom further.
-
-It seems certain that by the expression, “we have hired another pilot
-here, one Master Clarke,” etc.; that Cushman was reckoning the “pilott”
- Reynolds whom he had hired and sent over to them in Holland, as shown--as
-at the first, and now Clarke as “another.” It nowhere appears that up to
-this date, any other than these two had been hired, nor had there been
-until then, any occasion for more than one.
-
-If Cushman had been engaged in such important negotiations as these
-before he wrote his letters to Carver and the Leyden friends, on Saturday
-morning, he would certainly have mentioned them. As he named neither, it
-is clear that they had not then occurred. It is equally certain that
-Cushman’s appeal to Weston was not made, and his renewed activity
-aroused, until after these letters had been dispatched and nothing of the
-kind could have been done without Weston.
-
-His letter-writing of June 10 was obviously in the morning, as proven by
-the great day’s work Cushman performed subsequently. He must have
-written his letters early and have taken them to such place as his
-messenger had suggested (Who his messenger was does not appear, but it
-was not John Turner, as suggested by Arber, for he did not arrive till
-that night.) Cushman must then have looked up Weston and had an hour or
-more of earnest argument with him, for he says: “at the last [as if some
-time was occupied] he gathered himself up a little more” [i.e. yielded
-somewhat.] Then came an interval of “two hours,” at the end of which
-Weston came to him,
-
- [It would be highly interesting to know whether, in the two hours
- which intervened between Cushman’s call on Weston and the latter’s
- return call, Weston consulted Gorges and got his instructions. It
- is certain that he came prepared to act, and that vigorously, which
- he had not previously been.]
-
-and they “advised together,”--which took time. It was by this evidently
-somewhat past noon, a four or five hours having been consumed. They then
-went to look for a ship and found one, which, from Cushman’s remark, “but
-a fine ship it is,” they must (at least superficially) have examined.
-While hunting for the ship they seem to have come across, and to have
-hired, John Clarke the “pilot,” with whom they necessarily, as with the
-ship’s people, spent some time. It is not improbable that the approach
-of dusk cut short their examination of the ship, which they hence “took
-liking of [refusal of] till Monday.” It is therefore evident that the
-“refusal” of the “sixty last” ship was taken, and the “pilot” Clarke was
-“hired,” on Saturday afternoon, June 10, as on Sunday, June 11, Cushman
-informed the Leyden leaders of these facts by letter, as above indicated,
-and gave instructions as to the SPEEDWELL’S “pilott,” Master Reynolds.
-
-We are therefore able to fix, nearly to an hour, the “turning of the
-tide” in the affairs of the Pilgrim movement to America.
-
-It is also altogether probable that the Pilgrims and humanity at large
-are still further (indirectly) indebted to Cushman’s “one more trial” and
-resultant Saturday afternoon’s work, for the MAY-FLOWER (though not found
-that day), and her able commander Jones, who, whatever his faults, safely
-brought the Pilgrims through stormy seas to their “promised land.”
-
-Obligations of considerable and rapidly cumulative cost had now been
-incurred, making it imperative to go forward to embarkation with all
-speed, and primarily, to secure the requisite larger ship. Evidently
-Weston and Cushman believed they had found one that would serve, when on
-Saturday, they “took liking,” as we have seen, of the “fine ship” of 120
-tons, “till Monday.” No less able authorities than Charles Deane, Goodwin,
-and Brown, with others, have mistakenly concluded that this ship was the
-MAY-FLOWER, and have so stated in terms. As editor of Bradford’s history
-“Of Plimoth Plantation,” Mr. Deane (in a footnote to the letter of
-Cushman written Sunday, June 11), after quoting the remark, “But it is a
-fine ship,” mistakenly adds, “The renowned MAYFLOWER.--Ed.,” thus
-committing himself to the common error in this regard. John Brown, in
-his “Pilgrim Fathers of New England,” confuses the vessels, stating
-that, “when all was ready for the start, a pilot came over to conduct the
-emigrants to England, bringing also a letter from Cushman announcing that
-the MAYFLOWER, a vessel of one hundred and eighty tons, Thomas Jones,
-Master, would start from London to Southampton in a week or two,” etc.
-As we have seen, these statements are out of their relation. No pilot
-went for that purpose and none carried such a letter (certainly none from
-Cushman), as alleged. Cushman’s letter, sent as we know by John Turner,
-announced the finding of an entirely different vessel, which was neither
-of 180 tons burden, nor had any relation to the MAY-FLOWER or her future
-historic freight. Neither was there in his letter any time of starting
-mentioned, or of the port of Southampton as the destination of any vessel
-to go from London, or of Jones as captain. Such loose statements are the
-bane of history. Goodwin, usually so accurate, stumbles unaccountably in
-this matter--which has been so strangely misleading to other competent
-men--and makes the sadly perverted statement that, “In June, John Turner
-was sent, and he soon returned with a petulant (sic) letter from Cushman,
-which, however, announced that the ship MAYFLOWER had been selected and
-in two weeks would probably leave London for Southampton.” He adds, with
-inexcusable carelessness in the presence of the words “sixty last” (which
-his dictionary would have told him, at a glance, was 120 tons), that:
-“This vessel (Thomas Jones, master) was rated at a hundred and eighty
-tons . . . . Yet she was called a fine ship,” etc. It is evident
-that, like Brown, he confused the two vessels, with Cushman’s letter
-before his eyes, from failure to compute the “sixty last.” He moreover
-quotes Cushman incorrectly. The great disparity in size, however, should
-alone render this confusion impossible, and Cushman is clear as to the
-tonnage (“sixty last”), regretting that the ship found is not larger,
-while Bradford and all other chroniclers agree that the MAY-FLOWER was of
-“9 score” tons burden.
-
-It is also evident that for some reason this smaller ship (found on
-Saturday afternoon) was not taken, probably because the larger one, the
-MAY-FLOWER, was immediately offered to and secured by Masters Weston and
-Cushman, and very probably with general approval. Just how the
-MAY-FLOWER was obtained may never be certainly known. It was only on
-Saturday, June 10, as we have seen, that Master Weston had seriously set
-to work to look for a ship; and although the refusal of one--not wholly
-satisfactory--had been prudently taken that day, it was both natural and
-politic that as early as possible in the following week he should make
-first inquiry of his fellow-merchants among the Adventurers, whether any
-of them had available such a ship as was requisite, seeking to find, if
-possible, one more nearly of the desired capacity than that of which he
-had “taken the refusal” on Saturday. It appears altogether probable that,
-in reply to this inquiry, Thomas Goffe, Esq., a fellow Adventurer and
-shipping-merchant of London, offered the MAY-FLOWER, which, there is
-ample reason to believe, then and for ten years thereafter, belonged to
-him.
-
-It is quite likely that Clarke, the newly engaged “pilot,” learning that
-his employers required a competent commander for their ship, brought to
-their notice the master of the ship (the FALCON) in which he had made his
-recent voyage to Virginia, Captain Jones, who, having powerful friends at
-his back in both Virginia Companies (as later appears), and large
-experience, was able to approve himself to the Adventurers. It is also
-probable that Thomas Weston engaged him himself, on the recommendation of
-the Earl of Warwick, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges.
-
-As several weeks would be required to fit the ship for her long voyage on
-such service, and as she sailed from London July 15, her charter-party
-must certainly have been signed by June 20, 1620. The SPEEDWELL, as
-appears from various sources (Bradford, Winslow et al.), sailed from
-Delfshaven, Saturday, July 22. She is said to have been four days on the
-passage to Southampton, reaching there Wednesday, July 26. Cushman, in
-his letter of Thursday, August 17, from Dartmouth to Edward Southworth,
-says, “We lay at Southampton seven days waiting for her” (the SPEEDWELL),
-from which it is evident, both that Cushman came on the MAY-FLOWER from
-London, and that the MAY-FLOWER must have left London at least ten days
-before the 26th of July, the date of the SPEEDWELL’S arrival. As given
-traditionally, it was on the 15th, or eleven days before the SPEEDWELL’S
-arrival at Southampton.
-
-By whom the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed will probably
-remain matter of conjecture, though we are not without intimations of
-some value regarding it. Captain John Smith tells us that the Merchant
-Adventurers (presumably one of the contracting parties) “were about
-seventy, . . . not a Corporation, but knit together by a voluntary
-combination in a Society without constraint or penalty. They have a
-President and Treasurer every year newly chosen by the most voices, who
-ordereth the affairs of their Courts and meetings; and with the assent of
-most of them, undertaketh all the ordinary business, but in more weighty
-affairs, the assent of the whole Company is required.” It would seem
-from the foregoing--which, from so intelligent a source at a date so
-contemporaneous, ought to be reliable--that, not being an incorporated
-body, it would be essential that all the Adventurers (which Smith
-expressly states was their rule) should “assent” by their signatures,
-which alone could bind them to so important a business document as this
-charter-party. It was certainly one of their “more weighty affairs,” and
-it may well be doubted, also, if the owner of the vessel (even though one
-of their number) would accept less than the signatures of all, when there
-was no legal status by incorporation or co-partnership to hold them
-collectively.
-
-If the facts were indeed as stated by Smith,--whose knowledge of what he
-affirmed there is no reason to doubt,--there can be little question that
-the contract for the service of the MAY-FLOWER was signed by the entire
-number of the Adventurers on the one part. If so, its covenants would be
-equally binding upon each of them except as otherwise therein stipulated,
-or provided by the law of the realm. In such case, the charter-party of
-the MAY-FLOWER, with the autograph of each Merchant Adventurer appended,
-would constitute, if it could be found, one of the most interesting and
-valuable of historical documents. That it was not signed by any of the
-Leyden congregation--in any representative capacity--is well-nigh
-certain. Their contracts were with the Adventurers alone, and hence they
-were not directly concerned in the contracts of the latter, their
-“agents” being but co-workers with the Adventurers (under their
-partnership agreements), in finding shipping, collecting moneys,
-purchasing supplies, and in generally promoting the enterprise. That
-they were not signing-parties to this contract, in particular, is made
-very certain by the suggestion of Cushman’s letter of Sunday, June 11,
-to the effect that he hoped that “our friends there [at Leyden] if they
-be quitted of the ship-hire [as then seemed certain, as the Adventurers
-would hire on general account] will be induced to venture [invest] the
-more.” There had evidently been a grave fear on the part of the Leyden
-people that if they were ever to get away, they would have to hire the
-necessary ship themselves.
-
-There is just the shadow of a doubt thrown upon the accuracy of Smith’s
-statement as to the non-corporate status of the Adventurers, by the loose
-and unwieldy features which must thereby attach to their business
-transactions, to which it seems probable that merchants like Weston,
-Andrews, Beauchamp, Shirley, Pickering, Goffe, and others would object,
-unless the law at that time expressly limited and defined the rights and
-liabilities of members in such voluntary associations. Neither evidences
-of (primary) incorporation, or of such legal limitation, have, however,
-rewarded diligent search. There was evidently some more definite and
-corporate form of ownership in the properties and values of the
-Adventurers, arrived at later. A considerable reduction in the number of
-proprietors was effected before 1624--in most cases by the purchase of
-the interests of certain ones by their associates--for we find their
-holdings spoken of in that year as “sixteenths,” and these shares to have
-sometimes been attached for their owners’ debts. A letter of Shirley,
-Brewer et als., to Bradford, Allerton et als., dated London, April 7,
-1624, says: “If it had not been apparently sold, Mr. Beauchamp, who is of
-the company also, unto whom he [Weston] oweth a great deal more, had long
-ago attached it (as he did other’s 16ths),” etc. It is exceedingly
-difficult to reconcile these unquestionable facts with the equal
-certainty that, at the “Composition” of the Adventurers with the Planters
-in 1626, there were forty-two who signed as of the Adventurers. The
-weight, however, of evidence and of probability must be held to support
-the conclusion that in June, 1620, the organization was voluntary, and
-that the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed--” on the one part
-“--by each of the enrolled Adventurers engaged in the Leyden
-congregation’s colonization scheme. Goodwin’ alone pretends to any
-certain knowledge of the matter, but although a veracious usually
-reliable writer, he is not infallible, as already shown, and could hardly
-have had access to the original documents,--which alone, in this case,
-could be relied on to prove his assertion that “Shortly articles were
-signed by both parties, Weston acting for the Adventurers.” Not a
-particle of confirmatory evidence has anywhere been found in Pilgrim or
-contemporaneous literature to warrant this statement, after exhaustive
-search, and it must hence, until sustained by proof, be regarded as a
-personal inference rather than a verity. If the facts were as appears,
-they permit the hope that a document of so much prima facie importance
-may have escaped destruction, and will yet be found among the private
-papers of some of the last survivors of the Adventurers, though with the
-acquisition of all their interests by the Pilgrim leaders such documents
-would seem, of right, to have become the property of the purchasers, and
-to have been transferred to the Plymouth planters.
-
-This all-important and historic body--the company of Merchant
-Adventurers--is entitled to more than passing notice. Associated to
-“finance” the projected transplantation of the Leyden congregation of
-“Independents” to the “northern parts of Virginia,” under such patronage
-and protection of the English government and its chartered Companies as
-they might be able to secure, they were no doubt primarily brought
-together by the efforts of one of their number, Thomas Weston, Esq., the
-London merchant previously named, though for some obscure reason Master
-John Pierce (also one of them) was their “recognized” representative in
-dealing with the (London) Virginia Company and the Council for the
-Affairs of New England, in regard to their Patents.
-
-Bradford states that Weston “was well acquainted with some of them the
-Leyden leaders and a furtherer of them in their former proceedings,”
- and this fact is more than once referred to as ground for their gratitude
-and generosity toward him, though where, or in what way, his friendship
-had been exercised, cannot be learned,--perhaps in the difficulties
-attending their escape from “the north country” to Holland. It was
-doubtless largely on this account, that his confident assurances of all
-needed aid in their plans for America were so relied upon; that he was so
-long and so fully trusted; and that his abominable treachery and later
-abuse were so patiently borne.
-
-We are indebted to the celebrated navigator, Captain John Smith, of
-Virginia fame, always the friend of the New England colonists, for most
-of what we know of the organization and purposes of this Company. His
-ample statement, worthy of repetition here, recites, that
-“the Adventurers which raised the stock to begin and supply this
-Plantation, were about seventy: some, Gentlemen; some, Merchants; some,
-handicraftsmen; some adventuring great sums, some, small; as their
-estates and affections served . . . . These dwell most about London.
-They are not a corporation but knit together, by a voluntary combination,
-in a Society, with out constraint or penalty; aiming to do good and to
-plant Religion.” Their organization, officers, and rules of conduct, as
-given by Smith, have already been quoted. It is to be feared from the
-conduct of such men as Weston, Pierce, Andrews, Shirley, Thornell,
-Greene, Pickering, Alden, and others, that profitable investment, rather
-than desire “to do good and to plant Religion,” was their chief interest.
-That the higher motives mentioned by Smith governed such tried and
-steadfast souls as Bass, Brewer, Collier, Fletcher, Goffe, Hatherly,
-Ling, Mullens, Pocock, Thomas, and a few others, there can be no doubt.
-
- [Weston wrote Bradford, April 10, 1622, “I perceive and know as well
- as another ye disposition of your adventurers, whom ye hope of gaine
- hath drawne on to this they have done; and yet I fear ye hope will
- not draw them much further.” While Weston’s character was utterly
- bad, and he had then alienated his interest in both Pilgrims and
- Adventurers, his judgment of men was evidently good.]
-
-No complete list of the original “seventy” has ever been found, and we
-are indebted for the names of forty-two, of the fifty who are now known,
-to the final “Composition” made with the Pilgrim colonists, through the
-latter’s representatives, November 15/25, 1626, as given by Bradford,
-and to private research for the rest. The list of original members of the
-company of Merchant Adventurers, as ascertained to date, is as follows.
-More extended mention of them appears in the notes appended to this list.
-
-Robert Allden, Thomas Fletcher, Emanuel Altham, Thomas Goffe, Richard
-Andrews, Peter Gudburn, Thomas Andrews, William Greene, Lawrence Anthony,
-Timothy Hatherly, Edward Bass, Thomas Heath, John Beauchamp, William
-Hobson, Thomas Brewer, Robert Holland, Henry Browning, Thomas Hudson,
-William Collier, Robert Keayne, Thomas Coventry, Eliza Knight,
-John Knight, John Revell, Miles Knowles, Newman Rookes, John Ling, Samuel
-Sharpe, Christopher Martin(Treasurer pro tem.), James Shirley
-(Treasurer), Thomas Millsop, William Thomas, Thomas Mott, John Thornell
-William Mullens, Fria Newbald, Matthew Thornell William Pennington,
-William Penrin. Joseph Tilden, Edward Pickering, Thomas Ward, John
-Pierce, John White, John Pocock, John Wincob, Daniel Poynton, Thomas
-Weston, William Quarles, Richard Wright.
-
-Shirley, in a letter to Governor Bradford, mentions a Mr. Fogge and a Mr.
-Coalson, in a way to indicate that they might have been, like himself,
-Collier, Thomas, Hatherly, Beauchamp, and Andrews, also of the original
-Merchant Adventurers, but no proof that they were such has yet been
-discovered. It has been suggested that Sir Edwin Sandys was one of the
-number, at the inception of the enterprise, but--though there is evidence
-to indicate that he stood the friend of the Pilgrims in many ways,
-possibly lending them money, etc.--there is no proof that he was ever
-one of the Adventurers. It is more probable that certain promoters of
-Higginson’s and Winthrop’s companies, some ten years later, were early
-financial sponsers of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Some of them were
-certainly so, and it is likely that others not known as such, in reality,
-were. Bradford suggests, in a connection to indicate the possibility of
-his having been an “Adventurer,” the name of a “Mr. Denison,” of whom
-nothing more is known. George Morton of London, merchant, and friend of
-the leaders from the inception, and later a colonist, is sometimes
-mentioned as probably of the list, but no evidence of the fact as yet
-appears. Sir George Farrer and his brother were among the first of the
-Adventurers, but withdrew themselves and their subscriptions very early,
-on account of some dissatisfaction.
-
-It is impossible, in the space at command, to give more than briefest
-mention of each of these individual Adventurers.
-
-Allden. Was at one time unfriendly to the Pilgrims,--Bradford calls him
- “one of our powerfullest opposers,”--but later their ally. Little
- is known of him. He appears to have been of London.
-
-Altham. Was Master of the pinnace LITTLE JAMES, belonging chiefly to
- Fletcher, and apparently expected to command her on her voyage to
- New Plymouth in 1623, as consort of the ANNE, but for some reason
- did not go, and William Bridge went as her Master, in his stead.
-
-Andrews (Richard). Was one of the wealthiest and most liberal of the
- Adventurers. He was a haberdasher of Cheapside, London, and an
- Alderman of the city. He became an early proprietor and liberal
- benefactor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, but most illogically
- gave the debt due him from Plymouth Colony (L540) to the stronger
- and richer Bay Colony. He had been, however, unjustly prejudiced
- against the Pilgrims, probably through the deceit of Pierce, Weston,
- Shirley, and Allerton.
-
-Andrews (Thomas). A Lord Mayor of London, reputed a brother of the
- last-named. Never very active in the Adventurers’ affairs, but
- friendly, so far as appears.
-
-Anthony. Little or nothing is known concerning him.
-
-Bass. Was one of the enduring friends of the struggling Colony and
- loaned them money when they were in dire straits and the prospect of
- recovery was not good. He was of London, and considerable is known
- concerning him.
-
-Beauchamp. Was one of the most active of the Company for many years.
- Generally to be relied upon as the Colony’s friend, but not without
- some sordid self seeking. Apparently a wealthy citizen and “salter”
- of London.
-
-Brewer. Is too well-known as long the partner of Brewster in the conduct
- of the “hidden press” at Leyden, and as a sufferer for conscience’
- sake, to require identification. He was a wealthy man, a scholar,
- writer, printer, and publisher. Was of the University of Leyden,
- but removed to London after the departure of the chief of the
- Pilgrims. Was their stanch friend, a loyal defender of the faith,
- and spent most of his later life in prison, under persecution of the
- Bishops.
-
-Browning. Does not appear to have been active, and little is known of
- him.
-
-Collier. Was a stanch and steadfast friend. Finally cast in his lot
- with the Pilgrims at New Plymouth and became a leading man in the
- government there. His life is well known. He was a “brewer.”
-
-Coventry. Appears only as a signer, and nothing is known of him.
-
-Fletcher. Was a well-to-do merchant of London, a warm friend and a
- reliance of the Pilgrims. The loss of the LITTLE JAMES was a severe
- blow to him financially.
-
-Greene. Appears to have been a merchant and a partner in Holland (and
- perhaps at London) of Edward Pickering. They were well acquainted
- personally with the Pilgrims, and should have been among their most
- liberal and surest friends. Facts indicate, however, that they were
- sordid in their interest and not entirely just.
-
-Goffe. Was a London merchant and ship-owner, as else where appears.
- He was not only a Merchant Adventurer, but a patentee and
- deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company, and an intimate
- friend of Winthrop. He lost heavily by his New England ventures.
- There is, as shown elsewhere, good reason to believe that he was
- the owner of the MAY-FLOWER on her historic voyage, as also when
- she came over in Higginson’s and Winthrop’s fleets, ten years
- later.
-
-Gudburn. Appears only as a signer, so far as known.
-
-Hatherly. Was a well-to-do friend of the Pilgrims, and after many
- complaints had been made against them among the “Purchasers”
- --arising out of the rascality of Shirley and Allerton--went to New
- England on a mission of inquiry. He was perfectly convinced of the
- Pilgrims’ integrity and charmed with the country. He made another
- visit, and removed thither in 1633, to remain. He became at once
- prominent in the government of New Plimoth Colony.
-
-Heath. Does not appear to have been active, and naught is known of him.
-
-Hobson. Is known only as a signer of the “Composition.”
-
-Holland. Was a friend and ally of the Pilgrims, and one of their
- correspondents. He is supposed to have been of the ancient house of
- that name and to have lived in London.
-
-Hudson. Was not active, and appears as a signer only.
-
-Keayne. Was a well-to-do citizen of the vicinity of London, a friend, in
- a general way, of the Pilgrims. He came to Boston with Winthrop.
- Was prominent in the Massachusetts Colony. Was the founder and
- first commander of the early Artillery Company of Boston, the oldest
- military organization of the United States, and died at Boston,
- leaving a large estate and a very remarkable will, of which he made
- Governor Winslow an “overseer.” He was an erratic,--but valuable,
- citizen.
-
-Knight (Eliza). Seems to have been the only woman of the Adventurers, so
- far as they are known, but no thing is known of her. It has been
- suggested that the given name has been wrongly spelled and should be
- “Eleazar,”--a man’s name,--but the “Composition” gives the signature
- as Eliza, clearly, as published.
-
-Knight (John). Finds no especial mention. He was probably a relative of
- Eliza.
-
-Knowles. Appears only as a signer of the “Composition.”
-
-Ling. Was a wealthy friend of the colonists and always true to them. He
- lost his property and was in poverty when the Pilgrims (though not
- yet well on their feet), in grateful remembrance of his fidelity,
- sent him a generous gift.
-
-Martin. Was the first treasurer of the colonists and also a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim. Mention of him appears later. He was no credit to the
- Company, and his early death probably prevented much vexation.
-
-Millsop. Appears only as a signer of the “Composition.”
-
-Mott. Has no especial mention, but is believed to have sent some of his
- people to Plymouth Colony at an early day.
-
-Mullens. Was, as appears elsewhere, a well-conditioned tradesman of
- Surrey, England, who was both an Adventurer and a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim, and Martin and himself appear to have been the only ones
- who enjoyed that distinction. He died, however, soon after the
- arrival at Plymouth. That he was an Adventurer is but recently
- discovered by the author, but there appears no room for doubt as to
- the fact. His record was brief, but satisfactory, in its relation to
- the Pilgrims.
-
-Newbald. Finds no especial mention.
-
-Pennington. Appears only as a signer. It is a London name.
-
-Penrin. Appears only as a signer of the “Composition.”
-
-Pickering. Is introduced to us first as a Leyden merchant, through John
- Robinson’s letters. He appears to have been a shrewd, cold-blooded
- calculator, like his partner-Adventurer, Greene, not interested
- especially in the Pilgrims, except for gain, and soon deserting the
- Adventurers. His family seem to have been in favor with Charles II.
- (See Pepys’ “Diary.”)
-
-Pierce (John). Although recognized by the Virginia Companies and Council
- for New England, as the representative of the Adventurers, he has
- only been recently generally reckoned a chief man of the
- Adventurers. A Protean friend of the Pilgrims, never reliable, ever
- pretentious, always self-seeking, and of no help. He was finally
- ruined by the disasters to his ship, the PARAGON, which cost him all
- his interests. Having attempted treacherously to secure to himself
- the Patent granted in the Colony’s interest, he was compelled by the
- Council to surrender its advantages to the Adventurers and
- colonists.
-
-Pocock. Was a stanch and firm supporter of the Pilgrims and their
- interests, at all times, and to the end. He was also a financial
- supporter and deputy-governor the Massachusetts Company, under
- Winthrop. A correspondent of Bradford. A good man.
-
-Poyton. Finds no especial mention. He appears as a signer only.
-
-Quarles. Appears only as a signer of the “Composition.”
-
-Revell. Was a very wealthy citizen, merchant, and ship owner of London,
- and a good man. He became also ardently interested in Winthrop’s
- Company. Was an “assistant” and one of the five “undertakers”
- chosen to go to New England to reside. He went to New England on
- the JEWELL of Winthrop’s fleet, and was part owner of the LADY
- ARBELLA. He evidently, however, did not like the life, and returned
- after a few weeks’ stay.
-
-Rookes. Appears only as a signer.
-
-Sharpe. Was also a friend of both Pilgrim and Puritan. He came to New
- England in 1629, and settled first at Salem, in the Massachusetts
- Company. He died in 1658, having long been a ruling elder of the
- church there. He met with many enemies, but was a valuable man and
- an able one. He was Governor Cradock’s New England agent.
-
-Shirley. Requires little mention here. The perfidious friend of the
- Pilgrims,--perhaps originally true to them,--he sunk everything for
- hope of gain. He was treasurer of the Adventurers, one of their
- most active and intelligent men, but proved a rascal and a canting
- hypocrite. He was a “citizen and gold-smith” of London.
-
-Thomas. Has nowhere been enumerated in any list of the Adventurers
- (though occasionally mentioned as such by recent writers), which is
- strange, as repeated letters of his to Bradford, and other data,
- show him to have been one of the best and truest of them all. He
- sold his interests before the “Composition” and became a colonist
- after 1630. He was the fifth of the Adventurers to come to New
- England to remain, and cast in his lot with the Pilgrims at New
- Plimoth--Martin, Mullens, Collier, and Hatherly preceding him. A
- wealthy and well-informed man, he became a power in the government.
- Probably Welsh by birth, he was a London merchant when the
- Adventurers were organized. His home at Marshfield, Massachusetts,
- has since become additionally famous as the home of Daniel Webster.
-
-Thornell (John). Is sometimes confounded with another Adventurer,
- Matthew Thornhill, as his name is some times so spelled. There is
- reason to believe they were related. He was not a friend to the
- Pilgrims.
-
-Thornhill (or Thornell), (Matthew). Little is known concerning him.
-
-Tilden. Was of an old family in Kent, “a citizen and girdler of London,”
- as his will declares, his brother (Nathaniel) later coming to New
- England and settling near Hatherly at Scituate. Nathaniel’s son
- Joseph--named for his uncle--was made his executor and heir. The
- uncle was always a firm friend of the Pilgrims. Mr. Tilden’s will
- is given by Waters (“Genealogical Gleanings,” vol. i. p. 71), and
- is of much interest.
-
-Ward. Appears only as a signer.
-
-White. Probably the Rev. John White, a stanch friend of the Pilgrims,
- although not a “Separatist,” and intimately connected with the
- upbuilding of New England. His record was a broad and noble one.
- Goodwin says: “Haven thinks White was that Dorchester clergyman
- reputed to be the author of the Planters’ Plea.” Probably, but
- not certainly, William White of the Pilgrims was also an Adventurer.
-
-Wincob (?). Was a gentleman of the family of the Countess of Lincoln,
- and the one in whose name the first patent in behalf of the
- Adventurers and Pilgrims (which, however, was never used) was taken.
- It is only recently that evidences which, though not conclusive, are
- yet quite indicative, have caused his name to be added to the list,
- though there is still a measure of doubt whether it belongs there.
-
-Weston. Requires little mention here. Once a friend of the Pilgrims and
- unmistakably the organizer of the Adventurers, he became a graceless
- ingrate and rascal. An instrument of good at first, he became a
- heartless and designing enemy of the Planters. He was a “citizen
- and merchant [ironmonger] of London.” It is altogether probable
- that he was originally a tool of Sir Ferdinando Gorges and was led
- by him to influence the Leyden brethren to break off negotiations
- with the Dutch. He died poor, at Bristol, England.
-
-Wright. Perhaps came to New Plimoth and married a daughter of the
- MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim, Francis Cooke. If so, he settled at Rehoboth and
- became its leading citizen. He may possibly have been the settler
- of that name in the Bay-Colony, and the weight of evidence rather
- favors the latter supposition.
-
-Of the Adventurers, Collier, Hatherly, Keayne, Mullens, Revell, Pierce,
-Sharpe, Thomas, and Weston, probably Wright and White, possibly others,
-came to America for longer or shorter periods. Several of them were back
-and forth more than once. The records show that Andrews, Goffe, Pocock,
-Revell, Sharpe, and White were subsequently members of the Massachusetts
-(Winthrop’s) Company.
-
-Professor Arberl finds but six of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers who
-later were among the Adventurers with Winthrop’s Company of Massachusetts
-Bay, viz.:--Thomas Andrews, John Pocock, Samuel Sharpe, Thomas Goffe,
-John Revell, John White.
-
-He should have added at least, the names of Richard Andrews and Robert
-Keayne, and probably that of Richard Wright.
-
-Of their number, Collier, Hatherly, Martin, Mullens, Thomas, and
-(possibly) Wright were Plymouth colonists Martin and Mullens, as noted,
-being MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Nathaniel Tilden, a brother of Joseph Tilden
-of the Adventurers, came, as previously mentioned, to the Colony from
-Kent, settling at Scituate. Joseph, being apparently unmarried, made his
-nephew, Joseph of Scituate, his residuary legatee, and his property
-mostly came over to the Colony.
-
-Collier, Hatherly, and Thomas all located within a few miles of one
-another, were all wealthy and prominent men in the government of the
-Colony, were intimate friends,--the first and last especially,--and lent
-not a little dignity and character to this new dependency of King James
-the First. The remaining twenty or thereabouts whose names are not
-surely known--though a few of them are pretty safely conjectured, some
-being presumably of the Holland Pilgrims and their friends--were probably
-chiefly small contributors, whose rights were acquired from time to time
-by others of larger faith in the enterprise, or greater sympathy or
-means. Not all, however, who had ceased to hold their interests when the
-“Composition” was made with Allerton in behalf of the colonists, in 1626,
-were of these small holders. Weston was forced out by stress of
-circumstances; Thomas moved to New England; Pierce was ruined by his
-ventures by sea; Martin and Mullens died in 1621; Pickering and Greene
-got out early, from distrust as to profits; Wincob alone, of this class,
-was a small investor, if he was one at all.
-
-By far the greater portion of the sums invested by the Adventurers in
-behalf of the Colony is represented by those whose names are known, those
-still unknown representing, doubtless, numbers rather than amounts. It
-is, however, interesting to note, that more than four sevenths of the
-original number, as given by Captain John Smith, continued to retain
-their interests till the “Composition” of 1626. It is to be hoped that
-it may yet be possible to increase considerably, if not to perfect, the
-list of these coadjutors of the Pilgrims--the Merchant Adventurers--the
-contracting “party of the second part,” to the charter-party of the
-MAY-FLOWER.
-
-
-Who the Owner of the MAY-FLOWER was, or who his representative, the
-“party of the first part,” to the charter party of the Pilgrim ship,
-cannot be declared with absolute certainty, though naturally a matter of
-absorbing interest. There is, however, the strongest probability, as
-before intimated, that Thomas Goffe, Esq., one of the Merchant
-Adventurers, and always a stanch friend of the Pilgrims, was the owner of
-the historic vessel,--and as such has interwoven his name and hers with
-the histories of both the Pilgrim and Puritan hegiras from Old to New
-England. He was, as previously stated, a wealthy “merchant and ship
-owner of London,” and not only an Adventurer with the Leyden Pilgrims,
-but--nearly ten years later--a patentee of the Massachusetts Company and
-one of its charter officers.
-
-We are told in the journal of Governor Winthrop of that Company--then on
-board the LADY ARBELLA, the, “Admiral” or flagship of his fleet, riding
-at Cowes, ready to set sail for New England--that on “Easter Monday
-(March 29), 1630, the CHARLES, the MAY-FLOWER, the WILLIAM AND FRANCIS,
-the HOPEWELL, the WHALE, the SUCCESS, and the TRIAL,” of his fleet, were
-“still at Hampton [Southampton] and are not ready.” Of these seven ships
-it is certain that Mr. Goffe owned at least two, as Governor Winthrop--in
-writing, some days later, of the detention of his son Henry and his
-friend Mr. Pelham, who, going ashore, failed to return to the governor’s
-ship before she sailed from Cowes, and so went to the fleet at
-Southampton for passage--says: “So we have left them behind and suppose
-they will come after in one of Mr. Goffe’s ships.” It is clear,
-therefore, that Mr. Goffe, who was an intimate friend and business
-associate of Governor Winthrop, as the latter’s correspondence amply
-attests, and was a charter deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company,
-and at this time “an assistant,” was the owner of at least two (probably
-not more) of these seven belated ships of the governor’s fleet, riding at
-Southampton. Bearing in mind that the MAY-FLOWER and the WHALE were two
-of those ships, it becomes of much importance to find that these two
-ships, evidently sailing in company (as if of one owner), arrived
-together in the harbor of Charlestown, New England, on Thursday, July 1,
-having on board one of them the governor’s missing son, Henry Winthrop.
-If he came--as his father expected and as appears certain--“in one of Mr.
-Goffe’s ships,” then evidently, either the MAY-FLOWER or the WHALE, or
-both, belonged to Mr. Goffe. That both were Goffe’s is rendered probable
-by the fact that Governor Winthrop--writing of the vessels as if
-associated and a single interest--states that “most of their cattle [on
-these ships] were dead, whereof a mare and horse of mine.” This
-probability is increased, too, by the facts that the ships evidently kept
-close company across the Atlantic (as if under orders of a common owner,
-and as was the custom, for mutual defence and assistance, if occasion
-required), and that Winthrop who, as we above noted, had large dealings
-with Goffe, seems to have practically freighted both these ships for
-himself and friends, as his freight bills attest. They would hence, so
-far as possible, naturally keep together and would discharge their
-cargoes and have their accountings to a single consignee, taken as nearly
-together as practicable. Both these ships came to Charlestown,--as only
-one other did,--and both were freighted, as noted, by one party.
-
-Sadly enough, the young man, Henry Winthrop, was drowned at Salem the
-very day after his arrival, and before that of either of the other
-vessels: the HOPEWELL, or WILLIAM AND FRANCIS (which arrived at Salem the
-3d); or the TRIAL or CHARLES (which arrived--the first at Charlestown, of
-the last at Salem--the 5th); or the SUCCESS (which arrived the 6th);
-making it certain that he must have come in either the MAY-FLOWER or the
-WHALE. If, as appears, Goffe owned them both, then his ownership of the
-MAY-FLOWER in 1630 is assured, while all authorities agree without cavil
-that the MAY-FLOWER of Winthrop’s fleet in that year (1630) and the
-MAY-FLOWER of the Pilgrims were the same. In the second “General Letter
-of Instructions” from the Massachusetts Company in England--dated London,
-May 28, 1629--to Governor Endicott and his Council, a duplicate of which
-is preserved in the First Book of the Suffolk Registry of Deeds at
-Boston, the historic vessel is described as “The MAY-FLOWER, of Yarmouth
---William Pierse, Master,” and Higginson, in his “Journal of a Voyage to
-New England,” says, “The fifth ship is called the MAY-FLOWER carrying
-passengers and provisions.” Yarmouth was hence undoubtedly the place of
-register, and the hailing port of the MAY-FLOWER,--she was very likely
-built there,--and this would remain the same, except by legal change of
-register, wherever she was owned, or from what ever port she might sail.
-Weston and Cushman, according to Bradford, found and hired her at London,
-and her probable owner, Thomas Goffe, Esq., was a merchant of that city.
-Dr. Young remarks: “The MAYFLOWER Of Higginson’s fleet is the renowned
-vessel that brought the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth in 1620.” Hon.
-James Savage says “The MAYFLOWER had been a name of renown without
-forming part of this fleet [Winthrop’s, 1630], because in her came the
-devoted planters of Plimouth [1620] and she had also brought in the year
-preceding [1629] some of Higginson’s company to Salem.” Goodwin’ says:
-“In 1629 she [the Pilgrim MAY-FLOWER] came to Salem with a company of the
-Leyden people for Plymouth, and in 1630 was one of the large fleet that
-attended John Winthrop, discharging her passengers at Charlestown.” Dr.
-Young remarks in a footnote: “Thirty-five of the Leyden congregation with
-their families came over to Plymouth via Salem, in the MAY-FLOWER and
-TALBOT.”
-
-In view of such positive statements as these, from such eminent
-authorities and others, and of the collateral facts as to the probable
-ownership of the MAY-FLOWER in 1630, and on her earlier voyages herein
-presented, the doubt expressed by the Rev. Mr. Blaxland in his “Mayflower
-Essays,” whether the ship bearing her name was the same, on these three
-several voyages, certainly does not seem justified.
-
-Captain William Pierce, who commanded the MAY-FLOWER in 1629, when she
-brought over part of the Leyden company, was the very early and intimate
-friend of the Pilgrims--having brought over the ANNE with Leyden
-passengers in 1623--and sailed exclusively in the employ of the Merchant
-Adventurers, or some of their number, for many years, which is of itself
-suggestive.
-
-To accept, as beyond serious doubt, Mr. Goffe’s ownership of the
-MAY-FLOWER, when she made her memorable voyage to New Plimoth, one need
-only to compare, and to interpret logically, the significant facts;
---that he was a ship-owner of London and one of the body of Merchant
-Adventurers who set her forth on her Pilgrim voyage in 1620; and that he
-stood, as her evident owner, in similar relation to the Puritan company
-which chartered her for New England, similarly carrying colonists,
-self-exiled for religion’s sake, in 1629 and again in 1630. This
-conviction is greatly strengthened by the fact that Mr. Goffe continued
-one of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers, until their interests were
-transferred to the colonists by the “Composition” of 1626, and three
-years later (1629) sent by the MAY-FLOWER, on her second New England
-voyage, although under a Puritan charter, another company from the
-Leyden congregation. The (cipher) letter of the “Governor and deputies
-of the New-England Company for a plantation in Massachusetts Bay” to
-Captain John Endicott, written at Gravesend, England, the 17th of April,
-1629, says: “If you want any Swyne wee have agreed with those of Ne[w]
-Plimouth that they deliver you six Sowes with pigg for which they a[re]
-to bee allowed 9 lb. in accompt of what they the Plymouth people owe
-unto Mr. Goffe [our] deputie [Governor].” It appears from the foregoing
-that the Pilgrims at New Plymouth were in debt to Mr. Goffe in 1629,
-presumably for advances and passage money on account of the contingent
-of the Leyden congregation, brought over with Higginson’s company to
-Salem, on the second trip of the MAY-FLOWER. Mr. Goffe’s intimate
-connection with the Pilgrims was certainly unbroken from the
-organization of their Merchant Adventurers in 1619/20, through the
-entire period of ten years, to 1630. There is every reason to believe,
-and none to doubt, that his ownership of the MAY-FLOWER of imperishable
-renown remained equally unbroken throughout these years, and that his
-signature as her owner was appended to her Pilgrim charter-party in
-1620. Whoever the signatories of her charter-party may have been, there
-can be no doubt that the good ship MAY-FLOWER, in charge of her
-competent, if treacherous, Master, Captain Thomas Jones, and her first
-“pilot,” John Clarke, lay in the Thames near London through the latter
-part of June and the early part of July, in the summer of
-1620, undergoing a thorough overhauling, under contract as a
-colonist-transport, for a voyage to the far-off shores of “the
-northern parts of Virginia.”
-
-In whatever of old English verbiage, with quaint terms and cumbersome
-repetition, the stipulations of this contract of were concealed, there
-can be no doubt that they purported and designed to “ingage” that “the
-Good ship MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth, of 9 score tuns burthen, whereof for
-the present viage Thomas Joanes is Master,” should make the “viage” as a
-colonist-transport, “from the city of London in His Majesty’s Kingdom of
-Great Britain,” etc., “to the neighborhood of the mouth of Hudson’s
-River, in the northern parts of Virginia and return, calling at the Port
-of Southampton, outward bound, to complete her lading, the same of all
-kinds, to convey to, and well and safely deliver at, such port or place,
-at or about the mouth of Hudson’s River, so-called, in Virginia
-aforesaid, as those in authority of her passengers shall direct,” etc.,
-with provision as to her return lading, through her supercargo, etc.
-
-It is probable that the exact stipulations of the contract will never
-transpire, and we can only roughly guess at them, by somewhat difficult
-comparison with the terms on which the LADY ARBELLA, the “Admiral,” or
-flagship, of Winthrop’s fleet, was chartered in 1630, for substantially
-the like voyage (of course, without expectation or probability, of so
-long a stay on the New England coast), though the latter was much the
-larger ship. The contract probably named an “upset” or total sum for the
-“round voyage,” as was the of the case with the LADY ARBELLA, though it
-is to be hoped there was no “demurrage” clause, exacting damage, as is
-usual, for each day of detention beyond the “lay days” allowed, for the
-long and unexpected tarries in Cape Cod and Plymouth harbors must have
-rolled up an appalling “demurrage” claim. Winthrop enters among his
-memoranda, “The agreement for the ARBELLA L750, whereof is to be paid in
-hand [i e. cash down] the rest upon certificate of our safe arrival.”
- The sum was doubtless considerably in excess of that paid for the
-MAY-FLOWER, both because she was a much larger, heavier-armed, and
-better-manned ship, of finer accommodations, and because ships were, in
-1630, in far greater demand for the New England trade than in 1620,
-Winthrop’s own fleet including no less than ten. The adjustments of
-freight and passage moneys between the Adventurers and colonists are
-matter of much doubt and perplexity, and are not likely to be fully
-ascertained. The only light thrown upon them is by the tariffs for such
-service on Winthrop’s fleet, and for passage, etc., on different ships,
-at a little later day. It is altogether probable that transportation of
-all those accepted as colonists, by the agents of the Adventurers and
-“Planters,” was without direct charge to any individual, but was debited
-against the whole. But as some had better quarters than others, some
-much more and heavier furniture, etc., while some had bulky and heavy
-goods for their personal benefit (such as William Mullen’s cases of
-“boots and shoes,” etc.), it is fair to assume that some schedule of
-rates for “tonnage,” if not for individuals, became necessary, to
-prevent complaints and to facilitate accounts. Winthrop credits Mr.
-Goffe--owner of two of the ships in 1630--as follows:--
-
- “For ninety-six passengers at L4, L384.
- For thirty-two tons of goods at L3 (per ton).
- For passage for a man, his wife and servant, (3 persons)
- L16/10, L5/10 each.”
-
-Goodwin shows the cost of transportation at different times and under
-varying conditions. “The expense of securing and shipping Thos. Morton
-of ‘Merry Mount’ to England, was L12 7 0,” but just what proportion the
-passage money bore to the rest of the account, cannot now be told. The
-expense of Mr. Rogers, the young insane clergyman brought over by Isaac
-Allerton, without authority, was, for the voyage out: “For passage L1.
-For diet for eleven weeks at 4s. 8d. per week, total L3 11 4”
- [A rather longer passage than usual.] Constant Southworth came in the
-same ship and paid the same, L3 11 4, which may hence be assumed as the
-average charge, at that date, for a first-class passage. This does not
-vary greatly from the tariff of to-day, (1900) as, reduced to United
-States currency, it would be about $18; and allowing the value of
-sterling to be about four times this, in purchase ratio, it would mean
-about $73. The expenses of the thirty-five of the Leyden congregation
-who came over in the MAY-FLOWER in 1620, and of the others brought in the
-LION in 1630, were slightly higher than these figures, but the cost of
-the trip from Leyden to England was included, with that of some clothing.
-In 1650, Judge Sewall, who as a wealthy man would be likely to indulge in
-some luxury, gives his outlay one way, as, “Fare, L2 3 0; cabin expenses,
-L4 11 4; total, L6 14 4.”
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER--THE SHIP HERSELF
-
-Unhappily the early chroniclers familiar with the MAY-FLOWER have left us
-neither representation nor general description of her, and but few data
-from which we may reconstruct her outlines and details for ourselves.
-Tradition chiefly determines her place in one of the few classes into
-which the merchant craft of her day were divided, her tonnage and service
-being almost the only other authentic indices to this class.
-
-Bradford helps us to little more than the statement, that a vessel, which
-could have been no other, “was hired at London, being of burden about 9
-score” [tons], while the same extraordinary silence, which we have
-noticed as to her name, exists as to her description, with Smith,
-Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and the other contemporaneous or early writers
-of Pilgrim history. Her hundred and eighty tons register indicates in
-general her size, and to some extent her probable model and rig.
-
-Long search for a reliable, coetaneous picture of one of the larger ships
-of the merchant service of England, in the Pilgrim period, has been
-rewarded by the discovery of the excel lent “cut” of such a craft, taken
-from M. Blundeville’s “New and Necessarie Treatise of Navigation,”
- published early in the seventeenth century. Appearing in a work of so
-high character, published by so competent a navigator and critic, and
-(approximately) in the very time of the Pilgrim “exodus,” there can be no
-doubt that it quite correctly, if roughly and insufficiently, depicts the
-outlines, rig, and general cast of a vessel of the MAY-FLOWER type and
-time, as she appeared to those of that day, familiar therewith.
-
-It gives us a ship corresponding, in the chief essentials, to that which
-careful study of the detail and minutiae of the meagre MAY-FLOWER history
-and its collaterals had already permitted the author and others to
-construct mentally, and one which confirms in general the conceptions
-wrought out by the best artists and students who have attempted to
-portray the historic ship herself.
-
-Captain J. W. Collins, whose experience and labors in this relation are
-further alluded to, and whose opinion is entitled to respect, writes the
-author in this connection, as follows “The cut from Blundeville’s
-treatise, which was published more or less contemporaneously with the
-MAYFLOWER, is, in my judgment, misleading, since it doubtless represents
-a ship of an earlier date, and is evidently [sic] reproduced from a
-representation on tapestry, of which examples are still to be seen (with
-similar ships) in England. The actual builder’s plans, reproduced by
-Admiral Paris, from drawings still preserved, of ships of the MAYFLOWER’S
-time, seem to me to offer more correct and conclusive data for accurately
-determining what the famous ship of the Pilgrim Fathers was like.”
-
-Decidedly one of the larger and better vessels of the merchant class of
-her day, she presumably followed the prevalent lines of that class, no
-doubt correctly represented, in the main, by the few coeval pictures of
-such craft which have come down to us. No one can state with absolute
-authority, her exact rig, model, or dimensions; but there can be no
-question that all these are very closely determined from even the meagre
-data and the prints we possess, so nearly did the ships of each class
-correspond in their respective features in those days. There is a
-notable similarity in certain points of the MAY-FLOWER, as she has been
-represented by these different artists, which is evidence upon two
-points: first, that all delineators have been obliged to study the type
-of vessel to which she belonged from such representations of it as each
-could find, as neither picture nor description of the vessel herself was
-to be had; and second, that as the result of such independent study
-nearly all are substantially agreed as to what the salient features of
-her type and class were. A model of a ship [3 masts] of the MAY-FLOWER
-type, and called in the Society’s catalogue “A Model of the MAY FLOWER,
-after De Bry,” but itself labelled “Model of one of Sir Walter Raleigh’s
-Ships,” is (mistakenly) exhibited by the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth.
-It is by no means to be taken as a correct representation of the Pilgrim
-bark. Few of the putative pictures of the MAY-FLOWER herself are at all
-satisfactory,--apart from the environment or relation in which she is
-usually depicted,--whether considered from an historical, a nautical,
-or an artistic point of view. The only one of these found by the author
-which has commanded (general, if qualified) approval is that entitled
-“The MAY-FLOWER at Sea,” a reproduction of which, by permission, is the
-frontispiece of this volume. It is from an engraving by the master hand
-of W. J. Linton, from a drawing by Granville Perkins, and appeared in the
-“New England Magazine” for April, 1898, as it has elsewhere. Its
-comparative fidelity to fact, and its spirited treatment, alike commend
-it to those familiar with the subject, as par excellence the modern
-artistic picture of the MAY-FLOWER, although somewhat fanciful, and its
-rig, as Captain Collies observes, “is that of a ship a century later than
-the MAY-FLOWER; a square topsail on the mizzen,” he notes, “being unknown
-in the early part of the seventeenth century, and a jib on a ship equally
-rare.” Halsall’s picture of “The Arrival of the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth
-Harbor,” owned by the Pilgrim Society, of Plymouth, and hung in the
-Society’s Hall, while presenting several historical inaccuracies,
-undoubtedly more correctly portrays the ship herself, in model, rig,
-etc., than do most of the well-known paintings which represent her.
-It is much to be regretted that the artist, in woeful ignorance, or
-disregard, of the recorded fact that the ship was not troubled with
-either ice or snow on her entrance (at her successful second attempt) to
-Plymouth harbor, should have covered and environed her with both.
-
-Answering, as the MAY-FLOWER doubtless did, to her type, she was
-certainly of rather “blocky,” though not unshapely, build, with high poop
-and forecastle, broad of beam, short in the waist, low “between decks,”
- and modelled far more upon the lines of the great nautical prototype, the
-water-fowl, than the requirements of speed have permitted in the carrying
-trade of more recent years. That she was of the “square rig” of her
-time--when apparently no use was made of the “fore-and-aft” sails which
-have so wholly banished the former from all vessels of her size--goes
-without saying. She was too large for the lateen rig, so prevalent in
-the Mediterranean, except upon her mizzenmast, where it was no doubt
-employed.
-
-The chief differences which appear in the several “counterfeit
-presentments” of the historic ship are in the number of her masts and
-the height of her poop and her forecastle. A few make her a brig or
-“snow” of the oldest pattern, while others depict her as a full-rigged
-ship, sometimes having the auxiliary rig of a small “jigger” or
-“dandy-mast,” with square or lateen sail, on peak of stern, or on the
-bow sprit, or both, though usually her mizzenmast is set well aft upon
-the poop. There is no reason for thinking that the former of these
-auxiliaries existed upon the MAY-FLOWER, though quite possible. Her 180
-tons measurement indicates, by the general rule of the nautical
-construction of that period, a length of from 90 to 100 feet, “from
-taffrail to knighthead,” with about 24 feet beam, and with such a hull
-as this, three masts would be far more likely than two. The fact that
-she is always called a “ship”--to which name, as indicating a class,
-three masts technically attach--is also somewhat significant, though the
-term is often generically used. Mrs. Jane G. Austin calls the
-MAY-FLOWER a “brig,” but there does not appear anywhere any warrant
-for so doing.
-
-At the Smithsonian Institution (National Museum) at Washington, D. C.,
-there is exhibited a model of the MAY-FLOWER, constructed from the ratio
-of measurements given in connection with the sketch and working plans of
-a British ship of the merchant MAY-FLOWER class of the seventeenth
-century, as laid down by Admiral Francois Edmond Paris, of France, in his
-“Souvenirs de Marine.” The hull and rigging of this model were carefully
-worked out by, and under the supervision of Captain Joseph W. Collins
-(long in the service of the Smithsonian Institution, in nautical and
-kindred matters, and now a member of the Massachusetts Commission of
-Inland Fisheries and Game), but were calculated on the erroneous basis of
-a ship of 120 instead of 180 tons measurement. This model, which is upon
-a scale of 1/2 inch to 1 foot, bears a label designating it as “The
-‘MAYFLOWER’ of the Puritans” [sic], and giving the following description
-(written by Captain Collins) of such a vessel as the Pilgrim ship, if of
-120 tons burthen, as figured from such data as that given by Admiral
-Paris, must, approximately, have been. (See photographs of the model
-presented herewith.) “A wooden, carvel-built, keel vessel, with full
-bluff bow, strongly raking below water line; raking curved stem; large
-open head; long round (nearly log-shaped) bottom; tumble in top side;
-short run; very large and high square stern; quarter galleries; high
-forecastle, square on forward end, with open rails on each side; open
-bulwarks to main [spar] and quarter-decks; a succession of three
-quarter-decks or poops, the after one being nearly 9 feet above main
-[spar] deck; two boats stowed on deck; ship-rigged, with pole masts
-[i.e. masts in one piece]; without jibs; square sprit sail (or water
-sail under bowsprit); two square sails on fore and main masts, and
-lateen sail on mizzenmast.”
-
-Dimensions of Vessel. Length, over all, knightheads to taffrail, 82
-feet; beam, 22 feet; depth, 14 feet; tonnage, 120; bowsprit, outboard, 40
-feet 6 inches; spritsail yard, 34 feet 6 inches; foremast, main deck to
-top, 39 feet; total length, main [spar] deck to truck, 67 feet 6 inches;
-fore-yard, 47 feet 6 inches; foretopsail yard, 34 feet 1 2 inches;
-mainmast, deck to top, 46 feet; total, deck to truck, 81 feet; main yard,
-53 feet; maintopsail yard, 38 feet 6 inches; mizzen mast, deck to top, 34
-feet; total, deck to truck, 60 feet 6 inches; spanker yard, 54 feet 6
-inches; boats, one on port side of deck, 17 feet long by 5 feet 2 inches
-wide; one on starboard side, 13 feet 6 inches long by 4 feet 9 inches
-wide. The above description “worked out” by Captain Collins, and in
-conformity to which his putative model of the “MAY FLOWER” was
-constructed, rests, of course, for its correctness, primarily, upon the
-assumptions (which there is no reason to question) that the “plates” of
-Admiral Paris, his sketches, working plans, dimensions, etc., are
-reliable, and that Captain Collins’s mathematics are correct, in reducing
-and applying the Admiral’s data to a ship of 120 tons. That there would
-be some considerable variance from the description given, in applying
-these data to a ship of 60 tons greater measurement (i.e. of 180 tons),
-goes without saying, though the changes would appear more largely in the
-hull dimensions than in the rigging. That the description given, and its
-expression in the model depicted, present, with considerable fidelity, a
-ship of the MAY-FLOWER’S class and type, in her day,--though of sixty
-tons less register, and amenable to changes otherwise,--is altogether
-probable, and taken together, they afford a fairly accurate idea of the
-general appearance of such a craft.
-
-In addition to mention of the enlargements which the increased tonnage
-certainly entails, the following features of the description seem to call
-for remark.
-
-It is doubtful whether the vessels of this class had “open bulwarks to
-the main [spar] deck,” or “a succession of three quarter-decks or poops.”
- Many models and prints of ships of that period and class show but two.
-It is probable that if the jib was absent, as Captain Collins believes
-(though it was evidently in use upon some of the pinnaces and shallops of
-the time, and its utility therefore appreciated), there was a small
-squaresail on a “dandy” mast on the bowsprit, and very possibly the
-“sprit” or “water-sail” he describes. The length of the vessel as given
-by Captain Collins, as well as her beam, being based on a measurement of
-but 120 tons, are both doubtless less than they should be, the depth
-probably also varying slightly, though there would very likely be but few
-and slight departures otherwise from his proximate figures. The
-long-boat would be more likely to be lashed across the hatch amidships
-than stowed on the port side of the deck, unless in use for stowage
-purposes, as previously suggested. Captain Collins very interestingly
-notes in a letter to the author, concerning the measurements indicated
-by his model: “Here we meet with a difficulty, even if it is not
-insurmountable. This is found in the discrepancy which exists between
-the dimensions--length, breadth, and depth--requisite to produce a
-certain tonnage, as given by Admiral Paris and the British Admiralty.
-Whether this is due to a difference in estimating tonnage between France
-(or other countries) and Great Britain, I am unable to say, but it is a
-somewhat remarkable fact that the National Museum model, which was made
-for a vessel of 120 tons, as given by Admiral Paris who was a Frenchman,
-has almost exactly the proportions of length, depth, and breadth that an
-English ship of 180 tons would have, if we can accept as correct the
-lists of measurements from the Admiralty records published by Charnock
-. . . In the third volume of Charnock’s ‘History of Marine
-Architecture,’ p. 274., I find that a supply transport of 175 tons,
-built in 1759, and evidently a merchant ship originally, or at least a
-vessel of that class, was 79.4 feet long (tonnage measure), 22.6 feet
-beam, and 11.61 feet deep.” The correspondence is noticeable and of
-much interest, but as the writer comments, all depends upon whether or
-not “the measurement of the middle of the eighteenth century materially
-differed in Great Britain from what it was in the early part of the
-previous century.”
-
-Like all vessels having high stems and sterns, she was unquestionably “a
-wet ship,”--upon this voyage especially so, as Bradford shows, from being
-overloaded, and hence lower than usual in the water. Captain John Smith
-says: “But being pestered [vexed] nine weeks in this leaking,
-unwholesome ship, lying wet in their cabins; most of them grew very weak
-and weary of the sea.” Bradford says, quoting the master of the
-MAY-FLOWER and others: “As for the decks and upper works they would caulk
-them as well as they could, . . . though with the working of the ship,
-they would not long keep staunch.” She was probably not an old craft, as
-her captain and others declared they “knew her to be strong and firm
-under water;” and the weakness of her upper works was doubtless due to
-the strain of her overload, in the heavy weather of the autumnal gales.
-Bradford says: “They met with many contrary winds and fierce storms with
-which their ship was shrewdly shaken and her upper works made very
-leaky.” That the confidence of her master in her soundness below the
-water-line was well placed, is additionally proven by her excellent
-voyages to America, already noted, in 1629, and 1630, when she was ten
-years older.
-
-That she was somewhat “blocky” above water was doubtless true of her, as
-of most of her class; but that she was not unshapely below the water-line
-is quite certain, for the re markable return passage she made to England
-(in ballast) shows that her lower lines must have been good. She made
-the run from Plymouth to London on her return voyage in just thirty-one
-days, a passage that even with the “clipper ships” of later days would
-have been respectable, and for a vessel of her model and rig was
-exceptionally good. She was “light” (in ballast), as we know from the
-correspondence of Weston and Bradford, the letter of the former to
-Governor Carver--who died before it was received--upbraiding him for
-sending her home “empty.” The terrible sickness and mortality of the
-whole company, afloat and ashore, had, of course, made it impossible to
-freight her as intended with “clapboards” [stave-stock], sassafras roots,
-peltry, etc. No vessels of her class of that day were without the high
-poop and its cabin possibilities,--admirably adapting them to passenger
-service,--and the larger had the high and roomy topgallant forecastles so
-necessary for their larger crews. The breadth of beam was always
-considerably greater in that day than earlier, or until much later,
-necessitated by the proportionately greater height (“topsides”), above
-water, at stem and stern. The encroachments of her high poop and
-forecastle left but short waist-room; her waist-ribs limited the height
-of her “between decks;” while the “perked up” lines of her bow and stern
-produced the resemblance noted, to the croup and neck of the wild duck.
-That she was low “between decks” is demonstrated by the fact that it was
-necessary to “cut down” the Pilgrims’ shallop--an open sloop, of
-certainly not over 30 feet in length, some 10 tons burden, and not very
-high “freeboard”--“to stow” her under the MAY-FLOWER’S spar deck. That
-she was “square-rigged” follows, as noted, from the fact that it was the
-only rig in use for ships of her class and size, and that she had
-“topsails” is shown by the fact that the “top-saile halliards” were
-pitched over board with John Howland, and saved his life. Bradford says:
-“A lustie yonge man (called John Howland) coming upon some occasion above
-ye grattings, was with a seele of ye shipe throwne into ye sea: but it
-pleased God yt he caught hould of ye top-saile halliards which hunge over
-board & rane out at length yet he held his hould . . . till he was
-haled up,” etc. Howland had evidently just come from below upon the
-poop-deck (as there would be no “grattings” open in the waist to receive
-the heavy seas shipped). The ship was clearly experiencing “heavy
-weather” and a great lurch (“seele”) which at the stern, and on the
-high, swinging, tilting poop-deck would be most severely felt,
-undoubtedly tossed him over the rail. The topsail halliards were
-probably trailing alongside and saved him, as they have others under
-like circumstances.
-
-Whether or not the MAY-FLOWER had the “round house” under her poop-deck,
----a sort of circular-end deck-house, more especially the quarters, by
-day, of the officers and favored passengers; common, but apparently not
-universal, in vessels of her class,--we have no positive knowledge, but
-the presumption is that she had, as passenger ships like the PARAGON (of
-only 140 tons), and others of less tonnage, seem to have been so fitted!
-
-It is plain that, in addition to the larger cabin space and the smaller
-cabins,--“staterooms,” nowadays,--common to ships of the MAY-FLOWER’S
-size and class, the large number of her passengers, and especially of
-women and children, made it necessary to construct other cabins between
-decks. Whether these were put up at London, or Southampton, or after the
-SPEEDWELL’S additional passengers were taken aboard at Plymouth, does not
-appear. The great majority of the men and boys were doubtless provided
-with bunks only, “between decks,” but it seems that John Billington had a
-cabin there. Bradford narrates of the gunpowder escapade of young
-Francis Billington, that, “there being a fowling-piece, charged in his
-father’s cabin [though why so inferior a person as Billington should have
-a cabin when there could not have been enough for better men, is a query],
-shot her off in the cabin, there being a little barrel of powder
-half-full scattered in and about the cabin, the fire being within four
-feet of the bed, between the decks, . . . and many people gathered
-about the fire,” etc.
-
-Whatever other deductions may be drawn from this very badly constructed
-and ambiguous paragraph of Bradford, two things appear certain,--one,
-that Billington had a “cabin” of his own “between decks;” and the other,
-that there was a “fire between decks,” which “many people” were gathered
-“about.” We can quite forgive the young scamp for the jeopardy in which
-he placed the ship and her company, since it resulted in giving us so
-much data concerning the MAY-FLOWER’S “interior.” Captain John Smith’s
-remark, already quoted, as to the MAY-FLOWER’S people “lying wet in their
-cabins,” is a hint of much value from an experienced navigator of that
-time, as to the “interior” construction of ships and the bestowal of
-passengers in them, in that day, doubtless applicable to the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-While it was feasible, when lying quietly at anchor in a land-locked
-harbor, with abundance of fire-wood at hand, to have a fire, about which
-they could gather, even if only upon the “sand-hearth” of the early
-navigators, when upon boisterous seas, in mid-ocean, “lying . . . in
-their cabins” was the only means of keeping warm possible to voyagers.
-In “Good Newes from New England,” we find the lines:--
-
- “Close cabins being now prepared,
- With bred, bief, beire, and fish,
- The passengers prepare themselves,
- That they might have their wish.”
-
-Her magazine, carpenter’s and sailmaker’s lockers, etc., were doubtless
-well forward under her forecastle, easily accessible from the spar-deck,
-as was common to merchant vessels of her class and size. Dr. Young, in
-his “Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers” (p. 86, note), says: “This vessel
-was less than the average size of the fishing-smacks that go to the Grand
-Banks. This seems a frail bark in which to cross a stormy ocean of three
-thousand miles in extent. Yet it should be remembered that two of the
-ships of Columbus on his first daring and perilous voyage of discovery,
-were light vessels, without decks, little superior to the small craft
-that ply on our rivers and along our coasts . . . . Frobisher’s fleet
-consisted of two barks of twenty-five tons each and a pinnace of ten
-tons, when he sailed in 1576 to discover a north-west passage to the
-Indies. Sir Francis Drake, too, embarked on his voyage for
-circumnavigating the globe, in 1577, with five vessels, of which the
-largest was of one hundred, and the smallest fifteen tons. The bark in
-which Sir Humphrey Gilbert perished was of ten tons only.” The LITTLE
-JAMES, which the Company sent to Plymouth in July, 1623, was “a pinnace
-of only forty-four tons,” and in a vessel of fifty tons (the SPEEDWELL),
-Martin Pring, in 1603, coasted along the shores of New England. Goodwin
-says: “In 1587 there were not in all England’s fleet more than five
-merchant vessels exceeding two hundred tons.” The SPARROW-HAWK wrecked
-on Cape Cod in 1626 was only 40 feet “over all.” The Dutch seem to have
-built larger vessels. Winthrop records that as they came down the
-Channel, on their way to New England (1630), they passed the wreck of
-“a great Dutch merchantman of a thousand tons.”
-
-The MAY-FLOWER’S galley, with its primitive conditions for cooking,
-existed rather as a place for the preparation of food and the keeping of
-utensils, than for the use of fire. The arrangements for the latter were
-exceedingly crude, and were limited to the open “hearth-box” filled with
-sand, the chief cooking appliance being the tripod-kettle of the early
-navigators: This might indeed be set up in any part of the ship where the
-“sand-hearth” could also go, and the smoke be cared for. It not
-infrequently found space in the fore castle, between decks, and, when
-fine weather prevailed, upon the open deck, as in the open caravels of
-Columbus, a hundred years before. The bake-kettle and the frying-pan
-held only less important places than the kettle for boiling. It must have
-been rather a burst of the imagination that led Mrs. Austin, in “Standish
-of Standish,” to make Peter Browne remind poor half-frozen Goodman--whom
-he is urging to make an effort to reach home, when they had been lost,
-but had got in sight of the MAY-FLOWER In the harbor--of “the good fires
-aboard of her.” Moreover, on January 22, when Goodman was lost, the
-company had occupied their “common-house” on shore. Her ordnance
-doubtless comprised several heavy guns (as such were then reckoned),
-mounted on the spar-deck amid ships, with lighter guns astern and on.
-the rail, and a piece of longer range and larger calibre upon the
-forecastle. Such was the general disposal of ordnance upon merchant
-vessels of her size in that day, when an armament was a ‘sine qua non’.
-Governor Winslow in his “Hypocrisie Unmasked,” 1646 (p. 91), says, in
-writing of the departure of the Pilgrims from Delfshaven, upon the
-SPEEDWELL: “The wind being fair we gave them a volley of small shot and
-three pieces of ordnance,” by which it seems that the SPEEDWELL, of only
-sixty tons, mounted at least “three pieces of ordnance” as, from the form
-of expression, there seem to have been “three pieces,” rather than three
-discharges of the same piece.
-
-The inference is warranted that the MAY-FLOWER, being three times as
-large, would carry a considerably heavier and proportionate armament.
-The LADY ARBELLA, Winthrop’s ship, a vessel of 350 tons, carried
-“twenty-eight pieces of ordnance;” but as “Admiral” of the fleet, at a
-time when there was a state of war with others, and much piracy, she
-would presumably mount more than a proportionate weight of metal,
-especially as she convoyed smaller and lightly armed vessels, and
-carried much value. There is no reason to suppose that the MAY-FLOWER,
-in her excessively crowded condition, mounted more than eight or ten
-guns, and these chiefly of small calibre. Her boats included her
-“long-boat,” with which the experience of her company in “Cape Cod harbor”
- have made us familiar, and perhaps other smaller boats,--besides the
-Master’s “skiff” or “gig,” of whose existence and necessity there are
-numerous proofs. “Monday the 27,” Bradford and Winslow state, “it
-proved rough weather and cross winds, so as we were constrained, some in
-the shallop and others in the long-boat,” etc. Bradford states, in
-regard to the repeated springings-a-leak of the SPEEDWELL: “So the
-Master of the bigger ship, called Master Jones, being consulted with;”
- and again, “The Master of the small ship complained his ship was so
-leaky . . . so they [Masters Jones and Reynolds] came to
-consultation, again,” etc. It is evident that Jones was obliged to
-visit the SPEEDWELL to inspect her and to consult with the leaders, who
-were aboard her. For this purpose, as for others, a smaller boat than
-the “long-boat” would often serve, while the number of passengers and
-crew aboard would seem to demand still other boats. Winthrop notices
-that their Captain (Melborne) frequently “had his skiff heaved out,” in
-the course of their voyage. The Master’s small boat, called the “skiff”
- or “gig,” was, no doubt, stowed (lashed) in the waist of the ship, while
-the “long-boat” was probably lashed on deck forward, being hoisted out
-and in, as the practice of those days was, by “whips,” from the
-yardarms. It was early the habit to keep certain of the live-stock,
-poultry, rabbits, etc., in the unused boats upon deck, and it is
-possible that in the crowded state of the MAY-FLOWER this custom was
-followed. Bradford remarks that their “goods or common store . . .
-were long in unlading [at New Plimoth] for want of boats.” It seems
-hardly possible that the Admiralty authorities,--though navigation laws
-were then few, crude, and poorly enforced,--or that the Adventurers and
-Pilgrim chiefs themselves, would permit a ship carrying some 130 souls
-to cross the Atlantic in the stormy season, without a reasonable boat
-provision. The capacity of the “long-boat” we know to have been about
-twenty persons, as nearly that number is shown by Bradford and Winslow
-to have gone in her on the early expeditions from the ship, at Cape Cod.
-She would therefore accommodate only about one sixth of the ship’s
-company. As the “gig” would carry only five or six persons,--while the
-shallop was stowed between decks and could be of no service in case of
-need upon the voyage,--the inference is warranted that other boats were
-carried, which fail of specific mention, or that she was wofully
-lacking. The want of boats for unlading, mentioned by Bradford, suggests
-the possibility that some of the ship’s quota may have been lost or
-destroyed on her boisterous voyage, though no such event appears of
-record, or is suggested by any one. In the event of wreck, the Pilgrims
-must have trusted, like the Apostle Paul and his associates when cast
-away on the island of Melita, to get to shore, “some on boards and some
-on broken pieces of the ship.” Her steering-gear, rigging, and the
-mechanism for “getting her anchors,” “slinging,” “squaring,” and
-“cockbilling” her yards; for “making” and “shortening” sail; “heaving
-out” her boats and “handling” her cargo, were of course all of the crude
-and simple patterns and construction of the time, usually so well
-illustrating the ancient axiom in physics, that “what is lost [spent] in
-power is gained in time.”
-
-The compass-box and hanging-compass, invented by the English cleric,
-William Barlow, but twelve years before the Pilgrim voyage, was almost
-the only nautical appliance possessed by Captain Jones, of the
-MAY-FLOWER, in which no radical improvement has since been made.
-Few charts of much value--especially of western waters--had yet been
-drafted, but the rough maps and diagrams of Cabot, Smith, Gosnold,
-Pring, Champlain and Dermer, Jones was too good a navigator not to have
-had. In speaking of the landing at Cape Cod, the expression is used by
-Bradford in “Mourt’s Relation,” “We went round all points of the
-compass,” proving that already the mariner’s compass had become familiar
-to the speech even of those not using it professionally.
-
-That the ship was “well-found” in anchors (with solid stocks), hemp
-cables, “spare” spars, “boat-tackling” and the heavy “hoisting-gear” of
-those days, we have the evidence of recorded use. “The MAY-FLOWER,”
- writes Captain Collins, would have had a hemp cable about 9 inches in
-circumference. Her anchors would probably weigh as follows: sheet anchor
-(or best bower) 500 to 600 lbs.; stream anchor 350 to 400 lbs.; the spare
-anchors same as the stream anchor.
-
-“Charnock’s Illustrations” show that the anchors used in the MAY-FLOWER
-period were shaped very much like the so called Cape Ann anchor now made
-for our deep-sea fishing vessels. They had the conventional shaped
-flukes, with broad pointed palms, and a long shank, the upper end passing
-through a wooden stock. [Tory shows in his diagrams some of the anchors
-of that period with the space between the shank and flukes nearly filled
-up in the lower part with metal.] Such an anchor has the maximum of
-holding powers, and bearing in mind the elasticity of the hemp cables
-then used, would enable a vessel to ride safely even when exposed to
-heavy winds and a racing sea: There is no doubt, according to the
-British Admiralty Office,--which should be authority upon the matter,
---that the flag under which the MAY-FLOWER, and all other vessels of the
-merchant marine of Great Britain, sailed, at the time she left England
-(as noted concerning the SPEEDWELL), was what became known as the “Union
-Jack,” as decreed by James the First, in 1606, supplanting the English
-ensign, which had been the red cross of St. George upon a white field.
-The new flag resulted from the “union” of the crowns and kingdoms of
-England and Scotland, upon the accession of James VI. of Scotland to the
-English throne, as James I. of England, upon the death of queen
-Elizabeth. Its design was formed by superimposing the red cross of St.
-George upon the white cross of St. Andrew, on a dark blue field; in other
-words, by imposing the cross of St. George, taken from the English
-ensign, upon the Scotch flag, and creating there by the new flag of Great
-Britain.
-
-In a little monograph on “The British Flag--Its Origin and History,” a
-paper read by its author, Jona. F. Morris, Esq., before the Connecticut
-Historical Society, June 7, 1881, and reprinted at Hartford (1889), Mr.
-Morris, who has made much study of the matter, states (p. 4): “In 1603,
-James VI. of Scotland was crowned James I. of England. The Scots, in
-their pride that they had given a king to England, soon began to contend
-that the cross of St. Andrew should take precedence of the cross of St.
-George, that ships bearing the flag of the latter should salute that of
-St. Andrew. To allay the contention, the King, on the 12th of April,
-1606, ordered that all subjects of Great Britain travelling by sea shall
-bear at the maintop the red cross of St. George and the white cross,
-commonly called the cross of St. Andrew, joined together according to a
-form made by his heralds besides this all vessels belonging to South
-Britain or England might wear the cross of St. George at the peak or
-fore, as they were wont, and all vessels belonging to North Britain or
-Scotland might wear the cross of St. Andrew at the fore top, as they had
-been accustomed; and all vessels were for bidden to wear any other flag
-at their peril. The new flag thus designed by the heralds and proclaimed
-by this order was called the ‘King’s Colors.’ For a long period the red
-cross had been the colors of English navigators, as well as the badge of
-English soldiery . . . . No permanent English settlement in America
-was made until after the adoption of the ‘King’s Colors.’ Jamestown,
-Plymouth, Salem, and Boston were settled under the new flag, though the
-ships bringing over settlers, being English vessels, also carried the red
-cross as permitted.” Mr. Barlow Cumberland, of Toronto, Canada, has also
-given, in a little monograph entitled “The Union Jack” (published by
-William Briggs of that city, 1898), an admirable account of the history
-of the British jack, which confirms the foregoing conclusions. The early
-English jack was later restored. Such, roughly sketched, was the Pilgrim
-ship, the renowned MAY-FLOWER, as, drafted from the meagre but fairly
-trustworthy and suggestive data available, she appears to us of to-day.
-
-
-
-
-HER HISTORY:
-
-In even the little we know of the later history of the ship, one cannot
-always be quite sure of her identity in the records of vessels of her
-name, of which there have been many. Dr. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, of
-Boston, says that “a vessel bearing this name was owned in England about
-fifteen years or more before the voyage of our forefathers, but it would
-be impossible to prove or disprove its identity with the renowned
-MAY-FLOWER, however great such a probability might be. It is known,
-nevertheless, that--the identical famous vessel afterwards hailed from
-various English ports, such as London, Yarmouth, and Southampton, and
-that it was much used in transporting immigrants to this country. What
-eventually became of it and what was the end of its career, are equally
-unknown to history.” Goodwin says: “It does not appear that the
-MAY-FLOWER ever revisited Plymouth, but in 1629 she came to Salem,” with
-a company of the Leyden people for Plymouth, under command of Captain
-William Peirce, the warm friend of the Pilgrims, and in 1630 was one of
-the large fleet that attended John Winthrop, under a different master,
-discharging her passengers at Charlestown. Nothing is certainly known of
-her after that time. In 1648 a ship [hereinafter mentioned by Hunter]
-named the MAY-FLOWER was engaged in the slave trade, and the ill-informed
-as well as the ill-disposed have sometimes sneeringly alleged that this
-was our historic ship; but it is ascertained that the slaver was a vessel
-of three hundred and fifty tons,--nearly twice the size of our ship of
-happy memory. In 1588 the officials of Lynn (England) offered the
-“MAY-FLOWER” (150 tons) to join the fleet against the dreaded Spanish
-Armada. In 1657, Samuel Vassall, of London, complained that the
-government had twice impressed his ship, MAY-FLOWER, which he had
-“fitted out with sixty men, for the Straits.” Rev. Joseph Hunter,
-author of “The Founders of New Plymouth,” one of the most eminent
-antiquarians in England, and an indefatigable student of Pilgrim history
-among British archives, says: “I have not observed the name of MAY
-FLOWER [in which style he always writes it] before the year 1583 . . .
-But the name soon became exceedingly popular among those to whom
-belonged the giving of the names to vessels in the merchant-service.
-Before the close of that century [the sixteenth] we have a MAY-FLOWER of
-Hastings; a MAY-FLOWER of Rie; a MAY-FLOWER of Newcastle: a MAY FLOWER
-of Lynn; and a MAY-FLOWER Of Yarmouth: both in 1589. Also a MAY-FLOWER
-of Hull, 1599; a MAY FLOWER of London of eighty tons burden, 1587, and
-1594, Of which Richard Ireland was the master, and another MAY-FLOWER of
-the same port, of ninety tons burthen, of which Robert White was the
-master in 1594, and a third MAY-FLOWER of London, unless it is the same
-vessel with one of the two just spoken of, only with a different master,
-William Morecock. In 1587 there was a MAY-FLOWER Of Dover, of which
-John Tooke was the master. In 1593 there was a MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth
-of 120 tons, of which William Musgrove was the master. In 1608 there
-was a MAY-FLOWER of Dartmouth, of which Nicholas Waterdonne was the
-master; and in 1609 a MAY-FLOWER of Middleburgh entered an English
-port.”
-
-Later in the century we find a MAY-FLOWER of Ipswich, and another of
-Newcastle in 1618; a MAY-FLOWER of York in 1621; a MAY-FLOWER of
-Scarborough in 1630, Robert Hadock the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Sandwich
-the same year, John Oliver the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Dover, 1633,
-Walter Finnis, master, in which two sons of the Earl of Berkshire crossed
-to Calais. “Which of these was the vessell which carried over the
-precious [Pilgrim] freight cannot perhaps be told [apparently neither,
-unless perhaps the MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth of 1593, in which case her
-tonnage is incorrectly given], but we learn from Mr. Sherley’s letter to
-Governor Bradford’ that the same vessel was employed in 1629 in passing
-between the two countries, a company of the church at Leyden, who had
-joined in the first emigration, intending to pass in it to America; and
-in the same author we find that the vessel arrived in the harbour of
-Charlestown [N. E.] on July 1, 1630. There was a MAY-FLOWER which, in
-1648, gained an unenviable notoriety as a slaver. But this was not the
-MAY-FLOWER which had carried over the first settlers, it being a vessel
-Of 350 tons, while the genuine MAY-FLOWER was of only 180 tons.” Of the
-first of her two known visits, after her voyage with the Pilgrim company
-from Leyden, Goodwin says: “In August, 1629, the renowned MAY-FLOWER came
-from England to Salem under Plymouth’s old friend [William] Peirce, and
-in her came thirty-five Leyden people, on their way to Plymouth.” The
-number has been in dispute, but the large cost of bringing them, over
-L500, would suggest that their families must have also come, as has been
-alleged, but for the following from Governor Bradford’s Letter Book:
-“These persons,” he says, “were in all thirty-five, which came at this
-time unto us from Leyden, whose charge out of Holland into England, and
-in England till the ship was ready, and then their transportation hither,
-came to a great deal of money, for besides victuals and other expenses,
-they were all newly apparelled.” Shirley, one of the Adventurers,
-writing to Governor Bradford in 1629, says: “Here are now many of your
-friends from Leyden coming over. With them also we have sent some
-servants, or in the ship that went lately (I think called the TALBOT),
-and this that these come in is the MAY-FLOWER.” All that Higginson’s
-journal tells of her, as noted, is, that “she was of Yarmouth;” was
-commanded by William Peirce, and carried provisions and passengers, but
-the fact that she was under command of Captain Peirce of itself tells
-much. On her next trip the MAY-FLOWER sailed from Southampton, in May,
-1630, as part of Winthrop’s fleet, and arrived at Charlestown July 1.
-She was, on this voyage, under command of a new master (perhaps a Captain
-Weatherby), Captain Peirce having, at this time, command of the ship
-LYON, apparently in the service of Plymouth Colony. A vessel of this
-name [MAY-FLOWER] was sailing between England and Boston in 1656. Young
-says: “The MAY-FLOWER is a ship of renown in the history of the
-colonization of New England. She was one of the five vessels which, in
-1629, conveyed Higginson’s company to Salem, and also one of the fleet
-which, in 1630, brought over his colony to Massachusetts Bay.”
-
-October 6, 1652, “Thomas Webber, Mr. of the good shipp called the
-MAYFLOWER of the burden of Two hundred Tuns or there abouts . . . .
-Rideing at Ancor in the Harber of Boston,” sold one-sixteenth of the ship
-“for good & valluable Consideracons to Mr. John Pinchon of Springfield
-Mrchant.” The next day, October 7, 1652, the same “Thomas Webber, Mr, of
-the good Shipp called the MAY FLOWER of Boston in New England now bound
-for the barbadoes and thence to London,” acknowledges an indebtedness to
-Theodore Atkinson, a wealthy “hatter, felt-maker,” and merchant of
-Boston, and the same day (October 7, 1652), the said “Thomas Webber, Mr.
-of the good shipp called the MAY FLOWER of the burthen of Two hundred
-tuns or thereabouts,” sold “unto Theodore Atkinson felt-maker
-one-sixteenth part as well of said Shipp as of all & singular her masts
-Sails Sail-yards Ancors Cables Ropes Cords Gunns Gunpowder Shott
-Artillery Tackle Munition apparrell boate skiffe and furniture to the
-same belonging.” It is of course possible that this was the historic
-ship, though, if so, reappearing twenty two years after her last known
-voyage to New England. If the same, she was apparently under both new
-master and owner. From the facts that she is called “of Boston in New
-England” and was trading between that port, “the Barbadoes” and London,
-it is not impossible that she may have been built at Boston--a sort of
-namesake descendant of the historic ship--and was that MAY-FLOWER
-mentioned as belonging, in 1657, to Mr. Samuel Vassall; as he had large
-interests alike in Boston, Barbadoes, and London. Masters of vessels
-were often empowered to sell their ships or shares in them. Although we
-know not where her keel was laid, by what master she was built, or where
-she laid her timbers when her work was done, by virtue of her grand
-service to humanity, her fame is secure, and her name written among the
-few, the immortal names that were not born to die.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER V
-
-THE OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE MAYFLOWER
-
-The officers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER were obviously important factors
-in the success of the Pilgrim undertaking, and it is of interest to know
-what we may concerning them. We have seen that the “pilot,” John Clarke,
-was employed by Weston and Cushman, even before the vessel upon which he
-was to serve had been found, and he had hence the distinction of being
-the first man “shipped” of the MAY-FLOWER’S complement. It is evident
-that he was promptly hired on its being known that he had recently
-returned from a voyage to Virginia in the cattle-ship FALCON, as certain
-to be of value in the colonists’ undertakings.
-
-Knowing that the Adventurers’ agents were seeking both a ship and a
-master for her, it was the natural thing for the latter, that he should
-propose the Captain under whom he had last sailed, on much the same
-voyage as that now contemplated. It is an interesting fact that
-something of the uncertainty which for a time existed as to the names and
-features of the Pilgrim barks attaches the names and identity of their
-respective commanders. The “given” name of “Master” Reynolds, “pilott”
- and “Master” of the SPEED WELL, does not appear, but the assertion of
-Professor Arber, though positive enough, that “the Christian name of the
-Captain of the MAY-FLOWER is not known,” is not accepted by other
-authorities in Pilgrim history, though it is true that it does not find
-mention in the contemporaneous accounts of the Pilgrim ship and her
-voyage.
-
-There is no room for doubt that the Captain of the FALCON--whose release
-from arrest while under charge of piracy the Earl of Warwick procured,
-that he might take command of the above-named cattle-ship on her voyage
-to Virginia, as hereinafter shown--was Thomas Jones. The identity of
-this man and “Master Jones” who assumed command of the MAY-FLOWER--with
-the former mate of the FALCON, John Clarke, as his first officer--is
-abundantly certified by circumstantial evidence of the strongest kind, as
-is also the fact that he commanded the ship DISCOVERY a little later.
-
-With the powerful backing of such interested friends as the Earl of
-Warwick and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, undoubtedly already in league with
-Thomas Weston, who probably made the contract with Jones,
-as he had with Clarke, the suggestion of the latter as to the competency
-and availability of his late commander would be sure of prompt approval,
-and thus, in all probability, Captain Thomas Jones, who finds his chief
-place in history--and a most important one--as Master of the MAY-FLOWER,
-came to that service.
-
-In 1619, as appears by Neill, the Virginia Company had one John Clarke in
-Ireland, “buying cattle for Virginia.” We know that Captain Jones soon
-sailed for Virginia with cattle, in the FALCON, of 150 tons, and as this
-was the only cattle ship in a long period, we can very certainly identify
-Clarke as the newly-hired mate of the MAY-FLOWER, who, Cush man says
-(letter of June 11/21, 1620), “went last year to Virginia with a ship of
-kine.” As 1620 did not begin until March 25, a ship sailing in February
-would have gone out in 1619, and Jones and Clarke could easily have made
-the voyage in time to engage for the MAY-FLOWER in the following June.
-“Six months after Jones’s trip in the latter” (i.e. after his return
-from the Pilgrim voyage), Neill says, “he took the DISCOVERY (60 tons) to
-Virginia, and then northward, trading along the coast. The Council for
-New England complained of him to the Virginia Company for robbing the
-natives on this voyage. He stopped at Plymouth (1622), and, taking
-advantage of the distress for food he found there, was extortionate in
-his prices. In July, 1625, he appeared at Jamestown, Virginia, in
-possession of a Spanish frigate, which he said had been captured by one
-Powell, under a Dutch commission, but it was thought a resumption of his
-old buccaneering practices. Before investigation he sickened and died.”
-
-That Jones was a man of large experience, and fully competent in his
-profession, is beyond dispute. His disposition, character, and deeds
-have been the subject of much discussion. By most writers he is held to
-have been a man of coarse, “unsympathetic” nature, “a rough sea-dog,”
- capable of good feeling and kindly impulses at times, but neither
-governed by them nor by principle. That he was a “highwayman of the
-seas,” a buccaneer and pirate, guilty of blood for gold, there can be no
-doubt. Certainly nothing could justify the estimate of him given by
-Professor Arber, that “he was both fair-minded and friendly toward the
-Pilgrim Fathers,” and he certainly stands alone among writers of
-reputation in that opinion. Jones’s selfishness,
-
- [Bradford himself--whose authority in the matter will not be
- doubted--says (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 112): “As this calamitie,
- the general sickness, fell among ye passengers that were to be left
- here to plant, and were basted ashore and made to drinke water, that
- the sea-men might have ye more bear [beer] and one in his sickness
- desiring but a small can of beare it was answered that if he were
- their own father he should have none.” Bradford also shows (op.
- cit. p. 153) the rapacity of Jones, when in command of the
- DISCOVERY, in his extortionate demands upon the Plymouth planters,
- notwithstanding their necessities.]
-
-threats, boorishness, and extortion, to say nothing of his exceedingly
-bad record as a pirate, both in East and West Indian waters, compel a far
-different estimate of him as a man, from that of Arber, however excellent
-he was as a mariner. Professor Arber dissents from Goodwin’s conclusion
-that Captain Jones of the DISCOVERY was the former Master of the
-MAY-FLOWER, but the reasons of his dissent are by no means convincing. He
-argues that Jones would not have accepted the command of a vessel so much
-smaller than his last, the DISCOVERY being only one third the size of the
-MAY-FLOWER. Master-mariners, particularly when just returned from long
-and unsuccessful voyages, especially if in bad repute,--as was Jones,
---are obliged to take such employment as offers, and are often glad to get
-a ship much smaller than their last, rather than remain idle. Moreover,
-in Jones’s case, if, as appears, he was inclined to buccaneering, the
-smaller ship would serve his purpose--as it seems it did satisfactorily.
-Nor is the fact that Bradford speaks of him--although previously so well
-acquainted--as “one Captain Jones,” to be taken as evidence, as Arber
-thinks, that the Master of the DISCOVERY was some other of the name.
-Bradford was writing history, and his thought just then was the especial
-Providence of God in the timely relief afforded their necessities by the
-arrival of the ships with food, without regard to the individuals who
-brought it, or the fact that one was an acquaintance of former years.
-On the other hand, Winslow--in his “Good Newes from New England”
- --records the arrival of the two ships in August, 1622, and says, “the one
-as I take [recollect] it, was called the DISCOVERY, Captain Jones having
-command thereof,” which on the same line of argument as Arber’s might be
-read, “our old acquaintance Captain Jones, you know”! If the expression
-of Bradford makes against its being Captain Jones, formerly of the
-MAY-FLOWER, Winslow’s certainly makes quite as much for it, while the fact
-which Winslow recites, viz. that the DISCOVERY, under Jones, was sailing
-as consort to the SPARROW, a ship of Thomas Weston,--who employed him for
-the MAY-FLOWER, was linked with him in the Gorges conspiracy, and had
-become nearly as degenerate as he,--is certainly significant. There are
-still better grounds, as will appear in the closely connected relations
-of Jones, for holding with Goodwin rather than with Arber in the matter.
-The standard authority in the case is the late Rev. E. D. Neill, D. D.,
-for some years United States consul at Dublin, who made very considerable
-research into all matters pertaining to the Virginia Companies,
-consulting their original records and “transactions,” the Dutch related
-documents, the “Calendars of the East India Company,” etc. Upon him and
-his exhaustive work all others have largely drawn,--notably Professor
-Arber himself,--and his conclusions seem entitled to the same weight here
-which Arber gives them in other relations. Dr. Neill is clearly of
-opinion that the Captains of the MAY-FLOWER and the DISCOVERY were
-identical, and this belief is shared by such authorities in Pilgrim
-literature as Young, Prince, Goodwin, and Davis, and against this
-formidable consensus of opinion, Arber, unless better supported, can
-hardly hope to prevail.
-
-The question of Jones’s duplicity and fraud, in bringing the Pilgrims to
-land at Cape Cod instead of the “neighbor-hood of Hudson’s River,” has
-been much mooted and with much diversity of opinion, but in the light of
-the subjoined evidence and considerations it seems well-nigh impossible
-to acquit him of the crime--for such it was, in inception, nature, and
-results, however overruled for good.
-
-The specific statements of Bradford and others leave no room for doubt
-that the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims fully intended to make their settlement
-somewhere in the region of the mouth of “Hudson’s River.” Morton states
-in terms that Captain Jones’s “engagement was to Hudson’s River.”
- Presumably, as heretofore noted, the stipulation of his charter party
-required that he should complete his outward voyage in that general
-locality. The northern limits of the patents granted in the Pilgrim
-interest, whether that of John Wincob (or Wincop) sealed June 9/ 19,
-1619, but never used, or the first one to John Pierce, of February 2/12,
-1620, were, of course, brought within the limits of the First (London)
-Virginia Company’s charter, which embraced, as is well-known, the
-territory between the parallels of 34 deg. and 41 deg. N. latitude.
-The most northerly of these parallels runs but about twenty miles to the
-north of the mouth of “Hudson’s River.” It is certain that the Pilgrims,
-after the great expense, labor, and pains of three years, to secure the
-protection of these Patents, would not willingly or deliberately, have
-planted themselves outside that protection, upon territory where they had
-none, and where, as interlopers, they might reasonably expect trouble
-with the lawful proprietors. Nor was there any reason why, if they so
-desired, they should not have gone to “Hudson’s River” or its vicinity,
-unless it was that they had once seemed to recognize the States General
-of Holland as the rightful owners of that territory, by making petition
-to them, through the New Netherland Company, for their authority and
-protection in settling there. But even this fact constituted no moral or
-legal bar to such action, if desirable First, because it appears certain
-that, whatever the cause, they “broke off” themselves their negotiations
-with the Dutch,--whether on account of the inducements offered by Thomas
-Weston, or a doubt of the ability of the Dutch to maintain their claim to
-that region, and to protect there, or both, neither appears nor matters.
-Second, because the States General--whether with knowledge that they of
-Leyden had so “broken off” or from their own doubts of their ability to
-maintain their claim on the Hudson region, does not appear--rejected the
-petition made to them in the Pilgrims’ behalf. It is probable that the
-latter was the real reason, from the fact that the petition was twice
-rejected.
-
-In view of the high opinion of the Leyden brethren, entertained, as we
-know, by the Dutch, it is clear that the latter would have been pleased
-to secure them as colonists; while if at all confident of their rights to
-the territory, they must have been anxious to colonize it and thus
-confirm their hold, increase their revenues as speedily as possible,
-and
-
-Third, because it appears upon the showing of the petition itself, made
-by the New Netherland Company (to which the Leyden leaders had looked,
-doubtless on account of its pretensions, for the authority and protection
-of the States General, as they afterward did to the English Virginia
-Company for British protection), that this Company had lost its own
-charter by expiration, and hence had absolutely nothing to offer the
-Leyden people beyond the personal and associate influence of its members,
-and the prestige of a name that had once been potential. In fact, the
-New Netherland Company was using the Leyden congregation as a leverage to
-pry for itself from the States General new advantages, larger than it had
-previously enjoyed.
-
-Moreover it appears by the evidence of both the petition of the Directors
-of the New Netherland Company to the Prince of Orange (February 2/12,
-1619/20), and the letters of Sir Dudley Carleton, the British ambassador
-at the Hague, to the English Privy Council, dated February 5/15, 1621/22,
-that, up to this latter date the Dutch had established no colony
-
- [British State Papers, Holland, Bundle 165. Sir Dudley Carleton’s
- Letters. “They have certain Factors there, continually resident,
- trading with savages . . . but I cannot learn of any colony,
- either I already planted there by these people, or so much as
- intended.” Sir Dudley Carleton’s Letters.]
-
-on the territory claimed by them at the Hudson, and had no other
-representation there than the trading-post of a commercial company whose
-charter had expired. There can be no doubt that the Leyden leaders knew,
-from their dealings with the New Netherland Company, and the study of the
-whole problem which they evidently made, that this region was open to
-them or any other parties for habitation and trade, so far as any prior
-grants or charters under the Dutch were concerned, but they required more
-than this.
-
-To Englishmen, the English claim to the territory at “Hudson’s River”
- was valid, by virtue of the discovery of the Cabots, under the law of
-nations as then recognized, not withstanding Hudson’s more particular
-explorations of those parts in 1609, in the service of Holland,
-especially as no colony or permanent occupancy of the region by the
-Dutch had been made.
-
-Professor John Fiske shows that “it was not until the Protestant England
-of Elizabeth had come to a life-and-death grapple with Spain, and not
-until the discovery of America had advanced much nearer completion, so
-that its value began to be more correctly understood, that political and
-commercial motives combined in determining England to attack Spain
-through America, and to deprive her of supremacy in the colonial and
-maritime world. Then the voyages of the Cabots assumed an importance
-entirely new, and could be quoted as the basis of a prior claim on the
-part of the English Crown, to lands which it [through the Cabots] had
-discovered.”
-
-Having in mind the terrible history of slaughter and reprisal between the
-Spanish and French (Huguenot) settlers in Florida in 1565-67,
-
- [Bancroft, History of the United States, vol. i. p. 68; Fiske,
- Discovery of America, vol. ii. p. 511 et seq. With the terrible
- experience of the Florida plantations in memory, the far-sighted
- leaders of the Leyden church proposed to plant under the shelter of
- an arm strong enough to protect them, and we find the Directors of
- the New Netherland Company stating that the Leyden party (the
- Pilgrims) can be induced to settle under Dutch auspices, “provided,
- they would be guarded and preserved from all violence on the part of
- other potentates, by the authority, and under the protection of your
- Princely Excellency and the High and Mighty States General.”
- Petition of the Directors of the New Netherland Company to the
- Prince of Orange.]
-
-the Pilgrims recognized the need of a strong power behind them, under
-whose aegis they might safely plant, and by virtue of whose might and
-right they could hope to keep their lives and possessions. The King of
-England had, in 1606, granted charters to the two Virginia Companies,
-covering all the territory in dispute, and, there could be no doubt,
-would protect these grants and British proprietorship therein, against
-all comers. Indeed, the King (James I.) by letter to Sir Dudley
-Carleton, his ambassador at the Hague, under date of December 15, 1621,
-expressly claimed his rights in the New Netherland territory and
-instructed him to impress upon the government of the States General his
-Majesty’s claim,--“who, ‘jure prime occupation’ hath good and sufficient
-title to these parts.” There can be no question that the overtures of
-Sandys, Weston, and others to make interest for them with one of these
-English Companies, agreed as well with both the preferences and
-convictions of the Leyden Pilgrims, as they did with the hopes and
-designs of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. In the light of these facts, there
-appears to have been neither legal nor moral bar to the evident intention
-of the Pilgrims to settle in the vicinity of “Hudson’s River,” if they so
-elected. In their light, also, despite the positive allegations of the
-truthful but not always reliable Morton, his charges of intrigue between
-the Dutch and Master Jones of the MAY-FLOWER, to prevent the settlement
-of his ship’s company at “Hudson’s River,” may well be doubted. Writing
-in “New England’s Memorial” in 1669, Morton says: “But some of the Dutch,
-having notice of their intentions, and having thoughts about the same
-time of erecting a plantation there likewise, they fraudulently hired the
-said Jones, by delays while they were in England, and now under pretence
-of the shoals the dangers of the Monomoy Shoals off Cape Cod to
-disappoint them in going thither.” He adds: “Of this plot between the
-Dutch and Mr. Jones, I have had late and certain intelligence.” If this
-intelligence was more reliable than his assertion concerning the
-responsibility of Jones for the “delays while they were in England,” it
-may well be discredited, as not the faintest evidence appears to make him
-responsible for those delays, and they are amply accounted for without
-him. Without questioning the veracity of Morton (while suggesting his
-many known errors, and that the lapse of time made it easy to
-misinterpret even apparently certain facts), it must be remembered that
-he is the original sponsor for the charge of Dutch intrigue with Jones,
-and was its sole support for many years. All other writers who have
-accepted and indorsed his views are of later date, and but follow him,
-while Bradford and Winslow, who were victims of this Dutch conspiracy
-against them, if it ever existed, were entirely silent in their writings
-upon the matter, which we may be sure they would not have been, had they
-suspected the Dutch as prime movers in the treachery. That there was a
-conspiracy to accomplish the landing of the MAY-FLOWER planters at a
-point north of “the Hudson” (in fact, north of the bounds defined by the
-(first) Pierce patent, upon which they relied), i.e. north of 41 deg. N.
-latitude,--is very certain; but that it was of Dutch origin, or based
-upon motives which are attributed to the Dutch, is clearly erroneous.
-While the historical facts indicate an utter lack of motive for such an
-intrigue on the part of the Dutch, either as a government or as
-individuals, there was no lack of motive on the part of certain others,
-who, we can but believe, were responsible for the conspiracy. Moreover,
-the chief conspirators were such, that, even if the plot was ultimately
-suspected by the Pilgrims, a wise policy--indeed, self-preservation
---would have dictated their silence. That the Dutch were without
-sufficient motive or interest has been declared. That the States General
-could have had no wish to reject so exceptionally excellent a body of
-colonists as subjects, and as tenants to hold and develop their disputed
-territory--if in position to receive them and guarantee them protection
---is clear. The sole objection that could be urged against them was their
-English birth, and with English regiments garrisoning the Dutch home
-cities, and foreigners of every nation in the States General’s employ, by
-land and by sea, such an objection could have had no weight. Indeed, the
-Leyden party proposed, if they effected satisfactory arrangements with
-the States General (as stated by the Directors of the New Netherland
-Company), “to plant there [at “Hudson’s River”] a new commonwealth, all
-under the order and command of your Princely Excellency and their High
-Mightinesses the States General:” The Leyden Pilgrims were men who kept
-their agreements.
-
-The Dutch trading-companies, who were the only parties in the Low
-Countries who could possibly have had any motive for such a conspiracy,
-were at this time themselves without charters, and the overtures of the
-principal company, made to the government in behalf of themselves and the
-Leyden brethren, had recently, as we have seen, been twice rejected.
-They had apparently, therefore, little to hope for in the near future;
-certainly not enough to warrant expenditure and the risk of disgraceful
-exposure, in negotiations with a stranger--an obscure ship-master--to
-change his course and land his passengers in violation of the terms of
-his charter-party;--negotiations, moreover, in which neither of the
-parties could well have had any guaranty of the other’s good faith.
-
-But, as previously asserted, there was a party--to whom such knavery was
-an ordinary affair--who had ample motive, and of whom Master Thomas Jones
-was already the very willing and subservient ally and tool, and had been
-such for years. Singularly enough, the motive governing this party was
-exactly the reverse of that attributed--though illogically and without
-reason--to the Dutch. In the case of the latter, the alleged animus was
-a desire to keep the Pilgrim planters away from their “Hudson’s River”
- domain. In the case of the real conspirators, the purpose was to secure
-these planters as colonists for, and bring them to, the more northern
-territory owned by them. It is well known that Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
-the leading spirit of the “Second Virginia Company,” as he also became
-(with the Earl of Warwick a close second) of “The Council for the Affairs
-of New England,” of which both men were made “Governors,” in November of
-1620, when the Council practically superseded the “Second Virginia
-Company.” The Great Charter for “The Council of Affairs of New England,”
- commonly known as “The Council for New England,” issued Tuesday, November
-3/13, 1620, and it held in force till Sunday, June 7/17, 1635.
-
-Although not its official head, and ranked at its board by dukes and
-earls, Sir Ferdinando Gorges was--as he had been in the old Plymouth (or
-Second) Virginia Company--the leading man. This was largely from his
-superior acquaintance with, and long and varied experience in, New
-England affairs. The “Council” was composed of forty patentees, and
-Baxter truly states, that “Sir Ferdinando Gorges, at this time [1621]
-stood at the head of the Council for New England, so far as influence
-went; in fact, his hand shaped its affairs.” This company, holding--by
-the division of territory made under the original charter-grants--a strip
-of territory one hundred miles wide, on the North American coast, between
-the parallels of 41 deg. and 45 deg. N. latitude, had not prospered, and
-its efforts at colonization (on what is now the Maine coast), in 1607 and
-later, had proved abortive, largely through the character of its
-“settlers,” who had been, in good degree, a somewhat notable mixture of
-two of the worst elements of society,--convicts and broken-down
-“gentlemen.”
-
-“In 1607,” says Goodwin, “Gorges and the cruel Judge Popham planted a
-colony at Phillipsburg (or Sagadahoc, as is supposed), by the mouth of
-the Kennebec. Two ships came, ‘THE GIFT OF GOD’ and the ‘MARY AND JOHN,’
-bringing a hundred persons. Through August they found all delightful,
-but when the ships went back in December, fifty five of the number
-returned to England, weary of their experience and fearful of the cold
-. . . . With spring the ships returned from England; “but by this time
-the remainder were ready to leave,” so every soul returned with Gilbert
-[the Admiral] . . . . For thirty years Gorges continued to push
-exploration and emigration to that region, but his ambition and
-liberality ever resulted in disappointment and loss.” The annals of the
-time show that not a few of the Sagadahoc colonists were convicts,
-released from the English jails to people this colony.
-
-Hakluyt says: “In 1607 [this should read 1608], disheartened by the death
-of Popham, they all embarked in a ship from Exeter and in the new
-pynnace, the ‘VIRGINIA,’ built in the colony, and sett sail for England,
-and this was the end of that northern colony upon the river Sachadehoc
-[Kennebec].”
-
-No one knew better than the shrewd Gorges the value of such a colony as
-that of the Leyden brethren would be, to plant, populate, and develop his
-Company’s great demesne. None were more facile than himself and the
-buccaneering Earl of Warwick, to plan and execute the bold, but--as it
-proved--easy coup, by which the Pilgrim colony was to be stolen bodily;
-for the benefit of the “Second Virginia Company” and its successor,
-“the Council for New England,” from the “First (or London) Company,”
- under whose patent (to John Pierce) and patronage they sailed. They
-apparently did not take their patent with them,--it would have been
-worthless if they had,--and they were destined to have no small trouble
-with Pierce, before they were established in their rights under the new
-patent granted him (in the interest of the Adventurers and themselves),
-by the “Council for New England.” Master John Wincob’s early and silent
-withdrawal from his apparently active connection with the Pilgrim
-movement, and the evident cancellation of the first patent issued to him
-in its interest, by the (London) Virginia Company, have never been
-satisfactorily explained. Wincob (or Wincop), we are told, “was a
-religious Gentleman, then belonging to the household of the Countess of
-Lincoln, who intended to go with them [the Pilgrims] but God so disposed
-as he never went, nor they ever made use of this Patent, which had cost
-them so much labor and charge.” Wincob, it appears by the minutes of the
-(London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, May 26/June 5, 1619, was
-commended to the Company, for the patent he sought, by the fourth Earl of
-Lincoln, and it was doubtless through his influence that it was granted
-and sealed, June 9/19, 1619. But while Wincob was a member of the
-household of the Dowager Countess of Lincoln, mother of the fourth Earl
-of Lincoln; John, the eldest son of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, had married
-the Earl’s daughter (sister ?), and hence Gorges stood in a much nearer
-relation to the Earl than did his mother’s friend and dependant (as
-Wincob evidently was), as well as on a much more equal social footing.
-By the minutes of the (London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, February 2/
-12, 1619/20, it appears that a patent was “allowed and sealed to John
-Pierce and his associates, heirs and assigns,” for practically the same
-territory for which the patent to Wincob had been given but eight months
-before. No explanation was offered, and none appears of record, but the
-logical conclusion is, that the first patent had been cancelled, that
-Master Wincob’s personal interest in the Pilgrim exodus had ceased, and
-that the Lincoln patronage had been withdrawn. It is a rational
-conjecture that Sir Ferdinando Gorges, through the relationship he
-sustained to the Earl, procured the withdrawal of Wincob and his patent,
-knowing that the success of his (Gorges’s) plot would render the Wincob
-patent worthless, and that the theft of the colony, in his own interest,
-would be likely to breed “unpleasantness” between himself and Wincob’s
-sponsors and friends among the Adventurers, many of whom were friends of
-the Earl of Lincoln.
-
-The Earl of Warwick, the man of highest social and political rank in the
-First (or London) Virginia Company, was, at about the same time, induced
-by Gorges to abandon his (the London) Company and unite with himself in
-securing from the Crown the charter of the “Council of Affairs for New
-England.” The only inducements he could offer for the change must
-apparently have resided in the promised large results of plottings
-disclosed by him (Gorges), but he needed the influential and unscrupulous
-Earl for the promotion of his schemes, and won him, by some means, to an
-active partnership, which was doubtless congenial to both. The “fine
-Italian hand” of Sir Ferdinando hence appears at every stage, and in
-every phase, of the Leyden movement, from the mission of Weston to
-Holland, to the landing at Cape Cod, and every movement clearly indicates
-the crafty cunning, the skilful and brilliant manipulation, and the
-dogged determination of the man.
-
-That Weston was a most pliant and efficient tool in the hands of Gorges,
-“from start to finish” of this undertaking, is certainly apparent.
-Whether he was, from the outset, made fully aware of the sinister designs
-of the chief conspirator, and a party to them, admits of some doubt,
-though the conviction strengthens with study, that he was, from the
-beginning, ‘particeps criminis’. If he was ever single-minded for the
-welfare of the Leyden brethren and the Adventurers, it must have been for
-a very brief time at the inception of the enterprise; and circumstances
-seem to forbid crediting him with honesty of purpose, even then. The
-weight of evidence indicates that he both knew, and was fully enlisted
-in, the entire plot of Gorges from the outset. In all its early stages
-he was its most efficient promoter, and seems to have given ample proof
-of his compliant zeal in its execution. His visit to the Leyden brethren
-in Holland was, apparently, wholly instigated by Gorges, as the latter
-complacently claims and collateral evidence proves. In his endeavor to
-induce the leaders to “break off with the Dutch,” their pending
-negotiations for settlement at “Hudson’s River,” he evidently made
-capital of, and traded upon, his former kindness to some of them when
-they were in straits,--a most contemptible thing in itself, yet
-characteristic of the man. He led the Pilgrims to “break off” their
-dealings with the Dutch by the largest and most positive promises of
-greater advantages through him, few of which he ever voluntarily kept (as
-we see by John Robinson’s sharp arraignment of him), his whole object
-being apparently to get the Leyden party into his control and that of his
-friends,--the most subtle and able of whom was Gorges. Bradford recites
-that Weston not only urged the Leyden leaders “not to meddle with ye
-Dutch,” but also,--“not too much to depend on ye Virginia [London]
-Company,” but to rely on himself and his friends. This strongly suggests
-active cooperation with Gorges, on Weston’s part, at the outset, with the
-intent (if he could win them by any means, from allegiance to the First
-(London) Virginia Company), to lead the Leyden party, if possible, into
-Gorges’s hands and under the control and patronage of the Second (or
-Plymouth) Virginia Company. Whatever the date may have been, at which
-(as Bradford states) the Leyden people “heard, both by Mr. Weston and
-others, yt sundrie Honble: Lords had obtained a large grante from ye king
-for ye more northerly parts of that countrie, derived out of ye Virginia
-patents, and wholly secluded from theire Governmente, and to be called by
-another name, viz. New England, unto which Mr. Weston and the chiefe of
-them begane to incline;” Bradford leaves us in no doubt as to Weston’s
-attitude toward the matter itself. It is certain that the governor,
-writing from memory, long afterward, fixed the time at which the Honble:
-Lords had obtained “their large grante” much earlier than it could
-possibly have occurred, as we know the exact date of the patent for the,
-“Council for New England,” and that the order for its issue was not given
-till just as the Pilgrims left Leyden; so that they could not have known
-of the actual “grante” till they reached Southampton. The essential
-fact, stated on this best of authority, is, that “Mr. Weston and the
-chiefe of them [their sponsors, i.e. Weston and Lord Warwick, both in
-league with Gorges] begane to incline to Gorges’s new Council for New
-England.” Such an attitude (evidently taken insidiously) meant, on
-Weston’s part, of necessity, no less than treachery to his associates of
-the Adventurers; to the (London) Virginia Company, and to the Leyden
-company and their allied English colonists, in the interest of Sir
-Ferdinando Gorges and his schemes and of the new “Council” that Gorges
-was organizing. Weston’s refusal to advance “a penny” to clear the
-departing Pilgrims from their port charges at Southampton; his almost
-immediate severance of connection with both the colonists and the
-Adventurers; and his early association with Gorges,--in open and
-disgraceful violation of all the formers’ rights in New England,--to say
-nothing of his exhibition of a malevolence rarely exercised except toward
-those one has deeply wronged, all point to a complete and positive
-surrender of himself and his energies to the plot of Gorges, as a full
-participant, from its inception. In his review of the Anniversary Address
-of Hon. Charles Francis Adams (of July 4, 1892, at Quincy), Daniel W.
-Baker, Esq., of Boston, says: “The Pilgrim Fathers were influenced in
-their decision to come to New England by Weston, who, if not the agent of
-Gorges in this particular matter, was such in other matters and held
-intimate relations with him.”
-
-The known facts favor the belief that Gorges’s cogitations on colonial
-matters--especially as stimulated by his plottings in relation to the
-Leyden people--led to his project of the grant--and charter for the new
-“Council for New England,” designed and constituted to supplant, or
-override, all others. It is highly probable that this grand scheme
---duly embellished by the crafty Gorges,--being unfolded to Weston, with
-suggestions of great opportunities for Weston himself therein, warmed and
-drew him, and brought him to full and zealous cooperation in all Gorges’s
-plans, and that from this time, as Bradford states, he “begane to
-incline” toward, and to suggest to the Pilgrims, association with Gorges
-and the new “Council.” Not daring openly to declare his change of
-allegiance and his perfidy, he undertook, apparently, at first, by
-suggestions, e.g. “not to place too much dependence on the London
-Company, but to rely on himself and friends;” that “the fishing of New
-England was good,” etc.; and making thus no headway, then, by a policy of
-delay, fault finding, etc., to breed dissatisfaction, on the Pilgrims’
-part, with the Adventurers, the patent of Wincob, etc., with the hope of
-bringing about “a new deal” in the Gorges interest. The same “delays” in
-sailing, that have been adduced as proof of Jones’s complicity with the
-Dutch, would have been of equal advantage to these noble schemers, and if
-he had any hand in them-which does not appear--it would have been far
-more likely in the interest of his long-time patron, the Earl of Warwick,
-and of his friends, than of any Dutch conspirators.
-
-Once the colonists were landed upon the American soil, especially if late
-in the season, they would not be likely, it doubtless was argued, to
-remove; while by a liberal policy on the part of the “Council for New
-England” toward them--when they discovered that they were upon its
-territory--they could probably be retained. That just such a policy was,
-at once and eagerly, adopted toward them, as soon as occasion permitted,
-is good proof that the scheme was thoroughly matured from the start. The
-record of the action of the “Council for New England”--which had become
-the successor of the Second Virginia Company before intelligence was
-received that the Pilgrims had landed on its domain--is not at hand,
-but it appears by the record of the London Company, under date of Monday,
-July 16/26, 1621, that the “Council for New England” had promptly made
-itself agreeable to the colonists. The record reads: “It was moved,
-seeing that Master John Pierce had taken a Patent of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges, and thereupon seated his Company [the Pilgrims] within the limits
-of the Northern Plantations, as by some was supposed,”’ etc. From this
-it is plain that, on receipt by Pierce of the news that the colony was
-landed within the limits of the “Council for New England,” he had, as
-instructed, applied for, and been given (June 1, 1621), the (first)
-“Council” patent for the colony. For confirmation hereof one should see
-also the minutes of the “Council for New England” of March 25/April 4.,
-1623, and the fulsome letter of Robert Cushman returning thanks in behalf
-of the Planters (through John Pierce), to Gorges, for his prompt response
-to their request for a patent and for his general complacency toward them
-Hon. James Phinney Baxter, Gorges’s able and faithful biographer, says:
-“We can imagine with what alacrity he [Sir Ferdinando] hastened to give
-to Pierce a patent in their behalf.” The same biographer, clearly
-unconscious of the well-laid plot of Gorges and Warwick (as all other
-writers but Neill and Davis have been), bears testimony (all the stronger
-because the witness is unwitting of the intrigue), to the ardent interest
-Gorges had in its success. He says: “The warm desire of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges to see a permanent colony founded within the domain of the
-Plymouth [or Second] Virginia Company was to be realized in a manner of
-which he had never dreamed [sic!] and by a people with whom he had but
-little sympathized, although we know that he favored their settlement
-within the territorial limits of the Plymouth [Second] Company.” He had
-indeed “favored their settlement,” by all the craft of which he was
-master, and greeted their expected and duly arranged advent with all the
-jubilant open-handedness with which the hunter treats the wild horse he
-has entrapped, and hopes to domesticate and turn to account. Everything
-favored the conspirators. The deflection north-ward from the normal
-course of the ship as she approached the coast, bound for the latitude of
-the Hudson, required only to be so trifling that the best sailor of the
-Pilgrim leaders would not be likely to note or criticise it, and it was
-by no means uncommon to make Cape Cod as the first landfall on Virginia
-voyages. The lateness of the arrival on the coast, and the difficulties
-ever attendant on doubling Cape Cod, properly turned to account, would
-increase the anxiety for almost any landing-place, and render it easy to
-retain the sea-worn colonists when once on shore. The grand advantage,
-however, over and above all else, was the entire ease and certainty with
-which the cooperation of the one man essential to the success of the
-undertaking could be secured, without need of the privity of any other,
-viz. the Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas Jones.
-
-Let us see upon what the assumption of this ready and certain accord on
-the part of Captain Jones rests. Rev. Dr. Neill, whose thorough study of
-the records of the Virginia Companies, and of the East India Company
-Calendars and collateral data, entitles him to speak with authority,
-recites that, “In 1617, Capt. Thomas Jones (sometimes spelled Joanes) had
-been sent to the East Indies in command of the ship LION by the Earl of
-Warwick (then Sir Robt. Rich), under a letter of protection from the Duke
-of Savoy, a foreign prince, ostensibly ‘to take pirates,’ which [pretext]
-had grown, as Sir Thomas Roe (the English ambassador with the Great
-Mogul) states, ‘to be a common pretence for becoming pirate.’” Caught by
-the famous Captain Martin Pring, in full pursuit of the junk of the Queen
-Mother of the Great Mogul, Jones was attacked, his ship fired in the
-fight, and burned,--with some of his crew,--and he was sent a prisoner to
-England in the ship BULL, arriving in the Thames, January 1, 1618/19. No
-action seems to have been taken against him for his offences, and
-presumably his employer, Sir Robert, the coming Earl, obtained his
-liberty on one pretext or another. On January 19, however, complaint was
-made against Captain Jones, “late of the LION,” by the East India
-Company, “for hiring divers men to serve the King of Denmark in the East
-Indies.” A few days after his arrest for “hiring away the Company’s men,
-Lord Warwick got him off” on the claim that he had employed him
-“to go to Virginia with cattle.” From the “Transactions” of the Second
-Virginia Company, of which--as we have seen--Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
-the leading spirit, it appears that on “February 2, 1619/20, a commission
-was allowed Captain Thomas Jones of the FALCON, a ship of 150 tons” [he
-having been lately released from arrest by the Earl of Warwick’s
-intercession], and that “before the close of the month, he sailed with
-cattle for Virginia,” as previously noted. Dr. Neill, than whom there
-can be no better authority, was himself satisfied, and unequivocally
-states, that “Thomas Jones, Captain of the MAY-FLOWER, was without doubt
-the old servant of Lord Warwick in the East Indies.” Having done Sir
-Robert Rich’s (the Earl of Warwick’s) “dirty work” for years, and having
-on all occasions been saved from harm by his noble patron (even when
-piracy and similar practices had involved him in the meshes of the law),
-it would be but a trifling matter, at the request of such powerful
-friends as the Earl and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, to steal the Pilgrim
-Colony from the London Virginia Company, and hand it over bodily to the
-“Council for New England,”--the successor of the Second (Plymouth)
-Virginia Company,--in which their interests were vested, Warwick having,
-significantly, transferred his membership from the London Company to the
-new “Council for New England,” as it was commonly called. Neill states,
-and there is abundant proof, that “the Earl of Warwick and Gorges were in
-sympathy,” and were active coadjutors, while it is self-evident that both
-would be anxious to accomplish the permanent settlement of the “Northern
-Plantations” held by their Company. That they would hesitate to utilize
-so excellent an opportunity to secure so very desirable a colony, by any
-means available, our knowledge of the men and their records makes it
-impossible to believe,--while nothing could apparently have been easier
-of accomplishment. It will readily be understood that if the
-conspirators were these men,--upon whose grace the Pilgrims must depend
-for permission to remain upon the territory to which they had been
-inveigled, or even for permission to depart from it, without spoliation,
---men whose influence with the King (no friend to the Pilgrims) was
-sufficient to make both of them, in the very month of the Pilgrims’
-landing, “governors” of “The Council for New England,” under whose
-authority the Planters must remain,--the latter were not likely to voice
-their suspicions of the trick played upon them, if they discovered it,
-or openly to resent it, when known. Dr. Dexter, in commenting on the
-remark of Bradford, “We made Master Jones our leader, for we thought it
-best herein to gratifie his kindness & forwardness,” sensibly says,
-“This proves nothing either way, in regard to the charge which Secretary
-Morton makes of treachery against Jones, in landing the company so far
-north, because, if that were true, it was not known to any of the company
-for years afterward, and of course could not now [at that time] impair
-their feelings of confidence in, or kindness towards, him. Moreover,
-the phraseology, “we thought it best to gratifie,” suggests rather
-considerations of policy than cordial desire, and their acquaintance,
-too, with the man was still young. There is, however, no evidence that
-Jones’s duplicity was suspected till long afterward, though his
-character was fully recognized. Gorges himself furnishes, in his
-writings, the strongest confirmation we have of the already apparent
-fact, that he was himself the prime conspirator. He says, in his own
-“Narration,” “It was referred [evidently by himself] to their [the London
-Virginia Company’s] consideration, how necessary it was that means might
-be used to draw unto those their enterprises, some of those families that
-had retired themselves into Holland for scruple of conscience, giving
-them such freedom and liberty as might stand with their liking.” When
-have we ever found Sir Ferdinando Gorges thus solicitous for the success
-of the rival Virginia Company? Why, if he so esteemed the Leyden people
-as excellent colonists, did he not endeavor to secure them himself
-directly, for his own languishing company? Certainly the “scruple of
-conscience” of the Leyden brethren did not hinder him, for he found it no
-bar, though of the Established Church himself, to giving them instantly
-all and more than was asked in their behalf, as soon as he had them upon
-his territory and they had applied for a patent. He well knew that it
-would be matter of some expense and difficulty to bring the Leyden
-congregation into agreement to go to either of the Virginia grants, and
-he doubtless, and with good reason, feared that his repute and the
-character and reputation of his own Company, with its past history of
-failure, convict settlers, and loose living, would be repellent to these
-people of “conscience.” If they could be brought to the “going-point,”
- by men more of their ilk, like Sir Edwin Sandys, Weston, and others, it
-would then be time to see if he could not pluck the ripe fruit for
-himself,--as he seems to have done.
-
-“This advice,” he says, “being hearkened unto, there were [those] that
-undertook the putting it in practice [Weston and others] and it was
-accordingly brought to effect,” etc. Then, reciting (erroneously) the
-difficulties with the SPEEDWELL, etc., he records the MAY-FLOWER’S
-arrival at Cape Cod, saying, “The . . . ship with great difficulty
-reached the coast of New England.” He then gives a glowing, though
-absurd, account of the attractions the planters found--in midwinter
---especially naming the hospitable reception of the Indians, despite the
-fact of the savage attack made upon them by the Nausets at Cape Cod, and
-adds: “After they had well considered the state of their affairs and
-found that the authority they had from the London Company of Virginia,
-could not warrant their abode in that place,” which “they found so
-prosperous and pleasing [sic] they hastened away their ship, with orders
-to their Solicitor to deal with me to be a means they might have a grant
-from the Council of New England Affairs, to settle in the place, which
-was accordingly performed to their particular satisfaction and good
-content of them all.” One can readily imagine the crafty smile with
-which Sir Ferdinando thus guilelessly recorded the complete success of
-his plot. It is of interest to note how like a needle to the pole the
-grand conspirator’s mind flies to the fact which most appeals to him
---that they find “that the authority they had . . . could not warrant
-their abode in that place.” It is of like interest to observe that in
-that place which he called “pleasant and prosperous” one half their own
-and of the ship’s company had died before they hastened the ship away,
-and they had endured trial, hardships, and sorrows untellable,--although
-from pluck and principle they would not abandon it. He tells us “they
-hastened away their ship,” and implies that it was for the chief purpose
-of obtaining through him a grant of the land they occupied. While we
-know that the ship did not return till the following April,--and then at
-her Captain’s rather than the Pilgrims’ pleasure,--it is evident that
-Gorges could think of events only as incident to his designs and from his
-point of view. His plot had succeeded. He had the “Holland families”
- upon his soil, and his willing imagination converted their sober and
-deliberate action into the eager haste with which he had planned that
-they should fly to him for the patent, which his cunning had--as he
-purposed--rendered necessary. Of course their request “was performed,”
- and so readily and delightedly that, recognizing John Pierce as their
-mouthpiece and the plantation as “Mr. Pierces Plantation,” Sir Ferdinando
-and his associates--the “Council for New England,” including his
-joint-conspirator, the Earl of Warwick--gave Pierce unhesitatingly
-whatever he asked. The Hon. William T. Davis, who alone among Pilgrim
-historians (except Dr. Neill, whom he follows) seems to have suspected
-the hand of Gorges in the treachery of Captain Jones, here demonstrated,
-has suggested that: “Whether Gorges might not have influenced Pierce, in
-whose name the patent of the Pilgrims had been issued--and whether both
-together might not have seduced Capt. Jones, are further considerations
-to be weighed, in solving the problem of a deviation from the intended
-voyage of the MAYFLOWER.” Although not aware of these suggestions,
-either of Mr. Davis or of Dr. Neill, till his own labors had satisfied
-him of Gorges’s guilt, and his conclusions were formed, the author
-cheerfully recognizes the priority to his own demonstration, of the
-suggestions of both these gentlemen. No thing appears of record,
-however, to indicate that John Pierce was in any way a party to Gorges’s
-plot. On the contrary, as his interest was wholly allied to his patent,
-which Gorges’s scheme would render of little value to his associate
-Adventurers and himself he would naturally have been, unless heavily
-bribed to duplicity beyond his expectations from their intended venture,
-the last man to whom to disclose such a conspiracy. Neither was he
-necessary in any way to the success of the scheme. He did not hire
-either the ship or her master; he does not appear to have had any
-Pilgrim relations to Captain Jones, and certainly could have had no such
-influence with him as Gorges could himself command, through Warwick and
-his own ability--from his position at the head of the “New England
-Council”--to reward the service he required. That Gorges was able
-himself to exert all the influence requisite to secure Jones’s
-cooperation, without the aid of Pierce, who probably could have given
-none, is evident. Mr. Davis’s suggestion, while pertinent and potential
-as to Gorges, is clearly wide of the mark as to Pierce. He represented
-the Adventurers in the matter of patents only, but Weston was in
-authority as to the pivotal matter of shipping. An evidently hasty
-footnote of Dr. Neill, appended to the “Memorial” offered by him to the
-Congress of the United States, in 1868, seems to have been the only
-authority of Mr. William T. Davis for the foregoing suggestion as to the
-complicity of Pierce in the treachery of Captain Jones, except the bare
-suspicion, already alluded to, in the records of the London Company.
-Neill says: “Captain Jones, the navigator of the MAY-FLOWER, and John
-Pierce, probably had arranged as to destination without the knowledge of
-the passengers.” While of course this is not impossible, there is, as
-stated, absolutely nothing to indicate any knowledge, participation, or
-need of Pierce in the matter, and of course the fewer there were in the
-secret the better.
-
-Unobservant that John Pierce was acting upon the old adage, “second thief
-best owner,” when he asked, a little later, even so extraordinary a thing
-as that the “Council for New England” would exchange the patent they had
-so promptly granted him (as representing his associates, the Adventurers
-and Planters) for a “deed-pole,” or title in fee, to himself alone, they
-instantly complied, and thus unwittingly enabled him also to steal the
-colony, and its demesne beside. It is evident, from the very servile
-letter of Robert Cushman to John Pierce (written while the former was at
-New Plymouth, in November-December, 1621, on behalf of the MAY-FLOWER
-Adventurers), that up to that time at least, the Pilgrims had no
-suspicion of the trick which had been played upon them. For, while too
-adroit recklessly to open a quarrel with those who could--if they chose
---destroy them, the Pilgrims were far too high-minded to stoop to flattery
-and dissimulation (especially with any one known to have been guilty of
-treachery toward them), or to permit any one to do so in their stead.
-In the letter referred to, Cush man acknowledges in the name of the
-colonists the “bounty and grace of the President and Council of the
-Affairs of New England [Gorges, Warwick, et als.] for their allowance and
-approbation” of the “free possession and enjoyment” of the territory and
-rights so promptly granted Pierce by the Council, in the colonists’
-interest, upon application. If the degree of promptness with which the
-wily Gorges and his associates granted the petition of Pierce, in the
-colony’s behalf for authority to occupy the domain to which Gorges’s
-henchman Jones had so treacherously conveyed them, was at all
-proportionate to the fulsome and lavish acknowledgments of Cushman,
-there must have been such eagerness of compliance as to provoke general
-suspicion at the Council table. Gorges and Warwick must have “grinned
-horribly behind their hands” upon receipt of the honest thanks of these
-honest planters and the pious benedictions of their scribe, knowing
-themselves guilty of detestable conspiracy and fraud, which had
-frustrated an honest purpose, filched the results of others’ labors, and
-had “done to death” good men and women not a few. Winslow, in
-“Hypocrisie Unmasked,” says: “We met with many dangers and the mariners’
-put back into the harbor of the Cape.” The original intent of the
-Pilgrims to go to the neighborhood of the Hudson is unmistakable; that
-this intention was still clear on the morning of November 10 (not 9th)
---after they had “made the land”--has been plainly shown; that there was
-no need of so “standing in with the land” as to become entangled in the
-“rips” and “shoals” off what is now known as Monomoy (in an effort to
-pass around the Cape to the southward, when there was plenty of open
-water to port), is clear and certain; that the dangers and difficulties
-were magnified by Jones, and the abandonment of the effort was urged and
-practically made by him, is also evident from Winslow’s language above
-noted,--“and the mariners put back,” etc. No indication of the old-time
-consultations with the chief men appears here as to the matter of the
-return. Their advice was not desired. “The mariners put back” on their
-own responsibility.
-
-Goodwin forcibly remarks, “These waters had been navigated by Gosnold,
-Smith, and various English and French explorers, whose descriptions and
-charts must have been familiar to a veteran master like Jones. He
-doubtless magnified the danger of the passage [of the shoals], and managed
-to have only such efforts made as were sure to fail. Of course he knew
-that by standing well out, and then southward in the clear sea, he would
-be able to bear up for the Hudson. His professed inability to devise any
-way for getting south of the Cape is strong proof of guilt.”
-
-The sequential acts of the Gorges conspiracy were doubtless practically
-as follows:--
-
-(a) The Leyden leaders applied to the States General of Holland, through
-the New Netherland Company, for their aid and protection in locating at
-the mouth of “Hudson’s” River;
-
-(b) Sir Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, doubtless
-promptly reported these negotiations to the King, through Sir Robert
-Naunton;
-
-(c) The King, naturally enough, probably mentioned the matter to his
-intimate and favorite, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the leading man in American
-colonization matters in the kingdom;
-
-(d) Sir Ferdinando Gorges, recognizing the value of such colonists as the
-Leyden congregation would make, anxious to secure them, instead of
-permitting the Dutch to do so, and knowing that he and his Company would
-be obnoxious to the Leyden leaders, suggested, as he admits, to Weston,
-perhaps to Sandys, as the Leyden brethren’s friends, that they ought to
-secure them as colonists for their (London) Company;
-
-(e) Weston was dispatched to Holland to urge the Leyden leaders to drop
-the Dutch negotiations, come under English auspices, which he guaranteed,
-and they, placing faith in him, and possibly in Sandys’s assurances of
-his (London) Virginia Company’s favor, were led to put themselves
-completely into the hands of Weston and the Merchant Adventurers; the
-Wincob patent was cancelled and Pierces substituted;
-
-(f) Weston, failing to lead them to Gorges’s company, was next deputed,
-perhaps by Gorges’s secret aid, to act with full powers for the
-Adventurers, in securing shipping, etc.;
-
-(g) Having made sure of the Leyden party, and being in charge of the
-shipping, Weston was practically master of the situation. He and
-Cushman, who was clearly entirely innocent of the conspiracy, had the
-hiring of the ship and of her officers, and at this point he and his acts
-were of vital importance to Gorges’s plans. To bring the plot to a
-successful issue it remained only to effect the landing of the colony
-upon territory north of the 41st parallel of north latitude, to take it
-out of the London Company’s jurisdiction, and to do this it was only
-necessary to make Jones Master of the ship and to instruct him
-accordingly. This, with so willing a servant of his masters, was a
-matter of minutes only, the instructions were evidently given, and the
-success of the plot--the theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony--was assured.
-
-To a careful and candid student of all the facts, the proofs are
-seemingly unmistakable, and the conclusion is unavoidable, that the
-MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims were designedly brought to Cape Cod by Captain
-Jones, and their landing in that latitude was effected, in pursuance of
-a conspiracy entered into by him, not with the Dutch, but with certain
-of the nobility of England; not with the purpose of keeping the planters
-out of Dutch territory, but with the deliberate intent of stealing the
-colony from the London Virginia Company, under whose auspices it had
-organized and set sail, in the interest, and to the advantage, of its
-rival Company of the “Northern Plantations.”
-
-It is noteworthy that Jones did not command the MAY-FLOWER for another
-voyage, and never sailed afterward in the employ of Thomas Goffe, Esq.,
-or (so far as appears) of any reputable shipowner. Weston was not such,
-nor were the chiefs of the “Council for New England,” in whose employ he
-remained till his death.
-
-The records of the Court of the “Council” show, that “as soon as it would
-do,” and when his absence would tend to lull suspicion as to the parts
-played, Captain Jones’s noble patrons took steps to secure for him due
-recognition and compensation for his services, from the parties who were
-to benefit directly, with themselves, by his knavery. The records read:
-
-“July 17, 1622. A motion was made in the behaffe of Captaine Thomas
-Jones, Captaine of the DISCOVERY, nowe employed in Virginia for trade and
-fishinge [it proved, apparently, rather to be piracy], that he may be
-admitted a freeman in this Companie in reward of the good service he hath
-there [Virginia in general] performed. The Court liked well of the
-motion and condiscended thereunto.” The DISCOVERY left London at the
-close of November, 1621. She arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in April,
-1622. She reached Plymouth, New England, in August, 1622. Her outward
-voyage was not, so far as can be learned, eventful, or entitled to
-especial consideration or recognition, and the good store of English
-trading-goods she still had on hand--as Governor Bradford notices--on
-her arrival at Plymouth indicates no notable success up to that time, in
-the way of a trading-voyage, while “fishing” is not mentioned. For
-piracy, in which she was later more successful, she had then had neither
-time nor opportunity. The conclusion is irresistible, that “the good
-service” recognized by the vote recorded was of the past (he had sailed
-only the MAY-FLOWER voyage for the “Council” before), and that this
-recognition was a part of the compensation previously agreed upon, if,
-in the matter of the MAY-FLOWER voyage, Captain Jones did as he was
-bidden. Thus much of the crafty Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas
-Jones,--his Christian name and identity both apparently beyond dispute,
---whom we first know in the full tide of his piratical career, in the
-corsair LION in Eastern seas; whom we next find as a prisoner in London
-for his misconduct in the East, but soon Master of the cattle-ship FALCON
-on her Virginia voyage; whom we greet next--and best--as Admiral of the
-Pilgrim fleet, commander of the destiny freighted MAY-FLOWER, and though
-a conspirator with nobles against the devoted band he steered, under the
-overruling hand of their Lord God, their unwitting pilot to “imperial
-labors” and mighty honors, to the founding of empire, and to eternal
-Peace; whom we next meet--fallen, “like Lucifer, never to hope again”
- --as Captain of the little buccaneer,--the DISCOVERY, disguised as a
-trading-ship, on the Virginian and New England coasts; and lastly, in
-charge of his leaking prize, a Spanish frigate in West Indian waters,
-making his way--death-stricken--into the Virginia port of Jamestown,
-where (July, 1625), he “cast anchor” for the last time, dying, as we
-first found him, a pirate, to whom it had meantime been given to
-“minister unto saints.”
-
-Of JOHN CLARKE, the first mate of the MAY-FLOWER, we have already learned
-that he had been in the employ of the First (or London) Virginia Company,
-and had but just returned (in June, 1620) from a voyage to Virginia with
-Captain Jones in the FALCON, when found and employed by Weston and
-Cushman for the Pilgrim ship. Dr. Neill quotes from the “Minutes of the
-London Virginia Company,” of Wednesday, February 13/23, 1621/2, the
-following; which embodies considerable information concerning him:--
-
-“February 13th, 1621. Master Deputy acquainted the Court, that one Master
-John Clarke being taken from Virginia long since [Arber interpolates,
-“in 1612”] by a Spanish ship that came to discover the Plantation, that
-forasmuch as he hath since that time done the Company presumably the
-First (or London) Virginia Company good service in many voyages to
-Virginia; and, of late [1619] went into Ireland, for the transportation of
-cattle to Virginia; he was a humble suitor to this Court that he might be
-a Free brother of the Company, and have some shares of land bestowed upon
-him.”
-
-From the foregoing he seems to have begun his American experiences as
-early as 1612, and to have frequently repeated them. That he was at once
-hired by Weston and Cushman as a valuable man, as soon as found, was not
-strange.
-
-He seems to have had the ability to impress men favorably and secure
-their confidence, and to have been a modest and reliable man. Although
-of both experience and capacity, he continued an under-officer for some
-years after the Pilgrim voyage, when, it is fair to suppose, he might
-have had command of a ship. He seems to have lacked confidence in
-himself, or else the breadth of education necessary to make him trust his
-ability as a navigator.
-
-He is not mentioned, in connection with the affairs of the Pilgrims,
-after he was hired as “pilot,”--on Saturday afternoon the 10th of June,
-1620, at London,--until after the arrival at Cape Cod, and evidently was
-steadily occupied during all the experience of “getting away” and of the
-voyage, in the faithful performance of his duty as first mate (or
-“pilot”) of the MAY-FLOWER. It was not until the “third party” of
-exploration from Cape Cod harbor was organized and set out, on Wednesday,
-December 6, that he appeared as one of the company who put out in the
-shallop, to seek the harbor which had been commended by Coppin, “the
-second mate.” On this eventful voyage--when the party narrowly escaped
-shipwreck at the mouth of Plymouth harbor--they found shelter under the
-lee of an island, which (it being claimed traditionally that he was first
-to land there on) was called, in his honor, “Clarke’s Island,” which name
-it retains to this day. No other mention of him is made by name, in the
-affairs of ship or shore, though it is known inferentially that he
-survived the general illness which attacked and carried off half of the
-ship’s company. In November, 1621,--the autumn following his return from
-the Pilgrim voyage,--he seems to have gone to Virginia as “pilot” (or
-“mate”) of the FLYING HART, with cattle of Daniel Gookin, and in 1623 to
-have attained command of a ship, the PROVIDENCE, belonging to Mr. Gookin,
-on a voyage to Virginia where he arrived April 10, 1623, but died in that
-colony soon after his arrival. He seems to have been a competent and
-faithful man, who filled well his part in life. He will always have
-honorable mention as the first officer of the historic MAY-FLOWER, and as
-sponsor at the English christening of the smiling islet in Plymouth
-harbor which bears his name.
-
-Of ROBERT COPPIN, the “second mate” (or “pilot”) of the MAY-FLOWER,
-nothing is known before his voyage in the Pilgrim ship, except that he
-seems to have made a former to the coast of New England and the vicinity
-of Cape Cod, though under what auspices, or in what ship, does not
-transpire. Bradford says: “Their Pilotte, one Mr. Coppin, who had been
-in the countrie before.” Dr. Young a suggests that Coppin was perhaps on
-the coast with Smith or Hunt. Mrs. Austin imaginatively makes him, of
-“the whaling bark SCOTSMAN of Glasgow,” but no warrant whatever for such
-a conception appears.
-
-Dr. Dexter, as elsewhere noted, has said: “My impression is that Coppin
-was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL, . . . that he sailed with
-them [the Pilgrims] in the SPEED WELL, but on her final putting back was
-transferred to the MAY-FLOWER.” As we have seen in another relation,
-Dr. Dexter also believed Coppin to have been the “pilot” sent over by
-Cushman to Leyden, in May, 1620, and we have found both views to be
-untenable. It was doubtless because of this mistaken view that Dr.
-Dexter believed that Coppin was “hired to go in the SPEEDWELL,” and, the
-premise being wrong, the conclusion is sequentially incorrect. But there
-are abundant reasons for thinking that Dexter’s “impression” is wholly
-mistaken. It would be unreasonable to suppose (as both vessels were
-expected to cross the ocean), that each had not--certainly on leaving
-Southampton her full complement of officers. If so, each undoubtedly had
-her second mate. The MAY-FLOWER’S officers and crew were, as we know,
-hired for the voyage, and there is no good reason to suppose that the
-second mate of the MAY-FLOWER was dismissed at Plymouth and Coppin put in
-his place which would not be equally potent for such an exchange between
-the first mate of the SPEEDWELL and Clarke of the MAY-FLOWER. The
-assumption presumes too much. In fact, there can be no doubt that
-Dexter’s misconception was enbased upon, and arose from, the unwarranted
-impression that Coppin was the “pilot” sent over to Leyden. It is not
-likely that, when the SPEEDWELL’S officers were so evidently anxious to
-escape the voyage, they would seek transfer to the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Charles Deane, the editor of Bradford’s “Historie” (ed.1865), makes,
-in indexing, the clerical error of referring to Coppin as the
-“master-gunner,” an error doubtless occasioned by the fact that in the
-text referred to, the words, “two of the masters-mates, Master Clarke
-and Master Coppin, the master-gunner,” etc., were run so near together
-that the mistake was readily made.
-
-In “Mourt’s Relation” it appears that in the conferences that were held
-aboard the ship in Cape Cod harbor, as to the most desirable place for
-the colonists to locate, “Robert Coppin our pilot, made relation of a
-great navigable river and great harbor in the headland of the Bay, almost
-right over against Cape Cod, being a right line not much above eight
-leagues distant,” etc. Mrs. Jane G. Austin asserts, though absolutely
-without warrant of any reliable authority, known tradition, or
-probability, that “Coppin’s harbor . . . afterward proved to be Cut
-River and the site of Marshfield,” but in another place she contradicts
-this by stating that it was “Jones River, Duxbury.” As Coppin described
-his putative harbor, called “Thievish Harbor,” a “great navigable river
-and good harbor” were in close relation, which was never true of either
-the Jones River or “Cut River” localities, while any one familiar with
-the region knows that what Mrs. Austin knew as “Cut River” had no
-existence in the Pilgrims’ early days, but was the work of man,
-superseding a small river-mouth (Green Harbor River), which was so
-shallow as to have its exit closed by the sand-shift of a single storm.
-
-Young, with almost equal recklessness, says: “The other headland of the
-bay,” alluded to by Coppin, was Manomet Point, and the river was probably
-the North River in Scituate; but there are no “great navigable river and
-good harbor” in conjunction in the neighborhood of Manomet, or of the
-North River,--the former having no river and the latter no harbor. If
-Coppin had not declared that he had never seen the mouth of Plymouth
-harbor before (“mine eyes never saw this place before”), it might readily
-have been believed that Plymouth harbor was the “Thievish Harbor” of his
-description, so well do they correspond.
-
-Goodwin, the brother of Mrs. Austin, quite at variance with his sister’s
-conclusions, states, with every probability confirming him, that the
-harbor Coppin sought “may have been Boston, Ipswich, Newburyport, or
-Portsmouth.”
-
-As a result of his “relation” as to a desirable harbor, Coppin was made
-the “pilot” of the “third expedition,” which left the ship in the
-shallop, Wednesday, December 6, and, after varying disasters and a narrow
-escape from shipwreck--through Coppin’s mistake--landed Friday night
-after dark, in the storm, on the island previously mentioned, ever since
-called “Clarke’s Island,” at the mouth of Plymouth harbor.
-
-Nothing further is known of Coppin except that he returned to England
-with the ship. He has passed into history only as Robert Coppin, “the
-second mate” (or “pilot”) of the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-
-But one other officer in merchant ships of the MAY-FLOWER class in her
-day was dignified by the address of “Master” (or Mister), or had rank
-with the Captain and Mates as a quarter-deck officer,--except in those
-instances where a surgeon or a chaplain was carried. That the MAY-FLOWER
-carried no special ship’s-surgeon has been supposed from the fact of Dr.
-Fuller’s attendance alike on her passengers and crew, and the increased
-mortality of the seamen--after his removal on shore.
-
- [The author is greatly indebted to his esteemed friend, Mr. George
- Ernest Bowman, Secretary-General of the Society of MAY-FLOWER
- Descendants, for information of much value upon this point. He
- believes that he has discovered trustworthy evidence of the
- existence of a small volume bearing upon its title-page an
- inscription that would certainly indicate that the MAY-FLOWER had
- her own surgeon. A copy of the inscription, which Mr. Bowman
- declares well attested (the book not being within reach), reads as
- follows:--
- “To Giles Heale Chirurgeon,
- from Isaac Allerton
- in Virginia.
- Feb. 10, 1620.”
-
- Giles Heale’s name will be recognized as that of one of the
- witnesses to John Carver’s copy of William Mullens’s nuncupative
- will, and, if he was the ship’s-surgeon, might very naturally appear
- in that relation. If book and inscription exist and the latter is
- genuine, it would be indubitable proof that Heale (who was surely
- not a MAY-FLOWER passenger) was one of the ship’s company, and if a
- “chirurgeon,” the surgeon of the ship, for no other Englishmen,
- except those of the colonists and the ship’s company, could have
- been at New Plymouth, at the date given, and New England was then
- included in the term “Virginia.” It is much to be hoped that Mr.
- Bowman’s belief may be established, and that in Giles Heale we shall
- have another known officer, the surgeon, of the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
-That she had no chaplain goes without saying. The Pilgrims had their
-spiritual adviser with them in the person of Elder Brewster, and were not
-likely to tolerate a priest of either the English or the Romish church on
-a vessel carrying them. The officer referred to was the representative
-of the business interests of the owner or chartering-party, on whose
-account the ship made the voyage; and in that day was known as the
-“ship’s-merchant,” later as the “purser,” and in some relations as the
-“supercargo.” No mention of an officer thus designated, belonging to the
-MAY-FLOWER, has ever been made by any writer, so far as known, and it
-devolves upon the author to indicate his existence and to establish, so
-far as possible, both this and his identity.
-
-A certain “Master Williamson,” whose name and presence, though but once
-mentioned by Governor Bradford, have greatly puzzled Pilgrim historians,
-seems to have filled this berth on board the MAY-FLOWER. Bradford tells
-us that on Thursday, March 22, 1620/21, “Master Williamson” was
-designated to accompany Captain Standish--practically as an officer
-of the guard--to receive and escort the Pokanoket chief, Massasoit,
-to Governor Carver, on the occasion of the former’s first visit of state.
-Prior to the recent discovery in London, by an American genealogist, of a
-copy of the nuncupative will of Master William Mullens, one of the
-MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims, clearly dictated to Governor John Carver on board
-the ship, in the harbor of New Plymouth (probably) Wednesday, February
-21, 1620 (though not written out by Carver till April 2, 1620), on which
-day (as we learn from Bradford), Master Mullens died, no other mention
-of “Master Williamson” than that above quoted was known, and his very
-existence was seriously questioned. In this will, as elsewhere noted,
-“Master Williamson” is named as one of the “Overseers.” By most early
-writers it was held that Bradford had unwittingly substituted the name
-“Williamson” for that of Allerton, and this view--apparently for no
-better reasons than that both names had two terminal letters in common,
-and that Allerton was associated next day with Standish on some military
-duty--came to be generally accepted, and Allerton’s name to be even
-frequently substituted without question.---Miss Marcia A. Thomas, in her
-“Memorials of Marshfield” (p. 75), says: “In 1621, Master Williamson,
-Captain Standish, and Edward Winslow made a journey to make a treaty
-with Massasoit. He is called ‘Master George,’ meaning probably Master
-George Williamson,” etc.
-
-This is certainly most absurd, and by one not familiar with the
-exceptional fidelity and the conscientious work of Miss Thomas would
-rightly be denounced as reckless and reprehensible fabrication. Of
-course Williamson, Standish, and Winslow made no such journey, and made
-no treaty with Massasoit, but aided simply in conducting, with due
-ceremonial, the first meeting between Governor John Carver and the Indian
-sachem at Plymouth, at which a treaty was concluded. There is no
-historical warrant whatever for the name of “George,” as appertaining to
-“Master William son.” The fact, however,--made known by the fortunate
-discovery mentioned,--that “Master Williamson” was named in his will by
-Master Mullens as one of its “Overseers,” and undoubtedly probated the
-will in England, puts the existence of such a person beyond reasonable
-doubt. That he was a person of some dignity, and of very respectable
-position, is shown by the facts that he was chosen as Standish’s
-associate, as lieutenant of the guard, on an occasion of so much
-importance, and was thought fit by Master Mullens, a careful and
-clear-headed man as his will proves,--to be named an “Overseer” of that
-will, charged with responsible duties to Mullens’s children and
-property. It is practically certain that on either of the
-above-mentioned dates (February 21, or March 22) there were no human
-beings in the Colony of New Plymouth beside the passengers of the
-MAY-FLOWER, her officers and crew, and the native savages. Visitors, by
-way of the fishing vessels on the Maine coast, had not yet begun to
-come, as they did a little later. It is certain that no one of the name
-of “Williamson” was among the colonist passengers, or indeed for several
-years in the colony, and we may at once dismiss both the passengers and
-the savages from our consideration. This elimination renders it
-inevitable that “Master Williamson” must have been of the ship’s
-company. It remains to determine, if possible, what position upon the
-MAY-FLOWER’S roster he presumably held. His selection by “Master”
- Mullens as one of the “Over seers” of his will suggests the probability
-that, having named Governor Carver as the one upon whom he would rely
-for the care of his family and affairs in New England, Mr. Mullens
-sought as the other a proper person, soon to return to England, and
-hence able to exercise like personal interest in his two children and
-his considerable property left there? Such a suggestion points to a
-returning and competent officer of the ship. That “Master Williamson”
- was above the grade of “petty officer,” and ranked at least with the
-mates or “pilots,” is clear from the fact that he is invariably styled
-“Master” (equivalent to Mister), and we know with certainty that he was
-neither captain nor mate. That he was a man of address and courage
-follows the fact that he was chosen by Standish as his lieutenant, while
-the choice in and of itself is a strong bit of presumptive proof that he
-held the position on the MAY-FLOWER to which he is here assigned.
-
-The only officer commonly carried by a ship of the MAY-FLOWER class,
-whose rank, capacities, and functions would comport with every fact and
-feature of the case, was “the ship’s-merchant,” her accountant, factor,
-and usually--when such was requisite--her “interpreter,” on every
-considerable (trading) voyage.
-
-It is altogether probable that it was in his capacity of “interpreter”
- (as Samoset and Tisquantum knew but little English), and on account of
-what knowledge of the Indian tongue he very probably possessed, that
-Standish chose Williamson as his associate for the formal reception of
-Massasoit. It is indeed altogether probable that it was this familiarity
-with the “trade lingo” of the American coast tribes which influenced
---perhaps determined--his employment as “ship’s-merchant” of the
-MAY-FLOWER for her Pilgrim voyage, especially as she was expected to
-“load back” for England with the products of the country, only to be had
-by barter with the Indians. It is evident that there must naturally
-have been some provision made for communication with the natives, for
-the purposes of that trade, etc., which the Planters hoped to establish.
-Trading along the northern coast of Virginia (as the whole coast strip
-was then called), principally for furs, had been carried on pretty
-actively, since 1584, by such navigators as Raleigh’s captains, Gosnold,
-Pring, Champlain, Smith, Dermer, Hunt, and the French and Dutch, and
-much of the “trade lingo” of the native tribes had doubtless been
-“picked up” by their different “ship’s-merchants.” It appears by
-Bradford’ that Dermer, when coasting the shores of New England, in Sir
-Ferdinando Gorges’s employ, brought the Indian Tisquantum with him, from
-England, as his interpreter, and doubtless from him Dermer and other
-ship’s officers “picked up” more or less Indian phrases, as Tisquantum
-(Squanto) evidently did of English. Winslow, in his “Good Newes from
-New England,” written in 1622, says of the Indian tongue, as spoken by
-the tribes about them at Plymouth, “it is very copious, large, and
-difficult. As yet we cannot attain to any great measure thereof, but
-can understand them, and explain ourselves to their understanding, by
-the help of those that daily converse with us.” This being the case,
-after two years of constant communication, and noting how trivial
-knowledge of English speech Samoset and Tisquantum had, it is easy to
-understand that, if Williamson had any knowledge of the native tongue,
-Standish would be most anxious to have the benefit of it, in this prime
-and all-important effort at securing a permanent alliance with the
-ruling sachem of the region. Bradford, in “Mourt’s Relation,” speaking
-of the speech of Governor Carver to Massasoit, says: “He [Massasoit]
-liked well of the speech and heard it attentively, though the
-interpreters did not well express it.” Probably all three, Tisquantum,
-Samoset, and Williamson, had a voice in it.
-
-That “Master Williamson” was a veritable person at New Plymouth, in
-February and March, 1620/21, is now beyond dispute; that he must have
-been of the ship’s company of the MAY-FLOWER is logically certain; that
-he was one of her officers, and a man of character, is proven by his
-title of “Master” and his choice by Standish and Mullens for exceptional
-and honorable service; that the position of “ship’s-merchant” alone
-answers to the conditions precedent, is evident; and that such an officer
-was commonly carried by ships of the MAY-FLOWER class on such voyages as
-hers is indicated by the necessity, and proven by the facts known as to
-other ships on similar New England voyages, both earlier and later. The
-fact that he was called simply “Master Williamson,” in both cases where
-he is mentioned, with out other designation or identification, is highly
-significant, and clearly indicates that he was some one so familiarly
-known to all concerned that no occasion for any further designation
-apparently occurred to the minds of Mullens, Carver, or Bradford, when
-referring to him. In the case of Master John Hampden, the only other
-notable incognito of early Pilgrim literature, the description is full,
-and the only question concerning him has been of his identity with John
-Hampden, the English patriot of the Cromwellian era. It is, therefore,
-not too much to assert that the MAY-FLOWER carried a “ship’s-merchant”
- (or purser), and that “Master Williamson” was that officer. If
-close-linked circumstantial evidence is ever to be relied upon, it
-clearly establishes in this case the identity of the “Master Williamson”
- who was Governor Bradford’s incognito, and the person of the same name
-mentioned a month earlier in “Master” Mullens’s will; as also the fact
-that in him we have a new officer of the MAY FLOWER, hitherto unknown as
-such to Pilgrim literature. If Mr. Bowman’s belief as to Giles Heale
-(see note) proves correct, we have yet another, the Surgeon.
-
-The Carpenter, Gunner, Boatswain, Quartermaster, and “Masters-mates” are
-the only “petty officers” of the Pilgrim ship of whom any record makes
-mention. The carpenter is named several times, and was evidently, as
-might be expected, one of the most useful men of the ship’s crew. Called
-into requisition, doubtless, in the conferences as to the condition of
-the SPEEDWELL, on both of her returns to port, at the inception of the
-voyage, he was especially in evidence when, in mid-ocean, “the cracking
-and bending of a great deck-beam,” and the “shaken” condition of “the
-upper works” of the MAY-FLOWER, gave rise to much alarm, and it was by
-his labors and devices, and the use of the now famous “jack-screw,” that
-the bending beam and leaking deck were made secure. The repairs upon the
-shallop in Cape Cod harbor also devolved upon him, and mention is made of
-his illness and the dependence placed upon him. No doubt, in the
-construction of the first dwellings and of the ordnance platform on the
-hill, etc., he was the devising and principal workman. He undoubtedly
-returned to England with the ship, and is known in history only by his
-“billet,” as “the carpenter” of the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-The Master Gunner seems to have been a man with a proclivity for Indian
-barter, that led him to seek a place with the “third expedition” at Cape
-Cod, thereby nearly accomplishing his death, which indeed occurred later,
-in Plymouth harbor, not long before the return of the ship.
-
-The Boatswain is known, by Bradford’s records, to have died in the
-general sickness which attacked the crew while lying in Plymouth harbor.
-The brief narrative of his sickness and death is all that we know of his
-personality. The writer says: “He was a proud young man, and would often
-curse and scoff at the passengers,” but being nursed when dying, by those
-of them who remained aboard, after his shipmates had deserted him in
-their craven fear of infection, “he bewailed his former conduct,” saying,
-“Oh! you, I now see, show your love like Christians indeed, one to
-another, but we let one another lie and die like dogs.”
-
-Four Quartermasters are mentioned (probably helmsmen simply), of whom
-three are known to have died in Plymouth harbor.
-
-“Masters-mates” are several times mentioned, but it is pretty certain
-that the “pilots” (or mates) are intended. Bradford and Winslow, in
-“Mourt’s Relation,” say of the reappearance of the Indians: “So Captain
-Standish, with another [Hopkins], with their muskets, went over to them,
-with two of the masters-mates that follow them without [side?] arms,
-having two muskets with them: Who these “masters-mates” were does not
-appear.” The language, “two of the masters-mates,” would possibly suggest
-that there were more of them. It hardly seems probable that both the
-mates of the MAY-FLOWER would thus volunteer, or thrust themselves
-forward in such a matter, and it seems doubtful if they would have been
-permitted (even if both ashore at one time, which, though unusual, did
-occur), to assume such duty. Whoever they were, they did not lack
-courage.
-
-The names of the petty officers and seamen of the MAY-FLOWER do not
-appear as such, but the discovery of the (evidently) nuncupative will of
-William Mullens--herein referred to--has perhaps given us two of them.
-Attached to John Carver’s certificate of the particulars of this will,
-filed at Somerset House, London, are the names, “Giles Heale” and
-“Christopher Joanes.” As Mr Mullens died Wednesday, February 21, 1620,
-on board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, on which day we know from
-Bradford’ that “the Master [Jones, whose name was Thomas] came on shore
-with many of his sailors,” to land and mount the cannon on the fort, and
-as they had a full day’s work to draw up the hill and mount five guns,
-and moreover brought the materials for, and stayed to eat, a considerable
-dinner with the Pilgrims, they were doubtless ashore all day. It is
-rational to interpret the known facts to indicate that in this absence of
-the Captain and most of his crew ashore, Mr. Mullens, finding himself
-failing fast, sent for Governor Carver and--unable to do more than speak
---dictated to him the disposition of his property which he desired to
-make. Carver, noting this down from his dictation, undoubtedly called in
-two of the ship’s company (Heale very likely being the ship’s-surgeon),
-who were left aboard to “keep ship,” to hear his notes read to Mullens
-and assented to by him, they thus becoming the witnesses to his will, to
-the full copy of which, as made by Carver (April 2), they affixed their
-names as such. As there were then at Plymouth (besides savages) only the
-passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, and these men were certainly not
-among the passengers, it seems inevitable that they were of the crew.
-That “Christopher Joanes” was not the Master of the ship is clear,
-because Heale’s is the first signature, and no man of the crew would have
-dared to sign before the Captain; because the Captain’s name was (as
-demonstrated) Thomas; and because we know that he was ashore all that
-day, with most of his men. It is by no means improbable that Captain
-Jones had shipped one of his kinsmen in his crew, possibly as one of the
-“masters mates” or quartermasters referred to (and it is by no means
-certain that there were not more than two), though these witnesses may
-have been quartermasters or other petty officers left on board as
-“ship-keepers.” Certain it is that these two witnesses must have been
-of the crew, and that “Christopher Joanes” was not the Captain, while it
-is equally sure, from the collateral evidence, that Master Mullens died
-on shipboard. Had he died on shore it is very certain that some of the
-leaders, Brewster, Bradford, or others, would have been witnesses, with
-such of the ship’s officers as could aid in proving the will in England.
-It is equally evident that the officers of the ship were absent when
-Master Mullens dictated his will, except perhaps the surgeon.
-
-The number of seamen belonging to the ship is nowhere definitely stated.
-At least four in the employ of the Pilgrims were among the passengers
-and not enrolled upon the ships’ lists. From the size of the ship,
-the amount of sail she probably carried, the weight of her anchors,
-and certain other data which appear,--such as the number allowed to
-leave the ship at a time, etc.,--it is probably not a wild estimate to
-place their number at from twenty to twenty-five. This is perhaps a
-somewhat larger number than would be essential to work the ship, and than
-would have been shipped if the voyage had been to any port of a civilized
-country; but on a voyage to a wild coast, the possibilities of long
-absence and of the weakening of the crew by death, illness, etc.,
-demanded consideration and a larger number. The wisdom and necessity
-of carrying, on a voyage to an uninhabited country, some spare men,
-is proven by the record of Bradford, who says: “The disease begane to
-fall amongst them the seamen also, so as allmost halfe of their company
-dyed before they went away and many of their officers and lustyest men;
-as ye boatson, gunner, 3 quarter maisters, the cooke, and others.”
-
-The LADY ARBELLA, the “Admiral” of Governor Winthrop’s fleet, a ship of
-350 tons, carried 52 men, and it is a fair inference that the MAY-FLOWER,
-of a little more than half her tonnage, would require at least half as
-many. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the officers and crew of the
-MAY-FLOWER, all told, mustered thirty men, irrespective of the sailors,
-four in number (Alderton, English, Trevore, and Ely), in the Pilgrims’
-employ.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VI
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER’S PASSENGERS
-
-The passenger list of the SPEEDWELL has given us the names of the Leyden
-members of the company which, with the cooperation of the associated
-Merchant Adventurers, was, in the summer of 1620, about to emigrate to
-America.
-
-Though it is not possible, with present knowledge, positively to
-determine every one of those who were passengers in the MAY-FLOWER from
-London to Southampton, most of them can be named with certainty.
-
-Arranged for convenience, so far as possible, by families, they were:--
-
-Master Robert Cushman, the London agent of the Leyden company,
- Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman, 2d wife,
- Thomas Cushman, son (by 1st wife).
-
-Master Christopher Martin, treasurer-agent of the colonists,
- Mrs. Martin, wife,
- Solomon Prower, “servant,”
- John Langemore, “servant.”
-
-Master Richard Warren.
-
-Master William Mullens,
- Mrs. Alice Mullens, wife,
- Joseph Mullens, 2d son,
- Priscilla Mullens, 2d daughter,
- Robert Carter, “servant.”
-
-Master Stephen Hopkins,
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Fisher?) Hopkins, 2d wife,
- Giles Hopkins, son (by former wife),
- Constance Hopkins, daughter (by former wife),
- Damaris Hopkins, daughter,
- Edward Dotey, “servant,”
- Edward Leister, “servant.”
-
-Gilbert Winslow.
-
-James Chilton,
- Mrs. Susanna (2) Chilton, wife,
- Mary Chilton, daughter.
-
-Richard Gardiner.
-
-John Billington,
- Mrs. Eleanor (or Helen) Billington, wife,
- John Billington (Jr.), son,
- Francis Billington, son.
-
-William Latham, “servant-boy” to Deacon Carver.
-
-Jasper More, “bound-boy” to Deacon Carver.
-
-Ellen More, “little bound girl” to Master Edward Winslow.
-
-Richard More, “bound-boy” to Elder Brewster.
-------- More, “bound-boy” to Elder Brewster.
-
-
-There is a possibility that Thomas Rogers and his son, Joseph, who are
-usually accredited to the Leyden company, were of the London contingent,
-and sailed from there, though this is contra-indicated by certain
-collateral data.
-
-It is possible, also, of course, that any one or more of the English
-colonists (with a few exceptions--such as Cushman and family, Mullens and
-family, the More children and others--known to have left London on the
-MAY-FLOWER) might have joined her (as did Carver and Alden, perhaps
-Martin and family) at Southampton, but the strong presumption is that
-most of the English passengers joined the ship at London.
-
-It is just possible, too, that the seamen, Alderton (or Allerton),
-English, Trevore, and Ely, were hired in London and were on board the
-MAY-FLOWER when she left that port, though they might have been employed
-and joined the ship at either Southampton, Dartmouth, or Plymouth.
-It is strongly probable, however, that they were part, if not all, hired
-in Holland, and came over to Southampton in the pinnace.
-
-Robert Cushman--the London agent (for more than three years) of the
- Leyden congregation, and, in spite of the wickedly unjust criticism
- of Robinson and others, incompetent to judge his acts, their brave,
- sagacious, and faithful servant--properly heads the list.
-
- Bradford says: “Where they find the bigger ship come from London,
- Mr. Jones, Master, with the rest of the company who had been waiting
- there with Mr. Cushman seven days.” Deacon Carver, probably from
- being on shore, was not here named. In a note appended to the
- memoir of Robert Cushman (prefatory to his Discourse delivered at
- Plymouth, New England, on “The Sin and Danger of Self-Love”) it is
- stated in terms as follows: “The fact is, that Mr. Cushman procured
- the larger vessel, the MAY-FLOWER, and its pilot, at London, and
- left in that vessel.” The statement--though published long after the
- events of which it treats and by other than Mr. Cushman--we know to
- be substantially correct, and the presumption is that the writer,
- whoever he may have been, knew also.
-
- Sailing with his wife and son (it is not probable that he had any
- other living child at the time), in full expectation that it was for
- Virginia, he encountered so much of ungrateful and abusive
- treatment, after the brethren met at Southampton,--especially at the
- hands of the insufferable Martin, who, without merit and with a most
- reprehensible record (as it proved), was chosen over him as
- “governor” of the ship,--that he was doubtless glad to return from
- Plymouth when the SPEEDWELL broke down. He and his family appear,
- therefore, as “MAY-FLOWER passengers,” only between London and
- Plymouth during the vexatious attendance upon the scoundrelly Master
- of the SPEEDWELL, in his “doublings” in the English Channel. His
- Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth, one of the most valuable
- contributions to the early literature of the Pilgrims extant,
- clearly demonstrates that he was suffering severely from dyspepsia
- and deeply wounded feelings. The course of events was his complete
- vindication, and impartial history to-day pronounces him second to
- none in his service to the Pilgrims and their undertaking. His
- first wife is shown by Leyden records to have been Sarah Reder, and
- his second marriage to have occurred May 19/June 3, 1617, [sic]
- about the time he first went to England in behalf of the Leyden
- congregation.
-
-Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman appears only as a passenger of the
- MAY-FLOWER on her channel voyage, as she returned with her husband
- and son from Plymouth, England, in the SPEEDWELL.
-
-Thomas Cushman, it is quite clear, must have been a son by a former wife,
- as he would have been but a babe, if the son of the latest wife,
- when he went to New England with his father, in the FORTUNE, to
- remain. Goodwin and others give his age as fourteen at this time,
- and his age at death is their warrant. Robert Cushman died in 1625,
- but a “Mary, wife [widow?] of Robert Cushman, and their son,
- Thomas,” seem to have been remembered in the will of Ellen Bigge,
- widow, of Cranbrooke, England, proved February 12, 1638
- (Archdeaconry, Canterbury, vol. lxx. leaf 482). The will intimates
- that the “Thomas” named was “under age” when the bequest was made.
- If this is unmistakably so (though there is room for doubt), then
- this was not the Thomas of the Pilgrims. Otherwise the evidence is
- convincing.
-
-Master Christopher Martin, who was made, Bradford informs us, the
- treasurer-agent of the Planter Company, Presumably about the time of
- the original conclusions between the Adventurers and the Planters,
- seems to have been appointed such, as Bradford states, not because
- he was needed, but to give the English contingent of the Planter
- body representation in the management, and to allay thereby any
- suspicion or jealousy. He was, if we are to judge by the evidence
- in hand concerning his contention and that of his family with the
- Archdeacon, the strong testimony that Cushman bears against him in
- his Dartmouth letter of August 17, and the fact that there seems to
- have been early dissatisfaction with him as “governor” on the ship,
- a very self-sufficient, somewhat arrogant, and decidedly contentious
- individual. His selection as treasurer seems to have been very
- unfortunate, as Bradford indicates that his accounts were in
- unsatisfactory shape, and that he had no means of his own, while his
- rather surprising selection for the office of “governor” of the
- larger ship, after the unpleasant experience with him as
- treasurer-agent, is difficult to account for, except that he was
- evidently an active opponent of Cushman, and the latter was just
- then in disfavor with the colonists. He was evidently a man in the
- prime of life, an “Independent” who had the courage of his
- convictions if little discretion, and much of that energy and
- self-reliance which, properly restrained, are excellent elements
- for a colonist. Very little beside the fact that he came from
- Essex is known of him, and nothing of his wife. He has further
- mention hereafter.
-
-Solomon Prower is clearly shown by the complaint made against him by the
- Archdeacon of Chelmsford, the March before he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, to have been quite a youth, a firm “Separatist,” and
- something more than an ordinary “servant.” He seems to have been
- summoned before the Archdeacon at the same time with young Martin
- (a son of Christopher), and this fact suggests some nearer relation
- than that of “servant.” He is sometimes spoken of as Martin’s
- “son,” by what warrant does not appear, but the fact suggests that
- he may have been a step-son. Bradford, in recording his death,
- says: “Dec. 24, this day dies Solomon Martin.” This could, of
- course, have been none other than Solomon Prower. Dr. Young, in his
- “Chronicles,” speaking of Martin, says, “he brought his wife and two
- children.” If this means Martin’s children, it is evidently an
- error. It may refer to age only. His case is puzzling, for
- Bradford makes him both “servant” and “son.” If of sufficient age
- and account to be cited before the Archdeacon for discipline, it
- seems strange that he should not have signed the “Compact.” Even if
- a “servant” this would seem to have been no bar, as Dotey and
- Leister were certainly such, yet signers. The indications are that
- he was but a well-grown lad, and that his youth, or severe illness,
- and not his station, accounts for the absence of his signature. If
- a young foster-son or kinsman of Martin, as seems most likely, then
- Martin’s signature was sufficient, as in the cases of fathers for
- their sons; if really a “ser vant” then too young (like Latham and
- Hooke) to be called upon, as were Dotey and Leister.
-
-John Langemore; there is nothing (save the errors of Dr. Young) to
- indicate that he was other than a “servant.”
-
-Richard Warren was probably from Kent or Essex. Surprisingly little is
- known of his antecedents, former occupation, etc.
-
-William Mullens and his family were, as shown, from Dorking in Surrey,
- and their home was therefore close to London, whence they sailed,
- beyond doubt, in the MAY-FLOWER. The discovery at Somerset House,
- London, by Mr. Henry F. Waters, of Salem, Massachusetts; of what is
- evidently the nuncupative will of William Mullens, proves an
- important one in many particulars, only one of which need be
- referred to in this connection, but all of which will receive due
- consideration. It conclusively shows Mr. Mullens not to have been
- of the Leyden congregation, as has sometimes been claimed, but that
- he was a well-to-do tradesman of Dorking in Surrey, adjacent to
- London. It renders it certain, too, that he had been some time
- resident there, and had both a married daughter and a son (William),
- doubtless living there, which effectually overthrows the “imaginary
- history” of Baird, and of that pretty story, “Standish of Standish,”
- whereby the Mullens (or Molines) family are given French (Huguenot)
- antecedents and the daughter is endowed with numerous airs, graces,
- and accomplishments, professedly French.
-
- Dr. Griffis, in his delightful little narrative, “The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, England, Holland, America,” cites the name
- “Mullins” as a Dutch distortion of Molines or Molineaux. Without
- questioning that such it might be,--for the Dutch scribes were
- gifted in remarkable distortions of simple names, even of their own
- people,--they evidently had no hand in thus maltreating the patronym
- of William Mullens (or Mullins) of the Pilgrims, for not only is
- evidence entirely wanting to show that he was ever a Leyden citizen,
- though made such by the fertile fiction of Mrs. Austin, but Governor
- Carver, who knew him well, wrote it in his will “Mullens,” while two
- English probate functionaries of his own home-counties wrote it
- respectively “Mullens” and “Mullins.”
-
- Dr. Grifs speaks of “the Mullens family” as evidently [sic] of
- Huguenot or Walloon birth or descent, but in doing so probably knew
- no other authority than Mrs. Austin’s little novel, or (possibly)
- Dr. Baird’s misstatements.
-
- A writer in the “New England Historic-Genealogical Register,” vol.
- xlvii, p. 90, states, that “Mrs. Jane G. Austin found her authority
- for saying that Priscilla Mullens was of a Huguenot family, in Dr.
- Baird’s ‘History of Huguenot Emigration to America,’ vol. i.
- p. 158,” etc., referring to Rev. Charles W. Baird, D. D., New York.
- The reference given is a notable specimen of very bad historical
- work. Of Dr. Baird, one has a right to expect better things, and
- the positiveness of his reckless assertion might well mislead those
- not wholly familiar with the facts involved, as it evidently has
- more than one. He states, without qualification or reservation,
- that “among the passengers in the SPEEDWELL were several of the
- French who had decided to cast in their lot with these English
- brethren. William Molines and his daughter Priscilla, afterwards
- the wife of John Alden and Philip Delanoy, born in Leyden of French
- parents, were of the number.” One stands confounded by such a
- combination of unwarranted errors. Not only is it not true that
- there “were several of the French among the passengers in the
- SPEEDWELL,” but there is no evidence whatever that there was even
- one. Those specifically named as there, certainly were not, and
- there is not the remotest proof or reason to believe, that William
- Mullens (or Molines) and his daughter Priscilla (to say nothing of
- the wife and son who accompanied him to America, whom Baird forgets)
- ever even saw Leyden or Delfshaven. Their home had been at Dorking
- in Surrey, just across the river from London, whence the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed for New England, and nothing could be more absurd than to
- assume that they were passengers on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to
- Southampton.
-
- So far from Philip Delanoy (De La Noye or Delano) being a passenger
- on the SPEEDWELL, he was not even one of the Pilgrim company, did
- not go to New England till the following year (in the FORTUNE), and
- of course had no relation to the SPEEDWELL. Neither does Edward
- Winslow--the only authority for the parentage of “Delanoy”--state
- that “he was born in Leyden,” as Baird alleges, but only that “he
- was born of French parents . . . and came to us from Leyden to
- New Plymouth,”--an essential variance in several important
- particulars. Scores and perhaps hundreds of people have been led to
- believe Priscilla Mullens a French Protestant of the Leyden
- congregation, and themselves--as her descendants--“of Huguenot
- stock,” because of these absolutely groundless assertions of Dr.
- Baird. They lent themselves readily to Mrs. Austin’s fertile
- imagination and facile pen, and as “welcome lies” acquired a hold on
- the public mind, from which even the demonstrated truth will never
- wholly dislodge them. The comment of the intelligent writer in the
- “Historic-Genealogical Register” referred to is proof of this. So
- fast-rooted had these assertions become in her thought as the truth,
- that, confronted with the evidence that Master Mullens and his
- family were from Dorking in England, it does not occur to her to
- doubt the correctness of the impression which the recklessness of
- Baird had created,--that they were of Leyden,--and she hence
- amusingly suggests that “they must have moved from Leyden to
- Dorking.” These careless utterances of one who is especially bound
- by his position, both as a writer and as a teacher of morals, to be
- jealous for the truth, might be partly condoned as attributable to
- mistake or haste, except for the facts that they seem to have been
- the fountain-head of an ever-widening stream of serious error, and
- that they are preceded on the very page that bears them by others as
- to the Pilgrim exodus equally unhappy. It seems proper to suggest
- that it is high time that all lovers of reliable history should
- stand firmly together against the flood of loose statement which is
- deluging the public; brand the false wherever found; and call for
- proof from of all new and important historical propositions put
- forth.
-
-Stephen Hopkins may possibly have had more than one wife before
- Elizabeth, who accompanied him to New England and was mother of the
- sea-born son Oceanus. Hopkins’s will indicates his affection for
- this latest wife, in unusual degree for wills of that day. With
- singular carelessness, both of the writer and his proof-reader, Hon.
- William T. Davis states that Damaris Hopkins was born “after the
- arrival” in New England. The contrary is, of course, a well
- established fact. Mr. Davis was probably led into this error by
- following Bradford’s “summary” as affecting the Hopkins family. He
- states therein that Hopkins “had one son, who became a seaman and
- died at Barbadoes probably Caleb, and four daugh ters born here.”
- To make up these “four” daughters “born here” Davis found it
- necessary to include Damaris, unmindful that Bradford names her in
- his list of MAY-FLOWER passengers. It is evident, either that
- Bradford made a mistake in the number, or that there was some
- daughter who died in infancy. It is evident that Dotey and Leister,
- the “servants” of Hopkins, were of English origin and accompanied
- their master from London.
-
-Gilbert Winslow was a brother of Edward Winslow, a young man, said to
- have been a carpenter, who returned to England after “divers years”
- in New England. There is a possibility that he was at Leyden and
- was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL. It has been suggested that he
- spent the greater part of the time he was in New England, outside of
- the Pilgrim Colony. He took no part in its affairs.
-
-James Chilton and his family are but little known to Pilgrim writers,
- except the daughter Mary, who came into notice principally through
- her marriage with John Winslow, another brother of Governor Edward,
- who came over later. Their name has assumed a singular prominence
- in popular regard, altogether disproportionate to either their
- personal characteristics, station, or the importance of their early
- descendants. Some unaccountable glamour of romance, without any
- substantial foundation, is probably responsible for it. They left a
- married daughter behind them in England, which is the only hint we
- have as to their home just prior to the embarkation. There has been
- a disposition, not well grounded, to regard them as of Leyden.
-
-Richard Gardiner, Goodwin unequivocally places with the English colonists
- (but on what authority does not fully appear), and he has been
- claimed, but without any better warrant, for the Leyden list.
-
-John Billington and his family were unmistakably of the English
- colonists. Mrs. Billington’s name has been variously given,
- e.g. Helen, Ellen, and Eleanor, and the same writer has used them
- interchangeably. One writer has made the inexcusable error of
- stating that “the younger son, Francis, was born after the arrival
- at New Plymouth,” but his own affidavit shows him to have been born
- in 1606.
-
-William Latham, a “servant-boy” of Deacon Carver, has always been of
- doubtful relation, some circumstances indicating that he was of
- Leyden and hence was a SPEEDWELL passenger, but others--and these
- the more significant--rendering it probable that he was an English
- boy, who was obtained in London (like the More children) and
- apprenticed to Carver, in which case he probably came in the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, though he may have awaited her coming with
- his master at Southampton, in which case he probably originally
- embarked there, with him, on the SPEEDWELL, and was transferred
- with him, at Plymouth, to the MAY-FLOWER. There is, of course,
- also still the possibility that he came with Carver’s family from
- Leyden. Governor Carver’s early death necessarily changed his
- status somewhat, and Plymouth early records do not give much beyond
- suggestion as to what the change was; but all indications confirm
- the opinion that he was a poor boy--very likely of London or
- vicinity--taken by Carver as his “servant.”
-
-The More children, Jasper, Richard, their brother (whose given name has
- never transpired), and Ellen, their sister, invite more than passing
- mention. The belief has always been current and confident among
- students of Pilgrim history that these More children, four in
- number, “put” or “indentured” to three of the Leyden leaders, were
- probably orphaned children of some family of the Leyden
- congregation, and were so “bound” to give them a chance in the new
- colony, in return for such services as they could render to those
- they accompanied. If thus of the Leyden contingent they would,
- of course, be enumerated as passengers in the SPEEDWELL from
- Delfshaven, but if of the English contingent they should probably be
- borne on the list of passengers sailing from London in the
- MAY-FLOWER, certainly should be reckoned as part of the English
- contingent on the MAY-FLOWER at Southampton. An affidavit of
- Richard More, perhaps the eldest of these children, indentured to
- Elder Brewster, dated in 1684., found in “Proceedings of the
- Provincial Court, Maryland Archives, vol. xiv. [‘New England
- Historic-Genealogical Register,’ vol 1. p. 203 ),” affirms the
- deponent to be then “seaventy years or thereabouts” of age, which
- would have made him some six years of age, “or thereabouts,” in
- 1620. He deposes “that being in London at the house of Mr. Thomas
- Weston, Iron monger, in the year 1620, he was from there transported
- to New Plymouth in New England,” etc. This clearly identifies
- Richard More of the MAY FLOWER, and renders it well-nigh certain
- that he and his brothers and sister, “bound out” like himself to
- Pilgrim leaders, were of the English company, were probably never in
- Leyden or on the SPEEDWELL, and were very surely passengers on the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, in charge of Mr. Cushman or others. The
- fact that the lad was in London, and went from thence direct to New
- England, is good evidence that he was not of the Leyden party. The
- fair presump tion is that his brothers and sister were, like
- himself, of English birth, and humble--perhaps deceased--parents,
- taken because of their orphaned condition. It is highly improbable
- that they would be taken from London to Southampton by land, at the
- large expense of land travel in those days, when the MAY-FLOWER was
- to sail from London. That they would accompany their respective
- masters to their respectively assigned ships at Southampton is
- altogether likely. The phraseology of his affidavit suggests the
- probability that Richard More, his brothers, and sister were brought
- to Mr. Weston’s house, to be by him sent aboard the MAY-FLOWER,
- about to sail. The affidavit is almost conclusive evidence as to
- the fact that the More children were all of the English colonists’
- party, though apprenticed to Leyden families, and belonged to the
- London passenger list of the Pilgrim ship. The researches of Dr.
- Neill among the MS. “minutes” and “transactions” of the (London)
- Virginia Company show germanely that, on November 17, 1619, “the
- treasurer, council, and company” of this Virginia Company addressed
- Sir William Cockaine, Knight, Lord Mayor of the city of London, and
- the right worthys the aldermen, his brethren, and the worthys the
- “common council of the city,” and returning thanks for the benefits
- conferred, in furnishing out one hundred children this last year
- for “the plantation in Virginia” (from what Neill calls the
- “homeless boys and girls of London”), states, that, “forasmuch as we
- have now resolved to send this next spring [1620] very large
- supplies,” etc., “we pray your Lordship and the rest . . . to
- renew the like favors, and furnish us again with one hundred more
- for the next spring. Our desire is that we may have them of twelve
- years old and upward, with allowance of L3 apiece for their
- transportation, and 40s. apiece for their apparel, as was formerly
- granted. They shall be apprenticed; the boys till they come to 21
- years of age, the girls till like age or till they be married,” etc.
- A letter of Sir Edwin Sandys (dated January 28, 1620) to Sir Robert
- Naunton shows that “The city of London have appointed one hundred
- children from the superfluous multitude to be transported to
- Virginia, there to be bound apprentices upon very beneficial
- conditions.” In view of the facts that these More children--and
- perhaps others--were “apprenticed” or “bound” to the Pilgrims
- (Carver, Winslow, Brewster, etc.), and that there must have been
- some one to make the indentures, it seems strongly probable that
- these four children of one family,--as Bradford shows,--very likely
- orphaned, were among those designated by the city of London for the
- benefit of the (London) Virginia Company in the spring of 1620.
- They seem to have been waifs caught up in the westward-setting
- current, but only Richard survived the first winter. Bradford,
- writing in 1650, states of Richard More that his brothers and sister
- died, “but he is married [1636] and hath 4 or 5 children.” William
- T. Davis, in his “Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth” (p. 24), states,
- and Arber copies him, that “he was afterwards called Mann; and died
- at Scituate, New England, in 1656.” The researches of Mr. George E.
- Bowman, the able Secretary of the Massachusetts Society of
- MAY-FLOWER Descendants, some time since disproved this error,
- but Mores affidavit quoted conclusively determines the matter.
-
-The possible accessions to the company, at London or Southampton, of
-Henry Sampson and Humility Cooper, cousins of Edward Tilley and wife,
-would be added to the passengers of the pinnace rather than to the
-MAY-FLOWER’S, if, as seems probable, their relatives were of the
-SPEEDWELL. If Edward Tilley and his wife were assigned to the MAY
-FLOWER, room would doubtless also be found for these cousins on the
-ship. John Alden, the only positively known addition (except Carver)
-made to the list at Southampton, was, from the nature of his engagement
-as “cooper,” quite likely assigned to the larger ship. There are no
-known hints as to the assignments of passengers to the respective
-vessels at Southampton--then supposed to be final--beyond the remarks of
-Bradford that “the chief [principal ones] of them that came from Leyden
-went on this ship [the SPEEDWELL] to give the Master content,” and his
-further minute, that “Master Martin was governour in the biger ship and
-Master Cushman assistante.” It is very certain that Deacon Carver, one
-of the four agents of the colonists, who had “fitted out” the voyage in
-England, was a passenger in the SPEEDWELL from Southampton,--as the
-above mentioned remark of Bradford would suggest,--and was made
-“governour” of her passengers, as he later was of the whole company, on
-the MAY-FLOWER. It has sometimes been queried whether, in the interim
-between the arrival of the SPEEDWELL at Southampton and the assignment
-of the colonists to their respective ships (especially as both vessels
-were taking in and transferring cargo), the passengers remained on board
-or were quartered on shore. The same query has arisen, with even better
-reason, as to the passengers of the SPEEDWELL during the stay at
-Dartmouth, when the consort was being carefully overhauled to find her
-leaks, the suggestion being made that in this case some of them might
-have found accommodation on board the larger ship. The question may be
-fairly considered as settled negatively, from the facts that the
-colonists, with few exceptions, were unable to bear such extra expense
-themselves; the funds of the Adventurers--if any were on hand, which
-appears doubtful--were not available for the purpose; while the evidence
-of some of the early writers renders it very certain that the Leyden
-party were not released from residence on shipboard from the time they
-embarked on the SPEEDWELL at Delfshaven till the final landing in the
-harbor of New Plimoth. Just who of the Leyden chiefs caused themselves
-to be assigned to the smaller vessel, to encourage its cowardly Master,
-cannot be definitely known. It may be confidently assumed, however, that
-Dr. Samuel Fuller, the physician of the colonists, was transferred to
-the MAY-FLOWER, upon which were embarked three fourths of the entire
-company, including most of the women and children, with some of whom, it
-was evident, his services would be certainly in demand. There is little
-doubt that the good Elder (William Brewster) was also transferred to the
-larger ship at Southampton, while it would not be a very wild guess--in
-the light of Bradford’s statement--to place Carver, Winslow, Bradford,
-Standish, Cooke, Howland, and Edward Tilley, and their families, among
-the passengers on the consort. Just how many passengers each vessel
-carried when they sailed from Southampton will probably never be
-positively known. Approximately, it may be said, on the authority of
-such contemporaneous evidence as is available, and such calculations as
-are possible from the data we have, that the SPEEDWELL had thirty (30),
-and the MAY-FLOWER her proportionate number, ninety (90)--a total of one
-hundred and twenty (120).
-
-Captain John Smith says,
-
- [Smith, New England’s Trials, ed. 1622, London, p. 259. It is a
- singular error of the celebrated navigator that he makes the ships
- to have, in less than a day’s sail, got outside of Plymouth, as he
- indicates by his words, “the next day,” and “forced their return to
- Plymouth.” He evidently intends to speak only in general terms, as
- he entirely omits the (first) return to Dartmouth, and numbers the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER, on her final departure, at but “one
- hundred.” He also says they “discharged twenty passengers.”]
-
-apparently without pretending to be exact, “They left the coast of
-England the 23 of August, with about 120 persons, but the next day [sic]
-the lesser ship sprung a leak that forced their return to Plymouth; where
-discharging her [the ship] and twenty passengers, with the great ship and
-a hundred persons, besides sailors, they set sail again on the 6th of
-September.”
-
- [Dr. Ames, so stringent in his requirements of other authors, for
- example Jane Austin, has to this point been pathetically naive as to
- the opinions of Captain John Smith. Captain Smith’s self-serving
- and very subjective narratives of his own voyages obtained for him
- the very derogatory judgement by his contemporaries. One of the
- best reviews of John Smith’s life may be found in a small book on
- this adventurer by Charles Dudley Warner. D.W.]
-
-If the number one hundred and twenty (120) is correct, and the
-distribution suggested is also exact, viz. thirty (30) to the SPEEDWELL
-and ninety (90) to the MAY-FLOWER, it is clear that there must have been
-more than twelve (the number usually named) who went from the consort to
-the larger ship, when the pinnace was abandoned. We know that at least
-Robert Cushman and his family (wife and son), who were on the MAY-FLOWER,
-were among the number who returned to London upon the SPEEDWELL (and the
-language of Thomas Blossom in his letter to Governor Bradford, else where
-quoted, indicates that he and his son were also there), so that if the
-ship’s number was ninety (90), and three or more were withdrawn, it would
-require fifteen (15) or more to make the number up to one hundred and two
-(102), the number of passengers we know the MAY-FLOWER had when she took
-her final departure. It is not likely we shall ever be able to determine
-exactly the names or number of those transferred to the MAY-FLOWER from
-the consort, or the number or names of all those who went back to London
-from either vessel. Several of the former and a few of the latter are
-known, but we must (except for some fortunate discovery) rest content
-with a very accurate knowledge of the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER
-when she left Plymouth (England), and of the changes which occurred in it
-afterward; and a partial knowledge of the ship’s own complement of
-officers and men.
-
-Goodwin says: “The returning ones were probably of those who joined in
-England, and had not yet acquired the Pilgrim spirit.” Unhappily this
-view is not sustained by the relations of those of the number who are
-known. Robert Cushman and his family (3 persons), Thomas Blossom and his
-son (2 persons), and William Ring (1 person), a total of six, or just one
-third of the putative eighteen who went back, all belonged to the Leyden
-congregation, and were far from lacking “the Pilgrim spirit.” Cushman
-was both ill and heart-sore from fatigue, disappointment, and bad
-treatment; Ring was very ill, according to Cushman’s Dartmouth letter;
-but the motives governing Blossom and his son do not appear, unless the
-comparatively early death of the son--after which his father went to New
-England--furnishes a clue thereto. Bradford says: “Those that went back
-were, for the most part, such as were willing to do so, either out of
-some discontent, or fear they conceived of the ill success of the Voyage,
-seeing so many crosses befallen and the year time so far spent. But
-others, in regard of their own weakness and the charge of many young
-children, were thought [by the Managers] least useful and most unfit to
-bear the brunt of this hard adventure.” It is evident from the above
-that, while the return of most was from choice, some were sent back by
-those in authority, as unfit for the undertaking, and that of these some
-had “many young chil dren.” There are said to have been eighteen who
-returned on the SPEEDWELL to London. We know who six of them were,
-leaving twelve, or two thirds, unknown. Whether these twelve were in
-part from Leyden, and were part English, we shall probably never know.
-If any of them were from Holland, then the number of those who left
-Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL is increased by so many. If any were of the
-English contingent, and probably the most were,--then the passenger list
-of the MAY-FLOWER from London to Southampton was probably, by so many,
-the larger. It is evident, from Bradford’s remark, that, among the
-twelve unknown, were some who, from “their own weakness and charge of
-many young children, were thought least useful and most unfit,” etc.
-From this it is clear that at least one family was included which had a
-number of young children, the parents’ “own weakness” being recognized.
-A father, mother, and four children (in view of the term “many”) would
-seem a reasonable surmise, and would make six, or another third of the
-whole number. The probability that the unknown two thirds were chiefly
-from England, rather than Holland, is increased by observation of the
-evident care with which, as a rule, those from the Leyden congregation
-were picked, as to strength and fitness, and also by the fact that their
-Leyden homes were broken up. Winslow remarks, “the youngest and
-strongest part were to go,” and an analysis of the list shows that those
-selected were mostly such. Bradford, in stating that Martin was “from
-Billericay in Essex,” says, “from which part came sundry others.” It is
-quite possible that some of the unknown twelve who returned were from
-this locality, as none of those who went on the MAY-FLOWER are understood
-to have hailed from there, beside the Martins.
-
-All the colonists still intending to go to America were now gathered in
-one vessel. Whatever previous disposition of them had been made, or
-whatever relations they might have had in the disjointed record of the
-exodus, were ephemeral, and are now lost sight of in the enduring
-interest which attaches to their final and successful “going forth” as
-MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-Bradford informs us--as already noted--that, just before the departure
-from Southampton, having “ordered and distributed their company for
-either ship, as they conceived for the best,” they “chose a Governor and
-two or three assistants for each ship, to order the people by the way,
-and see to the disposing of the provisions, and such like affairs. All
-which was not only with the liking of the Masters of the ships, but
-according to their desires.” We have seen that under this arrangement
---the wisdom and necessity of which are obvious--Martin was made “Governor”
- on the “biger ship” and Cushman his “assistante.” Although we find no
-mention of the fact, it is rendered certain by the record which Bradford
-makes of the action of the Pilgrim company on December 11, 1620, at Cape
-Cod,--when they “confirmed” Deacon John Carver as “Governor,”--that he
-was and had been such, over the colonist passengers for the voyage (the
-ecclesiastical authority only remaining to Elder Brewster), Martin
-holding certainly no higher than the second place, made vacant by
-Cushman’s departure.
-
-Thus, hardly had the Pilgrims shaken the dust of their persecuting
-mother-country from their feet before they set up, by popular voice
-(above religious authority, and even that vested by maritime law in their
-ships’ officers), a government of themselves, by themselves, and for
-themselves. It was a significant step, and the early revision they made
-of their choice of “governors” certifies their purpose to have only
-rulers who could command their confidence and respect. Dr. Young says:
-“We know the age of but few of the Pilgrims,” which has hitherto been
-true; yet by careful examination of reliable data, now available, we are
-able to deter mine very closely the ages of a considerable number, and
-approximately the years of most of the others, at the time of the exodus.
-No analysis, so far as known, has hitherto been made of the vocations
-(trades, etc.) represented by the MAY-FLOWER company. They were, as
-befitted those bent on founding a colony, of considerable variety, though
-it should be understood that the vocations given were, so far as
-ascertained, the callings the individuals who represented them had
-followed before taking ship. Several are known to have been engaged
-in other pursuits at some time, either before their residence in Holland,
-or during their earlier years there. Bradford tells us that most of the
-Leyden congregation (or that portion of it which came from England, in or
-about 1608) were agricultural people. These were chiefly obliged to
-acquire handicrafts or other occupations. A few, e.g. Allerton,
-Brewster, Bradford, Carver, Cooke, and Winslow, had possessed some means,
-while others had been bred to pursuits for which there was no demand in
-the Low Countries. Standish, bred to arms, apparently followed his
-profession nearly to the time of departure, and resumed it in the colony,
-adding thereto the calling which, in all times and all lands, had been
-held compatible in dignity with that of arms,--the pursuit of
-agriculture. While always the “Sword of the White Men,” he was the
-pioneer “planter” in the first settlement begun (at Duxbury) beyond
-Plymouth limits. Of the “arts, crafts or trades” of the colonists from
-London and neighboring English localities, but little has been gleaned.
-They were mostly people of some means, tradesmen rather than artisans,
-and at least two (Martin and Mullens) were evidently also of the Merchant
-Adventurers.
-
-Their social (conjugal) conditions--not previously analyzed, it is
-thought--have been determined, it is believed, with approximate accuracy;
-though it is of course possible that some were married, of whom that fact
-does not appear, especially among the seamen.
-
-
-The passengers of the MAY-FLOWER on her departure from Plymouth
-(England), as arranged for convenience by families, were as appears by
-the following lists.
-
-While the ages given in these lists are the result of much careful study
-of all the latest available data, and are believed, when not exact, to be
-very close approximates; as it has been possible to arrive at results,
-in several cases, only by considerable calculation, the bases of which
-may not always have been entirely reliable, errors may have crept in.
-Though the author is aware that, in a few instances, the age stated does
-not agree with that assigned by other recognized authority, critical
-re-analysis seems to warrant and confirm the figures given.
-
-The actual and comparative youth of the majority of the colonist leaders
---the Pilgrim Fathers--is matter of comment, even of surprise, to most
-students of Pilgrim history, especially in view of what the Leyden
-congregation had experienced before embarking for America. Only two of
-the leaders exceeded fifty years of age, and of these Governor Carver
-died early. Of the principal men only nine could have been over forty,
-and of these Carver, Chilton, Martin, Mullins, and Priest (more than half
-died within a few months after landing), leaving Brewster, Warren (who
-died early), Cooke, and Hopkins--neither of the latter hardly forty--the
-seniors. One does not readily think of Alden as but twenty-one, Winslow
-as only twenty-five, Dr. Fuller as about thirty, Bradford as only
-thirty-one when chosen Governor, Allerton as thirty-two, and Captain
-Standish as thirty-six. Verily they were “old heads on young
-shoulders.” It is interesting to note that the dominant influence
-at all times was that of the Leyden contingent.
-
-Of these, all except William Butten, who died upon the voyage, reached
-Cape Cod in safety, though some of them had become seriously ill from the
-hardships encountered, and Howland had narrowly escaped drowning. Two
-were added to the number en voyage,--Oceanus Hopkins, born upon the sea,
-and Peregrine White, born soon after the arrival in Cape Cod harbor.
-This made the total of the passenger list 103, before further depletion
-by death occurred, though several deaths again reduced it before the
-MAY-FLOWER cast anchor in Plymouth harbor, her final haven on the
-outward voyage.
-
-Deacon John Carver’s place of birth or early life is not known, but he
- was an Essex County man, and was probably not, until in middle life,
- a member of Robinson’s congregation of “Independents.” His age is
- determined by collateral evidence.
-
-Mrs. Katherine Carver, it has been supposed by some, was a sister of
- Pastor Robinson. This supposition rests, apparently, upon the
- expression of Robinson in his parting letter to Carver, where he
- says: “What shall I say or write unto you and your good wife, my
- loving sister?” Neither the place of Mrs. Carver’s nativity nor her
- age is known.
-
-Desire Minter was evidently a young girl of the Leyden congregation,
- between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, who in some way (perhaps
- through kinship) had been taken into Carver’s family. She returned
- to England early. See ante, for account of her (probable)
- parentage.
-
-John Howland was possibly of kin to Carver and had been apparently some
- years in his family. Bradford calls him a “man-servant,” but it is
- evident that “employee” would be the more correct term, and that he
- was much more than a “servant.” It is observable that Howland
- signed the Compact (by Morton’s List) before such men as Hopkins,
- the Tilleys, Cooke, Rogers, and Priest, which does not indicate much
- of the “servant” relation. His antecedents are not certainly known,
- but that he was of the Essex family of the name seems probable.
- Much effort has been made in recent years to trace his ancestry,
- but without any considerable result. His age at death (1673)
- determines his age in 1620. He was older than generally supposed,
- being born about 1593.
-
-Roger Wilder is also called a “man-servant” by Bradford, and hardly more
- than this is known of him, his death occurring early. There is no
- clue to his age except that his being called a “man-servant” would
- seem to suggest that he was of age; but the fact that he did not
- sign the Compact would indicate that he was younger, or he may have
- been extremely ill, as he died very soon after arrival.
-
-William Latham is called a “boy” by Bradford, though a lad of 18. It is
- quite possible he was one of those “indentured” by the corporation
- of London, but there is no direct intimation of this.
-
-“Mrs. Carver’s maid,” it is fair to presume, from her position as
- lady’s-maid and its requirements in those days, was a young woman of
- eighteen or twenty years, and this is confirmed by her early
- marriage. Nothing is known of her before the embarkation. She died
- early.
-
-Jasper More, Bradford says, “was a child yt was put to him.” Further
- information concerning him is given in connection with his brother
- Richard, “indentured” to Elder Brewster. He is erroneously called
- by Justin Winsor in his “History of Duxbury” (Massachusetts) a child
- of Carver’s, as Elizabeth Tilley is “his daughter.” Others have
- similarly erred.
-
-Elder William Brewster’s known age at his death determines his age in
- 1620. He was born in 1566-67. His early life was full of interest
- and activity, and his life in Holland and America no less so. In
- early life he filled important stations. Steele’s “Chief of the
- Pilgrims” is a most engaging biography of him, and there are others
- hardly less so, Bradford’s sketch being one of the best.
-
-Mrs. Mary Brewster’s age at her death determines it at the embarkation,
- and is matter of computation.
-
-Love Brewster was the second son of his parents, his elder brother
-Jonathan coming over afterwards.
-
-Wrestling Brewster was but a “lad,” and his father’s third son.
-
-Richard More and his brother, Bradford states, “were put to him” (Elder
- Brewster) as bound-boys. For a full account of their English
- origin, Richard’s affidavit, etc., see ante. This makes him but
- about six, but he was perhaps older.
-
-Governor Edward Winslow’s known age at his death fixes his age at the
- time of the exodus, and his birth is duly recorded at Droitwich, in
- Worcester, England. (See “Winslow Memorial,” David Parsons Holton,
- vol. i. p. 16.)
-
-Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, the first wife of the Governor, appears
- by the data supplied by the record of her marriage in Holland, May
- 27, 1618, to have been a maiden of comporting years to her
- husband’s, he being then twenty-three. Tradition makes her slightly
- younger than her husband.
-
-George Soule, it is evident,--like Howland,--though denominated a
- “servant” by Bradford, was more than this, and should rather have
- been styled, as Goodwin points out, “an employee” of Edward Winslow.
- His age is approximated by collateral evidence, his marriage, etc.
-
-Elias Story is called “man-servant” by Bradford, and his age is unknown.
- The fact that he did not sign the Compact indicates that he was
- under age, but extreme illness may have prevented, as he died early.
-
-Ellen More, “a little girl that was put to him” (Winslow), died early.
- She was sister of the other More children, “bound out” to Carver and
- Brewster, of whom extended mention has been made.
-
-Governor William Bradford’s date of birth fixes his age in 1620. His
- early home was at Austerfield, in Yorkshire. Belknap (“American
- Biography,” vol. ii. p. 218) says: “He learned the art of
- silk-dyeing.”
-
-Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford’s age (the first wife of the Governor) is
- fixed at twenty-three by collateral data, but she may have been
- older. She was probably from Wisbeach, England. The manner of her
- tragic death (by drowning, having fallen overboard from the ship in
- Cape Cod harbor), the first violent death in the colony, was
- especially sad, her husband being absent for a week afterward. It
- is not known that her body was recovered.
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller, from his marriage record at Leyden, made in 1613, when
- he was a widower, it is fair to assume was about thirty, perhaps
- older, in 1620, as he could, when married, have hardly been under
- twenty-one. His (third) wife and child were left in Holland.
-
-William Butten (who died at sea, November 6/16), Bradford calls
- “a youth.” He was undoubtedly a “servant”-assistant to the doctor.
-
-Isaac Allerton, it is a fair assumption, was about thirty-four in 1620,
- from the fact that he married his first wife October 4, 1611, as he
- was called “a young man” in the Leyden marriage record. He is
- called “of London, England,” by Bradford and on the Leyden records.
- He was made a “freeman” of Leyden, February 7, 1614. Arber and
- others state that his early occupation was that of “tailor,” but he
- was later a tradesman and merchant.
-
-Mary (Norris) Allerton is called a “maid of Newbury in England,” in the
- Leyden record of her marriage, in October, 1611, and it is the only
- hint as to her age we have. She was presumably a young woman. Her
- death followed (a month later) the birth of her still-born son, on
- board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, February 25/March 7, 1621.
-
-Bartholomew Allerton, born probably in 1612/13 (his parents married
- October, 1611), was hence, as stated, about seven or eight years old
- at the embarkation. He has been represented as older, but this was
- clearly impossible. He was doubtless born in Holland.
-
-Remember Allerton, apparently Allerton’s second child, has (with a
- novelist’s license) been represented by Mrs. Austin as considerably
- older than six, in fact nearer sixteen (Goodwin, p. 183, says,
- “over 13”), but the known years of her mother’s marriage and her
- brother’s birth make this improbable. She was, no doubt, born in
- Holland about 1614--She married Moses Maverick by 1635, and Thomas
- Weston’s only child, Elizabeth, was married from her house at
- Marblehead to Roger Conant, son of the first “governor” of a
- Massachusetts Bay “plantation.”
-
-Mary Allerton, apparently the third child, could hardly have been much
- more than four years old in 1620, though Goodwin (“Pilgrim
- Republic,” p. 184) calls her eleven, which is an error. She was
- probably born in Holland about 1616. She was the last survivor of
- the passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, dying at Plymouth, New England,
- 1699.
-
-John Hooke, described by Bradford as a “servant-boy,” was probably but a
- youth. He did not sign the Compact. Nothing further is known of him
- except that he died early. It is quite possible that he may have
- been of London and have been “indentured” by the municipality to
- Allerton, but the presumption has been that he came, as body-servant
- of Allerton, with him from Leyden.
-
-Captain Standish’s years in 1620 are conjectural (from fixed data), as is
- his age at death. His early home was at Duxborough Hall, in
- Lancashire. His commission as Captain, from Queen Elizabeth, would
- make his birth about 1584. Rose Standish, his wife, is said by
- tradition to have been from the Isle of Man, but nothing is known of
- her age or antecedents, except that she was younger than the
- Captain. She died during the “general sickness,” early in 1621.
-
-Master Christopher Martin, as previously noted, was from Billerica, in
- Essex. From collateral data it appears that he must have been
- “about forty” years old when he joined the Pilgrims. He appears to
- have been a staunch “Independent” and to have drawn upon himself the
- ire of the Archdeacon of Chelmsford, (probably) by his loud-mouthed
- expression of his views, as only “a month before the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed” he, with his son and Solomon Prower of his household
- (probably a relative), were cited before the archdeacon to answer
- for their shortcomings, especially in reverence for this church
- dignitary. He seems to have been at all times a self-conceited,
- arrogant, and unsatisfactory man. That he was elected treasurer
- and ship’s “governor” and permitted so much unbridled liberty as
- appears, is incomprehensible. It was probably fortunate that he
- died early, as he did, evidently in utter poverty. He had a son,
- in 1620, apparently quite a grown youth, from which it is fair to
- infer that the father was at that time “about forty.” Of his wife
- nothing is known. She also died early.
-
-Solomon Prower, who is called by Bradford both “son” and “servant” of
- Martin, seems from the fact of his “citation” before the Archdeacon
- of Chelmsford, etc., to have been something more than a “servant,”
- possibly a kinsman, or foster-son, and probably would more properly
- have been termed an “employee.” He was from Billerica, in Essex,
- and was, from the fact that he did not sign the Compact, probably
- under twenty-one or very ill at the time. He died early. Of John
- Langemore, his fellow “servant,” nothing is known, except that he is
- spoken of by Young as one of two “children” brought over by Martin
- (but on no apparent authority), and he did not sign the Compact,
- though this might have been from extreme illness, as he too died
- early.
-
-William White was of the Leyden congregation. He is wrongly called by
- Davis a son of Bishop John White, as the only English Bishop of that
- name and time died a bachelor. At White’s marriage, recorded at the
- Stadthaus at Leyden, January 27/February 1, 1612, to Anna [Susanna]
- Fuller, he is called “a young man of England.” As he presumably was
- of age at that time, he must have been at least some twenty-nine or
- thirty years old at the embarkation, eight years later. His son
- Peregrine was born in Cape Cod harbor. Mr. White died very early.
-
-Susanna (Fuller) White, wife of William, and sister of Dr. Fuller (?),
- was apparently somewhat younger than her first husband and perhaps
- older than her second. She must, in all probability (having been
- married in Leyden in 1612), have been at least twenty-five at the
- embarkation eight years later. Her second husband, Governor
- Winslow, was but twenty-five in 1620, and the presumption is that
- she was slightly his senior. There appears no good reason for
- ascribing to her the austere and rather unlovable characteristics
- which the pen of Mrs. Austin has given her.
-
-Resolved White, the son of William and Susanna White, could not have been
- more than six or seven years old, and is set down by Goodwin and
- others--on what seems inconclusive evidence--at five. He was
- doubtless born at Leyden.
-
-William Holbeck is simply named as “a servant” of White, by Bradford.
- His age does not appear, but as he did not sign the Compact he was
- probably “under age.” From the fact that he died early, it is
- possible that he was too ill to sign.
-
-Edward Thompson is named by Bradford as a second “servant” of Master
- White, but nothing more is known of him, except that he did not sign
- the Compact, and was therefore probably in his nonage, unless
- prevented by severe sickness. He died very early.
-
-Master William Mullens (or Molines, as Bradford some times calls him) is
- elsewhere shown to have been a tradesman of some means, of Dorking,
- in Surrey, one of the Merchant Adventurers, and a man of ability.
- From the fact that he left a married daughter (Mrs. Sarah Blunden)
- and a son (William) a young man grown, in England, it is evident
- that he must have been forty years old or more when he sailed for
- New England, only to die aboard the ship in New Plymouth harbor.
- That he was not a French Huguenot of the Leyden contingent, as
- pictured by Rev. Dr. Baird and Mrs. Austin, is certain.
-
-Mrs. Alice Mullens, whose given name we know only from her husband’s
- will, filed in London, we know little about. Her age was (if she
- was his first wife) presumably about that of her husband, whom she
- survived but a short time.
-
-Joseph Mullens was perhaps older than his sister Priscilla, and the third
- child of his parents; but the impression prevails that he was
- slightly her junior,--on what evidence it is hard to say. That he
- was sixteen is rendered certain by the fact that he is reckoned by
- his father, in his will, as representing a share in the planter’s
- half-interest in the colony, and to do so must have been of that
- age.
-
-Priscilla Mullens, whom the glamour of unfounded romance and the pen of
- the poet Longfellow have made one of the best known and best beloved
- of the Pilgrim band, was either a little older, or younger, than her
- brother Joseph, it is not certain which. But that she was over
- sixteen is made certain by the same evidence as that named
- concerning her brother.
-
-Robert Carter is named by Bradford as a “man-servant,” and Mrs. Austin,
- in her imaginative “Standish of Standish,” which is never to be
- taken too literally, has made him (see p. 181 of that book) “a dear
- old servant,” whom Priscilla Mullens credits with carrying her in
- his arms when a small child, etc. Both Bradford’s mention and Mr.
- Mullens’s will indicate that he was yet a young man and “needed
- looking after.” He did not sign the Compact, which of itself
- indicates nonage, unless illness was the cause, of which, in his
- case, there is no evidence, until later.
-
-Richard Warren, as he had a wife and five pretty well grown daughters,
- must have been forty-five or more when he came over. He is
- suggested to have been from Essex.
-
-Stephen Hopkins is believed to have been a “lay-reader” with Mr. Buck,
- chaplain to Governor Gates, of the Bermuda expedition of 1609 (see
- Purchas, vol. iv. p. 174). As he could hardly have had this
- appointment, or have taken the political stand he did, until of
- age, he must have been at least twenty-one at that time. If so, he
- would have been not less than thirty two years old in 1620, and was
- probably considerably older, as his son Giles is represented by
- Goodwin (“Pilgrim Republic,” p. 184) as being “about 15.” If the
- father was but twenty-one when the son was born, he must have been
- at least thirty-seven when he became a MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim. The
- probabilities are that he was considerably older. His English home
- is not known. Professor Arber makes an error (The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers,” p. 261) in regard to Hopkins which, unless noted,
- might lead to other and more serious mistakes. Noting the
- differences between John Pierce and a Master Hopkins, heard before
- the Council for New England, May 5/15, 1623, Arber designates Master
- Hopkins as “Stephen” (on what authority does not appear), and leaves
- us to infer that it was the Pilgrim Hopkins. On further inquiry it
- transpires that the person who was at variance with Master John
- Pierce over the matter of passage and freight money, on account of
- the unfortunate PARAGON, was a Rev. Master Hopkins (not Stephen of
- the MAY-FLOWER), who, we learn from Neill’s “History of the Virginia
- Company,” was “recommended July 3, 1622, by the Court of the Company
- to the Governor of Virginia, . . . being desirous to go over at
- his own charge. He was evidently a passenger on both of the
- disastrous attempts of the PARAGON under Captain William Pierce, and
- being forced back the second time, apparently gave up the intention
- of going.
-
-Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, nothing is known concerning, except that she was
- not her husband’s first wife. Sometime apparently elapsed between
- her husband’s marriages.
-
-Giles Hopkins we only know was the son of his father’s first wife, and
- “about 15.” An error (of the types presumably) makes Griffis (“The
- Pilgrims in their Three Homes,” p. 176) give the name of Oceanus
- Hopkins’s father as Giles, instead of Stephen. Constance (or
- Constantia) Hopkins was apparently about eleven years old in 1620,
- as she married in 1627, and probably was then not far from eighteen
- years old. Damaris Hopkins, the younger daughter of Master Hopkins,
- was probably a very young child when she came in the MAY-FLOWER, but
- her exact age has not been as certained. Davis, as elsewhere noted,
- makes the singular mistake of saying she was born after her parents
- arrived in New England. She married Jacob Cooke, and the
- ante-nuptial agreement of his parents is believed to be the
- earliest of record in America, except that between Gregory
- Armstrong and the widow Billington.
-
-Edward Dotey is called by Bradford “a servant,” but nothing is known of
- his age or antecedents. It is very certain from the fact that he
- signed the Compact that he was twenty-one. He was a very energetic
- man. He seems to have been married before coming to New England, or
- soon after.
-
-Edward Leister (the name is variously spelled) was a “servant,” by
- Bradford’s record. He was doubtless of age, as he signed the
- Compact.
-
-Master John Crackstone, being (apparently) a widower with a son, a child
- well grown, was evidently about thirty five years old when he
- embarked for New England. He left a daughter behind. He died early.
-
-John Crackstone, Jr., was but a lad, and died early.
-
-Master Edward Tilley (sometimes spelled Tillie) and his wife Ann seem to
- have been without children of their own, and as they took with them
- to New England two children who were their kindred, it may be
- inferred that they had been married some little time. It is hence
- probable that Mr. Tilley was in the neighborhood of thirty. His
- wife’s age is purely conjectural. They were, Bradford states, “of
- the Leyden congregation.”
-
-Henry Sampson was apparently but a young English lad when he came over in
- the MAY-FLOWER with his cousins the Tilleys. As he married in 1636,
- he was probably then about twenty-one, which would make him five or
- six when he came over. Goodwin (“Pilgrim Republic,” p. 184) says he
- was “six.”
-
-Humility Cooper is said by Bradford to have been a “cosen” of the
- Tilleys, but no light is given as to her age or antecedents. She
- was but a child, apparently. She returned to England very soon
- after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Tilley, and “died young.”
-
-Master John Tilley, having twice married, and having a daughter some
- fourteen years old, must have been over thirty-five years old when
- he sailed on the Pilgrim ship. His birthplace and antecedents are
- not known, but he was “of the Leyden congregation.”
-
-Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde) Tilley was just possibly a second wife.
- Nothing is known concerning her except that she was of Holland, and
- that she had, apparently, no child.
-
-Elizabeth Tilley is said by Goodwin (op. cit. p. 298) and others to have
- been fourteen years old at her parents’ death in 1621, soon after
- the arrival in New England. She was the child of her father’s first
- wife. She married John Howland before 1624. Historians for many
- years called her the “daughter of Governor Carver,” but the recovery
- of Bradford’s MS. “historie” corrected this, with many other
- misconceptions, though to some the error had become apparent before.
- Her will also suggests her age.
-
-Francis Cooke’s age in 1620 is fixed by his known age at his death
- (“about 81”) in 1663. He was from the north of England, and long a
- member of Robinson’s congregation, both in England and in
- Holland(?).
-
-John Cooke, son of Francis, is known to have been about ten years old
- when he sailed with his father for America, as his parents did not
- marry before 1609. He was undoubtedly born at Leyden. He was long
- supposed to have been the last male survivor of the original
- passengers (dying at Dartmouth in 1695.)
-
-James Chilton’s antecedents and his age are quite unknown. He must have
- been at least fifty, as he had a married daughter in Leyden,
- according to Bradford. He died among the first, and there is
- nothing of record to inform us concerning him, except Bradford’s
- meagre mention. He may have lived at Leyden.
-
-Mrs. Chilton’s given name is declared by one writer to have been Susanna,
- but it is not clearly proven. Whence she came, her ancestry, and
- her age, are alike unknown.
-
-Mary Chilton was but a young girl in 1620. She married, before 1627,
- John Winslow, and was probably not then over twenty, nor over
- fourteen when she came with her parents in the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Thomas Rogers appears, from the fact that he had a son, a lad well-grown,
- to have been thirty or more in 1620. His birthplace, antecedents,
- and history are unknown, but he appears to have been “of the Leyden
- congregation.” His wife and children came later.
-
-Joseph Rogers was only a “lad” aboard the MAY-FLOWER, but he left a
- considerable posterity. Nothing is surely known of him, except that
- he was Thomas’s son.
-
-Degory Priest had the distinction of being “freeman” of Leyden, having
- been admitted such, November 16, 1615. He was by occupation a
- “hatter,” a man of some means, who left a wife and at least two
- children in Holland when he embarked for America. His known age at
- death gives his age at sailing but a few months previous. At his
- marriage in Leyden, October 4, 1611, he was called “of London.” He
- was about thirty-two when he married. His wife (a widow Vincent)
- was a sister of Isaac Allerton, who also was married at the same
- time that he was. Goodwin (“Pilgrim Republic,” p. 183) also gives
- his age as “forty-one.” His widow remarried and came over later.
- Dexter (“Mourt’s Relation,” p. 69, note) states, quoting from Leyden
- MS. records, that “Degory Priest in April, 1619, calling himself a
- ‘hatter,’ deposes that he ‘is forty years of age.’” He must,
- therefore, have been about forty-one when he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, and forty-two years old at his death.
-
-John Rigdale and his wife Alice afford no data. They both died early,
- and there is no record concerning either of them beyond the fact
- that they were passengers.
-
-Edward Fuller and his wife have left us little record of themselves save
- that they were of Leyden, that he is reputed a brother of Dr. Samuel
- Fuller (for whom they seem to have named the boy they brought over
- with them,--leaving apparently another son, Matthew, behind), and
- that both died the first winter. He must have been at least
- twenty-five, judging from the fact that he was married and had two
- children, and was perhaps somewhat older (though traditionally
- represented as younger) than his brother. Neither his occupation
- nor antecedents are surely known.
-
-Samuel Fuller--the son of Edward Fuller and his wife--is called by
- Bradford “a young child.” He must have been some five or six years
- of age, as he married in 1635, fifteen years later, and would
- presumably have been of age, or nearly so.
-
-Thomas Tinker’s name, the mention of his “wife” and “son,” the tradition
- that they were “of the Leyden congregation” (which is not sure), the
- certainty that they were MAY-FLOWER passengers,--on Brad ford’s
- list,--and that all died early, are all we know of the Tinker
- family.
-
-John Turner and his two sons we know little about. He seems to have been
- a widower, as no mention is found of his wife, though this is not
- certain. He was of the Leyden congregation, and evidently a man of
- some standing with the leaders, as he was made their messenger to
- Carver and Cushman in London, in June, 1620, and was apparently
- accustomed to travel. He appears to have had business of his own in
- England at the time, and was apparently a man of sober age. As he
- had three children,--a daughter who came later to New England, and
- two sons, as stated by Bradford,--it is probable that he was thirty
- or over. He and both his sons died in the spring of 1621.
-
-Francis Eaton was of Leyden, a carpenter, and, having a wife and child,
- was probably a young man about twenty five, perhaps a little
- younger. He married three times.
-
-Mrs. Sarah Eaton, wife of Francis, was evidently a young woman, with an
- infant, at the date of embarkation. Nothing more is known of her,
- except that she died the spring following the arrival at Plymouth.
-
-Samuel Eaton, the son of Francis and his wife, Sarah, Bradford calls “a
- sucking child:” He lived to marry.
-
-Gilbert Window was the third younger brother of Governor Edward Winslow,
- and is reputed to have been a carpenter. He was born on Wednesday,
- October 26, 1600, at Droitwitch, in Worcester, England. (“Winslow
- Memorial,” vol. i. p. 23.) He apparently did not remain long in
- the colony, as he does not appear in either the “land division” of
- 1623 or the “cattle division” of 1627; and hence was probably not
- then in the “settlement,” though land was later allowed his heirs,
- he having been an “original” voyager of the Plymouth colony. He was
- but twenty years and fifteen days old when he signed the Compact,
- but probably was--from his brother’s prominence and his nearness to
- his majority--counted as eligible. Bradford states that he returned
- to England after “divers years” in New England, and died there. It
- has been suggested that he went very early to some of the other
- “plantations.”
-
-John Alden was of Southampton, England, was hired as “a cooper,” was
- twenty-one years old in 1620, as determined by the year of his
- birth, 1599 (“Alden Memorial,” p. 1), and became the most prominent
- and useful of any of the English contingent of the MAY FLOWER
- company. Longfellow’s delightful poem, “The Courtship of Miles
- Standish,” has given him and his bride, Priscilla Mullens,
- world-wide celebrity, though it is to be feared that its historical
- accuracy would hardly stand criticism. Why young Alden should have
- been “hired for a cooper at Southampton,” with liberty to “go or
- stay” in the colony, as Bradford says he was (clearly indicating
- that he went to perform some specific work and return, if he liked,
- with the ship), has mystified many. The matter is clear, however,
- when it is known, as Griffis shows, that part of a Parliamentary Act
- of 1543 reads: “Whosoever shall carry Beer beyond Sea, shall find
- Sureties to the Customers (?) of that Port, to bring in Clapboard
- [staves] meet [sufficient] to make so much Vessel [barrel or
- “kilderkin”] as he shall carry forth.” As a considerable quantity of
- beer was part of the MAY-FLOWER’S lading, and her consignors stood
- bound to make good in quantity the stave-stock she carried away,
- it was essential, in going to a wild country where it could not be
- bought, but must be “got out” from the growing timber, to take along
- a “cooper and cleaver” for that purpose. Moreover, the great demand
- for beer-barrel stock made “clapboard” good and profitable return
- lading. It constituted a large part of the FORTUNE’S return freight
- (doubtless “gotten out” by Alden), as it would have undoubtedly of
- the MAY-FLOWER’S, had the hardship of the colony’s condition
- permitted.
-
-Peter Browne we know little concerning. That he was a man of early
- middle age is inferable from the fact that he married the widow
- Martha Ford, who came in the FORTUNE in 1621. As she then was the
- mother of three children, it is improbable that she would have
- married a very young man. He appears, from certain collateral
- evidence, to have been a mechanic of some kind, but it is not clear
- what his handicraft was or whence he came.
-
-John Billington (Bradford sometimes spells it Billinton) and his family,
- Bradford tells us, “were from London.” They were evidently an
- ill-conditioned lot, and unfit for the company of the planters, and
- Bradford says, “I know not by what friend shuffled into their
- Company.” As he had a wife and two children, the elder of whom must
- have been about sixteen years old, he was apparently over
- thirty-five years of age. There is a tradition that he was a
- countryman bred, which certain facts seem to confirm. (See land
- allotments for data as to age of boys, 1632.) He was the only one
- of the original colonists to suffer the “death penalty” for crime.
-
-Mrs. Ellen (or “Elen”) Billington, as Bradford spells the name, was
- evidently of comporting age to her husband’s, perhaps a little
- younger. Their two sons, John and Francis, were lively urchins who
- frequently made matters interesting for the colonists, afloat and
- ashore. The family was radically bad throughout, but they have had
- not a few worthy descendants. Mrs. Billington married Gregory
- Armstrong, and their antenuptial agreement is the first of record
- known in America.
-
-John Billington, Jr., is always first named of his father’s two sons, and
- hence the impression prevails that he was the elder, and Bradford so
- designates him. The affidavit of Francis Billington (Plymouth
- County, Mass., Deeds, vol. i. p. 81), dated 1674, in which he
- declares himself sixty-eight years old, would indicate that he was
- born in 1606, and hence must have been about fourteen years of age
- when he came on the MAY-FLOWER to New Plymouth. If John, his
- brother, was older than he, he must have been born about 1604, and
- so was about sixteen when, he came to New England. The indications
- are that it was Francis, the younger son, who got hold of the
- gunpowder in his father’s cabin in Cape Cod harbor, and narrowly
- missed blowing up the ship. John died before 1630. Francis lived,
- as appears, to good age, and had a family.
-
-Moses Fletcher was of the Leyden company, a “smith,” and at the time of
- his second marriage at Leyden, November 30/December 21, 1613, was
- called a “widower” and “of England.” As he was probably of age at
- the time of his first marriage,--presumably two years or more before
- his last,--he must have been over thirty in 1620. He was perhaps
- again a widower when he came over, as no mention is made of his
- having wife or family. He was possibly of the Amsterdam family of
- that name. His early death was a great loss to the colony.
-
-A Thomas Williams is mentioned by Hon. Henry C Murphy (“Historical
- Magazine,” vol. iii. pp. 358, 359), in a list of some of Robinson’s
- congregation who did not go to New England in either the MAY-FLOWER,
- FORTUNE, ANNE, Or LITTLE JAMES. He either overlooked the fact that
- Williams was one of the MAY-FLOWER passengers, or else there were
- two of the name, one of whom did not go. Nothing is known of the
- age or former history of the Pilgrim of that name. He died in the
- spring of 1621 (before the end of March). As he signed the Compact,
- he must have been over twenty-one. He may have left a wife, Sarah.
-
-John Goodman we know little more about than that he and Peter Browne seem
- to have been “lost” together, on one occasion (when he was badly
- frozen), and to have had, with his little spaniel dog, a rencontre
- with “two great wolves,” on another. He was twice married, the last
- time at Leyden in 1619. He died before the end of March, 1621.
- As he signed the Compact, he must have been over twenty-one.
-
-Edward Margeson we know nothing about. As he signed the Compact, he was
- presumably of age.
-
-Richard Britteridge affords little data. His age, birthplace, or
- occupation do not transpire, but he was, it seems, according to
- Bradford, the first of the company to die on board the ship after
- she had cast anchor in the harbor of New Plymouth. This fact
- negatives the pleasant fiction of Mrs. Austin’s “Standish of
- Standish” (p. 104), that Britteridge was one of those employed in
- cutting sedge on shore on Friday, January 12. Poor Britteridge died
- December 21, three weeks earlier. He signed the Compact, and hence
- may be accounted of age at the landing at Cape Cod.
-
-Richard Clarke appears only as one of the passengers and as dying before
- the end of March. He signed the Compact, and hence was doubtless
- twenty-one or over.
-
-Richard Gardiner, we know from Bradford, “became a seaman and died in
- England or at sea.” He was evidently a young man, but of his age or
- antecedents nothing appears. He signed the Compact, and hence was
- at least twenty-one years old.
-
-John Alderton (sometimes spelled Allerton), we are told by Bradford,--as
- elsewhere noted,--“was hired, but was reputed one of the company,
- but was to go back, being a seaman and so, presumably, unmindful of
- the voyages, for the help of others.” Whether Bradford intended by
- the latter clause to indicate that he had left his family behind,
- and came “to spy out the land,” and, if satisfied, to return for
- them, or was to return for the counsel and assistance of Robinson
- and the rest, who were to follow, is not clear, but the latter view
- has most to support it. We learn his occupation, but can only infer
- that he was a young man over twenty-one from the above and the fact
- that he signed the Compact. It has been suggested that he was a
- relative of Isaac Allerton, but this is nowhere shown and is
- improbable. He died before the MAY-FLOWER returned to England.
-
-Thomas English (or Enlish), Bradford tells us (“Historie,” Mass. ed.
- p. 533), “was hired to goe Master of a [the] shallop here.” He,
- however, “died here before the ship returned.” It is altogether
- probable that he was the savior of the colony on that stormy night
- when the shallop made Plymouth harbor the first time, and, narrowly
- escaping destruction, took shelter under Clarke’s Island. The first
- three governors of the colony, its chief founders,--Carver,
- Bradford, and Winslow,--with Standish, Warren, Hopkins, Howland,
- Dotey, and others, were on board, and but for the heroism and prompt
- action of “the lusty sea man which steered,” who was--beyond
- reasonable doubt--English, as Bradford’s narrative (“Morton’s
- Memorial”) shows, the lives of the entire party must, apparently,
- have been lost. That English was, if on board--Bradford shows in
- the “Memorial” that he was--as Master of the shallop, properly her
- helmsman in so critical a time, goes without saying, especially as
- the “rudder was broken” and an oar substituted; that the ship’s
- “mates,” Clarke and Coppin, were not in charge (although on board)
- fully appears by Bradford’s account; and as it must have taken all
- of the other (four) seamen on board to pull the shallop, bereft of
- her sail, in the heavy breakers into which she had been run by
- Coppin’s blunder, there would be no seaman but English for the
- steering-oar, which was his by right. Had these leaders been lost
- at this critical time,--before a settlement had been made,--it is
- certain that the colony must have been abandoned, and the Pilgrim
- impress upon America must have been lost. English’s name should, by
- virtue of his great service, be ever held in high honor by all of
- Pilgrim stock. His early death was a grave loss. Bradford spells
- the name once Enlish, but presumably by error. He signed the
- Compact as Thomas English.
-
-William Trevore was, according to Bradford, one of “two seamen hired to
- stay a year in the countrie.” He went back when his time expired,
- but later returned to New England. Cushman (Bradford, “Historie,”
- p. 122) suggests that he was telling “sailors’ yarns.” He says:
- “For William Trevore hath lavishly told but what he knew or imagined
- of Capewock Martha’s Vineyard, Monhiggon, and ye Narragansetts.” In
- 1629 he was at Massachusetts Bay in command of the HANDMAID
- (Goodwin, p. 320), and in February, 1633 (Winthrop, vol. i. p. 100),
- he seems to have been in command of the ship WILLIAM at Plymouth,
- with passengers for Massachusetts Bay. Captain Standish testified
- in regard to Thompson’s Island in Boston harbor, that about 1620 he
- “was on that Island with Trevore,” and called it “Island Trevore.”
- (Bradford, “Historie,” Deane’s ed. p. 209.) He did not sign the
- Compact, perhaps because of the limitations of his contract (one
- year).
-
---- Ely (not Ellis, as Arber miscalls him, “The Story of the Pilgrim
- Fathers,” p. 377) was the other of the “two seamen hired to stay a
- year,” etc. He also returned when his time expired. (Bradford,
- Hist. Mass. ed. p. 534.) He did not sign the Compact, probably for
- the reason operative in .Trevore’s case. A digest of the foregoing
- data gives the following interesting, if incomplete, data (errors
- excepted):--
-
-Adult males (hired seamen and servants of age included)... 44
-Adult females (including Mrs. Carver’s maid).............. 19
-Youths, male children, and male servants, minors.......... 29
-Maidens, female children.................................. 10
- -------
- 102
-
-Married males............................................. 26
-Married females........................................... 18
-Single (adult) males (and young men)...................... 25
-Single (adult) females (Mrs. Carver’s maid)............... 1
-
-
-Vocations of adults so far as known (except wives, who are presumed
-housekeepers for their husbands):--
-
-Carpenters................................................ 2
-Cooper.................................................... 1
-Fustian-worker and silk-dyer.............................. 1
-Hatter.................................................... 1
-Lay-reader................................................ 1
-Lady’s-maid............................................... 1
-Merchants................................................. 3
-Physician................................................. 1
-Printers and publishers................................... 2
-Seamen.................................................... 4
-Servants (adult).......................................... 10
-Smith..................................................... 1
-Soldier................................................... 1
-Tailor.................................................... 1
-Tradesmen................................................. 2
-Wool-carders.............................................. 2
-
-Allowing for the addition of Wilder and the two sailors, Trevore and Ely,
-who did not sign it, the number of those who signed the Compact tallies
-exactly with the adult males. Besides these occupations, it is known
-that several of the individuals representing them were skilled in other
-callings, and were at some time teachers, accountants, linguists,
-writers, etc., while some had formerly practised certain handicrafts;
-Dr. Fuller, e.g. having formerly been a “silk-worker,” Brad ford (on the
-authority of Belknap), a “silk-dyer,” and others “fustian-workers.”
- Hopkins had apparently sometime before dropped his character of
-“lay-reader,” and was a pretty efficient man of affairs, but his
-vocation at the time of the exodus is not known.
-
-The former occupations of fourteen of the adult colonists, Browne,
-Billington, Britteridge, Cooke, Chilton, Clarke, Crackstone, Goodman,
-Gardiner, Rogers, Rigdale, Turner, Warren, and Williams are not certainly
-known. There is evidence suggesting that Browne was a mechanic;
-Billington and Cooke had been trained to husbandry; that Chilton had been
-a small tradesman; that Edward Tilley had been, like his brother, a
-silk-worker; that Turner was a tradesman, and Warren a farmer; while it
-is certain that Cooke, Rogers, and Warren had been men of some means.
-
-Of the above list of fourteen men whose last occupations before joining
-the colonists are unknown, only five, viz. Browne, Billington, Cooke,
-Gardiner, and Warren lived beyond the spring of 1621. Of these, Warren
-died early, Gardiner left the colony and “became a seaman;” the other
-three, Billington, Browne, and Cooke, became “planters.” Thomas Morton,
-of “Merry Mount,” in his “New Eng land’s Canaan” (p. 217), gives
-Billington the sobriquet “Ould Woodman.”
-
-The early deaths of the others make their former handicrafts--except as
-so much data pertaining to the composi tion and history of the colony--
-matters of only ephemeral interest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VII
-
-QUARTERS, COOKING, PROVISIONS
-
-Probably no more vexatious problem presented itself for the time being to
-the “governors” of the two vessels and their “assistants,” upon their
-selection, than the assignment of quarters to the passengers allotted to
-their respective ships. That these allotments were in a large measure
-determined by the requirements of the women and children may be
-considered certain. The difficulties attendant on due recognition of
-social and official station (far more imperative in that day than this)
-were in no small degree lessened by the voluntary assignment of
-themselves, already mentioned, of some of the Leyden chief people to the
-smaller ship; but in the interests of the general welfare and of harmony,
-certain of the leaders, both of the Leyden and London contingents, were
-of necessity provided for in the larger vessel. The allotments to the
-respective ships made at Southampton, the designation of quarters in the
-ships themselves, and the final readjustments upon the MAY-FLOWER at
-Plymouth (England), when the remaining passengers of both ships had been
-united, were all necessarily determined chiefly with regard to the needs
-of the women, girls, and babes. Careful analysis of the list shows that
-there were, requiring this especial consideration, nineteen women, ten
-young girls, and one infant. Of the other children, none were so young
-that they might not readily bunk with or near their fathers in any part
-of the ship in which the latter might be located.
-
-We know enough of the absolute unselfishness and devotion of all the
-Leyden leaders, whatever their birth or station,--so grandly proven in
-those terrible days of general sickness and death at New Plymouth,--to be
-certain that with them, under all circumstances, it was noblesse oblige,
-and that no self-seeking would actuate them here. It should be
-remembered that the MAY-FLOWER was primarily a passenger transport, her
-passengers being her principal freight and occupying the most of the
-ship, the heavier cargo being chiefly confined to the “hold.” As in that
-day the passenger traffic was, of course, wholly by sailing vessels, they
-were built with cabin accommodations for it, as to numbers, etc.,
-proportionately much beyond those of the sailing craft of to-day. The
-testimony of Captain John Smith, “the navigator,” as to the passengers of
-the MAY-FLOWER “lying wet in their cabins,” and that of Bradford as to
-Billington’s “cabin between decks,” already quoted, is conclusive as to
-the fact that she had small cabins (the “staterooms” of to-day), intended
-chiefly, no doubt, for women and children. The advice of Edward Winslow
-to his friend George Morton, when the latter was about to come to New
-England in the ANNE, “build your cabins as open as possible,”
- is suggestive of close cabins and their discomforts endured upon the
-MAY-FLOWER. It also suggests that the chartering-party was expected in
-those days to control, if not to do, the “fitting up” of the ship for her
-voyage. In view of the usual “breadth of beam” of ships of her class and
-tonnage, aft, and the fore and aft length of the poop, it is not
-unreasonable to suppose that there were not less than four small cabins
-on either side of the common (open) cabin or saloon (often depicted as
-the signing-place of the Compact), under the high poop deck. Constructed
-on the general plan of such rooms or cabins to-day (with four single
-berths, in tiers of two on either hand), there would be--if the women and
-girls were conveniently distributed among them--space for all except the
-Billingtons, who we know had a cabin (as had also doubtless several of
-the principal men) built between decks. This would also leave an after
-cabin for the Master, who not infrequently made his quarters, and those
-of his chief officer, in the “round house,” when one existed, especially
-in a crowded ship.
-
-Cabins and bunks “between decks” would provide for all of the males of
-the company, while the seamen, both of the crew and (some of) those in
-the employ of the Pilgrims--like Trevore and Ely--were no doubt housed in
-the fore castle. Alderton and English seem to have been counted “of the
-company.” The few data we have permit us to confidently assume that some
-such disposition of the passengers was (necessarily) made, and that but
-for the leaky decks, the inseparable discomforts of the sea, and those of
-over crowding, the wives of the Pilgrims (three of whom gave birth to
-children aboard the ship), and their daughters, were fairly “berthed.”
-
-Bradford is authority for the statement that with the “governor” of the
-ship’s company were chosen “two or three assistants . . . to order
-[regulate] the people by the way [on the passage] and see to the
-disposition of the provisions,” etc. The last-named duty must have been a
-most difficult and wearisome one. From what has been shown of the
-poverty of the ship’s cooking facilities (especially for so large a
-company), one must infer that it would be hopeless to expect to cook food
-in any quantity, except when all conditions favored, and then but slowly
-and with much difficulty. From the fact that so many would require food
-at practically the same hours of the day, it is clear that there must
-have been distribution of food (principally uncooked) to groups or
-families, who, with the aid of servants (when available), must each have
-prepared their own meals, cooking as occasion and opportunity indicated;
-much after the manner of the steerage passengers in later days, but
-before those of the great ocean liners. There appears to have been but
-one cook for the officers and crew of the ship, and his hands were
-doubtless full with their demands. It is certain that his service to the
-passengers must have been very slight. That “the cook” is named as one
-of the ship’s crew who died in Plymouth harbor (New England) is all the
-knowledge we have concerning him.
-
-The use of and dependence upon tea and coffee, now so universal, and at
-sea so seemingly indispensable, was then unknown, beer supplying their
-places, and this happily did not have to be prepared with fire. “Strong
-waters”--Holland gin and to some extent “aqua vitae” (brandy)--were
-relied upon for the (supposed) maintenance of warmth. Our Pilgrim
-Fathers were by no means “total abstainers,” and sadly bewailed being
-deprived of their beer when the supply failed. They also made general
-and habitual (moderate) use of wine and spirits, though they sharply
-interdicted and promptly punished their abuse.
-
-In the absence of cooking facilities, it became necessary in that day to
-rely chiefly upon such articles of food as did not require to be prepared
-by heat, such as biscuit (hard bread), butter, cheese (“Holland cheese”
- was a chief staple with the Pilgrims), “haberdyne” (or dried salt
-codfish), smoked herring, smoked (“cured “) ham and bacon, “dried neat’s
-tongues,” preserved and “potted” meats (a very limited list in that day),
-fruits, etc. Mush, oatmeal, pease-puddings, pickled eggs, sausage meats,
-salt beef and pork, bacon, “spiced beef,” such few vegetables as they had
-(chiefly cabbages, turnips, and onions,--there were no potatoes in that
-day), etc., could be cooked in quantity, when the weather permitted, and
-would then be eaten cold.
-
-Except as dried or preserved fruits, vegetables (notably onions), limes,
-lemon juice, and the free use of vinegar feebly counteracted, their food
-was distinctively stimulant of scorbutic and tuberculosis disease, which
-constant exposure to cold and wet and the overcrowded state of the ship
-could but increase and aggravate. Bradford narrates of one of the crew
-of the MAY-FLOWER when in Plymouth harbor, as suggestive of the wretched
-conditions prevalent in the ship, that one of his shipmates, under an
-agreement to care for him, “got him a little spice and made him a mess of
-beef, once or twice,” and then deserted him.
-
-Josselyn, in his “Two Voyages to New England,” gives as the result of the
-experience and observations had in his voyages, but a few years later,
-much that is interesting and of exceptional value as to the food and
-equipment of passengers to, and colonists in, this part of America. It
-has especial interest, perhaps, for the author and his readers, in the
-fact that Josselyn’s statements were not known until after the data given
-in these pages had been independently worked out from various sources,
-and came therefore as a gratifying confirmation of the conclusions
-already reached.
-
-Josselyn says as to food, as follows:--“The common proportion of
-victuals for the sea to a mess (being 4 men) is as followeth:--
-
-“2 pieces of Beef of 3 lb. 1/4 apiece. Pork seems to have been
-inadvertently omitted.
-
-“Four pounds of Bread [ship-bread].
-
-“One pint & 1/2 of Pease.
-
-“Four Gallons of Bear [Beer], with mustard and vinegar for 3 flesh days
-in the week.”
-
-
-“For four fish days to each mess per day:--
-
-“Two pieces of Codd or Haberdine, making 3 pieces of a fish, i.e. a
-dried salt cod being divided into three pieces, 2 of those pieces were to
-be a day’s ration for 4 men.
-
-“Four pounds of Bread.
-
-“Three-quarters of a pound of cheese.
-
-“Bear as before.”
-
-“Oatmeal per day for 50 men 1 Gallon [dry], and so proportionable for
-more or fewer.”
-
-“Thus you see the ship’s provision is Beefe and Porke, Fish, Butter,
-Cheese, Pease, Pottage, Water-Gruel, Bisket, and six shilling Bear.”
-
-
-“For private fresh provision you may carry with you (in case you or any
-of yours should be sick at sea):--
-
-“Conserves of Roses, Clove-Gilliflowers, Wormwood, Green-Ginger,
-Burnt-Wine, English Spirits, Prunes to stew, Raisons of the Sun,
-Currence [currants], Sugar, Nutmeg, Mace, Cinnamon, Pepper and Ginger,
-White Bisket, Butter, or ‘Captains biscuit,’ made with wheat flour or
-Spanish Rusk, Eggs, Rice, Juice of Lemons, well put up to cure or
-prevent the Scurvy, Small Skillets, Pipkins, Porringers and small
-Frying Pans.”
-
-Josselyn further gives us an estimate for:--
-
-“Victuals for a whole year to be carried out of England for one man and so
-for more after this rate.” He annexed also their current prices:--
-
-“Eight bushels of Meal [Rye meal probably intended]
-Two bushels of Pease at 3/s
-Two bushels of Oatmeal at 4s/6d
-One Gallon of Aqua Vitae
-One Gallon of Oyl
-Two Gallons of Vinegar
-[No estimate of Beef or Pork, or of vegetables, is included.]
-A Hogshead of English Bear
-A Hogshead of Irish Bear
-A Hogshead of Vinegar
-A bushel of Mustard seed
-A Kental [Quintal] of fish, Cod or Haberdine, 112 lb.”
-
-
-Edward Window, in his letter to George Morton before mentioned, advising
-him as to his voyage, says: “Bring juice of lemons and take it fasting.
-It is of good use.”
-
-It is indeed remarkable that, totally unused to any such conditions, wet,
-cold, poorly fed, overcrowded, storm-tossed, bruised and beaten, anxious,
-and with no homes to welcome them, exposed to new hardships and dangers
-on landing, worn and exhausted, any of the MAY-FLOWER’S company survived.
-It certainly cannot be accounted strange that infectious diseases, once
-started among them, should have run through their ranks like fire, taking
-both old and young. Nor is it strange that--though more inured to
-hardship and the conditions of sea life--with the extreme and unusual
-exposure of boat service on the New England coast in mid winter, often
-wading in the icy water and living aboard ship in a highly infected
-atmosphere, the seamen should have succumbed to disease in almost equal
-ratio with the colonists. The author is prepared, after careful
-consideration, to accept and professionally indorse, with few exceptions,
-the conclusions as to the probable character of the decimating diseases
-of the passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, so ably and interestingly
-presented by Dr. Edward E. Cornwall in the “New England Magazine” for
-February, 1897--From the fact that Edward Thompson, Jasper More, and
-Master James Chilton died within a month of the arrival at Cape Cod (and
-while the ship lay in that harbor), and following the axiom of vital
-statistics that “for each death two are constantly sick,” there must have
-been some little (though not to say general) sickness on the MAY-FLOWER
-when she arrived at Cape Cod. It would, in view of the hardship of the
-voyage, have been very remarkable if this had not been the case. It
-would have been still more remarkable if the ill-conditioned,
-thin-blooded, town-bred “servants” and apprentices had not suffered
-first and most. It is significant that eight out of nine of the male
-“servants” should have died in the first four months. It was impossible
-that scurvy should not have been prevalent with both passengers and
-crew.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VIII
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER’S LADING
-
-Beside her human freight of one hundred and thirty or more passengers and
-crew, the lading of the MAY-FLOWER when she sailed from Plymouth
-(England), September 6/16, 1620, was considerable and various. If
-clearing at a custom-house of to-day her manifest would excite no little
-interest and surprise. Taking no account of the ship’s stores and
-supplies (necessarily large, like her crew, when bound upon such a
-voyage, when every possible need till her return to her home port must be
-provided for before sailing), the colonists’ goods and chattels were
-many, their provisions bulky, their ordnance, arms, and stores (in the
-hold) heavy, and their trading-stock fairly ample. Much of the cargo
-originally stowed in the SPEEDWELL, a part, as we know, of her company,
-and a few of her crew were transferred to the MAY-FLOWER at Plymouth, and
-there can be no doubt that the ship was both crowded and overladen.
-
-It is altogether probable that the crowded condition of her spar and main
-decks caused the supply of live-stock taken--whether for consumption upon
-the voyage or for the planters’ needs on shore--to be very limited as to
-both number and variety. It has been matter of surprise to many that no
-cattle (not even milch-cows) were taken, but if--as is not unlikely--it
-was at first proposed to take a cow or two (when both ships were to go
-and larger space was available), this intent was undoubtedly abandoned at
-Plymouth, England, when it became evident that there would be dearth of
-room even for passengers, none whatever for cattle or their fodder (a
-large and prohibitive quantity of the latter being required for so long a
-voyage), and that the lateness of the season and its probable hardships
-would endanger the lives of the animals if taken. So far as appears the
-only domestic live-stock aboard the MAY-FLOWER consisted of goats, swine,
-poultry, and dogs. It is quite possible that some few sheep, rabbits, and
-poultry for immediate consumption (these requiring but little forage) may
-have been shipped, this being customary then as now. It is also probable
-that some household pets--cats and caged singing-birds, the latter always
-numerous in both England and Holland--were carried on board by their
-owners, though no direct evidence of the fact is found. There is ample
-proof that goats, swine, poultry, and dogs were landed with the colonists
-at New Plymouth, and it is equally certain that they had at first neither
-cattle, horses, nor sheep. Of course the she-goats were their sole
-reliance for milk for some time, whether afloat or ashore, and goat’s
-flesh and pork their only possibilities in the way of fresh meat for many
-months, save poultry (and game after landing), though we may be sure, in
-view of the breeding value of their goats, poultry, and swine, few were
-consumed for food. The “fresh meat” mentioned as placed before
-Massasoit’ on his first visit was probably venison, though possibly kid’s
-meat, pork, or poultry. Of swine and poultry they must have had a pretty
-fair supply, judging from their rapid increase, though their goats must
-have been few. They were wholly without beasts of draft or burden (though
-it seems strange that a few Spanish donkeys or English “jacks” had not
-been taken along, as being easily kept, hardy, and strong, and quite
-equal to light ploughing, hauling, carrying, etc.), and their lack was
-sorely felt. The space they and their forage demanded it was doubtless
-considered impracticable to spare. The only dogs that appear in evidence
-are a large mastiff bitch (the only dog of that breed probably seen on
-these shores since Pring’s “bigge dogges” so frightened the Indians’ in
-this region seventeen years before)
-
- [Captain Martin Pring had at Plymouth, in 1603, two great “mastive
- dogges” named “Fool” and “Gallant,” the former being trained to carry
- a half-pike in his mouth. “The Indians were more afraid of these
- dogs than of twenty men.” American Magazine of History; Goodwin,
- Pilgrim Republic, p. 3.]
-
-and a small spaniel, both the property of passengers, though there may
-have been others not mentioned. Speaking of the venison found in a tree
-by one of the exploring parties, Winslow says: “We thought it fitter for
-the dogs than for us,” perhaps suggesting by his word “the” their own
-dogs aboard ship and provision for them. There is an intimation as to
-the ownership of these two dogs in the facts that on certainly two
-occasions John Goodman was accompanied by the little spaniel (once when
-alone), from which it may perhaps be inferred that he was the dog’s
-master; while the big mastiffs presence when only Peter Browne and
-Goodman were together suggests that Browne was her owner. The goats,
-swine, rabbits, and poultry were doubtless penned on the spar-deck
-forward, while possibly some poultry, and any sheep brought for food, may
-have been temporarily housed--as was a practice with early voyagers--in
-the (unused) ship’s boats, though these appear to have been so few in
-number and so much in demand that it is doubtful if they were here
-available as pens. The heavy cargo and most of the lighter was of course
-stowed in the hold, as the main deck (or “‘tween decks”) was mostly
-occupied as quarters for the male passengers, old and young, though the
-colonists’ shallop, a sloop-rigged boat some thirty feet in length, had
-been “cut down” and stowed “between the decks” for the voyage. A glimpse
-of the weary life at sea on that long and dreary passage is given in
-Bradford’s remark that “she was much opened with the people’s lying in
-her during the voyage:” This shallop with her equipment, a possible spare
-skiff or two, the chests, “boxes,” and other personal belongings of the
-passengers, some few cases of goods, some furniture, etc., constituted
-the only freight for which there could have been room “between decks,”
- most of the space (aft) being occupied by cabins and bunks.
-
-The provisions in use, both by passengers and crew, were probably kept in
-the lazarette or “runs,” in the stern of the ship, which would be
-unusually capacious in vessels of this model; some--the bulkiest--in the
-hold under the forward hatch, as the custom was, and to some extent still
-is. The food supply of the Pilgrims, constituting part of the
-MAY-FLOWER’S Cargo, included, as appears from authentic sources:--
-
-Breadstuff’s, including,--
- Biscuits or ship-bread (in barrels).
- Oatmeal (in barrels or hogsheads).
- Rye meal (in hogsheads).
-Butter (in firkins).
-Cheese, “Hollands” and English (in boxes).
-Eggs, pickled (in tubs).
-Fish, “haberdyne” [or salt dried cod] (in boxes).
-Smoked herring (in boxes).
-Meats, including,--
- Beef, salt, or “corned” (in barrels).
- Dry-salted (in barrels).
- Smoked (in sacks).
- Dried neats’-tongues (in boxes).
- Pork, bacon, smoked (in sacks or boxes).
- Salt [“corned”] (in barrels).
- Hams and shoulders, smoked (in canvas sacks or hogsheads).
-Salt (in bags and barrels).
-Vegetables, including,--
- Beans (in bags and barrels).
- Cabbages (in sacks and barrels).
- Onions (in sacks).
- Turnips (in sacks).
- Parsnips (in sacks).
- Pease (in barrels), and
-Vinegar (in hogsheads), while,--
-Beer (in casks), brandy, “aqua vitae” (in pipes), and gin [“Hollands,”
- “strong waters,” or “schnapps”] (in pipes) were no small or
- unimportant part, from any point of view, of the provision supply.
-
-Winslow, in his letter to George Morton advising him as to his
-preparations for the voyage over, says: “Be careful to have a very good
-bread-room to keep your biscuit in.” This was to keep them from
-dampness. Winthrop gives us the memorandum of his order for the
-ship-bread for his voyage in 1630. He says: “Agreed with Keene of
-Southwark, baker, for 20,000 of Biscuit, 15,000 of brown, and 5,000 of
-white.” Captain Beecher minutes: “10 M. of bread for the ship ARBELLA.”
- Beecher’s memorandum of “oatmeal” is “30 bushels.” Winslow mentions
-“oatmeal,” and Winthrop notes among the provisions bought by Captain
-William Pierce, “4 hhds. of oatmeal.” Rye meal was usually meant by the
-term “meal,” and Window in his letter to George Morton advises him: “Let
-your meal be so hard-trod in your casks that you shall need an adz or
-hatchet to work it out with;” and also to “be careful to come by [be
-able to get at] some of your meal to spend [use] by the way.”
- Notwithstanding that Bradford’ speaks of their “selling away” some “60
-firkins of butter,” to clear port charges at Southampton, and the
-leaders, in their letter to the Adventurers from that port (August 3),
-speak of themselves, when leaving Southampton in August, 1620, as
-“scarce having any butter,” there seems to have been some left to give
-as a present to Quadrequina, Massasoit’s brother, the last of March
-following, which would indicate its good “keeping” qualities. Wood, in
-his “New England’s Prospect” (ch. 2), says: “Their butter and cheese
-were corrupted.” Bradford mentions that their lunch on the exploration
-expedition of November 15, on Cape Cod, included “Hollands cheese,”
- which receives also other mention. There is a single mention, in the
-literature of the day, of eggs preserved in salt, for use on shipboard.
-“Haberdyne” (or dried salt cod) seems to have been a favorite and staple
-article of diet aboard ship. Captain Beecher minutes “600 haberdyne for
-the ship ARBELLA.” Wood says: “Their fish was rotten.” Smoked
-“red-herring” were familiar food to all the MAY-FLOWER company. No
-house or ship of England or Holland in that day but made great
-dependence upon them. Bacon was, of course, a main staple at sea. In
-its half-cooked state as it came from the smoke-house it was much
-relished with their biscuit by seamen and others wishing strong food,
-and when fried it became a desirable article of food to all except the
-sick. Mention is made of it by several of the early Pilgrim writers.
-Carlyle, as quoted, speaks of it as a diet-staple on the MAY-FLOWER.
-Salt (“corned”) beef has always been a main article of food with seamen
-everywhere. Wood’ states that the “beef” of the Pilgrims was “tainted.”
- In some way it was made the basis of a reputedly palatable preparation
-called “spiced beef,” mentioned as prepared by one of the sailors for a
-shipmate dying on the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor. It must have been a
-very different article from that we now find so acceptable under that
-name in England. Winthrop’ gives the price of his beef at “19 shillings
-per cwt.” Winslow advises his friend Morton, in the letter so often
-quoted, not to have his beef “dry-salted,” saying, “none can do it
-better than the sailors,” which is a suggestion not readily understood.
-“Smoked” beef was practically the same as that known as “jerked,”
- “smoked,” or “dried” beef in America. A “dried neat’s-tongue” is named
-as a contribution of the Pilgrims to the dinner for Captain Jones and
-his men on February 21, 1621, when they had helped to draw up and mount
-the cannon upon the platform on the hill at Plymouth. Winthrop paid
-“14d. a piece” for his “neats’ tongues.” The pork of the Pilgrims is
-also said by Wood’ to have been “tainted.” Winthrop states that his
-pork cost “20 pence the stone” (14 lbs.).
-
-Hams seem to have been then, as now, a highly-prized article of diet.
-Goodwin mentions that the salt used by the Pilgrims was (evaporated)
-“sea-salt” and very “impure.” Winthrop mentions among his supplies,
-“White, Spanish, and Bay salt.”
-
-The beans of the Pilgrims were probably of the variety then known as
-“Spanish beans.” The cabbages were apparently boiled with meat, as
-nowadays, and also used considerably for “sour-krout” and for pickling,
-with which the Leyden people had doubtless become familiar during their
-residence among the Dutch. As anti-scorbutics they were of much value.
-The same was true of onions, whether pickled, salted, raw, or boiled.
-Turnips and parsnips find frequent mention in the early literature of the
-first settlers, and were among their stock vegetables. Pease were
-evidently staple articles of food with the Plymouth people, and are
-frequently named. They probably were chiefly used for porridge and
-puddings, and were used in large quantities, both afloat and ashore.
-
-Vinegar in hogsheads was named on the food-list of every ship of the
-Pilgrim era. It was one of their best antiscorbutics, and was of course
-a prime factor in their use of “sour krout,” pickling, etc. The fruits,
-natural, dried, and preserved, were probably, in that day, in rather
-small supply. Apples, limes, lemons, prunes, olives, rice, etc., were
-among the luxuries of a voyage, while dried or preserved fruits and small
-fruits were not yet in common use. Winslow, in the letter cited, urges
-that “your casks for beer . . . be iron bound, at least for the first
-[end] tyre” [hoop]. Cushman states that they had ample supplies of beer
-offered them both in Kent and Amsterdam. The planters’ supply seems to
-have failed, however, soon after the company landed, and they were
-obliged to rely upon the whim of the Captain of the MAY-FLOWER for their
-needs, the ship’s supply being apparently separate from that of the
-planters, and lasting longer. Winthrop’s supply seems to have been large
-(“42 tons”--probably tuns intended). It was evidently a stipulation of
-the charter-party that the ship should, in part at least, provision her
-crew for the voyage,--certainly furnish their beer. This is rendered
-certain by Bradford’s difficulty (as stated by himself) with Captain
-Jones, previously referred to, showing that the ship had her own supply
-of beer, separate from that of the colonists, and that it was intended
-for the seamen as well as the officers.
-
-Bradford mentions “aqua vitae” as a constituent of their lunch on the
-exploring party of November 15. “Strong waters” (or Holland gin) are
-mentioned as a part of the entertainment given Massasoit on his first
-visit, and they find frequent mention otherwise. Wine finds no mention.
-Bradford states in terms: “Neither ever had they any supply of foode from
-them [the Adventurers] but what they first brought with them;” and again,
-“They never had any supply of vitales more afterwards (but what the Lord
-gave them otherwise), for all ye company [the Adventurers] sent at any
-time was allways too short for those people yt came with it.”
-
-The clothing supplies of the Pilgrims included hats, caps, shirts,
-neck-cloths, jerkins, doublets, waistcoats, breeches (stuff and leather),
-“hosen,” stockings, shoes, boots, belts (girdles), cloth, piece-goods
-(dress-stuff’s), “haberdasherie,” etc., etc., all of which, with minor
-items for men’s and women’s use, find mention in their early narratives,
-accounts, and correspondence. By the will of Mr. Mullens it appears that
-he had twenty-one dozen of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots on board,
-doubtless intended as medium of exchange or barter. By the terms of the.
-contract with the colonists, the Merchant Adventurers were to supply all
-their actual necessities of Clothing food, clothing, etc., for the full
-term of seven years, during which the labors of the “planters” were to be
-for the joint account. Whether under this agreement they were bound to
-fully “outfit” the colonists before they embarked (and did so), as was
-done by Higginson’s company coming to Salem in 1628-29 at considerable
-cost per capita, and as was done for those of the Leyden people who came
-over in 1629 with Pierce in the MAY-FLOWER and the TALBOT to Salem, and
-again in 1630 with the same Master (Pierce) in the LION by the Plymouth
-successors to the Adventurers (without recompense), does not clearly
-appear. No mention is found of any “outfitting” of the MAY-FLOWER
-passengers except the London apprentices. There is no doubt that a
-considerable supply of all the above-named articles was necessarily sent
-by the Adventurers on the MAY-FLOWER, both for the Pilgrims’ needs on the
-voyage and in the new colony, as also for trading purposes. There seems
-to have been at all times a supreme anxiety, on the part of both Pilgrim
-and Puritan settlers, to get English clothes upon their red brethren of
-the forest, whether as a means of exchange for peltry, or for decency’s
-sake, is not quite clear. There was apparently a greater disparity in
-character, intelligence, and station between the leaders of Higginson’s
-and Winthrop’s companies and their followers than between the chief men
-of the Pilgrims and their associates. With the former were titles and
-considerable representation of wealth and position. With the passengers
-of the MAY-FLOWER a far greater equality in rank, means, intelligence,
-capacity, and character was noticeable. This was due in part, doubtless,
-to the religious beliefs and training of the Leyden contingent, and had
-prompt illustration in their Compact, in which all stood at once on an
-equal footing. There was but little of the “paternal” nature in the form
-of their government (though something at times in their punishments), and
-there was much personal dignity and independence of the individual.
-An equipment having so much of the character of a uniform--not to say
-“livery”--as that furnished by Higginson’s company to its people
-suggests the “hedger and ditcher” type of colonists (of whom there were
-very few among the Plymouth settlers), rather than the scholar,
-publisher, tradesman, physician, hatter, smith, carpenter, “lay reader,”
- and soldier of the Pilgrims, and would certainly have been obnoxious to
-their finer sense of personal dignity and proportion. Doubtless an
-equivalent provision existed--though in less “all-of-a-pattern”
- character--in the bales and boxes of the MAY-FLOWER’S cargo for every
-need suggested by the list of the Higginson “outfit,” which is given
-herewith, both as matter of interest and as affording an excellent idea
-of the accepted style and needs in dress of a New England settler (at
-least of the men) of 1620-30. One cannot fail to wonder at the
-noticeably infrequent mention of provision in apparel, etc., for the
-women and children. The inventory of the “Apparell for 100 men” furnished
-by Higginson’s company in 1628-29 gives us, among others, the following
-items of clothing for each emigrant:--
-4 “peares of shoes.”
- 4 “peares of stockings.”
- 1 “peare Norwich gaiters.”
- 4 “shirts.”
- 2 “suits dublet and hose of leather lyn’d with oyld skyn leather, ye hose
- & dublett with hooks & eyes.”
- 1 “sute of Norden dussens or hampshire kersies lynd the hose with skins,
-dublets with lynen of gilford or gedlyman kerseys.”
- 4 bands.
-2 handkerchiefs.
-1 “wastecoat of greene cotton bound about with red tape.”
- 1 leather girdle.
-1 “Monmouth cap.”
- 1 “black hatt lyned in the brows with lether.”
- 5 “Red knitt capps milf’d about 5d apiece.”
- 2 “peares of gloves.”
- 1 “Mandiliion lynd with cotton” [mantle or greatcoat].
-1 “peare of breeches and waistcoat.”
- 1 “leather sute of Dublett & breeches of oyled leather.”
- 1 “peare of leather breeches and drawers to weare with both there other
-sutes.”
-
-In 1628 Josselyn put the average cost of clothing to emigrants to New
-England at L4 each. In 1629 good shoes cost the “Bay” colonists 2s/7d
-per pair. In his “Two Voyages to New England” previously referred to,
-Josselyn gives an estimate (made about 1628) of the “outfit” in clothing
-needed by a New England settler of his time. He names as “Apparel for
-one man--and after this rate for more:--”
- One Hatt
- One Monmouth Cap
- Three falling bands
- Three Shirts
- One Wastcoat
- One Suite of Frize (Frieze)
- One Suite of Cloth
- One Suite of Canvas
- Three Pairs of Irish Stockings
- Four Pairs of Shoes
- One Pair of Canvas Sheets
- Seven ells of coarse canvas, to make a bed at sea for two men,
- to be filled with straw
- One Coarse Rug at Sea
-
-The Furniture of the Pilgrims has naturally been matter of much interest
-to their descendants and others for many years. While it is doubtful if
-a single article now in existence can be positively identified and
-truthfully certified as having made the memorable voyage in the
-MAY-FLOWER (nearly everything having, of course, gone to decay with the
-wear and tear of more than two hundred and fifty years), this honorable
-origin is still assigned to many heirlooms, to some probably correctly.
-Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes in his delightful lines, “On Lending a Punch
-Bowl,” humorously claims for his convivial silver vessel a place with
-the Pilgrims:--
-
- “Along with all the furniture, to fill their new abodes,
- To judge by what is still on hand, at least a hundred loads.”
-
-To a very few time-worn and venerated relics--such as Brewster’s chair
-and one or more books, Myles Standish’s Plymouth sword, the Peregrine
-White cradle, Winslow’s pewter, and one or two of Bradford’s books--a
-strong probability attaches that they were in veritate, as traditionally
-avowed, part of the MAY-FLOWER’S freight, but of even these the fact
-cannot be proven beyond the possibility of a doubt.
-
-From its pattern and workmanship, which are of a period antedating the
-“departure from Delfshaven,” and the ancient tradition which is traceable
-to Brewster’s time, it appears altogether probable that what is known as
-“Elder Brewster’s chair” came with him on the ship. There is even
-greater probability as to one of his books bearing his autograph.
-
-The sword of Myles Standish, in possession of the Pilgrim Society, may
-claim, with equal probability, MAY-FLOWER relation, from its evident
-antiquity and the facts that, as a soldier, his trusty blade doubtless
-stayed with him, and that it is directly traceable in his descendants’
-hands, back to his time; but an equally positive claim is made for
-similar honors for another sword said to have also belonged to the
-Captain, now in the keeping of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
-
-The Peregrine White cradle “is strongly indorsed as of the MAY-FLOWER,
-from the facts that it is, indubitably, of a very early Dutch pattern and
-manufacture; that Mrs. White was anticipating the early need of a cradle
-when leaving Holland; and that the descent of this one as an heirloom in
-her (second) family is so fairly traced.”
-
-The pewter and the silver flask of Winslow not only bear very early
-“Hallmarks,” but also the arms of his family, which it is not likely he
-would have had engraved on what he may have bought after notably becoming
-the defender of the simplicity and democracy of the “Pilgrim Republic.”
- Long traceable use in his family strengthens belief in the supposition
-that these articles came with the Pilgrims, and were then very probably
-heirlooms. One of Governor Bradford’s books (Pastor John Robinson’s
-“Justification of Separation”), published in 1610, and containing the
-Governor’s autograph, bears almost ‘prima facie’ evidence of having come
-with him in the MAY-FLOWER, but of course might, like the above-named
-relics, have come in some later ship.
-
-In this connection it is of interest to note what freight the MAY-FLOWER
-carried for the intellectual needs of the Pilgrims. Of Bibles, as the
-“book of books,” we may be sure--even without the evidence of the
-inventories of the early dead--there was no lack, and there is reason to
-believe that they existed in several tongues, viz. in English, Dutch, and
-possibly French (the Walloon contribution from the Huguenots), while
-there is little doubt that, alike as publishers and as “students of the
-Word,” Brewster, Bradford, and Winslow, at least, were possessed of, and
-more or less familiar with, both the Latin and Greek Testaments. It is
-altogether probable, however, that Governor Bradford’s well attested
-study of “the oracles of God in the original” Hebrew, and his possession
-of the essential Hebrew Bible, grammar, and lexicon, were of a later day.
-Some few copies of the earliest hymnals (“psalme-bookes”)--then very
-limited in number--there is evidence that the Holland voyagers had with
-them in the singing of their parting hymns at Leyden and Delfshaven, as
-mentioned by Winslow and in the earlier inventories: These metrical
-versions of the Psalms constituted at the time, practically, the only
-hymnology permitted in the worship of the “Separatists,” though the grand
-hymn of Luther, “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott,” doubtless familiar to
-them, must have commended itself as especially comforting and apposite.
-
-Of the doctrinal tracts of their beloved Pastor, John Robinson, there is
-every probability, as well as some proof, that there was good supply, as
-well as those of Ainsworth and Clyfton and of the works of William Ames,
-the renowned Franeker Professor, the controversial opponent but sincere
-friend of Robinson: the founder of evangelical “systematic theology,”
- [method--Methodist? D.W.] whom death alone prevented from becoming the
-President of Harvard College. We may be equally sure that the few cases
-of books in the freight of the Pilgrim ship included copies of the
-publications of the “hidden and hunted press” of Brewster and Brewer, and
-some at least of the issues of their fellows in tribulation at Amsterdam
-and in Scotland and England. Some few heavy tomes and early classics in
-English, Dutch, Latin, and Greek were also presumably among the goodly
-number of books brought in the MAY FLOWER by Brewster, Bradford, Winslow,
-Fuller, Hopkins, Allerton, Standish, and others, though it is probable
-that the larger part of the very considerable library of four hundred
-volumes, left at his death by Brewster (including sixty-two in Latin),
-and of the respectable libraries of Fuller, Standish, and others, named
-in their respective inventories, either were brought over in the later
-ships, or were the products of the earliest printers of New England. One
-is surprised and amused that the library of the good Dr. Fuller should
-contain so relatively small a proportion of medical works (although the
-number in print prior to his death in 1633 was not great), while rich in
-religious works pertinent to his functions as deacon. It is equally
-interesting to note that the inventory of the soldier Standish should
-name only one book on military science, “Bariffe’s Artillery,” though it
-includes abundant evidence to controvert, beyond reasonable doubt, the
-suggestion which has been made, that he was of the Romanist faith. Just
-which of the books left by the worthies named, and others whose
-inventories we possess, came with them in the Pilgrim ship, cannot be
-certainly determined, though, as before noted, some still in existence
-bear intrinsic testimony that they were of the number. There is evidence
-that Allerton made gift of a book to Giles Heale of the MAY-FLOWER
-(perhaps the ship’s surgeon), while the ship lay at Plymouth, and Francis
-Cooke’s inventory includes “1 great Bible and 4 olde bookes,” which as
-they were “olde,” and he was clearly not a book-buyer, very probably came
-with him in the ship. In fact, hardly an adult of the Leyden colonists,
-the inventory of whose estate at death we possess, but left one or more
-books which may have been his companions on the voyage.
-
-Some of the early forms of British and Dutch calendars, “annuals,” and
-agricultural “hand-books,” it is certain were brought over by several
-families, and were doubtless much consulted and well-thumbed “guides,
-counsellors, and friends” in the households of their possessors. The
-great preponderance of reading matter brought by the little colony was,
-however, unquestionably of the religious controversial order, which had
-been so much a part of their lives, and its sum total was considerable.
-There are intimations, in the inventories of the Fathers, of a few works
-of historical cast, but of these not many had yet been printed.
-“Caesar’s Commentaries,” a “History of the World,” and a “History of
-Turkey” on Standish’s shelves, with the two Dictionaries and “Peter
-Martyr on Rome” on Dr. Fuller’s, were as likely to have come in the first
-ship, and to have afforded as much satisfaction to the hungry readers of
-the little community as any of the books we find named in the lists of
-their little stock. It is pathetic to note, in these days of utmost
-prodigality in juvenile literature, that for the Pilgrim children, aside
-from the “Bible stories,” some of the wonderful and mirth-provoking
-metrical renderings of the “Psalme booke,” and the “horne booke,” or
-primer (the alphabet and certain elementary contributions in verse or
-prose, placed between thin covers of transparent horn for protection),
-there was almost absolutely nothing in the meagre book-freight of the
-Pilgrim ark. “Milk for Babes,” whether as physical or mental pabulum,
-was in poor supply aboard the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-The most that can be claimed with confidence, for particular objects of
-alleged MAY-FLOWER relation, is that there is logical and moral certainty
-that there was a supply of just such things on board, because they were
-indispensable, and because every known circumstance and condition
-indicates their presence in the hands to which they are assigned, while
-tradition and collateral evidence confirm the inference and sometimes go
-very far to establish their alleged identity, and their presence with
-their respective owners upon the ship. A few other articles besides those
-enumerated in possession of the Pilgrim Society, and of other societies
-and individuals, present almost equally strong claims with those named,
-to be counted as “of MAY-FLOWER belonging,” but in no case is the
-connection entirely beyond question. Where so competent, interested, and
-conscientious students of Pilgrim history as Hon. William T. Davis, of
-Plymouth, and the late Dr. Thomas B. Drew, so long the curator of the
-Pilgrim Society, cannot find warrant for a positive claim in behalf of
-any article as having come, beyond a doubt, “in the MAY FLOWER,” others
-may well hesitate to insist upon that which, however probable and
-desirable, is not susceptible of conclusive proof.
-
-That certain articles of household furniture, whether now existent or
-not, were included in the ship’s cargo, is attested by the inventories of
-the small estates of those first deceased, and, by mention or
-implication, in the narratives of Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and other
-contemporaries, as were also many utensils and articles of domestic use.
-There were also beyond question many not so mentioned, which may be
-safely named as having very certainly been comprised in the ship’s
-lading, either because in themselves indispensable to the colonists, or
-because from the evidence in hand we know them to have been inseparable
-from the character, social status, daily habits, home life, or
-ascertained deeds of the Pilgrims. When it is remembered that
-furnishings, however simple, were speedily required for no less than
-nineteen “cottages” and their households, the sum total called for was not
-inconsiderable.
-
- [Bradford, in Mourt’s Relation (p. 68), shows that the colonists
- were divided up into “nineteen families,” that “so we might build
- fewer houses.” Winslow, writing to George Morton, December 11/21,
- 1621, says: “We have built seven dwelling-houses and four for the
- use of the plantation.” Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 110)
- calls the houses “small cottages.”]
-
-Among the furniture for these “cottages” brought on the Pilgrim ship may
-be enumerated: chairs, table-chairs, stools and forms (benches), tables
-of several sizes and shapes (mostly small), table-boards and “cloathes,”
- trestles, beds; bedding and bed-clothing, cradles, “buffets,” cupboards
-and “cabinets,” chests and chests of drawers, boxes of several kinds and
-“trunks,” andirons, “iron dogs,” “cob-irons,” fire-tongs and “slices”
- (shovels), cushions, rugs, and “blanckets,” spinning wheels, hand-looms,
-etc., etc. Among household utensils were “spits,” “bake-kettles,” pots
-and kettles (iron, brass, and copper), frying-pans, “mortars” and pestles
-(iron, brass, and “belle-mettle”), sconces, lamps (oil “bettys”),
-candlesticks, snuffers, buckets, tubs, “runlets,” pails and baskets,
-“steel yards,” measures, hour-glasses and sun-dials, pewter-ware
-(platters, plates, mugs, porringers, etc.), wooden trenchers, trays,
-“noggins,” “bottles,” cups, and “lossets.” Earthen ware, “fatten” ware
-(mugs, “jugs,” and “crocks “), leather ware (bottles, “noggins,” and
-cups), table-ware (salt “sellars,” spoons, knives, etc), etc. All of the
-foregoing, with numerous lesser articles, have received mention in the
-early literature of the Pilgrim exodus, and were undeniably part of the
-MAY-FLOWER’S lading.
-
-The MAY-FLOWER origin claimed for the “Governor Carver chair” and the
-“Elder Brewster chair” rests wholly upon tradition, and upon the
-venerable pattern and aspect of the chairs themselves. The “Winslow
-chair,” in possession of the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth (Mass.), though
-bearing evidence of having been “made in Cheapside, London, in 1614,” is
-not positively known to have been brought on the MAY-FLOWER. Thacher’s
-“History of Plymouth” (p. 144.) states that “a sitting-chair, said to
-have been screwed to the floor of the MAY-FLOWER’S cabin for the
-convenience of a lady, is known to have been in the possession of
-Penelope Winslow (who married James Warren), and is now in possession of
-Hannah White.” There are certain venerable chairs alleged, with some
-show of probability, to have been the property of Captain Standish, now
-owned in Bridgewater, but there is no record attached to them, and they
-are not surely assignable to either ship or owner. That some few tables
---mostly small--were brought in the MAY-FLOWER, there is some evidence,
-but the indications are that what were known as “table-boards”--long and
-narrow boards covered with what were called “board-cloths”--very largely
-took the place of tables. The walnut-top table, said to have once been
-Governor Winslow’s and now in possession of the Pilgrim Society, is not
-known to have come over with him, and probably did not. It was very
-likely bought for the use of the Council when he was governor. The
-“table-boards” mentioned were laid on “trestles” (cross-legged and folding
-supports of proper height), which had the great merit that they could be
-placed in any convenient spot and as easily folded up, and with the board
-put away, leaving the space which a table would have permanently occupied
-free for other use.
-
-Bradford mentions that when the fire of Sunday, January 14., 1621,
-occurred in the “common house,” the “house was as full of beds as they
-could lie one by another.” There is a doubt, however, whether this
-indicates bedsteads or (probably) “pallets” only. Beds, bedding of all
-sorts, pillow-“beers,” pillow-cases and even “mattrises,” are of most
-frequent mention in the earliest wills and inventories. (See Appendix.)
-“Buffets,” “cupboards,” and “cabinets,” all find mention in the earliest
-writers and inventories, and one or two specimens, for which a MAY-FLOWER
-history is claimed, are in possession of the Pilgrim Society and others.
-The “White” cabinet, of putative MAY-FLOWER connection, owned by the
-Pilgrim Society, is a fine example of its class, and both its “ear marks”
- and its known history support the probable truth of the claim made for
-it. Of “chests” and “chests-of-drawers” there were doubtless goodly
-numbers in the ship, but with the exception of a few chests (or the
-fragments of them), for which a MAY-FLOWER passage is vaunted, little is
-known of them. The chest claimed to be that of Elder Brewster, owned by
-the Connecticut Historical Society, was not improb ably his, but that it
-had any MAY-FLOWER relation is not shown. A fragment of a chest claimed
-to have been “brought by Edward Winslow in the MAY-FLOWER” is owned by
-the Pilgrim Society, and bears considerable evidence of the probable
-validity of such claim, but proof positive is lacking. Boxes of several
-kinds and sizes were part of the Pilgrims’ chattels on their ship, some
-of them taking the place of the travellers’ “trunks” of to-day, though
-“trunks” were then known by that name and find early mention in Pilgrim
-inventories, and there were no doubt some upon the Pilgrim ship. A few
-claiming such distinction are exhibited, but without attested records of
-their origin.
-
-“Andirons, fire-dogs, and cob-irons” (the latter to rest roasting spits
-upon) were enumerated among the effects of those early deceased among the
-Pilgrims, rendering it well-certain that they must have been part of
-their belongings on the MAY-FLOWER. Fire-tongs and “slices” [shovels]
-are also frequently mentioned in early Pilgrim inventories, placing them
-in the same category with the “andirons and fire-dogs.”
-
-In “Mourt’s Relation,” in the accounts given of the state reception of
-Massasoit, “a green rug and three or four cushions” are shown to have
-performed their parts in the official ceremonies, and were, of course,
-necessarily brought in the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Spinning-wheels and hand-looms were such absolute necessities, and were
-so familiar and omnipresent features of the lives and labors of the
-Pilgrim housewives and their Dutch neighbors of Leyden, that we should be
-certain that they came with the Pilgrims, even if they did not find
-mention in the earliest Pilgrim inventories. Many ancient ones are
-exhibited in the “Old Colony,” but it is not known that it is claimed for
-any of them that they came in the first ship. It is probable that some of
-the “cheese fatts” and churns so often named in early inventories came in
-the ship, though at first there was, in the absence of milch kine, no
-such use for them as there had been in both England and Holland, and soon
-was in New England.
-
-Among cooking utensils the roasting “spit” was, in one form or another,
-among the earliest devices for cooking flesh, and as such was an
-essential of every household. Those brought by the Plymouth settlers
-were probably, as indicated by the oldest specimens that remain to us, of
-a pretty primitive type. The ancient “bake-kettle” (sometimes called
-“pan”), made to bury in the ashes and thus to heat above and below, has
-never been superseded where resort must be had to the open fire for
-cooking, and (practically unchanged) is in use to-day at many a
-sheep-herder’s and cowboy’s camp fire of the Far West. We may be sure
-that it was in every MAY-FLOWER family, and occasional ancient specimens
-are yet to be found in “Old Colony” garrets. Pots and kettles of all
-sorts find more frequent mention in the early inventories than anything
-else, except muskets and swords, and were probably more numerous upon
-the ship than any other cooking utensil. A few claimed to be from the
-Pilgrim ship are exhibited, chief of which is a large iron pot, said to
-have been “brought by Myles Standish in the MAY-FLOWER,” now owned by
-the Pilgrim Society.
-
-Hardly an early Pilgrim inventory but includes “a mortar and pestle,”
- sometimes of iron, sometimes of “brass” or “belle-mettle” (bell metal).
-They were of course, in the absence of mills, and for some purposes for
-which small hand mills were not adapted, prime necessities, and every
-house hold had one. A very fine one of brass (with an iron pestle), nine
-and a half inches across its bell-shaped top,--exhibited by the Pilgrim
-Society, and said to have been “brought in the MAY-FLOWER by Edward
-Winslow,”--seems to the author as likely to have been so as almost any
-article for which that distinction is claimed.
-
-The lighting facilities of the Pilgrims were fewer and cruder than those
-for cooking. They possessed the lamp of the ancient Romans, Greeks, and
-Hebrews, with but few improvements,--a more or less fanciful vessel for
-oil, with a protuberant nose for a wick, and a loose-twisted cotton wick.
-Hand-lamps of this general form and of various devices, called
-“betty-lamps,” were commonly used, with candlesticks of various metals,
---iron, brass, silver, and copper,--though but few of any other ware.
-For wall-lighting two or more candle sockets were brought together in
-“sconces,” which were more or less elaborate in design and finish. One
-of the early writers (Higginson) mentions the abundance of oil (from
-fish) available for lamps, but all tallow and suet used by the early
-colonists was, for some years (till cattle became plentiful),
-necessarily imported. Some of the “candle-snuffers” of the “first
-comers” doubtless still remain. We may be sure every family had its
-candles, “betty-lamps,” candlesticks, and “snuffers.” “Lanthorns” were
-of the primitive, perforated tin variety--only “serving to make darkness
-visible” now found in a few old attics in Pilgrim towns, and on the
-“bull-carts” of the peons of Porto Rico, by night. Fire, for any
-purpose, was chiefly procured by the use of flint, steel, and tinder, of
-which many very early specimens exist. Buckets, tubs, and pails were,
-beyond question, numerous aboard the ship, and were among the most
-essential and highly valued of Pilgrim utensils. Most, if not all of
-them, we may confidently assert, were brought into requisition on that
-Monday “wash-day” at Cape Cod, the first week-day after their arrival,
-when the women went ashore to do their long-neglected laundrying, in the
-comparatively fresh water of the beach pond at Cape Cod harbor. They
-are frequently named in the earliest inventories. Bradford also
-mentions the filling of a “runlet” with water at the Cape. The
-“steel-yards” and “measures” were the only determiners of weight and
-quantity--as the hour-glass and sun dial were of time--possessed at
-first (so far as appears) by the passengers of the Pilgrim ship, though
-it is barely possible that a Dutch clock or two may have been among the
-possessions of the wealthiest. Clocks and watches were not yet in
-common use (though the former were known in England from 1540), and
-except that in “Mourt’s Relation” and Bradford’s “Historie” mention is
-made of the time of day as such “o’clock” (indicating some degree of
-familiarity with clocks), no mention is made of their possession at the
-first. Certain of the leaders were apparently acquainted at Leyden with
-the astronomer Galileo, co-resident with them there, and through this
-acquaintance some of the wealthier and more scholarly may have come to
-know, and even to own, one of the earliest Dutch clocks made with the
-pendulum invented by Galileo, though hardly probable as early as 1620.
-Pocket watches were yet practically unknown.
-
-Except for a few pieces of silver owned by the wealthiest of their
-number, pewter was the most elegant and expensive of the Pilgrims’
-table-ware. A pewter platter said to have been “brought over in the
-MAY-FLOWER” is now owned by the Pilgrim Society, which also exhibits
-smaller pewter formerly Edward Winslow’s, and bearing his “arms,” for
-which, as previously noted, a like claim is made. Platters, dishes,
-“potts,” ladles, bottles, “flaggons,” “skelletts,” cups, porringers,
-“basons,” spoons, candlesticks, and salt “sellars,” were among the many
-pewter utensils unmistakably brought on the good ship.
-
-The wooden-ware of the colonists, brought with them, was considerable
-and various. The Dutch were long famous for its fabrication. There was
-but very little china, glass, or pottery of any kind in common use in
-western Europe in 1620; some kinds were not yet made, and pewter, wood,
-and leather largely filled their places. Wooden trenchers (taking the
-place of plates), trays, “noggins” (jug or pitcher-like cups), cups, and
-“lossets” (flat dishes like the bread-plates of to day), were of course
-part of every housewife’s providings. Some few of Pilgrim origin
-possibly still exist. As neither coffee, tea, nor china had come into
-use, the cups and saucers which another century brought in--to delight
-their owners in that day and the ceramic hunter in this--were not
-among the “breakables” of the “good-wife” of the MAY-FLOWER. The
-“table-plenishings” had not much variety, but in the aggregate the
-(first) “nineteen families” must have required quite a quantity of
-spoons, knives, salt “sellars,” etc. Forks there were none, and of the
-accessories of to-day (except napkins), very few. Meat was held by the
-napkin while being cut with the knife. Josselyn’ gives a list of
-“Implements for a family of six persons” going to New England.
-
-Kitchen utensils:--
- “1 Iron Pot.
- 1 Great Copper Kettle.
- 1 Small Kettle.
- 1 Lesser Kettle.
- 1 Large Frying pan.
- 1 Brass Mortar.
- 1 Spit.
- 1 Gridiron.
- 2 Skillets.
- Platters, dishes, and spoons of wood.
- A pair of Bellows.
- A Skoope, etc.”
-
-Among the implements of husbandry, etc., and mechanics’ tools we find
-evidence of hoes, spades, shovels, scythes, “sikles,” mattocks,
-bill-hooks, garden-rakes, hay-forks (“pitch-forks”), besides seed-grain
-and garden seeds. Axes, saws, hammers, “adzs,” augers, chisels, gouges,
-squares, hatchets, an “iron jack-scrue,” “holdfasts” (vises),
-blacksmiths’ tools, coopers’ tools, iron and steel in bar, anvils,
-chains, etc., “staples and locks,” rope, lime (for mortar), nails, etc.,
-are also known to have been in the ship. Francis Eaton, the carpenter,
-seems to have had a very respectable “kit,” and Fletcher, the smith, was
-evidently fairly “outfitted.”
-
-The implements of husbandry were of the lighter (?) sort; no ploughs,
-harrows, carts, harness, stone-drags, or other farming tools requiring
-the strength of beasts for their use, were included. In nothing could
-they have experienced so sharp a contrast as in the absence of horses,
-cattle, and sheep in their husbandry, and especially of milch kine.
-Bradford and Window both mention hoes, spades, mattocks, and sickles,
-while shovels, scythes, bill-hooks (brush-scythes, the terrible weapons
-of the English peasantry in their great “Mon mouth” and earlier
-uprisings), pitchforks, etc., find very early mention in inventories and
-colonial records. Josselyn, in his “Two Voyages to New England,” gives,
-in 1628, the following very pertinent list of “Tools for a Family of six
-persons, and so after this rate for more,--intending for New England.”
- This may be taken as fairly approximating the possessions of the average
-MAY-FLOWER planter, though probably somewhat exceeding individual
-supplies. Eight years of the Pilgrims’ experience had taught those who
-came after them very much that was of service.
-
-5 Broad Howes [hoes].
-6 Chisels.
-5 Narrow Howes [hoes].
-3 Gimblets.
-5 Felling Axes.
-2 hatchets.
-2 steel hand saws.
-2 frones (?) to cleave pail! (Probably knives for cleaving pail stock.)
-2 hand saws.
-2 hand-bills.
-1 whip saw, set and files with box.
-Nails of all sorts.
-2 Pick-axes.
-A file and rest.
-3 Locks and 3 paire fetters.
-2 Hammers.
-2 Currie Combs.
-3 Shovels.
-Brands for beasts.
-2 Spades.
-A hand vice.
-2 Augers.
-A pitchfork, etc.
-2 Broad Axes.
-
-Unhappily we know little from contemporaneous authority as to what grain
-and other seeds the Pilgrims brought with them for planting. We may be
-sure, however, that rye, barley, oats, wheat, pease, and beans were the
-bulkiest of this part of their freight, though Bradford mentions the
-planting of “garden seeds” their first spring.
-
-While we know from the earliest Pilgrim chronicles that their mechanics’
-implements embraced axes, saws, hammers, “adzs,” augers, hatchets, an
-“iron jack-scrue,” “staples and locks,” etc., we know there must have
-been many other tools not mentioned by them, brought over with the
-settlers. The “great iron-scrue,” as Bradford calls it in his original
-MS., played, as all know, a most important part on the voyage, in forcing
-the “cracked and bowed” deck-beam of the ship into place. Governor
-Bradford tells us that “it was brought on board by one of the Leyden
-passengers,” and one may hazard the guess that it was by either Moses
-Fletcher, the smith, or Francis Eaton, the “carpenter.” “Staples” and
-“locks” found their place and mention, as well as the “chains,”
- “manacles,” and “leg-irons” named in the list of accoutrements for
-offence or defence, when it became necessary to chain up the Indian spy
-of the Neponsets (as narrated by Winslow in his “Good Newes from New
-England”) and other evil-doers. The planters seem to have made stiff
-“mortar,” which premises the use of lime and indicates a supply.
-
-Among the fishing and fowling implements of the MAY FLOWER colonists are
-recorded, nets, “seynes,” twine, fish hooks, muskets (for large game),
-“fowling pieces,” powder, “goose-shot,” “hail-shot,” etc.
-
-Such early mention is found of the nets, “seynes,” etc., of their fishing
-equipment, as to leave no room for doubt that store of them was brought
-in the ship. They seem to have been unfortunate in the size of their
-fish-hooks, which are spoken of as “too large” even for cod. They must,
-as Goodwin remarks, “have been very large.” Window also says, “We wanted
-fit and strong seines and other netting.”
-
-They seem to have relied upon their muskets to some extent for wild fowl
-(as witness Winslow’s long and successful shot at a duck, on his visit to
-Massasoit), as they undoubtedly did for deer, etc. They were apparently
-fairly well supplied with them, of either the “matchlock” or “snaphance”
- (flintlock) pattern, though the planters complained to the Merchant
-Adventurers (in their letter of August 3, from Southampton), that they
-were “wanting many muskets,” etc. That they had some “fowling-pieces” is
-shown by the fact that young Billington seems (according to Bradford) to
-have “shot one off in his father’s cabin” aboard ship in Cape Cod harbor,
-and there are several other coeval mentions of them.
-
-The arms and accoutrements (besides ordnance) of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims,
-known on the authority of Bradford and Winslow to have been brought by
-them, included muskets (“matchlocks”), “snaphances” (flintlocks), armor
-(“corslets,” “cuirasses,” “helmets,” “bandoliers,” etc.), swords,
-“curtlaxes” (cutlasses), “daggers,” powder, “mould-shot,” “match”
- (slow-match for guns), “flints,” belts, “knapsacks,” “drum,” “trumpet,”
- “manacles,” “leg-irons,” etc., etc. “Pistols” (brass) appear in early
-inventories, but their absence in the early hand-to-hand encounter at
-Wessagussett indicates that none were then available, or that they were
-not trusted. It is evident from the statement of Bradford that every one
-of the sixteen men who went out (under command of Standish) on the “first
-exploration” at Cape Cod had his “musket, sword, and corslet;” that they
-relied much on their armor, and hence, doubtless, took all possible with
-them on the ship. They probably did not long retain its use. In the
-letter written to the Adventurers from Southampton, the leaders complain
-of “wanting many muskets, much armour, &c.”
-
-Josselyn gives’ the equipment he considers necessary for each man going
-to New England to settle:--
-
-“Armor compleat:--
- One long piece [musket] five feet or five and a half long.
- One Sword.
- One bandoleer.
- One belt.
- Twenty pounds of powder.
- Sixty pounds of shot or lead, pistol and Goose-shot.”
-
-“Another list gives an idea of ‘complete armor.’”
- Corselet
- Breast [plate or piece].
- Back [ditto].
- Culet (?).
- Gorget [throat-piece].
- Tussis [thigh-pieces].
- Head-piece “[morion skull-cap].”
-
-Bradford states that they used their “curtlaxes” (cutlasses) to dig the
-frozen ground to get at the Indians’ corn, “having forgotten to bring
-spade or mattock.” “Daggers” are mentioned as used in their celebrated
-duel by Dotey and Leister, servants of Stephen Hopkins. Bradford
-narrates that on one of their exploring tours on the Cape the length of
-guard duty performed at night by each “relief” was determined by the
-inches of slow-match burned (“every one standing when his turn came
-while five or six inches of match was burning”), clearly indicating that
-they had no watches with them. The “drum” and “trumpet” are both
-mentioned in “Mourt’s Relation” in the account given of Massasoit’s
-reception, the latter as eliciting the especial attention of his men, and
-their efforts at blowing it.
-
-The Ordnance (cannon) brought in the ship consisted (probably) of ten
-guns, certainly of six. Of these, two (2) were “sakers,”--guns ten feet
-long of 3 to 4 inches bore, weighing from fifteen to eighteen hundred
-pounds each; two (2) were “minions” (or “falcons”),--guns of 3 1/2 inch
-bore, weighing twelve hundred pounds (1200 lbs.) each; and two (2) were
-“bases,”--small guns of 1 1/4 inch bore, weighing some three hundred
-pounds (300 lbs.) each. These were mounted on “the Hill” fort or
-platform. It is probable that besides these were the four smallest
-cannon, called “patereros” (or “murderers”), which, at the time of De
-Rasiere’s visit to Plymouth in 1627, were mounted on a platform (in front
-of the Governor’s house), at the intersection of the two streets of the
-town, and commanded its several approaches. It is not likely that they
-were sent for after 1621, because the Adventurers were never in mood to
-send if asked, while Bradford, in speaking of the first alarm by the
-Indians, says, “This caused us to plant our great ordnance in places most
-convenient,” leaving a possible inference that they had smaller ordnance
-in reserve. With this ordnance was of course a proper supply of
-ammunition adapted to its use. The “sakers” are said to have carried a
-four-pound ball, the “minions” a three-pound ball, and the “bases” a ball
-of a pound weight. There is not entire agreement between authorities, in
-regard to the size, weight, and calibre of these different classes of
-early ordnance, or the weight of metal thrown by them, but the above are
-approximate data, gathered from careful comparison of the figures given
-by several. There is no doubt that with this heavy ordnance and
-ammunition they stowed among their ballast and dunnage (as was the case
-in Higginson’s ships), their “spare chains and anchors, chalk, bricks,
-sea-coal (for blacksmithing), iron, steel, lead, copper, red-lead, salt,”
- etc.; all of which they also necessarily had, and from their bulk,
-character, and weight, would stow as low in the ship as might be.
-
-That a considerable “stock of trading goods” was included in the
-MAY-FLOWER’S lading is mentioned by at least one writer, and that this
-was a fact is confirmed by the records of the colonists’ dealings with
-the Indians, and the enumeration of not a few of the goods which could
-have had, for the most part, no other use or value. They consisted
-largely of knives, bracelets (bead and metal), rings, scissors,
-copper-chains, beads, “blue and red trading cloth,” cheap (glass) jewels
-(“for the ears,” etc.), small mirrors, clothing (e. g. “red-cotton
-horseman’s coats--laced,” jerkins, blankets, etc.), shoes, “strong
-waters,” pipes, tobacco, tools and hard ware (hatchets, nails, hoes,
-fish-hooks, etc.), rugs, twine, nets, etc., etc. A fragment of one of
-the heavy hoes of the ancient pattern--“found on the site of the
-Pilgrim trading house at Manomet”--is owned by the Pilgrim Society, and
-speaks volumes of the labor performed by the Pilgrims, before they had
-ploughs and draught-cattle, in the raising of their wonderful crops of
-corn. Such was the MAY-FLOWER’S burden, animate and inanimate, whe
---the last passenger and the last piece of freight transferred from the
-SPEEDWELL--her anchor “hove short,” she swung with the tide in Plymouth
-roadstead, ready to depart at last for “the Virginia plantations.”
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IX
-
-THE JOURNAL OF THE SHIP MAY-FLOWER
-
-Thomas Jones, Master, from London, England, towards “Hudson’s River” in
-Virginia
-
- [The voyage of the MAY-FLOWER began at London, as her consort’s did
- at Delfshaven, and though, as incident to the tatter’s brief career,
- we have been obliged to take note of some of the happenings to the
- larger ship and her company (at Southampton, etc.), out of due
- course and time, they have been recited only because of their
- insuperable relation to the consort and her company, and not as part
- of the MAY-FLOWER’S own proper record]
-
-
-SATURDAY, July 15/25, 1620
- Gravesend. Finished lading. Got
- passengers aboard and got under way for
- Southampton. Dropped down the Thames to
- Gravesend with the tide.
-
- [Vessels leaving the port of London always, in that day, “dropped
- down with the tide,” tug-boats being unknown, and sail-headway
- against the tide being difficult in the narrow river.]
-
- Masters Cushman and Martin, agents of the
- chartering--party, came aboard at London.
-
-SUNDAY, July 16/26
- Gravesend. Channel pilot aboard. Favoring
- wind.
-
-MONDAY, July 17/27
- In Channel. Course D.W. by W. Favoring
- wind.
-
-TUESDAY, July 18/28
- In Channel. Southampton Water.
-
-WEDNESDAY, July 19/29
- Southampton Water. Arrived at Southampton
- and came to anchor.
-
- [Both ships undoubtedly lay at anchor a day or two, before hauling
- in to the quay. The MAY-FLOWER undoubtedly lay at anchor until
- after the SPEEDWELL arrived, to save expense]
-
-THURSDAY, July 20/30
- Lying at Southampton off north end of “West
- Quay.”
-
-FRIDAY, July 21/31
- Lying at Southampton. Masters Carver,
- Cushman, and Martin, three of the agents
- here. Outfitting ship, taking in lading,
- and getting ready for sea.
-
-SATURDAY, July 22/Aug 1
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-SUNDAY, July 23/Aug 2
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-MONDAY, July 24/Aug 3
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-TUESDAY, July 25/Aug 4
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Waiting for
- consort to arrive from Holland.
-
-WEDNESDAY, July 26/Aug 5
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Pinnace
- SPEEDWELL, 60 tons, Reynolds, Master, from
- Delfshaven, July 22, consort to this ship,
- arrived in harbor, having on board some 70
- passengers and lading for Virginia. She
- came to anchor off north end “West Quay.”
-
-THURSDAY, July 27/Aug. 6
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, SPEEDWELL
- warped to berth at Quay near the ship, to
- transfer lading.
-
- [Some of the cargo of the SPEEDWELL is understood to have been here
- transferred to the larger ship; doubtless the cheese, “Hollands,”
- and other provisions, ordered, as noted, by Cushman]
-
-FRIDAY, July 28/Aug. 7
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, Much parleying
- and discontent among the passengers.
-
- [Bradford gives an account of the bickering and recrimination at
- Southampton, when all parties had arrived. Pastor Robinson had
- rather too strenuously given instructions, which it now began to be
- seen were not altogether wise. Cushman was very much censured, and
- there was evidently some acrimony. See Cushman’s Dartmouth letter
- of August 17 to Edward Southworth, Bradford’s Historie, Mass. ed.
- p. 86.]
-
-SATURDAY, July 29/Aug. 8
- Lying at Quay, Southampton. Some of the
- passengers transferred from SPEEDWELL and
- some to her. Master Christopher Martin
- chosen by passengers their “Governour” for
- the voyage to order them by the way, see to
- the disposing of their pro visions, etc.
- Master Robert Cushman chosen “Assistant.”
- The ship ready for sea this day, but
- obliged to lie here on account of leakiness
- of consort, which is forced to retrim. Ship
- has now 90 passengers and consort 30.
-
-SUNDAY, July 30/Aug. 9
- Lying at Southampton.
-
-MONDAY, July 31/Aug. 10
- Lying at Southampton. Letters received for
- passengers from Holland. One from the
- Leyden Pastor [Robinson] read out to the
- company that came from that place.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 1/Aug. 11
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. SPEEDWELL
- retrimmed a second time to overcome
- leakiness.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 2/Aug. 12
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Master
- Weston, principal agent of the Merchants
- setting out the voyage, came up from Lon
- don to see the ships dispatched, but, on
- the refusal of the Planters to sign certain
- papers, took offence and returned to London
- in displeasure, bidding them “stand on
- their own legs,” etc.
-
- [The two “conditions” which Weston had changed in the proposed
- agreement between the Adventurers and Planters, the Leyden leaders
- refused to agree to. Bradford, op cit. p. 61. He says: “But they
- refused to sign, and answered him that he knew right well that these
- were not according to the first Agreement.” Dr. Griffis has made
- one of those little slips common to all writers--though perfectly
- conversant with the facts--in stating as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, etc. p. 158), with reference to the new
- “conditions” which some blamed Cushman for assenting to, as “more
- fit for thieves and slaves than for honest men,” that, “nevertheless
- they consented to them;” while on p. 169 he says “The SPEEDWELL
- people [i.e. the Leyden leaders would not agree with the new
- conditions, without the consent of those left behind in Leyden.”
-
- The fact is that the Pilgrims did not assent to the new conditions,
- unwarrantably imposed by Weston, though of small consequence in any
- view of the case, until Cushman came over to New Plymouth in the
- FORTUNE, in 1621, and by dint of his sermon on the “Sin and Danger
- of Self-Love,” and his persuasion, induced them (they being also
- advised thereto by Robinson) to sign them. All business up to this
- time had been done between the Adventurers and the Pilgrims,
- apparently, without any agreement in writing. It was probably felt,
- both by Robinson and the Plymouth leaders, that it was the least
- reparation they could make Cushman for their cruel and unjust
- treatment of him, realizing at length that, through all
- vicissitudes, he had proven their just, sagacious, faithful, and
- efficient friend. There does not appear to be any conclusive
- evidence that any articles of agreement between the Adventurers and
- colonists were signed before the MAY-FLOWER Sailed.]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 3/Aug. 13
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. After
- Master Weston’s departure, the Planters had
- a meeting and resolved to sell some of such
- stores as they could best spare, to clear
- port charges, etc., and to write a general
- letter to the Adventurers explaining the
- case, which they did. Landed some three
- score firkins of butter, sold as
- determined.
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 4/Aug. 14
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Consort
- nearly ready for sea. Heard that the
- King’s warrant had issued to Sir James
- Coventry, under date of July 23, to prepare
- a Patent for the Council for the Affairs of
- New England to supersede the Plymouth
- Virginia Company, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and
- Sir Robert Rich the Earl of Warwick among
- the Patentees.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 5/Aug. 15
- Weighed anchor, as did consort, and in
- company dropped down Southampton Water.
- Took departure from Cowes, Isle of Wight,
- and laid course down the Solent to Channel.
- Winds baffling. General course S.W. by S.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 6/Aug. 16
- Head winds. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In Company. Passed Bill of
- Portland.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 7/Aug. 17
- Wind contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In company.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 8/Aug. 18
- Wind still contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9/Aug. 19
- Wind ahead. Beating down Channel. Consort
- in company.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 10/20
- Wind fair. All sail set. SPEEDWELL in
- company. Signalled by consort, which hove
- to. Found to be leaking badly. On
- consultation of Masters and chief of
- passengers of both ships, it was concluded
- that both should put into Dartmouth, being
- nearest port. Laid course for Dartmouth
- with wind ahead.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 11/21
- Wind ahead. Bearing up to Dartmouth.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 12/22
- Made port at Dartmouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company, and came to anchor in harbor.
-
- [Bradford, op. cit. Deane’s ed. p. 68, note. Russell (Pilgrim
- Memorials, p. 15) says: “The ships put back into Dartmouth, August
- 13/23.” Goodwin (op. cit. p. 55) says: “The port was reached
- about August 23.” Captain John Smith strangely omits the return of
- the ships to Dartmouth, and confuses dates, as he says “But the next
- day after leaving Southampton the lesser ship sprung a leak that
- forced their return to Plymouth,” etc. Smith, New England’s Trials,
- 2d ed. 1622. Cushman’s letter, written the 17th, says they had
- then lain there “four days,” which would mean, if four full days,
- the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th.]
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 13/23
- Lying at anchor with SPEEDWELL leaking
- badly in Dartmouth harbor. No passengers,
- except leaders, allowed ashore.
-
- [Cushman in his letter to Edward Southworth, written at Dartmouth,
- August 17, says that Martin, the “governour” of the passengers in
- the MAY-FLOWER, “will not suffer them the passengers to go, ashore
- lest they should run away.” This probably applied especially to
- such as had become disaffected by the delays and disasters, the
- apprenticed (“bound”) servants, etc. Of course no responsible
- colonist would be thus restrained for the reason alleged.]
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 14/24
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL at Quay taking out lading for
- thorough overhauling.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 15/25
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16/26
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL being thoroughly overhauled for
- leaks. Pronounced “as open and leaky as a
- sieve.” Much dissatisfaction between the
- passengers, and discontent with the ship’s
- “governour” Master Martin, between whom
- and Mr. Cushman, the “assistant,” there is
- constant disagreement.
-
- [Cushman portrays the contemptible character and manner of Martin
- very sharply, and could not have wished to punish him worse for his
- meannesses than he has, by thus holding him up to the scorn of the
- world, for all time. He says, ‘inter alia’: “If I speak to him, he
- flies in my face and saith no complaints shall be heard or received
- but by himself, and saith: ‘They are froward, and waspish,
- discontented people, and I do ill to hear them.’”]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 17/27
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- being searched and mended. Sailors offended
- at Master Martin because of meddling.
-
- [Cushman’s letter, Dartmouth, August 17. He says: “The sailors also
- are so offended at his ignorant boldness in meddling and controling
- in things he knows not what belongs to, as that some threaten to
- mischief him . . . . But at best this cometh of it, that he
- makes himself a scorn and laughing stock unto them.”]
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 18/28
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- still repairing. Judged by workmen that
- mended her sufficient for the voyage.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 19/29
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL relading.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 20/30
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 21/31
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- relading.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 22/Sept. 1
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Both
- ships ready for sea.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Deane’s ed. p. 68. He says: “Some leaks were
- found and mended and now it was conceived by the workmen and all,
- that she was sufficient, and they might proceed without either fear
- or danger.” Bradford shows (op. cit. p. 69) note that they must
- have left Dartmouth “about the 21st” of August. Captain John Smith
- gives that date, though somewhat confusedly. Arber (the Story of
- the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 343 says: “They actually left on 23 August.”
- Goodwin (Pilgrim Republic, p. 55) says : “Ten days were spent in
- discharging and re-stowing the SPEEDWELL and repairing her from stem
- to stern,” etc.)]
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23/Sept. 2
- Weighed anchor, as did consort. Laid
- course W.S.W. Ships in company. Wind
- fair.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 24/Sept. 3
- Comes in with wind fair. General course
- W.S.W. Consort in company.
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 25/Sept. 4
- Comes in with wind fair. Course W.S.W.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 26/Sept. 5
- Observations showed ship above 100 leagues
- W.S.W. of Land’s End. SPEEDWELL signalled
- and hove to. Reported leaking dangerously.
- On consultation between Masters and
- carpenters of both ships, it was concluded
- to put back into Plymouth--Bore up for
- Plymouth. Consort in company.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 27/Sept. 6
- Ship on course for Plymouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 28/Sept. 7
- Made Plymouth harbor, and came to anchor in
- the Catwater, followed by consort.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- At anchor in roadstead. At conference of
- officers of ship and consort and the chief
- of the Planters, it was decided to send the
- SPEEDWELL back to London with some 18 or 20
- of her passengers, transferring a dozen or
- more, with part of her lading, to the
- MAY-FLOWER.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead off the
- Barbican. Transferring passengers and
- lading from consort, lying near by.
- Weather fine.
-
- [Goodwin notes (Pilgrim Republic, p. 57) that “it was fortunate for
- the overloaded MAY-FLOWER that she had fine weather while lying at
- anchor there, . . . for the port of Plymouth was then only a
- shallow, open bay, with no protection. In southwesterly gales its
- waters rose into enormous waves, with such depressions between that
- ships while anchored sometimes struck the bottom of the harbor and
- were dashed in pieces.”]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 31/Sept. 10
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring cargo from SPEEDWELL.
-
-FRIDAY, Sept. 1/Sept. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring passengers and freight to and
- from consort. Master Cushman and family,
- Master Blossom and son, William Ring, and
- others with children, going back to London
- in SPEEDWELL. All Of SPEEDWELL’S
- passengers who are to make the voyage now
- aboard. New “governour” of ship and
- assistants chosen. Master Carver
- “governour.”
-
- [We have seen that Christopher Martin was made “governour” of the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER for the voyage, and Cushman
- “assistant.” It is evident from Cushman’s oft-quoted letter (see
- ante) that Martin became obnoxious, before the ship reached
- Dartmouth, to both passengers and crew. It is also evident that
- when the emigrants were all gathered in the MAY-FLOWER there was a
- new choice of officers (though no record is found of it), as Cushman
- vacated his place and went back to London, and we find that, as
- noted before, on November 11 the colonists “confirmed” John Carver
- as their “governour,” showing that he had been such hitherto.
- Doubtless Martin was deposed at Southampton (perhaps put into
- Cushman’s vacant place, and Carver made “governour” in his stead.)]
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 2/Sept. 12
- At anchor, Plymouth roadstead. Some of
- principal passengers entertained ashore by
- friends of their faith. SPEEDWELL sailed
- for London. Quarters assigned, etc.
-
-SUNDAY, Sept. 3/Sept. 13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-
-MONDAY, Sept. 4/Sept. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Some Of
- company ashore.
-
-TUESDAY, Sept. 5/Sept. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Ready for
- sea.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Sept. 6/Sept. 16
- Weighed anchor. Wind E.N.E., a fine gale.
- Laid course W.S.W. for northern coasts of
- Virginia.
-
-THURSDAY, Sept. 7/Sept. 17
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Light gale
- continues. Made all sail on ship.
-
-FRIDAY, Sept. 8/Sept. 18
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale continues.
- All sails full.
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 9/Sept. 19
- Comes in with wind E.N E. Gale holds.
- Ship well off the land.
-
-SUNDAY, Sept. 10/Sept. 20
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale holds.
- Distance lost, when ship bore up for
- Plymouth, more than regained.
-
-MONDAY, Sept. 11/Sept. 21
- Same; and so without material change, the
- daily record of wind, weather, and the
- ship’s general course--the repetition of
- which would be both useless and wearisome
- --continued through the month and until the
- vessel was near half the seas over. Fine
- warm weather and the “harvest-moon.” The
- usual equinoctial weather deferred.
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 23/Oct. 3
- One of the seamen, some time sick with a
- grievous disease, died in a desperate manner.
- The first death and burial at sea of the
- voyage.
-
- [We can readily imagine this first burial at sea on the MAY FLOWER,
- and its impressiveness. Doubtless the good Elder “committed the
- body to the deep” with fitting ceremonial, for though the young man
- was of the crew, and not of the Pilgrim company, his reverence for
- death and the last rites of Christian burial would as surely impel
- him to offer such services, as the rough, buccaneering Master (Jones
- would surely be glad to evade them).
-
- Dr. Griffis (The Pilgrims in their Three Homes, p. 176) says “The
- Puritans [does this mean Pilgrims ?] cared next to nothing about
- ceremonies over a corpse, whether at wave or grave.” This will
- hardly bear examination, though Bradford’s phraseology in this case
- would seem to support it, as he speaks of the body as “thrown
- overboard;” yet it is not to be supposed that it was treated quite
- so indecorously as the words would imply. It was but a few years
- after, certainly, that we find both Pilgrim and Puritan making much
- ceremony at burials. We find considerable ceremony at Carver’s
- burial only a few months later. Choate, in his masterly oration at
- New York, December 22, 1863, pictures Brewster’s service at the open
- grave of one of the Pilgrims in March, 1621.]
-
- A sharp change. Equinoctial weather,
- followed by stormy westerly gales;
- encountered cross winds and continued
- fierce storms. Ship shrewdly shaken and
- her upper works made very leaky. One of
- the main beams in the midships was bowed
- and cracked. Some fear that the ship could
- not be able to perform the voyage. The
- chief of the company perceiving the
- mariners to fear the sufficiency of the
- ship (as appeared by their mutterings) they
- entered into serious consultation with the
- Master and other officers of the ship, to
- consider, in time, of the danger, and
- rather to return than to cast themselves
- into a desperate and inevitable peril.
-
- There was great distraction and difference
- of opinion amongst the mariners themselves.
- Fain would they do what would be done for
- their wages’ sake, being now near half the
- seas over; on the other hand, they were
- loath to hazard their lives too
- desperately. In examining of all opinions,
- the Master and others affirmed they knew
- the ship to be strong and firm under water,
- and for the buckling bending or bowing of
- the main beam, there was a great iron scrue
- the passengers brought out of Holland which
- would raise the beam into its place. The
- which being done, the carpenter and Master
- affirmed that a post put under it, set firm
- in the lower deck, and otherwise bound,
- would make it sufficient. As for the decks
- and upper works, they would caulk them as
- well as they could; and though with the
- working of the ship they would not long
- keep staunch, yet there would otherwise be
- no great danger if they did not overpress
- her with sails. So they resolved to
- proceed.
-
- In sundry of these stormes, the winds were
- so fierce and the seas so high, as the ship
- could not bear a knot of sail, but was
- forced to hull drift under bare poles for
- divers days together. A succession of
- strong westerly gales. In one of the
- heaviest storms, while lying at hull, [hove
- to D.W.] a lusty young man, one of the
- passengers, John Howland by name, coming
- upon some occasion above the gratings
- latticed covers to the hatches, was with
- the seel [roll] of the ship thrown into the
- sea, but caught hold of the topsail
- halliards, which hung overboard and ran out
- at length; yet he held his hold, though he
- was sundry fathoms under water, till he was
- hauled up by the same rope to the brim of
- the water, and then with a boathook and
- other means got into the ship again and his
- life saved. He was something ill with it.
-
- The equinoctial disturbances over and the
- strong October gales, the milder, warmer
- weather of late October followed.
-
- Mistress Elizabeth Hopkins, wife of Master
- Stephen Hopkins, of Billericay, in Essex,
- was delivered of a son, who, on account of
- the circumstances of his birth, was named
- Oceanus, the first birth aboard the ship
- during the voyage.
-
- A succession of fine days, with favoring
- winds.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 6/16
- William Butten; a youth, servant to Doctor
- Samuel Fuller, died. The first of the
- passengers to die on this voyage.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 7/17
- The body of William Butten committed to the
- deep. The first burial at sea of a
- passenger, on this voyage.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 8/18
- Signs of land.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 9/19
- Closing in with the land at nightfall.
- Sighted land at daybreak. The landfall
- made out to be Cape Cod the bluffs [in what
- is now the town of Truro, Mass.]. After a
- conference between the Master of the ship
- and the chief colonists, tacked about and
- stood for the southward. Wind and weather
- fair. Made our course S.S.W., continued
- proposing to go to a river ten leagues
- south of the Cape Hudson’s River. After
- had sailed that course about half the day
- fell amongst dangerous shoals and foaming
- breakers [the shoals off Monomoy] got out of
- them before night and the wind being
- contrary put round again for the Bay of
- Cape Cod. Abandoned efforts to go further
- south and so announced to passengers.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 93) says: “They resolved to bear
- up again for the Cape.” No one will question that Jones’s assertion
- of inability to proceed, and his announced determination to return
- to Cape Cod harbor, fell upon many acquiescent ears, for, as Winslow
- says: “Winter was come; the seas were dangerous; the season was
- cold; the winds were high, and the region being well furnished for a
- plantation, we entered upon discovery.” Tossed for sixty-seven days
- on the north Atlantic at that season of the year, their food and
- firing well spent, cold, homesick, and ill, the bare thought of once
- again setting foot on any land, wherever it might be, must have been
- an allurement that lent Jones potential aid in his high-handed
- course.]
-
-SATURDAY Nov. 11/21
- Comes in with light, fair wind. On course
- for Cape Cod harbor, along the coast. Some
- hints of disaffection among colonists, on
- account of abandonment of location
-
- [Bradford (in Mourt’s Relation) says: “This day before we come to
- harbor Italics the author’s, observing some not well affected to
- unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was
- thought good there should be an Association and Agreement that we
- should combine together in one body; and to submit to such
- Government and Governors as we should, by common consent, agree to
- make and choose, and set our hands to this that follows word for
- word.” Then follows the Compact. Bradford is even more explicit in
- his Historie (Mass. ed. p. 109), where he says: “I shall a little
- returne backe and begin with a combination made by them before they
- came ashore, being ye first foundation of their governments in this
- place; occasioned partly by ye discontent & mutinous speeches that
- some of the strangers amongst them [i.e. not any of the Leyden
- contingent had let fall from them in ye ship--That when they came
- ashore they would use their owne libertie: for none had power to
- command them, the patents they had being for Virginia, and not for
- New-England which belonged to another Government, with which ye
- London [or First Virginia Company had nothing to doe, and partly
- that such an acte by them done . . . might be as firm as any
- patent, and in some respects more sure.” Dr. Griffis is hardly
- warranted in making Bradford to say, as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, p. 182), that “there were a few people I
- ‘shuffled’ in upon them the company who were probably unmitigated
- scoundrels.” Bradford speaks only of Billington and his family as
- those “shuffled into their company,” and while he was not improbably
- one of the agitators (with Hopkins) who were the proximate causes of
- the drawing up of the Compact, he was not, in this case, the
- responsible leader. It is evident from the foregoing that the
- “appearance of faction” did not show itself until the vessel’s prow
- was turned back toward Cape Cod Harbor, and it became apparent that
- the effort to locate “near Hudson’s River” was to be abandoned, and
- a location found north of 41 degrees north latitude, which would
- leave them without charter rights or authority of any kind. It is
- undoubtedly history that Master Stephen Hopkins,--then “a
- lay-reader” for Chaplain Buck,--on Sir Thomas Gates’s expedition to
- Virginia, had, when some of them were cast away on the Bermudas,
- advocated just such sentiments--on the same basis--as were now
- bruited upon the MAY-FLOWER, and it could hardly have been
- coincidence only that the same were repeated here. That Hopkins
- fomented the discord is well-nigh certain. It caused him, as
- elsewhere noted, to receive sentence of death for insubordination,
- at the hands of Sir Thomas Gates, in the first instance, from which
- his pardon was with much difficulty procured by his friends. In the
- present case, it led to the drafting and execution of the Pilgrim
- Compact, a framework of civil self-government whose fame will never
- die; though the author is in full accord with Dr. Young (Chronicles,
- p. 120) in thinking that “a great deal more has been discovered in
- this document than the signers contemplated,”--wonderfully
- comprehensive as it is. Professor Herbert B. Adams, of Johns
- Hopkins University, says in his admirable article in the Magazine of
- American History, November, 1882 (pp--798 799): “The fundamental
- idea of this famous document was that of a contract based upon the
- common law of England,”--certainly a stable and ancient basis of
- procedure. Their Dutch training (as Griffis points out) had also
- led naturally to such ideas of government as the Pilgrims adopted.
- It is to be feared that Griffis’s inference (The Pilgrims in their
- Three Homes, p. 184), that all who signed the Compact could write,
- is unwarranted. It is more than probable that if the venerated
- paper should ever be found, it would show that several of those
- whose names are believed to have been affixed to it “made their
- ‘mark.’” There is good reason, also, to believe that neither
- “sickness” (except unto death) nor “indifference” would have
- prevented the ultimate obtaining of the signatures (by “mark,” if
- need be) of every one of the nine male servants who did not
- subscribe, if they were considered eligible. Severe illness was, we
- know, answerable for the absence of a few, some of whom died a few
- days later.
-
- The fact seems rather to be, as noted, that age--not social status
- was the determining factor as to all otherwise eligible. It is
- evident too, that the fact was recognized by all parties (by none so
- clearly as by Master Jones) that they were about to plant themselves
- on territory not within the jurisdiction of their steadfast friends,
- the London Virginia Company, but under control of those formerly of
- the Second (Plymouth) Virginia Company, who (by the intelligence
- they received while at Southampton) they knew would be erected into
- the “Council for the Affairs of New England.” Goodwin is in error
- in saying (Pilgrim Republic, p. 62), “Neither did any other body
- exercise authority there;” for the Second Virginia Company under Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges, as noted, had been since 1606 in control of this
- region, and only a week before the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod (i.e.
- on November 3) King James had signed the patent of the Council for
- New England, giving them full authority over all territory north of
- the forty-first parallel of north latitude, as successors to the
- Second Virginia Company. If the intention to land south of the
- forty-first parallel had been persisted in, there would, of course,
- have been no occasion for the Compact, as the patent to John Pierce
- (in their interest) from the London Virginia Company would have been
- in force. The Compact became a necessity, therefore, only when they
- turned northward to make settlement above 41 deg. north latitude.
- Hence it is plain that as no opportunity for “faction”--and so no
- occasion for any “Association and Agreement”--existed till the
- MAY-FLOWER turned northward, late in the afternoon of Friday,
- November to, the Compact was not drawn and presented for signature
- until the morning of Saturday, November 11. Bradford’s language,
- “This day, before we came into harbour,” leaves no room for doubt
- that it was rather hurriedly drafted--and also signed--before noon
- of the 11th. That they had time on this winter Saturday--hardly
- three weeks from the shortest day in the year--to reach and
- encircle the harbor; secure anchorage; get out boats; arm, equip,
- and land two companies of men; make a considerable march into the
- land; cut firewood; and get all aboard again before dark, indicates
- that they must have made the harbor not far from noon. These facts
- serve also to correct another error of traditional Pilgrim history,
- which has been commonly current, and into which Davis falls
- (Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth, p. 60), viz. that the Compact was
- signed “in the harbor of Cape Cod.” It is noticeable that the
- instrument itself simply says, “Cape Cod,” not “Cape Cod harbour,”
- as later they were wont to say. The leaders clearly did not mean
- to get to port till there was a form of law and authority.]
-
- for settlement on territory under the
- protection of the patent granted in their
- interest to John Pierce, by the London
- Virginia Company.
-
- [The patent granted John Pierce, one of the Merchant Adventurers,
- by the London Virginia Company in the interest of the Pilgrims,
- was signed February 2/12, 1619, and of course could convey no rights
- to, or upon, territory not conveyed to the Company by its charter
- from the King issued in 1606, and the division of territory made
- thereunder to the Second Virginia Company. By this division the
- London Company was restricted northward by the 41st parallel, as
- noted, while the Second Company could not claim the 38th as its
- southern bound, as the charter stipulated that the nearest
- settlements under the respective companies should not be within one
- hundred miles of each other.]
-
- Meeting in main cabin of all adult male
- passengers except their two hired seamen,
- Trevore and Ely, and those too ill--to make
- and sign a mutual ‘Compact”
-
- [The Compact is too well known to require reprinting here (see
- Appendix); but a single clause of it calls for comment in this
- connection. In it the framers recite that, “Having undertaken to
- plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia,” etc.
- From this phraseology it would appear that they here used the words
- “northern parts of Virginia” understandingly, and with a new
- relation and significance, from their connection with the words “the
- first colony in,” for such declaration could have no force or truth
- except as to the region north of 41 deg. north latitude. They knew,
- of course, of the colonies in Virginia under Gates, Wingfield,
- Smith, Raleigh, and others (Hopkins having been with Gates), and
- that, though there had been brief attempts at settlements in the
- “northern plantations,” there were none there then, and that hence
- theirs would be in a sense “the first,” especially if considered
- with reference to the new Council for New England. The region of
- the Hudson had heretofore been included in the term “northern parts
- of Virginia,” although in the southern Company’s limit; but a new
- meaning was now designedly given to the words as used in the
- Compact, and New England was contemplated. ]
-
- to regulate their civil government. This
- done, they confirmed Master Carver their
- “governour” in the ship on the voyage,
- their “governour” for the year. Bore up
- for the Cape, and by short tacks made the
- Cape [Paomet, now Provincetown] Harbor,
- coming to an anchorage a furlong within the
- point. The bay so circular that before
- coming to anchor the ship boxed the compass
- [i.e. went clear around all points of it].
-
- Let go anchors three quarters of an English
- mile off shore, because of shallow water,
- sixty-seven days from Plymouth (Eng.),
- eighty-one days from Dartmouth, ninety-nine
- days from Southampton, and one hundred and
- twenty from London. Got out the long-boat
- and set ashore an armed party of fifteen or
- sixteen in armor, and some to fetch wood,
- having none left, landing them on the long
- point or neck, toward the sea.
-
- [The strip of land now known as Long Point, Provincetown (Mass.)
- harbor.]
- Those going ashore were forced to wade a
- bow-shot or two in going aland. The party
- sent ashore returned at night having seen
- no person or habitation, having laded the
- boat with juniper wood.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 12/22
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. All hands
- piped to service. Weather mild.
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 13/23
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor, unshipped the
- shallop and drew her on land to mend and
- repair her.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 97) says: “Having brought a large
- shallop with them out of England, stowed in quarters in ye ship they
- now gott her out and sett their carpenters to worke to trime her up:
- but being much brused and shatered in ye ship with foule weather,
- they saw she sould be longe in mending.” In ‘Mourt’s Relation’ he
- says: “Monday, the 13th of November, we unshipped our shallop and
- drew her on land to mend and repair her, having been forced to cut
- her down, in bestowing her betwixt the decks, and she was much
- opened, with the peoples lying in her, which kept us long there: for
- it was sixteen or seventeen days before the Carpenter had finished
- her.” Goodwin says she was “a sloop-rigged craft of twelve or
- fifteen tons.” There is an intimation of Bradford that she was
- “about thirty feet long.” It is evident from Bradford’s account
- (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 105) of her stormy entrance to Plymouth
- harbor that the shallop had but one mast, as he says “But herewith
- they broake their mast in 3 pieces and their saill fell overboard in
- a very grown sea.”]
-
-
- Many went ashore to refresh themselves, and
- the women to wash.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 14/24
- Lying at anchor. Carpenter at work on
- shallop. Arms and accoutrements being got
- ready for an exploring party inland.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15/25
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Master and
- boat’s crew went ashore, followed in the
- afternoon by an armed party of sixteen men
- under command of Captain Myles Standish.
- Masters William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins,
- and Edward Tilley being joined to him for
- council. The party to be gone from the
- ship a day or two. Weather mild and ground
- not frozen.
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 16/26
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Exploring party
- still absent from ship. Weather continues
- open.
-
-FRIDAY, Nov. 17/27
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Weather open.
- Saw signal-fire on the other side of bay
- this morning, built by exploring party as
- arranged. The Master, Governor Carver, and
- many of the company ashore in afternoon,
- and met exploring party there on their
- return to ship. Hearing their signal-guns
- before they arrived at the shore, sent
- long-boat to fetch them aboard. They
- reported seeing Indians and following them
- ten miles without coming up to them the
- first afternoon out, and the next day found
- store of corn buried, and a big ship’s
- kettle, which they brought to the ship with
- much corn. Also saw deer and found
- excellent water.
-
-SATURDAY, Nov. 18/28
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Planters
- helving tools, etc. Carpenter at work on
- shallop, which takes more labor than at
- first supposed. Weather still moderate.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 19/29
- At anchor, Gape Cod harbor. Second Sunday
- in harbor. Services aboard ship. Seamen
- ashore. Change in weather. Colder.
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 20/30
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter and
- others at work on shallop, getting out
- stock for a new shallop, helving tools,
- making articles needed, etc.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 21/Dec. 1
- At anchor in harbor. Much inconvenienced
- in going ashore. Can only go and come at
- high water except by wading, from which
- many have taken coughs and colds.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22/Dec. 2
- At anchor in harbor. Weather cold and
- stormy, having changed suddenly.
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 23/Dec. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and stormy.
- Work progressing on shallop.
-
-FRIDAY, Nov. 24/Dec. 4
- At anchor in harbor. Continues cold and
- stormy.
-
-SATURDAY, Nov. 25/Dec. 5
- At anchor in harbor. Weather same. Work
- on shallop pretty well finished and she can
- be used, though more remains to be done.
- Another exploration getting ready for
- Monday. Master and crew anxious to unlade
- and return for England. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 26/Dec. 6
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Third Sunday
- here. Master notified Planters that they
- must find permanent location and that he
- must and would keep sufficient supplies for
- ship’s company and their return.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 96. The doubt as to how the
- ship’s and the colonists’ provisions were divided and held is again
- suggested here. It is difficult, however, to understand how the
- Master “must and would” retain provisions with his small force
- against the larger, if it came to an issue of strength between Jones
- and Standish.]
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 27/Dec. 7
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Rough weather
- and cross winds. The Planters determined
- to send out a strong exploring party, and
- invited the Master of the ship to join them
- and go as leader, which he agreed continued
- to, and offered nine of the crew and the
- long-boat, which were accepted. Of the
- colonists there were four-and-twenty,
- making the party in all four-and-thirty.
- Wind so strong that setting out from the
- ship the shallop and long-boat were obliged
- to row to the nearest shore and the men to
- wade above the knees to land. The wind
- proved so strong that the shallop was
- obliged to harbor where she landed. Mate
- in charge of ship. Blowed and snowed all
- day and at night, and froze withal.
- Mistress White delivered of a son which is
- called “Peregrine.” The second child born
- on the voyage, the first in this harbor.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 28/Dec. 8
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Master
- Jones and exploring party absent on shore
- with long-boat and colonists’ shallop. The
- latter, which beached near ship yesterday
- in a strong wind and harbored there last
- night, got under way this morning and
- sailed up the harbor, following the course
- taken by the long-boat yesterday, the wind
- favoring. Six inches of snow fell
- yesterday and last night. Crew at work
- clearing snow from ship.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29/Dec. 9
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Foul
- weather threatening. Master Jones with
- sixteen men in the long-boat and shallop
- came aboard towards night (eighteen men
- remaining ashore), bringing also about ten
- bushels of Indian corn which had been found
- buried. The Master reports a long march,
- the exploration of two creeks, great
- numbers of wild fowl, the finding of much
- corn and beans,’ etc.
-
- [This seems to be the first mention of beans (in early Pilgrim
- literature) as indigenous (presumably) to New England. They have
- held an important place in her dietary ever since.]
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 30/Dec. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Sent shallop to head
- of harbor with mattocks and spades, as
- desired by those ashore, the seamen taking
- their muskets also. The shallop came
- alongside at nightfall with the rest of the
- explorers--the tide being out--bringing a
- lot of Indian things, baskets, pottery,
- wicker-ware, etc., discovered in two graves
- and sundry Indian houses they found after
- the Master left them. They report ground
- frozen a foot deep.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 1/11
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- finishing work on shallop. Colonists
- discussing locations visited, as places for
- settlement.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 2/12
- At anchor in harbor. Much discussion among
- colonists as to settlement, the Master
- insisting on a speedy determination.
- Whales playing about the ship in
- considerable numbers. One lying within
- half a musket-shot of the ship, two of the
- Planters shot at her, but the musket of the
- one who gave fire first blew in pieces both
- stock and barrel, yet no one was hurt.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 3/13
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fourth
- Sunday here. Scarce any of those aboard
- free from vehement coughs, some very ill.
- Weather very variable.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 4/14
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- completing repairs on shallop. Much
- discussion of plans for settlement. The
- Master urging that the Planters should
- explore with their shallop at some
- distance, declining in such season to stir
- from the present anchorage till a safe
- harbor is discovered by them where they
- would be and he might go without danger.
- This day died Edward Thompson, a servant of
- Master William White, the first to die
- aboard the ship since she anchored in the
- harbor. Burying-party sent ashore after
- services to bury him.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Francis Billington, a
- young son of one of the passengers, put the
- ship and all in great jeopardy, by shooting
- off a fowling-piece in his father’s cabin
- between decks where there was a small
- barrel of powder open, and many people
- about the fire close by. None hurt.
- Weather cold and foul.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Very cold, bad
- weather. This day died Jasper More, a lad
- bound to Governor Carver. The second death
- in the harbor. The third exploring party
- got away from the ship in the afternoon in
- the shallop, intent on finding a harbor
- recommended by the second mate, Robert
- Coppin, who had visited it. Captain
- Standish in command, with whom were
- Governor Carver, Masters Bradford, Winslow,
- John Tilley and Edward Tilley, Warren and
- Hopkins, John Howland, Edward Dotey, and
- two of the colonists’ seamen, Alderton and
- English, and of the ship’s company, the
- mates Clarke and Coppin, the master-gunner
- and three sailors, eighteen in all. The
- shallop was a long time getting clear of
- the point, having to row, but at last got
- up her sails and out of the harbor. Sent
- burying-party ashore with body of little
- More boy, after services aboard.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 7/17
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. This day
- Mistress Dorothy Bradford, wife of Master
- Bradford, who is away with the exploring
- party to the westward, fell over board and
- was drowned.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. A strong south-east
- gale with heavy rain, turning to snow and
- growing cold toward night, as it cleared.
- This day Master James Chilton died aboard
- the ship. The third passenger, and first
- head of a family; to die in this harbor.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 9/19
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party sent
- ashore after services aboard, to bury
- Chilton. Fetched wood and water.
-
-
- [The death of Chilton was the first of the head of a family, and it
- may readily be imagined that the burial was an especially affecting
- scene, especially as following so closely upon the tragic death of
- Mrs. Bradford (for whom no funeral or burial arrangements are
- mentioned?? D.W.)]
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 10/20
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fifth
- Sunday in this harbor. The exploring party
- still absent. Four deaths one by drowning;
- very severe weather; the ship’s narrow
- escape from being blown up; and the absence
- of so many of the principal men, have made
- it a hard, gloomy week.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 11/21
- At anchor in harbor. Clear weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 12/22
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- still absent.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13/23
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- returned to ship, where much sad
- intelligence met them (especially Master
- Bradford), as to his wife’s drowning. The
- exploring party report finding a
- considerable Indian burying-place; several
- Indian houses; a fierce attack on them by
- Indians on Friday morning, but without
- harm; a severe gale on the same afternoon,
- in which their rudder-hinges broke, their
- mast was split in three pieces, their sail
- fell over board in a heavy sea, and they
- were like to have been cast away in making
- a harbor which Master Coppin thought he
- knew, but was deceived about. They landed
- on an island at the mouth of the harbor,
- which they named for Master Clarke, the
- first mate, and spent Saturday and Sunday
- there, and on Monday examined the harbor
- they found, and are agreed that it is the
- place for settlement. Much satisfaction
- with the report among the colonists.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 14/24
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. The colonists
- have determined to make settlement at the
- harbor they visited, and which is
- apparently, by Captain John Smith’s chart
- of 1616, no other than the place he calls
- “Plimoth” thereon. Fetched wood and water.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 15/25
- Weighed anchor to go to the place the
- exploring party discovered. Course west,
- after leaving harbor. Shallop in company.
- Coming within two leagues, the wind coming
- northwest, could not fetch the harbor, and
- was faine to put round again towards Cape
- Cod. Made old anchorage at night. The
- thirty-fifth night have lain at anchor
- here. Shallop returned with ship.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 16/26
- Comes in with fair wind for Plymouth.
- Weighed anchor and put to sea again and made
- harbor safely. Shallop in company. Within
- half an hour of anchoring the wind changed,
- so if letted [hindered] but a little had
- gone back to Cape Cod. A fine harbor.
- Let go anchors just within a long spur of
- beach a mile or more from shore. The end of
- the outward voyage; one hundred and two days
- from Plymouth (England to Plymouth New
- England). One hundred and fifty-five days
- from London.
-
-
-
-
- THE SHIPS JOURNAL WHILE SHE LAY IN
- PLYMOUTH HARBOR
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 17/27
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Services on
- ship. This harbor is a bay greater than
- Cape Cod, compassed with goodly land. It is
- in fashion like a sickle or fish-hook.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 18/28
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor: The Master of
- the ship, with three or four of the sailors
- and several of the Planters, went aland and
- marched along the coast several miles.
- Made careful examination of locality. Found
- many brooks of fine water, abundant wood,
- etc. The party came aboard at night weary
- with marching.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 19/29
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. A party from
- the ship went ashore to discover, some
- going by land and some keeping to the
- shallop. A creek was found leading up
- within the land and followed up three
- English miles, a very pleasant river at
- full sea. It was given the name of “Jones
- River” in compliment to the Master of the
- ship. A bark of thirty tons may go up at
- high tide, but the shallop could scarcely
- pass at low water. All came aboard at
- night with resolution to fix, to-morrow,
- which of the several places examined they
- would settle upon.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20/30
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor, many ill. Dec.
- After service the colonists decided to go
- ashore this morning and determine upon one
- of two places which were thought most
- fitting for their habitation. So a
- considerable party went ashore and left
- twenty of their number there to make a
- rendezvous, the rest coming on board at
- night. They reported that they had chosen
- by the most voices the site first looked at
- by the largest brook, near where they
- landed on the 11th on a large rock
- [Plymouth Rock].
-
- [The “Rock” seems to have become the established landing place of
- the Pilgrims, from the time of the first visit of the third
- exploring party on December 11/21. The absurdity of the claims of
- the partisans of Mary Chilton, in the foolish contention which
- existed for many years as to whether she or John Alden was the first
- person to set foot upon the “Rock,” is shown by the fact that, of
- course, no women were with the third exploring party which first
- landed there, while it is also certain that Alden was not of that
- exploring party. That Mary Chilton may have been the first woman to
- land at Cape Cod harbor is entirely possible, as it is that she or
- John Alden may have been the first person to land on the “Rock”
- after the ship arrived in Plymouth harbor. It was a vexatious
- travesty upon history (though perpetuated by parties who ought to
- have been correct) that the Association for building the Pilgrim
- Monument at Plymouth should issue a pamphlet giving a picture of the
- “Landing of the Pilgrims, December 21, 1620,” in which women are
- pictured, and in which the shallop is shown with a large
- fore-and-aft mainsail, while on the same page is another picture
- entitled, “The Shallop of the MAY-FLOWER,” having a large yard and
- square-sail, and a “Cuddy” (which last the MAY-FLOWER’S shallop we
- know did not have). The printed description of the picture,
- however, says: “The cut is copied from a picture by Van der Veldt,
- a Dutch painter of the seventeenth century, representing a
- shallop,” etc. It is matter of regret to find that a book like
- Colonel T. W. Higginson’s ‘Book of American Explorers’, intended
- for a text-book, and bearing the imprint of a house like Longmans,
- Green & Co. should actually print a “cut” showing Mary Chilton
- landing from a boat full of men (in which she is the only woman)
- upon a rock, presumably Plymouth Rock.]
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 21/31
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Wet and
- stormy, so the Planters could not go ashore
- as planned, having blown hard and rained
- extremely all night. Very uncomfortable
- for the party on shore. So tempestuous
- that the shallop could not go to land as
- soon as was meet, for they had no victuals
- on land. About eleven o’clock the shallop
- went off with much ado with provision, but
- could not return, it blew so strong. Such
- foul weather forced to ride with three
- anchors ahead. This day Richard
- Britteridge, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship, the first to die in this
- harbor.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 22/Jan. 1
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The storm
- continues, so that no one could go ashore,
- or those on land come aboard. This morning
- goodwife Allerton was delivered of a son,
- but dead-born. The third child born on
- board the ship since leaving England,--the
- first in this harbor.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 23/Jan. 2
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sent body of
- Britteridge ashore for burial, the storm
- having prevented going before, and also a
- large party of colonists to fell timber,
- etc. Left a large number on shore at the
- rendezvous. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 24/Jan. 3
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Second Sunday
- here. This day died Solomon Prower, one of
- the family of Master Martin, the treasurer
- of the colonists, being the sixth death
- this month, and the second in this harbor.
- A burying-party went ashore with Prower’s
- body, after services aboard.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 25/Jan. 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Christmas
- Day, but not observed by these colonists,
- they being opposed to all saints’ days,
- etc. The men on shore Sunday reported that
- they “heard a cry of some savages,” as they
- thought, that day. A large party went
- ashore this morning to fell timber and
- begin building. They began to erect the
- first house about twenty feet square for
- their common use, to receive them and their
- goods. Another alarm as of Indians this
- day. All but twenty of the Planters came
- aboard at night, leaving the rest to keep
- court of guard. The colonists began to
- drink water, but at night the Master caused
- them to have some beer.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 26/Jan. 5
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A violent
- storm of wind and rain. The weather so
- foul this morning that none could go
- ashore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27/Jan. 6
- At anchor in harbor. Sent working party
- ashore. All but the guard came aboard at
- night.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 28/Jan. 7
- At anchor. All able went ashore this
- morning to work on a platform for ordnance
- on the hill back of the settlement,
- commanding the harbor. The Planters this
- day laid out their town-site and allotted
- ground to the several families. Many of
- the colonists ill from exposure. All but
- the guard came off to the ship at night.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 29/Jan. 8
- At anchor in harbor. No working-party went
- aland. The Planters fitting tools, etc.,
- for their work. The weather wet and cold.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 30/Jan. 9
- At anchor in harbor. Very stormy and cold.
- No working-party sent aland. The Planters
- fitting tools, etc. Great smokes of fires
- visible from the ship, six or seven miles
- away, probably made by Indians.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 31/Jan. 10
- At anchor in harbor. The third Sunday in
- this harbor. Sailors given leave to go
- ashore. Many colonists ill.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 1/Jan. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. This day
- Degory Priest, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship. A large party went ashore
- early to work. Much time lost between ship
- and shore, the ship drawing so much water
- as obliged to anchor a mile and a half off.
- The working-party came aboard at nightfall.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 2/Jan. 12
- At anchor in harbor. Sent burying-party
- ashore with Priest’s body. Weather good.
- Working-party aland and returned to ship at
- night.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3/Jan. 13
- At anchor in harbor. Working-party aland,
- returned at night. They report seeing
- great fires of the Indians. Smoke seen
- from the ship. Have seen no savages since
- arrival.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 4/Jan. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Captain
- Standish, with four or five men, went to
- look for savages, and though they found
- some of their old houses “wigwams” could
- not meet with any of them.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 5/Jan. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Working-
- party went aland early. One of the sailors
- found a live herring upon the shore, which
- the Master had to his supper. As yet have
- caught but one cod.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 6/Jan. 16
- At anchor in harbor. In judgment of
- Masters Brewster, Bradford, and others,
- Master Martin, the colonists’ treasurer,
- was so hopelessly ill that Governor Carver,
- who had taken up his quarters on land, was
- sent for to come aboard to speak with him
- about his accounts. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 7/Jan. 17
- At anchor in harbor. Fourth Sunday here.
- Governor Carver came aboard to talk with
- Master Martin, who was sinking fast.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 8/Jan. 18
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A very fan
- fair day. The working-party went aland
- early. The Master sent, the shallop for
- fish. They had a great tempest at sea and
- were in some danger. They returned to the
- ship at night, with three great seals they
- had shot, and an excellent great cod.
- Master Martin died this day. He had been a
- “governour” of the passengers on the ship,
- and an “assistant,” and was an Adventurer.
- One of the Master-mates took a musket, and
- went with young Francis Billington to find
- the great inland sea the latter had seen
- from the top of a tree, and found a great
- water, in two great lakes [Billington Sea,]
- also Indian houses.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 9/Jan. 19
- At anchor in harbor. Fair day. Sent
- burying-party ashore after services aboard,
- with the body of Master Martin, and he was
- buried with some ceremony on the hill near
- the landing-place. The settlers drew lots
- for their meersteads and garden-plots. The
- common-house nearly finished, wanting only
- covering.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10/Jan. 20
- At anchor in harbor. Party went aland from
- ship. Frosty.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 11/Jan. 21
- At anchor in harbor. A fair day. Party
- ashore from ship and coming off at night,
- reported Master William Bradford very ill:
- Many ill aboard.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 12/Jan. 22
- At anchor in harbor. Began to rain at noon
- and stopped all work. Those coming aboard
- ship at night reported John Goodman and
- Peter Browne, two of the colonists,
- missing, and fears entertained that they
- may have been taken by Indians. Froze and
- snowed at night. The first snow for a
- month. An extremely cold night.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 13/Jan. 23
- At anchor in harbor. The Governor sent out
- an armed party of ten or twelve to look for
- the missing men, but they returned without
- seeing or hearing anything at all of them.
- Those on shipboard much grieved, as deeming
- them lost. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 14/Jan. 24
- At anchor in harbor. About six o’clock in
- the morning, the wind being very great, the
- watch on deck spied the great new
- rendezvous on shore on fire and feared it
- fired by Indians, but the tide being out,
- men could not get ashore for three quarters
- of an hour, when they went armed. At the
- landing they heard that the lost men were
- returned, some frost-bitten, and that the
- thatch of the common-house only was burnt
- by a spark, but no other harm done the
- roof. The most loss was Governor Carver’s
- and Master Bradford’s, both of whom lay
- sick in bed, and narrowly missed being
- blown up with powder. The meeting was to
- have been kept ashore to-day, the greater
- number of the people now being there, but
- the fire, etc., prevented. Some of those
- sick in the common-house were fain to
- return aboard for shelter. Fifth Sunday in
- this harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 15/Jan. 25
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Rained much
- all day. They on shipboard could not go
- ashore nor they on shore do any labor, but
- were all wet.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 16/Jan. 26
- At anchorage. A fine, sunshining day like
- April. Party went aland betimes. Many ill
- both on ship and on shore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17/Jan. 27
- At anchorage. Another fine, sunshining
- day. Working-party went aland early. Set
- on shore some of the Planters’ goods.
-
- [Mourt’s Relation, Dexter’s ed. p. 77. Bradford states (op. cit.
- Mass. ed. p. 110) that they were hindered in getting goods ashore
- by “want of boats,” as well as sickness. Mention is made only of
- the “long-boat” and shallop. It is possible there were no others,
- except the Master’s skiff]
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 18/Jan. 28
- At anchorage. Another fine, bright day.
- Some of the common goods [i.e. belonging
- to all] set on shore.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 19/Jan. 29
- At anchorage. A shed was begun on shore to
- receive the goods from the ship. Rained at
- noon but cleared toward night.
-
- [Cleared toward evening (though wet at noon), and John Goodman went
- out to try his frozen feet, as is recorded, and had his encounter
- with wolves.]
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 20/Jan. 30
- At anchorage. Shed made ready for goods
- from ship. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 21/Jan. 31
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sixth Sunday
- in this harbor. Many ill. The Planters
- kept their meeting on land to-day for the
- first time, in the common-house.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 22/Feb. 1
- At anchorage. Fair day. Hogsheads of meal
- sent on shore from ship and put in
- storehouse.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 23/Feb. 2
- At anchorage. The general sickness
- increases, both on shipboard and on land.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24/Feb. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Fair weather. Party
- on shore from ship and returned at night.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 25/Feb. 4
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore and came aboard at night.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 26/Feb. 5
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore. The sickness increases.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 27/Feb. 6
- At anchorage. Weather fair. Good working
- weather all the week, but many sick.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 28/Feb. 7
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. Seventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Meeting kept on
- shore. Those of Planters on board who were
- able, and some of the ship’s company, went
- ashore, and came off after service.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 29/Feb. 8
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Morning cold,
- with frost and sleet, but after reason ably
- fair. Both long-boat and shallop carrying
- Planters’ goods on shore. Those returning
- reported that Mistress Rose Standish, wife
- of Captain Standish, died to-day.
-
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 30/Feb. 9
- At anchorage. Cold, frosty weather, so no
- working-party went on shore from ship. The
- Master and others of the ship’s company saw
- two savages that had been on the island
- near the ship [Clarke’s Island]. They were
- gone so far back again before they were
- discovered that could not speak with them.
- The first natives actually seen since the
- encounter on the Cape.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31/Feb. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Still cold and
- frosty, with sleet. No party went on
- shore. Eight of the colonists have died
- this month on the ship and on shore.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 1/Feb. 11
- At anchor in harbor. Weather better, and
- some of those on board the ship went on
- shore to work, but many ill.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 2/Feb. 12
- At anchorage. The same.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 3/13
- At anchorage. Weather threatening. Fetched
- wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 4/14
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The eighth
- Sunday in this harbor, and now inexpedient
- to think of getting away, till both Planters
- and crew in better condition as to health.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, p. 92; Young, Chronicler, p. 198. Bradford
- says (op. cit. Mass. ed, pp. 120, 121): “The reason on their parts
- why she stayed so long was ye necessitie and danger that lay upon
- them, for it was well toward ye ende of December before she could
- land anything here, or they able to receive anything ashore. After
- wards, ye 14 of January the house which they had made for a general
- randevoze by casulty fell afire, and some were faine to retire
- aboard for shelter. Then the sickness begane to fall sore amongst
- them, and ye weather so bad as they could not make much sooner
- dispatch. Againe, the Governor & chiefe of them seeing so many dye,
- and fall down sick dayly, thought it no wisdom to send away the
- ship, their condition considered, and the danger they stood in from
- ye Indians, till they could procure some shelter; and therefore
- thought it better to draw some more charge upon themselves & friends
- [“demurrage?”] than hazard all. The Mr. and sea-men likewise;
- though before they hasted ye passengers a shore to be goone [gone],
- now many of their men being dead, and of ye ablest of them [as is
- before noted, and of ye rest many lay sick & weake, ye Mr, durst not
- put to sea till he saw his men begine to recover, and ye hart of
- winter over.”]]
-
- A very rainy day with the heaviest gusts of
- wind yet experienced. The ship in some
- danger of oversetting, being light and
- unballasted.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Clearing weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and clear.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Much colder.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 8/18
- At anchorage. Hard, cold weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 9/19
- At anchorage. Cold weather continues.
- Little work possible. The little house for
- the sick people on shore took fire this
- afternoon, by a spark that kindled in the
- roof. No great harm done. The Master
- going ashore, killed five geese, which he
- distributed among the sick people. He also
- found a good deer the savages had killed,
- having also cut off his horns. A wolf was
- eating him. Cannot conceive how he came
- there.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 10/20
- At anchor in harbor. Getting goods on
- shore, but sickness makes both Planters and
- crew shorthanded. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 11/21
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Ninth Sunday
- in this harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 12/22
- At anchorage. Getting goods on shore.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 13/23
- At anchorage. Rainy.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14/24
- At anchorage. More sickness on ship and on
- shore than at any time, and more deaths.
- Rainy, clearing.
-
- [The sickness and mortality had rapidly increased and was now at its
- height]
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 15/25
- At anchorage. Northerly wind and frost.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 16/26
- At anchorage. Northerly wind continues,
- which continues the frost. Those from
- shore reported that one of the Planters,
- being out fowling and hidden in the reeds,
- about a mile and a half from the
- settlement, saw twelve Indians marching
- toward the plantation and heard many more.
- He hurried home with all speed and gave the
- alarm, so all the people in the woods at
- work returned and armed themselves, but saw
- nothing of the Indians. Captain Standish’s
- and Francis Cooke’s tools also stolen by
- Indians in woods. A great fire toward
- night seen from the ship, about where the
- Indians were discovered.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 17/27
- At anchorage. All the colonists on the
- ship able to go on shore went this morning
- to attend the meeting for the establishment
- of military orders among them. They chose
- Captain Standish their captain, and gave
- him authority of command in affairs. Two
- savages appeared on the hill, a quarter of
- a mile from the plantation, while the
- Planters were consulting, and made signs
- for Planters to come to them. All armed
- and stood ready, and sent two towards them,
- Captain Standish and Master Hopkins, but
- the natives would not tarry. It was
- determined to plant the great ordnance in
- convenient places at once. Fetched wood
- and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The Feb.
- tenth Sunday in this harbor. Many sick,
- both on board the ship and on shore.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 19/Mar. 1
- At anchorage. Got one of the great guns on
- shore with the help of some of the
- Planters.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 20/Mar. 2
- At anchorage. Getting cannon ashore and
- mounted.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21/Mar. 3
- At anchorage. The Master, with many of the
- sailors, went on shore, taking one of the
- great pieces called a minion, and with the
- Planters drew it up the hill, with another
- piece that lay on the shore, and mounted
- them and a saller and two bases--five guns
- --on the platform made for them. A hard
- day’s work. The Master took on shore with
- him a very fat goose he had shot, to which
- the Planters added a fat crane, a mallard,
- and a dried neat’s tongue (ox tongue), and
- Planters and crew feasted together. When
- the Master went on shore, he sent off the
- Governor to take the directions of Master
- Mullens as to his property, as he was lying
- near to death,--as also Master White.
- Master Mullens dictated his will to the
- Governor, which he noted down, and Giles
- Heale, the chirurgeon, and Christopher
- Joanes, of the crew, witnessed, they being
- left aboard to care for the sick, keep the
- ship, etc. Master Mullens and Master White
- both died this day. Two others also died.
- Got the men aboard about nightfall.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 22/Mar. 4
- At anchorage. Large burial-party went
- ashore with bodies of Masters Mullens and
- White, and joined with those on shore made
- the chief burial thus far had. The service
- on shore, the most of the people being
- there, Master Mullens being one of the
- chief subscribing Adventurers, as well as
- one of the chief men of the Planters, as
- was Master White. Their deaths much
- deplored.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 23/Mar. 5
- At anchorage. Party from the ship went on
- shore to help finish work on the ordnance.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 24/Mar. 6
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 25/Mar. 7
- At anchorage in Plymouth harbor. Eleventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Mistress Mary
- Allerton, wife of Master Isaac Allerton,
- one of the chief men of the colonists, died
- on board this day, not having mended well
- since the birth of her child, dead-born
- about two months agone.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 26/Mar. 8
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party went
- ashore to bury Mistress Allerton, services
- being held there.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 27/Mar. 9
- At anchorage. The sickness and deaths of
- the colonists on shore have steadily
- increased, and have extended to the ship,
- which has lost several of its petty
- officers, including the master gunner,
- three quarter-masters, and cook, and a
- third of the crew, many from scurvy.
-
- [There can be no doubt that both planters and ship’s crew suffered
- severely from scurvy. The conditions all favored it, the sailors
- were familiar with it, and would not be likely to be mistaken in
- their recognition of it, and Dr. Fuller, their competent physician,
- would not be likely to err in his diagnosis of it. Tuberculosis was
- its very natural associate.]
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28/Mar. 10
- At anchorage. The last day of the month.
- The fifty-third day the ship has lain in
- this harbor, and from the present rate of
- sickness and death aboard, no present
- capacity or prospect of getting away, those
- better being yet weak. The Planters have
- lost seventeen this month, their largest
- mortality.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 1/11
- At anchorage. Blustering but milder
- weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 2/12
-
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 3/13
- At anchorage. Wind south. Morning misty
- [foggy]. Towards noon warm and fine
- weather. At one o’clock it thundered. The
- first heard. It rained sadly from two
- o’clock till midnight. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 4/14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The twelfth
- Sunday in this harbor. Cooler. Clear
- weather.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 5/15
- At anchorage. Rough weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 6/16
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Wind full east, cold
- but fair. The Governor went this day with
- a party of five, to the great ponds,
- discovered by one of the ship’s mates and
- Francis Billington. Some planting done in
- the settlement.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. Rough easterly
- weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 9/19
- At anchorage. Same. Many sick aboard.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 10/20
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 11/21
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. The
- thirteenth Sunday the ship has lain in this
- harbor. Many of crew yet ill, including
- boatswain.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 12/22
- At anchorage. Easterly weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 13/23
- At anchorage. The sickness and mortality
- on ship and on shore continue.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 14/24
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 15/25
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 16/26
- At anchorage. A fair, warm day, towards
- noon. The Master and others went ashore to
- the general meeting. The plantation was
- startled this morning by a visit from an
- Indian who spoke some English and bade
- “Welcome.” He is from Monhiggon, an island
- to the eastward some days’ sail, near where
- Sir Ferdinando Gorges had a settlement. He
- was friendly, and having had much
- intercourse with Englishmen who came to
- fish in those parts, very comfortable with
- them. He saw the ship in the harbor from a
- distance and supposed her to be a fishing
- vessel. He told the Governor that the
- plantation was formerly called “Patuxet”
- [or Apaum], and that all its inhabitants
- had been carried off by a plague about four
- years ago. All the afternoon was spent in
- communication with him. The Governor
- purposed sending him aboard the ship at
- night, and he was well content to go and
- went aboard the shallop to come to the
- ship, but the wind was high and water scant
- [low], so that the shallop could not go to
- the ship. The Governor sent him to Master
- Hopkins’s house and set a watch over him.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 17/27
- At anchor in harbor. The Master and others
- came off to the ship. Samoset the Indian
- went away back to the Massasoits whence he
- came. A reasonably fair day. Fetched wood
- and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fourteenth Sunday the ship has lain at this
- anchorage. A fair day. The sickness
- stayed a little. Many went on shore to the
- meeting in the common-house. Samoset the
- savage came again, and brought five others
- with him.
-
- [This Sunday visit was doubtless very much to the dislike of the
- good brethren, or at least of the leaders, but policy dictated every
- possible forbearance. Their consciences drew the line at trade,
- however, and they got rid of their untimely visitors as soon as
- possible without giving offense. Massasoit’s men seem to have
- shown, by leaving their peltry with them, a confidence in their new
- white neighbors that is remarkable in view of the brevity of their
- friendship.]
-
- They left their bows and arrows a quarter
- of a mile from the town, as instructed.
- The Planters gave them entertainment, but
- would not truck with them.
-
- [“Truck--to trade.” All early and modern lexicographers give the
- word, which, though now obsolete, was in common use in parts of New
- England fifty years ago.]
-
- They sang and danced after their manner,
- and made semblance of amity and friendship.
- They drank tobacco and carried pounded corn
- to eat. Their faces were painted. They
- brought a few skins which they left with
- the Planters, and returned the tools which
- Captain Standish and Francis Cooke left in
- the woods. The Planters dismissed them
- with a few trifles as soon as they could,
- it being Sunday, and they promised soon to
- return and trade. Samoset would not go
- with them, feigning sick, and stayed.
- Those on shore from the ship came off to
- her at night.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 19/29
- At anchorage. A fair day. The Planters
- digging and sowing seeds.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 20/30
- At anchorage. A fine day. Digging and
- planting of gardens on shore. Those sick
- of the crew mending.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 21/31
- At anchorage. A fine warm day. Beginning
- to put ship in trim for return voyage.
- Bringing ballast, etc. Some, including
- the Masters-mates, went on shore, who on
- return reported that the Planters sent the
- Indian Samoset away. A general meeting of
- the Planters was held at the common-house,
- to conclude laws and orders, and to confirm
- the military orders formerly proposed, and
- twice broken off by the savages coming, as
- happened again. After the meeting had held
- an hour or so, two or three savages
- appeared on the hill over against the town,
- and made semblance of daring the Planters.
- Captain Standish and another, with their
- muskets, went over to them, with the two
- Masters-mates of the ship, who were ashore,
- also armed with muskets. The savages made
- show of defiance, but as our men drew near
- they ran away. This day the carpenter, who
- has long been ill of scurvy, fitted the
- shallop to carry all the goods and
- furniture aboard the ship, on shore.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 22/Apr. 1
- At anchorage. A very fair, warm day.
- At work on ship getting ready for sea,
- bringing ballast aboard, etc. Another
- general meeting of the Planters which all
- able attended. They had scarce been an
- hour together when Samoset the Indian came
- again with one Squanto, the only native of
- Patuxet (where the Planters now inhabit)
- surviving, who was one of the twenty captives
- carried away from this place by Captain Hunt,
- to England. He could speak a little English.
- They brought three other Indians with them.
- They signified that their great Sagamore,
- Masasoyt, was hard by, with Quadequina his
- brother, and all their men. They could not
- well express what they would in English,
- but after an hour the king came to the top
- of the hill, over against the plantation,
- with his train of about sixty men. Squanto
- went to him and brought a message that one
- should be sent to parley with him, and Master
- Edward Winslow went, to know hisnmind, and
- signify the wish of the Governor to have
- trading and peace with him, the Governor
- sending presents to the king and his brother,
- with something to eat and drink.
-
- [Edward Winslow gives us here another proof of that rare
- self-sacrifice, that entire devotion to his work, and that splendid
- intrepidity which so signally characterized his whole career. At
- this most critical moment, the fate of the little colony trembling
- in the balance, when there was evident fear of treachery and
- surprise on the part of both the English and the savages; though the
- wife of his youth lay at the point of death (which came but two days
- later), and his heart was heavy with grief; forgetting all but the
- welfare of his little band of brethren, he goes forward alone, his
- life in his hand, to meet the great sachem surrounded by his whole
- tribe, as the calm, adroit diplomatist, upon whom all must depend;
- and as the fearless hostage, to put himself in pawn for the savage
- chief.]
-
- The king, leaving Master Winslow with
- brother, came over the brook, with some
- twenty of his men, leaving their bows and
- arrows behind them, and giving some six or
- seven of their men as hostages for Master
- Winslow. Captain Standish, with Master
- Williamson, the ship’s-merchant, as
- interpreter,
-
- [It would seem from the frequent mention of the presence of some of
- the ship’s company, Master Jones, the “Masters-mates,” and now the
- “ship’s-merchant,” that the ship was daily well represented in the
- little settlement on shore. The presence of Master Williamson on
- this occasion is perhaps readily accounted for. Every other meeting
- with the Indians had been unexpected, the present one was
- anticipated, and somewhat eagerly, for upon its successful issue
- almost everything depended. By this time Standish had probably
- become aware that Tisquantum’s command of English was very limited,
- and he desired all the aid the ship’s interpreter could give. By
- some means, the sachem and the colonists succeeded in establishing
- on this day a very good and lasting understanding.]
-
- and a guard of half a dozen musketeers, met
- the king at the brook,
-
- [The guard was probably made thus small to leave the body of the
- colonists as strong a reserve force as possible to meet any surprise
- attack on the part of the Indians. Colonel Higginson, in his Book
- of American Explorers, gives a cut of this meeting of Massasoit and
- his pineses with Standish and his guard of honor, but it is
- defective in that the guard seems to have advanced to the hill
- (“Strawberry,” or later “Watson’s”) to meet the sachem, instead of
- only to “the brook;” and more especially in that there are but two
- officers with the “six musketeers,” where there ought to be three,
- viz. Standish, in command, Edward Window, as the envoy and hostage
- (in full armor), and “Mr. Williamson,” the ship’s-merchant or
- purser, as interpreter, perhaps acting as lieutenant of the guard.
- It is always matter of regret when books, especially text-books,
- written by authors of some repute, and published by reputable
- houses, fail, for want of only a little care in the study of the
- available history of events they pictorially represent, to make
- their pictures and the known facts correspond.]
-
- and they saluted each other, and the guard
- conducted the Sagamore to one of the new
- houses then building, where were placed a
- green rug and three or four cushions. Then
- came the Governor with drum and trumpet,
- and a guard of musketeers, and they drank
- to each other in some strong waters, and
- the Governor gave the king and his
- followers meat, and they made a treaty in
- King James’s name, and drank tobacco
- together. His face was painted a sad red,
- and his head and face were oiled, which
- made him look greasy. All his followers
- were more or less painted. So after all
- was done, the Governor conducted him to the
- brook, and his brother came, and was also
- feasted, and then conveyed him to the
- brook, and Master Winslow returned.
- Samoset and Squanto stayed in the town and
- the Indians stayed all night in the woods
- half a mile away. The last of the
- colonists on board the ship went ashore to
- remain to-day.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 23/Apr. 2
- At anchor. A fair day. Some of the ship’s
- company went on shore. Some of the Indians
- came again, and Captain Standish and Master
- Allerton went to see the king, and were
- welcomed by him. This morning the Indians
- stayed till ten or eleven of the clock, and
- the Governor, sending for the king’s
- kettle, filled it with pease, and they went
- their way? Making ready for sea, getting
- ballast, wood, and water from the shore,
- etc. The Planters held a meeting and
- concluded both of military orders and some
- laws, and chose as Governor, for the coming
- year, Master John Carver, who was
- “governor” on the ship.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 24/April 3
- At anchorage. The ship’s company busy with
- preparations for the return voyage,
- bringing ballast, wood, and water from the
- shore, etc., the ship having no lading for
- the return. This day died, on shore,
- Mistress Elizabeth Winslow, wife of Master
- Winslow. Many still sick. More on the
- ship than on shore.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 25/April 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fifteenth Sunday in this port. Many of the
- crew dead and some still sick, but the
- sickness and mortality lessening.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 26/April 5
- At anchor. Bringing ballast from shore and
- getting ship in trim.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 27/April 6
- At anchorage. Getting ballast, overhauling
- rigging, getting wood, water, etc., from
- shore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 28/April 7
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 29/April 8
- At anchorage. The Master offered to take
- back any of the colonists who wished to
- return to England, but none desired to go.
- Getting in stores and ballast.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 30/April 9
- At anchorage. Hastening all preparations
- for sailing. Getting ballast, etc. Water
- butts filled.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 31/April 10
- At anchorage. Setting up rigging, bending
- light sails, etc. Getting ballast and wood
- from the beach and island. The colonists
- have lost thirteen by death the past month,
- making in all half of their number.
-
-SUNDAY, April 1/11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- sixteenth Sunday the ship has lain at
- anchor here, and to be the last, being
- nearly ready to sail. Most of the crew
- ashore on liberty. In the sixteen weeks the
- ship has lain here, half of her crew (but
- none of her officers) have died, and a few
- are still weak. Among the petty officers
- who have died have been the master gunner,
- boatswain, and three quartermasters, beside
- the cook, and more than a third of the
- sailors. A bad voyage for the owner,
- Adventurers, ship, and crew.
-
-MONDAY, April 2/12
- Still at anchor, but making last
- preparations for voyage. Ship’s officers
- made farewells on shore. Governor Carver
- copied out, and Giles Heale and Chris.
- Jones witnessed, Master Mullens’s will, to
- go to England.
-
-TUESDAY, April 3/13
- Still at anchorage, but (near) ready to
- sail with a fair wind. Master Williamson,
- the ship’s-merchant [purser], appointed by
- Master Mullens an overseer of his will,
- takes copy of same to England for probate,
- with many letters, keepsakes, etc., etc.,
- to Adventurers and friends. Very little
- lading, chiefly skins and roots. Make
- adieus to Governor Carver and company.
-
-WEDNESDAY, April 4/14
- Still at anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sails
- loosened and all ready for departure except
- Governor’s letters. Last visits of shore
- people to ship. Sail with morning tide, if
- wind serves. One hundred and ten days in
- this harbor.
-
-THURSDAY, April 5/15
- Got anchors, and with fair wind got
- underway at full tide. Many to bid adieu.
- Set colors and gave Planters a parting
- salute with the ensign and ordnance.
- Cleared the harbor without hindrance, and
- laid general course E.S.E. for England
- with a fine wind. Took departure from Cape
- Cod early in the day, shook off the land
- and got ship to rights before night. All
- sails set and the ship logging her best.
-
-
-
-And so the MAY-FLOWER began her speedy, uneventful, homeward run,
-of but thirty-one days, arriving in England May 6, 1621, having been
-absent, on her “round voyage,” from her sailing port, two hundred and
-ninety-six days.
-
-
-
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE
- AND OF THIS
- JOURNAL
-
-
-
-AUTHOR’S NOTE. Of the “Log” Of the MAY-FLOWER, the author is able to
-repeat the assurance given as to the brief Journal of the SPEEDWELL, and
-is able to say, in the happy phrase of Griffis, “I have tried to state
-only recorded facts, or to give expression to well grounded inferences.”
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX
-
-
-In view of the natural wish of many of “restricted facilities,” to consult
-for themselves the full text of certain of the principal letters and
-documents which have imparted much of the most definite and valuable
-information concerning the Pilgrim movement, it has been thought well to
-include certain of them here verbatim, that they may be of ready
-availability to the reader. The list comprises copies of--
-
-I. The Agreement of the Merchant Adventurers and Planters;
-
-II. The Letter of the Leyden Leaders to John Carver and Robert Cushman
-(at London), May 31/June 10, 1620;
-
-III. The Letter of Robert Cushman to John Carver (then at Southampton),
-Saturday, June 10/20, 1620;
-
-IV. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, June 10/20,
-1620;
-
-V. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, Sunday, June
-11/21, 1620;
-
-VI. The Letter of Rev. John Robinson to John Carver at London, June
-14/24, 1620;
-
-VII. The Letter of the Planters to the Merchant Adventurers from
-Southamp ton, August 3, 1620;
-
-VIII. The Letter of Robert Cushman (from Dartmouth) to Edward
-Southworth, Thursday, August 17,1620;
-
-IX. The MAY-FLOWER Compact;
-
-X. The Nuncupative Will of Master William Mullens; and
-
-XI. The Letter of “One of the Chiefe of ye Companie” (The Merchant
-Adventurers), dated at London, April 9, 1623--
-
-Many other early original documents frequently referred to in this volume
-are of no less interest than those here given, but most of them have
-either had such publication as to be more generally known or accessible,
-or involve space and cost disproportionate to their value in this
-connection.
-
-
- I
- THE AGREEMENT OF THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS AND PLANTERS
-
-Anno: 1620, July 1.
-
-1. The adventurers & planters doe agree, that every person that goeth
-being aged 16. years & upward, be rated at 10li., and ten pounds to be
-accounted a single share.
-
-2. That he goeth in person, and furnisheth him selfe out with 10li.
-either in money or other provisions, be accounted as haveing 20li. in
-stock, and in ye devission shall receive a double share.
-
-3. The persons transported & ye adventurers shall continue their joynt
-stock & partnership togeather, ye space of 7 years, (excepte some
-unexpected impedimente doe cause ye whole company to agree otherwise,)
-during which time, all profits & benifits that are gott by trade,
-traffick, trucking, working, fishing, or any other means of any person or
-persons, remaine still in ye comone stock untill ye division.
-
-4. That at their coming ther, they chose out such a number of fitt
-persons, as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing upon ye sea;
-imploying the rest of their severall faculties upon ye land; as building
-houses, tilling, and planting ye ground, & makeing shuch comodities as
-shall be most usefull for ye collonie.
-
-5. That at ye end of ye 7 years, ye capitall & profits, viz. the
-houses, lands, goods and chatels, be equally devided betwixte ye
-adventurers, and planters; wch done, every man shall be free from other
-of them of any debt or detrimente concerning this adventure.
-
-6. Whosoever cometh to ye colonie hereafter, or putteth any into ye
-stock, shall at the ende of ye 7. years be alowed proportionably to ye
-time of his so doing.
-
-7. He that shall carie his wife & children, or servants, shall be alowed
-for everie person now aged 16. years & upward, a single share in ye
-devision, or if he provid them necessaries, a duble share, or if they be
-between 10. year old and 16., then 2. of them to be reconed for a person,
-both in trasportation and devision.
-
-8. That such children as now goe, & are under ye age of ten years, have
-noe other shar in ye devision, but 50. acers of unmanured land.
-
-9. That such persons as die before ye 7. years be expired, their
-executors to have their parte or sharr at ye devision, proportionably to
-ye time of their life in ye collonie.
-
-10. That all such persons as are of this collonie, are to have their
-meate, drink, apparell, and all provissions out of ye comon stock & goods
-of ye said collonie.
-
-
-Governor Bradford adds:--
-
-“The chief and principal differences betwene these & the former
-[original] conditions, stood in those 2. points; that ye houses, & lands
-improved, espetialy gardens & home lotts should remaine undevided wholy
-to ye planters at ye 7. years end. 2ly, yt they should have had 2. days
-in a weeke for their owne private imploymente, for ye more comforte of
-themselves and their families, espetialy such as had families.”
-
-[Apparently, as has been noted, neither these articles of agreement, nor
-their predecessors which received the approval of the Leyden leaders,
-were ever signed by the contracting parties, until Robert Cushman brought
-the later draft over in the FORTUNE, in 1621, and the planter body
-(advised thereto by Pastor Robinson, who had previously bitterly opposed)
-signed them. Much might be truly said on either side of this
-controversy--indeed was said at the time; but if the Pilgrims were to
-abandon their contention, whatever its merits, in a year’s time, as they
-did, it would seemingly have been much better not to have begun it, for
-it undoubtedly cost them dear.]
-
-
-
-
- II
- LETTER OF THE LEYDEN LEADERS TO JOHN CARVER AND
- ROBERT CUSHMAN, AT LONDON
-
-May 31/June 10, 1620.
-
-To their loving freinds John Carver and Robart Cushman, these, &c.
-
-Good bretheren, after salutations, &c. We received diverse letters at ye
-coming of Mr. [Thomas] Nash & our pilott, which is a great incouragmente
-unto us, and for whom we hop after times will minister occasion of
-praising God; and indeed had you not sente him, many would have been
-ready to fainte and goe backe. Partly in respecte of ye new conditions
-which have bene taken up by you, which all men are against, and partly in
-regard of our owne inabillitie to doe any one of those many waightie
-bussineses you referr to us here. For ye former wherof, wheras Robart
-Cushman desirs reasons for our dislike, promising therupon to alter ye
-same, or els saing we should thinke he hath no brains, we desire him to
-exercise them therin, refering him to our pastors former reasons, and
-them to ye censure of ye godly wise. But our desires are that you will
-not entangle your selvs and us in any such unreasonable courses as those
-are, viz. yt the marchants should have ye halfe of mens houses and lands
-at ye dividente; and that persons should be deprived of ye 2. days in a
-weeke agreed upon, yea every momente of time for their owne perticuler;
-by reason wherof we cannot conceive why any should carie servants for
-their own help and comfort; for that we can require no more of them than
-all men one of another. This we have only by relation from Mr. Nash, &
-not from any writing of your owne, & therfore hope you have not proceeded
-farr in so great a thing without us. But requiring you not to exseed the
-bounds of your comission, which was to proceed upon ye things or
-conditions agred upon and expressed in writing (at your going over it),
-we leave it, not without marveling, that your selfe, as you write,
-knowing how smale a thing troubleth our consultations, and how few,
-as you fear, understands the busnes aright, should trouble us with such
-matters as these are, &c. Salute Mr. Weston from us, in whom we hope we
-are not deceived; we pray you make known our estate unto him, and if you
-thinke good shew him our letters, at least tell him (yt under God) we
-much relie upon him & put our confidence in him; and, as your selves well
-know, that if he had not been an adventurer with us, we had not taken it
-in hand; presuming that if he had not seene means to accomplish it, he
-would not have begune it; so we hope in our extremitie he will so farr
-help us as our expectation be no way made frustrate concerning him.
-Since therfor, good brethren, we have plainly opened ye state of things
-with us in this matter, you will, &c. Thus beseeching ye Allmightie, who
-is allsufficiente to raise us out of this depth of difficulties, to
-assiste us herin; raising such means by his providence and fatherly care
-for us, his pore children & servants, as we may with comforte behould ye
-hand of our God for good towards us in this our bussines, which we
-undertake in his name & fear, we take leave & remaine
- Your perplexed, yet hopful
- bretheren,
-June 10, New Stille
-Ano: 1620. SAMUEL FULLER, EDWARD WINSLOW,
- WILLIAM BRADFORD, ISAAC ALLERTON.
-
-
-
-
- III
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (AT LONDON), TO
- JOHN CARVER (AT SOUTHAMPTON)
-
-Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.
-
-To his loving freind Mr. John Carver, these, &c.
-
-Loving freind, I have received from you some letters, full of affection &
-complaints, & what it is you would have of me I know not; for your
-crieing out, Negligence, negligence, negligence, I marvell why so
-negligente a man was used in ye bussines: Yet know you yt all that I have
-power to doe hear, shall not be one hower behind, I warent you. You have
-reference to Mr. Weston to help us with money, more then his adventure;
-wher he protesteth but for his promise, he would not have done any thing.
-He saith we take a heady course, and is offended yt our provissions are
-made so farr of; as also that he was not made aquainted with our
-quantitie of things; and saith yt in now being in 3. places, so farr
-remote, (i.e. Leyden, London, and Southampton) we will, with going up &
-downe, and wrangling & expostulating, pass over ye sourer before we will
-goe. And to speake ye trueth, they is fallen already amongst us a flatt
-schisme; and we are redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde a
-vaiage. I have received from Leyden since you wente (to Southampton) 3.
-or 4. letters directed to you, though they only conscerne me. I will not
-trouble you with them. I always feared ye event of ye Amsterdamers
-(members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth’s church there) striking in with us.
-I trow you must excomunicate me, or els you must goe without their
-companie, or we shall wante no quareling; but let them pass.
-
-We have reckoned, it should seeme, without our host; and, count upon a
-150. persons, ther cannot be founde above 1200li. & odd moneys of all ye
-venturs you can reckone, besids some cloath, stockings, & shoes, which
-are not counted; so we shall come shorte at least 3. or 400li. I would
-have had some thing shortened at first of beare (beer) & other
-provissions in hope of other adventurs, & now we could have, both in
-Amsterd & Kente, beere inough to serve our turne, but now we cannot
-accept it without prejudice. You fear we have begune to build & and
-shall not be able to make an end; indeed, our courses were never
-established by counsell, we may therfore justly fear their standing.
-Yea, then was a schisme amongst us 3. at ye first. You wrote to Mr.
-Martin, to prevente ye making of ye provissions in Kente, which he did,
-and sett downe his resolution how much he would have of every thing,
-without respecte to any counsell or exception. Surely he yt is in a
-societie & yet regards not counsell, may better be a king then a
-consorte. To be short, if then be not some other dispossition setled
-unto then yet is, we yt should be partners of humilitie and peace, shall
-be examples of jangling & insulting. Yet your money which you ther
-[Southampton] must have, we will get provided for you instantly. 500li.
-you say will serve; for ye rest which hear & in Holand is to be used, we
-may goe scratch for it. For Mr. Crabe, of whom you write, he hath
-promised to goe with us, yet I tell you I shall not be without feare till
-I see him shipped, for he [i.e. his going] is much opposed, yet I hope
-he will not faile. Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is
-wanting, and ye Lord guid us all.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-London June 10.
-Ano: 1620.
-
-
-
-
- IV
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS
-
-(Probably written at London, Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.)
-
-Brethern, I understand by letters & passagess yt have come to me, that
-ther are great discontents, & dislike of my proceedings amongst you.
-Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it, as not doubting but yt
-partly by writing, and more principally by word when we shall come
-togeather, I shall satisfie any reasonable man. I have been perswaded by
-some, espetialy this bearer, to come and clear things unto you; but as
-things now stand I cannot be absente one day, excepte I should hazard all
-ye viage. Neither conceive I any great good would come of it. Take
-then, brethern, this as a step to give you contente. First, for your
-dislike of ye alteration of one clause in ye conditions, if you conceive
-it right, ther can be no blame lye on me at all. For ye articles first
-brought over by John Carver were never seene of any of ye adventurers
-hear, excepte Mr. Weston, neither did any of them like them because of
-that clause; nor Mr. Weston him selfe, after he had well considered it.
-But as at ye first ther was 500li. withdrawne by Sr. Georg Farrer and his
-brother upon that dislike, so all ye rest would have withdrawne (Mr.
-Weston excepted) if we had not altered yt clause. Now whilst we at
-Leyden conclude upon points, as we did, we reckoned without our host,
-which was not my faulte. Besids, I shewed you by a letter ye equitie of
-yt condition, & our inconveniences, which might be sett against all Mr.
-Rob: [Robinson’s] inconveniences, that without ye alteration of yt
-clause, we could neither have means to gett thither, nor supplie wherby
-to subsiste when we were ther. Yet notwithstanding all those reasons,
-which were not mine, but other mens wiser than my selfe, without answer
-to any one of them, here cometh over many quirimonies, and complaints
-against me, of lording it over my brethern, and making conditions fitter
-for theeves & bondslaves then honest men, and that of my owne head I did
-what I list. And at last a paper of reasons, framed against yt clause in
-ye conditions, which as yey were delivered me open, so my answer is open
-to you all. And first, as they are no other but inconveniences, such as
-a man might frame 20. as great on ye other side, and yet prove nor
-disprove nothing by them, so they misse & mistake both ye very ground of
-ye article and nature of ye project.
-
-For, first, it is said, that if ther had been no divission of houses &
-lands, it had been better for ye poore. True, and yt showeth ye
-inequalitie of ye condition; we should more respect him yt ventureth both
-his money and his person, then him yt ventureth but his person only.
-
-2. Consider whereaboute we are, not giveing almes, but furnishing a
-store house; no one shall be porer then another for 7. years, and if any
-be rich, none can be pore. At ye least, we must not in such bussines
-crie, Pore, pore, mercie, mercie. Charitie hath it[s] life in wraks, not
-in venturs; you are by this most in a hopefull pitie of makeing,
-therefore complaine not before you have need.
-
-3. This will hinder ye building of good and faire houses, contrarie to
-ye advise of pollitiks. A. So we would have it; our purpose is to build
-for ye presente such houses as, if need be, we may with litle greefe set
-a fire, and rune away by the lighte; our riches shall not be in pompe,
-but in strength; if God send us riches, we will imploye them to provid
-more men, ships, munition, &c. You may see it amongst the best
-pollitiks, that a comonwele is readier to ebe then to flow, when once
-fine houses and gay cloaths come up.
-
-4. The Govet may prevente excess in building. A. But if it be on all
-men beforehand resolved on, to build mean houses, ye Govet laboure is
-spared.
-
-5. All men are not of one condition. A. If by condition you mean
-wealth, you are mistaken; if you mean by condition, qualities, then I say
-he that is not contente his neighbour shall have as good a house, fare,
-means, &c. as him selfe, is not of a good qualitie. 2ly. Such retired
-persons, as have an eie only to them selves, are fitter to come wher
-catching is, then closing; and are fitter to live alone, then in any
-societie, either civil or religious.
-
-6. It will be of litle value, scarce worth 5li. A. True, it may not be
-worth halfe 5li. If then so smale a thing will content them, (the
-Adventurers) why strive we thus aboute it, and give them occasion to
-suspecte us to be worldly & covetous? I will not say what I have heard
-since these complaints came first over [from Leyden].
-
-7. Our freinds with us yt adventure mind not their owne profite, as did
-ye old adventurers. A. Then they are better than we, who for a little
-matter of profite are readie to draw back, and it is more apparente,
-brethern looke too it, that make profit your maine end; repente of this,
-els goe not least you be like Jonas to Tarshis. Though some of
-them mind not their profite, yet others doe mind it; and why not as well
-as we? venturs are made by all sorts of men, and we must labour to give
-them all contente, if we can.
-
-8. It will break ye course of comunitie, as may be showed by many
-reasons. A. That is but said, and I say againe, it will best foster
-comunion, as may be showed by many reasons.
-
-9. Great profite is like to be made by trucking, fishing, &c. A. As it
-is better for them, so for us; for halfe is ours, besids our living still
-upon it, and if such profite in yt way come, our labour shall be ye less
-on ye land, and our houses & lands will be of less value.
-
-10. Our hazard is greater than theirs. A. True, but doe they put us
-upon it? doe they urge or egg us? hath not ye motion & resolution been
-always in our selves? doe they any more then in seeing us resolute if we
-had means, help us to means upon equall termes & conditions! If we will
-not goe, they are content to keep their moneys.
-
-Thus I have pointed at a way to loose those knots, which I hope you will
-consider seriously, and let me have no more stirr about them.
-
-Now furder, I hear a noise of slavish conditions by me made; but surly
-this is all I have altered, and reasons I have sent you. If you mean it
-of ye 2. days in a week for perticuler, as some insinuate, you are
-deceived; you may have 3. days in a week for me if you will. And when I
-have spoken to ye adventurers of times of working, they have said they
-hope we are men of discretion & conscience, and so fitt to be trusted our
-selves with that. But indeed ye ground of our proceedings at Leyden was
-mistaken, and so here is nothing but tottering every day, &c.
-
-As for them of Amsterdam, [i.e. the members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth’s
-church there] I had thought they would as soon gone to Rome as with us;
-for our libertie is to them as ratts bane, and their riggour as bad to us
-as ye Spanish Inquisition. If any practise of mine discourage them, let
-them yet draw back; I will undertake they shall have their money againe
-presently paid hear. Or if the Company think me to be ye Jonas, let them
-cast me of before we goe; I shall be content to stay with good will,
-having but ye cloaths on my back; only let us have quietnes, and no more
-of these clamors; full little did I expect these things which are now
-come to pass, &c.
- Yours,
- R. CUSHMAN.
-
-
-
-
- V
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS, LONDON
-
- (Sunday, June 11/21, 1620.)
-
-Salutations, &c. I received your letter [of May 31/June 10] yesterday,
-by John Turner, with another ye same day from Amsterdam by Mr. W.
-savouring of ye place whenc it came. And indeed the many discouragements
-I find her,[London] togeather with ye demurrs and retirings ther,[Leyden]
-had made me to say, I would give up my accounts to John Carver, & at his
-comeing aquainte him fully with all courses, and so leave it quite, with
-only ye pore cloaths on my back. But gathering up my selfe by further
-consideration, I resolved yet to make one triall more, and to acquainte
-Mr. Weston with ye fainted state of our bussines; and though he hath been
-much discontented at some thing amongst us of late, which hath made him
-often say, that save for his promise, he would not meadle at all with ye
-bussines any more, yet considering how farr we were plunged into maters,
-& how it stood both on our credits & undoing, at ye last he gathered up
-him selfe a litle more, & coming to me 2. hours after, he tould me he
-would not yet leave it. And so advising togeather we resolved to hire a
-ship, and have tooke liking of one till Monday, about 60. laste, for a
-greater we cannot gett, excepte it be tow great; but a fine ship it is.
-And seeing our neer freinds ther are so streite lased, we hope to assure
-her without troubling them any further; and if ye ship fale too small, it
-fitteth well yt such as stumble at strawes already, may rest them ther a
-while, least worse blocks come in ye way ere 7. years be ended. If you
-had beaten this bussines so throuly a month agoe, and write to us as now
-you doe, we could thus have done much more conveniently. But it is as it
-is; I hope our freinds they, if they be quitted of ye ship hire, will be
-indusced to venture ye more. All yt I now require is yt salt and netts
-may ther be boughte, and for all ye rest we will here provid it; yet if
-that will not be, let them but stand for it a month or tow, and we will
-take order to pay it all. Let Mr. Reinholds tarie ther, and bring ye
-ship to Southampton. We have hired another pilote here, one Mr. Clarke,
-who went last year to Virginia with a ship of kine.
-
-You shall here distinctly by John Turner, who I thinke shall come hence
-on tewsday night. I had thought to have come with him, to have answered
-to my complaints; but I shal lerne to pass litle for their censurs; and
-if I had more minde to goe & dispute & expostulate with them, then I have
-care of this waightie bussines, I were like them who live by clamours &
-jangling. But neither my mind nor my body is at libertie to doe much,
-for I am fettered with bussines, and had rather study to be quiet, then
-to make answer to their exceptions. If men be set on it, let them beat
-ye eair; I hope such as are my sinceire freinds will not thinke but I can
-give some reason of my actions. But of your mistaking aboute ye mater,
- & other things tending to this bussines, I shall nexte informe you
-more distinctly. Mean space entreate our freinds not to be too bussie in
-answering matters, before they know them. If I doe such things as I
-canot give reasons for, it is like you have sett a foole aboute your
-bussines, and so turne ye reproofe to your selves, & send an other, and
-let me come againe to my Combes. But setting aside my naturall
-infirmities, I refuse not to have my cause judged, both of God, & all
-indifferent men; and when we come togeather I shall give accounte of my
-actions hear. The Lord, who judgeth justly without respect of persons,
-see into ye equitie of my cause, and give us quiet, peacable, and patient
-minds, in all these turmoils, and sanctifie unto us all crosses
-whatsoever. And so I take my leave of you all, in all love & affection.
- I hope we shall gett all hear ready in 14. days.
- Your pore brother,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-[London]
-June 11. 1620 [O.S.].
-
-
-
-
- VI
- A LETTER OF MR. JOHN ROBINSON TO JOHN CARVER,
- JUNE 14. (N.S.), 1620
-
- [Professor Arber (“The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,” p. 317) has
- apparently failed to notice that in the original MS. of Bradford,
- this letter is dated “June 14, 1620, N. Stile,” which would make it
- June 4., O.S., while Arber dates it “14/24 June,” which is
- manifestly incorrect. A typographical error in Arber (p. 317)
- directs the letter to “Leyden” instead of to London. ]
-
-
- June 14. 1620. N. Stile.
-
-My dear freind & brother, whom with yours I alwaise remember in my best
-affection, and whose wellfare I shall never cease to comend to God by my
-best & most earnest praires. You doe throwly understand by our generall
-letters ye estate of things hear, which indeed is very pitifull;
-espetialy by wante of shiping, and not seeing means lickly, much less
-certaine, of having it provided; though withall ther be great want of
-money & means to doe needfull things. Mr. [Edward] Pickering, you know
-before this, will not defray a peny hear; though Robert Cushman presumed
-of I know not how many 100li. from him, & I know not whom. Yet it seems
-strange yt we should be put to him to receive both his & his partners
-[William Greene’s] adventer, and yet Mr. Weston write unto him, yt in
-regard of it, he hath drawne upon him a 100li. more. But they is in this
-some misterie, as indeed it seems ther is in ye whole course. Besids,
-wheras diverse are to pay in some parts of their moneys yet behinde, they
-refuse to doe it, till they see shiping provided, or a course taken for
-it. Neither doe I thinke is ther a man hear would pay anything, if he
-had againe his money in his purse. You know right well we depended on
-Mr. Weston alone, and upon such means as he would procure for this
-commone bussines; and when we had in hand an other course with ye
-Dutchmen, broke it of at his motion, and upon ye conditions by him
-shortly after propounded. He did this in his love I know, but things
-appeare not answerable from him hitherto. That he should have first have
-put in his moneys, is thought by many to have been but fitt, but yt I can
-well excuse, he being a marchante and haveing use of it to his benefite;
-whereas others, if it had been in their hands, would have consumed it.
-But yt he should not but have had either shipping ready before this time,
-or at least certaine means, and course, and ye same knowne to us for it,
-or have taken other order otherwise, cannot in my conscience be excused.
-I have heard yt wen he hath been moved in the bussines, he hath put it of
-from him selfe, and referred it to ye others; and would come to Georg
-Morton [in London] & enquire news of him aboute things, as if he had
-scarce been some accessarie unto it. Wlether he hath failed of some helps
-from others which he expected, and so be not well able to goe through
-with things, or whether he hath feared least you should be ready too
-soone & so encrease ye charge of shiping above yt is meete, or whether he
-hath thought by withhoulding to put us upon straits, thinking yt therby
-Mr. Brewer and Mr. Pickering would be drawne by importunitie to doe more,
-or what other misterie is in it, we know not; but sure we are yt things
-are not answerable to such an occasion. Mr. Weston maks himselfe mery
-with our endeavors aboute buying a ship, [the SPEEDWELL], but we have
-done nothing in this but with good reason, as I am perswaded, nor yet
-that I know in any thing els, save in those tow: ye one, that we imployed
-Robart Cushman, who is known (though a good man & of spetiall abilities
-in his kind, yet) most unfitt to deale for other by reason of his
-singularitie, and too great indifferancie for any conditions, and for (to
-speak truly) that we have had nothing from him but termes & presumptions.
-The other, yt we have so much relyed, by implicite faith as it were, upon
-generalities, without seeing ye perticuler course & means for so waghtie
-an affaire set down unto us. For shiping, Mr. Weston, it should seeme,
-is set upon hireing, which yet I wish he may presently effecte; but I see
-litle hope of help from hence if so it be. Of Mr. [Thomas] Brewer, you
-know what to expecte. I doe not thinke Mr. Pickering will ingage,
-excepte in ye course of buying [ships?] in former letters specified.
-Aboute ye conditions, you have our reason for our judgments of what is
-agreed. And let this spetially be borne in minde, yt the greatest pane
-of ye Collonie is like to be imployed constantly, not upon dressing they
-perticuler land & building houses, but upon fishing, trading, &c. So as
-ye land & house will be but a trifell for advantage to ye adventurers,
-and yet the devission of it a great discouragmente to ye planters, who
-would with singuler care make it comfortable with borowed houres from
-their sleep. The same consideration of comone imploymente constantly by
-the most is a good reason not to have ye 2, daies in a week denyed ye few
-planters for private use, which yet is subordinate to comone good.
-Consider also how much unfite that you & your liks must serve a new
-prentishipe of 7. years, and not a daies freedome from taske. Send me
-word what persons are to goe, who of usefull faculties, & how many, &
-perticulerly of every thing. I know you wante not a minde. I am sorie
-you have not been at London all this while, but ye provissions could not
-want you. Time will suffer me to write no more; fare, you & yours well
-allways in ye Lord, in whom I rest.
- Yours to use,
- JOHN’ ROBINSON.
-
-
-
-
- VII
- THE LETTER OF THE PLANTERS TO THE
- MERCHANT ADVENTURERS (FROM SOUTHAMPTON)
-
- Aug. 3. Ano. 1620.
-
-Beloved freinds, sory we are that ther should be occasion of writing at
-all unto you, partly because we ever expected to see ye most of you hear,
-but espetially because ther should any difference at all be conceived
-betweene us. But seing it faleth out that we cannot conferr togeather,
-we thinke it meete (though brefly) to show you ye just cause & reason of
-our differing from those articles last made by Robert Cushman, without
-our comission or knowledg.
-
-And though he might propound good ends to himselfe, yet it no way
-justifies his doing it. Our maine diference is in ye 5.& 9. article,
-concerning ye deviding or holding of house and lands; the injoying
-whereof some of your selves well know, was one spetiall motive, amongst
-many other, to provoke us to goe. This was thought so reasonable, yt
-when ye greatest of you in adventure (whom we have much cause to
-respecte), when he propounded conditions to us freely of his owne
-accorde, he set this downe for one; a coppy wherof we have sent unto you,
-with some additions then added by us; which being liked on both sids, and
-a day set for ye paimente of moneys, those in Holland paid in theirs.
-After yt, Robert Cushman, Mr. [John] Pierce, & Mr. [Christopher] Martine,
-brought them into a better forme, & write them in a booke now extante;
-and upon Robarts [Cushmans] shewing them and delivering Mr. [William]
-Mullins a coppy thereof under his hand (which we have), he payed in his
-money. And we of Holland had never seen other before our coming to
-Hamton, but only as one got for him selfe a private coppy of them; upon
-sight wherof we manyfested uter dislike, but had put of our estats & were
-ready to come, and therfore was too late to rejecte ye vioage. Judge
-therefore we beseech you indifferently of things, and if a faulte have
-bene comited, lay it where it is, & not upon us, who have more cause to
-stand for ye one, then you have for ye other. We never gave Robart
-Cushman comission to make any one article for us, but only sent him to
-receive moneys upon articles before agreed on, and to further ye
-provissions till John Carver came, and to assiste him in it. Yet since
-you conceive your selves wronged as well as we, we thought meete to add a
-branch to ye end of our 9. article, as will allmost heale that wound of
-it selfe, which you conceive to be in it. But that it may appeare to all
-men yt we are not lovers of our selves only, but desire also ye good &
-inriching of our freinds who have adventured your moneys with our
-persons, we have added our last article to ye rest, promising you againe
-by leters in ye behalfe of the whole company, that if large profits
-should not arise within ye 7. years, yt we will continue togeather longer
-with you, if ye Lord give a blessing.--[Bradford adds in a note, “It is
-well for them yt this was not accepted.”]--This we hope is sufficente to
-satisfie any in this case, espetialy freinds, since we are asured yt if
-the whole charge was devided into 4. parts, 3. of them will not stand
-upon it, nether doe regarde it, &c. We are in shuch a streate at
-presente, as we are forced to sell away 60li. worth of our provissions to
-cleare ye Haven [Southampton] & withall put our selves upon great
-extremities, scarce haveing any butter, no oyle, not a sole to mend a
-shoe, nor every man a sword to his side, wanting many muskets, much
-armoure, etc. And yet we are willing to expose our selves to shuch
-eminente dangers as are like to insue, & trust to ye good providence of
-God, rather then his name & truth should be evill spoken of for us. Thus
-saluting all of you in love, and beseeching ye Lord to give a blesing to
-our endeavore, and keepe all our harts in ye bonds of peace & love, we
-take leave & rest,
- Yours, &c
-
-Aug. 3. 1620.
-
- [“It was subscribed with many names of ye cheefest of ye company.”
- --Bradford, “Historie,” Mass. ed. p. 77.]
-
-
-
-
- VIII
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (FROM SOUTHAMPTON)
- TO EDWARD SOUTHWORTH
-
-To his loving friend Ed[ward] S[outhworth] at Henige House, in ye Duks
-Place [London], these, &c.
-
- Dartmouth [Thursday] Aug. 17, [Anno 1620.]
-
-Loving friend, my most kind remembrance to you & your wife, with loving
-E. M. &c. whom in this world I never looke to see againe. For besids ye
-eminente dangers of this viage, which are no less then deadly, an
-infirmitie of body Hath seased me, which will not in all licelyhoode
-leave me till death. What to call it I know not, but it it is a bundle
-of lead, as it were, crushing my harte more & more these 14. days, as
-that allthough I doe ye acctions of a liveing man, yet I am but as dead;
-but ye will of God be done. Our pinass [the SPEEDWELL] will not cease
-leaking, els I thinke we had been halfe way at Virginia, our viage hither
-hath been as full of crosses, as our, selves have been of crokednes. We
-put in hear to trime her, & I thinke, as others also, if we had stayed at
-sea but 3. or 4. howers more, shee would have sunke right downe. And
-though she was twice trimed at Hamton, yet now shee is open and lekie as
-a seine; and ther was a borde, a man might have puld of with his fingers,
-2 foote longe, wher ye water came in as at a mole hole. We lay at Hamton
-7. days, in fair weather, waiting for her, and now we lye hear waiting
-for her in as faire a wind as can blowe, and so have done these 4. days,
-and are like to lye 4. more, and by yt time ye wind will happily turne as
-it did at Hamton. Our victualls will be halfe eaten up, I thinke, before
-we goe from the coaste of England, and if our viage last longe, we shall
-not have a months victialls when we come in ye countrie. Near 700li.
-hath bene bestowed at Hamton upon what I know not. Mr. Martin saith he
-neither can nor will give any accounte of it, and if he be called upon
-for accounts he crieth out of unthankfulness for his paines & care, that
-we are susspitious of him, and flings away, and will end nothing. Also
-he so insulteh over our poore people with shuch scorne and contempte, as
-if they were not good enough to wipe his shoes. It would break your hart
-to see his dealing, and ye mourning of our people. They complaine to me,
-& alass! I can doe nothing for them; if I speake to him, he flies in my
-face, as mutinous, and saith no complaints shall be heard or received but
-by him selfe, and saith they are forwarde, & waspish, discontented
-people, & I doe ill to hear them. Ther are others yt would lose all they
-have put in, or make satisfaction for what they have had, that they might
-departe; but he will not hear them, nor suffer them to goe ashore, least
-they should rune away. The sailors also are so offended at his ignorante
-bouldnes, in medling & controuling in things he knows not what belongs
-too, as yt some threaten to misscheefe him, others say they will leave ye
-shipe & goe their way. But at ye best this cometh of it, yt he maks him
-selfe a scorne & laughing stock unto them. As for Mr. Weston, excepte
-grace doe greatly swaye with him, he will hate us ten times more then
-ever he loved us, for not confirming ye conditions. But now, since some
-pinches have taken them, they begine to reveile ye trueth, and say Mr.
-Robinson was in ye falte who charged them never to consente to those
-conditions, nor chuse me into office, but indeede apointed them to chose
-them they did chose. But he and they will rue too late, they may now
-see, & all be ashamed when it is too late, that they were so ignorante,
-yea, & so inordinate in their courses. I am sure as they were resolved
-not to seale those conditions, I was not so resolute at Hamton to have
-left ye whole bussines, excepte they would seale them, and better ye
-vioage to have bene broken of then, then to have brought such miserie to
-our selves, dishonour to God, & detrimente to our loving freinds, as now
-it is like to doe. 4. or 5. of ye cheefe of them which came from Leyden,
-came resolved never to goe on those conditions. And Mr. Martine, he said
-he never received no money on those conditions, he was not beholden to ye
-marchants, for a pine [pennie], they were bloudsuckers, & I know not
-what. Simple man, he indeed never made any conditions wth the marchants,
-nor ever spake with them.
-
-But did all that money flie to Hamton, or was it his owne? Who will goe
-lay out money so rashly & lavishly as he did, and never know how he comes
-by it, or on what conditions? I tould him of ye alteration longe
-agoe, & he was contente; but now he dominires, & said I had betrayed them
-into ye hands of slaves; he is not beholden to them, he can set out 2
-ships him selfe to a viage. When, good man? He hath but 50li. in, & if
-he should give up his accounts he would not have a penie left him,
---[“This was found true afterwards.] W[illiam] B[radford]]--as I
-am persuaded, &c. Freind, if ever we make a plantation, God works a
-mirakle; especially considering how scante we shall be of victualls, and
-most of all ununited amongst our selves, & devoyd of good tutors and
-regimente. Violence will break all. Wher is ye meek & humble spirite of
-Moyses? & of Nehemiah who reedified ye wals of Jerusalem, and ye state of
-Israell? Is not ye sound of Rehoboams braggs daly hear amongst us? Have
-not ye philosophers and all wise men observed yt, even in setled comone
-welths, violente governours bring either them selves, or people, or
-boath, to ruine; how much more in ye raising of comone wealths, when ye
-mortar is yet scarce tempered yt should bind ye wales [walls]. If I
-should write to you of all things which promiscuously forerune our ruine,
-I should over charge my weake head and greeve your tender hart; only
-this, I pray you prepare for evill tidings of us every day. But pray for
-us instantly, it may be ye Lord will be yet entreated one way or other to
-make for us. I see not in reason how we shall escape even ye gasping of
-hunger starved persons; but God can doe much, & his will be done. It is
-better for me to dye, then now for me to bear it, which I doe daly, &
-expect it howerly; haveing received ye sentance of death, both within me
-& with out me. Poore William Ring & my selfe doe strive who shall be
-meate first for ye fishes; but we looke for a glorious resurrection,
-knowing Christ Jesus after ye flesh no more, but looking unto ye joye yt
-is before us, we will endure all these things and accounte them light in
-comparison of ye joye we hope for. Remember me in all love to our
-freinds as if I named them, whose praiers I desire earnestly, & wish
-againe to see, but not till I can with more comforte looke them in ye
-face. The Lord give us that true comforte which none can take from us.
-I had a desire to make a breefe relation of our estate to some freind.
-I doubte not but your wisdome will teach you seasonably to utter things
-as here after you shall be called to it. That which I have writen is
-treue, & many things more which I have for borne. I write it as upon my
-life, and last confession in England. What is of use to be spoken of
-presently, you may speake of it, and what is fitt to conceile, conceall.
-Pass by my weake maner, for my head is weake, and my body feeble, ye Lord
-make me strong in him, and keepe both you & yours.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-
-Dartmouth, Aug. 17, 1620.
-
-
-
-
- IX
- THE MAY-FLOWER COMPACT
-
-In ye name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall
-subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord, King James, by ye grace of God, of
-Great Britaine, Franc, & Ireland king, defender of ye faith, &c., haveing
-under taken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye Christian
-faith, and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first
-colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly
-& mutualy in ye presence of God, and one of another, covenant & combine
-our selves together into a civill body politick, for our better ordering
-& preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid: and by vertue hearof
-to enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equall lawes, ordinances,
-actes, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought
-most meete & convenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie, unto which we
-promise all due submission and obedience. In witnes wherof we have here
-under subscribed our names at Cape-Codd ye 11. of November, in ye year of
-ye raigne of our soveraigne lord, King James, of England, France, &
-Ireland ye eighteenth, and of Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano. Dom. 1620
-
-
-
-
- X
- A COPY OF THE NUNCUPATIVE WILL OF MASTER WILLIAM MULLENS
-
- [Undoubtedly taken by Governor Carver on board the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
- [Although the dictation must, apparently, have been taken on the day
- of Master Mullens’s death, February 21/March 3, 1620, Governor
- Carver evidently did not write out his notes, and have them
- witnessed, till April 2, 1621, some weeks later.]
-
- “April, 1621.
-
-In the name of God, Amen: I comfit my Soule to God that gave it and my
-bodie to the earth from whence it came. Alsoe I give my goodes as
-followeth: That fforty poundes wch is in the hand of good-man Woodes I
-give my wife tenn poundes, my sonne Joseph tenn poundes, my daughter
-Priscilla tenn poundes, and my eldest sonne tenn poundes. Alsoe I give to
-my eldest sonne all my debtes, bonds, bills (onelye yt forty poundes
-excepted in the handes of goodman Wood) given as aforesaid wth all the
-stock in his owne handes. To my eldest daughter I give ten shillinges to
-be paied out of my sonnes stock Furthermore that goodes I have in
-Virginia as followeth To my wife Alice halfe my goodes. 2. to Joseph and
-Priscilla the other halfe equallie to be devided betweene them. Alsoe I
-have xxi dozen of shoes, and thirteene paire of bootes wch I give into
-the Companies handes for forty poundes at seaven years end if they like
-them at that rate. If it be thought to deare as my Overseers shall
-thinck good. And if they like them at that rate at the devident I shall
-have nyne shares whereof I give as followeth twoe to my wife, twoe to my
-sonne William, twoe to my sonne Joseph, towe to my daughter Priscilla,
-and one to the Companie. Allsoe if my sonne William will come to
-Virginia I give him my share of land furdermore I give to my two
-Overseers Mr. John Carver and Mr. Williamson, twentye shillinges apeece
-to see this my will performed desiringe them that he would have an eye
-over my wife and children to be as fathers and freindes to them, Allsoe
-to have a speciall eye to my man Robert wch hathe not so approved
-himselfe as I would he should have done.
-
-This is a Coppye of Mr. Mullens his Will of all particulars he hathe
-given. In witnes whereof I have sette my hande John Carver, Giles Heale,
-Christopher Joanes.”
-
-
-
-
- XI
- THE LETTER OF “ONE OF THE CHIEFE OF YE COMPANIE”
- [THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS]
- DATED AT LONDON, APRIL 9, 1623
-
-Loving friend, when I write my last leter, I hope to have received one
-from you well-nigh by this time. But when I write in Des: I little
-thought to have seen Mr. John Pierce till he had brought some good
-tidings from you. But it pleased God, he brought us ye wofull tidings of
-his returne when he was half-way over, by extraime tempest, werin ye
-goodnes & mercie of God appeared in sparing their lives, being 109.
-souls. The loss is so great to Mr. Pierce &c., and ye companie put upon
-so great charge, as veryly, &c. Now with great trouble & loss, we have
-got Mr. John Pierce to assigne over ye grand patente to ye companie,
-which he had taken in his owne name, and made quite voyd our former
-grante. I am sorie to writ how many hear thinke yt the hand of God was
-justly against him, both ye first and 2. time of his returne; in regard
-he, whom you and we so confidently trusted, but only to use his name for
-ye company, should aspire to be lord over us all, and so make you & us
-tenants at his will and pleasure, our assurance or patente being quite
-voyd & disanuled by his means. I desire to judg charitably of him. But
-his unwillingness to part with his royall lordship, and ye high rate he
-set it at, which was 500li. which cost him but 50li., maks many speake
-and judg hardly of him. The company are out for goods in his ship, with
-charge aboute ye passengers, 640li., &c.
-
-We have agreed with 2 merchants for a ship of 140 tunes, caled ye Anne,
-which is to be ready ye last of this month, to bring 60 passengers &
-60 tune of goods, &c--[Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 167.]
-
-
-
-ADDENDA
-
-Governor Winslow, in his “Hypocrisie Unmasked” (pp. 89,90), indicates
-that the representatives of the Leyden congregation (Cushman and Carver)
-sought the First (or London) Virginia Company as early as 1613. It is
-beyond doubt that preliminary steps toward securing the favor, both of
-the King and others, were taken as early as 1617, and that the Wincob
-Patent was granted in their interest, June 9/19, 1619. But the Leyden
-people were but little advanced by the issue of this Patent. They became
-discouraged, and began early in 1620 (perhaps earlier) negotiations with
-the Dutch, which were in progress when, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges, Thomas Weston undertook (February 2/12, April 1/11, 1620) to
-secure the Leyden party, avowedly for the London Virginia Company, but
-really for its rival, the Second Virginia Company, soon to be merged in
-the “Council of Affairs for New England.” It was then, and under these
-influences, that the Leyden leaders “broke off,” as Bradford puts it,
-their negotiations with the Dutch authorities, who, however, apparently
-about the same time, determined to reject their propositions. While the
-renewal of the Leyden leaders’ negotiations, through Weston, were, “on
-their face” (and so far as the Pilgrims were concerned), with the First
-Virginia Company, with whom, through Sir Edwin Sandys and other friends,
-their original efforts were made, they were, as stated, subverted by
-Gorges’s plans and Weston’s cooperation, in the interest of the Second
-Virginia Company. The Merchant Adventurers were represented, in the
-direct negotiations for the Patent only, by John Pierce, who, at that
-time, was apparently dealing honestly, and was not, so far as appears,
-in Gorges’s confidence, though later he proved a traitor and a consummate
-rascal, albeit he always acted, apparently, alone. The so-called “Pierce
-Patent” (which displaced the Wincob) was rendered worthless by the
-landing of the Pilgrims north of 41 deg. north latitude. The third
-Patent (Pierce’s second) was from the Council for New England to Pierce,
-for the colonists, but was exchanged by him for a “deed-pole” to himself,
-though at last surrendered to the colony under stress.
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR’S BOOKMARKS:
-
-All business without any agreement in writing
-Anxiety to get English clothes upon their red brethren
-As 1620 did not begin until March 25
-Borowed houres from their sleep
-Crime--for such it was, in inception, nature, and results
-Forks there were none
-Genius,--proverbially indifferent to detail
-Lanterns--only “serving to make darkness visible”
- Malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has wronged
-Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the knife
-Not to be too bussie in answering matters, before they know them
-Old Style and the New Style dates
-Personal inference rather than a verity
-Redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde
-Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it
-The old adage, “second thief best owner”
- Theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony
-Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is wanting
-Transplantation to the “northern parts of Virginia”
- Welcome lies acquired a hold on the public mind
-
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg’s The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-***** This file should be named 4107-0.txt or 4107-0.zip *****
-This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
- https://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/0/4107/
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
-will be renamed.
-
-Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
-one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
-(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
-permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
-set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
-copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
-protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
-Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
-charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
-do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
-rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
-such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
-research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
-practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
-subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
-redistribution.
-
-
-
-*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
-
-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
-Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
-https://gutenberg.org/license).
-
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works
-
-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
-all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
-If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
-terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
-entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
-
-1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
-and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation”
- or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
-collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
-individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
-located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
-copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
-works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
-are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
-Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
-freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
-this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
-the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
-keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
-
-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
-a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
-the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
-before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
-creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
-Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
-the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
-States.
-
-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
-access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
-whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
-phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project
-Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
-copied or distributed:
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
-from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
-posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
-and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
-or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
-with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the
-work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
-through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
-Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
-1.E.9.
-
-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
-terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
-to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
-permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
-
-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
-
-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm License.
-
-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
-word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
-distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
-“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version
-posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
-you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
-copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
-request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other
-form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
-that
-
-- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
- the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
- you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
- owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
- has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
- Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
- must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
- prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
- returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
- sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
- address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to
- the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”
-
-- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
- you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
- does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
- License. You must require such a user to return or
- destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
- and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
- Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
- money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
- electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
- of receipt of the work.
-
-- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
- distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
-forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
-both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
-Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
-Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
-
-1.F.
-
-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
-public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
-collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
-“Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
-corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
-property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
-computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
-your equipment.
-
-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
-of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
-your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
-the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
-refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
-providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
-receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
-is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
-opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’ WITH NO OTHER
-WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
-WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
-If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
-law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
-interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
-the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
-provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
-
-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
-with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
-promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
-harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
-that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
-or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
-work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
-Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
-
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
-including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
-because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
-people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm’s
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
-To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
-and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
-Foundation
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
-https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
-permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.
-
-The Foundation’s principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
-Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
-throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
-809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
-business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact
-information can be found at the Foundation’s web site and official
-page at https://pglaf.org
-
-For additional contact information:
- Dr. Gregory B. Newby
- Chief Executive and Director
- gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
-spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
-freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
-status with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
-SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
-particular state visit https://pglaf.org
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
-donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
-
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works.
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
-concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
-with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
-Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
-
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
-unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
-keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
-
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
-
- https://www.gutenberg.org
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.zip b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index a62d5c6..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-0.zip
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h.zip b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index a378b20..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h.zip
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/4107-h.htm b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/4107-h.htm
deleted file mode 100644
index 3de4c44..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/4107-h.htm
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12172 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
-
-<!DOCTYPE html
- PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
- "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" >
-
-<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
- <head>
- <title>
- The May-flower and Her Log, by Azel Ames
- </title>
- <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" style="width:100%;" />
- <style type="text/css">
- <!--
- body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}
- P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
- H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
- hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
- .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
- blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
- .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
- .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
- .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;}
- .indent5 { margin-left: 5%;}
- .indent10 { margin-left: 10%;}
- .indent15 { margin-left: 15%;}
- .indent20 { margin-left: 20%;}
- .indent30 { margin-left: 30%;}
- div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
- div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
- .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
- .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
- .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 100%; font-style:normal;
- margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
- text-align: right;}
- .side { float: left; font-size: 75%; width: 25%; padding-left: 0.8em;
- border-left: dashed thin; text-align: left;
- text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;
- font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;}
- p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0}
- span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 }
- pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
- -->
-</style>
- </head>
- <body>
- <h1>
- THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
- </h1>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Project Gutenberg's The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-Title: The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete
-
-Author: Azel Ames
-
-Release Date: October 7, 2006 [EBook #4107]
-Last Updated: August 24, 2016
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-
-
-
-
-</pre>
-
- <p>
- <br />
- </p>
-
-
-<p>
- <br />
- </p>
-<hr />
-<p>
- <br />
- </p>
- <h1>
- THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
- </h1>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h4>
- July 15, 1620&mdash;May 6, 1621 Chiefly from Original Sources
- </h4>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- By AZEL AMES, M.D.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h3>
- Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
- </h3>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <blockquote>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Next to the fugitives whom Moses led out of Egypt, the little shipload
- of outcasts who landed at Plymouth are destined to influence the future
- of the world."<br /><br /> JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL<br />
- </p>
- </blockquote>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <blockquote>
- <p class="toc">
- <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
- </p>
- <p>
- <br />
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER &nbsp;I </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER &nbsp;II </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER &nbsp;III </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER &nbsp;IV </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER &nbsp;V </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER &nbsp;VI </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER &nbsp;VII </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER &nbsp;VIII </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER &nbsp;IX </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkappendix"> APPENDIX </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <big><b>ILLUSTRATIONS</b></big>
- </p>
- <p>
- <br />
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0001"> The Mayflower </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0002"> Titlepage </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0003"> Contents 1 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0004"> Contents 2 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0005"> Contents 3 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0006"> Maps and Illustrations </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0007"> Leyden to Delfshaven </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0008"> The Channel Courses </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0009"> Pilgrim Period Ship </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0010"> Ship Models </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0011"> Governor Winslow </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0012"> Chart Cape Cod Harbour 1 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0013"> Chart Cape Cod Harbour 2 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0014"> Chart Plymouth Bay 1 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0015"> Chart Plymouth Bay 2 </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#linkimage-0016"> Chart Plymouth Bay 3 </a>
- </p>
- </blockquote>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001">
- <!-- IMG --></a> <a href="images/mayflower.jpg" style="width:100%;" ></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="THE MAY-FLOWER AT SEA" src="images/maythumb.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="titlepage (105K)" src="images/titlepage.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="contents1 (74K)" src="images/contents1.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="contents2 (80K)" src="images/contents2.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="contents3 (67K)" src="images/contents3.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS" src="images/illust.jpg" style="width:100%;"
- /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- INTRODUCTORY
- </h2>
- <p>
- O civilized humanity, world-wide, and especially to the descendants of the
- Pilgrims who, in 1620, laid on New England shores the foundations of that
- civil and religious freedom upon which has been built a refuge for the
- oppressed of every land, the story of the Pilgrim &ldquo;Exodus&rdquo; has an
- ever-increasing value and zest. The little we know of the inception,
- development, and vicissitudes of their bold scheme of colonization in the
- American wilderness only serves to sharpen the appetite for more.
- </p>
- <p>
- Every detail and circumstance which relates to their preparations; to the
- ships which carried them; to the personnel of the Merchant Adventurers
- associated with them, and to that of the colonists themselves; to what
- befell them; to their final embarkation on their lone ship,&mdash;the
- immortal MAY-FLOWER; and to the voyage itself and to its issues, is vested
- to-day with, a supreme interest, and over them all rests a glamour
- peculiarly their own.
- </p>
- <p>
- For every grain of added knowledge that can be gleaned concerning the
- Pilgrim sires from any field, their children are ever grateful, and
- whoever can add a well-attested line to their all-too-meagre annals is
- regarded by them, indeed by all, a benefactor.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of those all-important factors in the chronicles of the &ldquo;Exodus,&rdquo;&mdash;the
- Pilgrim ships, of which the MAY-FLOWER alone crossed the seas,&mdash;and
- of the voyage itself, there is still but far too little known. Of even
- this little, the larger part has not hitherto been readily accessible, or
- in form available for ready reference to the many who eagerly seize upon
- every crumb of new-found data concerning these pious and intrepid
- Argonauts.
- </p>
- <p>
- To such there can be no need to recite here the principal and familiar
- facts of the organization of the English &ldquo;Separatist&rdquo; congregation under
- John Robinson; of its emigration to Holland under persecution of the
- Bishops; of its residence and unique history at Leyden; of the broad
- outlook of its members upon the future, and their resultant determination
- to cross the sea to secure larger life and liberty; and of their initial
- labors to that end. We find these Leyden Pilgrims in the early summer of
- 1620, their plans fairly matured and their agreements between themselves
- and with their merchant associates practically concluded, urging forward
- their preparations for departure; impatient of the delays and
- disappointments which befell, and anxiously seeking shipping for their
- long and hazardous voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is to what concerns their ships, and especially that one which has
- passed into history as &ldquo;the Pilgrim bark,&rdquo; the MAY-FLOWER, and to her
- pregnant voyage, that the succeeding chapters chiefly relate. In them the
- effort has been made to bring together in sequential relation, from many
- and widely scattered sources, everything germane that diligent and
- faithful research could discover, or the careful study and re-analysis of
- known data determine. No new and relevant item of fact discovered, however
- trivial in itself, has failed of mention, if it might serve to correct, to
- better interpret, or to amplify the scanty though priceless records left
- us, of conditions, circumstances, and events which have meant so much to
- the world.
- </p>
- <p>
- As properly antecedent to the story of the voyage of the MAY-FLOWER as
- told by her putative &ldquo;Log,&rdquo; albeit written up long after her boned lay
- bleaching on some unknown shore, some pertinent account has been given of
- the ship herself and of her &ldquo;consort,&rdquo; the SPEEDWELL; of the difficulties
- attendant on securing them; of the preparations for the voyage; of the
- Merchant Adventurers who had large share in sending them to sea; of their
- officers and crews; of their passengers and lading; of the troubles that
- assailed before they had &ldquo;shaken off the land,&rdquo; and of the final
- consolidation of the passengers and lading of both ships upon the
- MAY-FLOWER, for the belated ocean passage. The wholly negative results of
- careful search render it altogether probable that the original journal or
- &ldquo;Log&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER (a misnomer lately applied by the British press,
- and unhappily continued in that of the United States, to the recovered
- original manuscript of Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;History of Plimoth Plantation &ldquo;), if
- such journal ever existed, is now hopelessly lost.
- </p>
- <p>
- So far as known, no previous effort has been made to bring together in the
- consecutive relation of such a journal, duly attested and in their
- entirety, the ascertained daily happenings of that destiny-freighted
- voyage. Hence, this later volume may perhaps rightly claim to present
- &mdash;and in part to be, though necessarily imperfect&mdash;the sole and
- a true &ldquo;Log of the MAY-FLOWER.&rdquo; No effort has been made, however, to
- reduce the collated data to the shape and style of the ship&rsquo;s &ldquo;Log&rdquo; of
- recent times, whose matter and form are largely prescribed by maritime
- law. While it is not possible to give, as the original&mdash;if it existed&mdash;would
- have done, the results of the navigators&rsquo; observations day by day; the
- &ldquo;Lat.&rdquo; and &ldquo;Long.&rdquo;; the variations of the wind and of the magnetic needle;
- the tallies of the &ldquo;lead&rdquo; and &ldquo;log&rdquo; lines; &ldquo;the daily run,&rdquo; etc.&mdash;in
- all else the record may confidently be assumed to vary little from that
- presumably kept, in some form, by Captain Jones, the competent Master of
- the Pilgrim bark, and his mates, Masters Clarke and Coppin.
- </p>
- <p>
- As the charter was for the &ldquo;round voyage,&rdquo; all the features and incidents
- of that voyage until complete, whether at sea or in port, properly find
- entry in its journal, and are therefore included in this compilation,
- which it is hoped may hence prove of reference value to such as take
- interest in Pilgrim studies. Although the least pleasant to the author,
- not the least valuable feature of the work to the reader&mdash;especially
- if student or writer of Pilgrim history&mdash;will be found, it is
- believed, in the numerous corrections of previously published errors which
- it contains, some of which are radical and of much historical importance.
- It is true that new facts and items of information which have been coming
- to light, in long neglected or newly discovered documents, etc., are
- correctives of earlier and natural misconceptions, and a certain
- percentage of error is inevitable, but many radical and reckless errors
- have been made in Pilgrim history which due study and care must have
- prevented. Such errors have so great and rapidly extending power for harm,
- and, when built upon, so certainly bring the superstructure tumbling to
- the ground, that the competent and careful workman can render no better
- service than to point out and correct them wherever found, undeterred by
- the association of great names, or the consciousness of his own liability
- to blunder. A sound and conscientious writer will welcome the courteous
- correction of his error, in the interest of historical accuracy; the
- opinion of any other need not be regarded.
- </p>
- <p>
- Some of the new contributions (or original demonstrations), of more or
- less historical importance, made to the history of the Pilgrims, as the
- author believes, by this volume, are as follows:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left Delfshaven on
- the SPEEDWELL for Southampton; in other words, the names&mdash;those of
- Carver and Cushman and of the latter&rsquo;s family being added&mdash;of the
- Leyden contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left London in the
- MAY-FLOWER for Southampton; in other words, the names (with the deduction
- of Cushman and family, of Carver, who was at Southampton, and of an
- unknown few who abandoned the voyage at Plymouth) of the English
- contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) The establishment as correct, beyond reasonable doubt, of the date,
- Sunday, June 11/21, 1620, affixed by Robert Cushman to his letter to the
- Leyden leaders (announcing the &ldquo;turning of the tide&rdquo; in Pilgrim affairs,
- the hiring of the &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; Clarke, etc.), contrary to the conclusions of
- Prince, Arber, and others, that the letter could not have been written on
- Sunday.
- </p>
- <p>
- (d) The demonstration of the fact that on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620,
- Cushman&rsquo;s efforts alone apparently turned the tide in Pilgrim affairs;
- brought Weston to renewed and decisive cooperation; secured the employment
- of a &ldquo;pilot,&rdquo; and definite action toward hiring a ship, marking it as one
- of the most notable and important of Pilgrim &ldquo;red-letter days.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- (e) The demonstration of the fact that the ship of which Weston and
- Cushman took &ldquo;the refusal,&rdquo; on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620, was not the
- MAY-FLOWER, as Young, Deane, Goodwin, and other historians allege.
- </p>
- <p>
- (f) The demonstration of the fact (overthrowing the author&rsquo;s own earlier
- views) that the estimates and criticisms of Robinson, Carver, Brown,
- Goodwin, and others upon Robert Cushman were unwarranted, unjust, and
- cruel, and that he was, in fact, second to none in efficient service to
- the Pilgrims; and hence so ranks in title to grateful appreciation and
- memory.
- </p>
- <p>
- (g) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER was not chartered
- later than June 19/29, 1620, and was probably chartered in the week of
- June 12/22&mdash;June 19/29 of that year.
- </p>
- <p>
- (h) The addition of several new names to the list of the Merchant
- Adventurers, hitherto unpublished as such, with considerable new data
- concerning the list in general.
- </p>
- <p>
- (i) The demonstration of the fact that Martin and Mullens, of the
- MAY-FLOWER colonists, were also Merchant Adventurers, while William White
- was probably such.
- </p>
- <p>
- (j) The demonstration of the fact that &ldquo;Master Williamson,&rdquo; the
- much-mooted incognito of Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation&rdquo; (whose existence
- even has often been denied by Pilgrim writers), was none other than the
- &ldquo;ship&rsquo;s-merchant,&rdquo; or &ldquo;purser&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER,&mdash;hitherto unknown
- as one of her officers, and historically wholly unidentified.
- </p>
- <p>
- (k) The general description of; and many particulars concerning, the
- MAY-FLOWER herself; her accommodations (especially as to her cabins), her
- crew, etc., hitherto unknown.
- </p>
- <p>
- (1) The demonstration of the fact that the witnesses to the nuncupative
- will of William Mullens were two of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S crew (one being
- possibly the ship&rsquo;s surgeon), thus furnishing the names of two more of the
- ship&rsquo;s company, and the only names&mdash;except those of her chief
- officers&mdash;ever ascertained.
- </p>
- <p>
- (m) The indication of the strong probability that the entire company of
- the Merchant Adventurers signed, on the one part, the charter-party of the
- MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- (n) An (approximate) list of the ages of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S passengers and
- the respective occupations of the adults.
- </p>
- <p>
- (o) The demonstration of the fact that no less than five of the Merchant
- Adventurers cast in their lots and lives with the Plymouth Pilgrims as
- colonists.
- </p>
- <p>
- (p) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas Goffe, Esquire,
- one of the Merchant Adventurers, owned the &ldquo;MAY-FLOWER&rdquo; when she was
- chartered for the Pilgrim voyage,&mdash;as also on her voyages to New
- England in 1629 and 1630.
- </p>
- <p>
- (q) The demonstration of the fact that the Master of the MAY-FLOWER was
- Thomas Jones, and that there was an intrigue with Master Jones to land the
- Pilgrims at some point north of the 41st parallel of north latitude, the
- other parties to which were, not the Dutch, as heretofore claimed, but
- none other than Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the Earl of Warwick, chiefs of
- the &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo; in furtherance of a successful scheme of
- Gorges to steal the Pilgrim colony from the London Virginia Company, for
- the more &ldquo;northern Plantations&rdquo; of the conspirators.
- </p>
- <p>
- (r) The demonstration of the fact that a second attempt at stealing the
- colony&mdash;by which John Pierce, one of the Adventurers, endeavored to
- possess himself of the demesne and rights of the colonists, and to make
- them his tenants&mdash;was defeated only by the intervention of the
- &ldquo;Council&rdquo; and the Crown, the matter being finally settled by compromise
- and the transfer of the patent by Pierce (hitherto questioned) to the
- colony.
- </p>
- <p>
- (s) The demonstration of the actual relations of the Merchant Adventurers
- and the Pilgrim colonists&mdash;their respective bodies being associated
- as but two partners in an equal copartnership, the interests of the
- respective partners being (probably) held upon differing bases&mdash;contrary
- to the commonly published and accepted view.
- </p>
- <p>
- (t) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER&mdash;contrary to
- the popular impression&mdash;did not enter Plymouth harbor, as a &ldquo;lone
- vessel,&rdquo; slowly &ldquo;feeling her way&rdquo; by chart and lead-line, but was
- undoubtedly piloted to her anchorage&mdash;previously &ldquo;sounded&rdquo; for her&mdash;by
- the Pilgrim shallop, which doubtless accompanied her from Cape Cod harbor,
- on both her efforts to make this haven, under her own sails.
- </p>
- <p>
- (u) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas English was
- helmsman of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S shallop (and so savior of her sovereign
- company, at the entrance of Plymouth harbor on the stormy night of the
- landing on Clarke&rsquo;s Island), and that hence to him the salvation of the
- Pilgrim colony is probably due; and
- </p>
- <p>
- (v) Many facts not hitherto published, or generally known, as to the
- antecedents, relationships, etc., of individual Pilgrims of both the
- Leyden and the English contingents, and of certain of the Merchant
- Adventurers.
- </p>
- <p>
- For convenience&rsquo; sake, both the Old Style and the New Style dates of many
- events are annexed to their mention, and double-dating is followed
- throughout the narrative journal or &ldquo;Log&rdquo; of the Pilgrim ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- As the Gregorian and other corrections of the calendar are now generally
- well understood, and have been so often stated in detail in print, it is
- thought sufficient to note here their concrete results as affecting dates
- occurring in Pilgrim and later literature.
- </p>
- <p>
- From 1582 to 1700 the difference between O.S. and N.S. was ten (10) days
- (the leap-year being passed in 1600). From 1700 to 1800 it was eleven (11)
- days, because 1700 in O.S. was leap-year. From 1800 to 1900 the difference
- is twelve (12) days, and from 1900 to 2000 it will be thirteen (13) days.
- All the Dutch dates were New Style, while English dates were yet of the
- Old Style.
- </p>
- <p>
- There are three editions of Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;History of Plimoth Plantation&rdquo;
- referred to herein; each duly specified, as occasion requires. (There is,
- beside, a magnificent edition in photo-facsimile.) They are:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) The original manuscript itself, now in possession of the State of
- Massachusetts, having been returned from England in 1897, called herein
- &ldquo;orig. MS.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) The Deane Edition (so-called) of 1856, being that edited by the late
- Charles Deane for the Massachusetts Historical Society and published in
- &ldquo;Massachusetts Historical Collections,&rdquo; vol. iii.; called herein &ldquo;Deane&rsquo;s
- ed.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) The Edition recently published by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
- and designated as the &ldquo;Mass. ed.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Of &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation&rdquo; there are several editions, but the one usually
- referred to herein is that edited by Rev. Henry M. Dexter, D. D., by far
- the best. Where reference is made to any other edition, it is indicated,
- and &ldquo;Dexter&rsquo;s ed.&rdquo; is sometimes named.
- </p>
- <p>
- AZEL AMES.
- </p>
- <p>
- WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, March 1, 1901.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- THE MAYFLOWER AND HER LOG
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <blockquote>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Hail to thee, poor little ship MAY-FLOWER&mdash;of Delft Haven &mdash;poor,
- common-looking ship, hired by common charter-party for coined dollars,&mdash;caulked
- with mere oakum and tar, provisioned with vulgarest biscuit and bacon,&mdash;yet
- what ship Argo or miraculous epic ship, built by the sea gods, was other
- than a foolish bumbarge in comparison!&rdquo;<br /><br /> THOMAS CARLYLE<br />
- </p>
- </blockquote>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER I
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE NAME&mdash;&ldquo;MAY-FLOWER&rdquo;
- </h3>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Curiously enough,&rdquo; observes Professor Arber, &ldquo;these names [MAY-FLOWER and
- SPEEDWELL] do not occur either in the Bradford manuscript or in &lsquo;Mourt&rsquo;s
- Relation.&rsquo;&rdquo;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [A Relation, or Journal, of the Beginning and Proceedings of the
- English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, etc. G.
- Mourt, London, 1622. Undoubtedly the joint product of Bradford and
- Winslow, and sent to George Morton at London for publication.
- Bradford says (op, cit. p. 120): &ldquo;Many other smaler maters I omite,
- sundrie of them having been already published, in a Jurnall made by
- one of ye company,&rdquo; etc. From this it would appear that Mourt&rsquo;s
- Relation was his work, which it doubtless principally was, though
- Winslow performed an honorable part, as &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s&rdquo; introduction and
- other data prove.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- He might have truthfully added that they nowhere appear in any of the
- letters of the &ldquo;exodus&rdquo; period, whether from Carver, Robinson, Cushman, or
- Weston; or in the later publications of Window; or in fact of any
- contemporaneous writer. It is not strange, therefore, that the Rev. Mr.
- Blaxland, the able author of the &ldquo;Mayflower Essays,&rdquo; should have asked for
- the authority for the names assigned to the two Pilgrim ships of 1620.
- </p>
- <p>
- It seems to be the fact, as noted by Arber, that the earliest authentic
- evidence that the bark which bore the Pilgrims across the North Atlantic
- in the late autumn of 1620 was the MAY-FLOWER, is the &ldquo;heading&rdquo; of the
- &ldquo;Allotment of Lands&rdquo;&mdash;happily an &ldquo;official&rdquo; document&mdash;made at
- New Plymouth, New England, in March, 1623&mdash;It is not a little
- remarkable that, with the constantly recurring references to &ldquo;the ship,&rdquo;&mdash;the
- all-important factor in Pilgrim history,&mdash;her name should nowhere
- have found mention in the earliest Pilgrim literature. Bradford uses the
- terms, the &ldquo;biger ship,&rdquo; or the &ldquo;larger ship,&rdquo; and Winslow, Cushman,
- Captain John Smith, and others mention simply the &ldquo;vessel,&rdquo; or the &ldquo;ship,&rdquo;
- when speaking of the MAY-FLOWER, but in no case give her a name.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is somewhat startling to find so thorough-paced an Englishman as Thomas
- Carlyle calling her the MAY-FLOWER &ldquo;of Delft-Haven,&rdquo; as in the quotation
- from him on a preceding page. That he knew better cannot be doubted, and
- it must be accounted one of those &lsquo;lapsus calami&rsquo; readily forgiven to
- genius,&mdash;proverbially indifferent to detail.
- </p>
- <p>
- Sir Ferdinando Gorges makes the curious misstatement that the Pilgrims had
- three ships, and says of them: &ldquo;Of the three ships (such as their weak
- fortunes were able to provide), whereof two proved unserviceable and so
- were left behind, the third with great difficulty reached the coast of New
- England,&rdquo; etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER II
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S CONSORT THE SPEEDWELL
- </h3>
- <p>
- The SPEEDWELL was the first vessel procured by the Leyden Pilgrims for the
- emigration, and was bought by themselves; as she was the ship of their
- historic embarkation at Delfshaven, and that which carried the originators
- of the enterprise to Southampton, to join the MAY-FLOWER, &mdash;whose
- consort she was to be; and as she became a determining factor in the
- latter&rsquo;s belated departure for New England, she may justly claim mention
- here as indeed an inseparable &ldquo;part and parcel&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S
- voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- The name of this vessel of associate historic renown with the MAY-FLOWER
- was even longer in finding record in the early literature of the Pilgrim
- hegira than that of the larger It first appeared, so far as discovered, in
- 1669&mdash;nearly fifty years after her memorable service to the Pilgrims
- on the fifth page of Nathaniel Morton&rsquo;s &ldquo;New England&rsquo;s Memorial.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Davis, in his &ldquo;Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth,&rdquo; makes a singular error for
- so competent a writer, when he says: &ldquo;The agents of the company in England
- had hired the SPEEDWELL, of sixty tons, and sent her to Delfthaven, to
- convey the colonists to Southampton.&rdquo; In this, however, he but follows
- Mather and the &ldquo;Modern Universal History,&rdquo; though both are notably
- unreliable; but he lacks their excuse, for they were without his access to
- Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Historie.&rdquo; That the consort-pinnace was neither &ldquo;hired&rdquo; nor
- &ldquo;sent to Delfthaven&rdquo; duly appears.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford states the fact,&mdash;that &ldquo;a smale ship (of some 60 tune), was
- bought and fitted in Holand, which was intended to serve to help to
- transport them, so to stay in ye countrie and atend ye fishing and such
- other affairs as might be for ye good and benefite of ye colonie when they
- come ther.&rdquo; The statements of Bradford and others indicate that she was
- bought and refitted with moneys raised in Holland, but it is not easy to
- understand the transaction, in view of the understood terms of the
- business compact between the Adventurers and the Planters, as hereinafter
- outlined. The Merchant Adventurers&mdash;who were organized (but not
- incorporated) chiefly through the activity of Thomas Weston, a merchant of
- London, to &ldquo;finance&rdquo; the Pilgrim undertaking&mdash;were bound, as part of
- their engagement, to provide the necessary shipping,&rsquo; etc., for the
- voyage. The &ldquo;joint-stock or partnership,&rdquo; as it was called in the
- agreement of the Adventurers and Planters, was an equal partnership
- between but two parties, the Adventurers, as a body, being one of the
- co-partners; the Planter colonists, as a body, the other. It was a
- partnership to run for seven years, to whose capital stock the first-named
- partner (the Adventurers) was bound to contribute whatever moneys, or
- their equivalents,&mdash;some subscriptions were paid in goods, &mdash;were
- necessary to transport, equip, and maintain the colony and provide it the
- means of traffic, etc., for the term named. The second-named partner (the
- Planter body) was to furnish the men, women, and children, &mdash;the
- colonists themselves, and their best endeavors, essential to the
- enterprise,&mdash;and such further contributions of money or provisions,
- on an agreed basis, as might be practicable for them. At the expiration of
- the seven years, all properties of every kind were to be divided into two
- equal parts, of which the Adventurers were to take one and the Planters
- the other, in full satisfaction of their respective investments and
- claims. The Adventurers&rsquo; half would of course be divided among themselves,
- in such proportion as their individual contributions bore to the sum total
- invested. The Planters would divide their half among their number,
- according to their respective contributions of persons, money, or
- provisions, as per the agreed basis, which was:
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford&rsquo;s Historie, Deane&rsquo;s ed.; Arber, op. cit. p. 305.
- The fact that Lyford (Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 217)
- recommended that every &ldquo;particular&rdquo; (i.e. non-partnership colonist)
- sent out by the Adventurers&mdash;and they had come to be mostly of that
- class&mdash;&ldquo;should come over as an Adventurer, even if only a servant,&rdquo;
- and the fact that he recognized that some one would have to pay in
- L10 to make each one an Adventurer, would seem to indicate that any
- one was eligible and that either L10 was the price of the Merchant
- Adventurer&rsquo;s share, or that this was the smallest subscription which
- would admit to membership. Such &ldquo;particular,&rdquo; even although an
- Adventurer, had no partnership share in the Planters&rsquo; half-interest;
- had no voice in the government, and no claim for maintenance. He
- was, however, amenable to the government, subject to military duty
- and to tax. The advantage of being an Adventurer without a voice in
- colony affairs would be purely a moral one.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> that every person joining the enterprise, whether man, woman, youth,
- maid, or servant, if sixteen years old, should count as a share; that a
- share should be reckoned at L10, and hence that L10 worth of money or
- provisions should also count as a share. Every man, therefore, would be
- entitled to one share for each person (if sixteen years of age) he
- contributed, and for each L10 of money or provisions he added thereto,
- another share. Two children between ten and sixteen would count as one and
- be allowed a share in the division, but children under ten were to have
- only fifty acres of wild land. The scheme was admirable for its equity,
- simplicity, and elasticity, and was equally so for either capitalist or
- colonist.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin notes, that, &ldquo;in an edition of Cushman&rsquo;s &lsquo;Discourse,&rsquo; Judge Davis
- of Boston advanced the idea that at first the Pilgrims put all their
- possessions into a common stock, and until 1623 had no individual
- property. In his edition of Morton&rsquo;s &lsquo;Memorial&rsquo; he honorably admits his
- error.&rdquo; The same mistake was made by Robertson and Chief Justice Marshall,
- and is occasionally repeated in this day. &ldquo;There was no community of
- goods, though there was labor in common, with public supplies of food and
- clothing.&rdquo; Neither is there warrant for the conclusion of Goodwin, that
- because the holdings of the Planters&rsquo; half interest in the undertaking
- were divided into L10 shares, those of the Adventurers were also. It is
- not impossible, but it does not necessarily follow, and certain known
- facts indicate the contrary.
- </p>
- <p>
- Rev. Edward Everett Hale, in &ldquo;The Pilgrims&rsquo; Life in Common,&rdquo; says:
- &ldquo;Carver, Winslow, Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Fuller, and Allerton. were
- the persons of largest means in the Leyden group of the emigrants. It
- seems as if their quota of subscription to the common stock were paid in
- &lsquo;provisions&rsquo; for the voyage and the colony, and that by &lsquo;provisions&rsquo; is
- meant such articles of food as could be best bought in Holland.&rdquo; The good
- Doctor is clearly in error, in the above. Allerton was probably as &ldquo;well
- off&rdquo; as any of the Leyden contingent, while Francis Cooke and Degory
- Priest were probably &ldquo;better off&rdquo; than either Brewster or Standish, who
- apparently had little of this world&rsquo;s goods. Neither is there any evidence
- that any considerable amount of &ldquo;provision&rdquo; was bought in Holland. Quite a
- large sum of money, which came, apparently, from the pockets of the Leyden
- Adventurers (Pickering, Greene, etc.), and some of the Pilgrims, was
- requisite to pay for the SPEEDWELL and her refitting, etc.; but how much
- came from either is conjectural at best. But aside from &ldquo;Hollands cheese,&rdquo;
- &ldquo;strong-waters&rdquo; (schnapps), some few things that Cushman names; and
- probably a few others, obtained in Holland, most of the &ldquo;provisioning,&rdquo; as
- repeatedly appears, was done at the English Southampton. In fact, after
- clothing and generally &ldquo;outfitting&rdquo; themselves, it is pretty certain that
- but few of the Leyden party had much left. There was evidently an
- understanding between the partners that there should be four principal
- agents charged with the preparations for, and carrying out of, the
- enterprise,&mdash;Thomas Weston and Christopher Martin representing the
- Adventurers and the colonists who were recruited in England (Martin being
- made treasurer), while Carver and Cushman acted for the Leyden company.
- John Pierce seems to have been the especial representative of the
- Adventurers in the matter of the obtaining of the Patent from the (London)
- Virginia Company, and later from the Council for New England. Bradford
- says: &ldquo;For besides these two formerly mentioned, sent from Leyden, viz.,
- Master Carver and Robert Cushman, there was one chosen in England to be
- joyned with them, to make the provisions for the Voyage. His name was
- Master Martin. He came from Billerike in Essexe; from which parts came
- sundry others to go with them; as also from London and other places, and
- therefore it was thought meet and convenient by them in Holand, that these
- strangers that were to goe with them, should appointe one thus to be
- joyned with them; not so much from any great need of their help as to
- avoid all susspition, or jealosie, of any partialitie.&rdquo; But neither
- Weston, Martin, Carver, nor Cushman seems to have been directly concerned
- in the purchase of the SPEEDWELL. The most probable conjecture concerning
- it is, that in furtherance of the purpose of the Leyden leaders, stated by
- Bradford, that there should be a small vessel for their service in
- fishing, traffic, etc., wherever they might plant the colony, they were
- permitted by the Adventurers to purchase the SPEEDWELL for that service,
- and as a consort, &ldquo;on general account.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- It is evident, however, from John Robinson&rsquo;s letter of June 14, 1620, to
- John Carver, that Weston ridiculed the transaction, probably on selfish
- grounds, but, as events proved, not without some justification.
- </p>
- <p>
- Robinson says: &ldquo;Master Weston makes himself merry with our endeavors about
- buying a ship,&rdquo; [the SPEEDWELL] &ldquo;but we have done nothing in this but with
- good reason, as I am persuaded.&rdquo; Although bought with funds raised in
- Holland,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Arber (The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341) arrives at the
- conclusion that &ldquo;The SPEEDWELL had been bought with Leyden money.
- The proceeds of her sale, after her return to London, would, of
- course, go to the credit of the common joint-Stock there.&rdquo; This
- inference seems warranted by Robinson&rsquo;s letter of June 16/26 to
- Carver, in which he clearly indicates that the Leyden brethren
- collected the &ldquo;Adventurers&rdquo; subscriptions of Pickering and his
- partner (Greene), which were evidently considerable.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> it was evidently upon &ldquo;joint-account,&rdquo; and she was doubtless so
- sold, as alleged, on her arrival in September, at London, having proved
- unseaworthy. In fact, the only view of this transaction that harmonizes
- with the known facts and the respective rights and relations of the
- parties is, that permission was obtained (perhaps through Edward
- Pickering, one of the Adventurers, a merchant of Leyden, and others) that
- the Leyden leaders should buy and refit the consort, and in so doing might
- expend the funds which certain of the Leyden Pilgrims were to pay into the
- enterprise, which it appears they did,&mdash;and for which they would
- receive, as shown, extra shares in the Planters&rsquo; half-interest. It was
- very possibly further permitted by the Adventurers, that Mr. Pickering&rsquo;s
- and his partners&rsquo; subscriptions to their capital stock should be applied
- to the purchase of the SPEEDWELL, as they were collected by the Leyden
- leaders, as Pastor Robinson&rsquo;s letter of June 14/24 to John Carver,
- previously noted, clearly shows.
- </p>
- <p>
- She was obviously bought some little time before May 31, 1620,&mdash;probably
- in the early part of the month,&mdash;from the fact that in their letter
- of May 31st to Carver and Cushman, then in London, Messrs. Fuller,
- Winslow, Bradford, and Allerton state that &ldquo;we received divers letters at
- the coming of Master Nash and our Pilott,&rdquo; etc. From this it is clear that
- time enough had elapsed, since their purchase of the pinnace, for their
- messenger (Master Nash) to go to London,&mdash;evidently with a request to
- Carver and Cushman that they would send over a competent &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; to refit
- her, and for Nash to return with him, while the letter announcing their
- arrival does not seem to have been immediately written.
- </p>
- <p>
- The writers of the above-mentioned letter use the words &ldquo;we received,&rdquo;
- &mdash;using the past tense, as if some days before, instead of &ldquo;we have
- your letters,&rdquo; or &ldquo;we have just received your letters,&rdquo; which would rather
- indicate present, or recent, time. Probably some days elapsed after the
- &ldquo;pilott&rsquo;s&rdquo; arrival, before this letter of acknowledgment was sent. It is
- hence fair to assume that the pinnace was bought early in May, and that no
- time was lost by the Leyden party in preparing for the exodus, after their
- negotiations with the Dutch were &ldquo;broken off&rdquo; and they had &ldquo;struck hands&rdquo;
- with Weston, sometime between February 2/12, 1619/20, and April 1/11,
- 1620,&mdash;probably in March.
- </p>
- <p>
- The consort was a pinnace&mdash;as vessels of her class were then and for
- many years called&mdash;of sixty tons burden, as already stated, having
- two masts, which were put in&mdash;as we are informed by Bradford, and are
- not allowed by Professor Arber to forget&mdash;as apart of her refitting
- in Holland. That she was &ldquo;square-rigged,&rdquo; and generally of the then
- prevalent style of vessels of her size and class, is altogether probable.
- The name pinnace was applied to vessels having a wide range in tonnage,
- etc., from a craft of hardly more than ten or fifteen tons to one of sixty
- or eighty. It was a term of pretty loose and indefinite adaptation and
- covered most of the smaller craft above a shallop or ketch, from such as
- could be propelled by oars, and were so fitted, to a small ship of the
- SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S class, carrying an armament.
- </p>
- <p>
- None of the many representations of the SPEEDWELL which appear in
- historical pictures are authentic, though some doubtless give correct
- ideas of her type. Weir&rsquo;s painting of the &ldquo;Embarkation of the Pilgrims,&rdquo;
- in the Capitol at Washington (and Parker&rsquo;s copy of the same in Pilgrim
- Hall, Plymouth); Lucy&rsquo;s painting of the &ldquo;Departure of the Pilgrims,&rdquo; in
- Pilgrim Hall; Copes great painting in the corridor of the British Houses
- of Parliament, and others of lesser note, all depict the vessel on much
- the same lines, but nothing can be claimed for any of them, except
- fidelity to a type of vessel of that day and class. Perhaps the best
- illustration now known of a craft of this type is given in the painting by
- the Cuyps, father and son, of the &ldquo;Departure of the Pilgrims from
- Delfshaven,&rdquo; as reproduced by Dr. W. E. Griffis, as the frontispiece to
- his little monograph, &ldquo;The Pilgrims in their Three Homes.&rdquo; No reliable
- description of the pinnace herself is known to exist, and but few facts
- concerning her have been gleaned. That she was fairly &ldquo;roomy&rdquo; for a small
- number of passengers, and had decent accommodations, is inferable from the
- fact that so many as thirty were assigned to her at Southampton, for the
- Atlantic voyage (while the MAY-FLOWER, three times her tonnage, but of
- greater proportionate capacity, had but ninety), as also from the fact
- that &ldquo;the chief [i.e. principal people] of them that came from Leyden went
- in this ship, to give Master Reynolds content.&rdquo; That she mounted at least
- &ldquo;three pieces of ordnance&rdquo; appears by the testimony of Edward Winslow, and
- they probably comprised her armament.
- </p>
- <p>
- We have seen that Bradford notes the purchase and refitting of this &ldquo;smale
- ship of 60 tune&rdquo; in Holland. The story of her several sailings, her
- &ldquo;leakiness,&rdquo; her final return, and her abandonment as unseaworthy, is
- familiar. We find, too, that Bradford also states in his &ldquo;Historie,&rdquo; that
- &ldquo;the leakiness of this ship was partly by her being overmasted and too
- much pressed with sails.&rdquo; It will, however, amaze the readers of Professor
- Arber&rsquo;s generally excellent &ldquo;Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,&rdquo; so often
- referred to herein, to find him sharply arraigning &ldquo;those members of the
- Leyden church who were responsible for the fitting of the SPEEDWELL,&rdquo;
- alleging that &ldquo;they were the proximate causes of most of the troubles on
- the voyage [of the MAY-FLOWER] out; and of many of the deaths at Plymouth
- in New England in the course of the following Spring; for they overmasted
- the vessel, and by so doing strained her hull while sailing.&rdquo; To this
- straining, Arber wholly ascribes the &ldquo;leakiness&rdquo; of the SPEEDWELL and the
- delay in the final departure of the MAYFLOWER, to which last he attributes
- the disastrous results he specifies. It would seem that the historian,
- unduly elated at what he thought the discovery of another &ldquo;turning-point
- of modern history,&rdquo; endeavors to establish it by such assertions and such
- partial references to Bradford as would support the imaginary &ldquo;find.&rdquo;
- Briefly stated, this alleged discovery, which he so zealously announces,
- is that if the SPEEDWELL had not been overmasted, both she and the
- MAY-FLOWER would have arrived early in the fall at the mouth of the Hudson
- River, and the whole course of New England history would have been
- entirely different. Ergo, the &ldquo;overmasting&rdquo; of the SPEEDWELL was a
- &ldquo;pivotal point in modern history.&rdquo; With the idea apparently of giving
- eclat to this announcement and of attracting attention to it, he
- surprisingly charges the responsibility for the &ldquo;overmasting&rdquo; and its
- alleged dire results upon the leaders of the Leyden church, &ldquo;who were,&rdquo; he
- repeatedly asserts, &ldquo;alone responsible.&rdquo; As a matter of fact, however,
- Bradford expressly states (in the same paragraph as that upon which
- Professor Arber must wholly base his sweeping assertions) that the
- &ldquo;overmasting&rdquo; was but &ldquo;partly&rdquo; responsible for the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S leakiness,
- and directly shows that the &ldquo;stratagem&rdquo; of her master and crew,
- &ldquo;afterwards,&rdquo; he adds, &ldquo;known, and by some confessed,&rdquo; was the chief cause
- of her leakiness.
- </p>
- <p>
- Cushman also shows, by his letter,&mdash;written after the ships had put
- back into Dartmouth,&mdash;a part of which Professor Arber uses, but the
- most important part suppresses, that what he evidently considers the
- principal leak was caused by a very &ldquo;loose board&rdquo; (plank), which was
- clearly not the result of the straining due to &ldquo;crowding sail,&rdquo; or of
- &ldquo;overmasting.&rdquo; (See Appendix.)
- </p>
- <p>
- Moreover, as the Leyden chiefs were careful to employ a presumably
- competent man (&ldquo;pilott,&rdquo; afterwards &ldquo;Master&rdquo; Reynolds) to take charge of
- refitting the consort, they were hence clearly, both legally and morally,
- exempt from responsibility as to any alterations made. Even though the
- &ldquo;overmasting&rdquo; had been the sole cause of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S leakiness, and
- the delays and vicissitudes which resulted to the MAY-FLOWER and her
- company, the leaders of the Leyden church&mdash;whom Professor Arber
- arraigns &mdash;(themselves chiefly the sufferers) were in no wise at
- fault! It is clear, however, that the &ldquo;overmasting&rdquo; cut but small figure
- in the case; &ldquo;confessed&rdquo; rascality in making a leak otherwise, being the
- chief trouble, and this, as well as the &ldquo;overmasting,&rdquo; lay at the door of
- Master Reynolds.
- </p>
- <p>
- Even if the MAY-FLOWER had not been delayed by the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S condition,
- and both had sailed for &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River&rdquo; in midsummer, it is by no means
- certain that they would have reached there, as Arber so confidently
- asserts. The treachery of Captain Jones, in league with Gorges, would as
- readily have landed them, by some pretext, on Cape Cod in October, as in
- December. But even though they had landed at the mouth of the Hudson,
- there is no good reason why the Pilgrim influence should not have worked
- north and east, as well as it did west and south, and with the
- Massachusetts Bay Puritans there, Roger Williams in Rhode Island, and the
- younger Winthrop in Connecticut, would doubtless have made New England
- history very much what it has been, and not, as Professor Arber asserts,
- &ldquo;entirely different.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The cruel indictment fails, and the imaginary &ldquo;turning point in modern
- history,&rdquo; to announce which Professor Arber seems to have sacrificed so
- much, falls with it.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Rev. Dr. Griffis (&ldquo;The Pilgrims in their Three Homes,&rdquo; p. 158) seems
- to give ear to Professor Arber&rsquo;s untenable allegations as to the Pilgrim
- leaders&rsquo; responsibility for any error made in the &ldquo;overmasting&rdquo; of the
- SPEEDWELL, although he destroys his case by saying of the &ldquo;overmasting:&rdquo;
- &ldquo;Whether it was done in England or Holland is not certain.&rdquo; He says,
- unhappily chiming in with Arber&rsquo;s indictment: &ldquo;In their eagerness to get
- away promptly, they [the Leyden men] made the mistake of ordering for the
- SPEEDWELL heavier and taller masts and larger spars than her hull had been
- built to receive, thus altering most unwisely and disastrously her trim.&rdquo;
- He adds still more unhappily: &ldquo;We do not hear of these inveterate landsmen
- and townsfolk [of whom he says, &lsquo;possibly there was not one man familiar
- with ships or sea life&rsquo;] who were about to venture on the Atlantic, taking
- counsel of Dutch builders or mariners as to the proportion of their
- craft.&rdquo; Why so discredit the capacity and intelligence of these
- nation-builders? Was their sagacity ever found unequal to the problems
- they met? Were the men who commanded confidence and respect in every
- avenue of affairs they entered; who talked with kings and dealt with
- statesmen; these diplomats, merchants, students, artisans, and
- manufacturers; these men who learned law, politics, state craft, town
- building, navigation, husbandry, boat-building, and medicine, likely to
- deal negligently or presumptuously with matters upon which they were not
- informed? Their first act, after buying the SPEEDWELL, was to send to
- England for an &ldquo;expert&rdquo; to take charge of all technical matters of her
- &ldquo;outfitting,&rdquo; which was done, beyond all question, in Holland. What need
- had they, having done this (very probably upon the advice of those
- experienced ship-merchants, their own &ldquo;Adventurers&rdquo; and townsmen, Edward
- Pickering and William Greene), to consult Dutch ship-builders or mariners?
- She was to be an English ship, under the English flag, with English
- owners, and an English captain; why: should they defer to Dutch seamen or
- put other than an English &ldquo;expert&rdquo; in charge of her alterations,
- especially when England rightfully boasted the best? But not only were
- these Leyden leaders not guilty of any laches as indicted by Arber and too
- readily convicted by Griffis, but the &ldquo;overmasting&rdquo; was of small account
- as compared with the deliberate rascality of captain and crew, in the
- disabling of the consort, as expressly certified by Bradford, who
- certainly, as an eye-witness, knew whereof he affirmed.
- </p>
- <p>
- Having bought a vessel, it was necessary to fit her for the severe service
- in which she was to be employed; to provision her for the voyage, etc.;
- and this could be done properly only by experienced hands. The Pilgrim
- leaders at Leyden seem, therefore, as noted, to have sent to their agents
- at London for a competent man to take charge of this work, and were sent a
- &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; (or &ldquo;mate&rdquo;), doubtless presumed to be equal to the task. Goodwin
- mistakenly says: &ldquo;As Spring waned, Thomas Nash went from Leyden to confer
- with the agents at London. He soon returned with a pilot (doubtless [sic]
- Robert Coppin), who was to conduct the Continental party to England.&rdquo; This
- is both wild and remarkable &ldquo;guessing&rdquo; for the usually careful compiler of
- the &ldquo;Pilgrim Republic.&rdquo; There is no warrant whatever for this assumption,
- and everything contra-indicates it, although two such excellent
- authorities as Dr. Dexter and Goodwin coincide&mdash;the latter
- undoubtedly copying the former&mdash;concerning Coppin; both being
- doubtless in error, as hereafter shown. Dexter says &ldquo;My impression is that
- Coppin was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL, and that he was the
- &lsquo;pilott&rsquo; whose coming was &lsquo;a great incouragement&rsquo; to the Leyden
- expectants, in the last of May, or first of June, 1620 [before May 31, as
- shown]; that he sailed with them in the SPEEDWELL, but on her final
- putting back was transferred to the MAY-FLOWER.&rdquo; All the direct light any
- one has upon the matter comes from the letter of the Leyden brethren of
- May 31 [O.S.], 1620, previously cited, to Carver and Cushman, and the
- reply of the latter thereto, of Sunday, June 11, 1620. The former as
- noted, say: &ldquo;We received diverse letters at the coming of Master Nash
- [probably Thomas] and our pilott, which is a great incouragement unto us .
- . . and indeed had you not sente him [the &lsquo;pilott,&rsquo; presumably] many would
- have been ready to fainte and goe backe.&rdquo; Neither here nor in any other
- relation is there the faintest suggestion of Coppin, except as what he
- was, &ldquo;the second mate,&rdquo; or &ldquo;pilott,&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER. It is not
- reasonable to suppose that, for so small a craft but just purchased, and
- with the expedition yet uncertain, the Leyden leaders or their London
- agents had by June 11, employed both a &ldquo;Master&rdquo; and a &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; for the
- SPEEDWELL, as must have been the case if this &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; was, as Goodwin so
- confidently assumes, &ldquo;doubtless Robert Coppin.&rdquo; For in Robert Cushman&rsquo;s
- letter of Sunday, June 11, as if proposing (now that the larger vessel
- would be at once obtained, and would, as he thought, be &ldquo;ready in fourteen
- days&rdquo;) that the &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; sent over to &ldquo;refit&rdquo; the SPEEDWELL should be
- further utilized, he says: &ldquo;Let Master Reynolds tarrie there
- [inferentially, not return here when his work is done, as we originally
- arranged] and bring the ship [the SPEEDWELL], to Southampton.&rdquo; The latter
- service we know he performed.
- </p>
- <p>
- The side lights upon the matter show, beyond doubt:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) That a &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; had been sent to Holland, with Master Nash, before May
- 31, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) That unless two had been sent (of which there is no suggestion, and
- which is entirely improbable, for obvious reasons), Master Reynolds was
- the &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; who was thus sent;
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) That it is clear, from Cushman&rsquo;s letter of June 11/21, that Reynolds
- was then in Holland, for Cushman directs that &ldquo;Master Reynolds tarrie
- there and bring the ship to Southampton;&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- (d) That Master Reynolds was not originally intended to &ldquo;tarrie there,&rdquo;
- and &ldquo;bring the ship,&rdquo; etc., as, if he had been, there would have been no
- need of giving such an order; and
- </p>
- <p>
- (e) That he had been sent there for some other purpose than to bring the
- SPEEDWELL to Southampton. Duly considering all the facts together, there
- can be no doubt that only one &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; was sent from England; that he was
- expected to return when the work was done for which he went (apparently
- the refitting of the SPEEDWELL); that he was ordered to remain for a new
- duty, and that the man who performed that duty and brought the ship to
- Southampton (who, we know was Master Reynolds) must have been the
- &ldquo;pilott&rdquo;, sent over.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are told too, by Bradford,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford&rsquo;s Historie, as already cited; Arber, The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341. John Brown, in his Pilgrim Fathers of New
- England, p. 198, says: &ldquo;She [the SPEEDWELL] was to remain with the
- colony for a year.&rdquo; Evidently a mistake, arising from the length of
- time for which her crew were shipped. The pinnace herself was
- intended, as we have seen, for the permanent use of they colonists,
- and was to remain indefinitely.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> that the crew of the SPEEDWELL &ldquo;were hired for a year,&rdquo; and we know,
- in a general way, that most of them went with her to London when she
- abandoned the voyage. This there is ample evidence Coppin did not do,
- going as he did to New England as &ldquo;second mate&rdquo; or &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; of the
- MAY-FLOWER, which there is no reason to doubt he was when she left London.
- Neither is there anywhere any suggestion that there was at Southampton any
- change in the second mate of the larger ship, as there must have been to
- make good the suggestion of Dr. Dexter.
- </p>
- <p>
- Where the SPEEDWELL lay while being &ldquo;refitted&rdquo; has not been ascertained,
- though presumably at Delfshaven, whence she sailed, though possibly at one
- of the neighboring larger ports, where her new masts and cordage could be
- &ldquo;set up&rdquo; to best advantage.
- </p>
- <p>
- We know that Reynolds&mdash;&ldquo;pilott&rdquo; and &ldquo;Master&rdquo; went from London to
- superintend the &ldquo;making-ready&rdquo; for sea. Nothing is known, however, of his
- antecedents, and nothing of his history after he left the service of the
- Pilgrims in disgrace, except that he appears to have come again to New
- England some years later, in command of a vessel, in the service of the
- reckless adventurer Weston (a traitor to the Pilgrims), through whom, it
- is probable, he was originally selected for their service in Holland.
- Bradford and others entitled to judge have given their opinions of this
- cowardly scoundrel (Reynolds) in unmistakable terms.
- </p>
- <p>
- What other officers and crew the pinnace had does not appear, and we know
- nothing certainly of them, except the time for which they shipped; that
- some of them were fellow-conspirators with the Master (self-confessed), in
- the &ldquo;strategem&rdquo; to compel the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S abandonment of the voyage; and
- that a few were transferred to the MAYFLOWER. From the fact that the
- sailors Trevore and Ely returned from New Plymouth on the FORTUNE in 1621,
- &ldquo;their time having expired,&rdquo; as Bradford notes, it may be fairly assumed
- that they were originally of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S crew.
- </p>
- <p>
- That the fears of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S men had been worked upon, and their
- cooperation thus secured by the artful Reynolds, is clearly indicated by
- the statement of Bradford: &ldquo;For they apprehended that the greater ship
- being of force and in which most of the provisions were stored, she would
- retain enough for herself, whatever became of them or the passengers, and
- indeed such speeches had been cast out by some of them.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the list of passengers who embarked at Delfshaven, July 22, 1620,
- &ldquo;bound for Southampton on the English coast, and thence for the northern
- parts of Virginia,&rdquo; we fortunately have a pretty accurate knowledge. All
- of the Leyden congregation who were to emigrate, with the exception of
- Robert Cushman and family, and (probably) John Carver, were doubtless
- passengers upon the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to Southampton, though the
- presence of Elder Brewster has been questioned. The evidence that he was
- there is well-nigh as conclusive as that Robert Cushman sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, and that Carver, who had been for some months in
- England,&mdash;chiefly at Southampton, making preparations for the voyage,
- was there to meet the ships on their arrival. It is possible, of course,
- that Cushman&rsquo;s wife and son came on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven; but is
- not probable. Among the passengers, however, were some who, like Thomas
- Blossom and his son, William Ring, and others, abandoned the voyage to
- America at Plymouth, and returned in the pinnace to London and thence went
- back to Holland. Deducting from the passenger list of the MAYFLOWER those
- known to have been of the English contingent, with Robert Cushman and
- family, and John Carver, we have a very close approximate to the
- SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S company on her &ldquo;departure from Delfshaven.&rdquo; It has not been
- found possible to determine with absolute certainty the correct relation
- of a few persons. They may have been of the Leyden contingent and so have
- come with their brethren on the SPEEDWELL, or they may have been of the
- English colonists, and first embarked either at London or at Southampton,
- or even at Plymouth,&mdash;though none are supposed to have joined the
- emigrants there or at Dartmouth.
- </p>
- <p>
- The list of those embarking at Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, and so of the
- participants in that historic event,&mdash;a list now published for the
- first time, so far as known,&mdash;is undoubtedly accurate, within the
- limitations stated, as follows, being for convenience&rsquo; sake arranged by
- families:
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-The Family of Deacon John Carver (probably in charge of John Howland),
-embracing:&mdash;
- Mrs. Katherine Carver,
- John Howland (perhaps kinsman of Carver), &ldquo;servant&rdquo; or &ldquo;employee,&rdquo;
- Desire Minter, or Minther (probably companion of Mrs. Carver,
- perhaps kinswoman),
- Roger Wilder, &ldquo;servant,&rdquo;
- &ldquo;Mrs. Carver&rsquo;s maid&rdquo; (whose name has never transpired).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Bradford and
- Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Winslow and
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow,
- George Soule a &ldquo;servant&rdquo; (or employee),
- Elias Story, &ldquo;servant.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elder William Brewster and
- Mrs. Mary Brewster,
- Love Brewster, a son,
- Wrestling Brewster, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Isaac Allerton and
- Mrs. Mary (Morris) Allerton,
- Bartholomew Allerton, a son,
- Remember Allerton, a daughter,
- Mary Allerton, a daughter,
- John Hooke, &ldquo;servant-boy.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Dr. Samuel Fuller and
- William Butten, &ldquo;servant"-assistant.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Captain Myles Standish and
- Mrs. Rose Standish.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William White and
- Mrs. Susanna (Fuller) White,
- Resolved White, a son,
- William Holbeck, &ldquo;servant,&rdquo;
- Edward Thompson, &ldquo;servant.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Deacon Thomas Blossom and
- &mdash;&mdash;- Blossom, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Tilley and
- Mrs. Ann Tilley.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master John Tilley and
- Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde?) Tilley (2d wife),
- Elizabeth Tilley, a daughter of Mr. Tilley by a former wife(?)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Crackstone and
- John Crackstone (Jr.), a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Cooke and
- John Cooke, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Turner and
- &mdash;&mdash; Turner, a son,
- &mdash;&mdash; Turner, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Degory Priest.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Rogers and
- Joseph Rogers, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Moses Fletcher.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Thomas Williams.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Tinker and
- Mrs. &mdash;&mdash; Tinker,
- &mdash;&mdash; Tinker, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Fuller and
- Mrs. &mdash;&mdash; Fuller,
- Samuel Fuller, a son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Rigdale and
- Mrs. Alice Rigdale.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Eaton and
- Mrs. &mdash;&mdash; Eaton,
- Samuel Eaton, an infant son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Peter Browne.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- William Ring.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard Clarke.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- John Goodman.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Edward Margeson.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard Britteridge.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Katherine Carver and her family, it is altogether probable, came
- over in charge of Howland, who was probably a kinsman, both he and
- Deacon Carver coming from Essex in England,&mdash;as they could hardly
- have been in England with Carver during the time of his exacting
- work of preparation. He, it is quite certain, was not a passenger
- on the Speedwell, for Pastor Robinson would hardly have sent him
- such a letter as that received by him at Southampton, previously
- mentioned (Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Historie,&rdquo; Deane&rsquo;s ed. p. 63), if he had been
- with him at Delfshaven at the &ldquo;departure,&rdquo; a few days before. Nor
- if he had handed it to him at Delfshaven, would he have told him in
- it, &ldquo;I have written a large letter to the whole company.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Howland was clearly a &ldquo;secretary&rdquo; or &ldquo;steward,&rdquo; rather than a
- &ldquo;servant,&rdquo; and a man of standing and influence from the outset.
- That he was in Leyden and hence a SPEEDWELL passenger appears
- altogether probable, but is not absolutely certain.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Desire Minter (or Minther) was undoubtedly the daughter of Sarah, who,
- the &ldquo;Troth Book&rdquo; (or &ldquo;marriage-in-tention&rdquo; records) for 1616, at the
- Stadtbuis of Leyden, shows, was probably wife or widow of one
- William Minther&mdash;evidently of Pastor Robinson&rsquo;s congregation&mdash;when
- she appeared on May 13 as a &ldquo;voucher&rdquo; for Elizabeth Claes, who then
- pledged herself to Heraut Wilson, a pump-maker, John Carver being
- one of Wilson&rsquo;s &ldquo;vouchers.&rdquo; In 1618 Sarah Minther (then recorded as
- the widow of William) reappeared, to plight her troth to Roger
- Simons, brick-maker, from Amsterdam. These two records and the
- rarity of the name warrant an inference that Desire Minter (or
- Minther) was the daughter of William and Sarah (Willet) Minter (or
- Minther), of Robinson&rsquo;s flock; that her father had died prior to
- 1618 (perhaps before 1616); that the Carvers were near friends,
- perhaps kinsfolk; that her father being dead, her mother, a poor
- widow (there were clearly no rich ones in the Leyden congregation),
- placed this daughter with the Carvers, and, marrying herself, and
- removing to Amsterdam the year before the exodus, was glad to leave
- her daughter in so good a home and such hands as Deacon and Mistress
- Carver&rsquo;s. The record shows that the father and mother of Mrs. Sarah
- Minther, Thomas and Alice Willet, the probable grandparents of
- Desire Minter, appear as &ldquo;vouchers&rdquo; for their daughter at her Leyden
- betrothal. Of them we know nothing further, but it is a reasonable
- conjecture that they may have returned to England after the
- remarriage of their daughter and her removal to Amsterdam, and the
- removal of the Carvers and their granddaughter to America, and that
- it was to them that Desire went, when, as Bradford records, &ldquo;she
- returned to her friends in England, and proved not very well and
- died there.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&ldquo;Mrs. Carver&rsquo;s maid&rdquo; we know but little about, but the presumption is
- naturally strong that she came from; Leyden with her mistress. Her
- early marriage and; death are duly recorded.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Roger Wilder, Carver&rsquo;s &ldquo;servant;&rdquo; was apparently in his service at Leyden
- and accompanied the family from thence. Bradford calls him &ldquo;his
- [Carver&rsquo;s] man Roger,&rdquo; as if an old, familiar household servant,
- which (as Wilder died soon after the arrival at Plymouth) Bradford
- would not have been as likely to do&mdash;writing in 1650, thirty years
- after&mdash;if he had been only a short-time English addition to Carver&rsquo;s
- household, known to Bradford only during the voyage. The fact that
- he speaks of him as a &ldquo;man&rdquo; also indicates something as to his age,
- and renders it certain that he was not an &ldquo;indentured&rdquo; lad. It is
- fair to presume he was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL to Southampton.
- (It is probable that Carver&rsquo;s &ldquo;servant-boy,&rdquo; William Latham, and
- Jasper More, his &ldquo;bound-boy,&rdquo; were obtained in England, as more
- fully appears.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Bradford and his wife were certainly of the party in the
- SPEEDWELL, as shown by his own recorded account of the embarkation.
- (Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Historie,&rdquo; etc.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Winslow&rsquo;s very full (published) account of the embarkation
- (&ldquo;Hypocrisie Unmasked,&rdquo; pp. 10-13, etc.) makes it certain that
- himself and family were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-George Soule, who seems to have been a sort of &ldquo;upper servant&rdquo; or
- &ldquo;steward,&rdquo; it is not certain was with Winslow in Holland, though it
- is probable.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elias Story, his &ldquo;under-servant,&rdquo; was probably also with him in Holland,
- though not surely so. Both servants might possibly have been
- procured from London or at Southampton, but probably sailed from
- Delfshaven with Winslow in the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elder William Brewster and his family, his wife and two boys, were
- passengers on the SPEEDWELL, beyond reasonable doubt. He was, in
- fact, the ranking man of the Leyden brethren till they reached
- Southampton and the respective ships&rsquo; &ldquo;governors&rdquo; were chosen. The
- Church to that point was dominant. (The Elder&rsquo;s two &ldquo;bound-boys,&rdquo;
- being from London, do not appear as SPEEDWELL passengers.) There is,
- on careful study, no warrant to be found for the remarkable
- statements of Goodwin (&ldquo;Pilgrim Republic,&rdquo; p. 33), that, during the
- hunt for Brewster in Holland in 1619, by the emissaries of James I.
- of England (in the endeavor to apprehend and punish him for printing
- and publishing certain religious works alleged to be seditious),
- &ldquo;William Brewster was in London . . . and there he remained until
- the sailing of the MAYFLOWER, which he helped to fit out;&rdquo; and that
- during that time &ldquo;he visited Scrooby.&rdquo; That he had no hand whatever
- in fitting out the MAYFLOWER is certain, and the Scrooby statement
- equally lacks foundation. Professor Arber, who is certainly a
- better authority upon the &ldquo;hidden press&rdquo; of the Separatists in
- Holland, and the official correspondence relating to its proprietors
- and their movements, says (&ldquo;The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,&rdquo;
- p.196): &ldquo;The Ruling Elder of the Pilgrim Church was, for more than a
- year before he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, on the 22 July-
- 1 August, 1620, a hunted man.&rdquo; Again (p. 334), he says: &ldquo;Here let
- us consider the excellent management and strategy of this Exodus.
- If the Pilgrims had gone to London to embark for America, many, if
- not most of them, would have been put in prison [and this is the
- opinion of a British historian, knowing the temper of those times,
- especially William Brewster.] So only those embarked in London
- against whom the Bishops could take no action.&rdquo; We can understand,
- in light, why Carver&mdash;a more objectionable person than Cushman to
- the prelates, because of his office in the Separatist Church&mdash;was
- chiefly employed out of their sight, at Southampton, etc., while the
- diplomatic and urbane Cushman did effective work at London, under
- the Bishops&rsquo; eyes. It is not improbable that the personal
- friendship of Sir Robert Naunton (Principal Secretary of State to
- King James) for Sir Edward Sandys and the Leyden brethren (though
- officially seemingly active under his masters&rsquo; orders in pushing Sir
- Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, to an
- unrelenting search for Brewster) may have been of material aid to
- the Pilgrims in gaining their departure unmolested. The only basis
- known for the positive expression of Goodwin resides in the
- suggestions of several letters&rsquo; of Sir Dudley Carleton to Sir Robert
- Naunton, during the quest for Brewster; the later seeming clearly to
- nullify the earlier.
-
- Under date of July 22, 1619, Carleton says: &ldquo;One William Brewster,
- a Brownist, who has been for some years an inhabitant and printer at
- Leyden, but is now within these three weeks removed from thence and
- gone back to dwell in London,&rdquo; etc.
-
- On August 16, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: &ldquo;I am told William Brewster is
- come again for Leyden,&rdquo; but on the 30th adds: &ldquo;I have made good
- enquiry after William Brewster and am well assured he is not
- returned thither, neither is it likely he will; having removed from
- thence both his family and goods,&rdquo; etc.
-
- On September 7, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: &ldquo;Touching Brewster, I am now
- informed that he is on this side the seas [not in London, as before
- alleged]; and that he was seen yesterday, at Leyden, but, as yet, is
- not there settled,&rdquo; etc.
-
- On September 13, 1619 (N.S.), he says: &ldquo;I have used all diligence to
- enquire after Brewster; and find he keeps most at Amsterdam; but
- being &lsquo;incerti laris&rsquo;, he is not yet to be lighted upon. I
- understand he prepares to settle himself at a village called
- Leerdorp, not far from Leyden, thinking there to be able to print
- prohibited books without discovery, but I shall lay wait for him,
- both there and in other places, so as I doubt but either he must
- leave this country; or I shall, sooner or later, find him out.&rdquo;
-
- On September 20, 1619 (N.S.), he says: &ldquo;I have at length found out
- Brewster at Leyden,&rdquo; etc. It was a mistake, and Brewster&rsquo;s partner
- (Thomas Brewer), one of the Merchant Adventurers, was arrested
- instead.
-
- On September 28, 1619 (N.S.), he states, writing from Amsterdam:
- &ldquo;If he lurk here for fear of apprehension, it will be hard to find
- him,&rdquo; etc.
-
- As late as February 8, 1619/20, there was still a desire and hope
- for his arrest, but by June the matter had become to the King&mdash;and
- all others&mdash;something of an old story. While, as appears by a
- letter of Robert Cushman, written in London, in May, 1619, Brewster
- was then undoubtedly there, one cannot agree, in the light of the
- official correspondence just quoted, with the conclusion of Dr.
- Alexander Young (&ldquo;Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers,&rdquo; vol. i.
- p. 462), that &ldquo;it is probable he [Brewster] did not return to
- Leyden, but kept close till the MAYFLOWER sailed.&rdquo;
-
- Everything indicates that he was at Leyden long after this; that he
- did not again return to London, as supposed; and that he was in
- hiding with his family (after their escape from the pursuit at
- Leyden), somewhere among friends in the Low Countries. Although by
- July, 1620, the King had, as usual, considerably &ldquo;cooled off,&rdquo; we
- may be sure that with full knowledge of the harsh treatment meted
- out to his partner (Brewer) when caught, though unusually mild (by
- agreement with the authorities of the University and Province of
- Holland), Brewster did not deliberately put himself &ldquo;under the
- lion&rsquo;s paw&rdquo; at London, or take any chances of arrest there, even in
- disguise. Dr. Griffis has lent his assent (&ldquo;The Pilgrims in their
- Homes,&rdquo; p, 167), though probably without careful analysis of all the
- facts, to the untenable opinion expressed by Goodwin, that Brewster
- was &ldquo;hiding in England&rdquo; when the SPEEDWELL sailed from Delfshaven.
- There can be no doubt that, with his ever ready welcome of sound
- amendment, he will, on examination, revise his opinion, as would the
- clear-sighted Goodwin, if living and cognizant of the facts as
- marshalled against his evident error. As the leader and guide of
- the outgoing part of the Leyden church we may, with good warrant,
- believe&mdash;as all would wish&mdash;that Elder Brewster was the chief figure
- the departing Pilgrims gathered on the SPEEDWELL deck, as she took
- her departure from Delfshaven.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Isaac Allerton and his family, his wife and three children, two
- sons and a daughter, were of the Leyden company and passengers in
- the SPEEDWELL. We know he was active there as a leader, and was
- undoubtedly one of those who bought the SPEEDWELL. He was one of
- the signers of the joint-letter from Leyden, to Carver and Cushman,
- May 31 (O.S.) 1620.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Hooke, Allerton&rsquo;s &ldquo;servant-lad,&rdquo; may have been detained at London or
- Southampton, but it is hardly probable, as Allerton was a man of
- means, consulted his comfort, and would have hardly started so large
- a family on such a journey without a servant.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Dr. Samuel Fuller was, as is well known, one of the Leyden chiefs,
- connected by blood and marriage with many of the leading families of
- Robinson&rsquo;s congregation. He was active in the preparations for the
- voyage the first signer of the joint-letter of May 31, and doubtless
- one of the negotiators for the SPEEDWELL. His wife and child were
- left behind, to follow later as they did.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Butten, the first of the Pilgrim party to die, was, in all
- probability, a student-&ldquo;servant&rdquo; of Doctor Fuller at Leyden, and
- doubtless embarked with him at Delfshaven. Bradford calls him
- (writing of his death) &ldquo;Wm. Butten, a youth, servant to Samuel
- Fuller.&rdquo; Captain Myles Standish and his wife Rose, we know from
- Bradford, were with the Pilgrims in Leyden and doubtless shipped
- with them. Arber calls him (&ldquo;The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,&rdquo;
- p. 378) a &ldquo;chief of the Pilgrim Fathers&rdquo; in the sense of a father
- and leader in their Israel; but there is no warrant for this
- assumption, though he became their &ldquo;sword-hand&rdquo; in the New World.
- By some writers, though apparently with insufficient warrant,
- Standish has been declared a Roman Catholic. It does not appear
- that he was ever a communicant of the Pilgrim Church. His family,
- moreover, was not of the Roman Catholic faith, and all his conduct
- in the colony is inconsistent with the idea that he was of that
- belief. Master William White, his wife and son, were of the Leyden
- congregation, both husband and wife being among its principal
- people, and nearly related to several of the Pilgrim band. The
- marriage of Mr. and Mrs. White is duly recorded in Leyden. William
- Holbeck and Edward Thompson, Master White&rsquo;s two servants, he
- probably took with him from Leyden, as his was a family of means and
- position, though they might possibly have been procured at
- Southampton. They were apparently passengers in the SPEEDWELL.
- Deacon Thomas Blossom and his son were well known as of Pastor
- Robinson&rsquo;s flock at Leyden. They returned, moreover, to Holland
- from Plymouth, England (where they gave up the voyage), via London.
- The father went to New Plymouth ten years later, the son dying
- before that time. (See Blossom&rsquo;s letter to Governor Bradford.
- Bradford&rsquo;s Letter Book, &ldquo;Plymouth Church Records,&rdquo; i. 42.) In his
- letter dated at Leyden, December 15, 1625, he says: &ldquo;God hath taken
- away my son that was with me in the ship MAYFLOWER when I went back
- again.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Tilley (sometimes given the prefix of Master) his wife Ann are
- known to have been of the Leyden company. (Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Historie,&rdquo;
- p. 83.) It is doubtful if their &ldquo;cousins,&rdquo; Henry Sampson and
- Humility Cooper, were of Leyden. They apparently were English
- kinsfolk, taken to New England with the Tilleys, very likely joined
- them at Southampton and hence were not of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S
- passengers. Humility Cooper returned to England after the death of
- Tilley and his wife. That Mrs. Tilley&rsquo;s &ldquo;given name&rdquo; was Ann is not
- positively established, but rests on Bradford&rsquo;s evidence.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Tilley (who is also sometimes called Master) is reputed a brother of
- Edward, and is known to have been&mdash;as also his wife&mdash;of the Leyden
- church (Bradford, Deane&rsquo;s ed. p. 83.) His second wife Bridget Van
- der Velde, was evidently of Holland blood, and their marriage is
- recorded in Leyden. Elizabeth Tilley was clearly a daughter by an
- earlier wife. He is said by Goodwin (&ldquo;Pilgrim Republic,&rdquo; p. 32) to
- have been a &ldquo;silk worker&rdquo; Leyden, but earlier authority for this
- occupation is not found.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Crackstone is of record as of the Leyden congregation. His daughter
- remained there, and came later to America.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- John Crackstone, Jr., son of above. Both were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Cooke has been supposed a very early member of Robinson&rsquo;s flock
- in England, who escaped with them to Holland, in 1608. He and his
- son perhaps embarked at Delfshaven, leaving his wife and three other
- children to follow later. (See Robinson&rsquo;s letter to Governor
- Bradford, &ldquo;Mass. Hist. Coll.,&rdquo; vol. iii. p. 45, also Appendix for
- account of Cooke&rsquo;s marriage.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Cooke, the son, was supposed to have lived to be the last male
- survivor of the MAY-FLOWER, but Richard More proves to have survived
- him. He was a prominent man in the colony, like his father, and the
- founder of Dartmouth (Mass.).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Turner and his sons are also known to have been of the Leyden party,
- as he was undoubtedly the messenger sent to London with the letter
- (of May 31) of the leaders to Carver and Cushman, arriving there
- June 10, 1620. They were beyond doubt of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S list.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Degory Priest&mdash;or &ldquo;Digerie,&rdquo; as Bradford calls him&mdash;was a prominent
- member of the Leyden body. His marriage is recorded there, and he
- left his family in the care of his pastor and friends, to follow him
- later. He died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Rogers and his son are reputed of the Leyden company. He left
- (according to Bradford) some of his family there&mdash;as did Cooke and
- Priest&mdash;to follow later. It has been suggested that Rogers might
- have been of the Essex (England) lineage, but no evidence of this
- appears. The Rogers family of Essex were distinctively Puritans,
- both in England and in the Massachusetts colony.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Moses Fletcher was a &ldquo;smith&rdquo; at Leyden, and of Robinson&rsquo;s church. He was
- married there, in 1613, to his second wife. He was perhaps of the
- English Amsterdam family of Separatists, of that name. As the only
- blacksmith of the colonists, his early death was a great loss.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Williams, there seems no good reason to doubt, was the Thomas
- Williams known to have been of Leyden congregation. Hon. H. C.
- Murphy and Arber include him&mdash;apparently through oversight alone
- &mdash;in the list of those of Leyden who did not go, unless there were
- two of the name, one of whom remained in Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Tinker, wife, and son are not certainly known to have been of the
- Leyden company, or to have embarked at Delfshaven, but their
- constant association in close relation with others who were and who
- so embarked warrants the inference that they were of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S
- passengers. It is, however, remotely possible, that they were of
- the English contingent.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Fuller and his wife and little son were of the Leyden company, and
- on the SPEEDWELL. He is reputed to have been a brother of Dr.
- Fuller, and is occasionally so claimed by early writers, but by what
- warrant is not clear.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Rigdale and his wife have always been placed by tradition and
- association with the Leyden emigrants but there is a possibility
- that they were of the English party. Probability assigns them to
- the SPEEDWELL, and they are needed to make her accredited number.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Eaton, wife, and babe were doubtless of the Leyden list. He is
- said to have been a carpenter there (Goodwin, &ldquo;Pilgrim Republic,&rdquo; p.
- 32), and was married there, as the record attests.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Peter Browne has always been classed with the Leyden party. There is no
- established authority for this except tradition, and he might
- possibly have been of the English emigrants, though probably a
- SPEEDWELL passenger; he is needed to make good her putative number.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Ring is in the same category as are Eaton and Browne. Cushman
- speaks of him, in his Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth (of
- August 17), in terms of intimacy, though this, while suggestive, of
- course proves nothing, and he gave up the voyage and returned from
- Plymouth to London with Cushman. He was certainly from Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Clarke is on the doubtful list, as are also John Goodman, Edward
- Margeson, and Richard Britteridge. They have always been
- traditionally classed with the Leyden colonists, yet some of them
- were possibly among the English emigrants. They are all needed,
- however, to make up the number usually assigned to Leyden, as are
- all the above &ldquo;doubtfuls,&rdquo; which is of itself somewhat confirmatory
- of the substantial correctness of the list.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas English, Bradford records, &ldquo;was hired to goe master of a [the]
- shallopp&rdquo; of the colonists, in New England waters. He was probably
- hired in Holland and was almost certainly of the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Alderton (sometimes written Allerton) was, Bradford states, &ldquo;a hired
- man, reputed [reckoned] one of the company, but was to go back
- (being a seaman) and so making no account of the voyages for the
- help of others behind&rdquo; [probably at Leyden]. It is probable that he
- was hired in Holland, and came to Southampton on the SPEEDWELL.
- Both English and Alderton seem to have stood on a different footing
- from Trevore and Ely, the other two seamen in the employ of the
- colonists.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Trevore was, we are told by Bradford, &ldquo;a seaman hired to stay a
- year in the countrie,&rdquo; but whether or not as part of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S
- Crew (who, he tells us, were all hired for a year) does not appear.
- As the Master (Reynolds) and others of her crew undoubtedly returned
- to London in her from Plymouth, and her voyage was cancelled, the
- presumption is that Trevore and Ely were either hired anew or&mdash;more
- probably&mdash;retained under their former agreement, to proceed by the
- MAY-FLOWER to America, apparently (practically) as passengers.
- Whether of the consort&rsquo;s crew or not, there can be little doubt that
- he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&mdash;- Ely, the other seaman in the Planters&rsquo; employ, also hired to &ldquo;remain
- a year in the countrie,&rdquo; appears to have been drafted, like Trevore,
- from the SPEEDWELL before she returned to London, having, no doubt,
- made passage from Holland in her. Both Trevore and Ely survived
- &ldquo;the general sickness&rdquo; at New Plimoth, and at the expiration of the
- time for which they were employed returned on the FORTUNE to England
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- Of course the initial embarkation, on Friday, July 21/31 1620, was at
- Leyden, doubtless upon the Dutch canal-boats which undoubtedly brought
- them from a point closely adjacent to Pastor Robinson&rsquo;s house in the
- Klock-Steeg (Bell, Belfry, Alley), in the garden of which were the houses
- of many, to Delfshaven.
- </p>
- <p>
- Rev. John Brown, D.D., says: &ldquo;The barges needed for the journey were most
- likely moored near the Nuns&rsquo; Bridge which spans the Rapenburg immediately
- opposite the Klok-Steeg, where Robinsons house was. This, being their
- usual meeting-place, would naturally be the place of rendezvous on the
- morning of departure. From thence it was but a stone&rsquo;s throw to the boats,
- and quickly after starting they would enter the Vliet, as the section of
- the canal between Leyden and Delft is named, and which for a little
- distance runs within the city bounds, its quays forming the streets. In
- those days the point where the canal leaves the city was guarded by a
- water-gate, which has long since been removed, as have also the town
- walls, the only remaining portions of which are the Morsch-gate and the
- Zylgate. So, gliding along the quiet waters of the Vliet, past the
- Water-gate, and looking up at the frowning turrets of the Cow-gate, &lsquo;they
- left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting-place near
- twelve years.&rsquo; . . . Nine miles from Leyden a branch canal connects the
- Vliet with the Hague, and immediately beyond their junction a sharp turn
- is made to the left, as the canal passes beneath the Hoom-bridge; from
- this point, for the remaining five miles, the high road from the Hague to
- Delft, lined with noble trees, runs side by side with the canal. In our
- time the canal-boats make a circuit of the town to the right, but in those
- days the traffic went by canal through the heart of the city . . . .
- Passing out of the gates of Delft and leaving the town behind, they had
- still a good ten miles of canal journey before them ere they reached their
- vessel and came to the final parting, for, as Mr. Van Pelt has clearly
- shown, it is a mistake to confound Delft with Delfshaven, as the point of
- embarkation in the SPEEDWELL. Below Delft the canal, which from Leyden
- thither is the Vliet, then becomes the Schie, and at the village of
- Overschie the travellers entered the Delfshaven Canal, which between
- perfectly straight dykes flows at a considerable height above the
- surrounding pastures. Then finally passing through one set of sluice gates
- after another, the Pilgrims were lifted from the canal into a broad
- receptacle for vessels, then into the outer haven, and so to the side of
- the SPEEDWELL as she lay at the quay awaiting their arrival.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Dr. Holmes has prettily pictured the &ldquo;Departure&rdquo; in his &ldquo;Robinson of
- Leyden,&rdquo; even if not altogether correctly, geographically.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- &ldquo;He spake; with lingering, long embrace,
- With tears of love and partings fond,
- They floated down the creeping Maas,
- Along the isle of Ysselmond.
-
- &ldquo;They passed the frowning towers of Briel,
- The &lsquo;Hook of Holland&rsquo;s&rsquo; shelf of sand,
- And grated soon with lifting keel
- The sullen shores of Fatherland.
-
- &ldquo;No home for these! too well they knew
- The mitred king behind the throne;
- The sails were set, the pennons flew,
- And westward ho! for worlds unknown.&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <p>
- Winslow informs us that they of the Leyden congregation who volunteered
- for the American enterprise were rather the smaller fraction of the whole
- body, though he adds, as noted &ldquo;that the difference was not great.&rdquo; A
- careful analysis of the approximate list of the Leyden colonists, &mdash;including,
- of course, Carver, and Cushman and his family,&mdash;whose total number
- seems to have been seventy-two, indicates that of this number, forty-two,
- or considerably more than half (the rest being children, seamen, or
- servants), were probably members of the Leyden church. Of these, thirty,
- probably, were males and twelve females. The exact proportion this number
- bore to the numerical strength of Robinson&rsquo;s church at that time cannot be
- determined, because while something less than half as we know, gave their
- votes for the American undertaking, it cannot be known whether or not the
- women of church had a vote in the matter. Presumably they did not, the
- primitive church gave good heed to the words of Paul (i Corinthians xiv.
- 34), &ldquo;Let your women keep silence in the churches.&rdquo; Neither can it be
- known&mdash;if they had a voice&mdash;whether the wives and daughters of
- some of the embarking Pilgrims, who did not go themselves at this time,
- voted with their husbands and fathers for the removal. The total number,
- seventy-two, coincides very nearly with the estimate made by Goodwin, who
- says: &ldquo;Only eighty or ninety could go in this party from Leyden,&rdquo; and
- again: &ldquo;Not more than eighty of the MAY-FLOWER company were from Leyden.
- Allowing for [i.e. leaving out] the younger children and servants, it is
- evident that not half the company can have been from Robinson&rsquo;s
- congregation.&rdquo; As the total number of passengers on the MAYFLOWER was one
- hundred and two when she took her final departure from England, it is
- clear that Goodwin&rsquo;s estimate is substantially correct, and that the
- number representing the Leyden church as given above, viz., forty-two, is
- very close to the fact.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;When they came to the place&rdquo; [Delfshaven], says Bradford, &ldquo;they found the
- ship and all things ready; and such of their friends as could not come
- with them [from Leyden] followed after them; and sundry also came from
- Amsterdam (about fifty miles) to see them shipped, and to take their leave
- of them.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Leyden to Delfshaven" src="images/p036a.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- Saturday, July 22/Aug. 1, 1620, the Pilgrim company took their farewells,
- and Winslow records: &ldquo;We only going aboard, the ship lying to the key
- [quay] and ready to sail; the wind being fair, we gave them [their
- friends] a volley of small shot [musketry] and three pieces of ordnance
- and so lifting up our hands to each other and our hearts for each other to
- the Lord our God, we departed.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin says of the parting: &ldquo;The hull was wrapped in smoke, through which
- was seen at the stern the white flag of England doubly bisected by the
- great red cross of St. George, a token that the emigrants had at last
- resumed their dearly-loved nationality. Far above them at the main was
- seen the Union Jack of new device.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- And so after more than eleven years of banishment for conscience&rsquo; sake
- from their native shores, this little band of English exiles, as true to
- their mother-land&mdash;despite persecutions&mdash;as to their God, raised
- the flag of England, above their own little vessel, and under its folds
- set sail to plant themselves for a larger life in a New World.
- </p>
- <p>
- And thus opens the &ldquo;Log&rdquo; of the SPEEDWELL, and the &ldquo;Westward-Ho&rdquo; of the
- Pilgrim Fathers.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h3>
- THE SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S LOG
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, July 23/Aug. 2.
- On the German Ocean. Wind fair. General
- course D.W., toward Southampton. sails
- set, running free.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, July 24/Aug. 3.
- Fair. Wind moderate. Dover Straits
- English Channel. In sight Dover Cliffs.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, July 25/Aug. 5
- Hugging English shore. Enters Southampton
- Water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, July 26/Aug. 5.
- Came to anchor in Port of Southampton near
- ship MAYFLOWER of Yarmouth, from London (to
- which this pinnace is consort), off the
- north of the West Quay.&rsquo;
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, July 27/Aug. 6.
- At anchor in port of Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, July 28/Aug. 7.
- Lying at anchor at Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, July 29/Aug. 8.
- Lying at Southampton. MAY-FLOWER ready for
- sea, but pinnace leaking and requires
- re-trimming.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, July 30/Aug. 9.
- Lying at Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, July 31/Aug. 10.
- Ditto.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 1/11.
- Ditto.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 2/22.
- Ditto. Pinnace leaking. Re-trimmed again.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug 3/13.
- Ditto. Receiving passengers, etc. Some of
- principal Leyden men assigned to SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 4/14
- Southampton. Making ready to leave.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 5/55.
- Dropped down Southampton Water and beat
- down Channel. Wind dead ahead. Laid general
- course W.S.W.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 6/16.
- Wind baffling. Beating down Channel.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 7/17.
- Ditto.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 8/18.
- Ditto. Ship leaking.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 9/19.
- Ship leaking badly. Wind still ahead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug. 10/20.
- Ship still leaking badly. Gaining on
- pumps. Hove to. Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in
- company. Consultation with Captain Jones
- and principal passengers. Decided vessels
- shall put back, Dartmouth, being nearest
- convenient port. Wore ship and laid course
- for Dartmouth with good wind.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 11/21.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking badly.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 12/22.
- Made port at Dartmouth MAY-FLOWER in
- company. Came to anchor near MAY-FLOWER.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 13/23.
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 14/24.
- Moving cargo and overhauling and retrimming
- ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 15/25.
- Lying at Dartmouth. At on ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 16/26.
- Ditto. Found a plank feet long loose and
- admitting water freely, as at a mole hole.
- Seams opened some.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug. 17/27.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Some dissension among
- chief of passengers. Ship&rsquo;s &ldquo;Governor&rdquo;
- unsatisfactory.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 18/28.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Still at work on ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 19/29.
- Still lying at Dartmouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 20/30.
- Lying at Dartmouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 21/31
- Still at Dartmouth. Overhauling completed.
- Cargo relaced. Making ready to go to sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 22/Sept. 1.
- Still at Dartmouth. Lying at anchor ready
- for sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 23/Sept. 2.
- Weighed anchor,&rsquo; as did also MAY-FLOWER,
- and set sail. Laid general course W.S.W.
- Wind fair
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thursday, Aug. 24/Sept.3.
- Fair wind, but ship leaking.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Friday, Aug. 25/Sept. 4.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking dangerously.
- MAY-FLOWER in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Aug. 26/Sept. 5.
- About 100 leagues [300 miles] from Land&rsquo;s
- End. Ship leaking badly. Hove to.
- Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in company.
- Consultation between masters, carpenters,
- and principal passengers. Decided to put
- back into Plymouth and determine whether
- pinnace is seaworthy. Put about and laid
- course for Plymouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Aug. 27/Sept. 6.
- Wind on starboard quarter. Made Plymouth
- harbor and came to anchor. MAY-FLOWER in
- company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Aug. 28/Sept. 7.
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Conference
- of chief of Colonists and officers of
- MAY-FLOWER and SPEEDWELL. No special leak
- could be found, but it was judged to be the
- general weakness of the ship, and that she
- would not prove sufficient for the voyage.
- It was resolved to dismiss her the
- SPEEDWELL, and part of the company, and
- proceed with the other ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tuesday, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wednesday, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Sept. 2/12
- Ditto. Reassignment of passengers. Master
- Cushman and family, Master Blossom and son,
- Wm. Ring and others to return in pinnace to
- London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sunday, Sept. 3/13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Monday, Sept. 4/14
- Weighed anchor and took departure for
- London, leaving MAY-FLOWER at anchor in
- roadstead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Saturday, Sept. 9/19
- Off Gravesend. Came to anchor in Thames.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE AND
- OF THE LOG OF THE
- MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S
- CONSORT
-</pre>
- <p>
- From Bradford we learn that the SPEEDWELL was sold at London, and was
- &ldquo;refitted&rdquo;, her old trip being restored, and that she afterwards made for
- her new owners many and very prosperous voyages.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="The Channel Courses" src="images/p036b.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER III
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S CHARTER AND THE ADVENTURERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- The ship MAY-FLOWER was evidently chartered about the middle of June, 1620
- at London, by Masters Thomas West Robert Cushman acting together in behalf
- of the Merchant Adventurers (chiefly of London) and the English
- congregation of &ldquo;Separatists&rdquo; (the &ldquo;Pilgrims&rdquo;), at Leyden in Holland who,
- with certain of England associated, proposed to colony in America.
- </p>
- <p>
- Professor Arber, when he says, in speaking of Cushman and Weston, &ldquo;the
- hiring of the MAY-FLOWER, when they did do it, was their act alone, and
- the Leyden church nothing to do with it,&rdquo; seems to forget that Cushman and
- his associate Carver had no other function or authority in their
- conjunction with Weston and Martin, except to represent the Leyden
- congregation. Furthermore, it was the avowed wish of Robinson (see his
- letter dated June 14, 1620, to John Carver), that Weston &ldquo;may [should]
- presently succeed in hiring&rdquo; [a ship], which was equivalent to hoping that
- Carver and Cushman&mdash;Weston&rsquo;s associates representing Leyden&mdash;would
- aid in so doing. Moreover, Bradford expressly states that: &ldquo;Articles of
- Agreement, drawn by themselves were, by their [the Leyden congregation&rsquo;s]
- said messenger [Carver] sent into England, who together with Robert
- Cushman were to receive moneys and make provisions, both for shipping, and
- other things for the voyage.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Up to Saturday, June 10, nothing had been effected in the way of providing
- shipping for the migrating planters though the undertaking had been four
- months afoot&mdash;beyond the purchase and refitting, in Holland, by the
- Leyden people themselves, of a pinnace of sixty tons (the SPEEDWELL)
- intended as consort to a larger ship&mdash;and the hiring of a &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; to
- refit her, as we have seen.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Leyden leaders had apparently favored purchasing also the larger
- vessel still needed for the voyage, hoping, perhaps, to interest therein
- at least one of their friends, Master Edward Pickering, a merchant of
- Holland, himself one of the Adventurers, while Master Weston had, as
- appears, inclined to hire. From this disagreement and other causes,
- perhaps certain sinister reasons, Weston had become disaffected, the
- enterprise drooped, the outlook was dubious, and several formerly
- interested drew back, until shipping should be provided and the good faith
- of the enterprise be thus assured.
- </p>
- <p>
- It transpires from Robinson&rsquo;s letter dated June 14., before quoted (in
- which he says: &ldquo;For shipping, Master Weston, it should seem is set upon
- hiring&rdquo;), that Robinson&rsquo;s own idea was to purchase, and he seems to have
- dominated the rest. There is perhaps a hint of his reason for this in the
- following clause of the same letter, where he writes: &ldquo;I do not think
- Master Pickering [the friend previously named] will ingage, except in the
- course of buying [&lsquo;ships?&rsquo;&mdash;Arber interpolates] as in former letters
- specified.&rdquo; If he had not then &ldquo;ingaged&rdquo; (as Robinson intimates), as an
- Adventurer, he surely did later, contrary to the pastor&rsquo;s prediction, and
- the above may have been a bit of special pleading. Robinson naturally
- wished to keep their, affairs, so far as possible, in known and supposedly
- friendly hands, and had possibly some assurances that, as a merchant,
- Pickering would be willing to invest in a ship for which he could get a
- good charter for an American voyage. He proved rather an unstable friend.
- </p>
- <p>
- Robinson is emphatic, in the letter cited, as to the imperative necessity
- that shipping should be immediately provided if the enterprise was to be
- held together and the funds subscribed were to be secured. He evidently
- considered this the only guaranty of good faith and of an honest intention
- to immediately transport the colony over sea, that would be accepted.
- After saying, as already noted, that those behind-hand with their payments
- refuse to pay in &ldquo;till they see shipping provided or a course taken for
- it,&rdquo; he adds, referring to Master Weston: &ldquo;That he should not have had
- either shipping ready before this time, or at least certain [i.e.
- definite] means and course, and the same known to us, for it; or have
- taken other order otherwise; cannot in [according to] my conscience be
- excused.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford also states that one Master Thomas Weston a merchant of London,
- came to Leyden about the same time [apparently while negotiations for
- emigration under their auspices were pending with the Dutch, in February
- or March, 1620], who was &ldquo;well acquainted with some of them and a
- furtherer of them in their former proceedings.... and persuaded them....
- not to meddle with the Dutch,&rdquo; etc. This Robinson confirms in his letter
- to Carver before referred to, saying: &ldquo;You know right well we depend on
- Master Weston alone,.... and when we had in hand another course with the
- Dutchman, broke it off at his motion.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- On the morning of the 10th of June, 1620, Robert Cushman, one of the
- Leyden agents at London, after writing to his associate, Master John
- Carver, then at Southampton; and to the Leyden leaders&mdash;in reply to
- certain censorious letters received by him from both these sources &mdash;although
- disheartened by the difficulties and prospects before him, sought Master
- Weston, and by an urgent appeal so effectively wrought upon him, that, two
- hours later, coming to Cushman, he promised &ldquo;he would not yet give it [the
- undertaking] up.&rdquo; Cushman&rsquo;s patience and endurance were evidently nearly
- &ldquo;at the breaking point,&rdquo; for he says in his letter of Sunday, June 11,
- when success had begun to crown his last grand effort: &ldquo;And, indeed, the
- many discouragements I find here [in London] together with the demurs and
- retirings there [at Leyden] had made me to say, &lsquo;I would give up my
- accounts to John Carver and at his coming from Southampton acquaint him
- fully with all courses [proceedings] and so leave it quite, with only the
- poor clothes on my back: But gathering up myself by further consideration,
- I resolved yet to make one trial more,&rdquo; etc. It was this &ldquo;one trial more&rdquo;
- which meant so much to the Pilgrims; to the cause of Religion; to America;
- and to Humanity. It will rank with the last heroic and successful efforts
- of Robert the Bruce and others, which have become historic. The effect of
- Cushman&rsquo;s appeal upon Weston cannot be doubted. It not only apparently
- influenced him at the time, but, after reflection and the lapse of hours,
- it brought him to his associate to promise further loyalty, and, what was
- much better, to act. The real animus of Weston&rsquo;s backwardness, it is quite
- probable, lay in the designs of Gorges, which were probably not yet fully
- matured, or, if so, involved delay as an essential part. &ldquo;And so,&rdquo; Cushman
- states, &ldquo;advising together, we resolved to hire a ship.&rdquo; They evidently
- found one that afternoon, &ldquo;of sixty last&rdquo; (120 tons) which was called &ldquo;a
- fine ship,&rdquo; and which they &ldquo;took liking of [Old English for trial
- (Dryden), equivalent to refusal] till Monday.&rdquo; The same afternoon they
- &ldquo;hired another pilot . . . one Master Clarke.&rdquo;&mdash;of whom further.
- </p>
- <p>
- It seems certain that by the expression, &ldquo;we have hired another pilot
- here, one Master Clarke,&rdquo; etc.; that Cushman was reckoning the &ldquo;pilott&rdquo;
- Reynolds whom he had hired and sent over to them in Holland, as shown&mdash;as
- at the first, and now Clarke as &ldquo;another.&rdquo; It nowhere appears that up to
- this date, any other than these two had been hired, nor had there been
- until then, any occasion for more than one.
- </p>
- <p>
- If Cushman had been engaged in such important negotiations as these before
- he wrote his letters to Carver and the Leyden friends, on Saturday
- morning, he would certainly have mentioned them. As he named neither, it
- is clear that they had not then occurred. It is equally certain that
- Cushman&rsquo;s appeal to Weston was not made, and his renewed activity aroused,
- until after these letters had been dispatched and nothing of the kind
- could have been done without Weston.
- </p>
- <p>
- His letter-writing of June 10 was obviously in the morning, as proven by
- the great day&rsquo;s work Cushman performed subsequently. He must have written
- his letters early and have taken them to such place as his messenger had
- suggested (Who his messenger was does not appear, but it was not John
- Turner, as suggested by Arber, for he did not arrive till that night.)
- Cushman must then have looked up Weston and had an hour or more of earnest
- argument with him, for he says: &ldquo;at the last [as if some time was
- occupied] he gathered himself up a little more&rdquo; [i.e. yielded somewhat.]
- Then came an interval of &ldquo;two hours,&rdquo; at the end of which Weston came to
- him,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [It would be highly interesting to know whether, in the two hours
- which intervened between Cushman&rsquo;s call on Weston and the latter&rsquo;s
- return call, Weston consulted Gorges and got his instructions. It
- is certain that he came prepared to act, and that vigorously, which
- he had not previously been.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> and they &ldquo;advised together,&rdquo;&mdash;which took time. It was by this
- evidently somewhat past noon, a four or five hours having been consumed.
- They then went to look for a ship and found one, which, from Cushman&rsquo;s
- remark, &ldquo;but a fine ship it is,&rdquo; they must (at least superficially) have
- examined. While hunting for the ship they seem to have come across, and to
- have hired, John Clarke the &ldquo;pilot,&rdquo; with whom they necessarily, as with
- the ship&rsquo;s people, spent some time. It is not improbable that the approach
- of dusk cut short their examination of the ship, which they hence &ldquo;took
- liking of [refusal of] till Monday.&rdquo; It is therefore evident that the
- &ldquo;refusal&rdquo; of the &ldquo;sixty last&rdquo; ship was taken, and the &ldquo;pilot&rdquo; Clarke was
- &ldquo;hired,&rdquo; on Saturday afternoon, June 10, as on Sunday, June 11, Cushman
- informed the Leyden leaders of these facts by letter, as above indicated,
- and gave instructions as to the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S &ldquo;pilott,&rdquo; Master Reynolds.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are therefore able to fix, nearly to an hour, the &ldquo;turning of the tide&rdquo;
- in the affairs of the Pilgrim movement to America.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is also altogether probable that the Pilgrims and humanity at large are
- still further (indirectly) indebted to Cushman&rsquo;s &ldquo;one more trial&rdquo; and
- resultant Saturday afternoon&rsquo;s work, for the MAY-FLOWER (though not found
- that day), and her able commander Jones, who, whatever his faults, safely
- brought the Pilgrims through stormy seas to their &ldquo;promised land.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Obligations of considerable and rapidly cumulative cost had now been
- incurred, making it imperative to go forward to embarkation with all
- speed, and primarily, to secure the requisite larger ship. Evidently
- Weston and Cushman believed they had found one that would serve, when on
- Saturday, they &ldquo;took liking,&rdquo; as we have seen, of the &ldquo;fine ship&rdquo; of 120
- tons, &ldquo;till Monday.&rdquo; No less able authorities than Charles Deane, Goodwin,
- and Brown, with others, have mistakenly concluded that this ship was the
- MAY-FLOWER, and have so stated in terms. As editor of Bradford&rsquo;s history
- &ldquo;Of Plimoth Plantation,&rdquo; Mr. Deane (in a footnote to the letter of Cushman
- written Sunday, June 11), after quoting the remark, &ldquo;But it is a fine
- ship,&rdquo; mistakenly adds, &ldquo;The renowned MAYFLOWER.&mdash;Ed.,&rdquo; thus
- committing himself to the common error in this regard. John Brown, in his
- &ldquo;Pilgrim Fathers of New England,&rdquo; confuses the vessels, stating that,
- &ldquo;when all was ready for the start, a pilot came over to conduct the
- emigrants to England, bringing also a letter from Cushman announcing that
- the MAYFLOWER, a vessel of one hundred and eighty tons, Thomas Jones,
- Master, would start from London to Southampton in a week or two,&rdquo; etc. As
- we have seen, these statements are out of their relation. No pilot went
- for that purpose and none carried such a letter (certainly none from
- Cushman), as alleged. Cushman&rsquo;s letter, sent as we know by John Turner,
- announced the finding of an entirely different vessel, which was neither
- of 180 tons burden, nor had any relation to the MAY-FLOWER or her future
- historic freight. Neither was there in his letter any time of starting
- mentioned, or of the port of Southampton as the destination of any vessel
- to go from London, or of Jones as captain. Such loose statements are the
- bane of history. Goodwin, usually so accurate, stumbles unaccountably in
- this matter&mdash;which has been so strangely misleading to other
- competent men&mdash;and makes the sadly perverted statement that, &ldquo;In
- June, John Turner was sent, and he soon returned with a petulant (sic)
- letter from Cushman, which, however, announced that the ship MAYFLOWER had
- been selected and in two weeks would probably leave London for
- Southampton.&rdquo; He adds, with inexcusable carelessness in the presence of
- the words &ldquo;sixty last&rdquo; (which his dictionary would have told him, at a
- glance, was 120 tons), that: &ldquo;This vessel (Thomas Jones, master) was rated
- at a hundred and eighty tons . . . . Yet she was called a fine ship,&rdquo; etc.
- It is evident that, like Brown, he confused the two vessels, with
- Cushman&rsquo;s letter before his eyes, from failure to compute the &ldquo;sixty
- last.&rdquo; He moreover quotes Cushman incorrectly. The great disparity in
- size, however, should alone render this confusion impossible, and Cushman
- is clear as to the tonnage (&ldquo;sixty last&rdquo;), regretting that the ship found
- is not larger, while Bradford and all other chroniclers agree that the
- MAY-FLOWER was of &ldquo;9 score&rdquo; tons burden.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is also evident that for some reason this smaller ship (found on
- Saturday afternoon) was not taken, probably because the larger one, the
- MAY-FLOWER, was immediately offered to and secured by Masters Weston and
- Cushman, and very probably with general approval. Just how the MAY-FLOWER
- was obtained may never be certainly known. It was only on Saturday, June
- 10, as we have seen, that Master Weston had seriously set to work to look
- for a ship; and although the refusal of one&mdash;not wholly satisfactory&mdash;had
- been prudently taken that day, it was both natural and politic that as
- early as possible in the following week he should make first inquiry of
- his fellow-merchants among the Adventurers, whether any of them had
- available such a ship as was requisite, seeking to find, if possible, one
- more nearly of the desired capacity than that of which he had &ldquo;taken the
- refusal&rdquo; on Saturday. It appears altogether probable that, in reply to
- this inquiry, Thomas Goffe, Esq., a fellow Adventurer and
- shipping-merchant of London, offered the MAY-FLOWER, which, there is ample
- reason to believe, then and for ten years thereafter, belonged to him.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is quite likely that Clarke, the newly engaged &ldquo;pilot,&rdquo; learning that
- his employers required a competent commander for their ship, brought to
- their notice the master of the ship (the FALCON) in which he had made his
- recent voyage to Virginia, Captain Jones, who, having powerful friends at
- his back in both Virginia Companies (as later appears), and large
- experience, was able to approve himself to the Adventurers. It is also
- probable that Thomas Weston engaged him himself, on the recommendation of
- the Earl of Warwick, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges.
- </p>
- <p>
- As several weeks would be required to fit the ship for her long voyage on
- such service, and as she sailed from London July 15, her charter-party
- must certainly have been signed by June 20, 1620. The SPEEDWELL, as
- appears from various sources (Bradford, Winslow et al.), sailed from
- Delfshaven, Saturday, July 22. She is said to have been four days on the
- passage to Southampton, reaching there Wednesday, July 26. Cushman, in his
- letter of Thursday, August 17, from Dartmouth to Edward Southworth, says,
- &ldquo;We lay at Southampton seven days waiting for her&rdquo; (the SPEEDWELL), from
- which it is evident, both that Cushman came on the MAY-FLOWER from London,
- and that the MAY-FLOWER must have left London at least ten days before the
- 26th of July, the date of the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S arrival. As given traditionally,
- it was on the 15th, or eleven days before the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S arrival at
- Southampton.
- </p>
- <p>
- By whom the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed will probably
- remain matter of conjecture, though we are not without intimations of some
- value regarding it. Captain John Smith tells us that the Merchant
- Adventurers (presumably one of the contracting parties) &ldquo;were about
- seventy, . . . not a Corporation, but knit together by a voluntary
- combination in a Society without constraint or penalty. They have a
- President and Treasurer every year newly chosen by the most voices, who
- ordereth the affairs of their Courts and meetings; and with the assent of
- most of them, undertaketh all the ordinary business, but in more weighty
- affairs, the assent of the whole Company is required.&rdquo; It would seem from
- the foregoing&mdash;which, from so intelligent a source at a date so
- contemporaneous, ought to be reliable&mdash;that, not being an
- incorporated body, it would be essential that all the Adventurers (which
- Smith expressly states was their rule) should &ldquo;assent&rdquo; by their
- signatures, which alone could bind them to so important a business
- document as this charter-party. It was certainly one of their &ldquo;more
- weighty affairs,&rdquo; and it may well be doubted, also, if the owner of the
- vessel (even though one of their number) would accept less than the
- signatures of all, when there was no legal status by incorporation or
- co-partnership to hold them collectively.
- </p>
- <p>
- If the facts were indeed as stated by Smith,&mdash;whose knowledge of what
- he affirmed there is no reason to doubt,&mdash;there can be little
- question that the contract for the service of the MAY-FLOWER was signed by
- the entire number of the Adventurers on the one part. If so, its covenants
- would be equally binding upon each of them except as otherwise therein
- stipulated, or provided by the law of the realm. In such case, the
- charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER, with the autograph of each Merchant
- Adventurer appended, would constitute, if it could be found, one of the
- most interesting and valuable of historical documents. That it was not
- signed by any of the Leyden congregation&mdash;in any representative
- capacity&mdash;is well-nigh certain. Their contracts were with the
- Adventurers alone, and hence they were not directly concerned in the
- contracts of the latter, their &ldquo;agents&rdquo; being but co-workers with the
- Adventurers (under their partnership agreements), in finding shipping,
- collecting moneys, purchasing supplies, and in generally promoting the
- enterprise. That they were not signing-parties to this contract, in
- particular, is made very certain by the suggestion of Cushman&rsquo;s letter of
- Sunday, June 11, to the effect that he hoped that &ldquo;our friends there [at
- Leyden] if they be quitted of the ship-hire [as then seemed certain, as
- the Adventurers would hire on general account] will be induced to venture
- [invest] the more.&rdquo; There had evidently been a grave fear on the part of
- the Leyden people that if they were ever to get away, they would have to
- hire the necessary ship themselves.
- </p>
- <p>
- There is just the shadow of a doubt thrown upon the accuracy of Smith&rsquo;s
- statement as to the non-corporate status of the Adventurers, by the loose
- and unwieldy features which must thereby attach to their business
- transactions, to which it seems probable that merchants like Weston,
- Andrews, Beauchamp, Shirley, Pickering, Goffe, and others would object,
- unless the law at that time expressly limited and defined the rights and
- liabilities of members in such voluntary associations. Neither evidences
- of (primary) incorporation, or of such legal limitation, have, however,
- rewarded diligent search. There was evidently some more definite and
- corporate form of ownership in the properties and values of the
- Adventurers, arrived at later. A considerable reduction in the number of
- proprietors was effected before 1624&mdash;in most cases by the purchase
- of the interests of certain ones by their associates&mdash;for we find
- their holdings spoken of in that year as &ldquo;sixteenths,&rdquo; and these shares to
- have sometimes been attached for their owners&rsquo; debts. A letter of Shirley,
- Brewer et als., to Bradford, Allerton et als., dated London, April 7,
- 1624, says: &ldquo;If it had not been apparently sold, Mr. Beauchamp, who is of
- the company also, unto whom he [Weston] oweth a great deal more, had long
- ago attached it (as he did other&rsquo;s 16ths),&rdquo; etc. It is exceedingly
- difficult to reconcile these unquestionable facts with the equal certainty
- that, at the &ldquo;Composition&rdquo; of the Adventurers with the Planters in 1626,
- there were forty-two who signed as of the Adventurers. The weight,
- however, of evidence and of probability must be held to support the
- conclusion that in June, 1620, the organization was voluntary, and that
- the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed&mdash;&rdquo; on the one part &ldquo;&mdash;by
- each of the enrolled Adventurers engaged in the Leyden congregation&rsquo;s
- colonization scheme. Goodwin&rsquo; alone pretends to any certain knowledge of
- the matter, but although a veracious usually reliable writer, he is not
- infallible, as already shown, and could hardly have had access to the
- original documents,&mdash;which alone, in this case, could be relied on to
- prove his assertion that &ldquo;Shortly articles were signed by both parties,
- Weston acting for the Adventurers.&rdquo; Not a particle of confirmatory
- evidence has anywhere been found in Pilgrim or contemporaneous literature
- to warrant this statement, after exhaustive search, and it must hence,
- until sustained by proof, be regarded as a personal inference rather than
- a verity. If the facts were as appears, they permit the hope that a
- document of so much prima facie importance may have escaped destruction,
- and will yet be found among the private papers of some of the last
- survivors of the Adventurers, though with the acquisition of all their
- interests by the Pilgrim leaders such documents would seem, of right, to
- have become the property of the purchasers, and to have been transferred
- to the Plymouth planters.
- </p>
- <p>
- This all-important and historic body&mdash;the company of Merchant
- Adventurers&mdash;is entitled to more than passing notice. Associated to
- &ldquo;finance&rdquo; the projected transplantation of the Leyden congregation of
- &ldquo;Independents&rdquo; to the &ldquo;northern parts of Virginia,&rdquo; under such patronage
- and protection of the English government and its chartered Companies as
- they might be able to secure, they were no doubt primarily brought
- together by the efforts of one of their number, Thomas Weston, Esq., the
- London merchant previously named, though for some obscure reason Master
- John Pierce (also one of them) was their &ldquo;recognized&rdquo; representative in
- dealing with the (London) Virginia Company and the Council for the Affairs
- of New England, in regard to their Patents.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford states that Weston &ldquo;was well acquainted with some of them the
- Leyden leaders and a furtherer of them in their former proceedings,&rdquo; and
- this fact is more than once referred to as ground for their gratitude and
- generosity toward him, though where, or in what way, his friendship had
- been exercised, cannot be learned,&mdash;perhaps in the difficulties
- attending their escape from &ldquo;the north country&rdquo; to Holland. It was
- doubtless largely on this account, that his confident assurances of all
- needed aid in their plans for America were so relied upon; that he was so
- long and so fully trusted; and that his abominable treachery and later
- abuse were so patiently borne.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are indebted to the celebrated navigator, Captain John Smith, of
- Virginia fame, always the friend of the New England colonists, for most of
- what we know of the organization and purposes of this Company. His ample
- statement, worthy of repetition here, recites, that &ldquo;the Adventurers which
- raised the stock to begin and supply this Plantation, were about seventy:
- some, Gentlemen; some, Merchants; some, handicraftsmen; some adventuring
- great sums, some, small; as their estates and affections served . . . .
- These dwell most about London. They are not a corporation but knit
- together, by a voluntary combination, in a Society, with out constraint or
- penalty; aiming to do good and to plant Religion.&rdquo; Their organization,
- officers, and rules of conduct, as given by Smith, have already been
- quoted. It is to be feared from the conduct of such men as Weston, Pierce,
- Andrews, Shirley, Thornell, Greene, Pickering, Alden, and others, that
- profitable investment, rather than desire &ldquo;to do good and to plant
- Religion,&rdquo; was their chief interest. That the higher motives mentioned by
- Smith governed such tried and steadfast souls as Bass, Brewer, Collier,
- Fletcher, Goffe, Hatherly, Ling, Mullens, Pocock, Thomas, and a few
- others, there can be no doubt.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Weston wrote Bradford, April 10, 1622, &ldquo;I perceive and know as well
- as another ye disposition of your adventurers, whom ye hope of gaine
- hath drawne on to this they have done; and yet I fear ye hope will
- not draw them much further.&rdquo; While Weston&rsquo;s character was utterly
- bad, and he had then alienated his interest in both Pilgrims and
- Adventurers, his judgment of men was evidently good.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- No complete list of the original &ldquo;seventy&rdquo; has ever been found, and we are
- indebted for the names of forty-two, of the fifty who are now known, to
- the final &ldquo;Composition&rdquo; made with the Pilgrim colonists, through the
- latter&rsquo;s representatives, November 15/25, 1626, as given by Bradford, and
- to private research for the rest. The list of original members of the
- company of Merchant Adventurers, as ascertained to date, is as follows.
- More extended mention of them appears in the notes appended to this list.
- </p>
- <p>
- Robert Allden, Thomas Fletcher, Emanuel Altham, Thomas Goffe, Richard
- Andrews, Peter Gudburn, Thomas Andrews, William Greene, Lawrence Anthony,
- Timothy Hatherly, Edward Bass, Thomas Heath, John Beauchamp, William
- Hobson, Thomas Brewer, Robert Holland, Henry Browning, Thomas Hudson,
- William Collier, Robert Keayne, Thomas Coventry, Eliza Knight, John
- Knight, John Revell, Miles Knowles, Newman Rookes, John Ling, Samuel
- Sharpe, Christopher Martin(Treasurer pro tem.), James Shirley (Treasurer),
- Thomas Millsop, William Thomas, Thomas Mott, John Thornell William
- Mullens, Fria Newbald, Matthew Thornell William Pennington, William
- Penrin. Joseph Tilden, Edward Pickering, Thomas Ward, John Pierce, John
- White, John Pocock, John Wincob, Daniel Poynton, Thomas Weston, William
- Quarles, Richard Wright.
- </p>
- <p>
- Shirley, in a letter to Governor Bradford, mentions a Mr. Fogge and a Mr.
- Coalson, in a way to indicate that they might have been, like himself,
- Collier, Thomas, Hatherly, Beauchamp, and Andrews, also of the original
- Merchant Adventurers, but no proof that they were such has yet been
- discovered. It has been suggested that Sir Edwin Sandys was one of the
- number, at the inception of the enterprise, but&mdash;though there is
- evidence to indicate that he stood the friend of the Pilgrims in many
- ways, possibly lending them money, etc.&mdash;there is no proof that he
- was ever one of the Adventurers. It is more probable that certain
- promoters of Higginson&rsquo;s and Winthrop&rsquo;s companies, some ten years later,
- were early financial sponsers of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Some of them
- were certainly so, and it is likely that others not known as such, in
- reality, were. Bradford suggests, in a connection to indicate the
- possibility of his having been an &ldquo;Adventurer,&rdquo; the name of a &ldquo;Mr.
- Denison,&rdquo; of whom nothing more is known. George Morton of London,
- merchant, and friend of the leaders from the inception, and later a
- colonist, is sometimes mentioned as probably of the list, but no evidence
- of the fact as yet appears. Sir George Farrer and his brother were among
- the first of the Adventurers, but withdrew themselves and their
- subscriptions very early, on account of some dissatisfaction.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is impossible, in the space at command, to give more than briefest
- mention of each of these individual Adventurers.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Allden. Was at one time unfriendly to the Pilgrims,&mdash;Bradford calls him
- &ldquo;one of our powerfullest opposers,&rdquo;&mdash;but later their ally. Little
- is known of him. He appears to have been of London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Altham. Was Master of the pinnace LITTLE JAMES, belonging chiefly to
- Fletcher, and apparently expected to command her on her voyage to
- New Plymouth in 1623, as consort of the ANNE, but for some reason
- did not go, and William Bridge went as her Master, in his stead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Andrews (Richard). Was one of the wealthiest and most liberal of the
- Adventurers. He was a haberdasher of Cheapside, London, and an
- Alderman of the city. He became an early proprietor and liberal
- benefactor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, but most illogically
- gave the debt due him from Plymouth Colony (L540) to the stronger
- and richer Bay Colony. He had been, however, unjustly prejudiced
- against the Pilgrims, probably through the deceit of Pierce, Weston,
- Shirley, and Allerton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Andrews (Thomas). A Lord Mayor of London, reputed a brother of the
- last-named. Never very active in the Adventurers&rsquo; affairs, but
- friendly, so far as appears.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Anthony. Little or nothing is known concerning him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Bass. Was one of the enduring friends of the struggling Colony and
- loaned them money when they were in dire straits and the prospect of
- recovery was not good. He was of London, and considerable is known
- concerning him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Beauchamp. Was one of the most active of the Company for many years.
- Generally to be relied upon as the Colony&rsquo;s friend, but not without
- some sordid self seeking. Apparently a wealthy citizen and &ldquo;salter&rdquo;
- of London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Brewer. Is too well-known as long the partner of Brewster in the conduct
- of the &ldquo;hidden press&rdquo; at Leyden, and as a sufferer for conscience&rsquo;
- sake, to require identification. He was a wealthy man, a scholar,
- writer, printer, and publisher. Was of the University of Leyden,
- but removed to London after the departure of the chief of the
- Pilgrims. Was their stanch friend, a loyal defender of the faith,
- and spent most of his later life in prison, under persecution of the
- Bishops.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Browning. Does not appear to have been active, and little is known of
- him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Collier. Was a stanch and steadfast friend. Finally cast in his lot
- with the Pilgrims at New Plymouth and became a leading man in the
- government there. His life is well known. He was a &ldquo;brewer.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Coventry. Appears only as a signer, and nothing is known of him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Fletcher. Was a well-to-do merchant of London, a warm friend and a
- reliance of the Pilgrims. The loss of the LITTLE JAMES was a severe
- blow to him financially.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Greene. Appears to have been a merchant and a partner in Holland (and
- perhaps at London) of Edward Pickering. They were well acquainted
- personally with the Pilgrims, and should have been among their most
- liberal and surest friends. Facts indicate, however, that they were
- sordid in their interest and not entirely just.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Goffe. Was a London merchant and ship-owner, as else where appears.
- He was not only a Merchant Adventurer, but a patentee and
- deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company, and an intimate
- friend of Winthrop. He lost heavily by his New England ventures.
- There is, as shown elsewhere, good reason to believe that he was
- the owner of the MAY-FLOWER on her historic voyage, as also when
- she came over in Higginson&rsquo;s and Winthrop&rsquo;s fleets, ten years
- later.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Gudburn. Appears only as a signer, so far as known.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Hatherly. Was a well-to-do friend of the Pilgrims, and after many
- complaints had been made against them among the &ldquo;Purchasers&rdquo;
- &mdash;arising out of the rascality of Shirley and Allerton&mdash;went to New
- England on a mission of inquiry. He was perfectly convinced of the
- Pilgrims&rsquo; integrity and charmed with the country. He made another
- visit, and removed thither in 1633, to remain. He became at once
- prominent in the government of New Plimoth Colony.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Heath. Does not appear to have been active, and naught is known of him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Hobson. Is known only as a signer of the &ldquo;Composition.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Holland. Was a friend and ally of the Pilgrims, and one of their
- correspondents. He is supposed to have been of the ancient house of
- that name and to have lived in London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Hudson. Was not active, and appears as a signer only.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Keayne. Was a well-to-do citizen of the vicinity of London, a friend, in
- a general way, of the Pilgrims. He came to Boston with Winthrop.
- Was prominent in the Massachusetts Colony. Was the founder and
- first commander of the early Artillery Company of Boston, the oldest
- military organization of the United States, and died at Boston,
- leaving a large estate and a very remarkable will, of which he made
- Governor Winslow an &ldquo;overseer.&rdquo; He was an erratic,&mdash;but valuable,
- citizen.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Knight (Eliza). Seems to have been the only woman of the Adventurers, so
- far as they are known, but no thing is known of her. It has been
- suggested that the given name has been wrongly spelled and should be
- &ldquo;Eleazar,&rdquo;&mdash;a man&rsquo;s name,&mdash;but the &ldquo;Composition&rdquo; gives the signature
- as Eliza, clearly, as published.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Knight (John). Finds no especial mention. He was probably a relative of
- Eliza.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Knowles. Appears only as a signer of the &ldquo;Composition.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Ling. Was a wealthy friend of the colonists and always true to them. He
- lost his property and was in poverty when the Pilgrims (though not
- yet well on their feet), in grateful remembrance of his fidelity,
- sent him a generous gift.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Martin. Was the first treasurer of the colonists and also a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim. Mention of him appears later. He was no credit to the
- Company, and his early death probably prevented much vexation.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Millsop. Appears only as a signer of the &ldquo;Composition.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mott. Has no especial mention, but is believed to have sent some of his
- people to Plymouth Colony at an early day.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mullens. Was, as appears elsewhere, a well-conditioned tradesman of
- Surrey, England, who was both an Adventurer and a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim, and Martin and himself appear to have been the only ones
- who enjoyed that distinction. He died, however, soon after the
- arrival at Plymouth. That he was an Adventurer is but recently
- discovered by the author, but there appears no room for doubt as to
- the fact. His record was brief, but satisfactory, in its relation to
- the Pilgrims.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Newbald. Finds no especial mention.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Pennington. Appears only as a signer. It is a London name.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Penrin. Appears only as a signer of the &ldquo;Composition.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Pickering. Is introduced to us first as a Leyden merchant, through John
- Robinson&rsquo;s letters. He appears to have been a shrewd, cold-blooded
- calculator, like his partner-Adventurer, Greene, not interested
- especially in the Pilgrims, except for gain, and soon deserting the
- Adventurers. His family seem to have been in favor with Charles II.
- (See Pepys&rsquo; &ldquo;Diary.&rdquo;)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Pierce (John). Although recognized by the Virginia Companies and Council
- for New England, as the representative of the Adventurers, he has
- only been recently generally reckoned a chief man of the
- Adventurers. A Protean friend of the Pilgrims, never reliable, ever
- pretentious, always self-seeking, and of no help. He was finally
- ruined by the disasters to his ship, the PARAGON, which cost him all
- his interests. Having attempted treacherously to secure to himself
- the Patent granted in the Colony&rsquo;s interest, he was compelled by the
- Council to surrender its advantages to the Adventurers and
- colonists.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Pocock. Was a stanch and firm supporter of the Pilgrims and their
- interests, at all times, and to the end. He was also a financial
- supporter and deputy-governor the Massachusetts Company, under
- Winthrop. A correspondent of Bradford. A good man.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Poyton. Finds no especial mention. He appears as a signer only.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Quarles. Appears only as a signer of the &ldquo;Composition.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Revell. Was a very wealthy citizen, merchant, and ship owner of London,
- and a good man. He became also ardently interested in Winthrop&rsquo;s
- Company. Was an &ldquo;assistant&rdquo; and one of the five &ldquo;undertakers&rdquo;
- chosen to go to New England to reside. He went to New England on
- the JEWELL of Winthrop&rsquo;s fleet, and was part owner of the LADY
- ARBELLA. He evidently, however, did not like the life, and returned
- after a few weeks&rsquo; stay.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Rookes. Appears only as a signer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Sharpe. Was also a friend of both Pilgrim and Puritan. He came to New
- England in 1629, and settled first at Salem, in the Massachusetts
- Company. He died in 1658, having long been a ruling elder of the
- church there. He met with many enemies, but was a valuable man and
- an able one. He was Governor Cradock&rsquo;s New England agent.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Shirley. Requires little mention here. The perfidious friend of the
- Pilgrims,&mdash;perhaps originally true to them,&mdash;he sunk everything for
- hope of gain. He was treasurer of the Adventurers, one of their
- most active and intelligent men, but proved a rascal and a canting
- hypocrite. He was a &ldquo;citizen and gold-smith&rdquo; of London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas. Has nowhere been enumerated in any list of the Adventurers
- (though occasionally mentioned as such by recent writers), which is
- strange, as repeated letters of his to Bradford, and other data,
- show him to have been one of the best and truest of them all. He
- sold his interests before the &ldquo;Composition&rdquo; and became a colonist
- after 1630. He was the fifth of the Adventurers to come to New
- England to remain, and cast in his lot with the Pilgrims at New
- Plimoth&mdash;Martin, Mullens, Collier, and Hatherly preceding him. A
- wealthy and well-informed man, he became a power in the government.
- Probably Welsh by birth, he was a London merchant when the
- Adventurers were organized. His home at Marshfield, Massachusetts,
- has since become additionally famous as the home of Daniel Webster.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thornell (John). Is sometimes confounded with another Adventurer,
- Matthew Thornhill, as his name is some times so spelled. There is
- reason to believe they were related. He was not a friend to the
- Pilgrims.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Thornhill (or Thornell), (Matthew). Little is known concerning him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Tilden. Was of an old family in Kent, &ldquo;a citizen and girdler of London,&rdquo;
- as his will declares, his brother (Nathaniel) later coming to New
- England and settling near Hatherly at Scituate. Nathaniel&rsquo;s son
- Joseph&mdash;named for his uncle&mdash;was made his executor and heir. The
- uncle was always a firm friend of the Pilgrims. Mr. Tilden&rsquo;s will
- is given by Waters (&ldquo;Genealogical Gleanings,&rdquo; vol. i. p. 71), and
- is of much interest.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Ward. Appears only as a signer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-White. Probably the Rev. John White, a stanch friend of the Pilgrims,
- although not a &ldquo;Separatist,&rdquo; and intimately connected with the
- upbuilding of New England. His record was a broad and noble one.
- Goodwin says: &ldquo;Haven thinks White was that Dorchester clergyman
- reputed to be the author of the Planters&rsquo; Plea.&rdquo; Probably, but
- not certainly, William White of the Pilgrims was also an Adventurer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wincob (?). Was a gentleman of the family of the Countess of Lincoln,
- and the one in whose name the first patent in behalf of the
- Adventurers and Pilgrims (which, however, was never used) was taken.
- It is only recently that evidences which, though not conclusive, are
- yet quite indicative, have caused his name to be added to the list,
- though there is still a measure of doubt whether it belongs there.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Weston. Requires little mention here. Once a friend of the Pilgrims and
- unmistakably the organizer of the Adventurers, he became a graceless
- ingrate and rascal. An instrument of good at first, he became a
- heartless and designing enemy of the Planters. He was a &ldquo;citizen
- and merchant [ironmonger] of London.&rdquo; It is altogether probable
- that he was originally a tool of Sir Ferdinando Gorges and was led
- by him to influence the Leyden brethren to break off negotiations
- with the Dutch. He died poor, at Bristol, England.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Wright. Perhaps came to New Plimoth and married a daughter of the
- MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim, Francis Cooke. If so, he settled at Rehoboth and
- became its leading citizen. He may possibly have been the settler
- of that name in the Bay-Colony, and the weight of evidence rather
- favors the latter supposition.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the Adventurers, Collier, Hatherly, Keayne, Mullens, Revell, Pierce,
- Sharpe, Thomas, and Weston, probably Wright and White, possibly others,
- came to America for longer or shorter periods. Several of them were back
- and forth more than once. The records show that Andrews, Goffe, Pocock,
- Revell, Sharpe, and White were subsequently members of the Massachusetts
- (Winthrop&rsquo;s) Company.
- </p>
- <p>
- Professor Arberl finds but six of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers who
- later were among the Adventurers with Winthrop&rsquo;s Company of Massachusetts
- Bay, viz.:&mdash;Thomas Andrews, John Pocock, Samuel Sharpe, Thomas Goffe,
- John Revell, John White.
- </p>
- <p>
- He should have added at least, the names of Richard Andrews and Robert
- Keayne, and probably that of Richard Wright.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of their number, Collier, Hatherly, Martin, Mullens, Thomas, and
- (possibly) Wright were Plymouth colonists Martin and Mullens, as noted,
- being MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Nathaniel Tilden, a brother of Joseph Tilden of
- the Adventurers, came, as previously mentioned, to the Colony from Kent,
- settling at Scituate. Joseph, being apparently unmarried, made his nephew,
- Joseph of Scituate, his residuary legatee, and his property mostly came
- over to the Colony.
- </p>
- <p>
- Collier, Hatherly, and Thomas all located within a few miles of one
- another, were all wealthy and prominent men in the government of the
- Colony, were intimate friends,&mdash;the first and last especially,&mdash;and
- lent not a little dignity and character to this new dependency of King
- James the First. The remaining twenty or thereabouts whose names are not
- surely known&mdash;though a few of them are pretty safely conjectured,
- some being presumably of the Holland Pilgrims and their friends&mdash;were
- probably chiefly small contributors, whose rights were acquired from time
- to time by others of larger faith in the enterprise, or greater sympathy
- or means. Not all, however, who had ceased to hold their interests when
- the &ldquo;Composition&rdquo; was made with Allerton in behalf of the colonists, in
- 1626, were of these small holders. Weston was forced out by stress of
- circumstances; Thomas moved to New England; Pierce was ruined by his
- ventures by sea; Martin and Mullens died in 1621; Pickering and Greene got
- out early, from distrust as to profits; Wincob alone, of this class, was a
- small investor, if he was one at all.
- </p>
- <p>
- By far the greater portion of the sums invested by the Adventurers in
- behalf of the Colony is represented by those whose names are known, those
- still unknown representing, doubtless, numbers rather than amounts. It is,
- however, interesting to note, that more than four sevenths of the original
- number, as given by Captain John Smith, continued to retain their
- interests till the &ldquo;Composition&rdquo; of 1626. It is to be hoped that it may
- yet be possible to increase considerably, if not to perfect, the list of
- these coadjutors of the Pilgrims&mdash;the Merchant Adventurers&mdash;the
- contracting &ldquo;party of the second part,&rdquo; to the charter-party of the
- MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- Who the Owner of the MAY-FLOWER was, or who his representative, the &ldquo;party
- of the first part,&rdquo; to the charter party of the Pilgrim ship, cannot be
- declared with absolute certainty, though naturally a matter of absorbing
- interest. There is, however, the strongest probability, as before
- intimated, that Thomas Goffe, Esq., one of the Merchant Adventurers, and
- always a stanch friend of the Pilgrims, was the owner of the historic
- vessel,&mdash;and as such has interwoven his name and hers with the
- histories of both the Pilgrim and Puritan hegiras from Old to New England.
- He was, as previously stated, a wealthy &ldquo;merchant and ship owner of
- London,&rdquo; and not only an Adventurer with the Leyden Pilgrims, but&mdash;nearly
- ten years later&mdash;a patentee of the Massachusetts Company and one of
- its charter officers.
- </p>
- <p>
- We are told in the journal of Governor Winthrop of that Company&mdash;then
- on board the LADY ARBELLA, the, &ldquo;Admiral&rdquo; or flagship of his fleet, riding
- at Cowes, ready to set sail for New England&mdash;that on &ldquo;Easter Monday
- (March 29), 1630, the CHARLES, the MAY-FLOWER, the WILLIAM AND FRANCIS,
- the HOPEWELL, the WHALE, the SUCCESS, and the TRIAL,&rdquo; of his fleet, were
- &ldquo;still at Hampton [Southampton] and are not ready.&rdquo; Of these seven ships
- it is certain that Mr. Goffe owned at least two, as Governor Winthrop&mdash;in
- writing, some days later, of the detention of his son Henry and his friend
- Mr. Pelham, who, going ashore, failed to return to the governor&rsquo;s ship
- before she sailed from Cowes, and so went to the fleet at Southampton for
- passage&mdash;says: &ldquo;So we have left them behind and suppose they will
- come after in one of Mr. Goffe&rsquo;s ships.&rdquo; It is clear, therefore, that Mr.
- Goffe, who was an intimate friend and business associate of Governor
- Winthrop, as the latter&rsquo;s correspondence amply attests, and was a charter
- deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company, and at this time &ldquo;an
- assistant,&rdquo; was the owner of at least two (probably not more) of these
- seven belated ships of the governor&rsquo;s fleet, riding at Southampton.
- Bearing in mind that the MAY-FLOWER and the WHALE were two of those ships,
- it becomes of much importance to find that these two ships, evidently
- sailing in company (as if of one owner), arrived together in the harbor of
- Charlestown, New England, on Thursday, July 1, having on board one of them
- the governor&rsquo;s missing son, Henry Winthrop. If he came&mdash;as his father
- expected and as appears certain&mdash;&ldquo;in one of Mr. Goffe&rsquo;s ships,&rdquo; then
- evidently, either the MAY-FLOWER or the WHALE, or both, belonged to Mr.
- Goffe. That both were Goffe&rsquo;s is rendered probable by the fact that
- Governor Winthrop&mdash;writing of the vessels as if associated and a
- single interest&mdash;states that &ldquo;most of their cattle [on these ships]
- were dead, whereof a mare and horse of mine.&rdquo; This probability is
- increased, too, by the facts that the ships evidently kept close company
- across the Atlantic (as if under orders of a common owner, and as was the
- custom, for mutual defence and assistance, if occasion required), and that
- Winthrop who, as we above noted, had large dealings with Goffe, seems to
- have practically freighted both these ships for himself and friends, as
- his freight bills attest. They would hence, so far as possible, naturally
- keep together and would discharge their cargoes and have their accountings
- to a single consignee, taken as nearly together as practicable. Both these
- ships came to Charlestown,&mdash;as only one other did,&mdash;and both
- were freighted, as noted, by one party.
- </p>
- <p>
- Sadly enough, the young man, Henry Winthrop, was drowned at Salem the very
- day after his arrival, and before that of either of the other vessels: the
- HOPEWELL, or WILLIAM AND FRANCIS (which arrived at Salem the 3d); or the
- TRIAL or CHARLES (which arrived&mdash;the first at Charlestown, of the
- last at Salem&mdash;the 5th); or the SUCCESS (which arrived the 6th);
- making it certain that he must have come in either the MAY-FLOWER or the
- WHALE. If, as appears, Goffe owned them both, then his ownership of the
- MAY-FLOWER in 1630 is assured, while all authorities agree without cavil
- that the MAY-FLOWER of Winthrop&rsquo;s fleet in that year (1630) and the
- MAY-FLOWER of the Pilgrims were the same. In the second &ldquo;General Letter of
- Instructions&rdquo; from the Massachusetts Company in England&mdash;dated
- London, May 28, 1629&mdash;to Governor Endicott and his Council, a
- duplicate of which is preserved in the First Book of the Suffolk Registry
- of Deeds at Boston, the historic vessel is described as &ldquo;The MAY-FLOWER,
- of Yarmouth &mdash;William Pierse, Master,&rdquo; and Higginson, in his &ldquo;Journal
- of a Voyage to New England,&rdquo; says, &ldquo;The fifth ship is called the
- MAY-FLOWER carrying passengers and provisions.&rdquo; Yarmouth was hence
- undoubtedly the place of register, and the hailing port of the MAY-FLOWER,&mdash;she
- was very likely built there,&mdash;and this would remain the same, except
- by legal change of register, wherever she was owned, or from what ever
- port she might sail. Weston and Cushman, according to Bradford, found and
- hired her at London, and her probable owner, Thomas Goffe, Esq., was a
- merchant of that city. Dr. Young remarks: &ldquo;The MAYFLOWER Of Higginson&rsquo;s
- fleet is the renowned vessel that brought the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth
- in 1620.&rdquo; Hon. James Savage says &ldquo;The MAYFLOWER had been a name of renown
- without forming part of this fleet [Winthrop&rsquo;s, 1630], because in her came
- the devoted planters of Plimouth
- and she had also brought in the year preceding, 1629,
- some of Higginson&rsquo;s company to Salem.&rdquo; Goodwin&rsquo; says: &ldquo;In 1629 she [the
- Pilgrim MAY-FLOWER] came to Salem with a company of the Leyden people for
- Plymouth, and in 1630 was one of the large fleet that attended John
- Winthrop, discharging her passengers at Charlestown.&rdquo; Dr. Young remarks in
- a footnote: &ldquo;Thirty-five of the Leyden congregation with their families
- came over to Plymouth via Salem, in the MAY-FLOWER and TALBOT.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- In view of such positive statements as these, from such eminent
- authorities and others, and of the collateral facts as to the probable
- ownership of the MAY-FLOWER in 1630, and on her earlier voyages herein
- presented, the doubt expressed by the Rev. Mr. Blaxland in his &ldquo;Mayflower
- Essays,&rdquo; whether the ship bearing her name was the same, on these three
- several voyages, certainly does not seem justified.
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain William Pierce, who commanded the MAY-FLOWER in 1629, when she
- brought over part of the Leyden company, was the very early and intimate
- friend of the Pilgrims&mdash;having brought over the ANNE with Leyden
- passengers in 1623&mdash;and sailed exclusively in the employ of the
- Merchant Adventurers, or some of their number, for many years, which is of
- itself suggestive.
- </p>
- <p>
- To accept, as beyond serious doubt, Mr. Goffe&rsquo;s ownership of the
- MAY-FLOWER, when she made her memorable voyage to New Plimoth, one need
- only to compare, and to interpret logically, the significant facts;
- &mdash;that he was a ship-owner of London and one of the body of Merchant
- Adventurers who set her forth on her Pilgrim voyage in 1620; and that he
- stood, as her evident owner, in similar relation to the Puritan company
- which chartered her for New England, similarly carrying colonists,
- self-exiled for religion&rsquo;s sake, in 1629 and again in 1630. This
- conviction is greatly strengthened by the fact that Mr. Goffe continued
- one of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers, until their interests were
- transferred to the colonists by the &ldquo;Composition&rdquo; of 1626, and three years
- later (1629) sent by the MAY-FLOWER, on her second New England voyage,
- although under a Puritan charter, another company from the Leyden
- congregation. The (cipher) letter of the &ldquo;Governor and deputies of the
- New-England Company for a plantation in Massachusetts Bay&rdquo; to Captain John
- Endicott, written at Gravesend, England, the 17th of April, 1629, says:
- &ldquo;If you want any Swyne wee have agreed with those of Ne[w] Plimouth that
- they deliver you six Sowes with pigg for which they a[re] to bee allowed 9
- lb. in accompt of what they the Plymouth people owe unto Mr. Goffe [our]
- deputie [Governor].&rdquo; It appears from the foregoing that the Pilgrims at
- New Plymouth were in debt to Mr. Goffe in 1629, presumably for advances
- and passage money on account of the contingent of the Leyden congregation,
- brought over with Higginson&rsquo;s company to Salem, on the second trip of the
- MAY-FLOWER. Mr. Goffe&rsquo;s intimate connection with the Pilgrims was
- certainly unbroken from the organization of their Merchant Adventurers in
- 1619/20, through the entire period of ten years, to 1630. There is every
- reason to believe, and none to doubt, that his ownership of the MAY-FLOWER
- of imperishable renown remained equally unbroken throughout these years,
- and that his signature as her owner was appended to her Pilgrim
- charter-party in 1620. Whoever the signatories of her charter-party may
- have been, there can be no doubt that the good ship MAY-FLOWER, in charge
- of her competent, if treacherous, Master, Captain Thomas Jones, and her
- first &ldquo;pilot,&rdquo; John Clarke, lay in the Thames near London through the
- latter part of June and the early part of July, in the summer of 1620,
- undergoing a thorough overhauling, under contract as a colonist-transport,
- for a voyage to the far-off shores of &ldquo;the northern parts of Virginia.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- In whatever of old English verbiage, with quaint terms and cumbersome
- repetition, the stipulations of this contract of were concealed, there can
- be no doubt that they purported and designed to &ldquo;ingage&rdquo; that &ldquo;the Good
- ship MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth, of 9 score tuns burthen, whereof for the
- present viage Thomas Joanes is Master,&rdquo; should make the &ldquo;viage&rdquo; as a
- colonist-transport, &ldquo;from the city of London in His Majesty&rsquo;s Kingdom of
- Great Britain,&rdquo; etc., &ldquo;to the neighborhood of the mouth of Hudson&rsquo;s River,
- in the northern parts of Virginia and return, calling at the Port of
- Southampton, outward bound, to complete her lading, the same of all kinds,
- to convey to, and well and safely deliver at, such port or place, at or
- about the mouth of Hudson&rsquo;s River, so-called, in Virginia aforesaid, as
- those in authority of her passengers shall direct,&rdquo; etc., with provision
- as to her return lading, through her supercargo, etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is probable that the exact stipulations of the contract will never
- transpire, and we can only roughly guess at them, by somewhat difficult
- comparison with the terms on which the LADY ARBELLA, the &ldquo;Admiral,&rdquo; or
- flagship, of Winthrop&rsquo;s fleet, was chartered in 1630, for substantially
- the like voyage (of course, without expectation or probability, of so long
- a stay on the New England coast), though the latter was much the larger
- ship. The contract probably named an &ldquo;upset&rdquo; or total sum for the &ldquo;round
- voyage,&rdquo; as was the of the case with the LADY ARBELLA, though it is to be
- hoped there was no &ldquo;demurrage&rdquo; clause, exacting damage, as is usual, for
- each day of detention beyond the &ldquo;lay days&rdquo; allowed, for the long and
- unexpected tarries in Cape Cod and Plymouth harbors must have rolled up an
- appalling &ldquo;demurrage&rdquo; claim. Winthrop enters among his memoranda, &ldquo;The
- agreement for the ARBELLA L750, whereof is to be paid in hand [i e. cash
- down] the rest upon certificate of our safe arrival.&rdquo; The sum was
- doubtless considerably in excess of that paid for the MAY-FLOWER, both
- because she was a much larger, heavier-armed, and better-manned ship, of
- finer accommodations, and because ships were, in 1630, in far greater
- demand for the New England trade than in 1620, Winthrop&rsquo;s own fleet
- including no less than ten. The adjustments of freight and passage moneys
- between the Adventurers and colonists are matter of much doubt and
- perplexity, and are not likely to be fully ascertained. The only light
- thrown upon them is by the tariffs for such service on Winthrop&rsquo;s fleet,
- and for passage, etc., on different ships, at a little later day. It is
- altogether probable that transportation of all those accepted as
- colonists, by the agents of the Adventurers and &ldquo;Planters,&rdquo; was without
- direct charge to any individual, but was debited against the whole. But as
- some had better quarters than others, some much more and heavier
- furniture, etc., while some had bulky and heavy goods for their personal
- benefit (such as William Mullen&rsquo;s cases of &ldquo;boots and shoes,&rdquo; etc.), it is
- fair to assume that some schedule of rates for &ldquo;tonnage,&rdquo; if not for
- individuals, became necessary, to prevent complaints and to facilitate
- accounts. Winthrop credits Mr. Goffe&mdash;owner of two of the ships in
- 1630&mdash;as follows:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- &ldquo;For ninety-six passengers at L4, L384.
- For thirty-two tons of goods at L3 (per ton).
- For passage for a man, his wife and servant, (3 persons)
- L16/10, L5/10 each.&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <p>
- Goodwin shows the cost of transportation at different times and under
- varying conditions. &ldquo;The expense of securing and shipping Thos. Morton of
- &lsquo;Merry Mount&rsquo; to England, was L12 7 0,&rdquo; but just what proportion the
- passage money bore to the rest of the account, cannot now be told. The
- expense of Mr. Rogers, the young insane clergyman brought over by Isaac
- Allerton, without authority, was, for the voyage out: &ldquo;For passage L1. For
- diet for eleven weeks at 4s. 8d. per week, total L3 11 4&rdquo; [A rather longer
- passage than usual.] Constant Southworth came in the same ship and paid
- the same, L3 11 4, which may hence be assumed as the average charge, at
- that date, for a first-class passage. This does not vary greatly from the
- tariff of to-day, (1900) as, reduced to United States currency, it would
- be about $18; and allowing the value of sterling to be about four times
- this, in purchase ratio, it would mean about $73. The expenses of the
- thirty-five of the Leyden congregation who came over in the MAY-FLOWER in
- 1620, and of the others brought in the LION in 1630, were slightly higher
- than these figures, but the cost of the trip from Leyden to England was
- included, with that of some clothing. In 1650, Judge Sewall, who as a
- wealthy man would be likely to indulge in some luxury, gives his outlay
- one way, as, &ldquo;Fare, L2 3 0; cabin expenses, L4 11 4; total, L6 14 4.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER IV
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER&mdash;THE SHIP HERSELF
- </h3>
- <p>
- Unhappily the early chroniclers familiar with the MAY-FLOWER have left us
- neither representation nor general description of her, and but few data
- from which we may reconstruct her outlines and details for ourselves.
- Tradition chiefly determines her place in one of the few classes into
- which the merchant craft of her day were divided, her tonnage and service
- being almost the only other authentic indices to this class.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford helps us to little more than the statement, that a vessel, which
- could have been no other, &ldquo;was hired at London, being of burden about 9
- score&rdquo; [tons], while the same extraordinary silence, which we have noticed
- as to her name, exists as to her description, with Smith, Bradford,
- Winslow, Morton, and the other contemporaneous or early writers of Pilgrim
- history. Her hundred and eighty tons register indicates in general her
- size, and to some extent her probable model and rig.
- </p>
- <p>
- Long search for a reliable, coetaneous picture of one of the larger ships
- of the merchant service of England, in the Pilgrim period, has been
- rewarded by the discovery of the excellent &ldquo;cut&rdquo; of such a craft, taken
- from M. Blundeville&rsquo;s &ldquo;New and Necessarie Treatise of Navigation,&rdquo;
- published early in the seventeenth century. Appearing in a work of so high
- character, published by so competent a navigator and critic, and
- (approximately) in the very time of the Pilgrim &ldquo;exodus,&rdquo; there can be no
- doubt that it quite correctly, if roughly and insufficiently, depicts the
- outlines, rig, and general cast of a vessel of the MAY-FLOWER type and
- time, as she appeared to those of that day, familiar therewith.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="SHIP" src="images/p078.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- It gives us a ship corresponding, in the chief essentials, to that which
- careful study of the detail and minutiae of the meagre MAY-FLOWER history
- and its collaterals had already permitted the author and others to
- construct mentally, and one which confirms in general the conceptions
- wrought out by the best artists and students who have attempted to portray
- the historic ship herself.
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain J. W. Collins, whose experience and labors in this relation are
- further alluded to, and whose opinion is entitled to respect, writes the
- author in this connection, as follows &ldquo;The cut from Blundeville&rsquo;s
- treatise, which was published more or less contemporaneously with the
- MAYFLOWER, is, in my judgment, misleading, since it doubtless represents a
- ship of an earlier date, and is evidently [sic] reproduced from a
- representation on tapestry, of which examples are still to be seen (with
- similar ships) in England. The actual builder&rsquo;s plans, reproduced by
- Admiral Paris, from drawings still preserved, of ships of the MAYFLOWER&rsquo;S
- time, seem to me to offer more correct and conclusive data for accurately
- determining what the famous ship of the Pilgrim Fathers was like.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Decidedly one of the larger and better vessels of the merchant class of
- her day, she presumably followed the prevalent lines of that class, no
- doubt correctly represented, in the main, by the few coeval pictures of
- such craft which have come down to us. No one can state with absolute
- authority, her exact rig, model, or dimensions; but there can be no
- question that all these are very closely determined from even the meagre
- data and the prints we possess, so nearly did the ships of each class
- correspond in their respective features in those days. There is a notable
- similarity in certain points of the MAY-FLOWER, as she has been
- represented by these different artists, which is evidence upon two points:
- first, that all delineators have been obliged to study the type of vessel
- to which she belonged from such representations of it as each could find,
- as neither picture nor description of the vessel herself was to be had;
- and second, that as the result of such independent study nearly all are
- substantially agreed as to what the salient features of her type and class
- were. A model of a ship [3 masts] of the MAY-FLOWER type, and called in
- the Society&rsquo;s catalogue &ldquo;A Model of the MAY FLOWER, after De Bry,&rdquo; but
- itself labelled &ldquo;Model of one of Sir Walter Raleigh&rsquo;s Ships,&rdquo; is
- (mistakenly) exhibited by the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth. It is by no
- means to be taken as a correct representation of the Pilgrim bark. Few of
- the putative pictures of the MAY-FLOWER herself are at all satisfactory,&mdash;apart
- from the environment or relation in which she is usually depicted,&mdash;whether
- considered from an historical, a nautical, or an artistic point of view.
- The only one of these found by the author which has commanded (general, if
- qualified) approval is that entitled &ldquo;The MAY-FLOWER at Sea,&rdquo; a
- reproduction of which, by permission, is the frontispiece of this volume.
- It is from an engraving by the master hand of W. J. Linton, from a drawing
- by Granville Perkins, and appeared in the &ldquo;New England Magazine&rdquo; for
- April, 1898, as it has elsewhere. Its comparative fidelity to fact, and
- its spirited treatment, alike commend it to those familiar with the
- subject, as par excellence the modern artistic picture of the MAY-FLOWER,
- although somewhat fanciful, and its rig, as Captain Collies observes, &ldquo;is
- that of a ship a century later than the MAY-FLOWER; a square topsail on
- the mizzen,&rdquo; he notes, &ldquo;being unknown in the early part of the seventeenth
- century, and a jib on a ship equally rare.&rdquo; Halsall&rsquo;s picture of &ldquo;The
- Arrival of the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth Harbor,&rdquo; owned by the Pilgrim
- Society, of Plymouth, and hung in the Society&rsquo;s Hall, while presenting
- several historical inaccuracies, undoubtedly more correctly portrays the
- ship herself, in model, rig, etc., than do most of the well-known
- paintings which represent her. It is much to be regretted that the artist,
- in woeful ignorance, or disregard, of the recorded fact that the ship was
- not troubled with either ice or snow on her entrance (at her successful
- second attempt) to Plymouth harbor, should have covered and environed her
- with both.
- </p>
- <p>
- Answering, as the MAY-FLOWER doubtless did, to her type, she was certainly
- of rather &ldquo;blocky,&rdquo; though not unshapely, build, with high poop and
- forecastle, broad of beam, short in the waist, low &ldquo;between decks,&rdquo; and
- modelled far more upon the lines of the great nautical prototype, the
- water-fowl, than the requirements of speed have permitted in the carrying
- trade of more recent years. That she was of the &ldquo;square rig&rdquo; of her time&mdash;when
- apparently no use was made of the &ldquo;fore-and-aft&rdquo; sails which have so
- wholly banished the former from all vessels of her size&mdash;goes without
- saying. She was too large for the lateen rig, so prevalent in the
- Mediterranean, except upon her mizzenmast, where it was no doubt employed.
- </p>
- <p>
- The chief differences which appear in the several &ldquo;counterfeit
- presentments&rdquo; of the historic ship are in the number of her masts and the
- height of her poop and her forecastle. A few make her a brig or &ldquo;snow&rdquo; of
- the oldest pattern, while others depict her as a full-rigged ship,
- sometimes having the auxiliary rig of a small &ldquo;jigger&rdquo; or &ldquo;dandy-mast,&rdquo;
- with square or lateen sail, on peak of stern, or on the bow sprit, or
- both, though usually her mizzenmast is set well aft upon the poop. There
- is no reason for thinking that the former of these auxiliaries existed
- upon the MAY-FLOWER, though quite possible. Her 180 tons measurement
- indicates, by the general rule of the nautical construction of that
- period, a length of from 90 to 100 feet, &ldquo;from taffrail to knighthead,&rdquo;
- with about 24 feet beam, and with such a hull as this, three masts would
- be far more likely than two. The fact that she is always called a &ldquo;ship&rdquo;&mdash;to
- which name, as indicating a class, three masts technically attach&mdash;is
- also somewhat significant, though the term is often generically used. Mrs.
- Jane G. Austin calls the MAY-FLOWER a &ldquo;brig,&rdquo; but there does not appear
- anywhere any warrant for so doing.
- </p>
- <p>
- At the Smithsonian Institution (National Museum) at Washington, D. C.,
- there is exhibited a model of the MAY-FLOWER, constructed from the ratio
- of measurements given in connection with the sketch and working plans of a
- British ship of the merchant MAY-FLOWER class of the seventeenth century,
- as laid down by Admiral Francois Edmond Paris, of France, in his
- &ldquo;Souvenirs de Marine.&rdquo; The hull and rigging of this model were carefully
- worked out by, and under the supervision of Captain Joseph W. Collins
- (long in the service of the Smithsonian Institution, in nautical and
- kindred matters, and now a member of the Massachusetts Commission of
- Inland Fisheries and Game), but were calculated on the erroneous basis of
- a ship of 120 instead of 180 tons measurement. This model, which is upon a
- scale of 1/2 inch to 1 foot, bears a label designating it as &ldquo;The
- &lsquo;MAYFLOWER&rsquo; of the Puritans&rdquo; [sic], and giving the following description
- (written by Captain Collins) of such a vessel as the Pilgrim ship, if of
- 120 tons burthen, as figured from such data as that given by Admiral
- Paris, must, approximately, have been. (See photographs of the model
- presented herewith.) &ldquo;A wooden, carvel-built, keel vessel, with full bluff
- bow, strongly raking below water line; raking curved stem; large open
- head; long round (nearly log-shaped) bottom; tumble in top side; short
- run; very large and high square stern; quarter galleries; high forecastle,
- square on forward end, with open rails on each side; open bulwarks to main
- [spar] and quarter-decks; a succession of three quarter-decks or poops,
- the after one being nearly 9 feet above main [spar] deck; two boats stowed
- on deck; ship-rigged, with pole masts [i.e. masts in one piece]; without
- jibs; square sprit sail (or water sail under bowsprit); two square sails
- on fore and main masts, and lateen sail on mizzenmast.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Ship Models" src="images/p082.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- Dimensions of Vessel. Length, over all, knightheads to taffrail, 82 feet;
- beam, 22 feet; depth, 14 feet; tonnage, 120; bowsprit, outboard, 40 feet 6
- inches; spritsail yard, 34 feet 6 inches; foremast, main deck to top, 39
- feet; total length, main [spar] deck to truck, 67 feet 6 inches;
- fore-yard, 47 feet 6 inches; foretopsail yard, 34 feet 1 2 inches;
- mainmast, deck to top, 46 feet; total, deck to truck, 81 feet; main yard,
- 53 feet; maintopsail yard, 38 feet 6 inches; mizzen mast, deck to top, 34
- feet; total, deck to truck, 60 feet 6 inches; spanker yard, 54 feet 6
- inches; boats, one on port side of deck, 17 feet long by 5 feet 2 inches
- wide; one on starboard side, 13 feet 6 inches long by 4 feet 9 inches
- wide. The above description &ldquo;worked out&rdquo; by Captain Collins, and in
- conformity to which his putative model of the &ldquo;MAY FLOWER&rdquo; was
- constructed, rests, of course, for its correctness, primarily, upon the
- assumptions (which there is no reason to question) that the &ldquo;plates&rdquo; of
- Admiral Paris, his sketches, working plans, dimensions, etc., are
- reliable, and that Captain Collins&rsquo;s mathematics are correct, in reducing
- and applying the Admiral&rsquo;s data to a ship of 120 tons. That there would be
- some considerable variance from the description given, in applying these
- data to a ship of 60 tons greater measurement (i.e. of 180 tons), goes
- without saying, though the changes would appear more largely in the hull
- dimensions than in the rigging. That the description given, and its
- expression in the model depicted, present, with considerable fidelity, a
- ship of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S class and type, in her day,&mdash;though of sixty
- tons less register, and amenable to changes otherwise,&mdash;is altogether
- probable, and taken together, they afford a fairly accurate idea of the
- general appearance of such a craft.
- </p>
- <p>
- In addition to mention of the enlargements which the increased tonnage
- certainly entails, the following features of the description seem to call
- for remark.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is doubtful whether the vessels of this class had &ldquo;open bulwarks to the
- main [spar] deck,&rdquo; or &ldquo;a succession of three quarter-decks or poops.&rdquo; Many
- models and prints of ships of that period and class show but two. It is
- probable that if the jib was absent, as Captain Collins believes (though
- it was evidently in use upon some of the pinnaces and shallops of the
- time, and its utility therefore appreciated), there was a small squaresail
- on a &ldquo;dandy&rdquo; mast on the bowsprit, and very possibly the &ldquo;sprit&rdquo; or
- &ldquo;water-sail&rdquo; he describes. The length of the vessel as given by Captain
- Collins, as well as her beam, being based on a measurement of but 120
- tons, are both doubtless less than they should be, the depth probably also
- varying slightly, though there would very likely be but few and slight
- departures otherwise from his proximate figures. The long-boat would be
- more likely to be lashed across the hatch amidships than stowed on the
- port side of the deck, unless in use for stowage purposes, as previously
- suggested. Captain Collins very interestingly notes in a letter to the
- author, concerning the measurements indicated by his model: &ldquo;Here we meet
- with a difficulty, even if it is not insurmountable. This is found in the
- discrepancy which exists between the dimensions&mdash;length, breadth, and
- depth&mdash;requisite to produce a certain tonnage, as given by Admiral
- Paris and the British Admiralty. Whether this is due to a difference in
- estimating tonnage between France (or other countries) and Great Britain,
- I am unable to say, but it is a somewhat remarkable fact that the National
- Museum model, which was made for a vessel of 120 tons, as given by Admiral
- Paris who was a Frenchman, has almost exactly the proportions of length,
- depth, and breadth that an English ship of 180 tons would have, if we can
- accept as correct the lists of measurements from the Admiralty records
- published by Charnock . . . In the third volume of Charnock&rsquo;s &lsquo;History of
- Marine Architecture,&rsquo; p. 274., I find that a supply transport of 175 tons,
- built in 1759, and evidently a merchant ship originally, or at least a
- vessel of that class, was 79.4 feet long (tonnage measure), 22.6 feet
- beam, and 11.61 feet deep.&rdquo; The correspondence is noticeable and of much
- interest, but as the writer comments, all depends upon whether or not &ldquo;the
- measurement of the middle of the eighteenth century materially differed in
- Great Britain from what it was in the early part of the previous century.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Like all vessels having high stems and sterns, she was unquestionably &ldquo;a
- wet ship,&rdquo;&mdash;upon this voyage especially so, as Bradford shows, from
- being overloaded, and hence lower than usual in the water. Captain John
- Smith says: &ldquo;But being pestered [vexed] nine weeks in this leaking,
- unwholesome ship, lying wet in their cabins; most of them grew very weak
- and weary of the sea.&rdquo; Bradford says, quoting the master of the MAY-FLOWER
- and others: &ldquo;As for the decks and upper works they would caulk them as
- well as they could, . . . though with the working of the ship, they would
- not long keep staunch.&rdquo; She was probably not an old craft, as her captain
- and others declared they &ldquo;knew her to be strong and firm under water;&rdquo; and
- the weakness of her upper works was doubtless due to the strain of her
- overload, in the heavy weather of the autumnal gales. Bradford says: &ldquo;They
- met with many contrary winds and fierce storms with which their ship was
- shrewdly shaken and her upper works made very leaky.&rdquo; That the confidence
- of her master in her soundness below the water-line was well placed, is
- additionally proven by her excellent voyages to America, already noted, in
- 1629, and 1630, when she was ten years older.
- </p>
- <p>
- That she was somewhat &ldquo;blocky&rdquo; above water was doubtless true of her, as
- of most of her class; but that she was not unshapely below the water-line
- is quite certain, for the re markable return passage she made to England
- (in ballast) shows that her lower lines must have been good. She made the
- run from Plymouth to London on her return voyage in just thirty-one days,
- a passage that even with the &ldquo;clipper ships&rdquo; of later days would have been
- respectable, and for a vessel of her model and rig was exceptionally good.
- She was &ldquo;light&rdquo; (in ballast), as we know from the correspondence of Weston
- and Bradford, the letter of the former to Governor Carver&mdash;who died
- before it was received&mdash;upbraiding him for sending her home &ldquo;empty.&rdquo;
- The terrible sickness and mortality of the whole company, afloat and
- ashore, had, of course, made it impossible to freight her as intended with
- &ldquo;clapboards&rdquo; [stave-stock], sassafras roots, peltry, etc. No vessels of
- her class of that day were without the high poop and its cabin
- possibilities,&mdash;admirably adapting them to passenger service,&mdash;and
- the larger had the high and roomy topgallant forecastles so necessary for
- their larger crews. The breadth of beam was always considerably greater in
- that day than earlier, or until much later, necessitated by the
- proportionately greater height (&ldquo;topsides&rdquo;), above water, at stem and
- stern. The encroachments of her high poop and forecastle left but short
- waist-room; her waist-ribs limited the height of her &ldquo;between decks;&rdquo;
- while the &ldquo;perked up&rdquo; lines of her bow and stern produced the resemblance
- noted, to the croup and neck of the wild duck. That she was low &ldquo;between
- decks&rdquo; is demonstrated by the fact that it was necessary to &ldquo;cut down&rdquo; the
- Pilgrims&rsquo; shallop&mdash;an open sloop, of certainly not over 30 feet in
- length, some 10 tons burden, and not very high &ldquo;freeboard&rdquo;&mdash;&ldquo;to stow&rdquo;
- her under the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S spar deck. That she was &ldquo;square-rigged&rdquo;
- follows, as noted, from the fact that it was the only rig in use for ships
- of her class and size, and that she had &ldquo;topsails&rdquo; is shown by the fact
- that the &ldquo;top-saile halliards&rdquo; were pitched over board with John Howland,
- and saved his life. Bradford says: &ldquo;A lustie yonge man (called John
- Howland) coming upon some occasion above ye grattings, was with a seele of
- ye shipe throwne into ye sea: but it pleased God yt he caught hould of ye
- top-saile halliards which hunge over board &amp; rane out at length yet he
- held his hould . . . till he was haled up,&rdquo; etc. Howland had evidently
- just come from below upon the poop-deck (as there would be no &ldquo;grattings&rdquo;
- open in the waist to receive the heavy seas shipped). The ship was clearly
- experiencing &ldquo;heavy weather&rdquo; and a great lurch (&ldquo;seele&rdquo;) which at the
- stern, and on the high, swinging, tilting poop-deck would be most severely
- felt, undoubtedly tossed him over the rail. The topsail halliards were
- probably trailing alongside and saved him, as they have others under like
- circumstances.
- </p>
- <p>
- Whether or not the MAY-FLOWER had the &ldquo;round house&rdquo; under her poop-deck,
- &mdash;-a sort of circular-end deck-house, more especially the quarters,
- by day, of the officers and favored passengers; common, but apparently not
- universal, in vessels of her class,&mdash;we have no positive knowledge,
- but the presumption is that she had, as passenger ships like the PARAGON
- (of only 140 tons), and others of less tonnage, seem to have been so
- fitted!
- </p>
- <p>
- It is plain that, in addition to the larger cabin space and the smaller
- cabins,&mdash;&ldquo;staterooms,&rdquo; nowadays,&mdash;common to ships of the
- MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S size and class, the large number of her passengers, and
- especially of women and children, made it necessary to construct other
- cabins between decks. Whether these were put up at London, or Southampton,
- or after the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S additional passengers were taken aboard at
- Plymouth, does not appear. The great majority of the men and boys were
- doubtless provided with bunks only, &ldquo;between decks,&rdquo; but it seems that
- John Billington had a cabin there. Bradford narrates of the gunpowder
- escapade of young Francis Billington, that, &ldquo;there being a fowling-piece,
- charged in his father&rsquo;s cabin [though why so inferior a person as
- Billington should have a cabin when there could not have been enough for
- better men, is a query], shot her off in the cabin, there being a little
- barrel of powder half-full scattered in and about the cabin, the fire
- being within four feet of the bed, between the decks, . . . and many
- people gathered about the fire,&rdquo; etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- Whatever other deductions may be drawn from this very badly constructed
- and ambiguous paragraph of Bradford, two things appear certain,&mdash;one,
- that Billington had a &ldquo;cabin&rdquo; of his own &ldquo;between decks;&rdquo; and the other,
- that there was a &ldquo;fire between decks,&rdquo; which &ldquo;many people&rdquo; were gathered
- &ldquo;about.&rdquo; We can quite forgive the young scamp for the jeopardy in which he
- placed the ship and her company, since it resulted in giving us so much
- data concerning the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S &ldquo;interior.&rdquo; Captain John Smith&rsquo;s remark,
- already quoted, as to the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S people &ldquo;lying wet in their cabins,&rdquo;
- is a hint of much value from an experienced navigator of that time, as to
- the &ldquo;interior&rdquo; construction of ships and the bestowal of passengers in
- them, in that day, doubtless applicable to the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- While it was feasible, when lying quietly at anchor in a land-locked
- harbor, with abundance of fire-wood at hand, to have a fire, about which
- they could gather, even if only upon the &ldquo;sand-hearth&rdquo; of the early
- navigators, when upon boisterous seas, in mid-ocean, &ldquo;lying . . . in their
- cabins&rdquo; was the only means of keeping warm possible to voyagers. In &ldquo;Good
- Newes from New England,&rdquo; we find the lines:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- &ldquo;Close cabins being now prepared,
- With bred, bief, beire, and fish,
- The passengers prepare themselves,
- That they might have their wish.&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <p>
- Her magazine, carpenter&rsquo;s and sailmaker&rsquo;s lockers, etc., were doubtless
- well forward under her forecastle, easily accessible from the spar-deck,
- as was common to merchant vessels of her class and size. Dr. Young, in his
- &ldquo;Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers&rdquo; (p. 86, note), says: &ldquo;This vessel was
- less than the average size of the fishing-smacks that go to the Grand
- Banks. This seems a frail bark in which to cross a stormy ocean of three
- thousand miles in extent. Yet it should be remembered that two of the
- ships of Columbus on his first daring and perilous voyage of discovery,
- were light vessels, without decks, little superior to the small craft that
- ply on our rivers and along our coasts . . . . Frobisher&rsquo;s fleet consisted
- of two barks of twenty-five tons each and a pinnace of ten tons, when he
- sailed in 1576 to discover a north-west passage to the Indies. Sir Francis
- Drake, too, embarked on his voyage for circumnavigating the globe, in
- 1577, with five vessels, of which the largest was of one hundred, and the
- smallest fifteen tons. The bark in which Sir Humphrey Gilbert perished was
- of ten tons only.&rdquo; The LITTLE JAMES, which the Company sent to Plymouth in
- July, 1623, was &ldquo;a pinnace of only forty-four tons,&rdquo; and in a vessel of
- fifty tons (the SPEEDWELL), Martin Pring, in 1603, coasted along the
- shores of New England. Goodwin says: &ldquo;In 1587 there were not in all
- England&rsquo;s fleet more than five merchant vessels exceeding two hundred
- tons.&rdquo; The SPARROW-HAWK wrecked on Cape Cod in 1626 was only 40 feet &ldquo;over
- all.&rdquo; The Dutch seem to have built larger vessels. Winthrop records that
- as they came down the Channel, on their way to New England (1630), they
- passed the wreck of &ldquo;a great Dutch merchantman of a thousand tons.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S galley, with its primitive conditions for cooking,
- existed rather as a place for the preparation of food and the keeping of
- utensils, than for the use of fire. The arrangements for the latter were
- exceedingly crude, and were limited to the open &ldquo;hearth-box&rdquo; filled with
- sand, the chief cooking appliance being the tripod-kettle of the early
- navigators: This might indeed be set up in any part of the ship where the
- &ldquo;sand-hearth&rdquo; could also go, and the smoke be cared for. It not
- infrequently found space in the fore castle, between decks, and, when fine
- weather prevailed, upon the open deck, as in the open caravels of
- Columbus, a hundred years before. The bake-kettle and the frying-pan held
- only less important places than the kettle for boiling. It must have been
- rather a burst of the imagination that led Mrs. Austin, in &ldquo;Standish of
- Standish,&rdquo; to make Peter Browne remind poor half-frozen Goodman&mdash;whom
- he is urging to make an effort to reach home, when they had been lost, but
- had got in sight of the MAY-FLOWER In the harbor&mdash;of &ldquo;the good fires
- aboard of her.&rdquo; Moreover, on January 22, when Goodman was lost, the
- company had occupied their &ldquo;common-house&rdquo; on shore. Her ordnance doubtless
- comprised several heavy guns (as such were then reckoned), mounted on the
- spar-deck amid ships, with lighter guns astern and on. the rail, and a
- piece of longer range and larger calibre upon the forecastle. Such was the
- general disposal of ordnance upon merchant vessels of her size in that
- day, when an armament was a &lsquo;sine qua non&rsquo;. Governor Winslow in his
- &ldquo;Hypocrisie Unmasked,&rdquo; 1646 (p. 91), says, in writing of the departure of
- the Pilgrims from Delfshaven, upon the SPEEDWELL: &ldquo;The wind being fair we
- gave them a volley of small shot and three pieces of ordnance,&rdquo; by which
- it seems that the SPEEDWELL, of only sixty tons, mounted at least &ldquo;three
- pieces of ordnance&rdquo; as, from the form of expression, there seem to have
- been &ldquo;three pieces,&rdquo; rather than three discharges of the same piece.
- </p>
- <p>
- The inference is warranted that the MAY-FLOWER, being three times as
- large, would carry a considerably heavier and proportionate armament. The
- LADY ARBELLA, Winthrop&rsquo;s ship, a vessel of 350 tons, carried &ldquo;twenty-eight
- pieces of ordnance;&rdquo; but as &ldquo;Admiral&rdquo; of the fleet, at a time when there
- was a state of war with others, and much piracy, she would presumably
- mount more than a proportionate weight of metal, especially as she
- convoyed smaller and lightly armed vessels, and carried much value. There
- is no reason to suppose that the MAY-FLOWER, in her excessively crowded
- condition, mounted more than eight or ten guns, and these chiefly of small
- calibre. Her boats included her &ldquo;long-boat,&rdquo; with which the experience of
- her company in &ldquo;Cape Cod harbor&rdquo; have made us familiar, and perhaps other
- smaller boats,&mdash;besides the Master&rsquo;s &ldquo;skiff&rdquo; or &ldquo;gig,&rdquo; of whose
- existence and necessity there are numerous proofs. &ldquo;Monday the 27,&rdquo;
- Bradford and Winslow state, &ldquo;it proved rough weather and cross winds, so
- as we were constrained, some in the shallop and others in the long-boat,&rdquo;
- etc. Bradford states, in regard to the repeated springings-a-leak of the
- SPEEDWELL: &ldquo;So the Master of the bigger ship, called Master Jones, being
- consulted with;&rdquo; and again, &ldquo;The Master of the small ship complained his
- ship was so leaky . . . so they [Masters Jones and Reynolds] came to
- consultation, again,&rdquo; etc. It is evident that Jones was obliged to visit
- the SPEEDWELL to inspect her and to consult with the leaders, who were
- aboard her. For this purpose, as for others, a smaller boat than the
- &ldquo;long-boat&rdquo; would often serve, while the number of passengers and crew
- aboard would seem to demand still other boats. Winthrop notices that their
- Captain (Melborne) frequently &ldquo;had his skiff heaved out,&rdquo; in the course of
- their voyage. The Master&rsquo;s small boat, called the &ldquo;skiff&rdquo; or &ldquo;gig,&rdquo; was,
- no doubt, stowed (lashed) in the waist of the ship, while the &ldquo;long-boat&rdquo;
- was probably lashed on deck forward, being hoisted out and in, as the
- practice of those days was, by &ldquo;whips,&rdquo; from the yardarms. It was early
- the habit to keep certain of the live-stock, poultry, rabbits, etc., in
- the unused boats upon deck, and it is possible that in the crowded state
- of the MAY-FLOWER this custom was followed. Bradford remarks that their
- &ldquo;goods or common store . . . were long in unlading [at New Plimoth] for
- want of boats.&rdquo; It seems hardly possible that the Admiralty authorities,&mdash;though
- navigation laws were then few, crude, and poorly enforced,&mdash;or that
- the Adventurers and Pilgrim chiefs themselves, would permit a ship
- carrying some 130 souls to cross the Atlantic in the stormy season,
- without a reasonable boat provision. The capacity of the &ldquo;long-boat&rdquo; we
- know to have been about twenty persons, as nearly that number is shown by
- Bradford and Winslow to have gone in her on the early expeditions from the
- ship, at Cape Cod. She would therefore accommodate only about one sixth of
- the ship&rsquo;s company. As the &ldquo;gig&rdquo; would carry only five or six persons,&mdash;while
- the shallop was stowed between decks and could be of no service in case of
- need upon the voyage,&mdash;the inference is warranted that other boats
- were carried, which fail of specific mention, or that she was wofully
- lacking. The want of boats for unlading, mentioned by Bradford, suggests
- the possibility that some of the ship&rsquo;s quota may have been lost or
- destroyed on her boisterous voyage, though no such event appears of
- record, or is suggested by any one. In the event of wreck, the Pilgrims
- must have trusted, like the Apostle Paul and his associates when cast away
- on the island of Melita, to get to shore, &ldquo;some on boards and some on
- broken pieces of the ship.&rdquo; Her steering-gear, rigging, and the mechanism
- for &ldquo;getting her anchors,&rdquo; &ldquo;slinging,&rdquo; &ldquo;squaring,&rdquo; and &ldquo;cockbilling&rdquo; her
- yards; for &ldquo;making&rdquo; and &ldquo;shortening&rdquo; sail; &ldquo;heaving out&rdquo; her boats and
- &ldquo;handling&rdquo; her cargo, were of course all of the crude and simple patterns
- and construction of the time, usually so well illustrating the ancient
- axiom in physics, that &ldquo;what is lost [spent] in power is gained in time.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The compass-box and hanging-compass, invented by the English cleric,
- William Barlow, but twelve years before the Pilgrim voyage, was almost the
- only nautical appliance possessed by Captain Jones, of the MAY-FLOWER, in
- which no radical improvement has since been made. Few charts of much value&mdash;especially
- of western waters&mdash;had yet been drafted, but the rough maps and
- diagrams of Cabot, Smith, Gosnold, Pring, Champlain and Dermer, Jones was
- too good a navigator not to have had. In speaking of the landing at Cape
- Cod, the expression is used by Bradford in &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation,&rdquo; &ldquo;We went
- round all points of the compass,&rdquo; proving that already the mariner&rsquo;s
- compass had become familiar to the speech even of those not using it
- professionally.
- </p>
- <p>
- That the ship was &ldquo;well-found&rdquo; in anchors (with solid stocks), hemp
- cables, &ldquo;spare&rdquo; spars, &ldquo;boat-tackling&rdquo; and the heavy &ldquo;hoisting-gear&rdquo; of
- those days, we have the evidence of recorded use. &ldquo;The MAY-FLOWER,&rdquo; writes
- Captain Collins, would have had a hemp cable about 9 inches in
- circumference. Her anchors would probably weigh as follows: sheet anchor
- (or best bower) 500 to 600 lbs.; stream anchor 350 to 400 lbs.; the spare
- anchors same as the stream anchor.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Charnock&rsquo;s Illustrations&rdquo; show that the anchors used in the MAY-FLOWER
- period were shaped very much like the so called Cape Ann anchor now made
- for our deep-sea fishing vessels. They had the conventional shaped flukes,
- with broad pointed palms, and a long shank, the upper end passing through
- a wooden stock. [Tory shows in his diagrams some of the anchors of that
- period with the space between the shank and flukes nearly filled up in the
- lower part with metal.] Such an anchor has the maximum of holding powers,
- and bearing in mind the elasticity of the hemp cables then used, would
- enable a vessel to ride safely even when exposed to heavy winds and a
- racing sea: There is no doubt, according to the British Admiralty Office,&mdash;which
- should be authority upon the matter, &mdash;that the flag under which the
- MAY-FLOWER, and all other vessels of the merchant marine of Great Britain,
- sailed, at the time she left England (as noted concerning the SPEEDWELL),
- was what became known as the &ldquo;Union Jack,&rdquo; as decreed by James the First,
- in 1606, supplanting the English ensign, which had been the red cross of
- St. George upon a white field. The new flag resulted from the &ldquo;union&rdquo; of
- the crowns and kingdoms of England and Scotland, upon the accession of
- James VI. of Scotland to the English throne, as James I. of England, upon
- the death of queen Elizabeth. Its design was formed by superimposing the
- red cross of St. George upon the white cross of St. Andrew, on a dark blue
- field; in other words, by imposing the cross of St. George, taken from the
- English ensign, upon the Scotch flag, and creating there by the new flag
- of Great Britain.
- </p>
- <p>
- In a little monograph on &ldquo;The British Flag&mdash;Its Origin and History,&rdquo;
- a paper read by its author, Jona. F. Morris, Esq., before the Connecticut
- Historical Society, June 7, 1881, and reprinted at Hartford (1889), Mr.
- Morris, who has made much study of the matter, states (p. 4): &ldquo;In 1603,
- James VI. of Scotland was crowned James I. of England. The Scots, in their
- pride that they had given a king to England, soon began to contend that
- the cross of St. Andrew should take precedence of the cross of St. George,
- that ships bearing the flag of the latter should salute that of St.
- Andrew. To allay the contention, the King, on the 12th of April, 1606,
- ordered that all subjects of Great Britain travelling by sea shall bear at
- the maintop the red cross of St. George and the white cross, commonly
- called the cross of St. Andrew, joined together according to a form made
- by his heralds besides this all vessels belonging to South Britain or
- England might wear the cross of St. George at the peak or fore, as they
- were wont, and all vessels belonging to North Britain or Scotland might
- wear the cross of St. Andrew at the fore top, as they had been accustomed;
- and all vessels were for bidden to wear any other flag at their peril. The
- new flag thus designed by the heralds and proclaimed by this order was
- called the &lsquo;King&rsquo;s Colors.&rsquo; For a long period the red cross had been the
- colors of English navigators, as well as the badge of English soldiery . .
- . . No permanent English settlement in America was made until after the
- adoption of the &lsquo;King&rsquo;s Colors.&rsquo; Jamestown, Plymouth, Salem, and Boston
- were settled under the new flag, though the ships bringing over settlers,
- being English vessels, also carried the red cross as permitted.&rdquo; Mr.
- Barlow Cumberland, of Toronto, Canada, has also given, in a little
- monograph entitled &ldquo;The Union Jack&rdquo; (published by William Briggs of that
- city, 1898), an admirable account of the history of the British jack,
- which confirms the foregoing conclusions. The early English jack was later
- restored. Such, roughly sketched, was the Pilgrim ship, the renowned
- MAY-FLOWER, as, drafted from the meagre but fairly trustworthy and
- suggestive data available, she appears to us of to-day.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <p>
- <big> HER HISTORY: </big>
- </p>
- <p>
- In even the little we know of the later history of the ship, one cannot
- always be quite sure of her identity in the records of vessels of her
- name, of which there have been many. Dr. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, of
- Boston, says that &ldquo;a vessel bearing this name was owned in England about
- fifteen years or more before the voyage of our forefathers, but it would
- be impossible to prove or disprove its identity with the renowned
- MAY-FLOWER, however great such a probability might be. It is known,
- nevertheless, that&mdash;the identical famous vessel afterwards hailed
- from various English ports, such as London, Yarmouth, and Southampton, and
- that it was much used in transporting immigrants to this country. What
- eventually became of it and what was the end of its career, are equally
- unknown to history.&rdquo; Goodwin says: &ldquo;It does not appear that the MAY-FLOWER
- ever revisited Plymouth, but in 1629 she came to Salem,&rdquo; with a company of
- the Leyden people for Plymouth, under command of Captain William Peirce,
- the warm friend of the Pilgrims, and in 1630 was one of the large fleet
- that attended John Winthrop, under a different master, discharging her
- passengers at Charlestown. Nothing is certainly known of her after that
- time. In 1648 a ship [hereinafter mentioned by Hunter] named the
- MAY-FLOWER was engaged in the slave trade, and the ill-informed as well as
- the ill-disposed have sometimes sneeringly alleged that this was our
- historic ship; but it is ascertained that the slaver was a vessel of three
- hundred and fifty tons,&mdash;nearly twice the size of our ship of happy
- memory. In 1588 the officials of Lynn (England) offered the &ldquo;MAY-FLOWER&rdquo;
- (150 tons) to join the fleet against the dreaded Spanish Armada. In 1657,
- Samuel Vassall, of London, complained that the government had twice
- impressed his ship, MAY-FLOWER, which he had &ldquo;fitted out with sixty men,
- for the Straits.&rdquo; Rev. Joseph Hunter, author of &ldquo;The Founders of New
- Plymouth,&rdquo; one of the most eminent antiquarians in England, and an
- indefatigable student of Pilgrim history among British archives, says: &ldquo;I
- have not observed the name of MAY FLOWER [in which style he always writes
- it] before the year 1583 . . . But the name soon became exceedingly
- popular among those to whom belonged the giving of the names to vessels in
- the merchant-service. Before the close of that century [the sixteenth] we
- have a MAY-FLOWER of Hastings; a MAY-FLOWER of Rie; a MAY-FLOWER of
- Newcastle: a MAY FLOWER of Lynn; and a MAY-FLOWER Of Yarmouth: both in
- 1589. Also a MAY-FLOWER of Hull, 1599; a MAY FLOWER of London of eighty
- tons burden, 1587, and 1594, Of which Richard Ireland was the master, and
- another MAY-FLOWER of the same port, of ninety tons burthen, of which
- Robert White was the master in 1594, and a third MAY-FLOWER of London,
- unless it is the same vessel with one of the two just spoken of, only with
- a different master, William Morecock. In 1587 there was a MAY-FLOWER Of
- Dover, of which John Tooke was the master. In 1593 there was a MAY-FLOWER
- of Yarmouth of 120 tons, of which William Musgrove was the master. In 1608
- there was a MAY-FLOWER of Dartmouth, of which Nicholas Waterdonne was the
- master; and in 1609 a MAY-FLOWER of Middleburgh entered an English port.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Later in the century we find a MAY-FLOWER of Ipswich, and another of
- Newcastle in 1618; a MAY-FLOWER of York in 1621; a MAY-FLOWER of
- Scarborough in 1630, Robert Hadock the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Sandwich
- the same year, John Oliver the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Dover, 1633, Walter
- Finnis, master, in which two sons of the Earl of Berkshire crossed to
- Calais. &ldquo;Which of these was the vessell which carried over the precious
- [Pilgrim] freight cannot perhaps be told [apparently neither, unless
- perhaps the MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth of 1593, in which case her tonnage is
- incorrectly given], but we learn from Mr. Sherley&rsquo;s letter to Governor
- Bradford&rsquo; that the same vessel was employed in 1629 in passing between the
- two countries, a company of the church at Leyden, who had joined in the
- first emigration, intending to pass in it to America; and in the same
- author we find that the vessel arrived in the harbour of Charlestown [N.
- E.] on July 1, 1630. There was a MAY-FLOWER which, in 1648, gained an
- unenviable notoriety as a slaver. But this was not the MAY-FLOWER which
- had carried over the first settlers, it being a vessel Of 350 tons, while
- the genuine MAY-FLOWER was of only 180 tons.&rdquo; Of the first of her two
- known visits, after her voyage with the Pilgrim company from Leyden,
- Goodwin says: &ldquo;In August, 1629, the renowned MAY-FLOWER came from England
- to Salem under Plymouth&rsquo;s old friend [William] Peirce, and in her came
- thirty-five Leyden people, on their way to Plymouth.&rdquo; The number has been
- in dispute, but the large cost of bringing them, over L500, would suggest
- that their families must have also come, as has been alleged, but for the
- following from Governor Bradford&rsquo;s Letter Book: &ldquo;These persons,&rdquo; he says,
- &ldquo;were in all thirty-five, which came at this time unto us from Leyden,
- whose charge out of Holland into England, and in England till the ship was
- ready, and then their transportation hither, came to a great deal of
- money, for besides victuals and other expenses, they were all newly
- apparelled.&rdquo; Shirley, one of the Adventurers, writing to Governor Bradford
- in 1629, says: &ldquo;Here are now many of your friends from Leyden coming over.
- With them also we have sent some servants, or in the ship that went lately
- (I think called the TALBOT), and this that these come in is the
- MAY-FLOWER.&rdquo; All that Higginson&rsquo;s journal tells of her, as noted, is, that
- &ldquo;she was of Yarmouth;&rdquo; was commanded by William Peirce, and carried
- provisions and passengers, but the fact that she was under command of
- Captain Peirce of itself tells much. On her next trip the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed from Southampton, in May, 1630, as part of Winthrop&rsquo;s fleet, and
- arrived at Charlestown July 1. She was, on this voyage, under command of a
- new master (perhaps a Captain Weatherby), Captain Peirce having, at this
- time, command of the ship LYON, apparently in the service of Plymouth
- Colony. A vessel of this name [MAY-FLOWER] was sailing between England and
- Boston in 1656. Young says: &ldquo;The MAY-FLOWER is a ship of renown in the
- history of the colonization of New England. She was one of the five
- vessels which, in 1629, conveyed Higginson&rsquo;s company to Salem, and also
- one of the fleet which, in 1630, brought over his colony to Massachusetts
- Bay.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- October 6, 1652, &ldquo;Thomas Webber, Mr. of the good shipp called the
- MAYFLOWER of the burden of Two hundred Tuns or there abouts . . . .
- Rideing at Ancor in the Harber of Boston,&rdquo; sold one-sixteenth of the ship
- &ldquo;for good &amp; valluable Consideracons to Mr. John Pinchon of Springfield
- Mrchant.&rdquo; The next day, October 7, 1652, the same &ldquo;Thomas Webber, Mr, of
- the good Shipp called the MAY FLOWER of Boston in New England now bound
- for the barbadoes and thence to London,&rdquo; acknowledges an indebtedness to
- Theodore Atkinson, a wealthy &ldquo;hatter, felt-maker,&rdquo; and merchant of Boston,
- and the same day (October 7, 1652), the said &ldquo;Thomas Webber, Mr. of the
- good shipp called the MAY FLOWER of the burthen of Two hundred tuns or
- thereabouts,&rdquo; sold &ldquo;unto Theodore Atkinson felt-maker one-sixteenth part
- as well of said Shipp as of all &amp; singular her masts Sails Sail-yards
- Ancors Cables Ropes Cords Gunns Gunpowder Shott Artillery Tackle Munition
- apparrell boate skiffe and furniture to the same belonging.&rdquo; It is of
- course possible that this was the historic ship, though, if so,
- reappearing twenty two years after her last known voyage to New England.
- If the same, she was apparently under both new master and owner. From the
- facts that she is called &ldquo;of Boston in New England&rdquo; and was trading
- between that port, &ldquo;the Barbadoes&rdquo; and London, it is not impossible that
- she may have been built at Boston&mdash;a sort of namesake descendant of
- the historic ship&mdash;and was that MAY-FLOWER mentioned as belonging, in
- 1657, to Mr. Samuel Vassall; as he had large interests alike in Boston,
- Barbadoes, and London. Masters of vessels were often empowered to sell
- their ships or shares in them. Although we know not where her keel was
- laid, by what master she was built, or where she laid her timbers when her
- work was done, by virtue of her grand service to humanity, her fame is
- secure, and her name written among the few, the immortal names that were
- not born to die.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER V
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE MAYFLOWER
- </h3>
- <p>
- The officers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER were obviously important factors
- in the success of the Pilgrim undertaking, and it is of interest to know
- what we may concerning them. We have seen that the &ldquo;pilot,&rdquo; John Clarke,
- was employed by Weston and Cushman, even before the vessel upon which he
- was to serve had been found, and he had hence the distinction of being the
- first man &ldquo;shipped&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S complement. It is evident that he
- was promptly hired on its being known that he had recently returned from a
- voyage to Virginia in the cattle-ship FALCON, as certain to be of value in
- the colonists&rsquo; undertakings.
- </p>
- <p>
- Knowing that the Adventurers&rsquo; agents were seeking both a ship and a master
- for her, it was the natural thing for the latter, that he should propose
- the Captain under whom he had last sailed, on much the same voyage as that
- now contemplated. It is an interesting fact that something of the
- uncertainty which for a time existed as to the names and features of the
- Pilgrim barks attaches the names and identity of their respective
- commanders. The &ldquo;given&rdquo; name of &ldquo;Master&rdquo; Reynolds, &ldquo;pilott&rdquo; and &ldquo;Master&rdquo;
- of the SPEED WELL, does not appear, but the assertion of Professor Arber,
- though positive enough, that &ldquo;the Christian name of the Captain of the
- MAY-FLOWER is not known,&rdquo; is not accepted by other authorities in Pilgrim
- history, though it is true that it does not find mention in the
- contemporaneous accounts of the Pilgrim ship and her voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- There is no room for doubt that the Captain of the FALCON&mdash;whose
- release from arrest while under charge of piracy the Earl of Warwick
- procured, that he might take command of the above-named cattle-ship on her
- voyage to Virginia, as hereinafter shown&mdash;was Thomas Jones. The
- identity of this man and &ldquo;Master Jones&rdquo; who assumed command of the
- MAY-FLOWER&mdash;with the former mate of the FALCON, John Clarke, as his
- first officer&mdash;is abundantly certified by circumstantial evidence of
- the strongest kind, as is also the fact that he commanded the ship
- DISCOVERY a little later.
- </p>
- <p>
- With the powerful backing of such interested friends as the Earl of
- Warwick and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, undoubtedly already in league with
- Thomas Weston, who probably made the contract with Jones, as he had with
- Clarke, the suggestion of the latter as to the competency and availability
- of his late commander would be sure of prompt approval, and thus, in all
- probability, Captain Thomas Jones, who finds his chief place in history&mdash;and
- a most important one&mdash;as Master of the MAY-FLOWER, came to that
- service.
- </p>
- <p>
- In 1619, as appears by Neill, the Virginia Company had one John Clarke in
- Ireland, &ldquo;buying cattle for Virginia.&rdquo; We know that Captain Jones soon
- sailed for Virginia with cattle, in the FALCON, of 150 tons, and as this
- was the only cattle ship in a long period, we can very certainly identify
- Clarke as the newly-hired mate of the MAY-FLOWER, who, Cush man says
- (letter of June 11/21, 1620), &ldquo;went last year to Virginia with a ship of
- kine.&rdquo; As 1620 did not begin until March 25, a ship sailing in February
- would have gone out in 1619, and Jones and Clarke could easily have made
- the voyage in time to engage for the MAY-FLOWER in the following June.
- &ldquo;Six months after Jones&rsquo;s trip in the latter&rdquo; (i.e. after his return from
- the Pilgrim voyage), Neill says, &ldquo;he took the DISCOVERY (60 tons) to
- Virginia, and then northward, trading along the coast. The Council for New
- England complained of him to the Virginia Company for robbing the natives
- on this voyage. He stopped at Plymouth (1622), and, taking advantage of
- the distress for food he found there, was extortionate in his prices. In
- July, 1625, he appeared at Jamestown, Virginia, in possession of a Spanish
- frigate, which he said had been captured by one Powell, under a Dutch
- commission, but it was thought a resumption of his old buccaneering
- practices. Before investigation he sickened and died.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- That Jones was a man of large experience, and fully competent in his
- profession, is beyond dispute. His disposition, character, and deeds have
- been the subject of much discussion. By most writers he is held to have
- been a man of coarse, &ldquo;unsympathetic&rdquo; nature, &ldquo;a rough sea-dog,&rdquo; capable
- of good feeling and kindly impulses at times, but neither governed by them
- nor by principle. That he was a &ldquo;highwayman of the seas,&rdquo; a buccaneer and
- pirate, guilty of blood for gold, there can be no doubt. Certainly nothing
- could justify the estimate of him given by Professor Arber, that &ldquo;he was
- both fair-minded and friendly toward the Pilgrim Fathers,&rdquo; and he
- certainly stands alone among writers of reputation in that opinion.
- Jones&rsquo;s selfishness,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford himself&mdash;whose authority in the matter will not be
- doubted&mdash;says (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 112): &ldquo;As this calamitie,
- the general sickness, fell among ye passengers that were to be left
- here to plant, and were basted ashore and made to drinke water, that
- the sea-men might have ye more bear [beer] and one in his sickness
- desiring but a small can of beare it was answered that if he were
- their own father he should have none.&rdquo; Bradford also shows (op.
- cit. p. 153) the rapacity of Jones, when in command of the
- DISCOVERY, in his extortionate demands upon the Plymouth planters,
- notwithstanding their necessities.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> threats, boorishness, and extortion, to say nothing of his
- exceedingly bad record as a pirate, both in East and West Indian waters,
- compel a far different estimate of him as a man, from that of Arber,
- however excellent he was as a mariner. Professor Arber dissents from
- Goodwin&rsquo;s conclusion that Captain Jones of the DISCOVERY was the former
- Master of the MAY-FLOWER, but the reasons of his dissent are by no means
- convincing. He argues that Jones would not have accepted the command of a
- vessel so much smaller than his last, the DISCOVERY being only one third
- the size of the MAY-FLOWER. Master-mariners, particularly when just
- returned from long and unsuccessful voyages, especially if in bad repute,&mdash;as
- was Jones, &mdash;are obliged to take such employment as offers, and are
- often glad to get a ship much smaller than their last, rather than remain
- idle. Moreover, in Jones&rsquo;s case, if, as appears, he was inclined to
- buccaneering, the smaller ship would serve his purpose&mdash;as it seems
- it did satisfactorily. Nor is the fact that Bradford speaks of him&mdash;although
- previously so well acquainted&mdash;as &ldquo;one Captain Jones,&rdquo; to be taken as
- evidence, as Arber thinks, that the Master of the DISCOVERY was some other
- of the name. Bradford was writing history, and his thought just then was
- the especial Providence of God in the timely relief afforded their
- necessities by the arrival of the ships with food, without regard to the
- individuals who brought it, or the fact that one was an acquaintance of
- former years. On the other hand, Winslow&mdash;in his &ldquo;Good Newes from New
- England&rdquo; &mdash;records the arrival of the two ships in August, 1622, and
- says, &ldquo;the one as I take [recollect] it, was called the DISCOVERY, Captain
- Jones having command thereof,&rdquo; which on the same line of argument as
- Arber&rsquo;s might be read, &ldquo;our old acquaintance Captain Jones, you know&rdquo;! If
- the expression of Bradford makes against its being Captain Jones, formerly
- of the MAY-FLOWER, Winslow&rsquo;s certainly makes quite as much for it, while
- the fact which Winslow recites, viz. that the DISCOVERY, under Jones, was
- sailing as consort to the SPARROW, a ship of Thomas Weston,&mdash;who
- employed him for the MAY-FLOWER, was linked with him in the Gorges
- conspiracy, and had become nearly as degenerate as he,&mdash;is certainly
- significant. There are still better grounds, as will appear in the closely
- connected relations of Jones, for holding with Goodwin rather than with
- Arber in the matter. The standard authority in the case is the late Rev.
- E. D. Neill, D. D., for some years United States consul at Dublin, who
- made very considerable research into all matters pertaining to the
- Virginia Companies, consulting their original records and &ldquo;transactions,&rdquo;
- the Dutch related documents, the &ldquo;Calendars of the East India Company,&rdquo;
- etc. Upon him and his exhaustive work all others have largely drawn,&mdash;notably
- Professor Arber himself,&mdash;and his conclusions seem entitled to the
- same weight here which Arber gives them in other relations. Dr. Neill is
- clearly of opinion that the Captains of the MAY-FLOWER and the DISCOVERY
- were identical, and this belief is shared by such authorities in Pilgrim
- literature as Young, Prince, Goodwin, and Davis, and against this
- formidable consensus of opinion, Arber, unless better supported, can
- hardly hope to prevail.
- </p>
- <p>
- The question of Jones&rsquo;s duplicity and fraud, in bringing the Pilgrims to
- land at Cape Cod instead of the &ldquo;neighbor-hood of Hudson&rsquo;s River,&rdquo; has
- been much mooted and with much diversity of opinion, but in the light of
- the subjoined evidence and considerations it seems well-nigh impossible to
- acquit him of the crime&mdash;for such it was, in inception, nature, and
- results, however overruled for good.
- </p>
- <p>
- The specific statements of Bradford and others leave no room for doubt
- that the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims fully intended to make their settlement
- somewhere in the region of the mouth of &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River.&rdquo; Morton states in
- terms that Captain Jones&rsquo;s &ldquo;engagement was to Hudson&rsquo;s River.&rdquo; Presumably,
- as heretofore noted, the stipulation of his charter party required that he
- should complete his outward voyage in that general locality. The northern
- limits of the patents granted in the Pilgrim interest, whether that of
- John Wincob (or Wincop) sealed June 9/ 19, 1619, but never used, or the
- first one to John Pierce, of February 2/12, 1620, were, of course, brought
- within the limits of the First (London) Virginia Company&rsquo;s charter, which
- embraced, as is well-known, the territory between the parallels of 34 deg.
- and 41 deg. N. latitude. The most northerly of these parallels runs but
- about twenty miles to the north of the mouth of &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River.&rdquo; It is
- certain that the Pilgrims, after the great expense, labor, and pains of
- three years, to secure the protection of these Patents, would not
- willingly or deliberately, have planted themselves outside that
- protection, upon territory where they had none, and where, as interlopers,
- they might reasonably expect trouble with the lawful proprietors. Nor was
- there any reason why, if they so desired, they should not have gone to
- &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River&rdquo; or its vicinity, unless it was that they had once seemed
- to recognize the States General of Holland as the rightful owners of that
- territory, by making petition to them, through the New Netherland Company,
- for their authority and protection in settling there. But even this fact
- constituted no moral or legal bar to such action, if desirable First,
- because it appears certain that, whatever the cause, they &ldquo;broke off&rdquo;
- themselves their negotiations with the Dutch,&mdash;whether on account of
- the inducements offered by Thomas Weston, or a doubt of the ability of the
- Dutch to maintain their claim to that region, and to protect there, or
- both, neither appears nor matters. Second, because the States General&mdash;whether
- with knowledge that they of Leyden had so &ldquo;broken off&rdquo; or from their own
- doubts of their ability to maintain their claim on the Hudson region, does
- not appear&mdash;rejected the petition made to them in the Pilgrims&rsquo;
- behalf. It is probable that the latter was the real reason, from the fact
- that the petition was twice rejected.
- </p>
- <p>
- In view of the high opinion of the Leyden brethren, entertained, as we
- know, by the Dutch, it is clear that the latter would have been pleased to
- secure them as colonists; while if at all confident of their rights to the
- territory, they must have been anxious to colonize it and thus confirm
- their hold, increase their revenues as speedily as possible, and
- </p>
- <p>
- Third, because it appears upon the showing of the petition itself, made by
- the New Netherland Company (to which the Leyden leaders had looked,
- doubtless on account of its pretensions, for the authority and protection
- of the States General, as they afterward did to the English Virginia
- Company for British protection), that this Company had lost its own
- charter by expiration, and hence had absolutely nothing to offer the
- Leyden people beyond the personal and associate influence of its members,
- and the prestige of a name that had once been potential. In fact, the New
- Netherland Company was using the Leyden congregation as a leverage to pry
- for itself from the States General new advantages, larger than it had
- previously enjoyed.
- </p>
- <p>
- Moreover it appears by the evidence of both the petition of the Directors
- of the New Netherland Company to the Prince of Orange (February 2/12,
- 1619/20), and the letters of Sir Dudley Carleton, the British ambassador
- at the Hague, to the English Privy Council, dated February 5/15, 1621/22,
- that, up to this latter date the Dutch had established no colony
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [British State Papers, Holland, Bundle 165. Sir Dudley Carleton&rsquo;s
- Letters. &ldquo;They have certain Factors there, continually resident,
- trading with savages . . . but I cannot learn of any colony,
- either I already planted there by these people, or so much as
- intended.&rdquo; Sir Dudley Carleton&rsquo;s Letters.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> on the territory claimed by them at the Hudson, and had no other
- representation there than the trading-post of a commercial company whose
- charter had expired. There can be no doubt that the Leyden leaders knew,
- from their dealings with the New Netherland Company, and the study of the
- whole problem which they evidently made, that this region was open to them
- or any other parties for habitation and trade, so far as any prior grants
- or charters under the Dutch were concerned, but they required more than
- this.
- </p>
- <p>
- To Englishmen, the English claim to the territory at &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River&rdquo; was
- valid, by virtue of the discovery of the Cabots, under the law of nations
- as then recognized, not withstanding Hudson&rsquo;s more particular explorations
- of those parts in 1609, in the service of Holland, especially as no colony
- or permanent occupancy of the region by the Dutch had been made.
- </p>
- <p>
- Professor John Fiske shows that &ldquo;it was not until the Protestant England
- of Elizabeth had come to a life-and-death grapple with Spain, and not
- until the discovery of America had advanced much nearer completion, so
- that its value began to be more correctly understood, that political and
- commercial motives combined in determining England to attack Spain through
- America, and to deprive her of supremacy in the colonial and maritime
- world. Then the voyages of the Cabots assumed an importance entirely new,
- and could be quoted as the basis of a prior claim on the part of the
- English Crown, to lands which it [through the Cabots] had discovered.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Having in mind the terrible history of slaughter and reprisal between the
- Spanish and French (Huguenot) settlers in Florida in 1565-67,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bancroft, History of the United States, vol. i. p. 68; Fiske,
- Discovery of America, vol. ii. p. 511 et seq. With the terrible
- experience of the Florida plantations in memory, the far-sighted
- leaders of the Leyden church proposed to plant under the shelter of
- an arm strong enough to protect them, and we find the Directors of
- the New Netherland Company stating that the Leyden party (the
- Pilgrims) can be induced to settle under Dutch auspices, &ldquo;provided,
- they would be guarded and preserved from all violence on the part of
- other potentates, by the authority, and under the protection of your
- Princely Excellency and the High and Mighty States General.&rdquo;
- Petition of the Directors of the New Netherland Company to the
- Prince of Orange.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> the Pilgrims recognized the need of a strong power behind them,
- under whose aegis they might safely plant, and by virtue of whose might
- and right they could hope to keep their lives and possessions. The King of
- England had, in 1606, granted charters to the two Virginia Companies,
- covering all the territory in dispute, and, there could be no doubt, would
- protect these grants and British proprietorship therein, against all
- comers. Indeed, the King (James I.) by letter to Sir Dudley Carleton, his
- ambassador at the Hague, under date of December 15, 1621, expressly
- claimed his rights in the New Netherland territory and instructed him to
- impress upon the government of the States General his Majesty&rsquo;s claim,&mdash;&ldquo;who,
- &lsquo;jure prime occupation&rsquo; hath good and sufficient title to these parts.&rdquo;
- There can be no question that the overtures of Sandys, Weston, and others
- to make interest for them with one of these English Companies, agreed as
- well with both the preferences and convictions of the Leyden Pilgrims, as
- they did with the hopes and designs of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. In the light
- of these facts, there appears to have been neither legal nor moral bar to
- the evident intention of the Pilgrims to settle in the vicinity of
- &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River,&rdquo; if they so elected. In their light, also, despite the
- positive allegations of the truthful but not always reliable Morton, his
- charges of intrigue between the Dutch and Master Jones of the MAY-FLOWER,
- to prevent the settlement of his ship&rsquo;s company at &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River,&rdquo; may
- well be doubted. Writing in &ldquo;New England&rsquo;s Memorial&rdquo; in 1669, Morton says:
- &ldquo;But some of the Dutch, having notice of their intentions, and having
- thoughts about the same time of erecting a plantation there likewise, they
- fraudulently hired the said Jones, by delays while they were in England,
- and now under pretence of the shoals the dangers of the Monomoy Shoals off
- Cape Cod to disappoint them in going thither.&rdquo; He adds: &ldquo;Of this plot
- between the Dutch and Mr. Jones, I have had late and certain
- intelligence.&rdquo; If this intelligence was more reliable than his assertion
- concerning the responsibility of Jones for the &ldquo;delays while they were in
- England,&rdquo; it may well be discredited, as not the faintest evidence appears
- to make him responsible for those delays, and they are amply accounted for
- without him. Without questioning the veracity of Morton (while suggesting
- his many known errors, and that the lapse of time made it easy to
- misinterpret even apparently certain facts), it must be remembered that he
- is the original sponsor for the charge of Dutch intrigue with Jones, and
- was its sole support for many years. All other writers who have accepted
- and indorsed his views are of later date, and but follow him, while
- Bradford and Winslow, who were victims of this Dutch conspiracy against
- them, if it ever existed, were entirely silent in their writings upon the
- matter, which we may be sure they would not have been, had they suspected
- the Dutch as prime movers in the treachery. That there was a conspiracy to
- accomplish the landing of the MAY-FLOWER planters at a point north of &ldquo;the
- Hudson&rdquo; (in fact, north of the bounds defined by the (first) Pierce
- patent, upon which they relied), i.e. north of 41 deg. N. latitude,&mdash;is
- very certain; but that it was of Dutch origin, or based upon motives which
- are attributed to the Dutch, is clearly erroneous. While the historical
- facts indicate an utter lack of motive for such an intrigue on the part of
- the Dutch, either as a government or as individuals, there was no lack of
- motive on the part of certain others, who, we can but believe, were
- responsible for the conspiracy. Moreover, the chief conspirators were
- such, that, even if the plot was ultimately suspected by the Pilgrims, a
- wise policy&mdash;indeed, self-preservation &mdash;would have dictated
- their silence. That the Dutch were without sufficient motive or interest
- has been declared. That the States General could have had no wish to
- reject so exceptionally excellent a body of colonists as subjects, and as
- tenants to hold and develop their disputed territory&mdash;if in position
- to receive them and guarantee them protection &mdash;is clear. The sole
- objection that could be urged against them was their English birth, and
- with English regiments garrisoning the Dutch home cities, and foreigners
- of every nation in the States General&rsquo;s employ, by land and by sea, such
- an objection could have had no weight. Indeed, the Leyden party proposed,
- if they effected satisfactory arrangements with the States General (as
- stated by the Directors of the New Netherland Company), &ldquo;to plant there
- [at &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River&rdquo;] a new commonwealth, all under the order and command
- of your Princely Excellency and their High Mightinesses the States
- General:&rdquo; The Leyden Pilgrims were men who kept their agreements.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Dutch trading-companies, who were the only parties in the Low
- Countries who could possibly have had any motive for such a conspiracy,
- were at this time themselves without charters, and the overtures of the
- principal company, made to the government in behalf of themselves and the
- Leyden brethren, had recently, as we have seen, been twice rejected. They
- had apparently, therefore, little to hope for in the near future;
- certainly not enough to warrant expenditure and the risk of disgraceful
- exposure, in negotiations with a stranger&mdash;an obscure ship-master&mdash;to
- change his course and land his passengers in violation of the terms of his
- charter-party;&mdash;negotiations, moreover, in which neither of the
- parties could well have had any guaranty of the other&rsquo;s good faith.
- </p>
- <p>
- But, as previously asserted, there was a party&mdash;to whom such knavery
- was an ordinary affair&mdash;who had ample motive, and of whom Master
- Thomas Jones was already the very willing and subservient ally and tool,
- and had been such for years. Singularly enough, the motive governing this
- party was exactly the reverse of that attributed&mdash;though illogically
- and without reason&mdash;to the Dutch. In the case of the latter, the
- alleged animus was a desire to keep the Pilgrim planters away from their
- &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River&rdquo; domain. In the case of the real conspirators, the purpose
- was to secure these planters as colonists for, and bring them to, the more
- northern territory owned by them. It is well known that Sir Ferdinando
- Gorges was the leading spirit of the &ldquo;Second Virginia Company,&rdquo; as he also
- became (with the Earl of Warwick a close second) of &ldquo;The Council for the
- Affairs of New England,&rdquo; of which both men were made &ldquo;Governors,&rdquo; in
- November of 1620, when the Council practically superseded the &ldquo;Second
- Virginia Company.&rdquo; The Great Charter for &ldquo;The Council of Affairs of New
- England,&rdquo; commonly known as &ldquo;The Council for New England,&rdquo; issued Tuesday,
- November 3/13, 1620, and it held in force till Sunday, June 7/17, 1635.
- </p>
- <p>
- Although not its official head, and ranked at its board by dukes and
- earls, Sir Ferdinando Gorges was&mdash;as he had been in the old Plymouth
- (or Second) Virginia Company&mdash;the leading man. This was largely from
- his superior acquaintance with, and long and varied experience in, New
- England affairs. The &ldquo;Council&rdquo; was composed of forty patentees, and Baxter
- truly states, that &ldquo;Sir Ferdinando Gorges, at this time [1621] stood at the head of the Council for New England, so far as influence went; in fact, his hand
- shaped its affairs.&rdquo; This company, holding&mdash;by the division of
- territory made under the original charter-grants&mdash;a strip of
- territory one hundred miles wide, on the North American coast, between the
- parallels of 41 deg. and 45 deg. N. latitude, had not prospered, and its
- efforts at colonization (on what is now the Maine coast), in 1607 and
- later, had proved abortive, largely through the character of its
- &ldquo;settlers,&rdquo; who had been, in good degree, a somewhat notable mixture of
- two of the worst elements of society,&mdash;convicts and broken-down
- &ldquo;gentlemen.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;In 1607,&rdquo; says Goodwin, &ldquo;Gorges and the cruel Judge Popham planted a
- colony at Phillipsburg (or Sagadahoc, as is supposed), by the mouth of the
- Kennebec. Two ships came, &lsquo;THE GIFT OF GOD&rsquo; and the &lsquo;MARY AND JOHN,&rsquo;
- bringing a hundred persons. Through August they found all delightful, but
- when the ships went back in December, fifty five of the number returned to
- England, weary of their experience and fearful of the cold .... With
- spring the ships returned from England; &ldquo;but by this time the remainder
- were ready to leave,&rdquo; so every soul returned with Gilbert [the Admiral] .
- . . . For thirty years Gorges continued to push exploration and emigration
- to that region, but his ambition and liberality ever resulted in
- disappointment and loss.&rdquo; The annals of the time show that not a few of
- the Sagadahoc colonists were convicts, released from the English jails to
- people this colony.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hakluyt says: &ldquo;In 1607 [this should read 1608], disheartened by the death
- of Popham, they all embarked in a ship from Exeter and in the new pynnace,
- the &lsquo;VIRGINIA,&rsquo; built in the colony, and sett sail for England, and this
- was the end of that northern colony upon the river Sachadehoc [Kennebec].&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- No one knew better than the shrewd Gorges the value of such a colony as
- that of the Leyden brethren would be, to plant, populate, and develop his
- Company&rsquo;s great demesne. None were more facile than himself and the
- buccaneering Earl of Warwick, to plan and execute the bold, but&mdash;as
- it proved&mdash;easy coup, by which the Pilgrim colony was to be stolen
- bodily; for the benefit of the &ldquo;Second Virginia Company&rdquo; and its
- successor, &ldquo;the Council for New England,&rdquo; from the &ldquo;First (or London)
- Company,&rdquo; under whose patent (to John Pierce) and patronage they sailed.
- They apparently did not take their patent with them,&mdash;it would have
- been worthless if they had,&mdash;and they were destined to have no small
- trouble with Pierce, before they were established in their rights under
- the new patent granted him (in the interest of the Adventurers and
- themselves), by the &ldquo;Council for New England.&rdquo; Master John Wincob&rsquo;s early
- and silent withdrawal from his apparently active connection with the
- Pilgrim movement, and the evident cancellation of the first patent issued
- to him in its interest, by the (London) Virginia Company, have never been
- satisfactorily explained. Wincob (or Wincop), we are told, &ldquo;was a
- religious Gentleman, then belonging to the household of the Countess of
- Lincoln, who intended to go with them [the Pilgrims] but God so disposed
- as he never went, nor they ever made use of this Patent, which had cost
- them so much labor and charge.&rdquo; Wincob, it appears by the minutes of the
- (London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, May 26/June 5, 1619, was commended
- to the Company, for the patent he sought, by the fourth Earl of Lincoln,
- and it was doubtless through his influence that it was granted and sealed,
- June 9/19, 1619. But while Wincob was a member of the household of the
- Dowager Countess of Lincoln, mother of the fourth Earl of Lincoln; John,
- the eldest son of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, had married the Earl&rsquo;s daughter
- (sister ?), and hence Gorges stood in a much nearer relation to the Earl
- than did his mother&rsquo;s friend and dependant (as Wincob evidently was), as
- well as on a much more equal social footing. By the minutes of the
- (London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, February 2/ 12, 1619/20, it
- appears that a patent was &ldquo;allowed and sealed to John Pierce and his
- associates, heirs and assigns,&rdquo; for practically the same territory for
- which the patent to Wincob had been given but eight months before. No
- explanation was offered, and none appears of record, but the logical
- conclusion is, that the first patent had been cancelled, that Master
- Wincob&rsquo;s personal interest in the Pilgrim exodus had ceased, and that the
- Lincoln patronage had been withdrawn. It is a rational conjecture that Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges, through the relationship he sustained to the Earl,
- procured the withdrawal of Wincob and his patent, knowing that the success
- of his (Gorges&rsquo;s) plot would render the Wincob patent worthless, and that
- the theft of the colony, in his own interest, would be likely to breed
- &ldquo;unpleasantness&rdquo; between himself and Wincob&rsquo;s sponsors and friends among
- the Adventurers, many of whom were friends of the Earl of Lincoln.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Earl of Warwick, the man of highest social and political rank in the
- First (or London) Virginia Company, was, at about the same time, induced
- by Gorges to abandon his (the London) Company and unite with himself in
- securing from the Crown the charter of the &ldquo;Council of Affairs for New
- England.&rdquo; The only inducements he could offer for the change must
- apparently have resided in the promised large results of plottings
- disclosed by him (Gorges), but he needed the influential and unscrupulous
- Earl for the promotion of his schemes, and won him, by some means, to an
- active partnership, which was doubtless congenial to both. The &ldquo;fine
- Italian hand&rdquo; of Sir Ferdinando hence appears at every stage, and in every
- phase, of the Leyden movement, from the mission of Weston to Holland, to
- the landing at Cape Cod, and every movement clearly indicates the crafty
- cunning, the skilful and brilliant manipulation, and the dogged
- determination of the man.
- </p>
- <p>
- That Weston was a most pliant and efficient tool in the hands of Gorges,
- &ldquo;from start to finish&rdquo; of this undertaking, is certainly apparent. Whether
- he was, from the outset, made fully aware of the sinister designs of the
- chief conspirator, and a party to them, admits of some doubt, though the
- conviction strengthens with study, that he was, from the beginning,
- &lsquo;particeps criminis&rsquo;. If he was ever single-minded for the welfare of the
- Leyden brethren and the Adventurers, it must have been for a very brief
- time at the inception of the enterprise; and circumstances seem to forbid
- crediting him with honesty of purpose, even then. The weight of evidence
- indicates that he both knew, and was fully enlisted in, the entire plot of
- Gorges from the outset. In all its early stages he was its most efficient
- promoter, and seems to have given ample proof of his compliant zeal in its
- execution. His visit to the Leyden brethren in Holland was, apparently,
- wholly instigated by Gorges, as the latter complacently claims and
- collateral evidence proves. In his endeavor to induce the leaders to
- &ldquo;break off with the Dutch,&rdquo; their pending negotiations for settlement at
- &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River,&rdquo; he evidently made capital of, and traded upon, his
- former kindness to some of them when they were in straits,&mdash;a most
- contemptible thing in itself, yet characteristic of the man. He led the
- Pilgrims to &ldquo;break off&rdquo; their dealings with the Dutch by the largest and
- most positive promises of greater advantages through him, few of which he
- ever voluntarily kept (as we see by John Robinson&rsquo;s sharp arraignment of
- him), his whole object being apparently to get the Leyden party into his
- control and that of his friends,&mdash;the most subtle and able of whom
- was Gorges. Bradford recites that Weston not only urged the Leyden leaders
- &ldquo;not to meddle with ye Dutch,&rdquo; but also,&mdash;&ldquo;not too much to depend on
- ye Virginia [London] Company,&rdquo; but to rely on himself and his friends.
- This strongly suggests active cooperation with Gorges, on Weston&rsquo;s part,
- at the outset, with the intent (if he could win them by any means, from
- allegiance to the First (London) Virginia Company), to lead the Leyden
- party, if possible, into Gorges&rsquo;s hands and under the control and
- patronage of the Second (or Plymouth) Virginia Company. Whatever the date
- may have been, at which (as Bradford states) the Leyden people &ldquo;heard,
- both by Mr. Weston and others, yt sundrie Honble: Lords had obtained a
- large grante from ye king for ye more northerly parts of that countrie,
- derived out of ye Virginia patents, and wholly secluded from theire
- Governmente, and to be called by another name, viz. New England, unto
- which Mr. Weston and the chiefe of them begane to incline;&rdquo; Bradford
- leaves us in no doubt as to Weston&rsquo;s attitude toward the matter itself. It
- is certain that the governor, writing from memory, long afterward, fixed
- the time at which the Honble: Lords had obtained &ldquo;their large grante&rdquo; much
- earlier than it could possibly have occurred, as we know the exact date of
- the patent for the, &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo; and that the order for its
- issue was not given till just as the Pilgrims left Leyden; so that they
- could not have known of the actual &ldquo;grante&rdquo; till they reached Southampton.
- The essential fact, stated on this best of authority, is, that &ldquo;Mr. Weston
- and the chiefe of them [their sponsors, i.e. Weston and Lord Warwick, both
- in league with Gorges] begane to incline to Gorges&rsquo;s new Council for New
- England.&rdquo; Such an attitude (evidently taken insidiously) meant, on
- Weston&rsquo;s part, of necessity, no less than treachery to his associates of
- the Adventurers; to the (London) Virginia Company, and to the Leyden
- company and their allied English colonists, in the interest of Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges and his schemes and of the new &ldquo;Council&rdquo; that Gorges was
- organizing. Weston&rsquo;s refusal to advance &ldquo;a penny&rdquo; to clear the departing
- Pilgrims from their port charges at Southampton; his almost immediate
- severance of connection with both the colonists and the Adventurers; and
- his early association with Gorges,&mdash;in open and disgraceful violation
- of all the formers&rsquo; rights in New England,&mdash;to say nothing of his
- exhibition of a malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has
- deeply wronged, all point to a complete and positive surrender of himself
- and his energies to the plot of Gorges, as a full participant, from its
- inception. In his review of the Anniversary Address of Hon. Charles
- Francis Adams (of July 4, 1892, at Quincy), Daniel W. Baker, Esq., of
- Boston, says: &ldquo;The Pilgrim Fathers were influenced in their decision to
- come to New England by Weston, who, if not the agent of Gorges in this
- particular matter, was such in other matters and held intimate relations
- with him.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The known facts favor the belief that Gorges&rsquo;s cogitations on colonial
- matters&mdash;especially as stimulated by his plottings in relation to the
- Leyden people&mdash;led to his project of the grant&mdash;and charter for
- the new &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo; designed and constituted to supplant,
- or override, all others. It is highly probable that this grand scheme
- &mdash;duly embellished by the crafty Gorges,&mdash;being unfolded to
- Weston, with suggestions of great opportunities for Weston himself
- therein, warmed and drew him, and brought him to full and zealous
- cooperation in all Gorges&rsquo;s plans, and that from this time, as Bradford
- states, he &ldquo;begane to incline&rdquo; toward, and to suggest to the Pilgrims,
- association with Gorges and the new &ldquo;Council.&rdquo; Not daring openly to
- declare his change of allegiance and his perfidy, he undertook,
- apparently, at first, by suggestions, e.g. &ldquo;not to place too much
- dependence on the London Company, but to rely on himself and friends;&rdquo;
- that &ldquo;the fishing of New England was good,&rdquo; etc.; and making thus no
- headway, then, by a policy of delay, fault finding, etc., to breed
- dissatisfaction, on the Pilgrims&rsquo; part, with the Adventurers, the patent
- of Wincob, etc., with the hope of bringing about &ldquo;a new deal&rdquo; in the
- Gorges interest. The same &ldquo;delays&rdquo; in sailing, that have been adduced as
- proof of Jones&rsquo;s complicity with the Dutch, would have been of equal
- advantage to these noble schemers, and if he had any hand in them-which
- does not appear&mdash;it would have been far more likely in the interest
- of his long-time patron, the Earl of Warwick, and of his friends, than of
- any Dutch conspirators.
- </p>
- <p>
- Once the colonists were landed upon the American soil, especially if late
- in the season, they would not be likely, it doubtless was argued, to
- remove; while by a liberal policy on the part of the &ldquo;Council for New
- England&rdquo; toward them&mdash;when they discovered that they were upon its
- territory&mdash;they could probably be retained. That just such a policy
- was, at once and eagerly, adopted toward them, as soon as occasion
- permitted, is good proof that the scheme was thoroughly matured from the
- start. The record of the action of the &ldquo;Council for New England&rdquo;&mdash;which
- had become the successor of the Second Virginia Company before
- intelligence was received that the Pilgrims had landed on its domain&mdash;is
- not at hand, but it appears by the record of the London Company, under
- date of Monday, July 16/26, 1621, that the &ldquo;Council for New England&rdquo; had
- promptly made itself agreeable to the colonists. The record reads: &ldquo;It was
- moved, seeing that Master John Pierce had taken a Patent of Sir Ferdinando
- Gorges, and thereupon seated his Company [the Pilgrims] within the limits
- of the Northern Plantations, as by some was supposed,&rdquo;&rsquo; etc. From this it
- is plain that, on receipt by Pierce of the news that the colony was landed
- within the limits of the &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo; he had, as instructed,
- applied for, and been given (June 1, 1621), the (first) &ldquo;Council&rdquo; patent
- for the colony. For confirmation hereof one should see also the minutes of
- the &ldquo;Council for New England&rdquo; of March 25/April 4., 1623, and the fulsome
- letter of Robert Cushman returning thanks in behalf of the Planters
- (through John Pierce), to Gorges, for his prompt response to their request
- for a patent and for his general complacency toward them Hon. James
- Phinney Baxter, Gorges&rsquo;s able and faithful biographer, says: &ldquo;We can
- imagine with what alacrity he [Sir Ferdinando] hastened to give to Pierce
- a patent in their behalf.&rdquo; The same biographer, clearly unconscious of the
- well-laid plot of Gorges and Warwick (as all other writers but Neill and
- Davis have been), bears testimony (all the stronger because the witness is
- unwitting of the intrigue), to the ardent interest Gorges had in its
- success. He says: &ldquo;The warm desire of Sir Ferdinando Gorges to see a
- permanent colony founded within the domain of the Plymouth [or Second]
- Virginia Company was to be realized in a manner of which he had never
- dreamed [sic!] and by a people with whom he had but little sympathized,
- although we know that he favored their settlement within the territorial
- limits of the Plymouth [Second] Company.&rdquo; He had indeed &ldquo;favored their
- settlement,&rdquo; by all the craft of which he was master, and greeted their
- expected and duly arranged advent with all the jubilant open-handedness
- with which the hunter treats the wild horse he has entrapped, and hopes to
- domesticate and turn to account. Everything favored the conspirators. The
- deflection north-ward from the normal course of the ship as she approached
- the coast, bound for the latitude of the Hudson, required only to be so
- trifling that the best sailor of the Pilgrim leaders would not be likely
- to note or criticise it, and it was by no means uncommon to make Cape Cod
- as the first landfall on Virginia voyages. The lateness of the arrival on
- the coast, and the difficulties ever attendant on doubling Cape Cod,
- properly turned to account, would increase the anxiety for almost any
- landing-place, and render it easy to retain the sea-worn colonists when
- once on shore. The grand advantage, however, over and above all else, was
- the entire ease and certainty with which the cooperation of the one man
- essential to the success of the undertaking could be secured, without need
- of the privity of any other, viz. the Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain
- Thomas Jones.
- </p>
- <p>
- Let us see upon what the assumption of this ready and certain accord on
- the part of Captain Jones rests. Rev. Dr. Neill, whose thorough study of
- the records of the Virginia Companies, and of the East India Company
- Calendars and collateral data, entitles him to speak with authority,
- recites that, &ldquo;In 1617, Capt. Thomas Jones (sometimes spelled Joanes) had
- been sent to the East Indies in command of the ship LION by the Earl of
- Warwick (then Sir Robt. Rich), under a letter of protection from the Duke
- of Savoy, a foreign prince, ostensibly &lsquo;to take pirates,&rsquo; which [pretext]
- had grown, as Sir Thomas Roe (the English ambassador with the Great Mogul)
- states, &lsquo;to be a common pretence for becoming pirate.&rsquo;&rdquo; Caught by the
- famous Captain Martin Pring, in full pursuit of the junk of the Queen
- Mother of the Great Mogul, Jones was attacked, his ship fired in the
- fight, and burned,&mdash;with some of his crew,&mdash;and he was sent a
- prisoner to England in the ship BULL, arriving in the Thames, January 1,
- 1618/19. No action seems to have been taken against him for his offences,
- and presumably his employer, Sir Robert, the coming Earl, obtained his
- liberty on one pretext or another. On January 19, however, complaint was
- made against Captain Jones, &ldquo;late of the LION,&rdquo; by the East India Company,
- &ldquo;for hiring divers men to serve the King of Denmark in the East Indies.&rdquo; A
- few days after his arrest for &ldquo;hiring away the Company&rsquo;s men, Lord Warwick
- got him off&rdquo; on the claim that he had employed him &ldquo;to go to Virginia with
- cattle.&rdquo; From the &ldquo;Transactions&rdquo; of the Second Virginia Company, of which&mdash;as
- we have seen&mdash;Sir Ferdinando Gorges was the leading spirit, it
- appears that on &ldquo;February 2, 1619/20, a commission was allowed Captain
- Thomas Jones of the FALCON, a ship of 150 tons&rdquo; [he having been lately
- released from arrest by the Earl of Warwick&rsquo;s intercession], and that
- &ldquo;before the close of the month, he sailed with cattle for Virginia,&rdquo; as
- previously noted. Dr. Neill, than whom there can be no better authority,
- was himself satisfied, and unequivocally states, that &ldquo;Thomas Jones,
- Captain of the MAY-FLOWER, was without doubt the old servant of Lord
- Warwick in the East Indies.&rdquo; Having done Sir Robert Rich&rsquo;s (the Earl of
- Warwick&rsquo;s) &ldquo;dirty work&rdquo; for years, and having on all occasions been saved
- from harm by his noble patron (even when piracy and similar practices had
- involved him in the meshes of the law), it would be but a trifling matter,
- at the request of such powerful friends as the Earl and Sir Ferdinando
- Gorges, to steal the Pilgrim Colony from the London Virginia Company, and
- hand it over bodily to the &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo;&mdash;the successor
- of the Second (Plymouth) Virginia Company,&mdash;in which their interests
- were vested, Warwick having, significantly, transferred his membership
- from the London Company to the new &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo; as it was
- commonly called. Neill states, and there is abundant proof, that &ldquo;the Earl
- of Warwick and Gorges were in sympathy,&rdquo; and were active coadjutors, while
- it is self-evident that both would be anxious to accomplish the permanent
- settlement of the &ldquo;Northern Plantations&rdquo; held by their Company. That they
- would hesitate to utilize so excellent an opportunity to secure so very
- desirable a colony, by any means available, our knowledge of the men and
- their records makes it impossible to believe,&mdash;while nothing could
- apparently have been easier of accomplishment. It will readily be
- understood that if the conspirators were these men,&mdash;upon whose grace
- the Pilgrims must depend for permission to remain upon the territory to
- which they had been inveigled, or even for permission to depart from it,
- without spoliation, &mdash;men whose influence with the King (no friend to
- the Pilgrims) was sufficient to make both of them, in the very month of
- the Pilgrims&rsquo; landing, &ldquo;governors&rdquo; of &ldquo;The Council for New England,&rdquo; under
- whose authority the Planters must remain,&mdash;the latter were not likely
- to voice their suspicions of the trick played upon them, if they
- discovered it, or openly to resent it, when known. Dr. Dexter, in
- commenting on the remark of Bradford, &ldquo;We made Master Jones our leader,
- for we thought it best herein to gratifie his kindness &amp; forwardness,&rdquo;
- sensibly says, &ldquo;This proves nothing either way, in regard to the charge
- which Secretary Morton makes of treachery against Jones, in landing the
- company so far north, because, if that were true, it was not known to any
- of the company for years afterward, and of course could not now [at that
- time] impair their feelings of confidence in, or kindness towards, him.
- Moreover, the phraseology, &ldquo;we thought it best to gratifie,&rdquo; suggests
- rather considerations of policy than cordial desire, and their
- acquaintance, too, with the man was still young. There is, however, no
- evidence that Jones&rsquo;s duplicity was suspected till long afterward, though
- his character was fully recognized. Gorges himself furnishes, in his
- writings, the strongest confirmation we have of the already apparent fact,
- that he was himself the prime conspirator. He says, in his own
- &ldquo;Narration,&rdquo; &ldquo;It was referred [evidently by himself] to their [the London
- Virginia Company&rsquo;s] consideration, how necessary it was that means might
- be used to draw unto those their enterprises, some of those families that
- had retired themselves into Holland for scruple of conscience, giving them
- such freedom and liberty as might stand with their liking.&rdquo; When have we
- ever found Sir Ferdinando Gorges thus solicitous for the success of the
- rival Virginia Company? Why, if he so esteemed the Leyden people as
- excellent colonists, did he not endeavor to secure them himself directly,
- for his own languishing company? Certainly the &ldquo;scruple of conscience&rdquo; of
- the Leyden brethren did not hinder him, for he found it no bar, though of
- the Established Church himself, to giving them instantly all and more than
- was asked in their behalf, as soon as he had them upon his territory and
- they had applied for a patent. He well knew that it would be matter of
- some expense and difficulty to bring the Leyden congregation into
- agreement to go to either of the Virginia grants, and he doubtless, and
- with good reason, feared that his repute and the character and reputation
- of his own Company, with its past history of failure, convict settlers,
- and loose living, would be repellent to these people of &ldquo;conscience.&rdquo; If
- they could be brought to the &ldquo;going-point,&rdquo; by men more of their ilk, like
- Sir Edwin Sandys, Weston, and others, it would then be time to see if he
- could not pluck the ripe fruit for himself,&mdash;as he seems to have
- done.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;This advice,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;being hearkened unto, there were [those] that
- undertook the putting it in practice [Weston and others] and it was
- accordingly brought to effect,&rdquo; etc. Then, reciting (erroneously) the
- difficulties with the SPEEDWELL, etc., he records the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S arrival
- at Cape Cod, saying, &ldquo;The . . . ship with great difficulty reached the
- coast of New England.&rdquo; He then gives a glowing, though absurd, account of
- the attractions the planters found&mdash;in midwinter &mdash;especially
- naming the hospitable reception of the Indians, despite the fact of the
- savage attack made upon them by the Nausets at Cape Cod, and adds: &ldquo;After
- they had well considered the state of their affairs and found that the
- authority they had from the London Company of Virginia, could not warrant
- their abode in that place,&rdquo; which &ldquo;they found so prosperous and pleasing
- [sic] they hastened away their ship, with orders to their Solicitor to
- deal with me to be a means they might have a grant from the Council of New
- England Affairs, to settle in the place, which was accordingly performed
- to their particular satisfaction and good content of them all.&rdquo; One can
- readily imagine the crafty smile with which Sir Ferdinando thus
- guilelessly recorded the complete success of his plot. It is of interest
- to note how like a needle to the pole the grand conspirator&rsquo;s mind flies
- to the fact which most appeals to him &mdash;that they find &ldquo;that the
- authority they had . . . could not warrant their abode in that place.&rdquo; It
- is of like interest to observe that in that place which he called
- &ldquo;pleasant and prosperous&rdquo; one half their own and of the ship&rsquo;s company had
- died before they hastened the ship away, and they had endured trial,
- hardships, and sorrows untellable,&mdash;although from pluck and principle
- they would not abandon it. He tells us &ldquo;they hastened away their ship,&rdquo;
- and implies that it was for the chief purpose of obtaining through him a
- grant of the land they occupied. While we know that the ship did not
- return till the following April,&mdash;and then at her Captain&rsquo;s rather
- than the Pilgrims&rsquo; pleasure,&mdash;it is evident that Gorges could think
- of events only as incident to his designs and from his point of view. His
- plot had succeeded. He had the &ldquo;Holland families&rdquo; upon his soil, and his
- willing imagination converted their sober and deliberate action into the
- eager haste with which he had planned that they should fly to him for the
- patent, which his cunning had&mdash;as he purposed&mdash;rendered
- necessary. Of course their request &ldquo;was performed,&rdquo; and so readily and
- delightedly that, recognizing John Pierce as their mouthpiece and the
- plantation as &ldquo;Mr. Pierces Plantation,&rdquo; Sir Ferdinando and his associates&mdash;the
- &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo; including his joint-conspirator, the Earl of
- Warwick&mdash;gave Pierce unhesitatingly whatever he asked. The Hon.
- William T. Davis, who alone among Pilgrim historians (except Dr. Neill,
- whom he follows) seems to have suspected the hand of Gorges in the
- treachery of Captain Jones, here demonstrated, has suggested that:
- &ldquo;Whether Gorges might not have influenced Pierce, in whose name the patent
- of the Pilgrims had been issued&mdash;and whether both together might not
- have seduced Capt. Jones, are further considerations to be weighed, in
- solving the problem of a deviation from the intended voyage of the
- MAYFLOWER.&rdquo; Although not aware of these suggestions, either of Mr. Davis
- or of Dr. Neill, till his own labors had satisfied him of Gorges&rsquo;s guilt,
- and his conclusions were formed, the author cheerfully recognizes the
- priority to his own demonstration, of the suggestions of both these
- gentlemen. No thing appears of record, however, to indicate that John
- Pierce was in any way a party to Gorges&rsquo;s plot. On the contrary, as his
- interest was wholly allied to his patent, which Gorges&rsquo;s scheme would
- render of little value to his associate Adventurers and himself he would
- naturally have been, unless heavily bribed to duplicity beyond his
- expectations from their intended venture, the last man to whom to disclose
- such a conspiracy. Neither was he necessary in any way to the success of
- the scheme. He did not hire either the ship or her master; he does not
- appear to have had any Pilgrim relations to Captain Jones, and certainly
- could have had no such influence with him as Gorges could himself command,
- through Warwick and his own ability&mdash;from his position at the head of
- the &ldquo;New England Council&rdquo;&mdash;to reward the service he required. That
- Gorges was able himself to exert all the influence requisite to secure
- Jones&rsquo;s cooperation, without the aid of Pierce, who probably could have
- given none, is evident. Mr. Davis&rsquo;s suggestion, while pertinent and
- potential as to Gorges, is clearly wide of the mark as to Pierce. He
- represented the Adventurers in the matter of patents only, but Weston was
- in authority as to the pivotal matter of shipping. An evidently hasty
- footnote of Dr. Neill, appended to the &ldquo;Memorial&rdquo; offered by him to the
- Congress of the United States, in 1868, seems to have been the only
- authority of Mr. William T. Davis for the foregoing suggestion as to the
- complicity of Pierce in the treachery of Captain Jones, except the bare
- suspicion, already alluded to, in the records of the London Company. Neill
- says: &ldquo;Captain Jones, the navigator of the MAY-FLOWER, and John Pierce,
- probably had arranged as to destination without the knowledge of the
- passengers.&rdquo; While of course this is not impossible, there is, as stated,
- absolutely nothing to indicate any knowledge, participation, or need of
- Pierce in the matter, and of course the fewer there were in the secret the
- better.
- </p>
- <p>
- Unobservant that John Pierce was acting upon the old adage, &ldquo;second thief
- best owner,&rdquo; when he asked, a little later, even so extraordinary a thing
- as that the &ldquo;Council for New England&rdquo; would exchange the patent they had
- so promptly granted him (as representing his associates, the Adventurers
- and Planters) for a &ldquo;deed-pole,&rdquo; or title in fee, to himself alone, they
- instantly complied, and thus unwittingly enabled him also to steal the
- colony, and its demesne beside. It is evident, from the very servile
- letter of Robert Cushman to John Pierce (written while the former was at
- New Plymouth, in November-December, 1621, on behalf of the MAY-FLOWER
- Adventurers), that up to that time at least, the Pilgrims had no suspicion
- of the trick which had been played upon them. For, while too adroit
- recklessly to open a quarrel with those who could&mdash;if they chose
- &mdash;destroy them, the Pilgrims were far too high-minded to stoop to
- flattery and dissimulation (especially with any one known to have been
- guilty of treachery toward them), or to permit any one to do so in their
- stead. In the letter referred to, Cush man acknowledges in the name of the
- colonists the &ldquo;bounty and grace of the President and Council of the
- Affairs of New England [Gorges, Warwick, et als.] for their allowance and
- approbation&rdquo; of the &ldquo;free possession and enjoyment&rdquo; of the territory and
- rights so promptly granted Pierce by the Council, in the colonists&rsquo;
- interest, upon application. If the degree of promptness with which the
- wily Gorges and his associates granted the petition of Pierce, in the
- colony&rsquo;s behalf for authority to occupy the domain to which Gorges&rsquo;s
- henchman Jones had so treacherously conveyed them, was at all
- proportionate to the fulsome and lavish acknowledgments of Cushman, there
- must have been such eagerness of compliance as to provoke general
- suspicion at the Council table. Gorges and Warwick must have &ldquo;grinned
- horribly behind their hands&rdquo; upon receipt of the honest thanks of these
- honest planters and the pious benedictions of their scribe, knowing
- themselves guilty of detestable conspiracy and fraud, which had frustrated
- an honest purpose, filched the results of others&rsquo; labors, and had &ldquo;done to
- death&rdquo; good men and women not a few. Winslow, in &ldquo;Hypocrisie Unmasked,&rdquo;
- says: &ldquo;We met with many dangers and the mariners&rsquo; put back into the harbor
- of the Cape.&rdquo; The original intent of the Pilgrims to go to the
- neighborhood of the Hudson is unmistakable; that this intention was still
- clear on the morning of November 10 (not 9th) &mdash;after they had &ldquo;made
- the land&rdquo;&mdash;has been plainly shown; that there was no need of so
- &ldquo;standing in with the land&rdquo; as to become entangled in the &ldquo;rips&rdquo; and
- &ldquo;shoals&rdquo; off what is now known as Monomoy (in an effort to pass around the
- Cape to the southward, when there was plenty of open water to port), is
- clear and certain; that the dangers and difficulties were magnified by
- Jones, and the abandonment of the effort was urged and practically made by
- him, is also evident from Winslow&rsquo;s language above noted,&mdash;&ldquo;and the
- mariners put back,&rdquo; etc. No indication of the old-time consultations with
- the chief men appears here as to the matter of the return. Their advice
- was not desired. &ldquo;The mariners put back&rdquo; on their own responsibility.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin forcibly remarks, &ldquo;These waters had been navigated by Gosnold,
- Smith, and various English and French explorers, whose descriptions and
- charts must have been familiar to a veteran master like Jones. He
- doubtless magnified the danger of the passage [of the shoals], and managed
- to have only such efforts made as were sure to fail. Of course he knew
- that by standing well out, and then southward in the clear sea, he would
- be able to bear up for the Hudson. His professed inability to devise any
- way for getting south of the Cape is strong proof of guilt.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The sequential acts of the Gorges conspiracy were doubtless practically as
- follows:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- (a) The Leyden leaders applied to the States General of Holland, through
- the New Netherland Company, for their aid and protection in locating at
- the mouth of &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s&rdquo; River;
- </p>
- <p>
- (b) Sir Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, doubtless
- promptly reported these negotiations to the King, through Sir Robert
- Naunton;
- </p>
- <p>
- (c) The King, naturally enough, probably mentioned the matter to his
- intimate and favorite, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the leading man in American
- colonization matters in the kingdom;
- </p>
- <p>
- (d) Sir Ferdinando Gorges, recognizing the value of such colonists as the
- Leyden congregation would make, anxious to secure them, instead of
- permitting the Dutch to do so, and knowing that he and his Company would
- be obnoxious to the Leyden leaders, suggested, as he admits, to Weston,
- perhaps to Sandys, as the Leyden brethren&rsquo;s friends, that they ought to
- secure them as colonists for their (London) Company;
- </p>
- <p>
- (e) Weston was dispatched to Holland to urge the Leyden leaders to drop
- the Dutch negotiations, come under English auspices, which he guaranteed,
- and they, placing faith in him, and possibly in Sandys&rsquo;s assurances of his
- (London) Virginia Company&rsquo;s favor, were led to put themselves completely
- into the hands of Weston and the Merchant Adventurers; the Wincob patent
- was cancelled and Pierces substituted;
- </p>
- <p>
- (f) Weston, failing to lead them to Gorges&rsquo;s company, was next deputed,
- perhaps by Gorges&rsquo;s secret aid, to act with full powers for the
- Adventurers, in securing shipping, etc.;
- </p>
- <p>
- (g) Having made sure of the Leyden party, and being in charge of the
- shipping, Weston was practically master of the situation. He and Cushman,
- who was clearly entirely innocent of the conspiracy, had the hiring of the
- ship and of her officers, and at this point he and his acts were of vital
- importance to Gorges&rsquo;s plans. To bring the plot to a successful issue it
- remained only to effect the landing of the colony upon territory north of
- the 41st parallel of north latitude, to take it out of the London
- Company&rsquo;s jurisdiction, and to do this it was only necessary to make Jones
- Master of the ship and to instruct him accordingly. This, with so willing
- a servant of his masters, was a matter of minutes only, the instructions
- were evidently given, and the success of the plot&mdash;the theft of the
- MAY-FLOWER colony&mdash;was assured.
- </p>
- <p>
- To a careful and candid student of all the facts, the proofs are seemingly
- unmistakable, and the conclusion is unavoidable, that the MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrims were designedly brought to Cape Cod by Captain Jones, and their
- landing in that latitude was effected, in pursuance of a conspiracy
- entered into by him, not with the Dutch, but with certain of the nobility
- of England; not with the purpose of keeping the planters out of Dutch
- territory, but with the deliberate intent of stealing the colony from the
- London Virginia Company, under whose auspices it had organized and set
- sail, in the interest, and to the advantage, of its rival Company of the
- &ldquo;Northern Plantations.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- It is noteworthy that Jones did not command the MAY-FLOWER for another
- voyage, and never sailed afterward in the employ of Thomas Goffe, Esq., or
- (so far as appears) of any reputable shipowner. Weston was not such, nor
- were the chiefs of the &ldquo;Council for New England,&rdquo; in whose employ he
- remained till his death.
- </p>
- <p>
- The records of the Court of the &ldquo;Council&rdquo; show, that &ldquo;as soon as it would
- do,&rdquo; and when his absence would tend to lull suspicion as to the parts
- played, Captain Jones&rsquo;s noble patrons took steps to secure for him due
- recognition and compensation for his services, from the parties who were
- to benefit directly, with themselves, by his knavery. The records read:
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;July 17, 1622. A motion was made in the behaffe of Captaine Thomas Jones,
- Captaine of the DISCOVERY, nowe employed in Virginia for trade and
- fishinge [it proved, apparently, rather to be piracy], that he may be
- admitted a freeman in this Companie in reward of the good service he hath
- there [Virginia in general] performed. The Court liked well of the motion
- and condiscended thereunto.&rdquo; The DISCOVERY left London at the close of
- November, 1621. She arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in April, 1622. She
- reached Plymouth, New England, in August, 1622. Her outward voyage was
- not, so far as can be learned, eventful, or entitled to especial
- consideration or recognition, and the good store of English trading-goods
- she still had on hand&mdash;as Governor Bradford notices&mdash;on her
- arrival at Plymouth indicates no notable success up to that time, in the
- way of a trading-voyage, while &ldquo;fishing&rdquo; is not mentioned. For piracy, in
- which she was later more successful, she had then had neither time nor
- opportunity. The conclusion is irresistible, that &ldquo;the good service&rdquo;
- recognized by the vote recorded was of the past (he had sailed only the
- MAY-FLOWER voyage for the &ldquo;Council&rdquo; before), and that this recognition was
- a part of the compensation previously agreed upon, if, in the matter of
- the MAY-FLOWER voyage, Captain Jones did as he was bidden. Thus much of
- the crafty Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas Jones,&mdash;his
- Christian name and identity both apparently beyond dispute, &mdash;whom we
- first know in the full tide of his piratical career, in the corsair LION
- in Eastern seas; whom we next find as a prisoner in London for his
- misconduct in the East, but soon Master of the cattle-ship FALCON on her
- Virginia voyage; whom we greet next&mdash;and best&mdash;as Admiral of the
- Pilgrim fleet, commander of the destiny freighted MAY-FLOWER, and though a
- conspirator with nobles against the devoted band he steered, under the
- overruling hand of their Lord God, their unwitting pilot to &ldquo;imperial
- labors&rdquo; and mighty honors, to the founding of empire, and to eternal
- Peace; whom we next meet&mdash;fallen, &ldquo;like Lucifer, never to hope again&rdquo;
- &mdash;as Captain of the little buccaneer,&mdash;the DISCOVERY, disguised
- as a trading-ship, on the Virginian and New England coasts; and lastly, in
- charge of his leaking prize, a Spanish frigate in West Indian waters,
- making his way&mdash;death-stricken&mdash;into the Virginia port of
- Jamestown, where (July, 1625), he &ldquo;cast anchor&rdquo; for the last time, dying,
- as we first found him, a pirate, to whom it had meantime been given to
- &ldquo;minister unto saints.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Of JOHN CLARKE, the first mate of the MAY-FLOWER, we have already learned
- that he had been in the employ of the First (or London) Virginia Company,
- and had but just returned (in June, 1620) from a voyage to Virginia with
- Captain Jones in the FALCON, when found and employed by Weston and Cushman
- for the Pilgrim ship. Dr. Neill quotes from the &ldquo;Minutes of the London
- Virginia Company,&rdquo; of Wednesday, February 13/23, 1621/2, the following;
- which embodies considerable information concerning him:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;February 13th, 1621. Master Deputy acquainted the Court, that one Master
- John Clarke being taken from Virginia long since [Arber interpolates, &ldquo;in
- 1612&rdquo;] by a Spanish ship that came to discover the Plantation, that
- forasmuch as he hath since that time done the Company presumably the First
- (or London) Virginia Company good service in many voyages to Virginia;
- and, of late [1619] went into
- Ireland, for the transportation of cattle to Virginia; he was a humble
- suitor to this Court that he might be a Free brother of the Company, and
- have some shares of land bestowed upon him.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- From the foregoing he seems to have begun his American experiences as
- early as 1612, and to have frequently repeated them. That he was at once
- hired by Weston and Cushman as a valuable man, as soon as found, was not
- strange.
- </p>
- <p>
- He seems to have had the ability to impress men favorably and secure their
- confidence, and to have been a modest and reliable man. Although of both
- experience and capacity, he continued an under-officer for some years
- after the Pilgrim voyage, when, it is fair to suppose, he might have had
- command of a ship. He seems to have lacked confidence in himself, or else
- the breadth of education necessary to make him trust his ability as a
- navigator.
- </p>
- <p>
- He is not mentioned, in connection with the affairs of the Pilgrims, after
- he was hired as &ldquo;pilot,&rdquo;&mdash;on Saturday afternoon the 10th of June,
- 1620, at London,&mdash;until after the arrival at Cape Cod, and evidently
- was steadily occupied during all the experience of &ldquo;getting away&rdquo; and of
- the voyage, in the faithful performance of his duty as first mate (or
- &ldquo;pilot&rdquo;) of the MAY-FLOWER. It was not until the &ldquo;third party&rdquo; of
- exploration from Cape Cod harbor was organized and set out, on Wednesday,
- December 6, that he appeared as one of the company who put out in the
- shallop, to seek the harbor which had been commended by Coppin, &ldquo;the
- second mate.&rdquo; On this eventful voyage&mdash;when the party narrowly
- escaped shipwreck at the mouth of Plymouth harbor&mdash;they found shelter
- under the lee of an island, which (it being claimed traditionally that he
- was first to land there on) was called, in his honor, &ldquo;Clarke&rsquo;s Island,&rdquo;
- which name it retains to this day. No other mention of him is made by
- name, in the affairs of ship or shore, though it is known inferentially
- that he survived the general illness which attacked and carried off half
- of the ship&rsquo;s company. In November, 1621,&mdash;the autumn following his
- return from the Pilgrim voyage,&mdash;he seems to have gone to Virginia as
- &ldquo;pilot&rdquo; (or &ldquo;mate&rdquo;) of the FLYING HART, with cattle of Daniel Gookin, and
- in 1623 to have attained command of a ship, the PROVIDENCE, belonging to
- Mr. Gookin, on a voyage to Virginia where he arrived April 10, 1623, but
- died in that colony soon after his arrival. He seems to have been a
- competent and faithful man, who filled well his part in life. He will
- always have honorable mention as the first officer of the historic
- MAY-FLOWER, and as sponsor at the English christening of the smiling islet
- in Plymouth harbor which bears his name.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of ROBERT COPPIN, the &ldquo;second mate&rdquo; (or &ldquo;pilot&rdquo;) of the MAY-FLOWER,
- nothing is known before his voyage in the Pilgrim ship, except that he
- seems to have made a former to the coast of New England and the vicinity
- of Cape Cod, though under what auspices, or in what ship, does not
- transpire. Bradford says: &ldquo;Their Pilotte, one Mr. Coppin, who had been in
- the countrie before.&rdquo; Dr. Young a suggests that Coppin was perhaps on the
- coast with Smith or Hunt. Mrs. Austin imaginatively makes him, of &ldquo;the
- whaling bark SCOTSMAN of Glasgow,&rdquo; but no warrant whatever for such a
- conception appears.
- </p>
- <p>
- Dr. Dexter, as elsewhere noted, has said: &ldquo;My impression is that Coppin
- was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL, . . . that he sailed with
- them [the Pilgrims] in the SPEED WELL, but on her final putting back was
- transferred to the MAY-FLOWER.&rdquo; As we have seen in another relation, Dr.
- Dexter also believed Coppin to have been the &ldquo;pilot&rdquo; sent over by Cushman
- to Leyden, in May, 1620, and we have found both views to be untenable. It
- was doubtless because of this mistaken view that Dr. Dexter believed that
- Coppin was &ldquo;hired to go in the SPEEDWELL,&rdquo; and, the premise being wrong,
- the conclusion is sequentially incorrect. But there are abundant reasons
- for thinking that Dexter&rsquo;s &ldquo;impression&rdquo; is wholly mistaken. It would be
- unreasonable to suppose (as both vessels were expected to cross the
- ocean), that each had not&mdash;certainly on leaving Southampton her full
- complement of officers. If so, each undoubtedly had her second mate. The
- MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S officers and crew were, as we know, hired for the voyage, and
- there is no good reason to suppose that the second mate of the MAY-FLOWER
- was dismissed at Plymouth and Coppin put in his place which would not be
- equally potent for such an exchange between the first mate of the
- SPEEDWELL and Clarke of the MAY-FLOWER. The assumption presumes too much.
- In fact, there can be no doubt that Dexter&rsquo;s misconception was enbased
- upon, and arose from, the unwarranted impression that Coppin was the
- &ldquo;pilot&rdquo; sent over to Leyden. It is not likely that, when the SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S
- officers were so evidently anxious to escape the voyage, they would seek
- transfer to the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- Charles Deane, the editor of Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Historie&rdquo; (ed.1865), makes, in
- indexing, the clerical error of referring to Coppin as the
- &ldquo;master-gunner,&rdquo; an error doubtless occasioned by the fact that in the
- text referred to, the words, &ldquo;two of the masters-mates, Master Clarke and
- Master Coppin, the master-gunner,&rdquo; etc., were run so near together that
- the mistake was readily made.
- </p>
- <p>
- In &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation&rdquo; it appears that in the conferences that were held
- aboard the ship in Cape Cod harbor, as to the most desirable place for the
- colonists to locate, &ldquo;Robert Coppin our pilot, made relation of a great
- navigable river and great harbor in the headland of the Bay, almost right
- over against Cape Cod, being a right line not much above eight leagues
- distant,&rdquo; etc. Mrs. Jane G. Austin asserts, though absolutely without
- warrant of any reliable authority, known tradition, or probability, that
- &ldquo;Coppin&rsquo;s harbor . . . afterward proved to be Cut River and the site of
- Marshfield,&rdquo; but in another place she contradicts this by stating that it
- was &ldquo;Jones River, Duxbury.&rdquo; As Coppin described his putative harbor,
- called &ldquo;Thievish Harbor,&rdquo; a &ldquo;great navigable river and good harbor&rdquo; were
- in close relation, which was never true of either the Jones River or &ldquo;Cut
- River&rdquo; localities, while any one familiar with the region knows that what
- Mrs. Austin knew as &ldquo;Cut River&rdquo; had no existence in the Pilgrims&rsquo; early
- days, but was the work of man, superseding a small river-mouth (Green
- Harbor River), which was so shallow as to have its exit closed by the
- sand-shift of a single storm.
- </p>
- <p>
- Young, with almost equal recklessness, says: &ldquo;The other headland of the
- bay,&rdquo; alluded to by Coppin, was Manomet Point, and the river was probably
- the North River in Scituate; but there are no &ldquo;great navigable river and
- good harbor&rdquo; in conjunction in the neighborhood of Manomet, or of the
- North River,&mdash;the former having no river and the latter no harbor. If
- Coppin had not declared that he had never seen the mouth of Plymouth
- harbor before (&ldquo;mine eyes never saw this place before&rdquo;), it might readily
- have been believed that Plymouth harbor was the &ldquo;Thievish Harbor&rdquo; of his
- description, so well do they correspond.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin, the brother of Mrs. Austin, quite at variance with his sister&rsquo;s
- conclusions, states, with every probability confirming him, that the
- harbor Coppin sought &ldquo;may have been Boston, Ipswich, Newburyport, or
- Portsmouth.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- As a result of his &ldquo;relation&rdquo; as to a desirable harbor, Coppin was made
- the &ldquo;pilot&rdquo; of the &ldquo;third expedition,&rdquo; which left the ship in the shallop,
- Wednesday, December 6, and, after varying disasters and a narrow escape
- from shipwreck&mdash;through Coppin&rsquo;s mistake&mdash;landed Friday night
- after dark, in the storm, on the island previously mentioned, ever since
- called &ldquo;Clarke&rsquo;s Island,&rdquo; at the mouth of Plymouth harbor.
- </p>
- <p>
- Nothing further is known of Coppin except that he returned to England with
- the ship. He has passed into history only as Robert Coppin, &ldquo;the second
- mate&rdquo; (or &ldquo;pilot&rdquo;) of the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- But one other officer in merchant ships of the MAY-FLOWER class in her day
- was dignified by the address of &ldquo;Master&rdquo; (or Mister), or had rank with the
- Captain and Mates as a quarter-deck officer,&mdash;except in those
- instances where a surgeon or a chaplain was carried. That the MAY-FLOWER
- carried no special ship&rsquo;s-surgeon has been supposed from the fact of Dr.
- Fuller&rsquo;s attendance alike on her passengers and crew, and the increased
- mortality of the seamen&mdash;after his removal on shore.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The author is greatly indebted to his esteemed friend, Mr. George
- Ernest Bowman, Secretary-General of the Society of MAY-FLOWER
- Descendants, for information of much value upon this point. He
- believes that he has discovered trustworthy evidence of the
- existence of a small volume bearing upon its title-page an
- inscription that would certainly indicate that the MAY-FLOWER had
- her own surgeon. A copy of the inscription, which Mr. Bowman
- declares well attested (the book not being within reach), reads as
- follows:&mdash;
-
-
-
- &ldquo;To Giles Heale Chirurgeon,
- from Isaac Allerton
- in Virginia.
- Feb. 10, 1620.&rdquo;
-
- Giles Heale&rsquo;s name will be recognized as that of one of the
- witnesses to John Carver&rsquo;s copy of William Mullens&rsquo;s nuncupative
- will, and, if he was the ship&rsquo;s-surgeon, might very naturally appear
- in that relation. If book and inscription exist and the latter is
- genuine, it would be indubitable proof that Heale (who was surely
- not a MAY-FLOWER passenger) was one of the ship&rsquo;s company, and if a
- &ldquo;chirurgeon,&rdquo; the surgeon of the ship, for no other Englishmen,
- except those of the colonists and the ship&rsquo;s company, could have
- been at New Plymouth, at the date given, and New England was then
- included in the term &ldquo;Virginia.&rdquo; It is much to be hoped that Mr.
- Bowman&rsquo;s belief may be established, and that in Giles Heale we shall
- have another known officer, the surgeon, of the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
-
-</pre>
- <p>
- That she had no chaplain goes without saying. The Pilgrims had their
- spiritual adviser with them in the person of Elder Brewster, and were not
- likely to tolerate a priest of either the English or the Romish church on
- a vessel carrying them. The officer referred to was the representative of
- the business interests of the owner or chartering-party, on whose account
- the ship made the voyage; and in that day was known as the
- &ldquo;ship&rsquo;s-merchant,&rdquo; later as the &ldquo;purser,&rdquo; and in some relations as the
- &ldquo;supercargo.&rdquo; No mention of an officer thus designated, belonging to the
- MAY-FLOWER, has ever been made by any writer, so far as known, and it
- devolves upon the author to indicate his existence and to establish, so
- far as possible, both this and his identity.
- </p>
- <p>
- A certain &ldquo;Master Williamson,&rdquo; whose name and presence, though but once
- mentioned by Governor Bradford, have greatly puzzled Pilgrim historians,
- seems to have filled this berth on board the MAY-FLOWER. Bradford tells us
- that on Thursday, March 22, 1620/21, &ldquo;Master Williamson&rdquo; was designated to
- accompany Captain Standish&mdash;practically as an officer of the guard&mdash;to
- receive and escort the Pokanoket chief, Massasoit, to Governor Carver, on
- the occasion of the former&rsquo;s first visit of state. Prior to the recent
- discovery in London, by an American genealogist, of a copy of the
- nuncupative will of Master William Mullens, one of the MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrims, clearly dictated to Governor John Carver on board the ship, in
- the harbor of New Plymouth (probably) Wednesday, February 21, 1620 (though
- not written out by Carver till April 2, 1620), on which day (as we learn
- from Bradford), Master Mullens died, no other mention of &ldquo;Master
- Williamson&rdquo; than that above quoted was known, and his very existence was
- seriously questioned. In this will, as elsewhere noted, &ldquo;Master
- Williamson&rdquo; is named as one of the &ldquo;Overseers.&rdquo; By most early writers it
- was held that Bradford had unwittingly substituted the name &ldquo;Williamson&rdquo;
- for that of Allerton, and this view&mdash;apparently for no better reasons
- than that both names had two terminal letters in common, and that Allerton
- was associated next day with Standish on some military duty&mdash;came to
- be generally accepted, and Allerton&rsquo;s name to be even frequently
- substituted without question.&mdash;-Miss Marcia A. Thomas, in her
- &ldquo;Memorials of Marshfield&rdquo; (p. 75), says: &ldquo;In 1621, Master Williamson,
- Captain Standish, and Edward Winslow made a journey to make a treaty with
- Massasoit. He is called &lsquo;Master George,&rsquo; meaning probably Master George
- Williamson,&rdquo; etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- This is certainly most absurd, and by one not familiar with the
- exceptional fidelity and the conscientious work of Miss Thomas would
- rightly be denounced as reckless and reprehensible fabrication. Of course
- Williamson, Standish, and Winslow made no such journey, and made no treaty
- with Massasoit, but aided simply in conducting, with due ceremonial, the
- first meeting between Governor John Carver and the Indian sachem at
- Plymouth, at which a treaty was concluded. There is no historical warrant
- whatever for the name of &ldquo;George,&rdquo; as appertaining to &ldquo;Master William
- son.&rdquo; The fact, however,&mdash;made known by the fortunate discovery
- mentioned,&mdash;that &ldquo;Master Williamson&rdquo; was named in his will by Master
- Mullens as one of its &ldquo;Overseers,&rdquo; and undoubtedly probated the will in
- England, puts the existence of such a person beyond reasonable doubt. That
- he was a person of some dignity, and of very respectable position, is
- shown by the facts that he was chosen as Standish&rsquo;s associate, as
- lieutenant of the guard, on an occasion of so much importance, and was
- thought fit by Master Mullens, a careful and clear-headed man as his will
- proves,&mdash;to be named an &ldquo;Overseer&rdquo; of that will, charged with
- responsible duties to Mullens&rsquo;s children and property. It is practically
- certain that on either of the above-mentioned dates (February 21, or March
- 22) there were no human beings in the Colony of New Plymouth beside the
- passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, her officers and crew, and the native
- savages. Visitors, by way of the fishing vessels on the Maine coast, had
- not yet begun to come, as they did a little later. It is certain that no
- one of the name of &ldquo;Williamson&rdquo; was among the colonist passengers, or
- indeed for several years in the colony, and we may at once dismiss both
- the passengers and the savages from our consideration. This elimination
- renders it inevitable that &ldquo;Master Williamson&rdquo; must have been of the
- ship&rsquo;s company. It remains to determine, if possible, what position upon
- the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S roster he presumably held. His selection by &ldquo;Master&rdquo;
- Mullens as one of the &ldquo;Over seers&rdquo; of his will suggests the probability
- that, having named Governor Carver as the one upon whom he would rely for
- the care of his family and affairs in New England, Mr. Mullens sought as
- the other a proper person, soon to return to England, and hence able to
- exercise like personal interest in his two children and his considerable
- property left there? Such a suggestion points to a returning and competent
- officer of the ship. That &ldquo;Master Williamson&rdquo; was above the grade of
- &ldquo;petty officer,&rdquo; and ranked at least with the mates or &ldquo;pilots,&rdquo; is clear
- from the fact that he is invariably styled &ldquo;Master&rdquo; (equivalent to
- Mister), and we know with certainty that he was neither captain nor mate.
- That he was a man of address and courage follows the fact that he was
- chosen by Standish as his lieutenant, while the choice in and of itself is
- a strong bit of presumptive proof that he held the position on the
- MAY-FLOWER to which he is here assigned.
- </p>
- <p>
- The only officer commonly carried by a ship of the MAY-FLOWER class, whose
- rank, capacities, and functions would comport with every fact and feature
- of the case, was &ldquo;the ship&rsquo;s-merchant,&rdquo; her accountant, factor, and
- usually&mdash;when such was requisite&mdash;her &ldquo;interpreter,&rdquo; on every
- considerable (trading) voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is altogether probable that it was in his capacity of &ldquo;interpreter&rdquo; (as
- Samoset and Tisquantum knew but little English), and on account of what
- knowledge of the Indian tongue he very probably possessed, that Standish
- chose Williamson as his associate for the formal reception of Massasoit.
- It is indeed altogether probable that it was this familiarity with the
- &ldquo;trade lingo&rdquo; of the American coast tribes which influenced &mdash;perhaps
- determined&mdash;his employment as &ldquo;ship&rsquo;s-merchant&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER for
- her Pilgrim voyage, especially as she was expected to &ldquo;load back&rdquo; for
- England with the products of the country, only to be had by barter with
- the Indians. It is evident that there must naturally have been some
- provision made for communication with the natives, for the purposes of
- that trade, etc., which the Planters hoped to establish. Trading along the
- northern coast of Virginia (as the whole coast strip was then called),
- principally for furs, had been carried on pretty actively, since 1584, by
- such navigators as Raleigh&rsquo;s captains, Gosnold, Pring, Champlain, Smith,
- Dermer, Hunt, and the French and Dutch, and much of the &ldquo;trade lingo&rdquo; of
- the native tribes had doubtless been &ldquo;picked up&rdquo; by their different
- &ldquo;ship&rsquo;s-merchants.&rdquo; It appears by Bradford&rsquo; that Dermer, when coasting the
- shores of New England, in Sir Ferdinando Gorges&rsquo;s employ, brought the
- Indian Tisquantum with him, from England, as his interpreter, and
- doubtless from him Dermer and other ship&rsquo;s officers &ldquo;picked up&rdquo; more or
- less Indian phrases, as Tisquantum (Squanto) evidently did of English.
- Winslow, in his &ldquo;Good Newes from New England,&rdquo; written in 1622, says of
- the Indian tongue, as spoken by the tribes about them at Plymouth, &ldquo;it is
- very copious, large, and difficult. As yet we cannot attain to any great
- measure thereof, but can understand them, and explain ourselves to their
- understanding, by the help of those that daily converse with us.&rdquo; This
- being the case, after two years of constant communication, and noting how
- trivial knowledge of English speech Samoset and Tisquantum had, it is easy
- to understand that, if Williamson had any knowledge of the native tongue,
- Standish would be most anxious to have the benefit of it, in this prime
- and all-important effort at securing a permanent alliance with the ruling
- sachem of the region. Bradford, in &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation,&rdquo; speaking of the
- speech of Governor Carver to Massasoit, says: &ldquo;He [Massasoit] liked well
- of the speech and heard it attentively, though the interpreters did not
- well express it.&rdquo; Probably all three, Tisquantum, Samoset, and Williamson,
- had a voice in it.
- </p>
- <p>
- That &ldquo;Master Williamson&rdquo; was a veritable person at New Plymouth, in
- February and March, 1620/21, is now beyond dispute; that he must have been
- of the ship&rsquo;s company of the MAY-FLOWER is logically certain; that he was
- one of her officers, and a man of character, is proven by his title of
- &ldquo;Master&rdquo; and his choice by Standish and Mullens for exceptional and
- honorable service; that the position of &ldquo;ship&rsquo;s-merchant&rdquo; alone answers to
- the conditions precedent, is evident; and that such an officer was
- commonly carried by ships of the MAY-FLOWER class on such voyages as hers
- is indicated by the necessity, and proven by the facts known as to other
- ships on similar New England voyages, both earlier and later. The fact
- that he was called simply &ldquo;Master Williamson,&rdquo; in both cases where he is
- mentioned, with out other designation or identification, is highly
- significant, and clearly indicates that he was some one so familiarly
- known to all concerned that no occasion for any further designation
- apparently occurred to the minds of Mullens, Carver, or Bradford, when
- referring to him. In the case of Master John Hampden, the only other
- notable incognito of early Pilgrim literature, the description is full,
- and the only question concerning him has been of his identity with John
- Hampden, the English patriot of the Cromwellian era. It is, therefore, not
- too much to assert that the MAY-FLOWER carried a &ldquo;ship&rsquo;s-merchant&rdquo; (or
- purser), and that &ldquo;Master Williamson&rdquo; was that officer. If close-linked
- circumstantial evidence is ever to be relied upon, it clearly establishes
- in this case the identity of the &ldquo;Master Williamson&rdquo; who was Governor
- Bradford&rsquo;s incognito, and the person of the same name mentioned a month
- earlier in &ldquo;Master&rdquo; Mullens&rsquo;s will; as also the fact that in him we have a
- new officer of the MAY FLOWER, hitherto unknown as such to Pilgrim
- literature. If Mr. Bowman&rsquo;s belief as to Giles Heale (see note) proves
- correct, we have yet another, the Surgeon.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Carpenter, Gunner, Boatswain, Quartermaster, and &ldquo;Masters-mates&rdquo; are
- the only &ldquo;petty officers&rdquo; of the Pilgrim ship of whom any record makes
- mention. The carpenter is named several times, and was evidently, as might
- be expected, one of the most useful men of the ship&rsquo;s crew. Called into
- requisition, doubtless, in the conferences as to the condition of the
- SPEEDWELL, on both of her returns to port, at the inception of the voyage,
- he was especially in evidence when, in mid-ocean, &ldquo;the cracking and
- bending of a great deck-beam,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;shaken&rdquo; condition of &ldquo;the upper
- works&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER, gave rise to much alarm, and it was by his
- labors and devices, and the use of the now famous &ldquo;jack-screw,&rdquo; that the
- bending beam and leaking deck were made secure. The repairs upon the
- shallop in Cape Cod harbor also devolved upon him, and mention is made of
- his illness and the dependence placed upon him. No doubt, in the
- construction of the first dwellings and of the ordnance platform on the
- hill, etc., he was the devising and principal workman. He undoubtedly
- returned to England with the ship, and is known in history only by his
- &ldquo;billet,&rdquo; as &ldquo;the carpenter&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Master Gunner seems to have been a man with a proclivity for Indian
- barter, that led him to seek a place with the &ldquo;third expedition&rdquo; at Cape
- Cod, thereby nearly accomplishing his death, which indeed occurred later,
- in Plymouth harbor, not long before the return of the ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Boatswain is known, by Bradford&rsquo;s records, to have died in the general
- sickness which attacked the crew while lying in Plymouth harbor. The brief
- narrative of his sickness and death is all that we know of his
- personality. The writer says: &ldquo;He was a proud young man, and would often
- curse and scoff at the passengers,&rdquo; but being nursed when dying, by those
- of them who remained aboard, after his shipmates had deserted him in their
- craven fear of infection, &ldquo;he bewailed his former conduct,&rdquo; saying, &ldquo;Oh!
- you, I now see, show your love like Christians indeed, one to another, but
- we let one another lie and die like dogs.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Four Quartermasters are mentioned (probably helmsmen simply), of whom
- three are known to have died in Plymouth harbor.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Masters-mates&rdquo; are several times mentioned, but it is pretty certain that
- the &ldquo;pilots&rdquo; (or mates) are intended. Bradford and Winslow, in &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s
- Relation,&rdquo; say of the reappearance of the Indians: &ldquo;So Captain Standish,
- with another [Hopkins], with their muskets, went over to them, with two of
- the masters-mates that follow them without [side?] arms, having two
- muskets with them: Who these &ldquo;masters-mates&rdquo; were does not appear.&rdquo; The
- language, &ldquo;two of the masters-mates,&rdquo; would possibly suggest that there
- were more of them. It hardly seems probable that both the mates of the
- MAY-FLOWER would thus volunteer, or thrust themselves forward in such a
- matter, and it seems doubtful if they would have been permitted (even if
- both ashore at one time, which, though unusual, did occur), to assume such
- duty. Whoever they were, they did not lack courage.
- </p>
- <p>
- The names of the petty officers and seamen of the MAY-FLOWER do not appear
- as such, but the discovery of the (evidently) nuncupative will of William
- Mullens&mdash;herein referred to&mdash;has perhaps given us two of them.
- Attached to John Carver&rsquo;s certificate of the particulars of this will,
- filed at Somerset House, London, are the names, &ldquo;Giles Heale&rdquo; and
- &ldquo;Christopher Joanes.&rdquo; As Mr Mullens died Wednesday, February 21, 1620, on
- board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, on which day we know from
- Bradford&rsquo; that &ldquo;the Master [Jones, whose name was Thomas] came on shore
- with many of his sailors,&rdquo; to land and mount the cannon on the fort, and
- as they had a full day&rsquo;s work to draw up the hill and mount five guns, and
- moreover brought the materials for, and stayed to eat, a considerable
- dinner with the Pilgrims, they were doubtless ashore all day. It is
- rational to interpret the known facts to indicate that in this absence of
- the Captain and most of his crew ashore, Mr. Mullens, finding himself
- failing fast, sent for Governor Carver and&mdash;unable to do more than
- speak &mdash;dictated to him the disposition of his property which he
- desired to make. Carver, noting this down from his dictation, undoubtedly
- called in two of the ship&rsquo;s company (Heale very likely being the
- ship&rsquo;s-surgeon), who were left aboard to &ldquo;keep ship,&rdquo; to hear his notes
- read to Mullens and assented to by him, they thus becoming the witnesses
- to his will, to the full copy of which, as made by Carver (April 2), they
- affixed their names as such. As there were then at Plymouth (besides
- savages) only the passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, and these men
- were certainly not among the passengers, it seems inevitable that they
- were of the crew. That &ldquo;Christopher Joanes&rdquo; was not the Master of the ship
- is clear, because Heale&rsquo;s is the first signature, and no man of the crew
- would have dared to sign before the Captain; because the Captain&rsquo;s name
- was (as demonstrated) Thomas; and because we know that he was ashore all
- that day, with most of his men. It is by no means improbable that Captain
- Jones had shipped one of his kinsmen in his crew, possibly as one of the
- &ldquo;masters mates&rdquo; or quartermasters referred to (and it is by no means
- certain that there were not more than two), though these witnesses may
- have been quartermasters or other petty officers left on board as
- &ldquo;ship-keepers.&rdquo; Certain it is that these two witnesses must have been of
- the crew, and that &ldquo;Christopher Joanes&rdquo; was not the Captain, while it is
- equally sure, from the collateral evidence, that Master Mullens died on
- shipboard. Had he died on shore it is very certain that some of the
- leaders, Brewster, Bradford, or others, would have been witnesses, with
- such of the ship&rsquo;s officers as could aid in proving the will in England.
- It is equally evident that the officers of the ship were absent when
- Master Mullens dictated his will, except perhaps the surgeon.
- </p>
- <p>
- The number of seamen belonging to the ship is nowhere definitely stated.
- At least four in the employ of the Pilgrims were among the passengers and
- not enrolled upon the ships&rsquo; lists. From the size of the ship, the amount
- of sail she probably carried, the weight of her anchors, and certain other
- data which appear,&mdash;such as the number allowed to leave the ship at a
- time, etc.,&mdash;it is probably not a wild estimate to place their number
- at from twenty to twenty-five. This is perhaps a somewhat larger number
- than would be essential to work the ship, and than would have been shipped
- if the voyage had been to any port of a civilized country; but on a voyage
- to a wild coast, the possibilities of long absence and of the weakening of
- the crew by death, illness, etc., demanded consideration and a larger
- number. The wisdom and necessity of carrying, on a voyage to an
- uninhabited country, some spare men, is proven by the record of Bradford,
- who says: &ldquo;The disease begane to fall amongst them the seamen also, so as
- allmost halfe of their company dyed before they went away and many of
- their officers and lustyest men; as ye boatson, gunner, 3 quarter
- maisters, the cooke, and others.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The LADY ARBELLA, the &ldquo;Admiral&rdquo; of Governor Winthrop&rsquo;s fleet, a ship of
- 350 tons, carried 52 men, and it is a fair inference that the MAY-FLOWER,
- of a little more than half her tonnage, would require at least half as
- many. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the officers and crew of the
- MAY-FLOWER, all told, mustered thirty men, irrespective of the sailors,
- four in number (Alderton, English, Trevore, and Ely), in the Pilgrims&rsquo;
- employ.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VI
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S PASSENGERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- The passenger list of the SPEEDWELL has given us the names of the Leyden
- members of the company which, with the cooperation of the associated
- Merchant Adventurers, was, in the summer of 1620, about to emigrate to
- America.
- </p>
- <p>
- Though it is not possible, with present knowledge, positively to determine
- every one of those who were passengers in the MAY-FLOWER from London to
- Southampton, most of them can be named with certainty.
- </p>
- <p>
- Arranged for convenience, so far as possible, by families, they were:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Robert Cushman, the London agent of the Leyden company,
- Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman, 2d wife,
- Thomas Cushman, son (by 1st wife).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Christopher Martin, treasurer-agent of the colonists,
- Mrs. Martin, wife,
- Solomon Prower, &ldquo;servant,&rdquo;
- John Langemore, &ldquo;servant.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Master Richard Warren.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Mullens,
- Mrs. Alice Mullens, wife,
- Joseph Mullens, 2d son,
- Priscilla Mullens, 2d daughter,
- Robert Carter, &ldquo;servant.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Stephen Hopkins,
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Fisher?) Hopkins, 2d wife,
- Giles Hopkins, son (by former wife),
- Constance Hopkins, daughter (by former wife),
- Damaris Hopkins, daughter,
- Edward Dotey, &ldquo;servant,&rdquo;
- Edward Leister, &ldquo;servant.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Gilbert Winslow.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-James Chilton,
- Mrs. Susanna (2) Chilton, wife,
- Mary Chilton, daughter.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard Gardiner.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington,
- Mrs. Eleanor (or Helen) Billington, wife,
- John Billington (Jr.), son,
- Francis Billington, son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- William Latham, &ldquo;servant-boy&rdquo; to Deacon Carver.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Jasper More, &ldquo;bound-boy&rdquo; to Deacon Carver.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Ellen More, &ldquo;little bound girl&rdquo; to Master Edward Winslow.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Richard More, &ldquo;bound-boy&rdquo; to Elder Brewster.
- &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;- More, &ldquo;bound-boy&rdquo; to Elder Brewster.
-</pre>
- <p>
- There is a possibility that Thomas Rogers and his son, Joseph, who are
- usually accredited to the Leyden company, were of the London contingent,
- and sailed from there, though this is contra-indicated by certain
- collateral data.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is possible, also, of course, that any one or more of the English
- colonists (with a few exceptions&mdash;such as Cushman and family, Mullens
- and family, the More children and others&mdash;known to have left London
- on the MAY-FLOWER) might have joined her (as did Carver and Alden, perhaps
- Martin and family) at Southampton, but the strong presumption is that most
- of the English passengers joined the ship at London.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is just possible, too, that the seamen, Alderton (or Allerton),
- English, Trevore, and Ely, were hired in London and were on board the
- MAY-FLOWER when she left that port, though they might have been employed
- and joined the ship at either Southampton, Dartmouth, or Plymouth. It is
- strongly probable, however, that they were part, if not all, hired in
- Holland, and came over to Southampton in the pinnace.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Robert Cushman&mdash;the London agent (for more than three years) of the
- Leyden congregation, and, in spite of the wickedly unjust criticism
- of Robinson and others, incompetent to judge his acts, their brave,
- sagacious, and faithful servant&mdash;properly heads the list.
-
- Bradford says: &ldquo;Where they find the bigger ship come from London,
- Mr. Jones, Master, with the rest of the company who had been waiting
- there with Mr. Cushman seven days.&rdquo; Deacon Carver, probably from
- being on shore, was not here named. In a note appended to the
- memoir of Robert Cushman (prefatory to his Discourse delivered at
- Plymouth, New England, on &ldquo;The Sin and Danger of Self-Love&rdquo;) it is
- stated in terms as follows: &ldquo;The fact is, that Mr. Cushman procured
- the larger vessel, the MAY-FLOWER, and its pilot, at London, and
- left in that vessel.&rdquo; The statement&mdash;though published long after the
- events of which it treats and by other than Mr. Cushman&mdash;we know to
- be substantially correct, and the presumption is that the writer,
- whoever he may have been, knew also.
-
- Sailing with his wife and son (it is not probable that he had any
- other living child at the time), in full expectation that it was for
- Virginia, he encountered so much of ungrateful and abusive
- treatment, after the brethren met at Southampton,&mdash;especially at the
- hands of the insufferable Martin, who, without merit and with a most
- reprehensible record (as it proved), was chosen over him as
- &ldquo;governor&rdquo; of the ship,&mdash;that he was doubtless glad to return from
- Plymouth when the SPEEDWELL broke down. He and his family appear,
- therefore, as &ldquo;MAY-FLOWER passengers,&rdquo; only between London and
- Plymouth during the vexatious attendance upon the scoundrelly Master
- of the SPEEDWELL, in his &ldquo;doublings&rdquo; in the English Channel. His
- Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth, one of the most valuable
- contributions to the early literature of the Pilgrims extant,
- clearly demonstrates that he was suffering severely from dyspepsia
- and deeply wounded feelings. The course of events was his complete
- vindication, and impartial history to-day pronounces him second to
- none in his service to the Pilgrims and their undertaking. His
- first wife is shown by Leyden records to have been Sarah Reder, and
- his second marriage to have occurred May 19/June 3, 1617, [sic]
- about the time he first went to England in behalf of the Leyden
- congregation.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman appears only as a passenger of the
- MAY-FLOWER on her channel voyage, as she returned with her husband
- and son from Plymouth, England, in the SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Cushman, it is quite clear, must have been a son by a former wife,
- as he would have been but a babe, if the son of the latest wife,
- when he went to New England with his father, in the FORTUNE, to
- remain. Goodwin and others give his age as fourteen at this time,
- and his age at death is their warrant. Robert Cushman died in 1625,
- but a &ldquo;Mary, wife [widow?] of Robert Cushman, and their son,
- Thomas,&rdquo; seem to have been remembered in the will of Ellen Bigge,
- widow, of Cranbrooke, England, proved February 12, 1638
- (Archdeaconry, Canterbury, vol. lxx. leaf 482). The will intimates
- that the &ldquo;Thomas&rdquo; named was &ldquo;under age&rdquo; when the bequest was made.
- If this is unmistakably so (though there is room for doubt), then
- this was not the Thomas of the Pilgrims. Otherwise the evidence is
- convincing.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Christopher Martin, who was made, Bradford informs us, the
- treasurer-agent of the Planter Company, Presumably about the time of
- the original conclusions between the Adventurers and the Planters,
- seems to have been appointed such, as Bradford states, not because
- he was needed, but to give the English contingent of the Planter
- body representation in the management, and to allay thereby any
- suspicion or jealousy. He was, if we are to judge by the evidence
- in hand concerning his contention and that of his family with the
- Archdeacon, the strong testimony that Cushman bears against him in
- his Dartmouth letter of August 17, and the fact that there seems to
- have been early dissatisfaction with him as &ldquo;governor&rdquo; on the ship,
- a very self-sufficient, somewhat arrogant, and decidedly contentious
- individual. His selection as treasurer seems to have been very
- unfortunate, as Bradford indicates that his accounts were in
- unsatisfactory shape, and that he had no means of his own, while his
- rather surprising selection for the office of &ldquo;governor&rdquo; of the
- larger ship, after the unpleasant experience with him as
- treasurer-agent, is difficult to account for, except that he was
- evidently an active opponent of Cushman, and the latter was just
- then in disfavor with the colonists. He was evidently a man in the
- prime of life, an &ldquo;Independent&rdquo; who had the courage of his
- convictions if little discretion, and much of that energy and
- self-reliance which, properly restrained, are excellent elements
- for a colonist. Very little beside the fact that he came from
- Essex is known of him, and nothing of his wife. He has further
- mention hereafter.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Solomon Prower is clearly shown by the complaint made against him by the
- Archdeacon of Chelmsford, the March before he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, to have been quite a youth, a firm &ldquo;Separatist,&rdquo; and
- something more than an ordinary &ldquo;servant.&rdquo; He seems to have been
- summoned before the Archdeacon at the same time with young Martin
- (a son of Christopher), and this fact suggests some nearer relation
- than that of &ldquo;servant.&rdquo; He is sometimes spoken of as Martin&rsquo;s
- &ldquo;son,&rdquo; by what warrant does not appear, but the fact suggests that
- he may have been a step-son. Bradford, in recording his death,
- says: &ldquo;Dec. 24, this day dies Solomon Martin.&rdquo; This could, of
- course, have been none other than Solomon Prower. Dr. Young, in his
- &ldquo;Chronicles,&rdquo; speaking of Martin, says, &ldquo;he brought his wife and two
- children.&rdquo; If this means Martin&rsquo;s children, it is evidently an
- error. It may refer to age only. His case is puzzling, for
- Bradford makes him both &ldquo;servant&rdquo; and &ldquo;son.&rdquo; If of sufficient age
- and account to be cited before the Archdeacon for discipline, it
- seems strange that he should not have signed the &ldquo;Compact.&rdquo; Even if
- a &ldquo;servant&rdquo; this would seem to have been no bar, as Dotey and
- Leister were certainly such, yet signers. The indications are that
- he was but a well-grown lad, and that his youth, or severe illness,
- and not his station, accounts for the absence of his signature. If
- a young foster-son or kinsman of Martin, as seems most likely, then
- Martin&rsquo;s signature was sufficient, as in the cases of fathers for
- their sons; if really a &ldquo;ser vant&rdquo; then too young (like Latham and
- Hooke) to be called upon, as were Dotey and Leister.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Langemore; there is nothing (save the errors of Dr. Young) to
- indicate that he was other than a &ldquo;servant.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Warren was probably from Kent or Essex. Surprisingly little is
- known of his antecedents, former occupation, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Mullens and his family were, as shown, from Dorking in Surrey,
- and their home was therefore close to London, whence they sailed,
- beyond doubt, in the MAY-FLOWER. The discovery at Somerset House,
- London, by Mr. Henry F. Waters, of Salem, Massachusetts; of what is
- evidently the nuncupative will of William Mullens, proves an
- important one in many particulars, only one of which need be
- referred to in this connection, but all of which will receive due
- consideration. It conclusively shows Mr. Mullens not to have been
- of the Leyden congregation, as has sometimes been claimed, but that
- he was a well-to-do tradesman of Dorking in Surrey, adjacent to
- London. It renders it certain, too, that he had been some time
- resident there, and had both a married daughter and a son (William),
- doubtless living there, which effectually overthrows the &ldquo;imaginary
- history&rdquo; of Baird, and of that pretty story, &ldquo;Standish of Standish,&rdquo;
- whereby the Mullens (or Molines) family are given French (Huguenot)
- antecedents and the daughter is endowed with numerous airs, graces,
- and accomplishments, professedly French.
-
- Dr. Griffis, in his delightful little narrative, &ldquo;The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, England, Holland, America,&rdquo; cites the name
- &ldquo;Mullins&rdquo; as a Dutch distortion of Molines or Molineaux. Without
- questioning that such it might be,&mdash;for the Dutch scribes were
- gifted in remarkable distortions of simple names, even of their own
- people,&mdash;they evidently had no hand in thus maltreating the patronym
- of William Mullens (or Mullins) of the Pilgrims, for not only is
- evidence entirely wanting to show that he was ever a Leyden citizen,
- though made such by the fertile fiction of Mrs. Austin, but Governor
- Carver, who knew him well, wrote it in his will &ldquo;Mullens,&rdquo; while two
- English probate functionaries of his own home-counties wrote it
- respectively &ldquo;Mullens&rdquo; and &ldquo;Mullins.&rdquo;
-
- Dr. Grifs speaks of &ldquo;the Mullens family&rdquo; as evidently [sic] of
- Huguenot or Walloon birth or descent, but in doing so probably knew
- no other authority than Mrs. Austin&rsquo;s little novel, or (possibly)
- Dr. Baird&rsquo;s misstatements.
-
- A writer in the &ldquo;New England Historic-Genealogical Register,&rdquo; vol.
- xlvii, p. 90, states, that &ldquo;Mrs. Jane G. Austin found her authority
- for saying that Priscilla Mullens was of a Huguenot family, in Dr.
- Baird&rsquo;s &lsquo;History of Huguenot Emigration to America,&rsquo; vol. i.
- p. 158,&rdquo; etc., referring to Rev. Charles W. Baird, D. D., New York.
- The reference given is a notable specimen of very bad historical
- work. Of Dr. Baird, one has a right to expect better things, and
- the positiveness of his reckless assertion might well mislead those
- not wholly familiar with the facts involved, as it evidently has
- more than one. He states, without qualification or reservation,
- that &ldquo;among the passengers in the SPEEDWELL were several of the
- French who had decided to cast in their lot with these English
- brethren. William Molines and his daughter Priscilla, afterwards
- the wife of John Alden and Philip Delanoy, born in Leyden of French
- parents, were of the number.&rdquo; One stands confounded by such a
- combination of unwarranted errors. Not only is it not true that
- there &ldquo;were several of the French among the passengers in the
- SPEEDWELL,&rdquo; but there is no evidence whatever that there was even
- one. Those specifically named as there, certainly were not, and
- there is not the remotest proof or reason to believe, that William
- Mullens (or Molines) and his daughter Priscilla (to say nothing of
- the wife and son who accompanied him to America, whom Baird forgets)
- ever even saw Leyden or Delfshaven. Their home had been at Dorking
- in Surrey, just across the river from London, whence the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed for New England, and nothing could be more absurd than to
- assume that they were passengers on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to
- Southampton.
-
- So far from Philip Delanoy (De La Noye or Delano) being a passenger
- on the SPEEDWELL, he was not even one of the Pilgrim company, did
- not go to New England till the following year (in the FORTUNE), and
- of course had no relation to the SPEEDWELL. Neither does Edward
- Winslow&mdash;the only authority for the parentage of &ldquo;Delanoy&rdquo;&mdash;state
- that &ldquo;he was born in Leyden,&rdquo; as Baird alleges, but only that &ldquo;he
- was born of French parents . . . and came to us from Leyden to
- New Plymouth,&rdquo;&mdash;an essential variance in several important
- particulars. Scores and perhaps hundreds of people have been led to
- believe Priscilla Mullens a French Protestant of the Leyden
- congregation, and themselves&mdash;as her descendants&mdash;&ldquo;of Huguenot
- stock,&rdquo; because of these absolutely groundless assertions of Dr.
- Baird. They lent themselves readily to Mrs. Austin&rsquo;s fertile
- imagination and facile pen, and as &ldquo;welcome lies&rdquo; acquired a hold on
- the public mind, from which even the demonstrated truth will never
- wholly dislodge them. The comment of the intelligent writer in the
- &ldquo;Historic-Genealogical Register&rdquo; referred to is proof of this. So
- fast-rooted had these assertions become in her thought as the truth,
- that, confronted with the evidence that Master Mullens and his
- family were from Dorking in England, it does not occur to her to
- doubt the correctness of the impression which the recklessness of
- Baird had created,&mdash;that they were of Leyden,&mdash;and she hence
- amusingly suggests that &ldquo;they must have moved from Leyden to
- Dorking.&rdquo; These careless utterances of one who is especially bound
- by his position, both as a writer and as a teacher of morals, to be
- jealous for the truth, might be partly condoned as attributable to
- mistake or haste, except for the facts that they seem to have been
- the fountain-head of an ever-widening stream of serious error, and
- that they are preceded on the very page that bears them by others as
- to the Pilgrim exodus equally unhappy. It seems proper to suggest
- that it is high time that all lovers of reliable history should
- stand firmly together against the flood of loose statement which is
- deluging the public; brand the false wherever found; and call for
- proof from of all new and important historical propositions put
- forth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Stephen Hopkins may possibly have had more than one wife before
- Elizabeth, who accompanied him to New England and was mother of the
- sea-born son Oceanus. Hopkins&rsquo;s will indicates his affection for
- this latest wife, in unusual degree for wills of that day. With
- singular carelessness, both of the writer and his proof-reader, Hon.
- William T. Davis states that Damaris Hopkins was born &ldquo;after the
- arrival&rdquo; in New England. The contrary is, of course, a well
- established fact. Mr. Davis was probably led into this error by
- following Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;summary&rdquo; as affecting the Hopkins family. He
- states therein that Hopkins &ldquo;had one son, who became a seaman and
- died at Barbadoes probably Caleb, and four daugh ters born here.&rdquo;
- To make up these &ldquo;four&rdquo; daughters &ldquo;born here&rdquo; Davis found it
- necessary to include Damaris, unmindful that Bradford names her in
- his list of MAY-FLOWER passengers. It is evident, either that
- Bradford made a mistake in the number, or that there was some
- daughter who died in infancy. It is evident that Dotey and Leister,
- the &ldquo;servants&rdquo; of Hopkins, were of English origin and accompanied
- their master from London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Gilbert Winslow was a brother of Edward Winslow, a young man, said to
- have been a carpenter, who returned to England after &ldquo;divers years&rdquo;
- in New England. There is a possibility that he was at Leyden and
- was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL. It has been suggested that he
- spent the greater part of the time he was in New England, outside of
- the Pilgrim Colony. He took no part in its affairs.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-James Chilton and his family are but little known to Pilgrim writers,
- except the daughter Mary, who came into notice principally through
- her marriage with John Winslow, another brother of Governor Edward,
- who came over later. Their name has assumed a singular prominence
- in popular regard, altogether disproportionate to either their
- personal characteristics, station, or the importance of their early
- descendants. Some unaccountable glamour of romance, without any
- substantial foundation, is probably responsible for it. They left a
- married daughter behind them in England, which is the only hint we
- have as to their home just prior to the embarkation. There has been
- a disposition, not well grounded, to regard them as of Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Gardiner, Goodwin unequivocally places with the English colonists
- (but on what authority does not fully appear), and he has been
- claimed, but without any better warrant, for the Leyden list.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington and his family were unmistakably of the English
- colonists. Mrs. Billington&rsquo;s name has been variously given,
- e.g. Helen, Ellen, and Eleanor, and the same writer has used them
- interchangeably. One writer has made the inexcusable error of
- stating that &ldquo;the younger son, Francis, was born after the arrival
- at New Plymouth,&rdquo; but his own affidavit shows him to have been born
- in 1606.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Latham, a &ldquo;servant-boy&rdquo; of Deacon Carver, has always been of
- doubtful relation, some circumstances indicating that he was of
- Leyden and hence was a SPEEDWELL passenger, but others&mdash;and these
- the more significant&mdash;rendering it probable that he was an English
- boy, who was obtained in London (like the More children) and
- apprenticed to Carver, in which case he probably came in the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, though he may have awaited her coming with
- his master at Southampton, in which case he probably originally
- embarked there, with him, on the SPEEDWELL, and was transferred
- with him, at Plymouth, to the MAY-FLOWER. There is, of course,
- also still the possibility that he came with Carver&rsquo;s family from
- Leyden. Governor Carver&rsquo;s early death necessarily changed his
- status somewhat, and Plymouth early records do not give much beyond
- suggestion as to what the change was; but all indications confirm
- the opinion that he was a poor boy&mdash;very likely of London or
- vicinity&mdash;taken by Carver as his &ldquo;servant.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-The More children, Jasper, Richard, their brother (whose given name has
- never transpired), and Ellen, their sister, invite more than passing
- mention. The belief has always been current and confident among
- students of Pilgrim history that these More children, four in
- number, &ldquo;put&rdquo; or &ldquo;indentured&rdquo; to three of the Leyden leaders, were
- probably orphaned children of some family of the Leyden
- congregation, and were so &ldquo;bound&rdquo; to give them a chance in the new
- colony, in return for such services as they could render to those
- they accompanied. If thus of the Leyden contingent they would,
- of course, be enumerated as passengers in the SPEEDWELL from
- Delfshaven, but if of the English contingent they should probably be
- borne on the list of passengers sailing from London in the
- MAY-FLOWER, certainly should be reckoned as part of the English
- contingent on the MAY-FLOWER at Southampton. An affidavit of
- Richard More, perhaps the eldest of these children, indentured to
- Elder Brewster, dated in 1684., found in &ldquo;Proceedings of the
- Provincial Court, Maryland Archives, vol. xiv. (&lsquo;New England
- Historic-Genealogical Register,&rsquo; vol 1. p. 203 ),&rdquo; affirms the
- deponent to be then &ldquo;seaventy years or thereabouts&rdquo; of age, which
- would have made him some six years of age, &ldquo;or thereabouts,&rdquo; in
- 1620. He deposes &ldquo;that being in London at the house of Mr. Thomas
- Weston, Iron monger, in the year 1620, he was from there transported
- to New Plymouth in New England,&rdquo; etc. This clearly identifies
- Richard More of the MAY FLOWER, and renders it well-nigh certain
- that he and his brothers and sister, &ldquo;bound out&rdquo; like himself to
- Pilgrim leaders, were of the English company, were probably never in
- Leyden or on the SPEEDWELL, and were very surely passengers on the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, in charge of Mr. Cushman or others. The
- fact that the lad was in London, and went from thence direct to New
- England, is good evidence that he was not of the Leyden party. The
- fair presump tion is that his brothers and sister were, like
- himself, of English birth, and humble&mdash;perhaps deceased&mdash;parents,
- taken because of their orphaned condition. It is highly improbable
- that they would be taken from London to Southampton by land, at the
- large expense of land travel in those days, when the MAY-FLOWER was
- to sail from London. That they would accompany their respective
- masters to their respectively assigned ships at Southampton is
- altogether likely. The phraseology of his affidavit suggests the
- probability that Richard More, his brothers, and sister were brought
- to Mr. Weston&rsquo;s house, to be by him sent aboard the MAY-FLOWER,
- about to sail. The affidavit is almost conclusive evidence as to
- the fact that the More children were all of the English colonists&rsquo;
- party, though apprenticed to Leyden families, and belonged to the
- London passenger list of the Pilgrim ship. The researches of Dr.
- Neill among the MS. &ldquo;minutes&rdquo; and &ldquo;transactions&rdquo; of the (London)
- Virginia Company show germanely that, on November 17, 1619, &ldquo;the
- treasurer, council, and company&rdquo; of this Virginia Company addressed
- Sir William Cockaine, Knight, Lord Mayor of the city of London, and
- the right worthys the aldermen, his brethren, and the worthys the
- &ldquo;common council of the city,&rdquo; and returning thanks for the benefits
- conferred, in furnishing out one hundred children this last year
- for &ldquo;the plantation in Virginia&rdquo; (from what Neill calls the
- &ldquo;homeless boys and girls of London&rdquo;), states, that, &ldquo;forasmuch as we
- have now resolved to send this next spring 1620 very large
- supplies,&rdquo; etc., &ldquo;we pray your Lordship and the rest . . . to
- renew the like favors, and furnish us again with one hundred more
- for the next spring. Our desire is that we may have them of twelve
- years old and upward, with allowance of L3 apiece for their
- transportation, and 40s. apiece for their apparel, as was formerly
- granted. They shall be apprenticed; the boys till they come to 21
- years of age, the girls till like age or till they be married,&rdquo; etc.
- A letter of Sir Edwin Sandys (dated January 28, 1620) to Sir Robert
- Naunton shows that &ldquo;The city of London have appointed one hundred
- children from the superfluous multitude to be transported to
- Virginia, there to be bound apprentices upon very beneficial
- conditions.&rdquo; In view of the facts that these More children&mdash;and
- perhaps others&mdash;were &ldquo;apprenticed&rdquo; or &ldquo;bound&rdquo; to the Pilgrims
- (Carver, Winslow, Brewster, etc.), and that there must have been
- some one to make the indentures, it seems strongly probable that
- these four children of one family,&mdash;as Bradford shows,&mdash;very likely
- orphaned, were among those designated by the city of London for the
- benefit of the (London) Virginia Company in the spring of 1620.
- They seem to have been waifs caught up in the westward-setting
- current, but only Richard survived the first winter. Bradford,
- writing in 1650, states of Richard More that his brothers and sister
- died, &ldquo;but he is married 1636and hath 4 or 5 children.&rdquo; William
- T. Davis, in his &ldquo;Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth&rdquo; (p. 24), states,
- and Arber copies him, that &ldquo;he was afterwards called Mann; and died
- at Scituate, New England, in 1656.&rdquo; The researches of Mr. George E.
- Bowman, the able Secretary of the Massachusetts Society of
- MAY-FLOWER Descendants, some time since disproved this error,
- but Mores affidavit quoted conclusively determines the matter.
-</pre>
- <p>
- The possible accessions to the company, at London or Southampton, of Henry
- Sampson and Humility Cooper, cousins of Edward Tilley and wife, would be
- added to the passengers of the pinnace rather than to the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S,
- if, as seems probable, their relatives were of the SPEEDWELL. If Edward
- Tilley and his wife were assigned to the MAY FLOWER, room would doubtless
- also be found for these cousins on the ship. John Alden, the only
- positively known addition (except Carver) made to the list at Southampton,
- was, from the nature of his engagement as &ldquo;cooper,&rdquo; quite likely assigned
- to the larger ship. There are no known hints as to the assignments of
- passengers to the respective vessels at Southampton&mdash;then supposed to
- be final&mdash;beyond the remarks of Bradford that &ldquo;the chief [principal
- ones] of them that came from Leyden went on this ship [the SPEEDWELL] to
- give the Master content,&rdquo; and his further minute, that &ldquo;Master Martin was
- governour in the biger ship and Master Cushman assistante.&rdquo; It is very
- certain that Deacon Carver, one of the four agents of the colonists, who
- had &ldquo;fitted out&rdquo; the voyage in England, was a passenger in the SPEEDWELL
- from Southampton,&mdash;as the above mentioned remark of Bradford would
- suggest,&mdash;and was made &ldquo;governour&rdquo; of her passengers, as he later was
- of the whole company, on the MAY-FLOWER. It has sometimes been queried
- whether, in the interim between the arrival of the SPEEDWELL at
- Southampton and the assignment of the colonists to their respective ships
- (especially as both vessels were taking in and transferring cargo), the
- passengers remained on board or were quartered on shore. The same query
- has arisen, with even better reason, as to the passengers of the SPEEDWELL
- during the stay at Dartmouth, when the consort was being carefully
- overhauled to find her leaks, the suggestion being made that in this case
- some of them might have found accommodation on board the larger ship. The
- question may be fairly considered as settled negatively, from the facts
- that the colonists, with few exceptions, were unable to bear such extra
- expense themselves; the funds of the Adventurers&mdash;if any were on
- hand, which appears doubtful&mdash;were not available for the purpose;
- while the evidence of some of the early writers renders it very certain
- that the Leyden party were not released from residence on shipboard from
- the time they embarked on the SPEEDWELL at Delfshaven till the final
- landing in the harbor of New Plimoth. Just who of the Leyden chiefs caused
- themselves to be assigned to the smaller vessel, to encourage its cowardly
- Master, cannot be definitely known. It may be confidently assumed,
- however, that Dr. Samuel Fuller, the physician of the colonists, was
- transferred to the MAY-FLOWER, upon which were embarked three fourths of
- the entire company, including most of the women and children, with some of
- whom, it was evident, his services would be certainly in demand. There is
- little doubt that the good Elder (William Brewster) was also transferred
- to the larger ship at Southampton, while it would not be a very wild guess&mdash;in
- the light of Bradford&rsquo;s statement&mdash;to place Carver, Winslow,
- Bradford, Standish, Cooke, Howland, and Edward Tilley, and their families,
- among the passengers on the consort. Just how many passengers each vessel
- carried when they sailed from Southampton will probably never be
- positively known. Approximately, it may be said, on the authority of such
- contemporaneous evidence as is available, and such calculations as are
- possible from the data we have, that the SPEEDWELL had thirty (30), and
- the MAY-FLOWER her proportionate number, ninety (90)&mdash;a total of one
- hundred and twenty (120).
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain John Smith says,
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Smith, New England&rsquo;s Trials, ed. 1622, London, p. 259. It is a
- singular error of the celebrated navigator that he makes the ships
- to have, in less than a day&rsquo;s sail, got outside of Plymouth, as he
- indicates by his words, &ldquo;the next day,&rdquo; and &ldquo;forced their return to
- Plymouth.&rdquo; He evidently intends to speak only in general terms, as
- he entirely omits the (first) return to Dartmouth, and numbers the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER, on her final departure, at but &ldquo;one
- hundred.&rdquo; He also says they &ldquo;discharged twenty passengers.&rdquo;]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> apparently without pretending to be exact, &ldquo;They left the coast of
- England the 23 of August, with about 120 persons, but the next day [sic]
- the lesser ship sprung a leak that forced their return to Plymouth; where
- discharging her [the ship] and twenty passengers, with the great ship and
- a hundred persons, besides sailors, they set sail again on the 6th of
- September.&rdquo;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [PG Etext Editor&rsquo;s Note:
- Dr. Ames, so stringent in his requirements of other authors, for
- example Jane Austin, has to this point been perhaps naive as to
- the veracity of Captain John Smith. Captain Smith&rsquo;s self-serving
- and subjective narratives of his own voyages obtained for him
- the very derogatory judgement by his contemporaries. One of the
- best studies of John Smith&rsquo;s life may be found in a small book on
- this adventurer by Charles Dudley Warner. D.W.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- If the number one hundred and twenty (120) is correct, and the
- distribution suggested is also exact, viz. thirty (30) to the SPEEDWELL
- and ninety (90) to the MAY-FLOWER, it is clear that there must have been
- more than twelve (the number usually named) who went from the consort to
- the larger ship, when the pinnace was abandoned. We know that at least
- Robert Cushman and his family (wife and son), who were on the MAY-FLOWER,
- were among the number who returned to London upon the SPEEDWELL (and the
- language of Thomas Blossom in his letter to Governor Bradford, else where
- quoted, indicates that he and his son were also there), so that if the
- ship&rsquo;s number was ninety (90), and three or more were withdrawn, it would
- require fifteen (15) or more to make the number up to one hundred and two
- (102), the number of passengers we know the MAY-FLOWER had when she took
- her final departure. It is not likely we shall ever be able to determine
- exactly the names or number of those transferred to the MAY-FLOWER from
- the consort, or the number or names of all those who went back to London
- from either vessel. Several of the former and a few of the latter are
- known, but we must (except for some fortunate discovery) rest content with
- a very accurate knowledge of the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER when she
- left Plymouth (England), and of the changes which occurred in it
- afterward; and a partial knowledge of the ship&rsquo;s own complement of
- officers and men.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goodwin says: &ldquo;The returning ones were probably of those who joined in
- England, and had not yet acquired the Pilgrim spirit.&rdquo; Unhappily this view
- is not sustained by the relations of those of the number who are known.
- Robert Cushman and his family (3 persons), Thomas Blossom and his son (2
- persons), and William Ring (1 person), a total of six, or just one third
- of the putative eighteen who went back, all belonged to the Leyden
- congregation, and were far from lacking &ldquo;the Pilgrim spirit.&rdquo; Cushman was
- both ill and heart-sore from fatigue, disappointment, and bad treatment;
- Ring was very ill, according to Cushman&rsquo;s Dartmouth letter; but the
- motives governing Blossom and his son do not appear, unless the
- comparatively early death of the son&mdash;after which his father went to
- New England&mdash;furnishes a clue thereto. Bradford says: &ldquo;Those that
- went back were, for the most part, such as were willing to do so, either
- out of some discontent, or fear they conceived of the ill success of the
- Voyage, seeing so many crosses befallen and the year time so far spent.
- But others, in regard of their own weakness and the charge of many young
- children, were thought [by the Managers] least useful and most unfit to
- bear the brunt of this hard adventure.&rdquo; It is evident from the above that,
- while the return of most was from choice, some were sent back by those in
- authority, as unfit for the undertaking, and that of these some had &ldquo;many
- young chil dren.&rdquo; There are said to have been eighteen who returned on the
- SPEEDWELL to London. We know who six of them were, leaving twelve, or two
- thirds, unknown. Whether these twelve were in part from Leyden, and were
- part English, we shall probably never know. If any of them were from
- Holland, then the number of those who left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL is
- increased by so many. If any were of the English contingent, and probably
- the most were,&mdash;then the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER from London
- to Southampton was probably, by so many, the larger. It is evident, from
- Bradford&rsquo;s remark, that, among the twelve unknown, were some who, from
- &ldquo;their own weakness and charge of many young children, were thought least
- useful and most unfit,&rdquo; etc. From this it is clear that at least one
- family was included which had a number of young children, the parents&rsquo;
- &ldquo;own weakness&rdquo; being recognized. A father, mother, and four children (in
- view of the term &ldquo;many&rdquo;) would seem a reasonable surmise, and would make
- six, or another third of the whole number. The probability that the
- unknown two thirds were chiefly from England, rather than Holland, is
- increased by observation of the evident care with which, as a rule, those
- from the Leyden congregation were picked, as to strength and fitness, and
- also by the fact that their Leyden homes were broken up. Winslow remarks,
- &ldquo;the youngest and strongest part were to go,&rdquo; and an analysis of the list
- shows that those selected were mostly such. Bradford, in stating that
- Martin was &ldquo;from Billericay in Essex,&rdquo; says, &ldquo;from which part came sundry
- others.&rdquo; It is quite possible that some of the unknown twelve who returned
- were from this locality, as none of those who went on the MAY-FLOWER are
- understood to have hailed from there, beside the Martins.
- </p>
- <p>
- All the colonists still intending to go to America were now gathered in
- one vessel. Whatever previous disposition of them had been made, or
- whatever relations they might have had in the disjointed record of the
- exodus, were ephemeral, and are now lost sight of in the enduring interest
- which attaches to their final and successful &ldquo;going forth&rdquo; as MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrims.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford informs us&mdash;as already noted&mdash;that, just before the
- departure from Southampton, having &ldquo;ordered and distributed their company
- for either ship, as they conceived for the best,&rdquo; they &ldquo;chose a Governor
- and two or three assistants for each ship, to order the people by the way,
- and see to the disposing of the provisions, and such like affairs. All
- which was not only with the liking of the Masters of the ships, but
- according to their desires.&rdquo; We have seen that under this arrangement
- &mdash;the wisdom and necessity of which are obvious&mdash;Martin was made
- &ldquo;Governor&rdquo; on the &ldquo;biger ship&rdquo; and Cushman his &ldquo;assistante.&rdquo; Although we
- find no mention of the fact, it is rendered certain by the record which
- Bradford makes of the action of the Pilgrim company on December 11, 1620,
- at Cape Cod,&mdash;when they &ldquo;confirmed&rdquo; Deacon John Carver as &ldquo;Governor,&rdquo;&mdash;that
- he was and had been such, over the colonist passengers for the voyage (the
- ecclesiastical authority only remaining to Elder Brewster), Martin holding
- certainly no higher than the second place, made vacant by Cushman&rsquo;s
- departure.
- </p>
- <p>
- Thus, hardly had the Pilgrims shaken the dust of their persecuting
- mother-country from their feet before they set up, by popular voice (above
- religious authority, and even that vested by maritime law in their ships&rsquo;
- officers), a government of themselves, by themselves, and for themselves.
- It was a significant step, and the early revision they made of their
- choice of &ldquo;governors&rdquo; certifies their purpose to have only rulers who
- could command their confidence and respect. Dr. Young says: &ldquo;We know the
- age of but few of the Pilgrims,&rdquo; which has hitherto been true; yet by
- careful examination of reliable data, now available, we are able to deter
- mine very closely the ages of a considerable number, and approximately the
- years of most of the others, at the time of the exodus. No analysis, so
- far as known, has hitherto been made of the vocations (trades, etc.)
- represented by the MAY-FLOWER company. They were, as befitted those bent
- on founding a colony, of considerable variety, though it should be
- understood that the vocations given were, so far as ascertained, the
- callings the individuals who represented them had followed before taking
- ship. Several are known to have been engaged in other pursuits at some
- time, either before their residence in Holland, or during their earlier
- years there. Bradford tells us that most of the Leyden congregation (or
- that portion of it which came from England, in or about 1608) were
- agricultural people. These were chiefly obliged to acquire handicrafts or
- other occupations. A few, e.g. Allerton, Brewster, Bradford, Carver,
- Cooke, and Winslow, had possessed some means, while others had been bred
- to pursuits for which there was no demand in the Low Countries. Standish,
- bred to arms, apparently followed his profession nearly to the time of
- departure, and resumed it in the colony, adding thereto the calling which,
- in all times and all lands, had been held compatible in dignity with that
- of arms,&mdash;the pursuit of agriculture. While always the &ldquo;Sword of the
- White Men,&rdquo; he was the pioneer &ldquo;planter&rdquo; in the first settlement begun (at
- Duxbury) beyond Plymouth limits. Of the &ldquo;arts, crafts or trades&rdquo; of the
- colonists from London and neighboring English localities, but little has
- been gleaned. They were mostly people of some means, tradesmen rather than
- artisans, and at least two (Martin and Mullens) were evidently also of the
- Merchant Adventurers.
- </p>
- <p>
- Their social (conjugal) conditions&mdash;not previously analyzed, it is
- thought&mdash;have been determined, it is believed, with approximate
- accuracy; though it is of course possible that some were married, of whom
- that fact does not appear, especially among the seamen.
- </p>
- <p>
- The passengers of the MAY-FLOWER on her departure from Plymouth (England),
- as arranged for convenience by families, were as appears by the following
- lists.
- </p>
- <p>
- While the ages given in these lists are the result of much careful study
- of all the latest available data, and are believed, when not exact, to be
- very close approximates; as it has been possible to arrive at results, in
- several cases, only by considerable calculation, the bases of which may
- not always have been entirely reliable, errors may have crept in. Though
- the author is aware that, in a few instances, the age stated does not
- agree with that assigned by other recognized authority, critical
- re-analysis seems to warrant and confirm the figures given.
- </p>
- <p>
- The actual and comparative youth of the majority of the colonist leaders
- &mdash;the Pilgrim Fathers&mdash;is matter of comment, even of surprise,
- to most students of Pilgrim history, especially in view of what the Leyden
- congregation had experienced before embarking for America. Only two of the
- leaders exceeded fifty years of age, and of these Governor Carver died
- early. Of the principal men only nine could have been over forty, and of
- these Carver, Chilton, Martin, Mullins, and Priest (more than half died
- within a few months after landing), leaving Brewster, Warren (who died
- early), Cooke, and Hopkins&mdash;neither of the latter hardly forty&mdash;the
- seniors. One does not readily think of Alden as but twenty-one, Winslow as
- only twenty-five, Dr. Fuller as about thirty, Bradford as only thirty-one
- when chosen Governor, Allerton as thirty-two, and Captain Standish as
- thirty-six. Verily they were &ldquo;old heads on young shoulders.&rdquo; It is
- interesting to note that the dominant influence at all times was that of
- the Leyden contingent.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of these, all except William Butten, who died upon the voyage, reached
- Cape Cod in safety, though some of them had become seriously ill from the
- hardships encountered, and Howland had narrowly escaped drowning. Two were
- added to the number en voyage,&mdash;Oceanus Hopkins, born upon the sea,
- and Peregrine White, born soon after the arrival in Cape Cod harbor. This
- made the total of the passenger list 103, before further depletion by
- death occurred, though several deaths again reduced it before the
- MAY-FLOWER cast anchor in Plymouth harbor, her final haven on the outward
- voyage.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Deacon John Carver&rsquo;s place of birth or early life is not known, but he
- was an Essex County man, and was probably not, until in middle life,
- a member of Robinson&rsquo;s congregation of &ldquo;Independents.&rdquo; His age is
- determined by collateral evidence.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Katherine Carver, it has been supposed by some, was a sister of
- Pastor Robinson. This supposition rests, apparently, upon the
- expression of Robinson in his parting letter to Carver, where he
- says: &ldquo;What shall I say or write unto you and your good wife, my
- loving sister?&rdquo; Neither the place of Mrs. Carver&rsquo;s nativity nor her
- age is known.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Desire Minter was evidently a young girl of the Leyden congregation,
- between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, who in some way (perhaps
- through kinship) had been taken into Carver&rsquo;s family. She returned
- to England early. See ante, for account of her (probable)
- parentage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Howland was possibly of kin to Carver and had been apparently some
- years in his family. Bradford calls him a &ldquo;man-servant,&rdquo; but it is
- evident that &ldquo;employee&rdquo; would be the more correct term, and that he
- was much more than a &ldquo;servant.&rdquo; It is observable that Howland
- signed the Compact (by Morton&rsquo;s List) before such men as Hopkins,
- the Tilleys, Cooke, Rogers, and Priest, which does not indicate much
- of the &ldquo;servant&rdquo; relation. His antecedents are not certainly known,
- but that he was of the Essex family of the name seems probable.
- Much effort has been made in recent years to trace his ancestry,
- but without any considerable result. His age at death (1673)
- determines his age in 1620. He was older than generally supposed,
- being born about 1593.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Roger Wilder is also called a &ldquo;man-servant&rdquo; by Bradford, and hardly more
- than this is known of him, his death occurring early. There is no
- clue to his age except that his being called a &ldquo;man-servant&rdquo; would
- seem to suggest that he was of age; but the fact that he did not
- sign the Compact would indicate that he was younger, or he may have
- been extremely ill, as he died very soon after arrival.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Latham is called a &ldquo;boy&rdquo; by Bradford, though a lad of 18. It is
- quite possible he was one of those &ldquo;indentured&rdquo; by the corporation
- of London, but there is no direct intimation of this.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&ldquo;Mrs. Carver&rsquo;s maid,&rdquo; it is fair to presume, from her position as
- lady&rsquo;s-maid and its requirements in those days, was a young woman of
- eighteen or twenty years, and this is confirmed by her early
- marriage. Nothing is known of her before the embarkation. She died
- early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Jasper More, Bradford says, &ldquo;was a child yt was put to him.&rdquo; Further
- information concerning him is given in connection with his brother
- Richard, &ldquo;indentured&rdquo; to Elder Brewster. He is erroneously called
- by Justin Winsor in his &ldquo;History of Duxbury&rdquo; (Massachusetts) a child
- of Carver&rsquo;s, as Elizabeth Tilley is &ldquo;his daughter.&rdquo; Others have
- similarly erred.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elder William Brewster&rsquo;s known age at his death determines his age in
- 1620. He was born in 1566-67. His early life was full of interest
- and activity, and his life in Holland and America no less so. In
- early life he filled important stations. Steele&rsquo;s &ldquo;Chief of the
- Pilgrims&rdquo; is a most engaging biography of him, and there are others
- hardly less so, Bradford&rsquo;s sketch being one of the best.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Mary Brewster&rsquo;s age at her death determines it at the embarkation,
- and is matter of computation.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Love Brewster was the second son of his parents, his elder brother
- Jonathan coming over afterwards.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Wrestling Brewster was but a &ldquo;lad,&rdquo; and his father&rsquo;s third son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard More and his brother, Bradford states, &ldquo;were put to him&rdquo; (Elder
- Brewster) as bound-boys. For a full account of their English
- origin, Richard&rsquo;s affidavit, etc., see ante. This makes him but
- about six, but he was perhaps older.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Governor Edward Winslow&rsquo;s known age at his death fixes his age at the
- time of the exodus, and his birth is duly recorded at Droitwich, in
- Worcester, England. (See &ldquo;Winslow Memorial,&rdquo; David Parsons Holton,
- vol. i. p. 16.)
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Governor Winslow" src="images/p174.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, the first wife of the Governor, appears
- by the data supplied by the record of her marriage in Holland, May
- 27, 1618, to have been a maiden of comporting years to her
- husband&rsquo;s, he being then twenty-three. Tradition makes her slightly
- younger than her husband.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-George Soule, it is evident,&mdash;like Howland,&mdash;though denominated a
- &ldquo;servant&rdquo; by Bradford, was more than this, and should rather have
- been styled, as Goodwin points out, &ldquo;an employee&rdquo; of Edward Winslow.
- His age is approximated by collateral evidence, his marriage, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elias Story is called &ldquo;man-servant&rdquo; by Bradford, and his age is unknown.
- The fact that he did not sign the Compact indicates that he was
- under age, but extreme illness may have prevented, as he died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Ellen More, &ldquo;a little girl that was put to him&rdquo; (Winslow), died early.
- She was sister of the other More children, &ldquo;bound out&rdquo; to Carver and
- Brewster, of whom extended mention has been made.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Governor William Bradford&rsquo;s date of birth fixes his age in 1620. His
- early home was at Austerfield, in Yorkshire. Belknap (&ldquo;American
- Biography,&rdquo; vol. ii. p. 218) says: &ldquo;He learned the art of
- silk-dyeing.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford&rsquo;s age (the first wife of the Governor) is
- fixed at twenty-three by collateral data, but she may have been
- older. She was probably from Wisbeach, England. The manner of her
- tragic death (by drowning, having fallen overboard from the ship in
- Cape Cod harbor), the first violent death in the colony, was
- especially sad, her husband being absent for a week afterward. It
- is not known that her body was recovered.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Dr. Samuel Fuller, from his marriage record at Leyden, made in 1613, when
- he was a widower, it is fair to assume was about thirty, perhaps
- older, in 1620, as he could, when married, have hardly been under
- twenty-one. His (third) wife and child were left in Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Butten (who died at sea, November 6/16), Bradford calls
- &ldquo;a youth.&rdquo; He was undoubtedly a &ldquo;servant"-assistant to the doctor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Isaac Allerton, it is a fair assumption, was about thirty-four in 1620,
- from the fact that he married his first wife October 4, 1611, as he
- was called &ldquo;a young man&rdquo; in the Leyden marriage record. He is
- called &ldquo;of London, England,&rdquo; by Bradford and on the Leyden records.
- He was made a &ldquo;freeman&rdquo; of Leyden, February 7, 1614. Arber and
- others state that his early occupation was that of &ldquo;tailor,&rdquo; but he
- was later a tradesman and merchant.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mary (Norris) Allerton is called a &ldquo;maid of Newbury in England,&rdquo; in the
- Leyden record of her marriage, in October, 1611, and it is the only
- hint as to her age we have. She was presumably a young woman. Her
- death followed (a month later) the birth of her still-born son, on
- board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, February 25/March 7, 1621.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Bartholomew Allerton, born probably in 1612/13 (his parents married
- October, 1611), was hence, as stated, about seven or eight years old
- at the embarkation. He has been represented as older, but this was
- clearly impossible. He was doubtless born in Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Remember Allerton, apparently Allerton&rsquo;s second child, has (with a
- novelist&rsquo;s license) been represented by Mrs. Austin as considerably
- older than six, in fact nearer sixteen (Goodwin, p. 183, says,
- &ldquo;over 13&rdquo;), but the known years of her mother&rsquo;s marriage and her
- brother&rsquo;s birth make this improbable. She was, no doubt, born in
- Holland about 1614&mdash;She married Moses Maverick by 1635, and Thomas
- Weston&rsquo;s only child, Elizabeth, was married from her house at
- Marblehead to Roger Conant, son of the first &ldquo;governor&rdquo; of a
- Massachusetts Bay &ldquo;plantation.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mary Allerton, apparently the third child, could hardly have been much
- more than four years old in 1620, though Goodwin (&ldquo;Pilgrim
- Republic,&rdquo; p. 184) calls her eleven, which is an error. She was
- probably born in Holland about 1616. She was the last survivor of
- the passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, dying at Plymouth, New England,
- 1699.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Hooke, described by Bradford as a &ldquo;servant-boy,&rdquo; was probably but a
- youth. He did not sign the Compact. Nothing further is known of him
- except that he died early. It is quite possible that he may have
- been of London and have been &ldquo;indentured&rdquo; by the municipality to
- Allerton, but the presumption has been that he came, as body-servant
- of Allerton, with him from Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Captain Standish&rsquo;s years in 1620 are conjectural (from fixed data), as is
- his age at death. His early home was at Duxborough Hall, in
- Lancashire. His commission as Captain, from Queen Elizabeth, would
- make his birth about 1584. Rose Standish, his wife, is said by
- tradition to have been from the Isle of Man, but nothing is known of
- her age or antecedents, except that she was younger than the
- Captain. She died during the &ldquo;general sickness,&rdquo; early in 1621.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Christopher Martin, as previously noted, was from Billerica, in
- Essex. From collateral data it appears that he must have been
- &ldquo;about forty&rdquo; years old when he joined the Pilgrims. He appears to
- have been a staunch &ldquo;Independent&rdquo; and to have drawn upon himself the
- ire of the Archdeacon of Chelmsford, (probably) by his loud-mouthed
- expression of his views, as only &ldquo;a month before the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed&rdquo; he, with his son and Solomon Prower of his household
- (probably a relative), were cited before the archdeacon to answer
- for their shortcomings, especially in reverence for this church
- dignitary. He seems to have been at all times a self-conceited,
- arrogant, and unsatisfactory man. That he was elected treasurer
- and ship&rsquo;s &ldquo;governor&rdquo; and permitted so much unbridled liberty as
- appears, is incomprehensible. It was probably fortunate that he
- died early, as he did, evidently in utter poverty. He had a son,
- in 1620, apparently quite a grown youth, from which it is fair to
- infer that the father was at that time &ldquo;about forty.&rdquo; Of his wife
- nothing is known. She also died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Solomon Prower, who is called by Bradford both &ldquo;son&rdquo; and &ldquo;servant&rdquo; of
- Martin, seems from the fact of his &ldquo;citation&rdquo; before the Archdeacon
- of Chelmsford, etc., to have been something more than a &ldquo;servant,&rdquo;
- possibly a kinsman, or foster-son, and probably would more properly
- have been termed an &ldquo;employee.&rdquo; He was from Billerica, in Essex,
- and was, from the fact that he did not sign the Compact, probably
- under twenty-one or very ill at the time. He died early. Of John
- Langemore, his fellow &ldquo;servant,&rdquo; nothing is known, except that he is
- spoken of by Young as one of two &ldquo;children&rdquo; brought over by Martin
- (but on no apparent authority), and he did not sign the Compact,
- though this might have been from extreme illness, as he too died
- early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William White was of the Leyden congregation. He is wrongly called by
- Davis a son of Bishop John White, as the only English Bishop of that
- name and time died a bachelor. At White&rsquo;s marriage, recorded at the
- Stadthaus at Leyden, January 27/February 1, 1612, to Anna [Susanna]
- Fuller, he is called &ldquo;a young man of England.&rdquo; As he presumably was
- of age at that time, he must have been at least some twenty-nine or
- thirty years old at the embarkation, eight years later. His son
- Peregrine was born in Cape Cod harbor. Mr. White died very early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Susanna (Fuller) White, wife of William, and sister of Dr. Fuller (?),
- was apparently somewhat younger than her first husband and perhaps
- older than her second. She must, in all probability (having been
- married in Leyden in 1612), have been at least twenty-five at the
- embarkation eight years later. Her second husband, Governor
- Winslow, was but twenty-five in 1620, and the presumption is that
- she was slightly his senior. There appears no good reason for
- ascribing to her the austere and rather unlovable characteristics
- which the pen of Mrs. Austin has given her.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Resolved White, the son of William and Susanna White, could not have been
- more than six or seven years old, and is set down by Goodwin and
- others&mdash;on what seems inconclusive evidence&mdash;at five. He was
- doubtless born at Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Holbeck is simply named as &ldquo;a servant&rdquo; of White, by Bradford.
- His age does not appear, but as he did not sign the Compact he was
- probably &ldquo;under age.&rdquo; From the fact that he died early, it is
- possible that he was too ill to sign.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Thompson is named by Bradford as a second &ldquo;servant&rdquo; of Master
- White, but nothing more is known of him, except that he did not sign
- the Compact, and was therefore probably in his nonage, unless
- prevented by severe sickness. He died very early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master William Mullens (or Molines, as Bradford some times calls him) is
- elsewhere shown to have been a tradesman of some means, of Dorking,
- in Surrey, one of the Merchant Adventurers, and a man of ability.
- From the fact that he left a married daughter (Mrs. Sarah Blunden)
- and a son (William) a young man grown, in England, it is evident
- that he must have been forty years old or more when he sailed for
- New England, only to die aboard the ship in New Plymouth harbor.
- That he was not a French Huguenot of the Leyden contingent, as
- pictured by Rev. Dr. Baird and Mrs. Austin, is certain.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Alice Mullens, whose given name we know only from her husband&rsquo;s
- will, filed in London, we know little about. Her age was (if she
- was his first wife) presumably about that of her husband, whom she
- survived but a short time.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Joseph Mullens was perhaps older than his sister Priscilla, and the third
- child of his parents; but the impression prevails that he was
- slightly her junior,&mdash;on what evidence it is hard to say. That he
- was sixteen is rendered certain by the fact that he is reckoned by
- his father, in his will, as representing a share in the planter&rsquo;s
- half-interest in the colony, and to do so must have been of that
- age.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Priscilla Mullens, whom the glamour of unfounded romance and the pen of
- the poet Longfellow have made one of the best known and best beloved
- of the Pilgrim band, was either a little older, or younger, than her
- brother Joseph, it is not certain which. But that she was over
- sixteen is made certain by the same evidence as that named
- concerning her brother.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Robert Carter is named by Bradford as a &ldquo;man-servant,&rdquo; and Mrs. Austin,
- in her imaginative &ldquo;Standish of Standish,&rdquo; which is never to be
- taken too literally, has made him (see p. 181 of that book) &ldquo;a dear
- old servant,&rdquo; whom Priscilla Mullens credits with carrying her in
- his arms when a small child, etc. Both Bradford&rsquo;s mention and Mr.
- Mullens&rsquo;s will indicate that he was yet a young man and &ldquo;needed
- looking after.&rdquo; He did not sign the Compact, which of itself
- indicates nonage, unless illness was the cause, of which, in his
- case, there is no evidence, until later.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Warren, as he had a wife and five pretty well grown daughters,
- must have been forty-five or more when he came over. He is
- suggested to have been from Essex.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Stephen Hopkins is believed to have been a &ldquo;lay-reader&rdquo; with Mr. Buck,
- chaplain to Governor Gates, of the Bermuda expedition of 1609 (see
- Purchas, vol. iv. p. 174). As he could hardly have had this
- appointment, or have taken the political stand he did, until of
- age, he must have been at least twenty-one at that time. If so, he
- would have been not less than thirty two years old in 1620, and was
- probably considerably older, as his son Giles is represented by
- Goodwin (&ldquo;Pilgrim Republic,&rdquo; p. 184) as being &ldquo;about 15.&rdquo; If the
- father was but twenty-one when the son was born, he must have been
- at least thirty-seven when he became a MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim. The
- probabilities are that he was considerably older. His English home
- is not known. Professor Arber makes an error (The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers,&rdquo; p. 261) in regard to Hopkins which, unless noted,
- might lead to other and more serious mistakes. Noting the
- differences between John Pierce and a Master Hopkins, heard before
- the Council for New England, May 5/15, 1623, Arber designates Master
- Hopkins as &ldquo;Stephen&rdquo; (on what authority does not appear), and leaves
- us to infer that it was the Pilgrim Hopkins. On further inquiry it
- transpires that the person who was at variance with Master John
- Pierce over the matter of passage and freight money, on account of
- the unfortunate PARAGON, was a Rev. Master Hopkins (not Stephen of
- the MAY-FLOWER), who, we learn from Neill&rsquo;s &ldquo;History of the Virginia
- Company,&rdquo; was &ldquo;recommended July 3, 1622, by the Court of the Company
- to the Governor of Virginia, . . . being desirous to go over at
- his own charge. He was evidently a passenger on both of the
- disastrous attempts of the PARAGON under Captain William Pierce, and
- being forced back the second time, apparently gave up the intention
- of going.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, nothing is known concerning, except that she was
- not her husband&rsquo;s first wife. Sometime apparently elapsed between
- her husband&rsquo;s marriages.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Giles Hopkins we only know was the son of his father&rsquo;s first wife, and
- &ldquo;about 15.&rdquo; An error (of the types presumably) makes Griffis (&ldquo;The
- Pilgrims in their Three Homes,&rdquo; p. 176) give the name of Oceanus
- Hopkins&rsquo;s father as Giles, instead of Stephen. Constance (or
- Constantia) Hopkins was apparently about eleven years old in 1620,
- as she married in 1627, and probably was then not far from eighteen
- years old. Damaris Hopkins, the younger daughter of Master Hopkins,
- was probably a very young child when she came in the MAY-FLOWER, but
- her exact age has not been as certained. Davis, as elsewhere noted,
- makes the singular mistake of saying she was born after her parents
- arrived in New England. She married Jacob Cooke, and the
- ante-nuptial agreement of his parents is believed to be the
- earliest of record in America, except that between Gregory
- Armstrong and the widow Billington.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Dotey is called by Bradford &ldquo;a servant,&rdquo; but nothing is known of
- his age or antecedents. It is very certain from the fact that he
- signed the Compact that he was twenty-one. He was a very energetic
- man. He seems to have been married before coming to New England, or
- soon after.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Leister (the name is variously spelled) was a &ldquo;servant,&rdquo; by
- Bradford&rsquo;s record. He was doubtless of age, as he signed the
- Compact.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master John Crackstone, being (apparently) a widower with a son, a child
- well grown, was evidently about thirty five years old when he
- embarked for New England. He left a daughter behind. He died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- John Crackstone, Jr., was but a lad, and died early.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master Edward Tilley (sometimes spelled Tillie) and his wife Ann seem to
- have been without children of their own, and as they took with them
- to New England two children who were their kindred, it may be
- inferred that they had been married some little time. It is hence
- probable that Mr. Tilley was in the neighborhood of thirty. His
- wife&rsquo;s age is purely conjectural. They were, Bradford states, &ldquo;of
- the Leyden congregation.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Henry Sampson was apparently but a young English lad when he came over in
- the MAY-FLOWER with his cousins the Tilleys. As he married in 1636,
- he was probably then about twenty-one, which would make him five or
- six when he came over. Goodwin (&ldquo;Pilgrim Republic,&rdquo; p. 184) says he
- was &ldquo;six.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Humility Cooper is said by Bradford to have been a &ldquo;cosen&rdquo; of the
- Tilleys, but no light is given as to her age or antecedents. She
- was but a child, apparently. She returned to England very soon
- after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Tilley, and &ldquo;died young.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Master John Tilley, having twice married, and having a daughter some
- fourteen years old, must have been over thirty-five years old when
- he sailed on the Pilgrim ship. His birthplace and antecedents are
- not known, but he was &ldquo;of the Leyden congregation.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde) Tilley was just possibly a second wife.
- Nothing is known concerning her except that she was of Holland, and
- that she had, apparently, no child.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Elizabeth Tilley is said by Goodwin (op. cit. p. 298) and others to have
- been fourteen years old at her parents&rsquo; death in 1621, soon after
- the arrival in New England. She was the child of her father&rsquo;s first
- wife. She married John Howland before 1624. Historians for many
- years called her the &ldquo;daughter of Governor Carver,&rdquo; but the recovery
- of Bradford&rsquo;s MS. &ldquo;historie&rdquo; corrected this, with many other
- misconceptions, though to some the error had become apparent before.
- Her will also suggests her age.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Cooke&rsquo;s age in 1620 is fixed by his known age at his death
- (&ldquo;about 81&rdquo;) in 1663. He was from the north of England, and long a
- member of Robinson&rsquo;s congregation, both in England and in
- Holland(?).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Cooke, son of Francis, is known to have been about ten years old
- when he sailed with his father for America, as his parents did not
- marry before 1609. He was undoubtedly born at Leyden. He was long
- supposed to have been the last male survivor of the original
- passengers (dying at Dartmouth in 1695.)
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-James Chilton&rsquo;s antecedents and his age are quite unknown. He must have
- been at least fifty, as he had a married daughter in Leyden,
- according to Bradford. He died among the first, and there is
- nothing of record to inform us concerning him, except Bradford&rsquo;s
- meagre mention. He may have lived at Leyden.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Chilton&rsquo;s given name is declared by one writer to have been Susanna,
- but it is not clearly proven. Whence she came, her ancestry, and
- her age, are alike unknown.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mary Chilton was but a young girl in 1620. She married, before 1627,
- John Winslow, and was probably not then over twenty, nor over
- fourteen when she came with her parents in the MAY-FLOWER.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Rogers appears, from the fact that he had a son, a lad well-grown,
- to have been thirty or more in 1620. His birthplace, antecedents,
- and history are unknown, but he appears to have been &ldquo;of the Leyden
- congregation.&rdquo; His wife and children came later.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Joseph Rogers was only a &ldquo;lad&rdquo; aboard the MAY-FLOWER, but he left a
- considerable posterity. Nothing is surely known of him, except that
- he was Thomas&rsquo;s son.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Degory Priest had the distinction of being &ldquo;freeman&rdquo; of Leyden, having
- been admitted such, November 16, 1615. He was by occupation a
- &ldquo;hatter,&rdquo; a man of some means, who left a wife and at least two
- children in Holland when he embarked for America. His known age at
- death gives his age at sailing but a few months previous. At his
- marriage in Leyden, October 4, 1611, he was called &ldquo;of London.&rdquo; He
- was about thirty-two when he married. His wife (a widow Vincent)
- was a sister of Isaac Allerton, who also was married at the same
- time that he was. Goodwin (&ldquo;Pilgrim Republic,&rdquo; p. 183) also gives
- his age as &ldquo;forty-one.&rdquo; His widow remarried and came over later.
- Dexter (&ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation,&rdquo; p. 69, note) states, quoting from Leyden
- MS. records, that &ldquo;Degory Priest in April, 1619, calling himself a
- &lsquo;hatter,&rsquo; deposes that he &lsquo;is forty years of age.&rsquo;&rdquo; He must,
- therefore, have been about forty-one when he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, and forty-two years old at his death.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Rigdale and his wife Alice afford no data. They both died early,
- and there is no record concerning either of them beyond the fact
- that they were passengers.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Fuller and his wife have left us little record of themselves save
- that they were of Leyden, that he is reputed a brother of Dr. Samuel
- Fuller (for whom they seem to have named the boy they brought over
- with them,&mdash;leaving apparently another son, Matthew, behind), and
- that both died the first winter. He must have been at least
- twenty-five, judging from the fact that he was married and had two
- children, and was perhaps somewhat older (though traditionally
- represented as younger) than his brother. Neither his occupation
- nor antecedents are surely known.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Samuel Fuller&mdash;the son of Edward Fuller and his wife&mdash;is called by
- Bradford &ldquo;a young child.&rdquo; He must have been some five or six years
- of age, as he married in 1635, fifteen years later, and would
- presumably have been of age, or nearly so.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas Tinker&rsquo;s name, the mention of his &ldquo;wife&rdquo; and &ldquo;son,&rdquo; the tradition
- that they were &ldquo;of the Leyden congregation&rdquo; (which is not sure), the
- certainty that they were MAY-FLOWER passengers,&mdash;on Brad ford&rsquo;s
- list,&mdash;and that all died early, are all we know of the Tinker
- family.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Turner and his two sons we know little about. He seems to have been
- a widower, as no mention is found of his wife, though this is not
- certain. He was of the Leyden congregation, and evidently a man of
- some standing with the leaders, as he was made their messenger to
- Carver and Cushman in London, in June, 1620, and was apparently
- accustomed to travel. He appears to have had business of his own in
- England at the time, and was apparently a man of sober age. As he
- had three children,&mdash;a daughter who came later to New England, and
- two sons, as stated by Bradford,&mdash;it is probable that he was thirty
- or over. He and both his sons died in the spring of 1621.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Francis Eaton was of Leyden, a carpenter, and, having a wife and child,
- was probably a young man about twenty five, perhaps a little
- younger. He married three times.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Sarah Eaton, wife of Francis, was evidently a young woman, with an
- infant, at the date of embarkation. Nothing more is known of her,
- except that she died the spring following the arrival at Plymouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Samuel Eaton, the son of Francis and his wife, Sarah, Bradford calls &ldquo;a
- sucking child:&rdquo; He lived to marry.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Gilbert Window was the third younger brother of Governor Edward Winslow,
- and is reputed to have been a carpenter. He was born on Wednesday,
- October 26, 1600, at Droitwitch, in Worcester, England. (&ldquo;Winslow
- Memorial,&rdquo; vol. i. p. 23.) He apparently did not remain long in
- the colony, as he does not appear in either the &ldquo;land division&rdquo; of
- 1623 or the &ldquo;cattle division&rdquo; of 1627; and hence was probably not
- then in the &ldquo;settlement,&rdquo; though land was later allowed his heirs,
- he having been an &ldquo;original&rdquo; voyager of the Plymouth colony. He was
- but twenty years and fifteen days old when he signed the Compact,
- but probably was&mdash;from his brother&rsquo;s prominence and his nearness to
- his majority&mdash;counted as eligible. Bradford states that he returned
- to England after &ldquo;divers years&rdquo; in New England, and died there. It
- has been suggested that he went very early to some of the other
- &ldquo;plantations.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Alden was of Southampton, England, was hired as &ldquo;a cooper,&rdquo; was
- twenty-one years old in 1620, as determined by the year of his
- birth, 1599 (&ldquo;Alden Memorial,&rdquo; p. 1), and became the most prominent
- and useful of any of the English contingent of the MAY FLOWER
- company. Longfellow&rsquo;s delightful poem, &ldquo;The Courtship of Miles
- Standish,&rdquo; has given him and his bride, Priscilla Mullens,
- world-wide celebrity, though it is to be feared that its historical
- accuracy would hardly stand criticism. Why young Alden should have
- been &ldquo;hired for a cooper at Southampton,&rdquo; with liberty to &ldquo;go or
- stay&rdquo; in the colony, as Bradford says he was (clearly indicating
- that he went to perform some specific work and return, if he liked,
- with the ship), has mystified many. The matter is clear, however,
- when it is known, as Griffis shows, that part of a Parliamentary Act
- of 1543 reads: &ldquo;Whosoever shall carry Beer beyond Sea, shall find
- Sureties to the Customers (?) of that Port, to bring in Clapboard
- [staves] meet [sufficient] to make so much Vessel [barrel or
- &ldquo;kilderkin&rdquo;] as he shall carry forth.&rdquo; As a considerable quantity of
- beer was part of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S lading, and her consignors stood
- bound to make good in quantity the stave-stock she carried away,
- it was essential, in going to a wild country where it could not be
- bought, but must be &ldquo;got out&rdquo; from the growing timber, to take along
- a &ldquo;cooper and cleaver&rdquo; for that purpose. Moreover, the great demand
- for beer-barrel stock made &ldquo;clapboard&rdquo; good and profitable return
- lading. It constituted a large part of the FORTUNE&rsquo;S return freight
- (doubtless &ldquo;gotten out&rdquo; by Alden), as it would have undoubtedly of
- the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S, had the hardship of the colony&rsquo;s condition
- permitted.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Peter Browne we know little concerning. That he was a man of early
- middle age is inferable from the fact that he married the widow
- Martha Ford, who came in the FORTUNE in 1621. As she then was the
- mother of three children, it is improbable that she would have
- married a very young man. He appears, from certain collateral
- evidence, to have been a mechanic of some kind, but it is not clear
- what his handicraft was or whence he came.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington (Bradford sometimes spells it Billinton) and his family,
- Bradford tells us, &ldquo;were from London.&rdquo; They were evidently an
- ill-conditioned lot, and unfit for the company of the planters, and
- Bradford says, &ldquo;I know not by what friend shuffled into their
- Company.&rdquo; As he had a wife and two children, the elder of whom must
- have been about sixteen years old, he was apparently over
- thirty-five years of age. There is a tradition that he was a
- countryman bred, which certain facts seem to confirm. (See land
- allotments for data as to age of boys, 1632.) He was the only one
- of the original colonists to suffer the &ldquo;death penalty&rdquo; for crime.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Mrs. Ellen (or &ldquo;Elen&rdquo;) Billington, as Bradford spells the name, was
- evidently of comporting age to her husband&rsquo;s, perhaps a little
- younger. Their two sons, John and Francis, were lively urchins who
- frequently made matters interesting for the colonists, afloat and
- ashore. The family was radically bad throughout, but they have had
- not a few worthy descendants. Mrs. Billington married Gregory
- Armstrong, and their antenuptial agreement is the first of record
- known in America.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Billington, Jr., is always first named of his father&rsquo;s two sons, and
- hence the impression prevails that he was the elder, and Bradford so
- designates him. The affidavit of Francis Billington (Plymouth
- County, Mass., Deeds, vol. i. p. 81), dated 1674, in which he
- declares himself sixty-eight years old, would indicate that he was
- born in 1606, and hence must have been about fourteen years of age
- when he came on the MAY-FLOWER to New Plymouth. If John, his
- brother, was older than he, he must have been born about 1604, and
- so was about sixteen when, he came to New England. The indications
- are that it was Francis, the younger son, who got hold of the
- gunpowder in his father&rsquo;s cabin in Cape Cod harbor, and narrowly
- missed blowing up the ship. John died before 1630. Francis lived,
- as appears, to good age, and had a family.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Moses Fletcher was of the Leyden company, a &ldquo;smith,&rdquo; and at the time of
- his second marriage at Leyden, November 30/December 21, 1613, was
- called a &ldquo;widower&rdquo; and &ldquo;of England.&rdquo; As he was probably of age at
- the time of his first marriage,&mdash;presumably two years or more before
- his last,&mdash;he must have been over thirty in 1620. He was perhaps
- again a widower when he came over, as no mention is made of his
- having wife or family. He was possibly of the Amsterdam family of
- that name. His early death was a great loss to the colony.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-A Thomas Williams is mentioned by Hon. Henry C Murphy (&ldquo;Historical
- Magazine,&rdquo; vol. iii. pp. 358, 359), in a list of some of Robinson&rsquo;s
- congregation who did not go to New England in either the MAY-FLOWER,
- FORTUNE, ANNE, Or LITTLE JAMES. He either overlooked the fact that
- Williams was one of the MAY-FLOWER passengers, or else there were
- two of the name, one of whom did not go. Nothing is known of the
- age or former history of the Pilgrim of that name. He died in the
- spring of 1621 (before the end of March). As he signed the Compact,
- he must have been over twenty-one. He may have left a wife, Sarah.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Goodman we know little more about than that he and Peter Browne seem
- to have been &ldquo;lost&rdquo; together, on one occasion (when he was badly
- frozen), and to have had, with his little spaniel dog, a rencontre
- with &ldquo;two great wolves,&rdquo; on another. He was twice married, the last
- time at Leyden in 1619. He died before the end of March, 1621.
- As he signed the Compact, he must have been over twenty-one.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Edward Margeson we know nothing about. As he signed the Compact, he was
- presumably of age.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Britteridge affords little data. His age, birthplace, or
- occupation do not transpire, but he was, it seems, according to
- Bradford, the first of the company to die on board the ship after
- she had cast anchor in the harbor of New Plymouth. This fact
- negatives the pleasant fiction of Mrs. Austin&rsquo;s &ldquo;Standish of
- Standish&rdquo; (p. 104), that Britteridge was one of those employed in
- cutting sedge on shore on Friday, January 12. Poor Britteridge died
- December 21, three weeks earlier. He signed the Compact, and hence
- may be accounted of age at the landing at Cape Cod.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Clarke appears only as one of the passengers and as dying before
- the end of March. He signed the Compact, and hence was doubtless
- twenty-one or over.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Richard Gardiner, we know from Bradford, &ldquo;became a seaman and died in
- England or at sea.&rdquo; He was evidently a young man, but of his age or
- antecedents nothing appears. He signed the Compact, and hence was
- at least twenty-one years old.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-John Alderton (sometimes spelled Allerton), we are told by Bradford,&mdash;as
- elsewhere noted,&mdash;&ldquo;was hired, but was reputed one of the company,
- but was to go back, being a seaman and so, presumably, unmindful of
- the voyages, for the help of others.&rdquo; Whether Bradford intended by
- the latter clause to indicate that he had left his family behind,
- and came &ldquo;to spy out the land,&rdquo; and, if satisfied, to return for
- them, or was to return for the counsel and assistance of Robinson
- and the rest, who were to follow, is not clear, but the latter view
- has most to support it. We learn his occupation, but can only infer
- that he was a young man over twenty-one from the above and the fact
- that he signed the Compact. It has been suggested that he was a
- relative of Isaac Allerton, but this is nowhere shown and is
- improbable. He died before the MAY-FLOWER returned to England.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Thomas English (or Enlish), Bradford tells us (&ldquo;Historie,&rdquo; Mass. ed.
- p. 533), &ldquo;was hired to goe Master of a [the] shallop here.&rdquo; He,
- however, &ldquo;died here before the ship returned.&rdquo; It is altogether
- probable that he was the savior of the colony on that stormy night
- when the shallop made Plymouth harbor the first time, and, narrowly
- escaping destruction, took shelter under Clarke&rsquo;s Island. The first
- three governors of the colony, its chief founders,&mdash;Carver,
- Bradford, and Winslow,&mdash;with Standish, Warren, Hopkins, Howland,
- Dotey, and others, were on board, and but for the heroism and prompt
- action of &ldquo;the lusty sea man which steered,&rdquo; who was&mdash;beyond
- reasonable doubt&mdash;English, as Bradford&rsquo;s narrative (&ldquo;Morton&rsquo;s
- Memorial&rdquo;) shows, the lives of the entire party must, apparently,
- have been lost. That English was, if on board&mdash;Bradford shows in
- the &ldquo;Memorial&rdquo; that he was&mdash;as Master of the shallop, properly her
- helmsman in so critical a time, goes without saying, especially as
- the &ldquo;rudder was broken&rdquo; and an oar substituted; that the ship&rsquo;s
- &ldquo;mates,&rdquo; Clarke and Coppin, were not in charge (although on board)
- fully appears by Bradford&rsquo;s account; and as it must have taken all
- of the other (four) seamen on board to pull the shallop, bereft of
- her sail, in the heavy breakers into which she had been run by
- Coppin&rsquo;s blunder, there would be no seaman but English for the
- steering-oar, which was his by right. Had these leaders been lost
- at this critical time,&mdash;before a settlement had been made,&mdash;it is
- certain that the colony must have been abandoned, and the Pilgrim
- impress upon America must have been lost. English&rsquo;s name should, by
- virtue of his great service, be ever held in high honor by all of
- Pilgrim stock. His early death was a grave loss. Bradford spells
- the name once Enlish, but presumably by error. He signed the
- Compact as Thomas English.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-William Trevore was, according to Bradford, one of &ldquo;two seamen hired to
- stay a year in the countrie.&rdquo; He went back when his time expired,
- but later returned to New England. Cushman (Bradford, &ldquo;Historie,&rdquo;
- p. 122) suggests that he was telling &ldquo;sailors&rsquo; yarns.&rdquo; He says:
- &ldquo;For William Trevore hath lavishly told but what he knew or imagined
- of Capewock Martha&rsquo;s Vineyard, Monhiggon, and ye Narragansetts.&rdquo; In
- 1629 he was at Massachusetts Bay in command of the HANDMAID
- (Goodwin, p. 320), and in February, 1633 (Winthrop, vol. i. p. 100),
- he seems to have been in command of the ship WILLIAM at Plymouth,
- with passengers for Massachusetts Bay. Captain Standish testified
- in regard to Thompson&rsquo;s Island in Boston harbor, that about 1620 he
- &ldquo;was on that Island with Trevore,&rdquo; and called it &ldquo;Island Trevore.&rdquo;
- (Bradford, &ldquo;Historie,&rdquo; Deane&rsquo;s ed. p. 209.) He did not sign the
- Compact, perhaps because of the limitations of his contract (one
- year).
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&mdash;- Ely (not Ellis, as Arber miscalls him, &ldquo;The Story of the Pilgrim
- Fathers,&rdquo; p. 377) was the other of the &ldquo;two seamen hired to stay a
- year,&rdquo; etc. He also returned when his time expired. (Bradford,
- Hist. Mass. ed. p. 534.) He did not sign the Compact, probably for
- the reason operative in .Trevore&rsquo;s case. A digest of the foregoing
- data gives the following interesting, if incomplete, data (errors
- excepted):&mdash;
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <table summary="">
- <tr>
- <td>
- Adult males (hired seamen and servants of age included)&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 44
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Adult females (including Mrs Carver&rsquo;s maid)
- </td>
- <td>
- 19
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Youths, male children, and male servants, minors
- </td>
- <td>
- 29
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Maidens, female children
- </td>
- <td>
- 10
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- </td>
- <td>
- &mdash;
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- </td>
- <td>
- 102
- </td>
- </tr>
- </table>
- <table summary="">
- <tr>
- <td>
- Married males
- </td>
- <td>
- 26
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Married females
- </td>
- <td>
- 18
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Single (adult) males (and young men)&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 25
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Single (adult) females (Mrs Carver&rsquo;s maid)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- </table>
- <p>
- Vocations of adults so far as known (except wives, who are presumed
- housekeepers for their husbands):&mdash;
- </p>
- <table summary="">
- <tr>
- <td>
- Carpenters
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Cooper
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Fustian-worker and silk-dyer&nbsp;&nbsp;
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Hatter
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Lay-reader
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Lady&rsquo;s-maid
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Merchants
- </td>
- <td>
- 3
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Physician
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Printers and publishers
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Seamen
- </td>
- <td>
- 4
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Servants (adult)
- </td>
- <td>
- 10
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Smith
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Soldier
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Tailor
- </td>
- <td>
- 1
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Tradesmen
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- <tr>
- <td>
- Wool-carders
- </td>
- <td>
- 2
- </td>
- </tr>
- </table>
- <p>
- Allowing for the addition of Wilder and the two sailors, Trevore and Ely,
- who did not sign it, the number of those who signed the Compact tallies
- exactly with the adult males. Besides these occupations, it is known that
- several of the individuals representing them were skilled in other
- callings, and were at some time teachers, accountants, linguists, writers,
- etc., while some had formerly practised certain handicrafts; Dr. Fuller,
- e.g. having formerly been a &ldquo;silk-worker,&rdquo; Brad ford (on the authority of
- Belknap), a &ldquo;silk-dyer,&rdquo; and others &ldquo;fustian-workers.&rdquo; Hopkins had
- apparently sometime before dropped his character of &ldquo;lay-reader,&rdquo; and was
- a pretty efficient man of affairs, but his vocation at the time of the
- exodus is not known.
- </p>
- <p>
- The former occupations of fourteen of the adult colonists, Browne,
- Billington, Britteridge, Cooke, Chilton, Clarke, Crackstone, Goodman,
- Gardiner, Rogers, Rigdale, Turner, Warren, and Williams are not certainly
- known. There is evidence suggesting that Browne was a mechanic; Billington
- and Cooke had been trained to husbandry; that Chilton had been a small
- tradesman; that Edward Tilley had been, like his brother, a silk-worker;
- that Turner was a tradesman, and Warren a farmer; while it is certain that
- Cooke, Rogers, and Warren had been men of some means.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the above list of fourteen men whose last occupations before joining
- the colonists are unknown, only five, viz. Browne, Billington, Cooke,
- Gardiner, and Warren lived beyond the spring of 1621. Of these, Warren
- died early, Gardiner left the colony and &ldquo;became a seaman;&rdquo; the other
- three, Billington, Browne, and Cooke, became &ldquo;planters.&rdquo; Thomas Morton, of
- &ldquo;Merry Mount,&rdquo; in his &ldquo;New Eng land&rsquo;s Canaan&rdquo; (p. 217), gives Billington
- the sobriquet &ldquo;Ould Woodman.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The early deaths of the others make their former handicrafts&mdash;except
- as so much data pertaining to the composi tion and history of the colony&mdash;
- matters of only ephemeral interest.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VII
- </h2>
- <h3>
- QUARTERS, COOKING, PROVISIONS
- </h3>
- <p>
- Probably no more vexatious problem presented itself for the time being to
- the &ldquo;governors&rdquo; of the two vessels and their &ldquo;assistants,&rdquo; upon their
- selection, than the assignment of quarters to the passengers allotted to
- their respective ships. That these allotments were in a large measure
- determined by the requirements of the women and children may be considered
- certain. The difficulties attendant on due recognition of social and
- official station (far more imperative in that day than this) were in no
- small degree lessened by the voluntary assignment of themselves, already
- mentioned, of some of the Leyden chief people to the smaller ship; but in
- the interests of the general welfare and of harmony, certain of the
- leaders, both of the Leyden and London contingents, were of necessity
- provided for in the larger vessel. The allotments to the respective ships
- made at Southampton, the designation of quarters in the ships themselves,
- and the final readjustments upon the MAY-FLOWER at Plymouth (England),
- when the remaining passengers of both ships had been united, were all
- necessarily determined chiefly with regard to the needs of the women,
- girls, and babes. Careful analysis of the list shows that there were,
- requiring this especial consideration, nineteen women, ten young girls,
- and one infant. Of the other children, none were so young that they might
- not readily bunk with or near their fathers in any part of the ship in
- which the latter might be located.
- </p>
- <p>
- We know enough of the absolute unselfishness and devotion of all the
- Leyden leaders, whatever their birth or station,&mdash;so grandly proven
- in those terrible days of general sickness and death at New Plymouth,&mdash;to
- be certain that with them, under all circumstances, it was noblesse
- oblige, and that no self-seeking would actuate them here. It should be
- remembered that the MAY-FLOWER was primarily a passenger transport, her
- passengers being her principal freight and occupying the most of the ship,
- the heavier cargo being chiefly confined to the &ldquo;hold.&rdquo; As in that day the
- passenger traffic was, of course, wholly by sailing vessels, they were
- built with cabin accommodations for it, as to numbers, etc.,
- proportionately much beyond those of the sailing craft of to-day. The
- testimony of Captain John Smith, &ldquo;the navigator,&rdquo; as to the passengers of
- the MAY-FLOWER &ldquo;lying wet in their cabins,&rdquo; and that of Bradford as to
- Billington&rsquo;s &ldquo;cabin between decks,&rdquo; already quoted, is conclusive as to
- the fact that she had small cabins (the &ldquo;staterooms&rdquo; of to-day), intended
- chiefly, no doubt, for women and children. The advice of Edward Winslow to
- his friend George Morton, when the latter was about to come to New England
- in the ANNE, &ldquo;build your cabins as open as possible,&rdquo; is suggestive of
- close cabins and their discomforts endured upon the MAY-FLOWER. It also
- suggests that the chartering-party was expected in those days to control,
- if not to do, the &ldquo;fitting up&rdquo; of the ship for her voyage. In view of the
- usual &ldquo;breadth of beam&rdquo; of ships of her class and tonnage, aft, and the
- fore and aft length of the poop, it is not unreasonable to suppose that
- there were not less than four small cabins on either side of the common
- (open) cabin or saloon (often depicted as the signing-place of the
- Compact), under the high poop deck. Constructed on the general plan of
- such rooms or cabins to-day (with four single berths, in tiers of two on
- either hand), there would be&mdash;if the women and girls were
- conveniently distributed among them&mdash;space for all except the
- Billingtons, who we know had a cabin (as had also doubtless several of the
- principal men) built between decks. This would also leave an after cabin
- for the Master, who not infrequently made his quarters, and those of his
- chief officer, in the &ldquo;round house,&rdquo; when one existed, especially in a
- crowded ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- Cabins and bunks &ldquo;between decks&rdquo; would provide for all of the males of the
- company, while the seamen, both of the crew and (some of) those in the
- employ of the Pilgrims&mdash;like Trevore and Ely&mdash;were no doubt
- housed in the fore castle. Alderton and English seem to have been counted
- &ldquo;of the company.&rdquo; The few data we have permit us to confidently assume
- that some such disposition of the passengers was (necessarily) made, and
- that but for the leaky decks, the inseparable discomforts of the sea, and
- those of over crowding, the wives of the Pilgrims (three of whom gave
- birth to children aboard the ship), and their daughters, were fairly
- &ldquo;berthed.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford is authority for the statement that with the &ldquo;governor&rdquo; of the
- ship&rsquo;s company were chosen &ldquo;two or three assistants . . . to order
- [regulate] the people by the way [on the passage] and see to the
- disposition of the provisions,&rdquo; etc. The last-named duty must have been a
- most difficult and wearisome one. From what has been shown of the poverty
- of the ship&rsquo;s cooking facilities (especially for so large a company), one
- must infer that it would be hopeless to expect to cook food in any
- quantity, except when all conditions favored, and then but slowly and with
- much difficulty. From the fact that so many would require food at
- practically the same hours of the day, it is clear that there must have
- been distribution of food (principally uncooked) to groups or families,
- who, with the aid of servants (when available), must each have prepared
- their own meals, cooking as occasion and opportunity indicated; much after
- the manner of the steerage passengers in later days, but before those of
- the great ocean liners. There appears to have been but one cook for the
- officers and crew of the ship, and his hands were doubtless full with
- their demands. It is certain that his service to the passengers must have
- been very slight. That &ldquo;the cook&rdquo; is named as one of the ship&rsquo;s crew who
- died in Plymouth harbor (New England) is all the knowledge we have
- concerning him.
- </p>
- <p>
- The use of and dependence upon tea and coffee, now so universal, and at
- sea so seemingly indispensable, was then unknown, beer supplying their
- places, and this happily did not have to be prepared with fire. &ldquo;Strong
- waters&rdquo;&mdash;Holland gin and to some extent &ldquo;aqua vitae&rdquo; (brandy)&mdash;were
- relied upon for the (supposed) maintenance of warmth. Our Pilgrim Fathers
- were by no means &ldquo;total abstainers,&rdquo; and sadly bewailed being deprived of
- their beer when the supply failed. They also made general and habitual
- (moderate) use of wine and spirits, though they sharply interdicted and
- promptly punished their abuse.
- </p>
- <p>
- In the absence of cooking facilities, it became necessary in that day to
- rely chiefly upon such articles of food as did not require to be prepared
- by heat, such as biscuit (hard bread), butter, cheese (&ldquo;Holland cheese&rdquo;
- was a chief staple with the Pilgrims), &ldquo;haberdyne&rdquo; (or dried salt
- codfish), smoked herring, smoked (&ldquo;cured &ldquo;) ham and bacon, &ldquo;dried neat&rsquo;s
- tongues,&rdquo; preserved and &ldquo;potted&rdquo; meats (a very limited list in that day),
- fruits, etc. Mush, oatmeal, pease-puddings, pickled eggs, sausage meats,
- salt beef and pork, bacon, &ldquo;spiced beef,&rdquo; such few vegetables as they had
- (chiefly cabbages, turnips, and onions,&mdash;there were no potatoes in
- that day), etc., could be cooked in quantity, when the weather permitted,
- and would then be eaten cold.
- </p>
- <p>
- Except as dried or preserved fruits, vegetables (notably onions), limes,
- lemon juice, and the free use of vinegar feebly counteracted, their food
- was distinctively stimulant of scorbutic and tuberculosis disease, which
- constant exposure to cold and wet and the overcrowded state of the ship
- could but increase and aggravate. Bradford narrates of one of the crew of
- the MAY-FLOWER when in Plymouth harbor, as suggestive of the wretched
- conditions prevalent in the ship, that one of his shipmates, under an
- agreement to care for him, &ldquo;got him a little spice and made him a mess of
- beef, once or twice,&rdquo; and then deserted him.
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn, in his &ldquo;Two Voyages to New England,&rdquo; gives as the result of the
- experience and observations had in his voyages, but a few years later,
- much that is interesting and of exceptional value as to the food and
- equipment of passengers to, and colonists in, this part of America. It has
- especial interest, perhaps, for the author and his readers, in the fact
- that Josselyn&rsquo;s statements were not known until after the data given in
- these pages had been independently worked out from various sources, and
- came therefore as a gratifying confirmation of the conclusions already
- reached.
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn says as to food, as follows:&mdash;&ldquo;The common proportion of
- victuals for the sea to a mess (being 4 men) is as followeth:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;2 pieces of Beef of 3 lb. 1/4 apiece. Pork seems to have been
- inadvertently omitted.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Four pounds of Bread [ship-bread].
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;One pint &amp; 1/2 of Pease.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Four Gallons of Bear [Beer], with mustard and vinegar for 3 flesh days in
- the week.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;For four fish days to each mess per day:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Two pieces of Codd or Haberdine, making 3 pieces of a fish, i.e. a dried
- salt cod being divided into three pieces, 2 of those pieces were to be a
- day&rsquo;s ration for 4 men.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Four pounds of Bread.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Three-quarters of a pound of cheese.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Bear as before.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Oatmeal per day for 50 men 1 Gallon [dry], and so proportionable for more
- or fewer.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Thus you see the ship&rsquo;s provision is Beefe and Porke, Fish, Butter,
- Cheese, Pease, Pottage, Water-Gruel, Bisket, and six shilling Bear.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;For private fresh provision you may carry with you (in case you or any of
- yours should be sick at sea):&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Conserves of Roses, Clove-Gilliflowers, Wormwood, Green-Ginger,
- Burnt-Wine, English Spirits, Prunes to stew, Raisons of the Sun, Currence
- [currants], Sugar, Nutmeg, Mace, Cinnamon, Pepper and Ginger, White
- Bisket, Butter, or &lsquo;Captains biscuit,&rsquo; made with wheat flour or Spanish
- Rusk, Eggs, Rice, Juice of Lemons, well put up to cure or prevent the
- Scurvy, Small Skillets, Pipkins, Porringers and small Frying Pans.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn further gives us an estimate for:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Victuals for a whole year to be carried out of England for one man and so
- for more after this rate.&rdquo; He annexed also their current prices:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- &ldquo;Eight bushels of Meal [Rye meal probably intended]
- Two bushels of Pease at 3/s
- Two bushels of Oatmeal at 4s/6d
- One Gallon of Aqua Vitae
- One Gallon of Oyl
- Two Gallons of Vinegar
- [No estimate of Beef or Pork, or of vegetables, is included.]
- A Hogshead of English Bear
- A Hogshead of Irish Bear
- A Hogshead of Vinegar
- A bushel of Mustard seed
- A Kental [Quintal] of fish, Cod or Haberdine, 112 lb.&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <p>
- Edward Window, in his letter to George Morton before mentioned, advising
- him as to his voyage, says: &ldquo;Bring juice of lemons and take it fasting. It
- is of good use.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- It is indeed remarkable that, totally unused to any such conditions, wet,
- cold, poorly fed, overcrowded, storm-tossed, bruised and beaten, anxious,
- and with no homes to welcome them, exposed to new hardships and dangers on
- landing, worn and exhausted, any of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S company survived. It
- certainly cannot be accounted strange that infectious diseases, once
- started among them, should have run through their ranks like fire, taking
- both old and young. Nor is it strange that&mdash;though more inured to
- hardship and the conditions of sea life&mdash;with the extreme and unusual
- exposure of boat service on the New England coast in mid winter, often
- wading in the icy water and living aboard ship in a highly infected
- atmosphere, the seamen should have succumbed to disease in almost equal
- ratio with the colonists. The author is prepared, after careful
- consideration, to accept and professionally indorse, with few exceptions,
- the conclusions as to the probable character of the decimating diseases of
- the passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, so ably and interestingly
- presented by Dr. Edward E. Cornwall in the &ldquo;New England Magazine&rdquo; for
- February, 1897&mdash;From the fact that Edward Thompson, Jasper More, and
- Master James Chilton died within a month of the arrival at Cape Cod (and
- while the ship lay in that harbor), and following the axiom of vital
- statistics that &ldquo;for each death two are constantly sick,&rdquo; there must have
- been some little (though not to say general) sickness on the MAY-FLOWER
- when she arrived at Cape Cod. It would, in view of the hardship of the
- voyage, have been very remarkable if this had not been the case. It would
- have been still more remarkable if the ill-conditioned, thin-blooded,
- town-bred &ldquo;servants&rdquo; and apprentices had not suffered first and most. It
- is significant that eight out of nine of the male &ldquo;servants&rdquo; should have
- died in the first four months. It was impossible that scurvy should not
- have been prevalent with both passengers and crew.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VIII
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S LADING
- </h3>
- <p>
- Beside her human freight of one hundred and thirty or more passengers and
- crew, the lading of the MAY-FLOWER when she sailed from Plymouth
- (England), September 6/16, 1620, was considerable and various. If clearing
- at a custom-house of to-day her manifest would excite no little interest
- and surprise. Taking no account of the ship&rsquo;s stores and supplies
- (necessarily large, like her crew, when bound upon such a voyage, when
- every possible need till her return to her home port must be provided for
- before sailing), the colonists&rsquo; goods and chattels were many, their
- provisions bulky, their ordnance, arms, and stores (in the hold) heavy,
- and their trading-stock fairly ample. Much of the cargo originally stowed
- in the SPEEDWELL, a part, as we know, of her company, and a few of her
- crew were transferred to the MAY-FLOWER at Plymouth, and there can be no
- doubt that the ship was both crowded and overladen.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is altogether probable that the crowded condition of her spar and main
- decks caused the supply of live-stock taken&mdash;whether for consumption
- upon the voyage or for the planters&rsquo; needs on shore&mdash;to be very
- limited as to both number and variety. It has been matter of surprise to
- many that no cattle (not even milch-cows) were taken, but if&mdash;as is
- not unlikely&mdash;it was at first proposed to take a cow or two (when
- both ships were to go and larger space was available), this intent was
- undoubtedly abandoned at Plymouth, England, when it became evident that
- there would be dearth of room even for passengers, none whatever for
- cattle or their fodder (a large and prohibitive quantity of the latter
- being required for so long a voyage), and that the lateness of the season
- and its probable hardships would endanger the lives of the animals if
- taken. So far as appears the only domestic live-stock aboard the
- MAY-FLOWER consisted of goats, swine, poultry, and dogs. It is quite
- possible that some few sheep, rabbits, and poultry for immediate
- consumption (these requiring but little forage) may have been shipped,
- this being customary then as now. It is also probable that some household
- pets&mdash;cats and caged singing-birds, the latter always numerous in
- both England and Holland&mdash;were carried on board by their owners,
- though no direct evidence of the fact is found. There is ample proof that
- goats, swine, poultry, and dogs were landed with the colonists at New
- Plymouth, and it is equally certain that they had at first neither cattle,
- horses, nor sheep. Of course the she-goats were their sole reliance for
- milk for some time, whether afloat or ashore, and goat&rsquo;s flesh and pork
- their only possibilities in the way of fresh meat for many months, save
- poultry (and game after landing), though we may be sure, in view of the
- breeding value of their goats, poultry, and swine, few were consumed for
- food. The &ldquo;fresh meat&rdquo; mentioned as placed before Massasoit&rsquo; on his first
- visit was probably venison, though possibly kid&rsquo;s meat, pork, or poultry.
- Of swine and poultry they must have had a pretty fair supply, judging from
- their rapid increase, though their goats must have been few. They were
- wholly without beasts of draft or burden (though it seems strange that a
- few Spanish donkeys or English &ldquo;jacks&rdquo; had not been taken along, as being
- easily kept, hardy, and strong, and quite equal to light ploughing,
- hauling, carrying, etc.), and their lack was sorely felt. The space they
- and their forage demanded it was doubtless considered impracticable to
- spare. The only dogs that appear in evidence are a large mastiff bitch
- (the only dog of that breed probably seen on these shores since Pring&rsquo;s
- &ldquo;bigge dogges&rdquo; so frightened the Indians&rsquo; in this region seventeen years
- before)
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Captain Martin Pring had at Plymouth, in 1603, two great &ldquo;mastive
- dogges&rdquo; named &ldquo;Fool&rdquo; and &ldquo;Gallant,&rdquo; the former being trained to carry
- a half-pike in his mouth. &ldquo;The Indians were more afraid of these
- dogs than of twenty men.&rdquo; American Magazine of History; Goodwin,
- Pilgrim Republic, p. 3.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /> and a small spaniel, both the property of passengers, though there
- may have been others not mentioned. Speaking of the venison found in a
- tree by one of the exploring parties, Winslow says: &ldquo;We thought it fitter
- for the dogs than for us,&rdquo; perhaps suggesting by his word &ldquo;the&rdquo; their own
- dogs aboard ship and provision for them. There is an intimation as to the
- ownership of these two dogs in the facts that on certainly two occasions
- John Goodman was accompanied by the little spaniel (once when alone), from
- which it may perhaps be inferred that he was the dog&rsquo;s master; while the
- big mastiffs presence when only Peter Browne and Goodman were together
- suggests that Browne was her owner. The goats, swine, rabbits, and poultry
- were doubtless penned on the spar-deck forward, while possibly some
- poultry, and any sheep brought for food, may have been temporarily housed&mdash;as
- was a practice with early voyagers&mdash;in the (unused) ship&rsquo;s boats,
- though these appear to have been so few in number and so much in demand
- that it is doubtful if they were here available as pens. The heavy cargo
- and most of the lighter was of course stowed in the hold, as the main deck
- (or &ldquo;&lsquo;tween decks&rdquo;) was mostly occupied as quarters for the male
- passengers, old and young, though the colonists&rsquo; shallop, a sloop-rigged
- boat some thirty feet in length, had been &ldquo;cut down&rdquo; and stowed &ldquo;between
- the decks&rdquo; for the voyage. A glimpse of the weary life at sea on that long
- and dreary passage is given in Bradford&rsquo;s remark that &ldquo;she was much opened
- with the people&rsquo;s lying in her during the voyage:&rdquo; This shallop with her
- equipment, a possible spare skiff or two, the chests, &ldquo;boxes,&rdquo; and other
- personal belongings of the passengers, some few cases of goods, some
- furniture, etc., constituted the only freight for which there could have
- been room &ldquo;between decks,&rdquo; most of the space (aft) being occupied by
- cabins and bunks.
- </p>
- <p>
- The provisions in use, both by passengers and crew, were probably kept in
- the lazarette or &ldquo;runs,&rdquo; in the stern of the ship, which would be
- unusually capacious in vessels of this model; some&mdash;the bulkiest&mdash;in
- the hold under the forward hatch, as the custom was, and to some extent
- still is. The food supply of the Pilgrims, constituting part of the
- MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S Cargo, included, as appears from authentic sources:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Breadstuff&rsquo;s, including,&mdash;
- Biscuits or ship-bread (in barrels).
- Oatmeal (in barrels or hogsheads).
- Rye meal (in hogsheads).
-Butter (in firkins).
-Cheese, &ldquo;Hollands&rdquo; and English (in boxes).
-Eggs, pickled (in tubs).
-Fish, &ldquo;haberdyne&rdquo; [or salt dried cod] (in boxes).
-Smoked herring (in boxes).
-Meats, including,&mdash;
- Beef, salt, or &ldquo;corned&rdquo; (in barrels).
- Dry-salted (in barrels).
- Smoked (in sacks).
- Dried neats&rsquo;-tongues (in boxes).
- Pork, bacon, smoked (in sacks or boxes).
- Salt [&ldquo;corned&rdquo;] (in barrels).
- Hams and shoulders, smoked (in canvas sacks or hogsheads).
-Salt (in bags and barrels).
-Vegetables, including,&mdash;
- Beans (in bags and barrels).
- Cabbages (in sacks and barrels).
- Onions (in sacks).
- Turnips (in sacks).
- Parsnips (in sacks).
- Pease (in barrels), and
-Vinegar (in hogsheads), while,&mdash;
-Beer (in casks), brandy, &ldquo;aqua vitae&rdquo; (in pipes), and gin [&ldquo;Hollands,&rdquo;
- &ldquo;strong waters,&rdquo; or &ldquo;schnapps&rdquo;] (in pipes) were no small or
- unimportant part, from any point of view, of the provision supply.
-</pre>
- <p>
- Winslow, in his letter to George Morton advising him as to his
- preparations for the voyage over, says: &ldquo;Be careful to have a very good
- bread-room to keep your biscuit in.&rdquo; This was to keep them from dampness.
- Winthrop gives us the memorandum of his order for the ship-bread for his
- voyage in 1630. He says: &ldquo;Agreed with Keene of Southwark, baker, for
- 20,000 of Biscuit, 15,000 of brown, and 5,000 of white.&rdquo; Captain Beecher
- minutes: &ldquo;10 M. of bread for the ship ARBELLA.&rdquo; Beecher&rsquo;s memorandum of
- &ldquo;oatmeal&rdquo; is &ldquo;30 bushels.&rdquo; Winslow mentions &ldquo;oatmeal,&rdquo; and Winthrop notes
- among the provisions bought by Captain William Pierce, &ldquo;4 hhds. of
- oatmeal.&rdquo; Rye meal was usually meant by the term &ldquo;meal,&rdquo; and Window in his
- letter to George Morton advises him: &ldquo;Let your meal be so hard-trod in
- your casks that you shall need an adz or hatchet to work it out with;&rdquo; and
- also to &ldquo;be careful to come by [be able to get at] some of your meal to
- spend [use] by the way.&rdquo; Notwithstanding that Bradford&rsquo; speaks of their
- &ldquo;selling away&rdquo; some &ldquo;60 firkins of butter,&rdquo; to clear port charges at
- Southampton, and the leaders, in their letter to the Adventurers from that
- port (August 3), speak of themselves, when leaving Southampton in August,
- 1620, as &ldquo;scarce having any butter,&rdquo; there seems to have been some left to
- give as a present to Quadrequina, Massasoit&rsquo;s brother, the last of March
- following, which would indicate its good &ldquo;keeping&rdquo; qualities. Wood, in his
- &ldquo;New England&rsquo;s Prospect&rdquo; (ch. 2), says: &ldquo;Their butter and cheese were
- corrupted.&rdquo; Bradford mentions that their lunch on the exploration
- expedition of November 15, on Cape Cod, included &ldquo;Hollands cheese,&rdquo; which
- receives also other mention. There is a single mention, in the literature
- of the day, of eggs preserved in salt, for use on shipboard. &ldquo;Haberdyne&rdquo;
- (or dried salt cod) seems to have been a favorite and staple article of
- diet aboard ship. Captain Beecher minutes &ldquo;600 haberdyne for the ship
- ARBELLA.&rdquo; Wood says: &ldquo;Their fish was rotten.&rdquo; Smoked &ldquo;red-herring&rdquo; were
- familiar food to all the MAY-FLOWER company. No house or ship of England
- or Holland in that day but made great dependence upon them. Bacon was, of
- course, a main staple at sea. In its half-cooked state as it came from the
- smoke-house it was much relished with their biscuit by seamen and others
- wishing strong food, and when fried it became a desirable article of food
- to all except the sick. Mention is made of it by several of the early
- Pilgrim writers. Carlyle, as quoted, speaks of it as a diet-staple on the
- MAY-FLOWER. Salt (&ldquo;corned&rdquo;) beef has always been a main article of food
- with seamen everywhere. Wood&rsquo; states that the &ldquo;beef&rdquo; of the Pilgrims was
- &ldquo;tainted.&rdquo; In some way it was made the basis of a reputedly palatable
- preparation called &ldquo;spiced beef,&rdquo; mentioned as prepared by one of the
- sailors for a shipmate dying on the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor. It must
- have been a very different article from that we now find so acceptable
- under that name in England. Winthrop&rsquo; gives the price of his beef at &ldquo;19
- shillings per cwt.&rdquo; Winslow advises his friend Morton, in the letter so
- often quoted, not to have his beef &ldquo;dry-salted,&rdquo; saying, &ldquo;none can do it
- better than the sailors,&rdquo; which is a suggestion not readily understood.
- &ldquo;Smoked&rdquo; beef was practically the same as that known as &ldquo;jerked,&rdquo;
- &ldquo;smoked,&rdquo; or &ldquo;dried&rdquo; beef in America. A &ldquo;dried neat&rsquo;s-tongue&rdquo; is named as
- a contribution of the Pilgrims to the dinner for Captain Jones and his men
- on February 21, 1621, when they had helped to draw up and mount the cannon
- upon the platform on the hill at Plymouth. Winthrop paid &ldquo;14d. a piece&rdquo;
- for his &ldquo;neats&rsquo; tongues.&rdquo; The pork of the Pilgrims is also said by Wood&rsquo;
- to have been &ldquo;tainted.&rdquo; Winthrop states that his pork cost &ldquo;20 pence the
- stone&rdquo; (14 lbs.).
- </p>
- <p>
- Hams seem to have been then, as now, a highly-prized article of diet.
- Goodwin mentions that the salt used by the Pilgrims was (evaporated)
- &ldquo;sea-salt&rdquo; and very &ldquo;impure.&rdquo; Winthrop mentions among his supplies,
- &ldquo;White, Spanish, and Bay salt.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The beans of the Pilgrims were probably of the variety then known as
- &ldquo;Spanish beans.&rdquo; The cabbages were apparently boiled with meat, as
- nowadays, and also used considerably for &ldquo;sour-krout&rdquo; and for pickling,
- with which the Leyden people had doubtless become familiar during their
- residence among the Dutch. As anti-scorbutics they were of much value. The
- same was true of onions, whether pickled, salted, raw, or boiled. Turnips
- and parsnips find frequent mention in the early literature of the first
- settlers, and were among their stock vegetables. Pease were evidently
- staple articles of food with the Plymouth people, and are frequently
- named. They probably were chiefly used for porridge and puddings, and were
- used in large quantities, both afloat and ashore.
- </p>
- <p>
- Vinegar in hogsheads was named on the food-list of every ship of the
- Pilgrim era. It was one of their best antiscorbutics, and was of course a
- prime factor in their use of &ldquo;sour krout,&rdquo; pickling, etc. The fruits,
- natural, dried, and preserved, were probably, in that day, in rather small
- supply. Apples, limes, lemons, prunes, olives, rice, etc., were among the
- luxuries of a voyage, while dried or preserved fruits and small fruits
- were not yet in common use. Winslow, in the letter cited, urges that &ldquo;your
- casks for beer . . . be iron bound, at least for the first [end] tyre&rdquo;
- [hoop]. Cushman states that they had ample supplies of beer offered them
- both in Kent and Amsterdam. The planters&rsquo; supply seems to have failed,
- however, soon after the company landed, and they were obliged to rely upon
- the whim of the Captain of the MAY-FLOWER for their needs, the ship&rsquo;s
- supply being apparently separate from that of the planters, and lasting
- longer. Winthrop&rsquo;s supply seems to have been large (&ldquo;42 tons&rdquo;&mdash;probably
- tuns intended). It was evidently a stipulation of the charter-party that
- the ship should, in part at least, provision her crew for the voyage,&mdash;certainly
- furnish their beer. This is rendered certain by Bradford&rsquo;s difficulty (as
- stated by himself) with Captain Jones, previously referred to, showing
- that the ship had her own supply of beer, separate from that of the
- colonists, and that it was intended for the seamen as well as the
- officers.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford mentions &ldquo;aqua vitae&rdquo; as a constituent of their lunch on the
- exploring party of November 15. &ldquo;Strong waters&rdquo; (or Holland gin) are
- mentioned as a part of the entertainment given Massasoit on his first
- visit, and they find frequent mention otherwise. Wine finds no mention.
- Bradford states in terms: &ldquo;Neither ever had they any supply of foode from
- them [the Adventurers] but what they first brought with them;&rdquo; and again,
- &ldquo;They never had any supply of vitales more afterwards (but what the Lord
- gave them otherwise), for all ye company [the Adventurers] sent at any
- time was allways too short for those people yt came with it.&rdquo;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-The clothing supplies of the Pilgrims included hats, caps, shirts,
-neck-cloths, jerkins, doublets, waistcoats, breeches (stuff and leather),
-&ldquo;hosen,&rdquo; stockings, shoes, boots, belts (girdles), cloth, piece-goods
-(dress-stuff&rsquo;s), &ldquo;haberdasherie,&rdquo; etc., etc., all of which, with minor
-items for men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s use, find mention in their early narratives,
-accounts, and correspondence. By the will of Mr. Mullens it appears that
-he had twenty-one dozen of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots on board,
-doubtless intended as medium of exchange or barter. By the terms of the.
-contract with the colonists, the Merchant Adventurers were to supply all
-their actual necessities of Clothing food, clothing, etc., for the full
-term of seven years, during which the labors of the &ldquo;planters&rdquo; were to be
-for the joint account. Whether under this agreement they were bound to
-fully &ldquo;outfit&rdquo; the colonists before they embarked (and did so), as was
-done by Higginson&rsquo;s company coming to Salem in 1628-29 at considerable
-cost per capita, and as was done for those of the Leyden people who came
-over in 1629 with Pierce in the MAY-FLOWER and the TALBOT to Salem, and
-again in 1630 with the same Master (Pierce) in the LION by the Plymouth
-successors to the Adventurers (without recompense), does not clearly
-appear. No mention is found of any &ldquo;outfitting&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER
-passengers except the London apprentices. There is no doubt that a
-considerable supply of all the above-named articles was necessarily sent
-by the Adventurers on the MAY-FLOWER, both for the Pilgrims&rsquo; needs on the
-voyage and in the new colony, as also for trading purposes. There seems
-to have been at all times a supreme anxiety, on the part of both Pilgrim
-and Puritan settlers, to get English clothes upon their red brethren of
-the forest, whether as a means of exchange for peltry, or for decency&rsquo;s
-sake, is not quite clear. There was apparently a greater disparity in
-character, intelligence, and station between the leaders of Higginson&rsquo;s
-and Winthrop&rsquo;s companies and their followers than between the chief men
-of the Pilgrims and their associates. With the former were titles and
-considerable representation of wealth and position. With the passengers
-of the MAY-FLOWER a far greater equality in rank, means, intelligence,
-capacity, and character was noticeable. This was due in part, doubtless,
-to the religious beliefs and training of the Leyden contingent, and had
-prompt illustration in their Compact, in which all stood at once on an
-equal footing. There was but little of the &ldquo;paternal&rdquo; nature in the form
-of their government (though something at times in their punishments), and
-there was much personal dignity and independence of the individual.
-An equipment having so much of the character of a uniform&mdash;not to say
-&ldquo;livery&rdquo;&mdash;as that furnished by Higginson&rsquo;s company to its people
-suggests the &ldquo;hedger and ditcher&rdquo; type of colonists (of whom there were
-very few among the Plymouth settlers), rather than the scholar,
-publisher, tradesman, physician, hatter, smith, carpenter, &ldquo;lay reader,&rdquo;
- and soldier of the Pilgrims, and would certainly have been obnoxious to
-their finer sense of personal dignity and proportion. Doubtless an
-equivalent provision existed&mdash;though in less &ldquo;all-of-a-pattern&rdquo;
- character&mdash;in the bales and boxes of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S cargo for every
-need suggested by the list of the Higginson &ldquo;outfit,&rdquo; which is given
-herewith, both as matter of interest and as affording an excellent idea
-of the accepted style and needs in dress of a New England settler (at
-least of the men) of 1620-30. One cannot fail to wonder at the
-noticeably infrequent mention of provision in apparel, etc., for the
-women and children. The inventory of the &ldquo;Apparell for 100 men&rdquo; furnished
-by Higginson&rsquo;s company in 1628-29 gives us, among others, the following
-items of clothing for each emigrant:&mdash;
-4 &ldquo;peares of shoes.&rdquo;
- 4 &ldquo;peares of stockings.&rdquo;
- 1 &ldquo;peare Norwich gaiters.&rdquo;
- 4 &ldquo;shirts.&rdquo;
- 2 &ldquo;suits dublet and hose of leather lyn&rsquo;d with oyld skyn leather, ye hose
- &amp; dublett with hooks &amp; eyes.&rdquo;
- 1 &ldquo;sute of Norden dussens or hampshire kersies lynd the hose with skins,
-dublets with lynen of gilford or gedlyman kerseys.&rdquo;
- 4 bands.
-2 handkerchiefs.
-1 &ldquo;wastecoat of greene cotton bound about with red tape.&rdquo;
- 1 leather girdle.
-1 &ldquo;Monmouth cap.&rdquo;
- 1 &ldquo;black hatt lyned in the brows with lether.&rdquo;
- 5 &ldquo;Red knitt capps milf&rsquo;d about 5d apiece.&rdquo;
- 2 &ldquo;peares of gloves.&rdquo;
- 1 &ldquo;Mandiliion lynd with cotton&rdquo; [mantle or greatcoat].
-1 &ldquo;peare of breeches and waistcoat.&rdquo;
- 1 &ldquo;leather sute of Dublett &amp; breeches of oyled leather.&rdquo;
- 1 &ldquo;peare of leather breeches and drawers to weare with both there other
-sutes.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-In 1628 Josselyn put the average cost of clothing to emigrants to New
-England at L4 each. In 1629 good shoes cost the &ldquo;Bay&rdquo; colonists 2s/7d
-per pair. In his &ldquo;Two Voyages to New England&rdquo; previously referred to,
-Josselyn gives an estimate (made about 1628) of the &ldquo;outfit&rdquo; in clothing
-needed by a New England settler of his time. He names as &ldquo;Apparel for
-one man&mdash;and after this rate for more:&mdash;&rdquo;
- One Hatt
- One Monmouth Cap
- Three falling bands
- Three Shirts
- One Wastcoat
- One Suite of Frize (Frieze)
- One Suite of Cloth
- One Suite of Canvas
- Three Pairs of Irish Stockings
- Four Pairs of Shoes
- One Pair of Canvas Sheets
- Seven ells of coarse canvas, to make a bed at sea for two men,
- to be filled with straw
- One Coarse Rug at Sea
-</pre>
- <p>
- The Furniture of the Pilgrims has naturally been matter of much interest
- to their descendants and others for many years. While it is doubtful if a
- single article now in existence can be positively identified and
- truthfully certified as having made the memorable voyage in the MAY-FLOWER
- (nearly everything having, of course, gone to decay with the wear and tear
- of more than two hundred and fifty years), this honorable origin is still
- assigned to many heirlooms, to some probably correctly. Dr. Oliver Wendell
- Holmes in his delightful lines, &ldquo;On Lending a Punch Bowl,&rdquo; humorously
- claims for his convivial silver vessel a place with the Pilgrims:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- &ldquo;Along with all the furniture, to fill their new abodes,
- To judge by what is still on hand, at least a hundred loads.&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <p>
- To a very few time-worn and venerated relics&mdash;such as Brewster&rsquo;s
- chair and one or more books, Myles Standish&rsquo;s Plymouth sword, the
- Peregrine White cradle, Winslow&rsquo;s pewter, and one or two of Bradford&rsquo;s
- books&mdash;a strong probability attaches that they were in veritate, as
- traditionally avowed, part of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S freight, but of even these
- the fact cannot be proven beyond the possibility of a doubt.
- </p>
- <p>
- From its pattern and workmanship, which are of a period antedating the
- &ldquo;departure from Delfshaven,&rdquo; and the ancient tradition which is traceable
- to Brewster&rsquo;s time, it appears altogether probable that what is known as
- &ldquo;Elder Brewster&rsquo;s chair&rdquo; came with him on the ship. There is even greater
- probability as to one of his books bearing his autograph.
- </p>
- <p>
- The sword of Myles Standish, in possession of the Pilgrim Society, may
- claim, with equal probability, MAY-FLOWER relation, from its evident
- antiquity and the facts that, as a soldier, his trusty blade doubtless
- stayed with him, and that it is directly traceable in his descendants&rsquo;
- hands, back to his time; but an equally positive claim is made for similar
- honors for another sword said to have also belonged to the Captain, now in
- the keeping of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Peregrine White cradle &ldquo;is strongly indorsed as of the MAY-FLOWER,
- from the facts that it is, indubitably, of a very early Dutch pattern and
- manufacture; that Mrs. White was anticipating the early need of a cradle
- when leaving Holland; and that the descent of this one as an heirloom in
- her (second) family is so fairly traced.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The pewter and the silver flask of Winslow not only bear very early
- &ldquo;Hallmarks,&rdquo; but also the arms of his family, which it is not likely he
- would have had engraved on what he may have bought after notably becoming
- the defender of the simplicity and democracy of the &ldquo;Pilgrim Republic.&rdquo;
- Long traceable use in his family strengthens belief in the supposition
- that these articles came with the Pilgrims, and were then very probably
- heirlooms. One of Governor Bradford&rsquo;s books (Pastor John Robinson&rsquo;s
- &ldquo;Justification of Separation&rdquo;), published in 1610, and containing the
- Governor&rsquo;s autograph, bears almost &lsquo;prima facie&rsquo; evidence of having come
- with him in the MAY-FLOWER, but of course might, like the above-named
- relics, have come in some later ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- In this connection it is of interest to note what freight the MAY-FLOWER
- carried for the intellectual needs of the Pilgrims. Of Bibles, as the
- &ldquo;book of books,&rdquo; we may be sure&mdash;even without the evidence of the
- inventories of the early dead&mdash;there was no lack, and there is reason
- to believe that they existed in several tongues, viz. in English, Dutch,
- and possibly French (the Walloon contribution from the Huguenots), while
- there is little doubt that, alike as publishers and as &ldquo;students of the
- Word,&rdquo; Brewster, Bradford, and Winslow, at least, were possessed of, and
- more or less familiar with, both the Latin and Greek Testaments. It is
- altogether probable, however, that Governor Bradford&rsquo;s well attested study
- of &ldquo;the oracles of God in the original&rdquo; Hebrew, and his possession of the
- essential Hebrew Bible, grammar, and lexicon, were of a later day. Some
- few copies of the earliest hymnals (&ldquo;psalme-bookes&rdquo;)&mdash;then very
- limited in number&mdash;there is evidence that the Holland voyagers had
- with them in the singing of their parting hymns at Leyden and Delfshaven,
- as mentioned by Winslow and in the earlier inventories: These metrical
- versions of the Psalms constituted at the time, practically, the only
- hymnology permitted in the worship of the &ldquo;Separatists,&rdquo; though the grand
- hymn of Luther, &ldquo;Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott,&rdquo; doubtless familiar to
- them, must have commended itself as especially comforting and apposite.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of the doctrinal tracts of their beloved Pastor, John Robinson, there is
- every probability, as well as some proof, that there was good supply, as
- well as those of Ainsworth and Clyfton and of the works of William Ames,
- the renowned Franeker Professor, the controversial opponent but sincere
- friend of Robinson: the founder of evangelical &ldquo;systematic theology,&rdquo;
- [method&mdash;Methodist? D.W.] whom death alone prevented from becoming
- the President of Harvard College. We may be equally sure that the few
- cases of books in the freight of the Pilgrim ship included copies of the
- publications of the &ldquo;hidden and hunted press&rdquo; of Brewster and Brewer, and
- some at least of the issues of their fellows in tribulation at Amsterdam
- and in Scotland and England. Some few heavy tomes and early classics in
- English, Dutch, Latin, and Greek were also presumably among the goodly
- number of books brought in the MAY FLOWER by Brewster, Bradford, Winslow,
- Fuller, Hopkins, Allerton, Standish, and others, though it is probable
- that the larger part of the very considerable library of four hundred
- volumes, left at his death by Brewster (including sixty-two in Latin), and
- of the respectable libraries of Fuller, Standish, and others, named in
- their respective inventories, either were brought over in the later ships,
- or were the products of the earliest printers of New England. One is
- surprised and amused that the library of the good Dr. Fuller should
- contain so relatively small a proportion of medical works (although the
- number in print prior to his death in 1633 was not great), while rich in
- religious works pertinent to his functions as deacon. It is equally
- interesting to note that the inventory of the soldier Standish should name
- only one book on military science, &ldquo;Bariffe&rsquo;s Artillery,&rdquo; though it
- includes abundant evidence to controvert, beyond reasonable doubt, the
- suggestion which has been made, that he was of the Romanist faith. Just
- which of the books left by the worthies named, and others whose
- inventories we possess, came with them in the Pilgrim ship, cannot be
- certainly determined, though, as before noted, some still in existence
- bear intrinsic testimony that they were of the number. There is evidence
- that Allerton made gift of a book to Giles Heale of the MAY-FLOWER
- (perhaps the ship&rsquo;s surgeon), while the ship lay at Plymouth, and Francis
- Cooke&rsquo;s inventory includes &ldquo;1 great Bible and 4 olde bookes,&rdquo; which as
- they were &ldquo;olde,&rdquo; and he was clearly not a book-buyer, very probably came
- with him in the ship. In fact, hardly an adult of the Leyden colonists,
- the inventory of whose estate at death we possess, but left one or more
- books which may have been his companions on the voyage.
- </p>
- <p>
- Some of the early forms of British and Dutch calendars, &ldquo;annuals,&rdquo; and
- agricultural &ldquo;hand-books,&rdquo; it is certain were brought over by several
- families, and were doubtless much consulted and well-thumbed &ldquo;guides,
- counsellors, and friends&rdquo; in the households of their possessors. The great
- preponderance of reading matter brought by the little colony was, however,
- unquestionably of the religious controversial order, which had been so
- much a part of their lives, and its sum total was considerable. There are
- intimations, in the inventories of the Fathers, of a few works of
- historical cast, but of these not many had yet been printed. &ldquo;Caesar&rsquo;s
- Commentaries,&rdquo; a &ldquo;History of the World,&rdquo; and a &ldquo;History of Turkey&rdquo; on
- Standish&rsquo;s shelves, with the two Dictionaries and &ldquo;Peter Martyr on Rome&rdquo;
- on Dr. Fuller&rsquo;s, were as likely to have come in the first ship, and to
- have afforded as much satisfaction to the hungry readers of the little
- community as any of the books we find named in the lists of their little
- stock. It is pathetic to note, in these days of utmost prodigality in
- juvenile literature, that for the Pilgrim children, aside from the &ldquo;Bible
- stories,&rdquo; some of the wonderful and mirth-provoking metrical renderings of
- the &ldquo;Psalme booke,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;horne booke,&rdquo; or primer (the alphabet and
- certain elementary contributions in verse or prose, placed between thin
- covers of transparent horn for protection), there was almost absolutely
- nothing in the meagre book-freight of the Pilgrim ark. &ldquo;Milk for Babes,&rdquo;
- whether as physical or mental pabulum, was in poor supply aboard the
- MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- The most that can be claimed with confidence, for particular objects of
- alleged MAY-FLOWER relation, is that there is logical and moral certainty
- that there was a supply of just such things on board, because they were
- indispensable, and because every known circumstance and condition
- indicates their presence in the hands to which they are assigned, while
- tradition and collateral evidence confirm the inference and sometimes go
- very far to establish their alleged identity, and their presence with
- their respective owners upon the ship. A few other articles besides those
- enumerated in possession of the Pilgrim Society, and of other societies
- and individuals, present almost equally strong claims with those named, to
- be counted as &ldquo;of MAY-FLOWER belonging,&rdquo; but in no case is the connection
- entirely beyond question. Where so competent, interested, and
- conscientious students of Pilgrim history as Hon. William T. Davis, of
- Plymouth, and the late Dr. Thomas B. Drew, so long the curator of the
- Pilgrim Society, cannot find warrant for a positive claim in behalf of any
- article as having come, beyond a doubt, &ldquo;in the MAY FLOWER,&rdquo; others may
- well hesitate to insist upon that which, however probable and desirable,
- is not susceptible of conclusive proof.
- </p>
- <p>
- That certain articles of household furniture, whether now existent or not,
- were included in the ship&rsquo;s cargo, is attested by the inventories of the
- small estates of those first deceased, and, by mention or implication, in
- the narratives of Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and other contemporaries, as
- were also many utensils and articles of domestic use. There were also
- beyond question many not so mentioned, which may be safely named as having
- very certainly been comprised in the ship&rsquo;s lading, either because in
- themselves indispensable to the colonists, or because from the evidence in
- hand we know them to have been inseparable from the character, social
- status, daily habits, home life, or ascertained deeds of the Pilgrims.
- When it is remembered that furnishings, however simple, were speedily
- required for no less than nineteen &ldquo;cottages&rdquo; and their households, the
- sum total called for was not inconsiderable.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Bradford, in Mourt&rsquo;s Relation (p. 68), shows that the colonists
- were divided up into &ldquo;nineteen families,&rdquo; that &ldquo;so we might build
- fewer houses.&rdquo; Winslow, writing to George Morton, December 11/21,
- 1621, says: &ldquo;We have built seven dwelling-houses and four for the
- use of the plantation.&rdquo; Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 110)
- calls the houses &ldquo;small cottages.&rdquo;]
-</pre>
- <p>
- Among the furniture for these &ldquo;cottages&rdquo; brought on the Pilgrim ship may
- be enumerated: chairs, table-chairs, stools and forms (benches), tables of
- several sizes and shapes (mostly small), table-boards and &ldquo;cloathes,&rdquo;
- trestles, beds; bedding and bed-clothing, cradles, &ldquo;buffets,&rdquo; cupboards
- and &ldquo;cabinets,&rdquo; chests and chests of drawers, boxes of several kinds and
- &ldquo;trunks,&rdquo; andirons, &ldquo;iron dogs,&rdquo; &ldquo;cob-irons,&rdquo; fire-tongs and &ldquo;slices&rdquo;
- (shovels), cushions, rugs, and &ldquo;blanckets,&rdquo; spinning wheels, hand-looms,
- etc., etc. Among household utensils were &ldquo;spits,&rdquo; &ldquo;bake-kettles,&rdquo; pots and
- kettles (iron, brass, and copper), frying-pans, &ldquo;mortars&rdquo; and pestles
- (iron, brass, and &ldquo;belle-mettle&rdquo;), sconces, lamps (oil &ldquo;bettys&rdquo;),
- candlesticks, snuffers, buckets, tubs, &ldquo;runlets,&rdquo; pails and baskets,
- &ldquo;steel yards,&rdquo; measures, hour-glasses and sun-dials, pewter-ware
- (platters, plates, mugs, porringers, etc.), wooden trenchers, trays,
- &ldquo;noggins,&rdquo; &ldquo;bottles,&rdquo; cups, and &ldquo;lossets.&rdquo; Earthen ware, &ldquo;fatten&rdquo; ware
- (mugs, &ldquo;jugs,&rdquo; and &ldquo;crocks &ldquo;), leather ware (bottles, &ldquo;noggins,&rdquo; and
- cups), table-ware (salt &ldquo;sellars,&rdquo; spoons, knives, etc), etc. All of the
- foregoing, with numerous lesser articles, have received mention in the
- early literature of the Pilgrim exodus, and were undeniably part of the
- MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S lading.
- </p>
- <p>
- The MAY-FLOWER origin claimed for the &ldquo;Governor Carver chair&rdquo; and the
- &ldquo;Elder Brewster chair&rdquo; rests wholly upon tradition, and upon the venerable
- pattern and aspect of the chairs themselves. The &ldquo;Winslow chair,&rdquo; in
- possession of the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth (Mass.), though bearing
- evidence of having been &ldquo;made in Cheapside, London, in 1614,&rdquo; is not
- positively known to have been brought on the MAY-FLOWER. Thacher&rsquo;s
- &ldquo;History of Plymouth&rdquo; (p. 144.) states that &ldquo;a sitting-chair, said to have
- been screwed to the floor of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S cabin for the convenience of
- a lady, is known to have been in the possession of Penelope Winslow (who
- married James Warren), and is now in possession of Hannah White.&rdquo; There
- are certain venerable chairs alleged, with some show of probability, to
- have been the property of Captain Standish, now owned in Bridgewater, but
- there is no record attached to them, and they are not surely assignable to
- either ship or owner. That some few tables &mdash;mostly small&mdash;were
- brought in the MAY-FLOWER, there is some evidence, but the indications are
- that what were known as &ldquo;table-boards&rdquo;&mdash;long and narrow boards
- covered with what were called &ldquo;board-cloths&rdquo;&mdash;very largely took the
- place of tables. The walnut-top table, said to have once been Governor
- Winslow&rsquo;s and now in possession of the Pilgrim Society, is not known to
- have come over with him, and probably did not. It was very likely bought
- for the use of the Council when he was governor. The &ldquo;table-boards&rdquo;
- mentioned were laid on &ldquo;trestles&rdquo; (cross-legged and folding supports of
- proper height), which had the great merit that they could be placed in any
- convenient spot and as easily folded up, and with the board put away,
- leaving the space which a table would have permanently occupied free for
- other use.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bradford mentions that when the fire of Sunday, January 14., 1621,
- occurred in the &ldquo;common house,&rdquo; the &ldquo;house was as full of beds as they
- could lie one by another.&rdquo; There is a doubt, however, whether this
- indicates bedsteads or (probably) &ldquo;pallets&rdquo; only. Beds, bedding of all
- sorts, pillow-&ldquo;beers,&rdquo; pillow-cases and even &ldquo;mattrises,&rdquo; are of most
- frequent mention in the earliest wills and inventories. (See Appendix.)
- &ldquo;Buffets,&rdquo; &ldquo;cupboards,&rdquo; and &ldquo;cabinets,&rdquo; all find mention in the earliest
- writers and inventories, and one or two specimens, for which a MAY-FLOWER
- history is claimed, are in possession of the Pilgrim Society and others.
- The &ldquo;White&rdquo; cabinet, of putative MAY-FLOWER connection, owned by the
- Pilgrim Society, is a fine example of its class, and both its &ldquo;ear marks&rdquo;
- and its known history support the probable truth of the claim made for it.
- Of &ldquo;chests&rdquo; and &ldquo;chests-of-drawers&rdquo; there were doubtless goodly numbers in
- the ship, but with the exception of a few chests (or the fragments of
- them), for which a MAY-FLOWER passage is vaunted, little is known of them.
- The chest claimed to be that of Elder Brewster, owned by the Connecticut
- Historical Society, was not improb ably his, but that it had any
- MAY-FLOWER relation is not shown. A fragment of a chest claimed to have
- been &ldquo;brought by Edward Winslow in the MAY-FLOWER&rdquo; is owned by the Pilgrim
- Society, and bears considerable evidence of the probable validity of such
- claim, but proof positive is lacking. Boxes of several kinds and sizes
- were part of the Pilgrims&rsquo; chattels on their ship, some of them taking the
- place of the travellers&rsquo; &ldquo;trunks&rdquo; of to-day, though &ldquo;trunks&rdquo; were then
- known by that name and find early mention in Pilgrim inventories, and
- there were no doubt some upon the Pilgrim ship. A few claiming such
- distinction are exhibited, but without attested records of their origin.
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;Andirons, fire-dogs, and cob-irons&rdquo; (the latter to rest roasting spits
- upon) were enumerated among the effects of those early deceased among the
- Pilgrims, rendering it well-certain that they must have been part of their
- belongings on the MAY-FLOWER. Fire-tongs and &ldquo;slices&rdquo; [shovels] are also
- frequently mentioned in early Pilgrim inventories, placing them in the
- same category with the &ldquo;andirons and fire-dogs.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- In &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation,&rdquo; in the accounts given of the state reception of
- Massasoit, &ldquo;a green rug and three or four cushions&rdquo; are shown to have
- performed their parts in the official ceremonies, and were, of course,
- necessarily brought in the MAY-FLOWER.
- </p>
- <p>
- Spinning-wheels and hand-looms were such absolute necessities, and were so
- familiar and omnipresent features of the lives and labors of the Pilgrim
- housewives and their Dutch neighbors of Leyden, that we should be certain
- that they came with the Pilgrims, even if they did not find mention in the
- earliest Pilgrim inventories. Many ancient ones are exhibited in the &ldquo;Old
- Colony,&rdquo; but it is not known that it is claimed for any of them that they
- came in the first ship. It is probable that some of the &ldquo;cheese fatts&rdquo; and
- churns so often named in early inventories came in the ship, though at
- first there was, in the absence of milch kine, no such use for them as
- there had been in both England and Holland, and soon was in New England.
- </p>
- <p>
- Among cooking utensils the roasting &ldquo;spit&rdquo; was, in one form or another,
- among the earliest devices for cooking flesh, and as such was an essential
- of every household. Those brought by the Plymouth settlers were probably,
- as indicated by the oldest specimens that remain to us, of a pretty
- primitive type. The ancient &ldquo;bake-kettle&rdquo; (sometimes called &ldquo;pan&rdquo;), made
- to bury in the ashes and thus to heat above and below, has never been
- superseded where resort must be had to the open fire for cooking, and
- (practically unchanged) is in use to-day at many a sheep-herder&rsquo;s and
- cowboy&rsquo;s camp fire of the Far West. We may be sure that it was in every
- MAY-FLOWER family, and occasional ancient specimens are yet to be found in
- &ldquo;Old Colony&rdquo; garrets. Pots and kettles of all sorts find more frequent
- mention in the early inventories than anything else, except muskets and
- swords, and were probably more numerous upon the ship than any other
- cooking utensil. A few claimed to be from the Pilgrim ship are exhibited,
- chief of which is a large iron pot, said to have been &ldquo;brought by Myles
- Standish in the MAY-FLOWER,&rdquo; now owned by the Pilgrim Society.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hardly an early Pilgrim inventory but includes &ldquo;a mortar and pestle,&rdquo;
- sometimes of iron, sometimes of &ldquo;brass&rdquo; or &ldquo;belle-mettle&rdquo; (bell metal).
- They were of course, in the absence of mills, and for some purposes for
- which small hand mills were not adapted, prime necessities, and every
- house hold had one. A very fine one of brass (with an iron pestle), nine
- and a half inches across its bell-shaped top,&mdash;exhibited by the
- Pilgrim Society, and said to have been &ldquo;brought in the MAY-FLOWER by
- Edward Winslow,&rdquo;&mdash;seems to the author as likely to have been so as
- almost any article for which that distinction is claimed.
- </p>
- <p>
- The lighting facilities of the Pilgrims were fewer and cruder than those
- for cooking. They possessed the lamp of the ancient Romans, Greeks, and
- Hebrews, with but few improvements,&mdash;a more or less fanciful vessel
- for oil, with a protuberant nose for a wick, and a loose-twisted cotton
- wick. Hand-lamps of this general form and of various devices, called
- &ldquo;betty-lamps,&rdquo; were commonly used, with candlesticks of various metals,
- &mdash;iron, brass, silver, and copper,&mdash;though but few of any other
- ware. For wall-lighting two or more candle sockets were brought together
- in &ldquo;sconces,&rdquo; which were more or less elaborate in design and finish. One
- of the early writers (Higginson) mentions the abundance of oil (from fish)
- available for lamps, but all tallow and suet used by the early colonists
- was, for some years (till cattle became plentiful), necessarily imported.
- Some of the &ldquo;candle-snuffers&rdquo; of the &ldquo;first comers&rdquo; doubtless still
- remain. We may be sure every family had its candles, &ldquo;betty-lamps,&rdquo;
- candlesticks, and &ldquo;snuffers.&rdquo; &ldquo;Lanthorns&rdquo; were of the primitive,
- perforated tin variety&mdash;only &ldquo;serving to make darkness visible&rdquo; now
- found in a few old attics in Pilgrim towns, and on the &ldquo;bull-carts&rdquo; of the
- peons of Porto Rico, by night. Fire, for any purpose, was chiefly procured
- by the use of flint, steel, and tinder, of which many very early specimens
- exist. Buckets, tubs, and pails were, beyond question, numerous aboard the
- ship, and were among the most essential and highly valued of Pilgrim
- utensils. Most, if not all of them, we may confidently assert, were
- brought into requisition on that Monday &ldquo;wash-day&rdquo; at Cape Cod, the first
- week-day after their arrival, when the women went ashore to do their
- long-neglected laundrying, in the comparatively fresh water of the beach
- pond at Cape Cod harbor. They are frequently named in the earliest
- inventories. Bradford also mentions the filling of a &ldquo;runlet&rdquo; with water
- at the Cape. The &ldquo;steel-yards&rdquo; and &ldquo;measures&rdquo; were the only determiners of
- weight and quantity&mdash;as the hour-glass and sun dial were of time&mdash;possessed
- at first (so far as appears) by the passengers of the Pilgrim ship, though
- it is barely possible that a Dutch clock or two may have been among the
- possessions of the wealthiest. Clocks and watches were not yet in common
- use (though the former were known in England from 1540), and except that
- in &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation&rdquo; and Bradford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Historie&rdquo; mention is made of the
- time of day as such &ldquo;o&rsquo;clock&rdquo; (indicating some degree of familiarity with
- clocks), no mention is made of their possession at the first. Certain of
- the leaders were apparently acquainted at Leyden with the astronomer
- Galileo, co-resident with them there, and through this acquaintance some
- of the wealthier and more scholarly may have come to know, and even to
- own, one of the earliest Dutch clocks made with the pendulum invented by
- Galileo, though hardly probable as early as 1620. Pocket watches were yet
- practically unknown.
- </p>
- <p>
- Except for a few pieces of silver owned by the wealthiest of their number,
- pewter was the most elegant and expensive of the Pilgrims&rsquo; table-ware. A
- pewter platter said to have been &ldquo;brought over in the MAY-FLOWER&rdquo; is now
- owned by the Pilgrim Society, which also exhibits smaller pewter formerly
- Edward Winslow&rsquo;s, and bearing his &ldquo;arms,&rdquo; for which, as previously noted,
- a like claim is made. Platters, dishes, &ldquo;potts,&rdquo; ladles, bottles,
- &ldquo;flaggons,&rdquo; &ldquo;skelletts,&rdquo; cups, porringers, &ldquo;basons,&rdquo; spoons, candlesticks,
- and salt &ldquo;sellars,&rdquo; were among the many pewter utensils unmistakably
- brought on the good ship.
- </p>
- <p>
- The wooden-ware of the colonists, brought with them, was considerable and
- various. The Dutch were long famous for its fabrication. There was but
- very little china, glass, or pottery of any kind in common use in western
- Europe in 1620; some kinds were not yet made, and pewter, wood, and
- leather largely filled their places. Wooden trenchers (taking the place of
- plates), trays, &ldquo;noggins&rdquo; (jug or pitcher-like cups), cups, and &ldquo;lossets&rdquo;
- (flat dishes like the bread-plates of to day), were of course part of
- every housewife&rsquo;s providings. Some few of Pilgrim origin possibly still
- exist. As neither coffee, tea, nor china had come into use, the cups and
- saucers which another century brought in&mdash;to delight their owners in
- that day and the ceramic hunter in this&mdash;were not among the
- &ldquo;breakables&rdquo; of the &ldquo;good-wife&rdquo; of the MAY-FLOWER. The &ldquo;table-plenishings&rdquo;
- had not much variety, but in the aggregate the (first) &ldquo;nineteen families&rdquo;
- must have required quite a quantity of spoons, knives, salt &ldquo;sellars,&rdquo;
- etc. Forks there were none, and of the accessories of to-day (except
- napkins), very few. Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the
- knife. Josselyn&rsquo; gives a list of &ldquo;Implements for a family of six persons&rdquo;
- going to New England.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-Kitchen utensils:&mdash;
- &ldquo;1 Iron Pot.
- 1 Great Copper Kettle.
- 1 Small Kettle.
- 1 Lesser Kettle.
- 1 Large Frying pan.
- 1 Brass Mortar.
- 1 Spit.
- 1 Gridiron.
- 2 Skillets.
- Platters, dishes, and spoons of wood.
- A pair of Bellows.
- A Skoope, etc.&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <p>
- Among the implements of husbandry, etc., and mechanics&rsquo; tools we find
- evidence of hoes, spades, shovels, scythes, &ldquo;sikles,&rdquo; mattocks,
- bill-hooks, garden-rakes, hay-forks (&ldquo;pitch-forks&rdquo;), besides seed-grain
- and garden seeds. Axes, saws, hammers, &ldquo;adzs,&rdquo; augers, chisels, gouges,
- squares, hatchets, an &ldquo;iron jack-scrue,&rdquo; &ldquo;holdfasts&rdquo; (vises), blacksmiths&rsquo;
- tools, coopers&rsquo; tools, iron and steel in bar, anvils, chains, etc.,
- &ldquo;staples and locks,&rdquo; rope, lime (for mortar), nails, etc., are also known
- to have been in the ship. Francis Eaton, the carpenter, seems to have had
- a very respectable &ldquo;kit,&rdquo; and Fletcher, the smith, was evidently fairly
- &ldquo;outfitted.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- The implements of husbandry were of the lighter (?) sort; no ploughs,
- harrows, carts, harness, stone-drags, or other farming tools requiring the
- strength of beasts for their use, were included. In nothing could they
- have experienced so sharp a contrast as in the absence of horses, cattle,
- and sheep in their husbandry, and especially of milch kine. Bradford and
- Window both mention hoes, spades, mattocks, and sickles, while shovels,
- scythes, bill-hooks (brush-scythes, the terrible weapons of the English
- peasantry in their great &ldquo;Mon mouth&rdquo; and earlier uprisings), pitchforks,
- etc., find very early mention in inventories and colonial records.
- Josselyn, in his &ldquo;Two Voyages to New England,&rdquo; gives, in 1628, the
- following very pertinent list of &ldquo;Tools for a Family of six persons, and
- so after this rate for more,&mdash;intending for New England.&rdquo; This may be
- taken as fairly approximating the possessions of the average MAY-FLOWER
- planter, though probably somewhat exceeding individual supplies. Eight
- years of the Pilgrims&rsquo; experience had taught those who came after them
- very much that was of service.
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- 5 Broad Howes [hoes].
- 6 Chisels.
- 5 Narrow Howes [hoes].
- 3 Gimblets.
- 5 Felling Axes.
- 2 hatchets.
- 2 steel hand saws.
- 2 frones (?) to cleave pail! (Probably knives for cleaving pail stock.)
- 2 hand saws.
- 2 hand-bills.
- 1 whip saw, set and files with box.
- Nails of all sorts.
- 2 Pick-axes.
- A file and rest.
- 3 Locks and 3 paire fetters.
- 2 Hammers.
- 2 Currie Combs.
- 3 Shovels.
- Brands for beasts.
- 2 Spades.
- A hand vice.
- 2 Augers.
- A pitchfork, etc.
- 2 Broad Axes.
-</pre>
- <p>
- Unhappily we know little from contemporaneous authority as to what grain
- and other seeds the Pilgrims brought with them for planting. We may be
- sure, however, that rye, barley, oats, wheat, pease, and beans were the
- bulkiest of this part of their freight, though Bradford mentions the
- planting of &ldquo;garden seeds&rdquo; their first spring.
- </p>
- <p>
- While we know from the earliest Pilgrim chronicles that their mechanics&rsquo;
- implements embraced axes, saws, hammers, &ldquo;adzs,&rdquo; augers, hatchets, an
- &ldquo;iron jack-scrue,&rdquo; &ldquo;staples and locks,&rdquo; etc., we know there must have been
- many other tools not mentioned by them, brought over with the settlers.
- The &ldquo;great iron-scrue,&rdquo; as Bradford calls it in his original MS., played,
- as all know, a most important part on the voyage, in forcing the &ldquo;cracked
- and bowed&rdquo; deck-beam of the ship into place. Governor Bradford tells us
- that &ldquo;it was brought on board by one of the Leyden passengers,&rdquo; and one
- may hazard the guess that it was by either Moses Fletcher, the smith, or
- Francis Eaton, the &ldquo;carpenter.&rdquo; &ldquo;Staples&rdquo; and &ldquo;locks&rdquo; found their place
- and mention, as well as the &ldquo;chains,&rdquo; &ldquo;manacles,&rdquo; and &ldquo;leg-irons&rdquo; named in
- the list of accoutrements for offence or defence, when it became necessary
- to chain up the Indian spy of the Neponsets (as narrated by Winslow in his
- &ldquo;Good Newes from New England&rdquo;) and other evil-doers. The planters seem to
- have made stiff &ldquo;mortar,&rdquo; which premises the use of lime and indicates a
- supply.
- </p>
- <p>
- Among the fishing and fowling implements of the MAY FLOWER colonists are
- recorded, nets, &ldquo;seynes,&rdquo; twine, fish hooks, muskets (for large game),
- &ldquo;fowling pieces,&rdquo; powder, &ldquo;goose-shot,&rdquo; &ldquo;hail-shot,&rdquo; etc.
- </p>
- <p>
- Such early mention is found of the nets, &ldquo;seynes,&rdquo; etc., of their fishing
- equipment, as to leave no room for doubt that store of them was brought in
- the ship. They seem to have been unfortunate in the size of their
- fish-hooks, which are spoken of as &ldquo;too large&rdquo; even for cod. They must, as
- Goodwin remarks, &ldquo;have been very large.&rdquo; Window also says, &ldquo;We wanted fit
- and strong seines and other netting.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- They seem to have relied upon their muskets to some extent for wild fowl
- (as witness Winslow&rsquo;s long and successful shot at a duck, on his visit to
- Massasoit), as they undoubtedly did for deer, etc. They were apparently
- fairly well supplied with them, of either the &ldquo;matchlock&rdquo; or &ldquo;snaphance&rdquo;
- (flintlock) pattern, though the planters complained to the Merchant
- Adventurers (in their letter of August 3, from Southampton), that they
- were &ldquo;wanting many muskets,&rdquo; etc. That they had some &ldquo;fowling-pieces&rdquo; is
- shown by the fact that young Billington seems (according to Bradford) to
- have &ldquo;shot one off in his father&rsquo;s cabin&rdquo; aboard ship in Cape Cod harbor,
- and there are several other coeval mentions of them.
- </p>
- <p>
- The arms and accoutrements (besides ordnance) of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims,
- known on the authority of Bradford and Winslow to have been brought by
- them, included muskets (&ldquo;matchlocks&rdquo;), &ldquo;snaphances&rdquo; (flintlocks), armor
- (&ldquo;corslets,&rdquo; &ldquo;cuirasses,&rdquo; &ldquo;helmets,&rdquo; &ldquo;bandoliers,&rdquo; etc.), swords,
- &ldquo;curtlaxes&rdquo; (cutlasses), &ldquo;daggers,&rdquo; powder, &ldquo;mould-shot,&rdquo; &ldquo;match&rdquo;
- (slow-match for guns), &ldquo;flints,&rdquo; belts, &ldquo;knapsacks,&rdquo; &ldquo;drum,&rdquo; &ldquo;trumpet,&rdquo;
- &ldquo;manacles,&rdquo; &ldquo;leg-irons,&rdquo; etc., etc. &ldquo;Pistols&rdquo; (brass) appear in early
- inventories, but their absence in the early hand-to-hand encounter at
- Wessagussett indicates that none were then available, or that they were
- not trusted. It is evident from the statement of Bradford that every one
- of the sixteen men who went out (under command of Standish) on the &ldquo;first
- exploration&rdquo; at Cape Cod had his &ldquo;musket, sword, and corslet;&rdquo; that they
- relied much on their armor, and hence, doubtless, took all possible with
- them on the ship. They probably did not long retain its use. In the letter
- written to the Adventurers from Southampton, the leaders complain of
- &ldquo;wanting many muskets, much armour, &amp;c.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- Josselyn gives&rsquo; the equipment he considers necessary for each man going to
- New England to settle:&mdash;
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&ldquo;Armor compleat:&mdash;
- One long piece [musket] five feet or five and a half long.
- One Sword.
- One bandoleer.
- One belt.
- Twenty pounds of powder.
- Sixty pounds of shot or lead, pistol and Goose-shot.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-&ldquo;Another list gives an idea of &lsquo;complete armor.&rsquo;&rdquo;
- Corselet
- Breast [plate or piece].
- Back [ditto].
- Culet (?).
- Gorget [throat-piece].
- Tussis [thigh-pieces].
- Head-piece &ldquo;[morion skull-cap].&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <p>
- Bradford states that they used their &ldquo;curtlaxes&rdquo; (cutlasses) to dig the
- frozen ground to get at the Indians&rsquo; corn, &ldquo;having forgotten to bring
- spade or mattock.&rdquo; &ldquo;Daggers&rdquo; are mentioned as used in their celebrated
- duel by Dotey and Leister, servants of Stephen Hopkins. Bradford narrates
- that on one of their exploring tours on the Cape the length of guard duty
- performed at night by each &ldquo;relief&rdquo; was determined by the inches of
- slow-match burned (&ldquo;every one standing when his turn came while five or
- six inches of match was burning&rdquo;), clearly indicating that they had no
- watches with them. The &ldquo;drum&rdquo; and &ldquo;trumpet&rdquo; are both mentioned in &ldquo;Mourt&rsquo;s
- Relation&rdquo; in the account given of Massasoit&rsquo;s reception, the latter as
- eliciting the especial attention of his men, and their efforts at blowing
- it.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Ordnance (cannon) brought in the ship consisted (probably) of ten
- guns, certainly of six. Of these, two (2) were &ldquo;sakers,&rdquo;&mdash;guns ten
- feet long of 3 to 4 inches bore, weighing from fifteen to eighteen hundred
- pounds each; two (2) were &ldquo;minions&rdquo; (or &ldquo;falcons&rdquo;),&mdash;guns of 3 1/2
- inch bore, weighing twelve hundred pounds (1200 lbs.) each; and two (2)
- were &ldquo;bases,&rdquo;&mdash;small guns of 1 1/4 inch bore, weighing some three
- hundred pounds (300 lbs.) each. These were mounted on &ldquo;the Hill&rdquo; fort or
- platform. It is probable that besides these were the four smallest cannon,
- called &ldquo;patereros&rdquo; (or &ldquo;murderers&rdquo;), which, at the time of De Rasiere&rsquo;s
- visit to Plymouth in 1627, were mounted on a platform (in front of the
- Governor&rsquo;s house), at the intersection of the two streets of the town, and
- commanded its several approaches. It is not likely that they were sent for
- after 1621, because the Adventurers were never in mood to send if asked,
- while Bradford, in speaking of the first alarm by the Indians, says, &ldquo;This
- caused us to plant our great ordnance in places most convenient,&rdquo; leaving
- a possible inference that they had smaller ordnance in reserve. With this
- ordnance was of course a proper supply of ammunition adapted to its use.
- The &ldquo;sakers&rdquo; are said to have carried a four-pound ball, the &ldquo;minions&rdquo; a
- three-pound ball, and the &ldquo;bases&rdquo; a ball of a pound weight. There is not
- entire agreement between authorities, in regard to the size, weight, and
- calibre of these different classes of early ordnance, or the weight of
- metal thrown by them, but the above are approximate data, gathered from
- careful comparison of the figures given by several. There is no doubt that
- with this heavy ordnance and ammunition they stowed among their ballast
- and dunnage (as was the case in Higginson&rsquo;s ships), their &ldquo;spare chains
- and anchors, chalk, bricks, sea-coal (for blacksmithing), iron, steel,
- lead, copper, red-lead, salt,&rdquo; etc.; all of which they also necessarily
- had, and from their bulk, character, and weight, would stow as low in the
- ship as might be.
- </p>
- <p>
- That a considerable &ldquo;stock of trading goods&rdquo; was included in the
- MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S lading is mentioned by at least one writer, and that this was
- a fact is confirmed by the records of the colonists&rsquo; dealings with the
- Indians, and the enumeration of not a few of the goods which could have
- had, for the most part, no other use or value. They consisted largely of
- knives, bracelets (bead and metal), rings, scissors, copper-chains, beads,
- &ldquo;blue and red trading cloth,&rdquo; cheap (glass) jewels (&ldquo;for the ears,&rdquo; etc.),
- small mirrors, clothing (e. g. &ldquo;red-cotton horseman&rsquo;s coats&mdash;laced,&rdquo;
- jerkins, blankets, etc.), shoes, &ldquo;strong waters,&rdquo; pipes, tobacco, tools
- and hard ware (hatchets, nails, hoes, fish-hooks, etc.), rugs, twine,
- nets, etc., etc. A fragment of one of the heavy hoes of the ancient
- pattern&mdash;&ldquo;found on the site of the Pilgrim trading house at Manomet&rdquo;&mdash;is
- owned by the Pilgrim Society, and speaks volumes of the labor performed by
- the Pilgrims, before they had ploughs and draught-cattle, in the raising
- of their wonderful crops of corn. Such was the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S burden,
- animate and inanimate, whe &mdash;the last passenger and the last piece of
- freight transferred from the SPEEDWELL&mdash;her anchor &ldquo;hove short,&rdquo; she
- swung with the tide in Plymouth roadstead, ready to depart at last for
- &ldquo;the Virginia plantations.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER IX
- </h2>
- <h3>
- THE JOURNAL OF THE SHIP MAY-FLOWER
- </h3>
- <p>
- Thomas Jones, Master, from London, England, towards &ldquo;Hudson&rsquo;s River&rdquo; in
- Virginia
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The voyage of the MAY-FLOWER began at London, as her consort&rsquo;s did
- at Delfshaven, and though, as incident to the tatter&rsquo;s brief career,
- we have been obliged to take note of some of the happenings to the
- larger ship and her company (at Southampton, etc.), out of due
- course and time, they have been recited only because of their
- insuperable relation to the consort and her company, and not as part
- of the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S own proper record]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, July 15/25, 1620
- Gravesend. Finished lading. Got
- passengers aboard and got under way for
- Southampton. Dropped down the Thames to
- Gravesend with the tide.
-
- [Vessels leaving the port of London always, in that day, &ldquo;dropped
- down with the tide,&rdquo; tug-boats being unknown, and sail-headway
- against the tide being difficult in the narrow river.]
-
- Masters Cushman and Martin, agents of the
- chartering&mdash;party, came aboard at London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, July 16/26
- Gravesend. Channel pilot aboard. Favoring
- wind.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, July 17/27
- In Channel. Course D.W. by W. Favoring
- wind.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, July 18/28
- In Channel. Southampton Water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, July 19/29
- Southampton Water. Arrived at Southampton
- and came to anchor.
-
- [Both ships undoubtedly lay at anchor a day or two, before hauling
- in to the quay. The MAY-FLOWER undoubtedly lay at anchor until
- after the SPEEDWELL arrived, to save expense]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, July 20/30
- Lying at Southampton off north end of &ldquo;West
- Quay.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, July 21/31
- Lying at Southampton. Masters Carver,
- Cushman, and Martin, three of the agents
- here. Outfitting ship, taking in lading,
- and getting ready for sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, July 22/Aug 1
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, July 23/Aug 2
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, July 24/Aug 3
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, July 25/Aug 4
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Waiting for
- consort to arrive from Holland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, July 26/Aug 5
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Pinnace
- SPEEDWELL, 60 tons, Reynolds, Master, from
- Delfshaven, July 22, consort to this ship,
- arrived in harbor, having on board some 70
- passengers and lading for Virginia. She
- came to anchor off north end &ldquo;West Quay.&rdquo;
- </pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, July 27/Aug. 6
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, SPEEDWELL
- warped to berth at Quay near the ship, to
- transfer lading.
-
- [Some of the cargo of the SPEEDWELL is understood to have been here
- transferred to the larger ship; doubtless the cheese, &ldquo;Hollands,&rdquo;
- and other provisions, ordered, as noted, by Cushman]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, July 28/Aug. 7
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, Much parleying
- and discontent among the passengers.
-
- [Bradford gives an account of the bickering and recrimination at
- Southampton, when all parties had arrived. Pastor Robinson had
- rather too strenuously given instructions, which it now began to be
- seen were not altogether wise. Cushman was very much censured, and
- there was evidently some acrimony. See Cushman&rsquo;s Dartmouth letter
- of August 17 to Edward Southworth, Bradford&rsquo;s Historie, Mass. ed.
- p. 86.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, July 29/Aug. 8
- Lying at Quay, Southampton. Some of the
- passengers transferred from SPEEDWELL and
- some to her. Master Christopher Martin
- chosen by passengers their &ldquo;Governour&rdquo; for
- the voyage to order them by the way, see to
- the disposing of their pro visions, etc.
- Master Robert Cushman chosen &ldquo;Assistant.&rdquo;
- The ship ready for sea this day, but
- obliged to lie here on account of leakiness
- of consort, which is forced to retrim. Ship
- has now 90 passengers and consort 30.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, July 30/Aug. 9
- Lying at Southampton.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, July 31/Aug. 10
- Lying at Southampton. Letters received for
- passengers from Holland. One from the
- Leyden Pastor [Robinson] read out to the
- company that came from that place.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 1/Aug. 11
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. SPEEDWELL
- retrimmed a second time to overcome
- leakiness.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 2/Aug. 12
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Master
- Weston, principal agent of the Merchants
- setting out the voyage, came up from Lon
- don to see the ships dispatched, but, on
- the refusal of the Planters to sign certain
- papers, took offence and returned to London
- in displeasure, bidding them &ldquo;stand on
- their own legs,&rdquo; etc.
-
- [The two &ldquo;conditions&rdquo; which Weston had changed in the proposed
- agreement between the Adventurers and Planters, the Leyden leaders
- refused to agree to. Bradford, op cit. p. 61. He says: &ldquo;But they
- refused to sign, and answered him that he knew right well that these
- were not according to the first Agreement.&rdquo; Dr. Griffis has made
- one of those little slips common to all writers&mdash;though perfectly
- conversant with the facts&mdash;in stating as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, etc. p. 158), with reference to the new
- &ldquo;conditions&rdquo; which some blamed Cushman for assenting to, as &ldquo;more
- fit for thieves and slaves than for honest men,&rdquo; that, &ldquo;nevertheless
- they consented to them;&rdquo; while on p. 169 he says &ldquo;The SPEEDWELL
- people [i.e. the Leyden leaders would not agree with the new
- conditions, without the consent of those left behind in Leyden.&rdquo;
-
- The fact is that the Pilgrims did not assent to the new conditions,
- unwarrantably imposed by Weston, though of small consequence in any
- view of the case, until Cushman came over to New Plymouth in the
- FORTUNE, in 1621, and by dint of his sermon on the &ldquo;Sin and Danger
- of Self-Love,&rdquo; and his persuasion, induced them (they being also
- advised thereto by Robinson) to sign them. All business up to this
- time had been done between the Adventurers and the Pilgrims,
- apparently, without any agreement in writing. It was probably felt,
- both by Robinson and the Plymouth leaders, that it was the least
- reparation they could make Cushman for their cruel and unjust
- treatment of him, realizing at length that, through all
- vicissitudes, he had proven their just, sagacious, faithful, and
- efficient friend. There does not appear to be any conclusive
- evidence that any articles of agreement between the Adventurers and
- colonists were signed before the MAY-FLOWER Sailed.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 3/Aug. 13
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. After
- Master Weston&rsquo;s departure, the Planters had
- a meeting and resolved to sell some of such
- stores as they could best spare, to clear
- port charges, etc., and to write a general
- letter to the Adventurers explaining the
- case, which they did. Landed some three
- score firkins of butter, sold as
- determined.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Aug. 4/Aug. 14
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Consort
- nearly ready for sea. Heard that the
- King&rsquo;s warrant had issued to Sir James
- Coventry, under date of July 23, to prepare
- a Patent for the Council for the Affairs of
- New England to supersede the Plymouth
- Virginia Company, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and
- Sir Robert Rich the Earl of Warwick among
- the Patentees.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 5/Aug. 15
- Weighed anchor, as did consort, and in
- company dropped down Southampton Water.
- Took departure from Cowes, Isle of Wight,
- and laid course down the Solent to Channel.
- Winds baffling. General course S.W. by S.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 6/Aug. 16
- Head winds. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In Company. Passed Bill of
- Portland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 7/Aug. 17
- Wind contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 8/Aug. 18
- Wind still contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9/Aug. 19
- Wind ahead. Beating down Channel. Consort
- in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 10/20
- Wind fair. All sail set. SPEEDWELL in
- company. Signalled by consort, which hove
- to. Found to be leaking badly. On
- consultation of Masters and chief of
- passengers of both ships, it was concluded
- that both should put into Dartmouth, being
- nearest port. Laid course for Dartmouth
- with wind ahead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 11/21
- Wind ahead. Bearing up to Dartmouth.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 12/22
- Made port at Dartmouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company, and came to anchor in harbor.
-
- [Bradford, op. cit. Deane&rsquo;s ed. p. 68, note. Russell (Pilgrim
- Memorials, p. 15) says: &ldquo;The ships put back into Dartmouth, August
- 13/23.&rdquo; Goodwin (op. cit. p. 55) says: &ldquo;The port was reached
- about August 23.&rdquo; Captain John Smith strangely omits the return of
- the ships to Dartmouth, and confuses dates, as he says &ldquo;But the next
- day after leaving Southampton the lesser ship sprung a leak that
- forced their return to Plymouth,&rdquo; etc. Smith, New England&rsquo;s Trials,
- 2d ed. 1622. Cushman&rsquo;s letter, written the 17th, says they had
- then lain there &ldquo;four days,&rdquo; which would mean, if four full days,
- the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 13/23
- Lying at anchor with SPEEDWELL leaking
- badly in Dartmouth harbor. No passengers,
- except leaders, allowed ashore.
-
- [Cushman in his letter to Edward Southworth, written at Dartmouth,
- August 17, says that Martin, the &ldquo;governour&rdquo; of the passengers in
- the MAY-FLOWER, &ldquo;will not suffer them the passengers to go, ashore
- lest they should run away.&rdquo; This probably applied especially to
- such as had become disaffected by the delays and disasters, the
- apprenticed (&ldquo;bound&rdquo;) servants, etc. Of course no responsible
- colonist would be thus restrained for the reason alleged.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 14/24
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL at Quay taking out lading for
- thorough overhauling.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 15/25
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16/26
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL being thoroughly overhauled for
- leaks. Pronounced &ldquo;as open and leaky as a
- sieve.&rdquo; Much dissatisfaction between the
- passengers, and discontent with the ship&rsquo;s
- &ldquo;governour&rdquo; Master Martin, between whom
- and Mr. Cushman, the &ldquo;assistant,&rdquo; there is
- constant disagreement.
-
- [Cushman portrays the contemptible character and manner of Martin
- very sharply, and could not have wished to punish him worse for his
- meannesses than he has, by thus holding him up to the scorn of the
- world, for all time. He says, &lsquo;inter alia&rsquo;: &ldquo;If I speak to him, he
- flies in my face and saith no complaints shall be heard or received
- but by himself, and saith: &lsquo;They are froward, and waspish,
- discontented people, and I do ill to hear them.&rsquo;&rdquo;]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 17/27
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- being searched and mended. Sailors offended
- at Master Martin because of meddling.
-
- [Cushman&rsquo;s letter, Dartmouth, August 17. He says: &ldquo;The sailors also
- are so offended at his ignorant boldness in meddling and controling
- in things he knows not what belongs to, as that some threaten to
- mischief him . . . . But at best this cometh of it, that he
- makes himself a scorn and laughing stock unto them.&rdquo;]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Aug. 18/28
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- still repairing. Judged by workmen that
- mended her sufficient for the voyage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 19/29
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL relading.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 20/30
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 21/31
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- relading.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 22/Sept. 1
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Both
- ships ready for sea.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Deane&rsquo;s ed. p. 68. He says: &ldquo;Some leaks were
- found and mended and now it was conceived by the workmen and all,
- that she was sufficient, and they might proceed without either fear
- or danger.&rdquo; Bradford shows (op. cit. p. 69) note that they must
- have left Dartmouth &ldquo;about the 21st&rdquo; of August. Captain John Smith
- gives that date, though somewhat confusedly. Arber (the Story of
- the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 343 says: &ldquo;They actually left on 23 August.&rdquo;
- Goodwin (Pilgrim Republic, p. 55) says : &ldquo;Ten days were spent in
- discharging and re-stowing the SPEEDWELL and repairing her from stem
- to stern,&rdquo; etc.)]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23/Sept. 2
- Weighed anchor, as did consort. Laid
- course W.S.W. Ships in company. Wind
- fair.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 24/Sept. 3
- Comes in with wind fair. General course
- W.S.W. Consort in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Aug. 25/Sept. 4
- Comes in with wind fair. Course W.S.W.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Aug. 26/Sept. 5
- Observations showed ship above 100 leagues
- W.S.W. of Land&rsquo;s End. SPEEDWELL signalled
- and hove to. Reported leaking dangerously.
- On consultation between Masters and
- carpenters of both ships, it was concluded
- to put back into Plymouth&mdash;Bore up for
- Plymouth. Consort in company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Aug. 27/Sept. 6
- Ship on course for Plymouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Aug. 28/Sept. 7
- Made Plymouth harbor, and came to anchor in
- the Catwater, followed by consort.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- At anchor in roadstead. At conference of
- officers of ship and consort and the chief
- of the Planters, it was decided to send the
- SPEEDWELL back to London with some 18 or 20
- of her passengers, transferring a dozen or
- more, with part of her lading, to the
- MAY-FLOWER.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead off the
- Barbican. Transferring passengers and
- lading from consort, lying near by.
- Weather fine.
-
- [Goodwin notes (Pilgrim Republic, p. 57) that &ldquo;it was fortunate for
- the overloaded MAY-FLOWER that she had fine weather while lying at
- anchor there, . . . for the port of Plymouth was then only a
- shallow, open bay, with no protection. In southwesterly gales its
- waters rose into enormous waves, with such depressions between that
- ships while anchored sometimes struck the bottom of the harbor and
- were dashed in pieces.&rdquo;]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Aug. 31/Sept. 10
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring cargo from SPEEDWELL.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Sept. 1/Sept. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring passengers and freight to and
- from consort. Master Cushman and family,
- Master Blossom and son, William Ring, and
- others with children, going back to London
- in SPEEDWELL. All Of SPEEDWELL&rsquo;S
- passengers who are to make the voyage now
- aboard. New &ldquo;governour&rdquo; of ship and
- assistants chosen. Master Carver
- &ldquo;governour.&rdquo;
-
- [We have seen that Christopher Martin was made &ldquo;governour&rdquo; of the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER for the voyage, and Cushman
- &ldquo;assistant.&rdquo; It is evident from Cushman&rsquo;s oft-quoted letter (see
- ante) that Martin became obnoxious, before the ship reached
- Dartmouth, to both passengers and crew. It is also evident that
- when the emigrants were all gathered in the MAY-FLOWER there was a
- new choice of officers (though no record is found of it), as Cushman
- vacated his place and went back to London, and we find that, as
- noted before, on November 11 the colonists &ldquo;confirmed&rdquo; John Carver
- as their &ldquo;governour,&rdquo; showing that he had been such hitherto.
- Doubtless Martin was deposed at Southampton (perhaps put into
- Cushman&rsquo;s vacant place, and Carver made &ldquo;governour&rdquo; in his stead.)]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Sept. 2/Sept. 12
- At anchor, Plymouth roadstead. Some of
- principal passengers entertained ashore by
- friends of their faith. SPEEDWELL sailed
- for London. Quarters assigned, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Sept. 3/Sept. 13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Sept. 4/Sept. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Some Of
- company ashore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Sept. 5/Sept. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Ready for
- sea.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Sept. 6/Sept. 16
- Weighed anchor. Wind E.N.E., a fine gale.
- Laid course W.S.W. for northern coasts of
- Virginia.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Sept. 7/Sept. 17
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Light gale
- continues. Made all sail on ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Sept. 8/Sept. 18
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale continues.
- All sails full.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Sept. 9/Sept. 19
- Comes in with wind E.N E. Gale holds.
- Ship well off the land.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Sept. 10/Sept. 20
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale holds.
- Distance lost, when ship bore up for
- Plymouth, more than regained.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Sept. 11/Sept. 21
- Same; and so without material change, the
- daily record of wind, weather, and the
- ship&rsquo;s general course&mdash;the repetition of
- which would be both useless and wearisome
- &mdash;continued through the month and until the
- vessel was near half the seas over. Fine
- warm weather and the &ldquo;harvest-moon.&rdquo; The
- usual equinoctial weather deferred.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Sept. 23/Oct. 3
- One of the seamen, some time sick with a
- grievous disease, died in a desperate manner.
- The first death and burial at sea of the
- voyage.
-
- [We can readily imagine this first burial at sea on the MAY FLOWER,
- and its impressiveness. Doubtless the good Elder &ldquo;committed the
- body to the deep&rdquo; with fitting ceremonial, for though the young man
- was of the crew, and not of the Pilgrim company, his reverence for
- death and the last rites of Christian burial would as surely impel
- him to offer such services, as the rough, buccaneering Master (Jones
- would surely be glad to evade them).
-
- Dr. Griffis (The Pilgrims in their Three Homes, p. 176) says &ldquo;The
- Puritans [does this mean Pilgrims ?] cared next to nothing about
- ceremonies over a corpse, whether at wave or grave.&rdquo; This will
- hardly bear examination, though Bradford&rsquo;s phraseology in this case
- would seem to support it, as he speaks of the body as &ldquo;thrown
- overboard;&rdquo; yet it is not to be supposed that it was treated quite
- so indecorously as the words would imply. It was but a few years
- after, certainly, that we find both Pilgrim and Puritan making much
- ceremony at burials. We find considerable ceremony at Carver&rsquo;s
- burial only a few months later. Choate, in his masterly oration at
- New York, December 22, 1863, pictures Brewster&rsquo;s service at the open
- grave of one of the Pilgrims in March, 1621.]
-
- A sharp change. Equinoctial weather,
- followed by stormy westerly gales;
- encountered cross winds and continued
- fierce storms. Ship shrewdly shaken and
- her upper works made very leaky. One of
- the main beams in the midships was bowed
- and cracked. Some fear that the ship could
- not be able to perform the voyage. The
- chief of the company perceiving the
- mariners to fear the sufficiency of the
- ship (as appeared by their mutterings) they
- entered into serious consultation with the
- Master and other officers of the ship, to
- consider, in time, of the danger, and
- rather to return than to cast themselves
- into a desperate and inevitable peril.
-
- There was great distraction and difference
- of opinion amongst the mariners themselves.
- Fain would they do what would be done for
- their wages&rsquo; sake, being now near half the
- seas over; on the other hand, they were
- loath to hazard their lives too
- desperately. In examining of all opinions,
- the Master and others affirmed they knew
- the ship to be strong and firm under water,
- and for the buckling bending or bowing of
- the main beam, there was a great iron scrue
- the passengers brought out of Holland which
- would raise the beam into its place. The
- which being done, the carpenter and Master
- affirmed that a post put under it, set firm
- in the lower deck, and otherwise bound,
- would make it sufficient. As for the decks
- and upper works, they would caulk them as
- well as they could; and though with the
- working of the ship they would not long
- keep staunch, yet there would otherwise be
- no great danger if they did not overpress
- her with sails. So they resolved to
- proceed.
-
- In sundry of these stormes, the winds were
- so fierce and the seas so high, as the ship
- could not bear a knot of sail, but was
- forced to hull drift under bare poles for
- divers days together. A succession of
- strong westerly gales. In one of the
- heaviest storms, while lying at hull, [hove
- to D.W.] a lusty young man, one of the
- passengers, John Howland by name, coming
- upon some occasion above the gratings
- latticed covers to the hatches, was with
- the seel [roll] of the ship thrown into the
- sea, but caught hold of the topsail
- halliards, which hung overboard and ran out
- at length; yet he held his hold, though he
- was sundry fathoms under water, till he was
- hauled up by the same rope to the brim of
- the water, and then with a boathook and
- other means got into the ship again and his
- life saved. He was something ill with it.
-
- The equinoctial disturbances over and the
- strong October gales, the milder, warmer
- weather of late October followed.
-
- Mistress Elizabeth Hopkins, wife of Master
- Stephen Hopkins, of Billericay, in Essex,
- was delivered of a son, who, on account of
- the circumstances of his birth, was named
- Oceanus, the first birth aboard the ship
- during the voyage.
-
- A succession of fine days, with favoring
- winds.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 6/16
- William Butten; a youth, servant to Doctor
- Samuel Fuller, died. The first of the
- passengers to die on this voyage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 7/17
- The body of William Butten committed to the
- deep. The first burial at sea of a
- passenger, on this voyage.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 8/18
- Signs of land.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY Nov. 9/19
- Closing in with the land at nightfall.
- Sighted land at daybreak. The landfall
- made out to be Cape Cod the bluffs [in what
- is now the town of Truro, Mass.]. After a
- conference between the Master of the ship
- and the chief colonists, tacked about and
- stood for the southward. Wind and weather
- fair. Made our course S.S.W., continued
- proposing to go to a river ten leagues
- south of the Cape Hudson&rsquo;s River. After
- had sailed that course about half the day
- fell amongst dangerous shoals and foaming
- breakers [the shoals off Monomoy] got out of
- them before night and the wind being
- contrary put round again for the Bay of
- Cape Cod. Abandoned efforts to go further
- south and so announced to passengers.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 93) says: &ldquo;They resolved to bear
- up again for the Cape.&rdquo; No one will question that Jones&rsquo;s assertion
- of inability to proceed, and his announced determination to return
- to Cape Cod harbor, fell upon many acquiescent ears, for, as Winslow
- says: &ldquo;Winter was come; the seas were dangerous; the season was
- cold; the winds were high, and the region being well furnished for a
- plantation, we entered upon discovery.&rdquo; Tossed for sixty-seven days
- on the north Atlantic at that season of the year, their food and
- firing well spent, cold, homesick, and ill, the bare thought of once
- again setting foot on any land, wherever it might be, must have been
- an allurement that lent Jones potential aid in his high-handed
- course.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY Nov. 11/21
- Comes in with light, fair wind. On course
- for Cape Cod harbor, along the coast. Some
- hints of disaffection among colonists, on
- account of abandonment of location
-
- [Bradford (in Mourt&rsquo;s Relation) says: &ldquo;This day before we come to
- harbor Italics the author&rsquo;s, observing some not well affected to
- unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was
- thought good there should be an Association and Agreement that we
- should combine together in one body; and to submit to such
- Government and Governors as we should, by common consent, agree to
- make and choose, and set our hands to this that follows word for
- word.&rdquo; Then follows the Compact. Bradford is even more explicit in
- his Historie (Mass. ed. p. 109), where he says: &ldquo;I shall a little
- returne backe and begin with a combination made by them before they
- came ashore, being ye first foundation of their governments in this
- place; occasioned partly by ye discontent &amp; mutinous speeches that
- some of the strangers amongst them [i.e. not any of the Leyden
- contingent had let fall from them in ye ship&mdash;That when they came
- ashore they would use their owne libertie: for none had power to
- command them, the patents they had being for Virginia, and not for
- New-England which belonged to another Government, with which ye
- London [or First Virginia Company had nothing to doe, and partly
- that such an acte by them done . . . might be as firm as any
- patent, and in some respects more sure.&rdquo; Dr. Griffis is hardly
- warranted in making Bradford to say, as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, p. 182), that &ldquo;there were a few people I
- &lsquo;shuffled&rsquo; in upon them the company who were probably unmitigated
- scoundrels.&rdquo; Bradford speaks only of Billington and his family as
- those &ldquo;shuffled into their company,&rdquo; and while he was not improbably
- one of the agitators (with Hopkins) who were the proximate causes of
- the drawing up of the Compact, he was not, in this case, the
- responsible leader. It is evident from the foregoing that the
- &ldquo;appearance of faction&rdquo; did not show itself until the vessel&rsquo;s prow
- was turned back toward Cape Cod Harbor, and it became apparent that
- the effort to locate &ldquo;near Hudson&rsquo;s River&rdquo; was to be abandoned, and
- a location found north of 41 degrees north latitude, which would
- leave them without charter rights or authority of any kind. It is
- undoubtedly history that Master Stephen Hopkins,&mdash;then &ldquo;a
- lay-reader&rdquo; for Chaplain Buck,&mdash;on Sir Thomas Gates&rsquo;s expedition to
- Virginia, had, when some of them were cast away on the Bermudas,
- advocated just such sentiments&mdash;on the same basis&mdash;as were now
- bruited upon the MAY-FLOWER, and it could hardly have been
- coincidence only that the same were repeated here. That Hopkins
- fomented the discord is well-nigh certain. It caused him, as
- elsewhere noted, to receive sentence of death for insubordination,
- at the hands of Sir Thomas Gates, in the first instance, from which
- his pardon was with much difficulty procured by his friends. In the
- present case, it led to the drafting and execution of the Pilgrim
- Compact, a framework of civil self-government whose fame will never
- die; though the author is in full accord with Dr. Young (Chronicles,
- p. 120) in thinking that &ldquo;a great deal more has been discovered in
- this document than the signers contemplated,&rdquo;&mdash;wonderfully
- comprehensive as it is. Professor Herbert B. Adams, of Johns
- Hopkins University, says in his admirable article in the Magazine of
- American History, November, 1882 (pp&mdash;798 799): &ldquo;The fundamental
- idea of this famous document was that of a contract based upon the
- common law of England,&rdquo;&mdash;certainly a stable and ancient basis of
- procedure. Their Dutch training (as Griffis points out) had also
- led naturally to such ideas of government as the Pilgrims adopted.
- It is to be feared that Griffis&rsquo;s inference (The Pilgrims in their
- Three Homes, p. 184), that all who signed the Compact could write,
- is unwarranted. It is more than probable that if the venerated
- paper should ever be found, it would show that several of those
- whose names are believed to have been affixed to it &ldquo;made their
- &lsquo;mark.&rsquo;&rdquo; There is good reason, also, to believe that neither
- &ldquo;sickness&rdquo; (except unto death) nor &ldquo;indifference&rdquo; would have
- prevented the ultimate obtaining of the signatures (by &ldquo;mark,&rdquo; if
- need be) of every one of the nine male servants who did not
- subscribe, if they were considered eligible. Severe illness was, we
- know, answerable for the absence of a few, some of whom died a few
- days later.
-
- The fact seems rather to be, as noted, that age&mdash;not social status
- was the determining factor as to all otherwise eligible. It is
- evident too, that the fact was recognized by all parties (by none so
- clearly as by Master Jones) that they were about to plant themselves
- on territory not within the jurisdiction of their steadfast friends,
- the London Virginia Company, but under control of those formerly of
- the Second (Plymouth) Virginia Company, who (by the intelligence
- they received while at Southampton) they knew would be erected into
- the &ldquo;Council for the Affairs of New England.&rdquo; Goodwin is in error
- in saying (Pilgrim Republic, p. 62), &ldquo;Neither did any other body
- exercise authority there;&rdquo; for the Second Virginia Company under Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges, as noted, had been since 1606 in control of this
- region, and only a week before the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod (i.e.
- on November 3) King James had signed the patent of the Council for
- New England, giving them full authority over all territory north of
- the forty-first parallel of north latitude, as successors to the
- Second Virginia Company. If the intention to land south of the
- forty-first parallel had been persisted in, there would, of course,
- have been no occasion for the Compact, as the patent to John Pierce
- (in their interest) from the London Virginia Company would have been
- in force. The Compact became a necessity, therefore, only when they
- turned northward to make settlement above 41 deg. north latitude.
- Hence it is plain that as no opportunity for &ldquo;faction&rdquo;&mdash;and so no
- occasion for any &ldquo;Association and Agreement&rdquo;&mdash;existed till the
- MAY-FLOWER turned northward, late in the afternoon of Friday,
- November to, the Compact was not drawn and presented for signature
- until the morning of Saturday, November 11. Bradford&rsquo;s language,
- &ldquo;This day, before we came into harbour,&rdquo; leaves no room for doubt
- that it was rather hurriedly drafted&mdash;and also signed&mdash;before noon
- of the 11th. That they had time on this winter Saturday&mdash;hardly
- three weeks from the shortest day in the year&mdash;to reach and
- encircle the harbor; secure anchorage; get out boats; arm, equip,
- and land two companies of men; make a considerable march into the
- land; cut firewood; and get all aboard again before dark, indicates
- that they must have made the harbor not far from noon. These facts
- serve also to correct another error of traditional Pilgrim history,
- which has been commonly current, and into which Davis falls
- (Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth, p. 60), viz. that the Compact was
- signed &ldquo;in the harbor of Cape Cod.&rdquo; It is noticeable that the
- instrument itself simply says, &ldquo;Cape Cod,&rdquo; not &ldquo;Cape Cod harbour,&rdquo;
- as later they were wont to say. The leaders clearly did not mean
- to get to port till there was a form of law and authority.]
-
- for settlement on territory under the
- protection of the patent granted in their
- interest to John Pierce, by the London
- Virginia Company.
-
- [The patent granted John Pierce, one of the Merchant Adventurers,
- by the London Virginia Company in the interest of the Pilgrims,
- was signed February 2/12, 1619, and of course could convey no rights
- to, or upon, territory not conveyed to the Company by its charter
- from the King issued in 1606, and the division of territory made
- thereunder to the Second Virginia Company. By this division the
- London Company was restricted northward by the 41st parallel, as
- noted, while the Second Company could not claim the 38th as its
- southern bound, as the charter stipulated that the nearest
- settlements under the respective companies should not be within one
- hundred miles of each other.]
-
- Meeting in main cabin of all adult male
- passengers except their two hired seamen,
- Trevore and Ely, and those too ill&mdash;to make
- and sign a mutual &lsquo;Compact&rdquo;
-
- [The Compact is too well known to require reprinting here (see
- Appendix); but a single clause of it calls for comment in this
- connection. In it the framers recite that, &ldquo;Having undertaken to
- plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia,&rdquo; etc.
- From this phraseology it would appear that they here used the words
- &ldquo;northern parts of Virginia&rdquo; understandingly, and with a new
- relation and significance, from their connection with the words &ldquo;the
- first colony in,&rdquo; for such declaration could have no force or truth
- except as to the region north of 41 deg. north latitude. They knew,
- of course, of the colonies in Virginia under Gates, Wingfield,
- Smith, Raleigh, and others (Hopkins having been with Gates), and
- that, though there had been brief attempts at settlements in the
- &ldquo;northern plantations,&rdquo; there were none there then, and that hence
- theirs would be in a sense &ldquo;the first,&rdquo; especially if considered
- with reference to the new Council for New England. The region of
- the Hudson had heretofore been included in the term &ldquo;northern parts
- of Virginia,&rdquo; although in the southern Company&rsquo;s limit; but a new
- meaning was now designedly given to the words as used in the
- Compact, and New England was contemplated. ]
-
- to regulate their civil government. This
- done, they confirmed Master Carver their
- &ldquo;governour&rdquo; in the ship on the voyage,
- their &ldquo;governour&rdquo; for the year. Bore up
- for the Cape, and by short tacks made the
- Cape [Paomet, now Provincetown] Harbor,
- coming to an anchorage a furlong within the
- point. The bay so circular that before
- coming to anchor the ship boxed the compass
- [i.e. went clear around all points of it].
-
- Let go anchors three quarters of an English
- mile off shore, because of shallow water,
- sixty-seven days from Plymouth (Eng.),
- eighty-one days from Dartmouth, ninety-nine
- days from Southampton, and one hundred and
- twenty from London. Got out the long-boat
- and set ashore an armed party of fifteen or
- sixteen in armor, and some to fetch wood,
- having none left, landing them on the long
- point or neck, toward the sea.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p258.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The strip of land now known as Long Point, Provincetown (Mass.)
- harbor.]
- Those going ashore were forced to wade a
- bow-shot or two in going aland. The party
- sent ashore returned at night having seen
- no person or habitation, having laded the
- boat with juniper wood.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Nov. 12/22
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. All hands
- piped to service. Weather mild.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Nov. 13/23
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor, unshipped the
- shallop and drew her on land to mend and
- repair her.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 97) says: &ldquo;Having brought a large
- shallop with them out of England, stowed in quarters in ye ship they
- now gott her out and sett their carpenters to worke to trime her up:
- but being much brused and shatered in ye ship with foule weather,
- they saw she sould be longe in mending.&rdquo; In &lsquo;Mourt&rsquo;s Relation&rsquo; he
- says: &ldquo;Monday, the 13th of November, we unshipped our shallop and
- drew her on land to mend and repair her, having been forced to cut
- her down, in bestowing her betwixt the decks, and she was much
- opened, with the peoples lying in her, which kept us long there: for
- it was sixteen or seventeen days before the Carpenter had finished
- her.&rdquo; Goodwin says she was &ldquo;a sloop-rigged craft of twelve or
- fifteen tons.&rdquo; There is an intimation of Bradford that she was
- &ldquo;about thirty feet long.&rdquo; It is evident from Bradford&rsquo;s account
- (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 105) of her stormy entrance to Plymouth
- harbor that the shallop had but one mast, as he says &ldquo;But herewith
- they broake their mast in 3 pieces and their saill fell overboard in
- a very grown sea.&rdquo;]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Many went ashore to refresh themselves, and
- the women to wash.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Nov. 14/24
- Lying at anchor. Carpenter at work on
- shallop. Arms and accoutrements being got
- ready for an exploring party inland.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15/25
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Master and
- boat&rsquo;s crew went ashore, followed in the
- afternoon by an armed party of sixteen men
- under command of Captain Myles Standish.
- Masters William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins,
- and Edward Tilley being joined to him for
- council. The party to be gone from the
- ship a day or two. Weather mild and ground
- not frozen.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Nov. 16/26
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Exploring party
- still absent from ship. Weather continues
- open.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Nov. 17/27
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Weather open.
- Saw signal-fire on the other side of bay
- this morning, built by exploring party as
- arranged. The Master, Governor Carver, and
- many of the company ashore in afternoon,
- and met exploring party there on their
- return to ship. Hearing their signal-guns
- before they arrived at the shore, sent
- long-boat to fetch them aboard. They
- reported seeing Indians and following them
- ten miles without coming up to them the
- first afternoon out, and the next day found
- store of corn buried, and a big ship&rsquo;s
- kettle, which they brought to the ship with
- much corn. Also saw deer and found
- excellent water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Nov. 18/28
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Planters
- helving tools, etc. Carpenter at work on
- shallop, which takes more labor than at
- first supposed. Weather still moderate.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Nov. 19/29
- At anchor, Gape Cod harbor. Second Sunday
- in harbor. Services aboard ship. Seamen
- ashore. Change in weather. Colder.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Nov. 20/30
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter and
- others at work on shallop, getting out
- stock for a new shallop, helving tools,
- making articles needed, etc.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Nov. 21/Dec. 1
- At anchor in harbor. Much inconvenienced
- in going ashore. Can only go and come at
- high water except by wading, from which
- many have taken coughs and colds.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22/Dec. 2
- At anchor in harbor. Weather cold and
- stormy, having changed suddenly.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Nov. 23/Dec. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and stormy.
- Work progressing on shallop.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Nov. 24/Dec. 4
- At anchor in harbor. Continues cold and
- stormy.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Nov. 25/Dec. 5
- At anchor in harbor. Weather same. Work
- on shallop pretty well finished and she can
- be used, though more remains to be done.
- Another exploration getting ready for
- Monday. Master and crew anxious to unlade
- and return for England. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Nov. 26/Dec. 6
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Third Sunday
- here. Master notified Planters that they
- must find permanent location and that he
- must and would keep sufficient supplies for
- ship&rsquo;s company and their return.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 96. The doubt as to how the
- ship&rsquo;s and the colonists&rsquo; provisions were divided and held is again
- suggested here. It is difficult, however, to understand how the
- Master &ldquo;must and would&rdquo; retain provisions with his small force
- against the larger, if it came to an issue of strength between Jones
- and Standish.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Nov. 27/Dec. 7
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Rough weather
- and cross winds. The Planters determined
- to send out a strong exploring party, and
- invited the Master of the ship to join them
- and go as leader, which he agreed continued
- to, and offered nine of the crew and the
- long-boat, which were accepted. Of the
- colonists there were four-and-twenty,
- making the party in all four-and-thirty.
- Wind so strong that setting out from the
- ship the shallop and long-boat were obliged
- to row to the nearest shore and the men to
- wade above the knees to land. The wind
- proved so strong that the shallop was
- obliged to harbor where she landed. Mate
- in charge of ship. Blowed and snowed all
- day and at night, and froze withal.
- Mistress White delivered of a son which is
- called &ldquo;Peregrine.&rdquo; The second child born
- on the voyage, the first in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Nov. 28/Dec. 8
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Master
- Jones and exploring party absent on shore
- with long-boat and colonists&rsquo; shallop. The
- latter, which beached near ship yesterday
- in a strong wind and harbored there last
- night, got under way this morning and
- sailed up the harbor, following the course
- taken by the long-boat yesterday, the wind
- favoring. Six inches of snow fell
- yesterday and last night. Crew at work
- clearing snow from ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29/Dec. 9
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Foul
- weather threatening. Master Jones with
- sixteen men in the long-boat and shallop
- came aboard towards night (eighteen men
- remaining ashore), bringing also about ten
- bushels of Indian corn which had been found
- buried. The Master reports a long march,
- the exploration of two creeks, great
- numbers of wild fowl, the finding of much
- corn and beans,&rsquo; etc.
-
- [This seems to be the first mention of beans (in early Pilgrim
- literature) as indigenous (presumably) to New England. They have
- held an important place in her dietary ever since.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Nov. 30/Dec. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Sent shallop to head
- of harbor with mattocks and spades, as
- desired by those ashore, the seamen taking
- their muskets also. The shallop came
- alongside at nightfall with the rest of the
- explorers&mdash;the tide being out&mdash;bringing a
- lot of Indian things, baskets, pottery,
- wicker-ware, etc., discovered in two graves
- and sundry Indian houses they found after
- the Master left them. They report ground
- frozen a foot deep.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 1/11
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- finishing work on shallop. Colonists
- discussing locations visited, as places for
- settlement.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 2/12
- At anchor in harbor. Much discussion among
- colonists as to settlement, the Master
- insisting on a speedy determination.
- Whales playing about the ship in
- considerable numbers. One lying within
- half a musket-shot of the ship, two of the
- Planters shot at her, but the musket of the
- one who gave fire first blew in pieces both
- stock and barrel, yet no one was hurt.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 3/13
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fourth
- Sunday here. Scarce any of those aboard
- free from vehement coughs, some very ill.
- Weather very variable.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 4/14
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- completing repairs on shallop. Much
- discussion of plans for settlement. The
- Master urging that the Planters should
- explore with their shallop at some
- distance, declining in such season to stir
- from the present anchorage till a safe
- harbor is discovered by them where they
- would be and he might go without danger.
- This day died Edward Thompson, a servant of
- Master William White, the first to die
- aboard the ship since she anchored in the
- harbor. Burying-party sent ashore after
- services to bury him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Francis Billington, a
- young son of one of the passengers, put the
- ship and all in great jeopardy, by shooting
- off a fowling-piece in his father&rsquo;s cabin
- between decks where there was a small
- barrel of powder open, and many people
- about the fire close by. None hurt.
- Weather cold and foul.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Very cold, bad
- weather. This day died Jasper More, a lad
- bound to Governor Carver. The second death
- in the harbor. The third exploring party
- got away from the ship in the afternoon in
- the shallop, intent on finding a harbor
- recommended by the second mate, Robert
- Coppin, who had visited it. Captain
- Standish in command, with whom were
- Governor Carver, Masters Bradford, Winslow,
- John Tilley and Edward Tilley, Warren and
- Hopkins, John Howland, Edward Dotey, and
- two of the colonists&rsquo; seamen, Alderton and
- English, and of the ship&rsquo;s company, the
- mates Clarke and Coppin, the master-gunner
- and three sailors, eighteen in all. The
- shallop was a long time getting clear of
- the point, having to row, but at last got
- up her sails and out of the harbor. Sent
- burying-party ashore with body of little
- More boy, after services aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 7/17
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. This day
- Mistress Dorothy Bradford, wife of Master
- Bradford, who is away with the exploring
- party to the westward, fell over board and
- was drowned.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. A strong south-east
- gale with heavy rain, turning to snow and
- growing cold toward night, as it cleared.
- This day Master James Chilton died aboard
- the ship. The third passenger, and first
- head of a family; to die in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 9/19
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party sent
- ashore after services aboard, to bury
- Chilton. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [The death of Chilton was the first of the head of a family, and it
- may readily be imagined that the burial was an especially affecting
- scene, especially as following so closely upon the tragic death of
- Mrs. Bradford (for whom no funeral or burial arrangements are
- mentioned?? D.W.)]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 10/20
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fifth
- Sunday in this harbor. The exploring party
- still absent. Four deaths one by drowning;
- very severe weather; the ship&rsquo;s narrow
- escape from being blown up; and the absence
- of so many of the principal men, have made
- it a hard, gloomy week.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 11/21
- At anchor in harbor. Clear weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 12/22
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- still absent.
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p272.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13/23
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- returned to ship, where much sad
- intelligence met them (especially Master
- Bradford), as to his wife&rsquo;s drowning. The
- exploring party report finding a
- considerable Indian burying-place; several
- Indian houses; a fierce attack on them by
- Indians on Friday morning, but without
- harm; a severe gale on the same afternoon,
- in which their rudder-hinges broke, their
- mast was split in three pieces, their sail
- fell over board in a heavy sea, and they
- were like to have been cast away in making
- a harbor which Master Coppin thought he
- knew, but was deceived about. They landed
- on an island at the mouth of the harbor,
- which they named for Master Clarke, the
- first mate, and spent Saturday and Sunday
- there, and on Monday examined the harbor
- they found, and are agreed that it is the
- place for settlement. Much satisfaction
- with the report among the colonists.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 14/24
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. The colonists
- have determined to make settlement at the
- harbor they visited, and which is
- apparently, by Captain John Smith&rsquo;s chart
- of 1616, no other than the place he calls
- &ldquo;Plimoth&rdquo; thereon. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 15/25
- Weighed anchor to go to the place the
- exploring party discovered. Course west,
- after leaving harbor. Shallop in company.
- Coming within two leagues, the wind coming
- northwest, could not fetch the harbor, and
- was faine to put round again towards Cape
- Cod. Made old anchorage at night. The
- thirty-fifth night have lain at anchor
- here. Shallop returned with ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 16/26
- Comes in with fair wind for Plymouth.
- Weighed anchor and put to sea again and made
- harbor safely. Shallop in company. Within
- half an hour of anchoring the wind changed,
- so if letted [hindered] but a little had
- gone back to Cape Cod. A fine harbor.
- Let go anchors just within a long spur of
- beach a mile or more from shore. The end of
- the outward voyage; one hundred and two days
- from Plymouth (England to Plymouth New
- England). One hundred and fifty-five days
- from London.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- THE SHIPS JOURNAL WHILE SHE LAY IN
- PLYMOUTH HARBOR
-</pre>
- <p>
- <a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p274a.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p274b.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016">
- <!-- IMG --></a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:60%;">
- <img alt="Chart" src="images/p278.jpg" style="width:100%;" /><br />
- </div>
- <!-- IMAGE END -->
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 17/27
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Services on
- ship. This harbor is a bay greater than
- Cape Cod, compassed with goodly land. It is
- in fashion like a sickle or fish-hook.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 18/28
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor: The Master of
- the ship, with three or four of the sailors
- and several of the Planters, went aland and
- marched along the coast several miles.
- Made careful examination of locality. Found
- many brooks of fine water, abundant wood,
- etc. The party came aboard at night weary
- with marching.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 19/29
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. A party from
- the ship went ashore to discover, some
- going by land and some keeping to the
- shallop. A creek was found leading up
- within the land and followed up three
- English miles, a very pleasant river at
- full sea. It was given the name of &ldquo;Jones
- River&rdquo; in compliment to the Master of the
- ship. A bark of thirty tons may go up at
- high tide, but the shallop could scarcely
- pass at low water. All came aboard at
- night with resolution to fix, to-morrow,
- which of the several places examined they
- would settle upon.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20/30
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor, many ill. Dec.
- After service the colonists decided to go
- ashore this morning and determine upon one
- of two places which were thought most
- fitting for their habitation. So a
- considerable party went ashore and left
- twenty of their number there to make a
- rendezvous, the rest coming on board at
- night. They reported that they had chosen
- by the most voices the site first looked at
- by the largest brook, near where they
- landed on the 11th on a large rock
- [Plymouth Rock].
-
- [The &ldquo;Rock&rdquo; seems to have become the established landing place of
- the Pilgrims, from the time of the first visit of the third
- exploring party on December 11/21. The absurdity of the claims of
- the partisans of Mary Chilton, in the foolish contention which
- existed for many years as to whether she or John Alden was the first
- person to set foot upon the &ldquo;Rock,&rdquo; is shown by the fact that, of
- course, no women were with the third exploring party which first
- landed there, while it is also certain that Alden was not of that
- exploring party. That Mary Chilton may have been the first woman to
- land at Cape Cod harbor is entirely possible, as it is that she or
- John Alden may have been the first person to land on the &ldquo;Rock&rdquo;
- after the ship arrived in Plymouth harbor. It was a vexatious
- travesty upon history (though perpetuated by parties who ought to
- have been correct) that the Association for building the Pilgrim
- Monument at Plymouth should issue a pamphlet giving a picture of the
- &ldquo;Landing of the Pilgrims, December 21, 1620,&rdquo; in which women are
- pictured, and in which the shallop is shown with a large
- fore-and-aft mainsail, while on the same page is another picture
- entitled, &ldquo;The Shallop of the MAY-FLOWER,&rdquo; having a large yard and
- square-sail, and a &ldquo;Cuddy&rdquo; (which last the MAY-FLOWER&rsquo;S shallop we
- know did not have). The printed description of the picture,
- however, says: &ldquo;The cut is copied from a picture by Van der Veldt,
- a Dutch painter of the seventeenth century, representing a
- shallop,&rdquo; etc. It is matter of regret to find that a book like
- Colonel T. W. Higginson&rsquo;s &lsquo;Book of American Explorers&rsquo;, intended
- for a text-book, and bearing the imprint of a house like Longmans,
- Green &amp; Co. should actually print a &ldquo;cut&rdquo; showing Mary Chilton
- landing from a boat full of men (in which she is the only woman)
- upon a rock, presumably Plymouth Rock.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 21/31
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Wet and
- stormy, so the Planters could not go ashore
- as planned, having blown hard and rained
- extremely all night. Very uncomfortable
- for the party on shore. So tempestuous
- that the shallop could not go to land as
- soon as was meet, for they had no victuals
- on land. About eleven o&rsquo;clock the shallop
- went off with much ado with provision, but
- could not return, it blew so strong. Such
- foul weather forced to ride with three
- anchors ahead. This day Richard
- Britteridge, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship, the first to die in this
- harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 22/Jan. 1
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The storm
- continues, so that no one could go ashore,
- or those on land come aboard. This morning
- goodwife Allerton was delivered of a son,
- but dead-born. The third child born on
- board the ship since leaving England,&mdash;the
- first in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 23/Jan. 2
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sent body of
- Britteridge ashore for burial, the storm
- having prevented going before, and also a
- large party of colonists to fell timber,
- etc. Left a large number on shore at the
- rendezvous. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 24/Jan. 3
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Second Sunday
- here. This day died Solomon Prower, one of
- the family of Master Martin, the treasurer
- of the colonists, being the sixth death
- this month, and the second in this harbor.
- A burying-party went ashore with Prower&rsquo;s
- body, after services aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Dec. 25/Jan. 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Christmas
- Day, but not observed by these colonists,
- they being opposed to all saints&rsquo; days,
- etc. The men on shore Sunday reported that
- they &ldquo;heard a cry of some savages,&rdquo; as they
- thought, that day. A large party went
- ashore this morning to fell timber and
- begin building. They began to erect the
- first house about twenty feet square for
- their common use, to receive them and their
- goods. Another alarm as of Indians this
- day. All but twenty of the Planters came
- aboard at night, leaving the rest to keep
- court of guard. The colonists began to
- drink water, but at night the Master caused
- them to have some beer.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Dec. 26/Jan. 5
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A violent
- storm of wind and rain. The weather so
- foul this morning that none could go
- ashore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27/Jan. 6
- At anchor in harbor. Sent working party
- ashore. All but the guard came aboard at
- night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Dec. 28/Jan. 7
- At anchor. All able went ashore this
- morning to work on a platform for ordnance
- on the hill back of the settlement,
- commanding the harbor. The Planters this
- day laid out their town-site and allotted
- ground to the several families. Many of
- the colonists ill from exposure. All but
- the guard came off to the ship at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Dec. 29/Jan. 8
- At anchor in harbor. No working-party went
- aland. The Planters fitting tools, etc.,
- for their work. The weather wet and cold.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Dec. 30/Jan. 9
- At anchor in harbor. Very stormy and cold.
- No working-party sent aland. The Planters
- fitting tools, etc. Great smokes of fires
- visible from the ship, six or seven miles
- away, probably made by Indians.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Dec. 31/Jan. 10
- At anchor in harbor. The third Sunday in
- this harbor. Sailors given leave to go
- ashore. Many colonists ill.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 1/Jan. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. This day
- Degory Priest, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship. A large party went ashore
- early to work. Much time lost between ship
- and shore, the ship drawing so much water
- as obliged to anchor a mile and a half off.
- The working-party came aboard at nightfall.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 2/Jan. 12
- At anchor in harbor. Sent burying-party
- ashore with Priest&rsquo;s body. Weather good.
- Working-party aland and returned to ship at
- night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3/Jan. 13
- At anchor in harbor. Working-party aland,
- returned at night. They report seeing
- great fires of the Indians. Smoke seen
- from the ship. Have seen no savages since
- arrival.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 4/Jan. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Captain
- Standish, with four or five men, went to
- look for savages, and though they found
- some of their old houses &ldquo;wigwams&rdquo; could
- not meet with any of them.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 5/Jan. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Working-
- party went aland early. One of the sailors
- found a live herring upon the shore, which
- the Master had to his supper. As yet have
- caught but one cod.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 6/Jan. 16
- At anchor in harbor. In judgment of
- Masters Brewster, Bradford, and others,
- Master Martin, the colonists&rsquo; treasurer,
- was so hopelessly ill that Governor Carver,
- who had taken up his quarters on land, was
- sent for to come aboard to speak with him
- about his accounts. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 7/Jan. 17
- At anchor in harbor. Fourth Sunday here.
- Governor Carver came aboard to talk with
- Master Martin, who was sinking fast.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 8/Jan. 18
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A very fan
- fair day. The working-party went aland
- early. The Master sent, the shallop for
- fish. They had a great tempest at sea and
- were in some danger. They returned to the
- ship at night, with three great seals they
- had shot, and an excellent great cod.
- Master Martin died this day. He had been a
- &ldquo;governour&rdquo; of the passengers on the ship,
- and an &ldquo;assistant,&rdquo; and was an Adventurer.
- One of the Master-mates took a musket, and
- went with young Francis Billington to find
- the great inland sea the latter had seen
- from the top of a tree, and found a great
- water, in two great lakes [Billington Sea,]
- also Indian houses.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 9/Jan. 19
- At anchor in harbor. Fair day. Sent
- burying-party ashore after services aboard,
- with the body of Master Martin, and he was
- buried with some ceremony on the hill near
- the landing-place. The settlers drew lots
- for their meersteads and garden-plots. The
- common-house nearly finished, wanting only
- covering.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10/Jan. 20
- At anchor in harbor. Party went aland from
- ship. Frosty.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 11/Jan. 21
- At anchor in harbor. A fair day. Party
- ashore from ship and coming off at night,
- reported Master William Bradford very ill:
- Many ill aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 12/Jan. 22
- At anchor in harbor. Began to rain at noon
- and stopped all work. Those coming aboard
- ship at night reported John Goodman and
- Peter Browne, two of the colonists,
- missing, and fears entertained that they
- may have been taken by Indians. Froze and
- snowed at night. The first snow for a
- month. An extremely cold night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 13/Jan. 23
- At anchor in harbor. The Governor sent out
- an armed party of ten or twelve to look for
- the missing men, but they returned without
- seeing or hearing anything at all of them.
- Those on shipboard much grieved, as deeming
- them lost. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 14/Jan. 24
- At anchor in harbor. About six o&rsquo;clock in
- the morning, the wind being very great, the
- watch on deck spied the great new
- rendezvous on shore on fire and feared it
- fired by Indians, but the tide being out,
- men could not get ashore for three quarters
- of an hour, when they went armed. At the
- landing they heard that the lost men were
- returned, some frost-bitten, and that the
- thatch of the common-house only was burnt
- by a spark, but no other harm done the
- roof. The most loss was Governor Carver&rsquo;s
- and Master Bradford&rsquo;s, both of whom lay
- sick in bed, and narrowly missed being
- blown up with powder. The meeting was to
- have been kept ashore to-day, the greater
- number of the people now being there, but
- the fire, etc., prevented. Some of those
- sick in the common-house were fain to
- return aboard for shelter. Fifth Sunday in
- this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 15/Jan. 25
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Rained much
- all day. They on shipboard could not go
- ashore nor they on shore do any labor, but
- were all wet.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 16/Jan. 26
- At anchorage. A fine, sunshining day like
- April. Party went aland betimes. Many ill
- both on ship and on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17/Jan. 27
- At anchorage. Another fine, sunshining
- day. Working-party went aland early. Set
- on shore some of the Planters&rsquo; goods.
-
- [Mourt&rsquo;s Relation, Dexter&rsquo;s ed. p. 77. Bradford states (op. cit.
- Mass. ed. p. 110) that they were hindered in getting goods ashore
- by &ldquo;want of boats,&rdquo; as well as sickness. Mention is made only of
- the &ldquo;long-boat&rdquo; and shallop. It is possible there were no others,
- except the Master&rsquo;s skiff]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 18/Jan. 28
- At anchorage. Another fine, bright day.
- Some of the common goods [i.e. belonging
- to all] set on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 19/Jan. 29
- At anchorage. A shed was begun on shore to
- receive the goods from the ship. Rained at
- noon but cleared toward night.
-
- [Cleared toward evening (though wet at noon), and John Goodman went
- out to try his frozen feet, as is recorded, and had his encounter
- with wolves.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 20/Jan. 30
- At anchorage. Shed made ready for goods
- from ship. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 21/Jan. 31
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sixth Sunday
- in this harbor. Many ill. The Planters
- kept their meeting on land to-day for the
- first time, in the common-house.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 22/Feb. 1
- At anchorage. Fair day. Hogsheads of meal
- sent on shore from ship and put in
- storehouse.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 23/Feb. 2
- At anchorage. The general sickness
- increases, both on shipboard and on land.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24/Feb. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Fair weather. Party
- on shore from ship and returned at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Jan. 25/Feb. 4
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore and came aboard at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Jan. 26/Feb. 5
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore. The sickness increases.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Jan. 27/Feb. 6
- At anchorage. Weather fair. Good working
- weather all the week, but many sick.
- Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Jan. 28/Feb. 7
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. Seventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Meeting kept on
- shore. Those of Planters on board who were
- able, and some of the ship&rsquo;s company, went
- ashore, and came off after service.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Jan. 29/Feb. 8
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Morning cold,
- with frost and sleet, but after reason ably
- fair. Both long-boat and shallop carrying
- Planters&rsquo; goods on shore. Those returning
- reported that Mistress Rose Standish, wife
- of Captain Standish, died to-day.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Jan. 30/Feb. 9
- At anchorage. Cold, frosty weather, so no
- working-party went on shore from ship. The
- Master and others of the ship&rsquo;s company saw
- two savages that had been on the island
- near the ship [Clarke&rsquo;s Island]. They were
- gone so far back again before they were
- discovered that could not speak with them.
- The first natives actually seen since the
- encounter on the Cape.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31/Feb. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Still cold and
- frosty, with sleet. No party went on
- shore. Eight of the colonists have died
- this month on the ship and on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 1/Feb. 11
- At anchor in harbor. Weather better, and
- some of those on board the ship went on
- shore to work, but many ill.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 2/Feb. 12
- At anchorage. The same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 3/13
- At anchorage. Weather threatening. Fetched
- wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 4/14
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The eighth
- Sunday in this harbor, and now inexpedient
- to think of getting away, till both Planters
- and crew in better condition as to health.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, p. 92; Young, Chronicler, p. 198. Bradford
- says (op. cit. Mass. ed, pp. 120, 121): &ldquo;The reason on their parts
- why she stayed so long was ye necessitie and danger that lay upon
- them, for it was well toward ye ende of December before she could
- land anything here, or they able to receive anything ashore. After
- wards, ye 14 of January the house which they had made for a general
- randevoze by casulty fell afire, and some were faine to retire
- aboard for shelter. Then the sickness begane to fall sore amongst
- them, and ye weather so bad as they could not make much sooner
- dispatch. Againe, the Governor &amp; chiefe of them seeing so many dye,
- and fall down sick dayly, thought it no wisdom to send away the
- ship, their condition considered, and the danger they stood in from
- ye Indians, till they could procure some shelter; and therefore
- thought it better to draw some more charge upon themselves &amp; friends
- [&ldquo;demurrage?&rdquo;] than hazard all. The Mr. and sea-men likewise;
- though before they hasted ye passengers a shore to be goone [gone],
- now many of their men being dead, and of ye ablest of them [as is
- before noted, and of ye rest many lay sick &amp; weake, ye Mr, durst not
- put to sea till he saw his men begine to recover, and ye hart of
- winter over.&rdquo;]]
-
- A very rainy day with the heaviest gusts of
- wind yet experienced. The ship in some
- danger of oversetting, being light and
- unballasted.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Clearing weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and clear.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Much colder.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 8/18
- At anchorage. Hard, cold weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 9/19
- At anchorage. Cold weather continues.
- Little work possible. The little house for
- the sick people on shore took fire this
- afternoon, by a spark that kindled in the
- roof. No great harm done. The Master
- going ashore, killed five geese, which he
- distributed among the sick people. He also
- found a good deer the savages had killed,
- having also cut off his horns. A wolf was
- eating him. Cannot conceive how he came
- there.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 10/20
- At anchor in harbor. Getting goods on
- shore, but sickness makes both Planters and
- crew shorthanded. Fetched wood and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 11/21
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Ninth Sunday
- in this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 12/22
- At anchorage. Getting goods on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 13/23
- At anchorage. Rainy.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14/24
- At anchorage. More sickness on ship and on
- shore than at any time, and more deaths.
- Rainy, clearing.
-
- [The sickness and mortality had rapidly increased and was now at its
- height]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 15/25
- At anchorage. Northerly wind and frost.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 16/26
- At anchorage. Northerly wind continues,
- which continues the frost. Those from
- shore reported that one of the Planters,
- being out fowling and hidden in the reeds,
- about a mile and a half from the
- settlement, saw twelve Indians marching
- toward the plantation and heard many more.
- He hurried home with all speed and gave the
- alarm, so all the people in the woods at
- work returned and armed themselves, but saw
- nothing of the Indians. Captain Standish&rsquo;s
- and Francis Cooke&rsquo;s tools also stolen by
- Indians in woods. A great fire toward
- night seen from the ship, about where the
- Indians were discovered.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 17/27
- At anchorage. All the colonists on the
- ship able to go on shore went this morning
- to attend the meeting for the establishment
- of military orders among them. They chose
- Captain Standish their captain, and gave
- him authority of command in affairs. Two
- savages appeared on the hill, a quarter of
- a mile from the plantation, while the
- Planters were consulting, and made signs
- for Planters to come to them. All armed
- and stood ready, and sent two towards them,
- Captain Standish and Master Hopkins, but
- the natives would not tarry. It was
- determined to plant the great ordnance in
- convenient places at once. Fetched wood
- and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The Feb.
- tenth Sunday in this harbor. Many sick,
- both on board the ship and on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 19/Mar. 1
- At anchorage. Got one of the great guns on
- shore with the help of some of the
- Planters.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 20/Mar. 2
- At anchorage. Getting cannon ashore and
- mounted.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21/Mar. 3
- At anchorage. The Master, with many of the
- sailors, went on shore, taking one of the
- great pieces called a minion, and with the
- Planters drew it up the hill, with another
- piece that lay on the shore, and mounted
- them and a saller and two bases&mdash;five guns
- &mdash;on the platform made for them. A hard
- day&rsquo;s work. The Master took on shore with
- him a very fat goose he had shot, to which
- the Planters added a fat crane, a mallard,
- and a dried neat&rsquo;s tongue (ox tongue), and
- Planters and crew feasted together. When
- the Master went on shore, he sent off the
- Governor to take the directions of Master
- Mullens as to his property, as he was lying
- near to death,&mdash;as also Master White.
- Master Mullens dictated his will to the
- Governor, which he noted down, and Giles
- Heale, the chirurgeon, and Christopher
- Joanes, of the crew, witnessed, they being
- left aboard to care for the sick, keep the
- ship, etc. Master Mullens and Master White
- both died this day. Two others also died.
- Got the men aboard about nightfall.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Feb. 22/Mar. 4
- At anchorage. Large burial-party went
- ashore with bodies of Masters Mullens and
- White, and joined with those on shore made
- the chief burial thus far had. The service
- on shore, the most of the people being
- there, Master Mullens being one of the
- chief subscribing Adventurers, as well as
- one of the chief men of the Planters, as
- was Master White. Their deaths much
- deplored.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Feb. 23/Mar. 5
- At anchorage. Party from the ship went on
- shore to help finish work on the ordnance.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Feb. 24/Mar. 6
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Feb. 25/Mar. 7
- At anchorage in Plymouth harbor. Eleventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Mistress Mary
- Allerton, wife of Master Isaac Allerton,
- one of the chief men of the colonists, died
- on board this day, not having mended well
- since the birth of her child, dead-born
- about two months agone.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Feb. 26/Mar. 8
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party went
- ashore to bury Mistress Allerton, services
- being held there.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Feb. 27/Mar. 9
- At anchorage. The sickness and deaths of
- the colonists on shore have steadily
- increased, and have extended to the ship,
- which has lost several of its petty
- officers, including the master gunner,
- three quarter-masters, and cook, and a
- third of the crew, many from scurvy.
-
- [There can be no doubt that both planters and ship&rsquo;s crew suffered
- severely from scurvy. The conditions all favored it, the sailors
- were familiar with it, and would not be likely to be mistaken in
- their recognition of it, and Dr. Fuller, their competent physician,
- would not be likely to err in his diagnosis of it. Tuberculosis was
- its very natural associate.]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28/Mar. 10
- At anchorage. The last day of the month.
- The fifty-third day the ship has lain in
- this harbor, and from the present rate of
- sickness and death aboard, no present
- capacity or prospect of getting away, those
- better being yet weak. The Planters have
- lost seventeen this month, their largest
- mortality.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 1/11
- At anchorage. Blustering but milder
- weather.
-</pre>
- <p>
- FRIDAY, Mar. 2/12
- </p>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 3/13
- At anchorage. Wind south. Morning misty
- [foggy]. Towards noon warm and fine
- weather. At one o&rsquo;clock it thundered. The
- first heard. It rained sadly from two
- o&rsquo;clock till midnight. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 4/14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The twelfth
- Sunday in this harbor. Cooler. Clear
- weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 5/15
- At anchorage. Rough weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 6/16
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Wind full east, cold
- but fair. The Governor went this day with
- a party of five, to the great ponds,
- discovered by one of the ship&rsquo;s mates and
- Francis Billington. Some planting done in
- the settlement.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. Rough easterly
- weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 9/19
- At anchorage. Same. Many sick aboard.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 10/20
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 11/21
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. The
- thirteenth Sunday the ship has lain in this
- harbor. Many of crew yet ill, including
- boatswain.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 12/22
- At anchorage. Easterly weather.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 13/23
- At anchorage. The sickness and mortality
- on ship and on shore continue.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 14/24
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 15/25
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 16/26
- At anchorage. A fair, warm day, towards
- noon. The Master and others went ashore to
- the general meeting. The plantation was
- startled this morning by a visit from an
- Indian who spoke some English and bade
- &ldquo;Welcome.&rdquo; He is from Monhiggon, an island
- to the eastward some days&rsquo; sail, near where
- Sir Ferdinando Gorges had a settlement. He
- was friendly, and having had much
- intercourse with Englishmen who came to
- fish in those parts, very comfortable with
- them. He saw the ship in the harbor from a
- distance and supposed her to be a fishing
- vessel. He told the Governor that the
- plantation was formerly called &ldquo;Patuxet&rdquo;
- [or Apaum], and that all its inhabitants
- had been carried off by a plague about four
- years ago. All the afternoon was spent in
- communication with him. The Governor
- purposed sending him aboard the ship at
- night, and he was well content to go and
- went aboard the shallop to come to the
- ship, but the wind was high and water scant
- [low], so that the shallop could not go to
- the ship. The Governor sent him to Master
- Hopkins&rsquo;s house and set a watch over him.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 17/27
- At anchor in harbor. The Master and others
- came off to the ship. Samoset the Indian
- went away back to the Massasoits whence he
- came. A reasonably fair day. Fetched wood
- and water.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fourteenth Sunday the ship has lain at this
- anchorage. A fair day. The sickness
- stayed a little. Many went on shore to the
- meeting in the common-house. Samoset the
- savage came again, and brought five others
- with him.
-
- [This Sunday visit was doubtless very much to the dislike of the
- good brethren, or at least of the leaders, but policy dictated every
- possible forbearance. Their consciences drew the line at trade,
- however, and they got rid of their untimely visitors as soon as
- possible without giving offense. Massasoit&rsquo;s men seem to have
- shown, by leaving their peltry with them, a confidence in their new
- white neighbors that is remarkable in view of the brevity of their
- friendship.]
-
- They left their bows and arrows a quarter
- of a mile from the town, as instructed.
- The Planters gave them entertainment, but
- would not truck with them.
-
- [&ldquo;Truck&mdash;to trade.&rdquo; All early and modern lexicographers give the
- word, which, though now obsolete, was in common use in parts of New
- England fifty years ago.]
-
- They sang and danced after their manner,
- and made semblance of amity and friendship.
- They drank tobacco and carried pounded corn
- to eat. Their faces were painted. They
- brought a few skins which they left with
- the Planters, and returned the tools which
- Captain Standish and Francis Cooke left in
- the woods. The Planters dismissed them
- with a few trifles as soon as they could,
- it being Sunday, and they promised soon to
- return and trade. Samoset would not go
- with them, feigning sick, and stayed.
- Those on shore from the ship came off to
- her at night.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 19/29
- At anchorage. A fair day. The Planters
- digging and sowing seeds.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 20/30
- At anchorage. A fine day. Digging and
- planting of gardens on shore. Those sick
- of the crew mending.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 21/31
- At anchorage. A fine warm day. Beginning
- to put ship in trim for return voyage.
- Bringing ballast, etc. Some, including
- the Masters-mates, went on shore, who on
- return reported that the Planters sent the
- Indian Samoset away. A general meeting of
- the Planters was held at the common-house,
- to conclude laws and orders, and to confirm
- the military orders formerly proposed, and
- twice broken off by the savages coming, as
- happened again. After the meeting had held
- an hour or so, two or three savages
- appeared on the hill over against the town,
- and made semblance of daring the Planters.
- Captain Standish and another, with their
- muskets, went over to them, with the two
- Masters-mates of the ship, who were ashore,
- also armed with muskets. The savages made
- show of defiance, but as our men drew near
- they ran away. This day the carpenter, who
- has long been ill of scurvy, fitted the
- shallop to carry all the goods and
- furniture aboard the ship, on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 22/Apr. 1
- At anchorage. A very fair, warm day.
- At work on ship getting ready for sea,
- bringing ballast aboard, etc. Another
- general meeting of the Planters which all
- able attended. They had scarce been an
- hour together when Samoset the Indian came
- again with one Squanto, the only native of
- Patuxet (where the Planters now inhabit)
- surviving, who was one of the twenty captives
- carried away from this place by Captain Hunt,
- to England. He could speak a little English.
- They brought three other Indians with them.
- They signified that their great Sagamore,
- Masasoyt, was hard by, with Quadequina his
- brother, and all their men. They could not
- well express what they would in English,
- but after an hour the king came to the top
- of the hill, over against the plantation,
- with his train of about sixty men. Squanto
- went to him and brought a message that one
- should be sent to parley with him, and Master
- Edward Winslow went, to know hisnmind, and
- signify the wish of the Governor to have
- trading and peace with him, the Governor
- sending presents to the king and his brother,
- with something to eat and drink.
-
- [Edward Winslow gives us here another proof of that rare
- self-sacrifice, that entire devotion to his work, and that splendid
- intrepidity which so signally characterized his whole career. At
- this most critical moment, the fate of the little colony trembling
- in the balance, when there was evident fear of treachery and
- surprise on the part of both the English and the savages; though the
- wife of his youth lay at the point of death (which came but two days
- later), and his heart was heavy with grief; forgetting all but the
- welfare of his little band of brethren, he goes forward alone, his
- life in his hand, to meet the great sachem surrounded by his whole
- tribe, as the calm, adroit diplomatist, upon whom all must depend;
- and as the fearless hostage, to put himself in pawn for the savage
- chief.]
-
- The king, leaving Master Winslow with
- brother, came over the brook, with some
- twenty of his men, leaving their bows and
- arrows behind them, and giving some six or
- seven of their men as hostages for Master
- Winslow. Captain Standish, with Master
- Williamson, the ship&rsquo;s-merchant, as
- interpreter,
-
- [It would seem from the frequent mention of the presence of some of
- the ship&rsquo;s company, Master Jones, the &ldquo;Masters-mates,&rdquo; and now the
- &ldquo;ship&rsquo;s-merchant,&rdquo; that the ship was daily well represented in the
- little settlement on shore. The presence of Master Williamson on
- this occasion is perhaps readily accounted for. Every other meeting
- with the Indians had been unexpected, the present one was
- anticipated, and somewhat eagerly, for upon its successful issue
- almost everything depended. By this time Standish had probably
- become aware that Tisquantum&rsquo;s command of English was very limited,
- and he desired all the aid the ship&rsquo;s interpreter could give. By
- some means, the sachem and the colonists succeeded in establishing
- on this day a very good and lasting understanding.]
-
- and a guard of half a dozen musketeers, met
- the king at the brook,
-
- [The guard was probably made thus small to leave the body of the
- colonists as strong a reserve force as possible to meet any surprise
- attack on the part of the Indians. Colonel Higginson, in his Book
- of American Explorers, gives a cut of this meeting of Massasoit and
- his pineses with Standish and his guard of honor, but it is
- defective in that the guard seems to have advanced to the hill
- (&ldquo;Strawberry,&rdquo; or later &ldquo;Watson&rsquo;s&rdquo;) to meet the sachem, instead of
- only to &ldquo;the brook;&rdquo; and more especially in that there are but two
- officers with the &ldquo;six musketeers,&rdquo; where there ought to be three,
- viz. Standish, in command, Edward Window, as the envoy and hostage
- (in full armor), and &ldquo;Mr. Williamson,&rdquo; the ship&rsquo;s-merchant or
- purser, as interpreter, perhaps acting as lieutenant of the guard.
- It is always matter of regret when books, especially text-books,
- written by authors of some repute, and published by reputable
- houses, fail, for want of only a little care in the study of the
- available history of events they pictorially represent, to make
- their pictures and the known facts correspond.]
-
- and they saluted each other, and the guard
- conducted the Sagamore to one of the new
- houses then building, where were placed a
- green rug and three or four cushions. Then
- came the Governor with drum and trumpet,
- and a guard of musketeers, and they drank
- to each other in some strong waters, and
- the Governor gave the king and his
- followers meat, and they made a treaty in
- King James&rsquo;s name, and drank tobacco
- together. His face was painted a sad red,
- and his head and face were oiled, which
- made him look greasy. All his followers
- were more or less painted. So after all
- was done, the Governor conducted him to the
- brook, and his brother came, and was also
- feasted, and then conveyed him to the
- brook, and Master Winslow returned.
- Samoset and Squanto stayed in the town and
- the Indians stayed all night in the woods
- half a mile away. The last of the
- colonists on board the ship went ashore to
- remain to-day.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 23/Apr. 2
- At anchor. A fair day. Some of the ship&rsquo;s
- company went on shore. Some of the Indians
- came again, and Captain Standish and Master
- Allerton went to see the king, and were
- welcomed by him. This morning the Indians
- stayed till ten or eleven of the clock, and
- the Governor, sending for the king&rsquo;s
- kettle, filled it with pease, and they went
- their way? Making ready for sea, getting
- ballast, wood, and water from the shore,
- etc. The Planters held a meeting and
- concluded both of military orders and some
- laws, and chose as Governor, for the coming
- year, Master John Carver, who was
- &ldquo;governor&rdquo; on the ship.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 24/April 3
- At anchorage. The ship&rsquo;s company busy with
- preparations for the return voyage,
- bringing ballast, wood, and water from the
- shore, etc., the ship having no lading for
- the return. This day died, on shore,
- Mistress Elizabeth Winslow, wife of Master
- Winslow. Many still sick. More on the
- ship than on shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, Mar. 25/April 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fifteenth Sunday in this port. Many of the
- crew dead and some still sick, but the
- sickness and mortality lessening.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, Mar. 26/April 5
- At anchor. Bringing ballast from shore and
- getting ship in trim.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, Mar. 27/April 6
- At anchorage. Getting ballast, overhauling
- rigging, getting wood, water, etc., from
- shore.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 28/April 7
- At anchorage. Same.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, Mar. 29/April 8
- At anchorage. The Master offered to take
- back any of the colonists who wished to
- return to England, but none desired to go.
- Getting in stores and ballast.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-FRIDAY, Mar. 30/April 9
- At anchorage. Hastening all preparations
- for sailing. Getting ballast, etc. Water
- butts filled.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SATURDAY, Mar. 31/April 10
- At anchorage. Setting up rigging, bending
- light sails, etc. Getting ballast and wood
- from the beach and island. The colonists
- have lost thirteen by death the past month,
- making in all half of their number.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-SUNDAY, April 1/11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- sixteenth Sunday the ship has lain at
- anchor here, and to be the last, being
- nearly ready to sail. Most of the crew
- ashore on liberty. In the sixteen weeks the
- ship has lain here, half of her crew (but
- none of her officers) have died, and a few
- are still weak. Among the petty officers
- who have died have been the master gunner,
- boatswain, and three quartermasters, beside
- the cook, and more than a third of the
- sailors. A bad voyage for the owner,
- Adventurers, ship, and crew.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-MONDAY, April 2/12
- Still at anchor, but making last
- preparations for voyage. Ship&rsquo;s officers
- made farewells on shore. Governor Carver
- copied out, and Giles Heale and Chris.
- Jones witnessed, Master Mullens&rsquo;s will, to
- go to England.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-TUESDAY, April 3/13
- Still at anchorage, but (near) ready to
- sail with a fair wind. Master Williamson,
- the ship&rsquo;s-merchant [purser], appointed by
- Master Mullens an overseer of his will,
- takes copy of same to England for probate,
- with many letters, keepsakes, etc., etc.,
- to Adventurers and friends. Very little
- lading, chiefly skins and roots. Make
- adieus to Governor Carver and company.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-WEDNESDAY, April 4/14
- Still at anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sails
- loosened and all ready for departure except
- Governor&rsquo;s letters. Last visits of shore
- people to ship. Sail with morning tide, if
- wind serves. One hundred and ten days in
- this harbor.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-THURSDAY, April 5/15
- Got anchors, and with fair wind got
- underway at full tide. Many to bid adieu.
- Set colors and gave Planters a parting
- salute with the ensign and ordnance.
- Cleared the harbor without hindrance, and
- laid general course E.S.E. for England
- with a fine wind. Took departure from Cape
- Cod early in the day, shook off the land
- and got ship to rights before night. All
- sails set and the ship logging her best.
-</pre>
- <p>
- And so the MAY-FLOWER began her speedy, uneventful, homeward run, of but
- thirty-one days, arriving in England May 6, 1621, having been absent, on
- her &ldquo;round voyage,&rdquo; from her sailing port, two hundred and ninety-six
- days.
- </p>
- <h3>
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE<br /> AND OF THIS<br /> JOURNAL<br />
- </h3>
- <p>
- AUTHOR&rsquo;S NOTE. Of the &ldquo;Log&rdquo; Of the MAY-FLOWER, the author is able to
- repeat the assurance given as to the brief Journal of the SPEEDWELL, and
- is able to say, in the happy phrase of Griffis, &ldquo;I have tried to state
- only recorded facts, or to give expression to well grounded inferences.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /> <a name="linkappendix" id="linkappendix"></a> <br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- APPENDIX
- </h2>
- <p>
- In view of the natural wish of many of &ldquo;restricted facilities,&rdquo; to consult
- for themselves the full text of certain of the principal letters and
- documents which have imparted much of the most definite and valuable
- information concerning the Pilgrim movement, it has been thought well to
- include certain of them here verbatim, that they may be of ready
- availability to the reader. The list comprises copies of&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- I. The Agreement of the Merchant Adventurers and Planters;
- </p>
- <p>
- II. The Letter of the Leyden Leaders to John Carver and Robert Cushman (at
- London), May 31/June 10, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- III. The Letter of Robert Cushman to John Carver (then at Southampton),
- Saturday, June 10/20, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- IV. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, June 10/20, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- V. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, Sunday, June 11/21,
- 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- VI. The Letter of Rev. John Robinson to John Carver at London, June 14/24,
- 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- VII. The Letter of the Planters to the Merchant Adventurers from Southamp
- ton, August 3, 1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- VIII. The Letter of Robert Cushman (from Dartmouth) to Edward Southworth,
- Thursday, August 17,1620;
- </p>
- <p>
- IX. The MAY-FLOWER Compact;
- </p>
- <p>
- X. The Nuncupative Will of Master William Mullens; and
- </p>
- <p>
- XI. The Letter of &ldquo;One of the Chiefe of ye Companie&rdquo; (The Merchant
- Adventurers), dated at London, April 9, 1623&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- Many other early original documents frequently referred to in this volume
- are of no less interest than those here given, but most of them have
- either had such publication as to be more generally known or accessible,
- or involve space and cost disproportionate to their value in this
- connection.
- </p>
- <h3>
- I<br /> THE AGREEMENT OF THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS AND PLANTERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- Anno: 1620, July 1.
- </p>
- <p>
- 1. The adventurers &amp; planters doe agree, that every person that goeth
- being aged 16. years &amp; upward, be rated at 10li., and ten pounds to be
- accounted a single share.
- </p>
- <p>
- 2. That he goeth in person, and furnisheth him selfe out with 10li. either
- in money or other provisions, be accounted as haveing 20li. in stock, and
- in ye devission shall receive a double share.
- </p>
- <p>
- 3. The persons transported &amp; ye adventurers shall continue their joynt
- stock &amp; partnership togeather, ye space of 7 years, (excepte some
- unexpected impedimente doe cause ye whole company to agree otherwise,)
- during which time, all profits &amp; benifits that are gott by trade,
- traffick, trucking, working, fishing, or any other means of any person or
- persons, remaine still in ye comone stock untill ye division.
- </p>
- <p>
- 4. That at their coming ther, they chose out such a number of fitt
- persons, as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing upon ye sea;
- imploying the rest of their severall faculties upon ye land; as building
- houses, tilling, and planting ye ground, &amp; makeing shuch comodities as
- shall be most usefull for ye collonie.
- </p>
- <p>
- 5. That at ye end of ye 7 years, ye capitall &amp; profits, viz. the
- houses, lands, goods and chatels, be equally devided betwixte ye
- adventurers, and planters; wch done, every man shall be free from other of
- them of any debt or detrimente concerning this adventure.
- </p>
- <p>
- 6. Whosoever cometh to ye colonie hereafter, or putteth any into ye stock,
- shall at the ende of ye 7. years be alowed proportionably to ye time of
- his so doing.
- </p>
- <p>
- 7. He that shall carie his wife &amp; children, or servants, shall be
- alowed for everie person now aged 16. years &amp; upward, a single share
- in ye devision, or if he provid them necessaries, a duble share, or if
- they be between 10. year old and 16., then 2. of them to be reconed for a
- person, both in trasportation and devision.
- </p>
- <p>
- 8. That such children as now goe, &amp; are under ye age of ten years,
- have noe other shar in ye devision, but 50. acers of unmanured land.
- </p>
- <p>
- 9. That such persons as die before ye 7. years be expired, their executors
- to have their parte or sharr at ye devision, proportionably to ye time of
- their life in ye collonie.
- </p>
- <p>
- 10. That all such persons as are of this collonie, are to have their
- meate, drink, apparell, and all provissions out of ye comon stock &amp;
- goods of ye said collonie.
- </p>
- <p>
- Governor Bradford adds:&mdash;
- </p>
- <p>
- &ldquo;The chief and principal differences betwene these &amp; the former
- [original] conditions, stood in those 2. points; that ye houses, &amp;
- lands improved, espetialy gardens &amp; home lotts should remaine
- undevided wholy to ye planters at ye 7. years end. 2ly, yt they should
- have had 2. days in a weeke for their owne private imploymente, for ye
- more comforte of themselves and their families, espetialy such as had
- families.&rdquo;
- </p>
- <p>
- [Apparently, as has been noted, neither these articles of agreement, nor
- their predecessors which received the approval of the Leyden leaders, were
- ever signed by the contracting parties, until Robert Cushman brought the
- later draft over in the FORTUNE, in 1621, and the planter body (advised
- thereto by Pastor Robinson, who had previously bitterly opposed) signed
- them. Much might be truly said on either side of this controversy&mdash;indeed
- was said at the time; but if the Pilgrims were to abandon their
- contention, whatever its merits, in a year&rsquo;s time, as they did, it would
- seemingly have been much better not to have begun it, for it undoubtedly
- cost them dear.]
- </p>
- <h3>
- II<br /> LETTER OF THE LEYDEN LEADERS TO JOHN CARVER AND ROBERT CUSHMAN, AT
- LONDON
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-May 31/June 10, 1620.
-
- To their loving freinds John Carver and Robart Cushman, these, &amp;c.
-
-Good bretheren, after salutations, &amp;c. We received diverse letters at ye
-coming of Mr. [Thomas] Nash &amp; our pilott, which is a great incouragmente
-unto us, and for whom we hop after times will minister occasion of
-praising God; and indeed had you not sente him, many would have been
-ready to fainte and goe backe. Partly in respecte of ye new conditions
-which have bene taken up by you, which all men are against, and partly in
-regard of our owne inabillitie to doe any one of those many waightie
-bussineses you referr to us here. For ye former wherof, wheras Robart
-Cushman desirs reasons for our dislike, promising therupon to alter ye
-same, or els saing we should thinke he hath no brains, we desire him to
-exercise them therin, refering him to our pastors former reasons, and
-them to ye censure of ye godly wise. But our desires are that you will
-not entangle your selvs and us in any such unreasonable courses as those
-are, viz. yt the marchants should have ye halfe of mens houses and lands
-at ye dividente; and that persons should be deprived of ye 2. days in a
-weeke agreed upon, yea every momente of time for their owne perticuler;
-by reason wherof we cannot conceive why any should carie servants for
-their own help and comfort; for that we can require no more of them than
-all men one of another. This we have only by relation from Mr. Nash, &amp;
-not from any writing of your owne, &amp; therfore hope you have not proceeded
-farr in so great a thing without us. But requiring you not to exseed the
-bounds of your comission, which was to proceed upon ye things or
-conditions agred upon and expressed in writing (at your going over it),
-we leave it, not without marveling, that your selfe, as you write,
-knowing how smale a thing troubleth our consultations, and how few,
-as you fear, understands the busnes aright, should trouble us with such
-matters as these are, &amp;c. Salute Mr. Weston from us, in whom we hope we
-are not deceived; we pray you make known our estate unto him, and if you
-thinke good shew him our letters, at least tell him (yt under God) we
-much relie upon him &amp; put our confidence in him; and, as your selves well
-know, that if he had not been an adventurer with us, we had not taken it
-in hand; presuming that if he had not seene means to accomplish it, he
-would not have begune it; so we hope in our extremitie he will so farr
-help us as our expectation be no way made frustrate concerning him.
-Since therfor, good brethren, we have plainly opened ye state of things
-with us in this matter, you will, &amp;c. Thus beseeching ye Allmightie, who
-is allsufficiente to raise us out of this depth of difficulties, to
-assiste us herin; raising such means by his providence and fatherly care
-for us, his pore children &amp; servants, as we may with comforte behould ye
-hand of our God for good towards us in this our bussines, which we
-undertake in his name &amp; fear, we take leave &amp; remaine
- Your perplexed, yet hopful
- bretheren,
-June 10, New Stille
-Ano: 1620. SAMUEL FULLER, EDWARD WINSLOW,
- WILLIAM BRADFORD, ISAAC ALLERTON.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- III<br /> THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (AT LONDON), TO JOHN CARVER (AT
- SOUTHAMPTON)
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.
-
- To his loving freind Mr. John Carver, these, &amp;c.
-
- Loving freind, I have received from you some letters, full of affection &amp;
- complaints, &amp; what it is you would have of me I know not; for your
- crieing out, Negligence, negligence, negligence, I marvell why so
- negligente a man was used in ye bussines: Yet know you yt all that I have
- power to doe hear, shall not be one hower behind, I warent you. You have
- reference to Mr. Weston to help us with money, more then his adventure;
- wher he protesteth but for his promise, he would not have done any thing.
- He saith we take a heady course, and is offended yt our provissions are
- made so farr of; as also that he was not made aquainted with our
- quantitie of things; and saith yt in now being in 3. places, so farr
- remote, (i.e. Leyden, London, and Southampton) we will, with going up &amp;
- downe, and wrangling &amp; expostulating, pass over ye sourer before we will
- goe. And to speake ye trueth, they is fallen already amongst us a flatt
- schisme; and we are redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde a
- vaiage. I have received from Leyden since you wente (to Southampton) 3.
- or 4. letters directed to you, though they only conscerne me. I will not
- trouble you with them. I always feared ye event of ye Amsterdamers
- (members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth&rsquo;s church there) striking in with us.
- I trow you must excomunicate me, or els you must goe without their
- companie, or we shall wante no quareling; but let them pass.
-
-We have reckoned, it should seeme, without our host; and, count upon a
-150. persons, ther cannot be founde above 1200li. &amp; odd moneys of all ye
-venturs you can reckone, besids some cloath, stockings, &amp; shoes, which
-are not counted; so we shall come shorte at least 3. or 400li. I would
-have had some thing shortened at first of beare (beer) &amp; other
-provissions in hope of other adventurs, &amp; now we could have, both in
-Amsterd &amp; Kente, beere inough to serve our turne, but now we cannot
-accept it without prejudice. You fear we have begune to build &amp; and
-shall not be able to make an end; indeed, our courses were never
-established by counsell, we may therfore justly fear their standing.
-Yea, then was a schisme amongst us 3. at ye first. You wrote to Mr.
-Martin, to prevente ye making of ye provissions in Kente, which he did,
-and sett downe his resolution how much he would have of every thing,
-without respecte to any counsell or exception. Surely he yt is in a
-societie &amp; yet regards not counsell, may better be a king then a
-consorte. To be short, if then be not some other dispossition setled
-unto then yet is, we yt should be partners of humilitie and peace, shall
-be examples of jangling &amp; insulting. Yet your money which you ther
-[Southampton] must have, we will get provided for you instantly. 500li.
-you say will serve; for ye rest which hear &amp; in Holand is to be used, we
-may goe scratch for it. For Mr. Crabe, of whom you write, he hath
-promised to goe with us, yet I tell you I shall not be without feare till
-I see him shipped, for he [i.e. his going] is much opposed, yet I hope
-he will not faile. Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is
-wanting, and ye Lord guid us all.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-London June 10.
-Ano: 1620.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- IV THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS
- </h3>
- <p>
- (Probably written at London, Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.)
- </p>
- <p>
- Brethern, I understand by letters &amp; passagess yt have come to me, that
- ther are great discontents, &amp; dislike of my proceedings amongst you.
- Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it, as not doubting but yt
- partly by writing, and more principally by word when we shall come
- togeather, I shall satisfie any reasonable man. I have been perswaded by
- some, espetialy this bearer, to come and clear things unto you; but as
- things now stand I cannot be absente one day, excepte I should hazard all
- ye viage. Neither conceive I any great good would come of it. Take then,
- brethern, this as a step to give you contente. First, for your dislike of
- ye alteration of one clause in ye conditions, if you conceive it right,
- ther can be no blame lye on me at all. For ye articles first brought over
- by John Carver were never seene of any of ye adventurers hear, excepte Mr.
- Weston, neither did any of them like them because of that clause; nor Mr.
- Weston him selfe, after he had well considered it. But as at ye first ther
- was 500li. withdrawne by Sr. Georg Farrer and his brother upon that
- dislike, so all ye rest would have withdrawne (Mr. Weston excepted) if we
- had not altered yt clause. Now whilst we at Leyden conclude upon points,
- as we did, we reckoned without our host, which was not my faulte. Besids,
- I shewed you by a letter ye equitie of yt condition, &amp; our
- inconveniences, which might be sett against all Mr. Rob: [Robinson&rsquo;s]
- inconveniences, that without ye alteration of yt clause, we could neither
- have means to gett thither, nor supplie wherby to subsiste when we were
- ther. Yet notwithstanding all those reasons, which were not mine, but
- other mens wiser than my selfe, without answer to any one of them, here
- cometh over many quirimonies, and complaints against me, of lording it
- over my brethern, and making conditions fitter for theeves &amp;
- bondslaves then honest men, and that of my owne head I did what I list.
- And at last a paper of reasons, framed against yt clause in ye conditions,
- which as yey were delivered me open, so my answer is open to you all. And
- first, as they are no other but inconveniences, such as a man might frame
- 20. as great on ye other side, and yet prove nor disprove nothing by them,
- so they misse &amp; mistake both ye very ground of ye article and nature
- of ye project.
- </p>
- <p>
- For, first, it is said, that if ther had been no divission of houses &amp;
- lands, it had been better for ye poore. True, and yt showeth ye
- inequalitie of ye condition; we should more respect him yt ventureth both
- his money and his person, then him yt ventureth but his person only.
- </p>
- <p>
- 2. Consider whereaboute we are, not giveing almes, but furnishing a store
- house; no one shall be porer then another for 7. years, and if any be
- rich, none can be pore. At ye least, we must not in such bussines crie,
- Pore, pore, mercie, mercie. Charitie hath it[s] life in wraks, not in
- venturs; you are by this most in a hopefull pitie of makeing, therefore
- complaine not before you have need.
- </p>
- <p>
- 3. This will hinder ye building of good and faire houses, contrarie to ye
- advise of pollitiks. A. So we would have it; our purpose is to build for
- ye presente such houses as, if need be, we may with litle greefe set a
- fire, and rune away by the lighte; our riches shall not be in pompe, but
- in strength; if God send us riches, we will imploye them to provid more
- men, ships, munition, &amp;c. You may see it amongst the best pollitiks,
- that a comonwele is readier to ebe then to flow, when once fine houses and
- gay cloaths come up.
- </p>
- <p>
- 4. The Govet may prevente excess in building. A. But if it be on all men
- beforehand resolved on, to build mean houses, ye Govet laboure is spared.
- </p>
- <p>
- 5. All men are not of one condition. A. If by condition you mean wealth,
- you are mistaken; if you mean by condition, qualities, then I say he that
- is not contente his neighbour shall have as good a house, fare, means,
- &amp;c. as him selfe, is not of a good qualitie. 2ly. Such retired
- persons, as have an eie only to them selves, are fitter to come wher
- catching is, then closing; and are fitter to live alone, then in any
- societie, either civil or religious.
- </p>
- <p>
- 6. It will be of litle value, scarce worth 5li. A. True, it may not be
- worth halfe 5li. If then so smale a thing will content them, (the
- Adventurers) why strive we thus aboute it, and give them occasion to
- suspecte us to be worldly &amp; covetous? I will not say what I have heard
- since these complaints came first over [from Leyden].
- </p>
- <p>
- 7. Our freinds with us yt adventure mind not their owne profite, as did ye
- old adventurers. A. Then they are better than we, who for a little matter
- of profite are readie to draw back, and it is more apparente, brethern
- looke too it, that make profit your maine end; repente of this, els goe
- not least you be like Jonas to Tarshis. Though some of them mind not their
- profite, yet others doe mind it; and why not as well as we? venturs are
- made by all sorts of men, and we must labour to give them all contente, if
- we can.
- </p>
- <p>
- 8. It will break ye course of comunitie, as may be showed by many reasons.
- A. That is but said, and I say againe, it will best foster comunion, as
- may be showed by many reasons.
- </p>
- <p>
- 9. Great profite is like to be made by trucking, fishing, &amp;c. A. As it
- is better for them, so for us; for halfe is ours, besids our living still
- upon it, and if such profite in yt way come, our labour shall be ye less
- on ye land, and our houses &amp; lands will be of less value.
- </p>
- <p>
- 10. Our hazard is greater than theirs. A. True, but doe they put us upon
- it? doe they urge or egg us? hath not ye motion &amp; resolution been
- always in our selves? doe they any more then in seeing us resolute if we
- had means, help us to means upon equall termes &amp; conditions! If we
- will not goe, they are content to keep their moneys.
- </p>
- <p>
- Thus I have pointed at a way to loose those knots, which I hope you will
- consider seriously, and let me have no more stirr about them.
- </p>
- <p>
- Now furder, I hear a noise of slavish conditions by me made; but surly
- this is all I have altered, and reasons I have sent you. If you mean it of
- ye 2. days in a week for perticuler, as some insinuate, you are deceived;
- you may have 3. days in a week for me if you will. And when I have spoken
- to ye adventurers of times of working, they have said they hope we are men
- of discretion &amp; conscience, and so fitt to be trusted our selves with
- that. But indeed ye ground of our proceedings at Leyden was mistaken, and
- so here is nothing but tottering every day, &amp;c.
- </p>
- <p>
- As for them of Amsterdam, [i.e. the members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth&rsquo;s
- church there] I had thought they would as soon gone to Rome as with us;
- for our libertie is to them as ratts bane, and their riggour as bad to us
- as ye Spanish Inquisition. If any practise of mine discourage them, let
- them yet draw back; I will undertake they shall have their money againe
- presently paid hear. Or if the Company think me to be ye Jonas, let them
- cast me of before we goe; I shall be content to stay with good will,
- having but ye cloaths on my back; only let us have quietnes, and no more
- of these clamors; full little did I expect these things which are now come
- to pass, &amp;c.<br /><br /> Yours,<br /> R. CUSHMAN.<br />
- </p>
- <h3>
- V<br /> THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS, LONDON
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">(Sunday, June 11/21, 1620.)
-
- Salutations, &amp;c. I received your letter [of May 31/June 10] yesterday,
- by John Turner, with another ye same day from Amsterdam by Mr. W.
- savouring of ye place whenc it came. And indeed the many discouragements
- I find her,[London] togeather with ye demurrs and retirings ther,[Leyden]
- had made me to say, I would give up my accounts to John Carver, &amp; at his
- comeing aquainte him fully with all courses, and so leave it quite, with
- only ye pore cloaths on my back. But gathering up my selfe by further
- consideration, I resolved yet to make one triall more, and to acquainte
- Mr. Weston with ye fainted state of our bussines; and though he hath been
- much discontented at some thing amongst us of late, which hath made him
- often say, that save for his promise, he would not meadle at all with ye
- bussines any more, yet considering how farr we were plunged into maters,
- &amp; how it stood both on our credits &amp; undoing, at ye last he gathered up
- him selfe a litle more, &amp; coming to me 2. hours after, he tould me he
- would not yet leave it. And so advising togeather we resolved to hire a
- ship, and have tooke liking of one till Monday, about 60. laste, for a
- greater we cannot gett, excepte it be tow great; but a fine ship it is.
- And seeing our neer freinds ther are so streite lased, we hope to assure
- her without troubling them any further; and if ye ship fale too small, it
- fitteth well yt such as stumble at strawes already, may rest them ther a
- while, least worse blocks come in ye way ere 7. years be ended. If you
- had beaten this bussines so throuly a month agoe, and write to us as now
- you doe, we could thus have done much more conveniently. But it is as it
- is; I hope our freinds they, if they be quitted of ye ship hire, will be
- indusced to venture ye more. All yt I now require is yt salt and netts
- may ther be boughte, and for all ye rest we will here provid it; yet if
- that will not be, let them but stand for it a month or tow, and we will
- take order to pay it all. Let Mr. Reinholds tarie ther, and bring ye
- ship to Southampton. We have hired another pilote here, one Mr. Clarke,
- who went last year to Virginia with a ship of kine.
-
-You shall here distinctly by John Turner, who I thinke shall come hence
-on tewsday night. I had thought to have come with him, to have answered
-to my complaints; but I shal lerne to pass litle for their censurs; and
-if I had more minde to goe &amp; dispute &amp; expostulate with them, then I have
-care of this waightie bussines, I were like them who live by clamours &amp;
-jangling. But neither my mind nor my body is at libertie to doe much,
-for I am fettered with bussines, and had rather study to be quiet, then
-to make answer to their exceptions. If men be set on it, let them beat
-ye eair; I hope such as are my sinceire freinds will not thinke but I can
-give some reason of my actions. But of your mistaking aboute ye mater,
- &amp; other things tending to this bussines, I shall nexte informe you
-more distinctly. Mean space entreate our freinds not to be too bussie in
-answering matters, before they know them. If I doe such things as I
-canot give reasons for, it is like you have sett a foole aboute your
-bussines, and so turne ye reproofe to your selves, &amp; send an other, and
-let me come againe to my Combes. But setting aside my naturall
-infirmities, I refuse not to have my cause judged, both of God, &amp; all
-indifferent men; and when we come togeather I shall give accounte of my
-actions hear. The Lord, who judgeth justly without respect of persons,
-see into ye equitie of my cause, and give us quiet, peacable, and patient
-minds, in all these turmoils, and sanctifie unto us all crosses
-whatsoever. And so I take my leave of you all, in all love &amp; affection.
- I hope we shall gett all hear ready in 14. days.
- Your pore brother,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-[London]
-June 11. 1620 [O.S.].
-</pre>
- <h3>
- VI<br /> A LETTER OF MR. JOHN ROBINSON TO JOHN CARVER,/h3<br /> JUNE 14.
- (N.S.), 1620
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Professor Arber (&ldquo;The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,&rdquo; p. 317) has
- apparently failed to notice that in the original MS. of Bradford,
- this letter is dated &ldquo;June 14, 1620, N. Stile,&rdquo; which would make it
- June 4., O.S., while Arber dates it &ldquo;14/24 June,&rdquo; which is
- manifestly incorrect. A typographical error in Arber (p. 317)
- directs the letter to &ldquo;Leyden&rdquo; instead of to London. ]
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- June 14. 1620. N. Stile.
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-My dear freind &amp; brother, whom with yours I alwaise remember in my best
-affection, and whose wellfare I shall never cease to comend to God by my
-best &amp; most earnest praires. You doe throwly understand by our generall
-letters ye estate of things hear, which indeed is very pitifull;
-espetialy by wante of shiping, and not seeing means lickly, much less
-certaine, of having it provided; though withall ther be great want of
-money &amp; means to doe needfull things. Mr. [Edward] Pickering, you know
-before this, will not defray a peny hear; though Robert Cushman presumed
-of I know not how many 100li. from him, &amp; I know not whom. Yet it seems
-strange yt we should be put to him to receive both his &amp; his partners
-[William Greene&rsquo;s] adventer, and yet Mr. Weston write unto him, yt in
-regard of it, he hath drawne upon him a 100li. more. But they is in this
-some misterie, as indeed it seems ther is in ye whole course. Besids,
-wheras diverse are to pay in some parts of their moneys yet behinde, they
-refuse to doe it, till they see shiping provided, or a course taken for
-it. Neither doe I thinke is ther a man hear would pay anything, if he
-had againe his money in his purse. You know right well we depended on
-Mr. Weston alone, and upon such means as he would procure for this
-commone bussines; and when we had in hand an other course with ye
-Dutchmen, broke it of at his motion, and upon ye conditions by him
-shortly after propounded. He did this in his love I know, but things
-appeare not answerable from him hitherto. That he should have first have
-put in his moneys, is thought by many to have been but fitt, but yt I can
-well excuse, he being a marchante and haveing use of it to his benefite;
-whereas others, if it had been in their hands, would have consumed it.
-But yt he should not but have had either shipping ready before this time,
-or at least certaine means, and course, and ye same knowne to us for it,
-or have taken other order otherwise, cannot in my conscience be excused.
-I have heard yt wen he hath been moved in the bussines, he hath put it of
-from him selfe, and referred it to ye others; and would come to Georg
-Morton [in London] &amp; enquire news of him aboute things, as if he had
-scarce been some accessarie unto it. Wlether he hath failed of some helps
-from others which he expected, and so be not well able to goe through
-with things, or whether he hath feared least you should be ready too
-soone &amp; so encrease ye charge of shiping above yt is meete, or whether he
-hath thought by withhoulding to put us upon straits, thinking yt therby
-Mr. Brewer and Mr. Pickering would be drawne by importunitie to doe more,
-or what other misterie is in it, we know not; but sure we are yt things
-are not answerable to such an occasion. Mr. Weston maks himselfe mery
-with our endeavors aboute buying a ship, [the SPEEDWELL], but we have
-done nothing in this but with good reason, as I am perswaded, nor yet
-that I know in any thing els, save in those tow: ye one, that we imployed
-Robart Cushman, who is known (though a good man &amp; of spetiall abilities
-in his kind, yet) most unfitt to deale for other by reason of his
-singularitie, and too great indifferancie for any conditions, and for (to
-speak truly) that we have had nothing from him but termes &amp; presumptions.
-The other, yt we have so much relyed, by implicite faith as it were, upon
-generalities, without seeing ye perticuler course &amp; means for so waghtie
-an affaire set down unto us. For shiping, Mr. Weston, it should seeme,
-is set upon hireing, which yet I wish he may presently effecte; but I see
-litle hope of help from hence if so it be. Of Mr. [Thomas] Brewer, you
-know what to expecte. I doe not thinke Mr. Pickering will ingage,
-excepte in ye course of buying [ships?] in former letters specified.
-Aboute ye conditions, you have our reason for our judgments of what is
-agreed. And let this spetially be borne in minde, yt the greatest pane
-of ye Collonie is like to be imployed constantly, not upon dressing they
-perticuler land &amp; building houses, but upon fishing, trading, &amp;c. So as
-ye land &amp; house will be but a trifell for advantage to ye adventurers,
-and yet the devission of it a great discouragmente to ye planters, who
-would with singuler care make it comfortable with borowed houres from
-their sleep. The same consideration of comone imploymente constantly by
-the most is a good reason not to have ye 2, daies in a week denyed ye few
-planters for private use, which yet is subordinate to comone good.
-Consider also how much unfite that you &amp; your liks must serve a new
-prentishipe of 7. years, and not a daies freedome from taske. Send me
-word what persons are to goe, who of usefull faculties, &amp; how many, &amp;
-perticulerly of every thing. I know you wante not a minde. I am sorie
-you have not been at London all this while, but ye provissions could not
-want you. Time will suffer me to write no more; fare, you &amp; yours well
-allways in ye Lord, in whom I rest.
- Yours to use,
- JOHN&rsquo; ROBINSON.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- VII<br /> THE LETTER OF THE PLANTERS TO THE<br /> MERCHANT ADVENTURERS (FROM
- SOUTHAMPTON)
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-
- Aug. 3. Ano. 1620.
-
-
- Beloved freinds, sory we are that ther should be occasion of writing at
- all unto you, partly because we ever expected to see ye most of you hear,
- but espetially because ther should any difference at all be conceived
- betweene us. But seing it faleth out that we cannot conferr togeather,
- we thinke it meete (though brefly) to show you ye just cause &amp; reason of
- our differing from those articles last made by Robert Cushman, without
- our comission or knowledg.
-
-
-And though he might propound good ends to himselfe, yet it no way
-justifies his doing it. Our maine diference is in ye 5.&amp; 9. article,
-concerning ye deviding or holding of house and lands; the injoying
-whereof some of your selves well know, was one spetiall motive, amongst
-many other, to provoke us to goe. This was thought so reasonable, yt
-when ye greatest of you in adventure (whom we have much cause to
-respecte), when he propounded conditions to us freely of his owne
-accorde, he set this downe for one; a coppy wherof we have sent unto you,
-with some additions then added by us; which being liked on both sids, and
-a day set for ye paimente of moneys, those in Holland paid in theirs.
-After yt, Robert Cushman, Mr. [John] Pierce, &amp; Mr. [Christopher] Martine,
-brought them into a better forme, &amp; write them in a booke now extante;
-and upon Robarts [Cushmans] shewing them and delivering Mr. [William]
-Mullins a coppy thereof under his hand (which we have), he payed in his
-money. And we of Holland had never seen other before our coming to
-Hamton, but only as one got for him selfe a private coppy of them; upon
-sight wherof we manyfested uter dislike, but had put of our estats &amp; were
-ready to come, and therfore was too late to rejecte ye vioage. Judge
-therefore we beseech you indifferently of things, and if a faulte have
-bene comited, lay it where it is, &amp; not upon us, who have more cause to
-stand for ye one, then you have for ye other. We never gave Robart
-Cushman comission to make any one article for us, but only sent him to
-receive moneys upon articles before agreed on, and to further ye
-provissions till John Carver came, and to assiste him in it. Yet since
-you conceive your selves wronged as well as we, we thought meete to add a
-branch to ye end of our 9. article, as will allmost heale that wound of
-it selfe, which you conceive to be in it. But that it may appeare to all
-men yt we are not lovers of our selves only, but desire also ye good &amp;
-inriching of our freinds who have adventured your moneys with our
-persons, we have added our last article to ye rest, promising you againe
-by leters in ye behalfe of the whole company, that if large profits
-should not arise within ye 7. years, yt we will continue togeather longer
-with you, if ye Lord give a blessing.&mdash;[Bradford adds in a note, &ldquo;It is
-well for them yt this was not accepted.&rdquo;]&mdash;This we hope is sufficente to
-satisfie any in this case, espetialy freinds, since we are asured yt if
-the whole charge was devided into 4. parts, 3. of them will not stand
-upon it, nether doe regarde it, &amp;c. We are in shuch a streate at
-presente, as we are forced to sell away 60li. worth of our provissions to
-cleare ye Haven [Southampton] &amp; withall put our selves upon great
-extremities, scarce haveing any butter, no oyle, not a sole to mend a
-shoe, nor every man a sword to his side, wanting many muskets, much
-armoure, etc. And yet we are willing to expose our selves to shuch
-eminente dangers as are like to insue, &amp; trust to ye good providence of
-God, rather then his name &amp; truth should be evill spoken of for us. Thus
-saluting all of you in love, and beseeching ye Lord to give a blesing to
-our endeavore, and keepe all our harts in ye bonds of peace &amp; love, we
-take leave &amp; rest,
- Yours, &amp;c
-
- Aug. 3. 1620.
-
- [&ldquo;It was subscribed with many names of ye cheefest of ye company.&rdquo;
- &mdash;Bradford, &ldquo;Historie,&rdquo; Mass. ed. p. 77.]
-</pre>
- <h3>
- VIII THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (FROM SOUTHAMPTON) TO EDWARD SOUTHWORTH
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- To his loving friend Ed[ward] S[outhworth] at Henige House, in ye Duks
- Place [London], these, &amp;c.
-
- Dartmouth [Thursday] Aug. 17, [Anno 1620.]
-
- Loving friend, my most kind remembrance to you &amp; your wife, with loving
- E. M. &amp;c. whom in this world I never looke to see againe. For besids ye
- eminente dangers of this viage, which are no less then deadly, an
- infirmitie of body Hath seased me, which will not in all licelyhoode
- leave me till death. What to call it I know not, but it it is a bundle
- of lead, as it were, crushing my harte more &amp; more these 14. days, as
- that allthough I doe ye acctions of a liveing man, yet I am but as dead;
- but ye will of God be done. Our pinass [the SPEEDWELL] will not cease
- leaking, els I thinke we had been halfe way at Virginia, our viage hither
- hath been as full of crosses, as our, selves have been of crokednes. We
- put in hear to trime her, &amp; I thinke, as others also, if we had stayed at
- sea but 3. or 4. howers more, shee would have sunke right downe. And
- though she was twice trimed at Hamton, yet now shee is open and lekie as
- a seine; and ther was a borde, a man might have puld of with his fingers,
- 2 foote longe, wher ye water came in as at a mole hole. We lay at Hamton
- 7. days, in fair weather, waiting for her, and now we lye hear waiting
- for her in as faire a wind as can blowe, and so have done these 4. days,
- and are like to lye 4. more, and by yt time ye wind will happily turne as
- it did at Hamton. Our victualls will be halfe eaten up, I thinke, before
- we goe from the coaste of England, and if our viage last longe, we shall
- not have a months victialls when we come in ye countrie. Near 700li.
- hath bene bestowed at Hamton upon what I know not. Mr. Martin saith he
- neither can nor will give any accounte of it, and if he be called upon
- for accounts he crieth out of unthankfulness for his paines &amp; care, that
- we are susspitious of him, and flings away, and will end nothing. Also
- he so insulteh over our poore people with shuch scorne and contempte, as
- if they were not good enough to wipe his shoes. It would break your hart
- to see his dealing, and ye mourning of our people. They complaine to me,
- &amp; alass! I can doe nothing for them; if I speake to him, he flies in my
- face, as mutinous, and saith no complaints shall be heard or received but
- by him selfe, and saith they are forwarde, &amp; waspish, discontented
- people, &amp; I doe ill to hear them. Ther are others yt would lose all they
- have put in, or make satisfaction for what they have had, that they might
- departe; but he will not hear them, nor suffer them to goe ashore, least
- they should rune away. The sailors also are so offended at his ignorante
- bouldnes, in medling &amp; controuling in things he knows not what belongs
- too, as yt some threaten to misscheefe him, others say they will leave ye
- shipe &amp; goe their way. But at ye best this cometh of it, yt he maks him
- selfe a scorne &amp; laughing stock unto them. As for Mr. Weston, excepte
- grace doe greatly swaye with him, he will hate us ten times more then
- ever he loved us, for not confirming ye conditions. But now, since some
- pinches have taken them, they begine to reveile ye trueth, and say Mr.
- Robinson was in ye falte who charged them never to consente to those
- conditions, nor chuse me into office, but indeede apointed them to chose
- them they did chose. But he and they will rue too late, they may now
- see, &amp; all be ashamed when it is too late, that they were so ignorante,
- yea, &amp; so inordinate in their courses. I am sure as they were resolved
- not to seale those conditions, I was not so resolute at Hamton to have
- left ye whole bussines, excepte they would seale them, and better ye
- vioage to have bene broken of then, then to have brought such miserie to
- our selves, dishonour to God, &amp; detrimente to our loving freinds, as now
- it is like to doe. 4. or 5. of ye cheefe of them which came from Leyden,
- came resolved never to goe on those conditions. And Mr. Martine, he said
- he never received no money on those conditions, he was not beholden to ye
- marchants, for a pine [pennie], they were bloudsuckers, &amp; I know not
- what. Simple man, he indeed never made any conditions wth the marchants,
- nor ever spake with them.
-
-But did all that money flie to Hamton, or was it his owne? Who will goe
-lay out money so rashly &amp; lavishly as he did, and never know how he comes
-by it, or on what conditions? I tould him of ye alteration longe
-agoe, &amp; he was contente; but now he dominires, &amp; said I had betrayed them
-into ye hands of slaves; he is not beholden to them, he can set out 2
-ships him selfe to a viage. When, good man? He hath but 50li. in, &amp; if
-he should give up his accounts he would not have a penie left him,
-&mdash;[&ldquo;This was found true afterwards.] W[illiam] B"[radford]]&mdash;as I
-am persuaded, &amp;c. Freind, if ever we make a plantation, God works a
-mirakle; especially considering how scante we shall be of victualls, and
-most of all ununited amongst our selves, &amp; devoyd of good tutors and
-regimente. Violence will break all. Wher is ye meek &amp; humble spirite of
-Moyses? &amp; of Nehemiah who reedified ye wals of Jerusalem, and ye state of
-Israell? Is not ye sound of Rehoboams braggs daly hear amongst us? Have
-not ye philosophers and all wise men observed yt, even in setled comone
-welths, violente governours bring either them selves, or people, or
-boath, to ruine; how much more in ye raising of comone wealths, when ye
-mortar is yet scarce tempered yt should bind ye wales [walls]. If I
-should write to you of all things which promiscuously forerune our ruine,
-I should over charge my weake head and greeve your tender hart; only
-this, I pray you prepare for evill tidings of us every day. But pray for
-us instantly, it may be ye Lord will be yet entreated one way or other to
-make for us. I see not in reason how we shall escape even ye gasping of
-hunger starved persons; but God can doe much, &amp; his will be done. It is
-better for me to dye, then now for me to bear it, which I doe daly, &amp;
-expect it howerly; haveing received ye sentance of death, both within me
-&amp; with out me. Poore William Ring &amp; my selfe doe strive who shall be
-meate first for ye fishes; but we looke for a glorious resurrection,
-knowing Christ Jesus after ye flesh no more, but looking unto ye joye yt
-is before us, we will endure all these things and accounte them light in
-comparison of ye joye we hope for. Remember me in all love to our
-freinds as if I named them, whose praiers I desire earnestly, &amp; wish
-againe to see, but not till I can with more comforte looke them in ye
-face. The Lord give us that true comforte which none can take from us.
-I had a desire to make a breefe relation of our estate to some freind.
-I doubte not but your wisdome will teach you seasonably to utter things
-as here after you shall be called to it. That which I have writen is
-treue, &amp; many things more which I have for borne. I write it as upon my
-life, and last confession in England. What is of use to be spoken of
-presently, you may speake of it, and what is fitt to conceile, conceall.
-Pass by my weake maner, for my head is weake, and my body feeble, ye Lord
-make me strong in him, and keepe both you &amp; yours.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-
-Dartmouth, Aug. 17, 1620.
-</pre>
- <h3>
- IX<br /> THE MAY-FLOWER COMPACT
- </h3>
- <p>
- In ye name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall
- subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord, King James, by ye grace of God, of
- Great Britaine, Franc, &amp; Ireland king, defender of ye faith, &amp;c.,
- haveing under taken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye
- Christian faith, and honour of our king &amp; countrie, a voyage to plant
- ye first colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents
- solemnly &amp; mutualy in ye presence of God, and one of another, covenant
- &amp; combine our selves together into a civill body politick, for our
- better ordering &amp; preservation &amp; furtherance of ye ends aforesaid:
- and by vertue hearof to enacte, constitute, and frame such just &amp;
- equall lawes, ordinances, actes, constitutions, &amp; offices, from time
- to time, as shall be thought most meete &amp; convenient for ye generall
- good of ye Colonie, unto which we promise all due submission and
- obedience. In witnes wherof we have here under subscribed our names at
- Cape-Codd ye 11. of November, in ye year of ye raigne of our soveraigne
- lord, King James, of England, France, &amp; Ireland ye eighteenth, and of
- Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano. Dom. 1620
- </p>
- <h3>
- X<br /> A COPY OF THE NUNCUPATIVE WILL OF MASTER WILLIAM MULLENS
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- [Undoubtedly taken by Governor Carver on board the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
- [Although the dictation must, apparently, have been taken on the day
- of Master Mullens&rsquo;s death, February 21/March 3, 1620, Governor
- Carver evidently did not write out his notes, and have them
- witnessed, till April 2, 1621, some weeks later.]
-
- &ldquo;April, 1621.
-
- In the name of God, Amen: I comfit my Soule to God that gave it and my
- bodie to the earth from whence it came. Alsoe I give my goodes as
- followeth: That fforty poundes wch is in the hand of good-man Woodes I
- give my wife tenn poundes, my sonne Joseph tenn poundes, my daughter
- Priscilla tenn poundes, and my eldest sonne tenn poundes. Alsoe I give to
- my eldest sonne all my debtes, bonds, bills (onelye yt forty poundes
- excepted in the handes of goodman Wood) given as aforesaid wth all the
- stock in his owne handes. To my eldest daughter I give ten shillinges to
- be paied out of my sonnes stock Furthermore that goodes I have in
- Virginia as followeth To my wife Alice halfe my goodes. 2. to Joseph and
- Priscilla the other halfe equallie to be devided betweene them. Alsoe I
- have xxi dozen of shoes, and thirteene paire of bootes wch I give into
- the Companies handes for forty poundes at seaven years end if they like
- them at that rate. If it be thought to deare as my Overseers shall
- thinck good. And if they like them at that rate at the devident I shall
- have nyne shares whereof I give as followeth twoe to my wife, twoe to my
- sonne William, twoe to my sonne Joseph, towe to my daughter Priscilla,
- and one to the Companie. Allsoe if my sonne William will come to
- Virginia I give him my share of land furdermore I give to my two
- Overseers Mr. John Carver and Mr. Williamson, twentye shillinges apeece
- to see this my will performed desiringe them that he would have an eye
- over my wife and children to be as fathers and freindes to them, Allsoe
- to have a speciall eye to my man Robert wch hathe not so approved
- himselfe as I would he should have done.
-
- This is a Coppye of Mr. Mullens his Will of all particulars he hathe
- given. In witnes whereof I have sette my hande John Carver, Giles Heale,
- Christopher Joanes.&rdquo;
- </pre>
- <h3>
- XI<br /> THE LETTER OF &ldquo;ONE OF THE CHIEFE OF YE COMPANIE"<br /> [THE
- MERCHANT ADVENTURERS]<br /> DATED AT LONDON, APRIL 9, 1623<br />
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-
- Loving friend, when I write my last leter, I hope to have received one
- from you well-nigh by this time. But when I write in Des: I little
- thought to have seen Mr. John Pierce till he had brought some good
- tidings from you. But it pleased God, he brought us ye wofull tidings of
- his returne when he was half-way over, by extraime tempest, werin ye
- goodnes &amp; mercie of God appeared in sparing their lives, being 109.
- souls. The loss is so great to Mr. Pierce &amp;c., and ye companie put upon
- so great charge, as veryly, &amp;c. Now with great trouble &amp; loss, we have
- got Mr. John Pierce to assigne over ye grand patente to ye companie,
- which he had taken in his owne name, and made quite voyd our former
- grante. I am sorie to writ how many hear thinke yt the hand of God was
- justly against him, both ye first and 2. time of his returne; in regard
- he, whom you and we so confidently trusted, but only to use his name for
- ye company, should aspire to be lord over us all, and so make you &amp; us
- tenants at his will and pleasure, our assurance or patente being quite
- voyd &amp; disanuled by his means. I desire to judg charitably of him. But
- his unwillingness to part with his royall lordship, and ye high rate he
- set it at, which was 500li. which cost him but 50li., maks many speake
- and judg hardly of him. The company are out for goods in his ship, with
- charge aboute ye passengers, 640li., &amp;c.
-
- We have agreed with 2 merchants for a ship of 140 tunes, caled ye Anne,
- which is to be ready ye last of this month, to bring 60 passengers &amp;
- 60 tune of goods, &amp;c&mdash;[Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 167.]
-</pre>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </p>
- <h2>
- ADDENDA
- </h2>
- <p>
- Governor Winslow, in his &ldquo;Hypocrisie Unmasked&rdquo; (pp. 89,90), indicates that
- the representatives of the Leyden congregation (Cushman and Carver) sought
- the First (or London) Virginia Company as early as 1613. It is beyond
- doubt that preliminary steps toward securing the favor, both of the King
- and others, were taken as early as 1617, and that the Wincob Patent was
- granted in their interest, June 9/19, 1619. But the Leyden people were but
- little advanced by the issue of this Patent. They became discouraged, and
- began early in 1620 (perhaps earlier) negotiations with the Dutch, which
- were in progress when, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Thomas
- Weston undertook (February 2/12, April 1/11, 1620) to secure the Leyden
- party, avowedly for the London Virginia Company, but really for its rival,
- the Second Virginia Company, soon to be merged in the &ldquo;Council of Affairs
- for New England.&rdquo; It was then, and under these influences, that the Leyden
- leaders &ldquo;broke off,&rdquo; as Bradford puts it, their negotiations with the
- Dutch authorities, who, however, apparently about the same time,
- determined to reject their propositions. While the renewal of the Leyden
- leaders&rsquo; negotiations, through Weston, were, &ldquo;on their face&rdquo; (and so far
- as the Pilgrims were concerned), with the First Virginia Company, with
- whom, through Sir Edwin Sandys and other friends, their original efforts
- were made, they were, as stated, subverted by Gorges&rsquo;s plans and Weston&rsquo;s
- cooperation, in the interest of the Second Virginia Company. The Merchant
- Adventurers were represented, in the direct negotiations for the Patent
- only, by John Pierce, who, at that time, was apparently dealing honestly,
- and was not, so far as appears, in Gorges&rsquo;s confidence, though later he
- proved a traitor and a consummate rascal, albeit he always acted,
- apparently, alone. The so-called &ldquo;Pierce Patent&rdquo; (which displaced the
- Wincob) was rendered worthless by the landing of the Pilgrims north of 41
- deg. north latitude. The third Patent (Pierce&rsquo;s second) was from the
- Council for New England to Pierce, for the colonists, but was exchanged by
- him for a &ldquo;deed-pole&rdquo; to himself, though at last surrendered to the colony
- under stress.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011">
- <!-- H2 anchor --> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h3>
- ETEXT EDITOR&rsquo;S BOOKMARKS:
- </h3>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
- All business without any agreement in writing
- Anxiety to get English clothes upon their red brethren
- As 1620 did not begin until March 25
- Borowed houres from their sleep
- Crime&mdash;for such it was, in inception, nature, and results
- Forks there were none
- Genius,&mdash;proverbially indifferent to detail
- Lanterns&mdash;only &ldquo;serving to make darkness visible&rdquo;
- Malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has wronged
- Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the knife
- Not to be too bussie in answering matters, before they know them
- Old Style and the New Style dates
- Personal inference rather than a verity
- Redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde
- Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it
- The old adage, &ldquo;second thief best owner&rdquo;
- Theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony
- Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is wanting
- Transplantation to the &ldquo;northern parts of Virginia&rdquo;
- Welcome lies acquired a hold on the public mind
-</pre>
-<pre xml:space="preserve">
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg&rsquo;s The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-***** This file should be named 4107-h.htm or 4107-h.zip *****
-This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
- https://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/0/4107/
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
-will be renamed.
-
-Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
-one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
-(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
-permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
-set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
-copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
-protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
-Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
-charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
-do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
-rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
-such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
-research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
-practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
-subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
-redistribution.
-
-
-
-*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
-
-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase &ldquo;Project
-Gutenberg&rdquo;), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
-https://gutenberg.org/license).
-
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works
-
-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
-all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
-If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
-terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
-entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
-
-1.B. &ldquo;Project Gutenberg&rdquo; is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
-and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (&ldquo;the Foundation&rdquo;
- or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
-collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
-individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
-located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
-copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
-works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
-are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
-Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
-freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
-this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
-the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
-keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
-
-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
-a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
-the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
-before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
-creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
-Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
-the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
-States.
-
-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
-access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
-whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
-phrase &ldquo;Project Gutenberg&rdquo; appears, or with which the phrase &ldquo;Project
-Gutenberg&rdquo; is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
-copied or distributed:
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
-from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
-posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
-and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
-or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
-with the phrase &ldquo;Project Gutenberg&rdquo; associated with or appearing on the
-work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
-through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
-Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
-1.E.9.
-
-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
-terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
-to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
-permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
-
-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
-
-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm License.
-
-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
-word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
-distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
-&ldquo;Plain Vanilla ASCII&rdquo; or other format used in the official version
-posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
-you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
-copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
-request, of the work in its original &ldquo;Plain Vanilla ASCII&rdquo; or other
-form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
-that
-
-- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
- the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
- you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
- owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
- has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
- Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
- must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
- prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
- returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
- sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
- address specified in Section 4, &ldquo;Information about donations to
- the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.&rdquo;
-
-- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
- you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
- does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
- License. You must require such a user to return or
- destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
- and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
- Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
- money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
- electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
- of receipt of the work.
-
-- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
- distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
-forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
-both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
-Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
-Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
-
-1.F.
-
-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
-public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
-collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
-&ldquo;Defects,&rdquo; such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
-corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
-property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
-computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
-your equipment.
-
-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the &ldquo;Right
-of Replacement or Refund&rdquo; described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
-your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
-the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
-refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
-providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
-receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
-is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
-opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you &lsquo;AS-IS&rsquo; WITH NO OTHER
-WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
-WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
-If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
-law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
-interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
-the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
-provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
-
-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
-with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
-promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
-harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
-that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
-or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
-work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
-Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
-
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
-including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
-because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
-people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm&rsquo;s
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
-To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
-and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
-Foundation
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation&rsquo;s EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
-https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
-permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state&rsquo;s laws.
-
-The Foundation&rsquo;s principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
-Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
-throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
-809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
-business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact
-information can be found at the Foundation&rsquo;s web site and official
-page at https://pglaf.org
-
-For additional contact information:
- Dr. Gregory B. Newby
- Chief Executive and Director
- gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
-spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
-freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
-status with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
-SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
-particular state visit https://pglaf.org
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
-donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
-
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works.
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
-concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
-with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
-Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
-
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
-unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
-keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
-
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
-
- https://www.gutenberg.org
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
-
-
-</pre>
- </body>
-</html>
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents1.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents1.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index cb68826..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents1.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents2.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents2.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8f1d7ab..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents2.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents3.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents3.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index c98411b..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents3.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents4.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents4.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 959180d..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/contents4.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/cover.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8afa636..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/cover.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/illust.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/illust.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5122440..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/illust.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/mayflower.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/mayflower.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 6b89ffe..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/mayflower.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/maythumb.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/maythumb.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 5f31900..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/maythumb.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036a.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036a.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index b61f9b2..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036a.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036b.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036b.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 2e21afa..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p036b.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p078.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p078.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 11c5909..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p078.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p082.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p082.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 80585d4..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p082.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p174.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p174.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 15762d5..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p174.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p258.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p258.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index b8c0ed9..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p258.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p272.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p272.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index f462ba5..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p272.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274a.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274a.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 651788f..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274a.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274b.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274b.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 4bdb2f7..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p274b.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p278.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p278.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 3af56fa..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/p278.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/titlepage.jpg b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/titlepage.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 54b8891..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107-h/images/titlepage.jpg
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107.txt b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index c78cc3a..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10789 +0,0 @@
-Project Gutenberg's The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-Title: The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete
-
-Author: Azel Ames
-
-Release Date: October 6, 2006 [EBook #4107]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ASCII
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-
-
-
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-July 15, 1620--May 6, 1621
-Chiefly from Original Sources
-
-By AZEL AMES, M.D.
-Member of Pilgrim Society, etc.
-
-
-
- "Next to the fugitives whom Moses led out of Egypt, the little
- shipload of outcasts who landed at Plymouth are destined to
- influence the future of the world."
- JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTORY
-
-O civilized humanity, world-wide, and especially to the descendants of
-the Pilgrims who, in 1620, laid on New England shores the foundations of
-that civil and religious freedom upon which has been built a refuge for
-the oppressed of every land, the story of the Pilgrim "Exodus" has an
-ever-increasing value and zest. The little we know of the inception,
-development, and vicissitudes of their bold scheme of colonization in the
-American wilderness only serves to sharpen the appetite for more.
-
-Every detail and circumstance which relates to their preparations; to the
-ships which carried them; to the personnel of the Merchant Adventurers
-associated with them, and to that of the colonists themselves; to what
-befell them; to their final embarkation on their lone ship,--the immortal
-MAY-FLOWER; and to the voyage itself and to its issues, is vested to-day
-with, a supreme interest, and over them all rests a glamour peculiarly
-their own.
-
-For every grain of added knowledge that can be gleaned concerning the
-Pilgrim sires from any field, their children are ever grateful, and
-whoever can add a well-attested line to their all-too-meagre annals is
-regarded by them, indeed by all, a benefactor.
-
-Of those all-important factors in the chronicles of the "Exodus,"--the
-Pilgrim ships, of which the MAY-FLOWER alone crossed the seas,--and of
-the voyage itself, there is still but far too little known. Of even this
-little, the larger part has not hitherto been readily accessible, or in
-form available for ready reference to the many who eagerly seize upon
-every crumb of new-found data concerning these pious and intrepid
-Argonauts.
-
-To such there can be no need to recite here the principal and familiar
-facts of the organization of the English "Separatist" congregation under
-John Robinson; of its emigration to Holland under persecution of the
-Bishops; of its residence and unique history at Leyden; of the broad
-outlook of its members upon the future, and their resultant determination
-to cross the sea to secure larger life and liberty; and of their initial
-labors to that end. We find these Leyden Pilgrims in the early summer of
-1620, their plans fairly matured and their agreements between themselves
-and with their merchant associates practically concluded, urging forward
-their preparations for departure; impatient of the delays and
-disappointments which befell, and anxiously seeking shipping for their
-long and hazardous voyage.
-
-It is to what concerns their ships, and especially that one which has
-passed into history as "the Pilgrim bark," the MAY-FLOWER, and to her
-pregnant voyage, that the succeeding chapters chiefly relate. In them the
-effort has been made to bring together in sequential relation, from many
-and widely scattered sources, everything germane that diligent and
-faithful research could discover, or the careful study and re-analysis of
-known data determine. No new and relevant item of fact discovered,
-however trivial in itself, has failed of mention, if it might serve to
-correct, to better interpret, or to amplify the scanty though priceless
-records left us, of conditions, circumstances, and events which have
-meant so much to the world.
-
-As properly antecedent to the story of the voyage of the MAY-FLOWER as
-told by her putative "Log," albeit written up long after her boned lay
-bleaching on some unknown shore, some pertinent account has been given of
-the ship herself and of her "consort," the SPEEDWELL; of the difficulties
-attendant on securing them; of the preparations for the voyage; of the
-Merchant Adventurers who had large share in sending them to sea; of their
-officers and crews; of their passengers and lading; of the troubles that
-assailed before they had "shaken off the land," and of the final
-consolidation of the passengers and lading of both ships upon the
-MAY-FLOWER, for the belated ocean passage. The wholly negative results of
-careful search render it altogether probable that the original journal or
-"Log" of the MAY-FLOWER (a misnomer lately applied by the British press,
-and unhappily continued in that of the United States, to the recovered
-original manuscript of Bradford's "History of Plimoth Plantation "), if
-such journal ever existed, is now hopelessly lost.
-
-So far as known, no previous effort has been made to bring together in
-the consecutive relation of such a journal, duly attested and in their
-entirety, the ascertained daily happenings of that destiny-freighted
-voyage. Hence, this later volume may perhaps rightly claim to present
---and in part to be, though necessarily imperfect--the sole and a true "Log
-of the MAY-FLOWER." No effort has been made, however, to reduce the
-collated data to the shape and style of the ship's "Log" of recent times,
-whose matter and form are largely prescribed by maritime law. While it is
-not possible to give, as the original--if it existed--would have done,
-the results of the navigators' observations day by day; the "Lat." and
-"Long."; the variations of the wind and of the magnetic needle; the
-tallies of the "lead" and "log" lines; "the daily run," etc.--in all
-else the record may confidently be assumed to vary little from that
-presumably kept, in some form, by Captain Jones, the competent Master of
-the Pilgrim bark, and his mates, Masters Clarke and Coppin.
-
-As the charter was for the "round voyage," all the features and incidents
-of that voyage until complete, whether at sea or in port, properly find
-entry in its journal, and are therefore included in this compilation,
-which it is hoped may hence prove of reference value to such as take
-interest in Pilgrim studies. Although the least pleasant to the author,
-not the least valuable feature of the work to the reader--especially if
-student or writer of Pilgrim history--will be found, it is believed, in
-the numerous corrections of previously published errors which it
-contains, some of which are radical and of much historical importance.
-It is true that new facts and items of information which have been coming
-to light, in long neglected or newly discovered documents, etc., are
-correctives of earlier and natural misconceptions, and a certain
-percentage of error is inevitable, but many radical and reckless errors
-have been made in Pilgrim history which due study and care must have
-prevented. Such errors have so great and rapidly extending power for
-harm, and, when built upon, so certainly bring the superstructure
-tumbling to the ground, that the competent and careful workman can render
-no better service than to point out and correct them wherever found,
-undeterred by the association of great names, or the consciousness of his
-own liability to blunder. A sound and conscientious writer will welcome
-the courteous correction of his error, in the interest of historical
-accuracy; the opinion of any other need not be regarded.
-
-Some of the new contributions (or original demonstrations), of more or
-less historical importance, made to the history of the Pilgrims, as the
-author believes, by this volume, are as follows:--
-
-(a) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left Delfshaven on
-the SPEEDWELL for Southampton; in other words, the names--those of Carver
-and Cushman and of the latter's family being added--of the Leyden
-contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-(b) A closely approximate list of the passengers who left London in the
-MAY-FLOWER for Southampton; in other words, the names (with the deduction
-of Cushman and family, of Carver, who was at Southampton, and of an
-unknown few who abandoned the voyage at Plymouth) of the English
-contingent of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-(c) The establishment as correct, beyond reasonable doubt, of the date,
-Sunday, June 11/21, 1620, affixed by Robert Cushman to his letter to the
-Leyden leaders (announcing the "turning of the tide" in Pilgrim affairs,
-the hiring of the "pilott" Clarke, etc.), contrary to the conclusions of
-Prince, Arber, and others, that the letter could not have been written on
-Sunday.
-
-(d) The demonstration of the fact that on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620,
-Cushman's efforts alone apparently turned the tide in Pilgrim affairs;
-brought Weston to renewed and decisive cooperation; secured the
-employment of a "pilot," and definite action toward hiring a ship,
-marking it as one of the most notable and important of Pilgrim
-"red-letter days."
-
-(e) The demonstration of the fact that the ship of which Weston and
-Cushman took "the refusal," on Saturday, June 10/20, 1620, was not the
-MAY-FLOWER, as Young, Deane, Goodwin, and other historians allege.
-
-(f) The demonstration of the fact (overthrowing the author's own earlier
-views) that the estimates and criticisms of Robinson, Carver, Brown,
-Goodwin, and others upon Robert Cushman were unwarranted, unjust, and
-cruel, and that he was, in fact, second to none in efficient service to
-the Pilgrims; and hence so ranks in title to grateful appreciation and
-memory.
-
-(g) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER was not chartered
-later than June 19/29, 1620, and was probably chartered in the week of
-June 12/22--June 19/29 of that year.
-
-(h) The addition of several new names to the list of the Merchant
-Adventurers, hitherto unpublished as such, with considerable new data
-concerning the list in general.
-
-(i) The demonstration of the fact that Martin and Mullens, of the
-MAY-FLOWER colonists, were also Merchant Adventurers, while William
-White was probably such.
-
-(j) The demonstration of the fact that "Master Williamson," the
-much-mooted incognito of Bradford's "Mourt's Relation" (whose existence
-even has often been denied by Pilgrim writers), was none other than the
-"ship's-merchant," or "purser" of the MAY-FLOWER,--hitherto unknown as
-one of her officers, and historically wholly unidentified.
-
-(k) The general description of; and many particulars concerning, the
-MAY-FLOWER herself; her accommodations (especially as to her cabins),
-her crew, etc., hitherto unknown.
-
-(1) The demonstration of the fact that the witnesses to the nuncupative
-will of William Mullens were two of the MAY-FLOWER'S crew (one being
-possibly the ship's surgeon), thus furnishing the names of two more of
-the ship's company, and the only names--except those of her chief
-officers--ever ascertained.
-
-(m) The indication of the strong probability that the entire company of
-the Merchant Adventurers signed, on the one part, the charter-party of
-the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-(n) An (approximate) list of the ages of the MAY-FLOWER'S passengers and
-the respective occupations of the adults.
-
-(o) The demonstration of the fact that no less than five of the Merchant
-Adventurers cast in their lots and lives with the Plymouth Pilgrims as
-colonists.
-
-(p) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas Goffe, Esquire,
-one of the Merchant Adventurers, owned the "MAY-FLOWER" when she was
-chartered for the Pilgrim voyage,--as also on her voyages to New England
-in 1629 and 1630.
-
-(q) The demonstration of the fact that the Master of the MAY-FLOWER was
-Thomas Jones, and that there was an intrigue with Master Jones to land
-the Pilgrims at some point north of the 41st parallel of north latitude,
-the other parties to which were, not the Dutch, as heretofore claimed,
-but none other than Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the Earl of Warwick, chiefs
-of the "Council for New England," in furtherance of a successful scheme
-of Gorges to steal the Pilgrim colony from the London Virginia Company,
-for the more "northern Plantations" of the conspirators.
-
-(r) The demonstration of the fact that a second attempt at stealing the
-colony--by which John Pierce, one of the Adventurers, endeavored to
-possess himself of the demesne and rights of the colonists, and to make
-them his tenants--was defeated only by the intervention of the "Council"
-and the Crown, the matter being finally settled by compromise and the
-transfer of the patent by Pierce (hitherto questioned) to the colony.
-
-(s) The demonstration of the actual relations of the Merchant Adventurers
-and the Pilgrim colonists--their respective bodies being associated as
-but two partners in an equal copartnership, the interests of the
-respective partners being (probably) held upon differing bases--contrary
-to the commonly published and accepted view.
-
-(t) The demonstration of the fact that the MAY-FLOWER--contrary to the
-popular impression--did not enter Plymouth harbor, as a "lone vessel,"
-slowly "feeling her way" by chart and lead-line, but was undoubtedly
-piloted to her anchorage--previously "sounded" for her--by the Pilgrim
-shallop, which doubtless accompanied her from Cape Cod harbor, on both
-her efforts to make this haven, under her own sails.
-
-(u) The indication of the strong probability that Thomas English was
-helmsman of the MAY-FLOWER'S shallop (and so savior of her sovereign
-company, at the entrance of Plymouth harbor on the stormy night of the
-landing on Clarke's Island), and that hence to him the salvation of the
-Pilgrim colony is probably due; and
-
-(v) Many facts not hitherto published, or generally known, as to the
-antecedents, relationships, etc., of individual Pilgrims of both the
-Leyden and the English contingents, and of certain of the Merchant
-Adventurers.
-
-
-For convenience' sake, both the Old Style and the New Style dates of many
-events are annexed to their mention, and double-dating is followed
-throughout the narrative journal or "Log" of the Pilgrim ship.
-
-As the Gregorian and other corrections of the calendar are now generally
-well understood, and have been so often stated in detail in print, it is
-thought sufficient to note here their concrete results as affecting dates
-occurring in Pilgrim and later literature.
-
-From 1582 to 1700 the difference between O.S. and N.S. was ten (10) days
-(the leap-year being passed in 1600). From 1700 to 1800 it was eleven
-(11) days, because 1700 in O.S. was leap-year. From 1800 to 1900 the
-difference is twelve (12) days, and from 1900 to 2000 it will be thirteen
-(13) days. All the Dutch dates were New Style, while English dates were
-yet of the Old Style.
-
-There are three editions of Bradford's "History of Plimoth Plantation"
-referred to herein; each duly specified, as occasion requires. (There
-is, beside, a magnificent edition in photo-facsimile.) They are:--
-
-(a) The original manuscript itself, now in possession of the State of
-Massachusetts, having been returned from England in 1897, called herein
-"orig. MS."
-
-(b) The Deane Edition (so-called) of 1856, being that edited by the late
-Charles Deane for the Massachusetts Historical Society and published in
-"Massachusetts Historical Collections," vol. iii.; called herein "Deane's
-ed."
-
-(c) The Edition recently published by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
-and designated as the "Mass. ed."
-
-Of "Mourt's Relation" there are several editions, but the one usually
-referred to herein is that edited by Rev. Henry M. Dexter, D. D., by far
-the best. Where reference is made to any other edition, it is indicated,
-and "Dexter's ed." is sometimes named.
-
- AZEL AMES.
-
-WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS,
-March 1, 1901.
-
-
-
-
-
- THE MAYFLOWER AND HER LOG
-
-
-
- "Hail to thee, poor little ship MAY-FLOWER--of Delft Haven
- --poor, common-looking ship, hired by common charter-party for
- coined dollars,--caulked with mere oakum and tar, provisioned
- with vulgarest biscuit and bacon,--yet what ship Argo or
- miraculous epic ship, built by the sea gods, was other than a
- foolish bumbarge in comparison!"
-
- THOMAS CARLYLE
-
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER I
-
-THE NAME--"MAY-FLOWER"
-
-"Curiously enough," observes Professor Arber, "these names [MAY-FLOWER
-and SPEEDWELL] do not occur either in the Bradford manuscript or in
-'Mourt's Relation.'"
-
- [A Relation, or Journal, of the Beginning and Proceedings of the
- English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, etc. G.
- Mourt, London, 1622. Undoubtedly the joint product of Bradford and
- Winslow, and sent to George Morton at London for publication.
- Bradford says (op, cit. p. 120): "Many other smaler maters I omite,
- sundrie of them having been already published, in a Jurnall made by
- one of ye company," etc. From this it would appear that Mourt's
- Relation was his work, which it doubtless principally was, though
- Winslow performed an honorable part, as "Mourt's" introduction and
- other data prove.]
-
-He might have truthfully added that they nowhere appear in any of the
-letters of the "exodus" period, whether from Carver, Robinson, Cushman,
-or Weston; or in the later publications of Window; or in fact of any
-contemporaneous writer. It is not strange, therefore, that the Rev. Mr.
-Blaxland, the able author of the "Mayflower Essays," should have asked
-for the authority for the names assigned to the two Pilgrim ships of
-1620.
-
-It seems to be the fact, as noted by Arber, that the earliest authentic
-evidence that the bark which bore the Pilgrims across the North Atlantic
-in the late autumn of 1620 was the MAY-FLOWER, is the "heading" of the
-"Allotment of Lands"--happily an "official" document--made at New
-Plymouth, New England, in March, 1623--It is not a little remarkable
-that, with the constantly recurring references to "the ship,"--the
-all-important factor in Pilgrim history,--her name should nowhere have
-found mention in the earliest Pilgrim literature. Bradford uses the
-terms, the "biger ship," or the "larger ship," and Winslow, Cushman,
-Captain John Smith, and others mention simply the "vessel," or the
-"ship," when speaking of the MAY-FLOWER, but in no case give her a name.
-
-It is somewhat startling to find so thorough-paced an Englishman as
-Thomas Carlyle calling her the MAY-FLOWER "of Delft-Haven," as in the
-quotation from him on a preceding page. That he knew better cannot be
-doubted, and it must be accounted one of those 'lapsus calami' readily
-forgiven to genius,--proverbially indifferent to detail.
-
-Sir Ferdinando Gorges makes the curious misstatement that the Pilgrims
-had three ships, and says of them: "Of the three ships (such as their
-weak fortunes were able to provide), whereof two proved unserviceable and
-so were left behind, the third with great difficulty reached the coast of
-New England," etc.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S CONSORT THE SPEEDWELL
-
-The SPEEDWELL was the first vessel procured by the Leyden Pilgrims for
-the emigration, and was bought by themselves; as she was the ship of
-their historic embarkation at Delfshaven, and that which carried the
-originators of the enterprise to Southampton, to join the MAY-FLOWER,
---whose consort she was to be; and as she became a determining factor
-in the latter's belated departure for New England, she may justly claim
-mention here as indeed an inseparable "part and parcel" of the
-MAY-FLOWER'S voyage.
-
-The name of this vessel of associate historic renown with the MAY-FLOWER
-was even longer in finding record in the early literature of the Pilgrim
-hegira than that of the larger It first appeared, so far as discovered,
-in 1669--nearly fifty years after her memorable service to the Pilgrims
-on the fifth page of Nathaniel Morton's "New England's Memorial."
-
-Davis, in his "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth," makes a singular error for
-so competent a writer, when he says: "The agents of the company in
-England had hired the SPEEDWELL, of sixty tons, and sent her to
-Delfthaven, to convey the colonists to Southampton." In this, however,
-he but follows Mather and the "Modern Universal History," though both are
-notably unreliable; but he lacks their excuse, for they were without his
-access to Bradford's "Historie." That the consort-pinnace was neither
-"hired" nor "sent to Delfthaven" duly appears.
-
-Bradford states the fact,--that "a smale ship (of some 60 tune), was
-bought and fitted in Holand, which was intended to serve to help to
-transport them, so to stay in ye countrie and atend ye fishing and such
-other affairs as might be for ye good and benefite of ye colonie when
-they come ther." The statements of Bradford and others indicate that she
-was bought and refitted with moneys raised in Holland, but it is not easy
-to understand the transaction, in view of the understood terms of the
-business compact between the Adventurers and the Planters, as hereinafter
-outlined. The Merchant Adventurers--who were organized (but not
-incorporated) chiefly through the activity of Thomas Weston, a merchant
-of London, to "finance" the Pilgrim undertaking--were bound, as part of
-their engagement, to provide the necessary shipping,' etc., for the
-voyage. The "joint-stock or partnership," as it was called in the
-agreement of the Adventurers and Planters, was an equal partnership
-between but two parties, the Adventurers, as a body, being one of the
-co-partners; the Planter colonists, as a body, the other. It was a
-partnership to run for seven years, to whose capital stock the
-first-named partner (the Adventurers) was bound to contribute whatever
-moneys, or their equivalents,--some subscriptions were paid in goods,
---were necessary to transport, equip, and maintain the colony and provide
-it the means of traffic, etc., for the term named. The second-named
-partner (the Planter body) was to furnish the men, women, and children,
---the colonists themselves, and their best endeavors, essential to the
-enterprise,--and such further contributions of money or provisions, on
-an agreed basis, as might be practicable for them. At the expiration of
-the seven years, all properties of every kind were to be divided into
-two equal parts, of which the Adventurers were to take one and the
-Planters the other, in full satisfaction of their respective investments
-and claims. The Adventurers' half would of course be divided among
-themselves, in such proportion as their individual contributions bore to
-the sum total invested. The Planters would divide their half among
-their number, according to their respective contributions of persons,
-money, or provisions, as per the agreed basis, which was:
-
- [Bradford's Historie, Deane's ed.; Arber, op. cit. p. 305.
- The fact that Lyford (Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 217)
- recommended that every "particular" (i.e. non-partnership colonist)
- sent out by the Adventurers--and they had come to be mostly of that
- class--"should come over as an Adventurer, even if only a ser vant,"
- and the fact that he recognized that some one would have to pay in
- L10 to make each one an Adventurer, would seem to indicate that any
- one was eligible and that either L10 was the price of the Merchant
- Adventurer's share, or that this was the smallest subscription which
- would admit to membership. Such "particular," even although an
- Adventurer, had no partnership share in the Planters' half-interest;
- had no voice in the government, and no claim for maintenance. He
- was, however, amenable to the government, subject to military duty
- and to tax. The advantage of being an Adventurer without a voice in
- colony affairs would be purely a moral one.]
-
-that every person joining the enterprise, whether man, woman, youth,
-maid, or servant, if sixteen years old, should count as a share; that a
-share should be reckoned at L10, and hence that L10 worth of money or
-provisions should also count as a share. Every man, therefore, would be
-entitled to one share for each person (if sixteen years of age) he
-contributed, and for each L10 of money or provisions he added thereto,
-another share. Two children between ten and sixteen would count as one
-and be allowed a share in the division, but children under ten were to
-have only fifty acres of wild land. The scheme was admirable for its
-equity, simplicity, and elasticity, and was equally so for either
-capitalist or colonist.
-
-Goodwin notes, that, "in an edition of Cushman's 'Discourse,' Judge Davis
-of Boston advanced the idea that at first the Pilgrims put all their
-possessions into a common stock, and until 1623 had no individual
-property. In his edition of Morton's 'Memorial' he honorably admits his
-error." The same mistake was made by Robertson and Chief Justice
-Marshall, and is occasionally repeated in this day. "There was no
-community of goods, though there was labor in common, with public
-supplies of food and clothing." Neither is there warrant for the
-conclusion of Goodwin, that because the holdings of the Planters' half
-interest in the undertaking were divided into L10 shares, those of the
-Adventurers were also. It is not impossible, but it does not necessarily
-follow, and certain known facts indicate the contrary.
-
-Rev. Edward Everett Hale, in "The Pilgrims' Life in Common," says:
-"Carver, Winslow, Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Fuller, and Allerton.
-were the persons of largest means in the Leyden group of the emigrants.
-It seems as if their quota of subscription to the common stock were paid
-in 'provisions' for the voyage and the colony, and that by 'provisions'
-is meant such articles of food as could be best bought in Holland." The
-good Doctor is clearly in error, in the above. Allerton was probably as
-"well off" as any of the Leyden contingent, while Francis Cooke and
-Degory Priest were probably "better off" than either Brewster or
-Standish, who apparently had little of this world's goods. Neither is
-there any evidence that any considerable amount of "provision" was bought
-in Holland. Quite a large sum of money, which came, apparently, from the
-pockets of the Leyden Adventurers (Pickering, Greene, etc.), and some of
-the Pilgrims, was requisite to pay for the SPEEDWELL and her refitting,
-etc.; but how much came from either is conjectural at best. But aside
-from "Hollands cheese," "strong-waters" (schnapps), some few things that
-Cushman names; and probably a few others, obtained in Holland, most of
-the "provisioning," as repeatedly appears, was done at the English
-Southampton. In fact, after clothing and generally "outfitting"
-themselves, it is pretty certain that but few of the Leyden party had
-much left. There was evidently an understanding between the partners that
-there should be four principal agents charged with the preparations for,
-and carrying out of, the enterprise,--Thomas Weston and Christopher
-Martin representing the Adventurers and the colonists who were recruited
-in England (Martin being made treasurer), while Carver and Cushman acted
-for the Leyden company. John Pierce seems to have been the especial
-representative of the Adventurers in the matter of the obtaining of the
-Patent from the (London) Virginia Company, and later from the Council for
-New England. Bradford says: "For besides these two formerly mentioned,
-sent from Leyden, viz., Master Carver and Robert Cushman, there was one
-chosen in England to be joyned with them, to make the provisions for the
-Voyage. His name was Master Martin. He came from Billerike in Essexe;
-from which parts came sundry others to go with them; as also from London
-and other places, and therefore it was thought meet and convenient by
-them in Holand, that these strangers that were to goe with them, should
-appointe one thus to be joyned with them; not so much from any great need
-of their help as to avoid all susspition, or jealosie, of any
-partialitie." But neither Weston, Martin, Carver, nor Cushman seems to
-have been directly concerned in the purchase of the SPEEDWELL. The most
-probable conjecture concerning it is, that in furtherance of the purpose
-of the Leyden leaders, stated by Bradford, that there should be a small
-vessel for their service in fishing, traffic, etc., wherever they might
-plant the colony, they were permitted by the Adventurers to purchase the
-SPEEDWELL for that service, and as a consort, "on general account."
-
-It is evident, however, from John Robinson's letter of June 14, 1620, to
-John Carver, that Weston ridiculed the transaction, probably on selfish
-grounds, but, as events proved, not without some justification.
-
-Robinson says: "Master Weston makes himself merry with our endeavors
-about buying a ship," [the SPEEDWELL] "but we have done nothing in this
-but with good reason, as I am persuaded." Although bought with funds
-raised in Holland,
-
- [Arber (The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341) arrives at the
- conclusion that "The SPEEDWELL had been bought with Leyden money.
- The proceeds of her sale, after her return to London, would, of
- course, go to the credit of the common joint-Stock there." This
- inference seems warranted by Robinson's letter of June 16/26 to
- Carver, in which he clearly indicates that the Leyden brethren
- collected the "Adventurers" subscriptions of Pickering and his
- partner (Greene), which were evidently considerable.]
-
-it was evidently upon "joint-account," and she was doubtless so sold, as
-alleged, on her arrival in September, at London, having proved
-unseaworthy. In fact, the only view of this transaction that harmonizes
-with the known facts and the respective rights and relations of the
-parties is, that permission was obtained (perhaps through Edward
-Pickering, one of the Adventurers, a merchant of Leyden, and others) that
-the Leyden leaders should buy and refit the consort, and in so doing
-might expend the funds which certain of the Leyden Pilgrims were to pay
-into the enterprise, which it appears they did,--and for which they would
-receive, as shown, extra shares in the Planters' half-interest. It was
-very possibly further permitted by the Adventurers, that Mr. Pickering's
-and his partners' subscriptions to their capital stock should be applied
-to the purchase of the SPEEDWELL, as they were collected by the Leyden
-leaders, as Pastor Robinson's letter of June 14/24 to John Carver,
-previously noted, clearly shows.
-
-She was obviously bought some little time before May 31, 1620,--probably
-in the early part of the month,--from the fact that in their letter of
-May 31st to Carver and Cushman, then in London, Messrs. Fuller, Winslow,
-Bradford, and Allerton state that "we received divers letters at the
-coming of Master Nash and our Pilott," etc. From this it is clear that
-time enough had elapsed, since their purchase of the pinnace, for their
-messenger (Master Nash) to go to London,--evidently with a request to
-Carver and Cushman that they would send over a competent "pilott" to
-refit her, and for Nash to return with him, while the letter announcing
-their arrival does not seem to have been immediately written.
-
-The writers of the above-mentioned letter use the words "we received,"
---using the past tense, as if some days before, instead of "we have your
-letters," or "we have just received your letters," which would rather
-indicate present, or recent, time. Probably some days elapsed after the
-"pilott's" arrival, before this letter of acknowledgment was sent. It is
-hence fair to assume that the pinnace was bought early in May, and that
-no time was lost by the Leyden party in preparing for the exodus, after
-their negotiations with the Dutch were "broken off" and they had "struck
-hands" with Weston, sometime between February 2/12, 1619/20, and April
-1/11, 1620,--probably in March.
-
-The consort was a pinnace--as vessels of her class were then and for many
-years called--of sixty tons burden, as already stated, having two masts,
-which were put in--as we are informed by Bradford, and are not allowed by
-Professor Arber to forget--as apart of her refitting in Holland. That
-she was "square-rigged," and generally of the then prevalent style of
-vessels of her size and class, is altogether probable. The name pinnace
-was applied to vessels having a wide range in tonnage, etc., from a craft
-of hardly more than ten or fifteen tons to one of sixty or eighty. It
-was a term of pretty loose and indefinite adaptation and covered most of
-the smaller craft above a shallop or ketch, from such as could be
-propelled by oars, and were so fitted, to a small ship of the SPEEDWELL'S
-class, carrying an armament.
-
-None of the many representations of the SPEEDWELL which appear in
-historical pictures are authentic, though some doubtless give correct
-ideas of her type. Weir's painting of the "Embarkation of the Pilgrims,"
-in the Capitol at Washington (and Parker's copy of the same in Pilgrim
-Hall, Plymouth); Lucy's painting of the "Departure of the Pilgrims," in
-Pilgrim Hall; Copes great painting in the corridor of the British Houses
-of Parliament, and others of lesser note, all depict the vessel on much
-the same lines, but nothing can be claimed for any of them, except
-fidelity to a type of vessel of that day and class. Perhaps the best
-illustration now known of a craft of this type is given in the painting
-by the Cuyps, father and son, of the "Departure of the Pilgrims from
-Delfshaven," as reproduced by Dr. W. E. Griffis, as the frontispiece to
-his little monograph, "The Pilgrims in their Three Homes." No reliable
-description of the pinnace herself is known to exist, and but few facts
-concerning her have been gleaned. That she was fairly "roomy" for a
-small number of passengers, and had decent accommodations, is inferable
-from the fact that so many as thirty were assigned to her at Southampton,
-for the Atlantic voyage (while the MAY-FLOWER, three times her tonnage,
-but of greater proportionate capacity, had but ninety), as also from the
-fact that "the chief [i.e. principal people] of them that came from
-Leyden went in this ship, to give Master Reynolds content." That she
-mounted at least "three pieces of ordnance" appears by the testimony of
-Edward Winslow, and they probably comprised her armament.
-
-We have seen that Bradford notes the purchase and refitting of this
-"smale ship of 60 tune" in Holland. The story of her several sailings,
-her "leakiness," her final return, and her abandonment as unseaworthy,
-is familiar. We find, too, that Bradford also states in his "Historie,"
-that "the leakiness of this ship was partly by her being overmasted and
-too much pressed with sails." It will, however, amaze the readers of
-Professor Arber's generally excellent "Story of the Pilgrim Fathers," so
-often referred to herein, to find him sharply arraigning "those members
-of the Leyden church who were responsible for the fitting of the
-SPEEDWELL," alleging that "they were the proximate causes of most of the
-troubles on the voyage [of the MAY-FLOWER] out; and of many of the deaths
-at Plymouth in New England in the course of the following Spring; for
-they overmasted the vessel, and by so doing strained her hull while
-sailing." To this straining, Arber wholly ascribes the "leakiness" of
-the SPEEDWELL and the delay in the final departure of the MAYFLOWER, to
-which last he attributes the disastrous results he specifies. It would
-seem that the historian, unduly elated at what he thought the discovery
-of another "turning-point of modern history," endeavors to establish it
-by such assertions and such partial references to Bradford as would
-support the imaginary "find." Briefly stated, this alleged discovery,
-which he so zealously announces, is that if the SPEEDWELL had not been
-overmasted, both she and the MAY-FLOWER would have arrived early in the
-fall at the mouth of the Hudson River, and the whole course of New
-England history would have been entirely different. Ergo, the
-"overmasting" of the SPEEDWELL was a "pivotal point in modern history."
-With the idea apparently of giving eclat to this announcement and of
-attracting attention to it, he surprisingly charges the responsibility
-for the "overmasting" and its alleged dire results upon the leaders of
-the Leyden church, "who were," he repeatedly asserts, "alone
-responsible." As a matter of fact, however, Bradford expressly states
-(in the same paragraph as that upon which Professor Arber must wholly
-base his sweeping assertions) that the "overmasting" was but "partly"
-responsible for the SPEEDWELL'S leakiness, and directly shows that the
-"stratagem" of her master and crew, "afterwards," he adds, "known, and by
-some confessed," was the chief cause of her leakiness.
-
-Cushman also shows, by his letter,--written after the ships had put back
-into Dartmouth,--a part of which Professor Arber uses, but the most
-important part suppresses, that what he evidently considers the principal
-leak was caused by a very "loose board" (plank), which was clearly not
-the result of the straining due to "crowding sail," or of "overmasting."
-(See Appendix.)
-
-Moreover, as the Leyden chiefs were careful to employ a presumably
-competent man ("pilott," afterwards "Master" Reynolds) to take charge of
-refitting the consort, they were hence clearly, both legally and morally,
-exempt from responsibility as to any alterations made. Even though the
-"overmasting" had been the sole cause of the SPEEDWELL'S leakiness, and
-the delays and vicissitudes which resulted to the MAY-FLOWER and her
-company, the leaders of the Leyden church--whom Professor Arber arraigns
---(themselves chiefly the sufferers) were in no wise at fault! It is
-clear, however, that the "overmasting" cut but small figure in the case;
-"confessed" rascality in making a leak otherwise, being the chief
-trouble, and this, as well as the "overmasting," lay at the door of
-Master Reynolds.
-
-Even if the MAY-FLOWER had not been delayed by the SPEEDWELL'S condition,
-and both had sailed for "Hudson's River" in midsummer, it is by no means
-certain that they would have reached there, as Arber so confidently
-asserts. The treachery of Captain Jones, in league with Gorges, would as
-readily have landed them, by some pretext, on Cape Cod in October, as in
-December. But even though they had landed at the mouth of the Hudson,
-there is no good reason why the Pilgrim influence should not have worked
-north and east, as well as it did west and south, and with the
-Massachusetts Bay Puritans there, Roger Williams in Rhode Island, and the
-younger Winthrop in Connecticut, would doubtless have made New England
-history very much what it has been, and not, as Professor Arber asserts,
-"entirely different."
-
-The cruel indictment fails, and the imaginary "turning point in modern
-history," to announce which Professor Arber seems to have sacrificed so
-much, falls with it.
-
-The Rev. Dr. Griffis ("The Pilgrims in their Three Homes," p. 158) seems
-to give ear to Professor Arber's untenable allegations as to the Pilgrim
-leaders' responsibility for any error made in the "overmasting" of the
-SPEEDWELL, although he destroys his case by saying of the "overmasting:"
-"Whether it was done in England or Holland is not certain." He says,
-unhappily chiming in with Arber's indictment: "In their eagerness to get
-away promptly, they [the Leyden men] made the mistake of ordering for the
-SPEEDWELL heavier and taller masts and larger spars than her hull had
-been built to receive, thus altering most unwisely and disastrously her
-trim." He adds still more unhappily: "We do not hear of these inveterate
-landsmen and townsfolk [of whom he says, 'possibly there was not one man
-familiar with ships or sea life'] who were about to venture on the
-Atlantic, taking counsel of Dutch builders or mariners as to the
-proportion of their craft." Why so discredit the capacity and
-intelligence of these nation-builders? Was their sagacity ever found
-unequal to the problems they met? Were the men who commanded confidence
-and respect in every avenue of affairs they entered; who talked with
-kings and dealt with statesmen; these diplomats, merchants, students,
-artisans, and manufacturers; these men who learned law, politics, state
-craft, town building, navigation, husbandry, boat-building, and medicine,
-likely to deal negligently or presumptuously with matters upon which they
-were not informed? Their first act, after buying the SPEEDWELL, was to
-send to England for an "expert" to take charge of all technical matters
-of her "outfitting," which was done, beyond all question, in Holland.
-What need had they, having done this (very probably upon the advice of
-those experienced ship-merchants, their own "Adventurers" and townsmen,
-Edward Pickering and William Greene), to consult Dutch ship-builders or
-mariners? She was to be an English ship, under the English flag, with
-English owners, and an English captain; why: should they defer to Dutch
-seamen or put other than an English "expert" in charge of her
-alterations, especially when England rightfully boasted the best? But
-not only were these Leyden leaders not guilty of any laches as indicted
-by Arber and too readily convicted by Griffis, but the "overmasting" was
-of small account as compared with the deliberate rascality of captain and
-crew, in the disabling of the consort, as expressly certified by
-Bradford, who certainly, as an eye-witness, knew whereof he affirmed.
-
-Having bought a vessel, it was necessary to fit her for the severe
-service in which she was to be employed; to provision her for the voyage,
-etc.; and this could be done properly only by experienced hands. The
-Pilgrim leaders at Leyden seem, therefore, as noted, to have sent to
-their agents at London for a competent man to take charge of this work,
-and were sent a "pilott" (or "mate"), doubtless presumed to be equal to
-the task. Goodwin mistakenly says: "As Spring waned, Thomas Nash went
-from Leyden to confer with the agents at London. He soon returned with a
-pilot (doubtless [sic] Robert Coppin), who was to conduct the Continental
-party to England." This is both wild and remarkable "guessing" for the
-usually careful compiler of the "Pilgrim Republic." There is no warrant
-whatever for this assumption, and everything contra-indicates it,
-although two such excellent authorities as Dr. Dexter and Goodwin
-coincide--the latter undoubtedly copying the former--concerning Coppin;
-both being doubtless in error, as hereafter shown. Dexter says "My
-impression is that Coppin was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL,
-and that he was the 'pilott' whose coming was 'a great incouragement' to
-the Leyden expectants, in the last of May, or first of June, 1620 [before
-May 31, as shown]; that he sailed with them in the SPEEDWELL, but on her
-final putting back was transferred to the MAY-FLOWER." All the direct
-light any one has upon the matter comes from the letter of the Leyden
-brethren of May 31 [O.S.], 1620, previously cited, to Carver and Cushman,
-and the reply of the latter thereto, of Sunday, June 11, 1620. The
-former as noted, say: "We received diverse letters at the coming of
-Master Nash [probably Thomas] and our pilott, which is a great
-incouragement unto us . . . and indeed had you not sente him [the
-'pilott,' presumably] many would have been ready to fainte and goe
-backe." Neither here nor in any other relation is there the faintest
-suggestion of Coppin, except as what he was, "the second mate," or
-"pilott," of the MAY-FLOWER. It is not reasonable to suppose that, for
-so small a craft but just purchased, and with the expedition yet
-uncertain, the Leyden leaders or their London agents had by June 11,
-employed both a "Master" and a "pilott" for the SPEEDWELL, as must have
-been the case if this "pilott" was, as Goodwin so confidently assumes,
-"doubtless Robert Coppin." For in Robert Cushman's letter of Sunday,
-June 11, as if proposing (now that the larger vessel would be at once
-obtained, and would, as he thought, be "ready in fourteen days") that the
-"pilott" sent over to "refit" the SPEEDWELL should be further utilized,
-he says: "Let Master Reynolds tarrie there [inferentially, not return
-here when his work is done, as we originally arranged] and bring the ship
-[the SPEEDWELL], to Southampton." The latter service we know he
-performed.
-
-The side lights upon the matter show, beyond doubt:--
-
-(a) That a "pilott" had been sent to Holland, with Master Nash, before
-May 31, 1620;
-
-(b) That unless two had been sent (of which there is no suggestion, and
-which is entirely improbable, for obvious reasons), Master Reynolds was
-the "pilott" who was thus sent;
-
-(c) That it is clear, from Cushman's letter of June 11/21, that Reynolds
-was then in Holland, for Cushman directs that "Master Reynolds tarrie
-there and bring the ship to Southampton;"
-
-(d) That Master Reynolds was not originally intended to "tarrie there,"
-and "bring the ship," etc., as, if he had been, there would have been no
-need of giving such an order; and
-
-(e) That he had been sent there for some other purpose than to bring the
-SPEEDWELL to Southampton. Duly considering all the facts together, there
-can be no doubt that only one "pilott" was sent from England; that he was
-expected to return when the work was done for which he went (apparently
-the refitting of the SPEEDWELL); that he was ordered to remain for a new
-duty, and that the man who performed that duty and brought the ship to
-Southampton (who, we know was Master Reynolds) must have been the
-"pilott", sent over.
-
-We are told too, by Bradford,
-
- [Bradford's Historie, as already cited; Arber, The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers, p. 341. John Brown, in his Pilgrim Fathers of New
- England, p. 198, says: "She [the SPEEDWELL] was to remain with the
- colony for a year." Evidently a mistake, arising from the length of
- time for which her crew were shipped. The pinnace herself was
- intended, as we have seen, for the permanent use of they colonists,
- and was to remain indefinitely.]
-
-that the crew of the SPEEDWELL "were hired for a year," and we know, in a
-general way, that most of them went with her to London when she abandoned
-the voyage. This there is ample evidence Coppin did not do, going as he
-did to New England as "second mate" or "pilott" of the MAY-FLOWER, which
-there is no reason to doubt he was when she left London. Neither is
-there anywhere any suggestion that there was at Southampton any change in
-the second mate of the larger ship, as there must have been to make good
-the suggestion of Dr. Dexter.
-
-Where the SPEEDWELL lay while being "refitted" has not been ascertained,
-though presumably at Delfshaven, whence she sailed, though possibly at
-one of the neighboring larger ports, where her new masts and cordage
-could be "set up" to best advantage.
-
-We know that Reynolds--"pilott" and "Master" went from London to
-superintend the "making-ready" for sea. Nothing is known, however, of
-his antecedents, and nothing of his history after he left the service of
-the Pilgrims in disgrace, except that he appears to have come again to
-New England some years later, in command of a vessel, in the service of
-the reckless adventurer Weston (a traitor to the Pilgrims), through whom,
-it is probable, he was originally selected for their service in Holland.
-Bradford and others entitled to judge have given their opinions of this
-cowardly scoundrel (Reynolds) in unmistakable terms.
-
-What other officers and crew the pinnace had does not appear, and we know
-nothing certainly of them, except the time for which they shipped; that
-some of them were fellow-conspirators with the Master (self-confessed),
-in the "strategem" to compel the SPEEDWELL'S abandonment of the voyage;
-and that a few were transferred to the MAYFLOWER. From the fact that the
-sailors Trevore and Ely returned from New Plymouth on the FORTUNE in
-1621, "their time having expired," as Bradford notes, it may be fairly
-assumed that they were originally of the SPEEDWELL'S crew.
-
-That the fears of the SPEEDWELL'S men had been worked upon, and their
-cooperation thus secured by the artful Reynolds, is clearly indicated by
-the statement of Bradford: "For they apprehended that the greater ship
-being of force and in which most of the provisions were stored, she would
-retain enough for herself, whatever became of them or the passengers, and
-indeed such speeches had been cast out by some of them."
-
-Of the list of passengers who embarked at Delfshaven, July 22, 1620,
-"bound for Southampton on the English coast, and thence for the northern
-parts of Virginia," we fortunately have a pretty accurate knowledge.
-All of the Leyden congregation who were to emigrate, with the exception
-of Robert Cushman and family, and (probably) John Carver, were doubtless
-passengers upon the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to Southampton, though the
-presence of Elder Brewster has been questioned. The evidence that he was
-there is well-nigh as conclusive as that Robert Cushman sailed on the
-MAY-FLOWER from London, and that Carver, who had been for some months in
-England,--chiefly at Southampton, making preparations for the voyage, was
-there to meet the ships on their arrival. It is possible, of course,
-that Cushman's wife and son came on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven; but is
-not probable. Among the passengers, however, were some who, like Thomas
-Blossom and his son, William Ring, and others, abandoned the voyage to
-America at Plymouth, and returned in the pinnace to London and thence
-went back to Holland. Deducting from the passenger list of the MAYFLOWER
-those known to have been of the English contingent, with Robert Cushman
-and family, and John Carver, we have a very close approximate to the
-SPEEDWELL'S company on her "departure from Delfshaven." It has not been
-found possible to determine with absolute certainty the correct relation
-of a few persons. They may have been of the Leyden contingent and so
-have come with their brethren on the SPEEDWELL, or they may have been of
-the English colonists, and first embarked either at London or at
-Southampton, or even at Plymouth,--though none are supposed to have
-joined the emigrants there or at Dartmouth.
-
-The list of those embarking at Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, and so of the
-participants in that historic event,--a list now published for the first
-time, so far as known,--is undoubtedly accurate, within the limitations
-stated, as follows, being for convenience' sake arranged by families:
-
-The Family of Deacon John Carver (probably in charge of John Howland),
-embracing:--
- Mrs. Katherine Carver,
- John Howland (perhaps kinsman of Carver), "servant" or "employee,"
- Desire Minter, or Minther (probably companion of Mrs. Carver,
- perhaps kinswoman),
- Roger Wilder, "servant,"
- "Mrs. Carver's maid" (whose name has never transpired).
-
-Master William Bradford and
- Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford.
-
-Master Edward Winslow and
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow,
- George Soule a "servant" (or employee),
- Elias Story, "servant."
-
-Elder William Brewster and
- Mrs. Mary Brewster,
- Love Brewster, a son,
- Wrestling Brewster, a son.
-
-Master Isaac Allerton and
- Mrs. Mary (Morris) Allerton,
- Bartholomew Allerton, a son,
- Remember Allerton, a daughter,
- Mary Allerton, a daughter,
- John Hooke, "servant-boy."
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller and
- William Butten, "servant"-assistant.
-
-Captain Myles Standish and
- Mrs. Rose Standish.
-
-Master William White and
- Mrs. Susanna (Fuller) White,
- Resolved White, a son,
- William Holbeck, "servant,"
- Edward Thompson, "servant."
-
-Deacon Thomas Blossom and
- ----- Blossom, a son.
-
-Master Edward Tilley and
- Mrs. Ann Tilley.
-
-Master John Tilley and
- Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde?) Tilley (2d wife),
- Elizabeth Tilley, a daughter of Mr. Tilley by a former wife(?)
-
-John Crackstone and
- John Crackstone (Jr.), a son.
-
-Francis Cooke and
- John Cooke, a son.
-
-John Turner and
- ---- Turner, a son,
- ---- Turner, a son.
-
-Degory Priest.
-
-Thomas Rogers and
- Joseph Rogers, a son.
-
-Moses Fletcher.
-
-Thomas Williams.
-
-Thomas Tinker and
- Mrs. ---- Tinker,
- ---- Tinker, a son.
-
-Edward Fuller and
- Mrs. ---- Fuller,
- Samuel Fuller, a son.
-
-John Rigdale and
- Mrs. Alice Rigdale.
-
-Francis Eaton and
- Mrs. ---- Eaton,
- Samuel Eaton, an infant son.
-
-Peter Browne.
-
-William Ring.
-
-Richard Clarke.
-
-John Goodman.
-
-Edward Margeson.
-
-Richard Britteridge.
-
-
-Mrs. Katherine Carver and her family, it is altogether probable, came
- over in charge of Howland, who was probably a kinsman, both he and
- Deacon Carver coming from Essex in England,--as they could hardly
- have been in England with Carver during the time of his exacting
- work of preparation. He, it is quite certain, was not a passenger
- on the Speedwell, for Pastor Robinson would hardly have sent him
- such a letter as that received by him at Southampton, previously
- mentioned (Bradford's "Historie," Deane's ed. p. 63), if he had been
- with him at Delfshaven at the "departure," a few days before. Nor
- if he had handed it to him at Delfshaven, would he have told him in
- it, "I have written a large letter to the whole company."
-
-John Howland was clearly a "secretary" or "steward," rather than a
- "servant," and a man of standing and influence from the outset.
- That he was in Leyden and hence a SPEEDWELL passenger appears
- altogether probable, but is not absolutely certain.
-
-Desire Minter (or Minther) was undoubtedly the daughter of Sarah, who,
- the "Troth Book" (or "marriage-in-tention" records) for 1616, at the
- Stadtbuis of Leyden, shows, was probably wife or widow of one
- William Minther--evidently of Pastor Robinson's congregation--when
- she appeared on May 13 as a "voucher" for Elizabeth Claes, who then
- pledged herself to Heraut Wilson, a pump-maker, John Carver being
- one of Wilson's "vouchers." In 1618 Sarah Minther (then recorded as
- the widow of William) reappeared, to plight her troth to Roger
- Simons, brick-maker, from Amsterdam. These two records and the
- rarity of the name warrant an inference that Desire Minter (or
- Minther) was the daughter of William and Sarah (Willet) Minter (or
- Minther), of Robinson's flock; that her father had died prior to
- 1618 (perhaps before 1616); that the Carvers were near friends,
- perhaps kinsfolk; that her father being dead, her mother, a poor
- widow (there were clearly no rich ones in the Leyden congregation),
- placed this daughter with the Carvers, and, marrying herself, and
- removing to Amsterdam the year before the exodus, was glad to leave
- her daughter in so good a home and such hands as Deacon and Mistress
- Carver's. The record shows that the father and mother of Mrs. Sarah
- Minther, Thomas and Alice Willet, the probable grandparents of
- Desire Minter, appear as "vouchers" for their daughter at her Leyden
- betrothal. Of them we know nothing further, but it is a reasonable
- conjecture that they may have returned to England after the
- remarriage of their daughter and her removal to Amsterdam, and the
- removal of the Carvers and their granddaughter to America, and that
- it was to them that Desire went, when, as Bradford records, "she
- returned to her friends in England, and proved not very well and
- died there."
-
-"Mrs. Carver's maid" we know but little about, but the presumption is
- naturally strong that she came from; Leyden with her mistress. Her
- early marriage and; death are duly recorded.
-
-Roger Wilder, Carver's "servant;" was apparently in his service at Leyden
- and accompanied the family from thence. Bradford calls him "his
- [Carver's] man Roger," as if an old, familiar household servant,
- which (as Wilder died soon after the arrival at Plymouth) Bradford
- would not have been as likely to do--writing in 1650, thirty years
- after--if he had been only a short-time English addition to Carver's
- household, known to Bradford only during the voyage. The fact that
- he speaks of him as a "man" also indicates something as to his age,
- and renders it certain that he was not an "indentured" lad. It is
- fair to presume he was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL to Southampton.
- (It is probable that Carver's "servant-boy," William Latham, and
- Jasper More, his "bound-boy," were obtained in England, as more
- fully appears.)
-
-Master William Bradford and his wife were certainly of the party in the
- SPEEDWELL, as shown by his own recorded account of the embarkation.
- (Bradford's "Historie," etc.)
-
-Master Edward Winslow's very full (published) account of the embarkation
- ("Hypocrisie Unmasked," pp. 10-13, etc.) makes it certain that
- himself and family were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-
-George Soule, who seems to have been a sort of "upper servant" or
- "steward," it is not certain was with Winslow in Holland, though it
- is probable.
-
-Elias Story, his "under-servant," was probably also with him in Holland,
- though not surely so. Both servants might possibly have been
- procured from London or at Southampton, but probably sailed from
- Delfshaven with Winslow in the SPEEDWELL.
-
-Elder William Brewster and his family, his wife and two boys, were
- passengers on the SPEEDWELL, beyond reasonable doubt. He was, in
- fact, the ranking man of the Leyden brethren till they reached
- Southampton and the respective ships' "governors" were chosen. The
- Church to that point was dominant. (The Elder's two "bound-boys,"
- being from London, do not appear as SPEEDWELL passengers.) There is,
- on careful study, no warrant to be found for the remarkable
- statements of Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 33), that, during the
- hunt for Brewster in Holland in 1619, by the emissaries of James I.
- of England (in the endeavor to apprehend and punish him for printing
- and publishing certain religious works alleged to be seditious),
- "William Brewster was in London . . . and there he remained until
- the sailing of the MAYFLOWER, which he helped to fit out;" and that
- during that time "he visited Scrooby." That he had no hand whatever
- in fitting out the MAYFLOWER is certain, and the Scrooby statement
- equally lacks foundation. Professor Arber, who is certainly a
- better authority upon the "hidden press" of the Separatists in
- Holland, and the official correspondence relating to its proprietors
- and their movements, says ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,"
- p.196): "The Ruling Elder of the Pilgrim Church was, for more than a
- year before he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL, on the 22 July-
- 1 August, 1620, a hunted man." Again (p. 334), he says: "Here let
- us consider the excellent management and strategy of this Exodus.
- If the Pilgrims had gone to London to embark for America, many, if
- not most of them, would have been put in prison [and this is the
- opinion of a British historian, knowing the temper of those times,
- especially William Brewster.] So only those embarked in London
- against whom the Bishops could take no action." We can understand,
- in light, why Carver--a more objectionable person than Cushman to
- the prelates, because of his office in the Separatist Church--was
- chiefly employed out of their sight, at Southampton, etc., while the
- diplomatic and urbane Cushman did effective work at London, under
- the Bishops' eyes. It is not improbable that the personal
- friendship of Sir Robert Naunton (Principal Secretary of State to
- King James) for Sir Edward Sandys and the Leyden brethren (though
- officially seemingly active under his masters' orders in pushing Sir
- Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, to an
- unrelenting search for Brewster) may have been of material aid to
- the Pilgrims in gaining their departure unmolested. The only basis
- known for the positive expression of Goodwin resides in the
- suggestions of several letters' of Sir Dudley Carleton to Sir Robert
- Naunton, during the quest for Brewster; the later seeming clearly to
- nullify the earlier.
-
- Under date of July 22, 1619, Carleton says: "One William Brewster,
- a Brownist, who has been for some years an inhabitant and printer at
- Leyden, but is now within these three weeks removed from thence and
- gone back to dwell in London," etc.
-
- On August 16, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: "I am told William Brewster is
- come again for Leyden," but on the 30th adds: "I have made good
- enquiry after William Brewster and am well assured he is not
- returned thither, neither is it likely he will; having removed from
- thence both his family and goods," etc.
-
- On September 7, 1619 (N.S.), he writes: "Touching Brewster, I am now
- informed that he is on this side the seas [not in London, as before
- alleged]; and that he was seen yesterday, at Leyden, but, as yet, is
- not there settled," etc.
-
- On September 13, 1619 (N.S.), he says: "I have used all diligence to
- enquire after Brewster; and find he keeps most at Amsterdam; but
- being 'incerti laris', he is not yet to be lighted upon. I
- understand he prepares to settle himself at a village called
- Leerdorp, not far from Leyden, thinking there to be able to print
- prohibited books without discovery, but I shall lay wait for him,
- both there and in other places, so as I doubt but either he must
- leave this country; or I shall, sooner or later, find him out."
-
- On September 20, 1619 (N.S.), he says: "I have at length found out
- Brewster at Leyden," etc. It was a mistake, and Brewster's partner
- (Thomas Brewer), one of the Merchant Adventurers, was arrested
- instead.
-
- On September 28, 1619 (N.S.), he states, writing from Amsterdam:
- "If he lurk here for fear of apprehension, it will be hard to find
- him," etc.
-
- As late as February 8, 1619/20, there was still a desire and hope
- for his arrest, but by June the matter had become to the King--and
- all others--something of an old story. While, as appears by a
- letter of Robert Cushman, written in London, in May, 1619, Brewster
- was then undoubtedly there, one cannot agree, in the light of the
- official correspondence just quoted, with the conclusion of Dr.
- Alexander Young ("Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers," vol. i.
- p. 462), that "it is probable he [Brewster] did not return to
- Leyden, but kept close till the MAYFLOWER sailed."
-
- Everything indicates that he was at Leyden long after this; that he
- did not again return to London, as supposed; and that he was in
- hiding with his family (after their escape from the pursuit at
- Leyden), somewhere among friends in the Low Countries. Although by
- July, 1620, the King had, as usual, considerably "cooled off," we
- may be sure that with full knowledge of the harsh treatment meted
- out to his partner (Brewer) when caught, though unusually mild (by
- agreement with the authorities of the University and Province of
- Holland), Brewster did not deliberately put himself "under the
- lion's paw" at London, or take any chances of arrest there, even in
- disguise. Dr. Griffis has lent his assent ("The Pilgrims in their
- Homes," p, 167), though probably without careful analysis of all the
- facts, to the untenable opinion expressed by Goodwin, that Brewster
- was "hiding in England" when the SPEEDWELL sailed from Delfshaven.
- There can be no doubt that, with his ever ready welcome of sound
- amendment, he will, on examination, revise his opinion, as would the
- clear-sighted Goodwin, if living and cognizant of the facts as
- marshalled against his evident error. As the leader and guide of
- the outgoing part of the Leyden church we may, with good warrant,
- believe--as all would wish--that Elder Brewster was the chief figure
- the departing Pilgrims gathered on the SPEEDWELL deck, as she took
- her departure from Delfshaven.
-
-Master Isaac Allerton and his family, his wife and three children, two
- sons and a daughter, were of the Leyden company and passengers in
- the SPEEDWELL. We know he was active there as a leader, and was
- undoubtedly one of those who bought the SPEEDWELL. He was one of
- the signers of the joint-letter from Leyden, to Carver and Cushman,
- May 31 (O.S.) 1620.
-
-John Hooke, Allerton's "servant-lad," may have been detained at London or
- Southampton, but it is hardly probable, as Allerton was a man of
- means, consulted his comfort, and would have hardly started so large
- a family on such a journey without a servant.
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller was, as is well known, one of the Leyden chiefs,
- connected by blood and marriage with many of the leading families of
- Robinson's congregation. He was active in the preparations for the
- voyage the first signer of the joint-letter of May 31, and doubtless
- one of the negotiators for the SPEEDWELL. His wife and child were
- left behind, to follow later as they did.
-
-William Butten, the first of the Pilgrim party to die, was, in all
- probability, a student-"servant" of Doctor Fuller at Leyden, and
- doubtless embarked with him at Delfshaven. Bradford calls him
- (writing of his death) "Wm. Butten, a youth, servant to Samuel
- Fuller." Captain Myles Standish and his wife Rose, we know from
- Bradford, were with the Pilgrims in Leyden and doubtless shipped
- with them. Arber calls him ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers,"
- p. 378) a "chief of the Pilgrim Fathers" in the sense of a father
- and leader in their Israel; but there is no warrant for this
- assumption, though he became their "sword-hand" in the New World.
- By some writers, though apparently with insufficient warrant,
- Standish has been declared a Roman Catholic. It does not appear
- that he was ever a communicant of the Pilgrim Church. His family,
- moreover, was not of the Roman Catholic faith, and all his conduct
- in the colony is inconsistent with the idea that he was of that
- belief. Master William White, his wife and son, were of the Leyden
- congregation, both husband and wife being among its principal
- people, and nearly related to several of the Pilgrim band. The
- marriage of Mr. and Mrs. White is duly recorded in Leyden. William
- Holbeck and Edward Thompson, Master White's two servants, he
- probably took with him from Leyden, as his was a family of means and
- position, though they might possibly have been procured at
- Southampton. They were apparently passengers in the SPEEDWELL.
- Deacon Thomas Blossom and his son were well known as of Pastor
- Robinson's flock at Leyden. They returned, moreover, to Holland
- from Plymouth, England (where they gave up the voyage), via London.
- The father went to New Plymouth ten years later, the son dying
- before that time. (See Blossom's letter to Governor Bradford.
- Bradford's Letter Book, "Plymouth Church Records," i. 42.) In his
- letter dated at Leyden, December 15, 1625, he says: "God hath taken
- away my son that was with me in the ship MAYFLOWER when I went back
- again."
-
-Edward Tilley (sometimes given the prefix of Master) his wife Ann are
- known to have been of the Leyden company. (Bradford's "Historie,"
- p. 83.) It is doubtful if their "cousins," Henry Sampson and
- Humility Cooper, were of Leyden. They apparently were English
- kinsfolk, taken to New England with the Tilleys, very likely joined
- them at Southampton and hence were not of the SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers. Humility Cooper returned to England after the death of
- Tilley and his wife. That Mrs. Tilley's "given name" was Ann is not
- positively established, but rests on Bradford's evidence.
-
-John Tilley (who is also sometimes called Master) is reputed a brother of
- Edward, and is known to have been--as also his wife--of the Leyden
- church (Bradford, Deane's ed. p. 83.) His second wife Bridget Van
- der Velde, was evidently of Holland blood, and their marriage is
- recorded in Leyden. Elizabeth Tilley was clearly a daughter by an
- earlier wife. He is said by Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 32) to
- have been a "silk worker" Leyden, but earlier authority for this
- occupation is not found.
-
-John Crackstone is of record as of the Leyden congregation. His daughter
- remained there, and came later to America.
-
-John Crackstone, Jr., son of above. Both were SPEEDWELL passengers.
-
-Francis Cooke has been supposed a very early member of Robinson's flock
- in England, who escaped with them to Holland, in 1608. He and his
- son perhaps embarked at Delfshaven, leaving his wife and three other
- children to follow later. (See Robinson's letter to Governor
- Bradford, "Mass. Hist. Coll.," vol. iii. p. 45, also Appendix for
- account of Cooke's marriage.)
-
-John Cooke, the son, was supposed to have lived to be the last male
- survivor of the MAY-FLOWER, but Richard More proves to have survived
- him. He was a prominent man in the colony, like his father, and the
- founder of Dartmouth (Mass.).
-
-John Turner and his sons are also known to have been of the Leyden party,
- as he was undoubtedly the messenger sent to London with the letter
- (of May 31) of the leaders to Carver and Cushman, arriving there
- June 10, 1620. They were beyond doubt of the SPEEDWELL'S list.
-
-Degory Priest--or "Digerie," as Bradford calls him--was a prominent
- member of the Leyden body. His marriage is recorded there, and he
- left his family in the care of his pastor and friends, to follow him
- later. He died early.
-
-Thomas Rogers and his son are reputed of the Leyden company. He left
- (according to Bradford) some of his family there--as did Cooke and
- Priest--to follow later. It has been suggested that Rogers might
- have been of the Essex (England) lineage, but no evidence of this
- appears. The Rogers family of Essex were distinctively Puritans,
- both in England and in the Massachusetts colony.
-
-Moses Fletcher was a "smith" at Leyden, and of Robinson's church. He was
- married there, in 1613, to his second wife. He was perhaps of the
- English Amsterdam family of Separatists, of that name. As the only
- blacksmith of the colonists, his early death was a great loss.
-
-Thomas Williams, there seems no good reason to doubt, was the Thomas
- Williams known to have been of Leyden congregation. Hon. H. C.
- Murphy and Arber include him--apparently through oversight alone
- --in the list of those of Leyden who did not go, unless there were
- two of the name, one of whom remained in Holland.
-
-Thomas Tinker, wife, and son are not certainly known to have been of the
- Leyden company, or to have embarked at Delfshaven, but their
- constant association in close relation with others who were and who
- so embarked warrants the inference that they were of the SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers. It is, however, remotely possible, that they were of
- the English contingent.
-
-Edward Fuller and his wife and little son were of the Leyden company, and
- on the SPEEDWELL. He is reputed to have been a brother of Dr.
- Fuller, and is occasionally so claimed by early writers, but by what
- warrant is not clear.
-
-John Rigdale and his wife have always been placed by tradition and
- association with the Leyden emigrants but there is a possibility
- that they were of the English party. Probability assigns them to
- the SPEEDWELL, and they are needed to make her accredited number.
-
-Francis Eaton, wife, and babe were doubtless of the Leyden list. He is
- said to have been a carpenter there (Goodwin, "Pilgrim Republic," p.
- 32), and was married there, as the record attests.
-
-Peter Browne has always been classed with the Leyden party. There is no
- established authority for this except tradition, and he might
- possibly have been of the English emigrants, though probably a
- SPEEDWELL passenger; he is needed to make good her putative number.
-
-William Ring is in the same category as are Eaton and Browne. Cushman
- speaks of him, in his Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth (of
- August 17), in terms of intimacy, though this, while suggestive, of
- course proves nothing, and he gave up the voyage and returned from
- Plymouth to London with Cushman. He was certainly from Leyden.
-
-Richard Clarke is on the doubtful list, as are also John Goodman, Edward
- Margeson, and Richard Britteridge. They have always been
- traditionally classed with the Leyden colonists, yet some of them
- were possibly among the English emigrants. They are all needed,
- however, to make up the number usually assigned to Leyden, as are
- all the above "doubtfuls," which is of itself somewhat confirmatory
- of the substantial correctness of the list.
-
-Thomas English, Bradford records, "was hired to goe master of a [the]
- shallopp" of the colonists, in New England waters. He was probably
- hired in Holland and was almost certainly of the SPEEDWELL.
-
-John Alderton (sometimes written Allerton) was, Bradford states, "a hired
- man, reputed [reckoned] one of the company, but was to go back
- (being a seaman) and so making no account of the voyages for the
- help of others behind" [probably at Leyden]. It is probable that he
- was hired in Holland, and came to Southampton on the SPEEDWELL.
- Both English and Alderton seem to have stood on a different footing
- from Trevore and Ely, the other two seamen in the employ of the
- colonists.
-
-William Trevore was, we are told by Bradford, "a seaman hired to stay a
- year in the countrie," but whether or not as part of the SPEEDWELL'S
- Crew (who, he tells us, were all hired for a year) does not appear.
- As the Master (Reynolds) and others of her crew undoubtedly returned
- to London in her from Plymouth, and her voyage was cancelled, the
- presumption is that Trevore and Ely were either hired anew or--more
- probably--retained under their former agreement, to proceed by the
- MAY-FLOWER to America, apparently (practically) as passengers.
- Whether of the consort's crew or not, there can be little doubt that
- he left Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL.
-
---- Ely, the other seaman in the Planters' employ, also hired to "remain
- a year in the countrie," appears to have been drafted, like Trevore,
- from the SPEEDWELL before she returned to London, having, no doubt,
- made passage from Holland in her. Both Trevore and Ely survived
- "the general sickness" at New Plimoth, and at the expiration of the
- time for which they were employed returned on the FORTUNE to England
-
-
-Of course the initial embarkation, on Friday, July 21/31 1620, was at
-Leyden, doubtless upon the Dutch canal-boats which undoubtedly brought
-them from a point closely adjacent to Pastor Robinson's house in the
-Klock-Steeg (Bell, Belfry, Alley), in the garden of which were the houses
-of many, to Delfshaven.
-
-Rev. John Brown, D.D., says: "The barges needed for the journey were
-most likely moored near the Nuns' Bridge which spans the Rapenburg
-immediately opposite the Klok-Steeg, where Robinsons house was. This,
-being their usual meeting-place, would naturally be the place of
-rendezvous on the morning of departure. From thence it was but a stone's
-throw to the boats, and quickly after starting they would enter the
-Vliet, as the section of the canal between Leyden and Delft is named, and
-which for a little distance runs within the city bounds, its quays
-forming the streets. In those days the point where the canal leaves the
-city was guarded by a water-gate, which has long since been removed, as
-have also the town walls, the only remaining portions of which are the
-Morsch-gate and the Zylgate. So, gliding along the quiet waters of the
-Vliet, past the Water-gate, and looking up at the frowning turrets of the
-Cow-gate, 'they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their
-resting-place near twelve years.' . . . Nine miles from Leyden a
-branch canal connects the Vliet with the Hague, and immediately beyond
-their junction a sharp turn is made to the left, as the canal passes
-beneath the Hoom-bridge; from this point, for the remaining five miles,
-the high road from the Hague to Delft, lined with noble trees, runs side
-by side with the canal. In our time the canal-boats make a circuit of
-the town to the right, but in those days the traffic went by canal
-through the heart of the city . . . . Passing out of the gates of
-Delft and leaving the town behind, they had still a good ten miles of
-canal journey before them ere they reached their vessel and came to the
-final parting, for, as Mr. Van Pelt has clearly shown, it is a mistake to
-confound Delft with Delfshaven, as the point of embarkation in the
-SPEEDWELL. Below Delft the canal, which from Leyden thither is the
-Vliet, then becomes the Schie, and at the village of Overschie the
-travellers entered the Delfshaven Canal, which between perfectly straight
-dykes flows at a considerable height above the surrounding pastures.
-Then finally passing through one set of sluice gates after another, the
-Pilgrims were lifted from the canal into a broad receptacle for vessels,
-then into the outer haven, and so to the side of the SPEEDWELL as she lay
-at the quay awaiting their arrival."
-
-Dr. Holmes has prettily pictured the "Departure" in his "Robinson of
-Leyden," even if not altogether correctly, geographically.
-
- "He spake; with lingering, long embrace,
- With tears of love and partings fond,
- They floated down the creeping Maas,
- Along the isle of Ysselmond.
-
- "They passed the frowning towers of Briel,
- The 'Hook of Holland's' shelf of sand,
- And grated soon with lifting keel
- The sullen shores of Fatherland.
-
- "No home for these! too well they knew
- The mitred king behind the throne;
- The sails were set, the pennons flew,
- And westward ho! for worlds unknown."
-
-
-Winslow informs us that they of the Leyden congregation who volunteered
-for the American enterprise were rather the smaller fraction of the whole
-body, though he adds, as noted "that the difference was not great."
-A careful analysis of the approximate list of the Leyden colonists,
---including, of course, Carver, and Cushman and his family,--whose total
-number seems to have been seventy-two, indicates that of this number,
-forty-two, or considerably more than half (the rest being children,
-seamen, or servants), were probably members of the Leyden church. Of
-these, thirty, probably, were males and twelve females. The exact
-proportion this number bore to the numerical strength of Robinson's
-church at that time cannot be determined, because while something less
-than half as we know, gave their votes for the American undertaking, it
-cannot be known whether or not the women of church had a vote in the
-matter. Presumably they did not, the primitive church gave good heed to
-the words of Paul (i Corinthians xiv. 34), "Let your women keep silence
-in the churches." Neither can it be known--if they had a voice--whether
-the wives and daughters of some of the embarking Pilgrims, who did not go
-themselves at this time, voted with their husbands and fathers for the
-removal. The total number, seventy-two, coincides very nearly with the
-estimate made by Goodwin, who says: "Only eighty or ninety could go in
-this party from Leyden," and again: "Not more than eighty of the
-MAY-FLOWER company were from Leyden. Allowing for [i.e. leaving out]
-the younger children and servants, it is evident that not half the
-company can have been from Robinson's congregation." As the total
-number of passengers on the MAYFLOWER was one hundred and two when she
-took her final departure from England, it is clear that Goodwin's
-estimate is substantially correct, and that the number representing the
-Leyden church as given above, viz., forty-two, is very close to the
-fact.
-
-"When they came to the place" [Delfshaven], says Bradford, "they found
-the ship and all things ready; and such of their friends as could not
-come with them [from Leyden] followed after them; and sundry also came
-from Amsterdam (about fifty miles) to see them shipped, and to take their
-leave of them."
-
-Saturday, July 22/Aug. 1, 1620, the Pilgrim company took their farewells,
-and Winslow records: "We only going aboard, the ship lying to the key
-[quay] and ready to sail; the wind being fair, we gave them [their
-friends] a volley of small shot [musketry] and three pieces of ordnance
-and so lifting up our hands to each other and our hearts for each other
-to the Lord our God, we departed."
-
-Goodwin says of the parting: "The hull was wrapped in smoke, through
-which was seen at the stern the white flag of England doubly bisected by
-the great red cross of St. George, a token that the emigrants had at last
-resumed their dearly-loved nationality. Far above them at the main was
-seen the Union Jack of new device."
-
-
-And so after more than eleven years of banishment for conscience' sake
-from their native shores, this little band of English exiles, as true to
-their mother-land--despite persecutions--as to their God, raised the
-flag of England, above their own little vessel, and under its folds set
-sail to plant themselves for a larger life in a New World.
-
-And thus opens the "Log" of the SPEEDWELL, and the "Westward-Ho" of the
-Pilgrim Fathers.
-
-
-
- THE SPEEDWELL'S LOG
-
-
-Sunday, July 23/Aug. 2.
- On the German Ocean. Wind fair. General
- course D.W., toward Southampton. sails
- set, running free.
-
-Monday, July 24/Aug. 3.
- Fair. Wind moderate. Dover Straits
- English Channel. In sight Dover Cliffs.
-
-Tuesday, July 25/Aug. 5
- Hugging English shore. Enters Southampton
- Water.
-
-Wednesday, July 26/Aug. 5.
- Came to anchor in Port of Southampton near
- ship MAYFLOWER of Yarmouth, from London (to
- which this pinnace is consort), off the
- north of the West Quay.'
-
-Thursday, July 27/Aug. 6.
- At anchor in port of Southampton.
-
-Friday, July 28/Aug. 7.
- Lying at anchor at Southampton.
-
-Saturday, July 29/Aug. 8.
- Lying at Southampton. MAY-FLOWER ready for
- sea, but pinnace leaking and requires
- re-trimming.
-
-Sunday, July 30/Aug. 9.
- Lying at Southampton.
-
-Monday, July 31/Aug. 10.
- Ditto.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 1/11.
- Ditto.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 2/22.
- Ditto. Pinnace leaking. Re-trimmed again.
-
-Thursday, Aug 3/13.
- Ditto. Receiving passengers, etc. Some of
- principal Leyden men assigned to SPEEDWELL.
-
-Friday, Aug. 4/14
- Southampton. Making ready to leave.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 5/55.
- Dropped down Southampton Water and beat
- down Channel. Wind dead ahead. Laid general
- course W.S.W.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 6/16.
- Wind baffling. Beating down Channel.
-
-Monday, Aug. 7/17.
- Ditto.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 8/18.
- Ditto. Ship leaking.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 9/19.
- Ship leaking badly. Wind still ahead.
-
-Thursday, Aug. 10/20.
- Ship still leaking badly. Gaining on
- pumps. Hove to. Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in
- company. Consultation with Captain Jones
- and principal passengers. Decided vessels
- shall put back, Dartmouth, being nearest
- convenient port. Wore ship and laid course
- for Dartmouth with good wind.
-
-Friday, Aug. 11/21.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking badly.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 12/22.
- Made port at Dartmouth MAY-FLOWER in
- company. Came to anchor near MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 13/23.
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-Monday, Aug. 14/24.
- Moving cargo and overhauling and retrimming
- ship.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 15/25.
- Lying at Dartmouth. At on ship.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 16/26.
- Ditto. Found a plank feet long loose and
- admitting water freely, as at a mole hole.
- Seams opened some.
-
-Thursday, Aug. 17/27.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Some dissension among
- chief of passengers. Ship's "Governor"
- unsatisfactory.
-
-Friday, Aug. 18/28.
- Lying at Dartmouth. Still at work on ship.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 19/29.
- Still lying at Dartmouth.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 20/30.
- Lying at Dartmouth.
-
-Monday, Aug. 21/31
- Still at Dartmouth. Overhauling completed.
- Cargo relaced. Making ready to go to sea.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 22/Sept. 1.
- Still at Dartmouth. Lying at anchor ready
- for sea.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 23/Sept. 2.
- Weighed anchor,' as did also MAY-FLOWER,
- and set sail. Laid general course W.S.W.
- Wind fair
-
-Thursday, Aug. 24/Sept.3.
- Fair wind, but ship leaking.
-
-Friday, Aug. 25/Sept. 4.
- Wind fair. Ship leaking dangerously.
- MAY-FLOWER in company.
-
-Saturday, Aug. 26/Sept. 5.
- About 100 leagues [300 miles] from Land's
- End. Ship leaking badly. Hove to.
- Signalled MAY-FLOWER, in company.
- Consultation between masters, carpenters,
- and principal passengers. Decided to put
- back into Plymouth and determine whether
- pinnace is seaworthy. Put about and laid
- course for Plymouth.
-
-Sunday, Aug. 27/Sept. 6.
- Wind on starboard quarter. Made Plymouth
- harbor and came to anchor. MAY-FLOWER in
- company.
-
-Monday, Aug. 28/Sept. 7.
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Conference
- of chief of Colonists and officers of
- MAY-FLOWER and SPEEDWELL. No special leak
- could be found, but it was judged to be the
- general weakness of the ship, and that she
- would not prove sufficient for the voyage.
- It was resolved to dismiss her the
- SPEEDWELL, and part of the company, and
- proceed with the other ship.
-
-Tuesday, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-
-Wednesday, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- Lying at Plymouth. Transferring cargo.
-
-Saturday, Sept. 2/12
- Ditto. Reassignment of passengers. Master
- Cushman and family, Master Blossom and son,
- Wm. Ring and others to return in pinnace to
- London.
-
-Sunday, Sept. 3/13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-
-Monday, Sept. 4/14
- Weighed anchor and took departure for
- London, leaving MAY-FLOWER at anchor in
- roadstead.
-
-Saturday, Sept. 9/19
- Off Gravesend. Came to anchor in Thames.
-
-
-
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE AND
- OF THE LOG OF THE
- MAY-FLOWER'S
- CONSORT
-
-
-From Bradford we learn that the SPEEDWELL was sold at London, and was
-"refitted", her old trip being restored, and that she afterwards made for
-her new owners many and very prosperous voyages.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S CHARTER AND THE ADVENTURERS
-
-
-The ship MAY-FLOWER was evidently chartered about the middle of June,
-1620 at London, by Masters Thomas West Robert Cushman acting together in
-behalf of the Merchant Adventurers (chiefly of London) and the English
-congregation of "Separatists" (the "Pilgrims"), at Leyden in Holland who,
-with certain of England associated, proposed to colony in America.
-
-Professor Arber, when he says, in speaking of Cushman and Weston, "the
-hiring of the MAY-FLOWER, when they did do it, was their act alone, and
-the Leyden church nothing to do with it," seems to forget that Cushman
-and his associate Carver had no other function or authority in their
-conjunction with Weston and Martin, except to represent the Leyden
-congregation. Furthermore, it was the avowed wish of Robinson (see his
-letter dated June 14, 1620, to John Carver), that Weston "may [should]
-presently succeed in hiring" [a ship], which was equivalent to hoping
-that Carver and Cushman--Weston's associates representing Leyden--would
-aid in so doing. Moreover, Bradford expressly states that: "Articles of
-Agreement, drawn by themselves were, by their [the Leyden congregation's]
-said messenger [Carver] sent into England, who together with Robert
-Cushman were to receive moneys and make provisions, both for shipping,
-and other things for the voyage."
-
-Up to Saturday, June 10, nothing had been effected in the way of
-providing shipping for the migrating planters though the undertaking had
-been four months afoot--beyond the purchase and refitting, in Holland, by
-the Leyden people themselves, of a pinnace of sixty tons (the SPEEDWELL)
-intended as consort to a larger ship--and the hiring of a "pilott" to
-refit her, as we have seen.
-
-The Leyden leaders had apparently favored purchasing also the larger
-vessel still needed for the voyage, hoping, perhaps, to interest therein
-at least one of their friends, Master Edward Pickering, a merchant of
-Holland, himself one of the Adventurers, while Master Weston had, as
-appears, inclined to hire. From this disagreement and other causes,
-perhaps certain sinister reasons, Weston had become disaffected, the
-enterprise drooped, the outlook was dubious, and several formerly
-interested drew back, until shipping should be provided and the good
-faith of the enterprise be thus assured.
-
-It transpires from Robinson's letter dated June 14., before quoted (in
-which he says: "For shipping, Master Weston, it should seem is set upon
-hiring"), that Robinson's own idea was to purchase, and he seems to have
-dominated the rest. There is perhaps a hint of his reason for this in
-the following clause of the same letter, where he writes: "I do not think
-Master Pickering [the friend previously named] will ingage, except in the
-course of buying ['ships?'--Arber interpolates] as in former letters
-specified." If he had not then "ingaged" (as Robinson intimates), as an
-Adventurer, he surely did later, contrary to the pastor's prediction, and
-the above may have been a bit of special pleading. Robinson naturally
-wished to keep their, affairs, so far as possible, in known and
-supposedly friendly hands, and had possibly some assurances that, as a
-merchant, Pickering would be willing to invest in a ship for which he
-could get a good charter for an American voyage. He proved rather an
-unstable friend.
-
-Robinson is emphatic, in the letter cited, as to the imperative necessity
-that shipping should be immediately provided if the enterprise was to be
-held together and the funds subscribed were to be secured. He evidently
-considered this the only guaranty of good faith and of an honest
-intention to immediately transport the colony over sea, that would be
-accepted. After saying, as already noted, that those behind-hand with
-their payments refuse to pay in "till they see shipping provided or a
-course taken for it," he adds, referring to Master Weston: "That he
-should not have had either shipping ready before this time, or at least
-certain [i.e. definite] means and course, and the same known to us, for
-it; or have taken other order otherwise; cannot in [according to] my
-conscience be excused."
-
-Bradford also states that one Master Thomas Weston a merchant of London,
-came to Leyden about the same time [apparently while negotiations for
-emigration under their auspices were pending with the Dutch, in February
-or March, 1620], who was "well acquainted with some of them and a
-furtherer of them in their former proceedings.... and persuaded them....
-not to meddle with the Dutch," etc. This Robinson confirms in his letter
-to Carver before referred to, saying: "You know right well we depend on
-Master Weston alone,.... and when we had in hand another course with the
-Dutchman, broke it off at his motion."
-
-On the morning of the 10th of June, 1620, Robert Cushman, one of the
-Leyden agents at London, after writing to his associate, Master John
-Carver, then at Southampton; and to the Leyden leaders--in reply to
-certain censorious letters received by him from both these sources
---although disheartened by the difficulties and prospects before him,
-sought Master Weston, and by an urgent appeal so effectively wrought upon
-him, that, two hours later, coming to Cushman, he promised "he would not
-yet give it [the undertaking] up." Cushman's patience and endurance were
-evidently nearly "at the breaking point," for he says in his letter of
-Sunday, June 11, when success had begun to crown his last grand effort:
-"And, indeed, the many discouragements I find here [in London] together
-with the demurs and retirings there [at Leyden] had made me to say, 'I
-would give up my accounts to John Carver and at his coming from
-Southampton acquaint him fully with all courses [proceedings] and so
-leave it quite, with only the poor clothes on my back: But gathering up
-myself by further consideration, I resolved yet to make one trial more,"
-etc. It was this "one trial more" which meant so much to the Pilgrims;
-to the cause of Religion; to America; and to Humanity. It will rank with
-the last heroic and successful efforts of Robert the Bruce and others,
-which have become historic. The effect of Cushman's appeal upon Weston
-cannot be doubted. It not only apparently influenced him at the time,
-but, after reflection and the lapse of hours, it brought him to his
-associate to promise further loyalty, and, what was much better, to act.
-The real animus of Weston's backwardness, it is quite probable, lay in
-the designs of Gorges, which were probably not yet fully matured, or, if
-so, involved delay as an essential part. "And so," Cushman states,
-"advising together, we resolved to hire a ship." They evidently found one
-that afternoon, "of sixty last" (120 tons) which was called "a fine
-ship," and which they "took liking of [Old English for trial (Dryden),
-equivalent to refusal] till Monday." The same afternoon they "hired
-another pilot . . . one Master Clarke."--of whom further.
-
-It seems certain that by the expression, "we have hired another pilot
-here, one Master Clarke," etc.; that Cushman was reckoning the "pilott"
-Reynolds whom he had hired and sent over to them in Holland, as shown--as
-at the first, and now Clarke as "another." It nowhere appears that up to
-this date, any other than these two had been hired, nor had there been
-until then, any occasion for more than one.
-
-If Cushman had been engaged in such important negotiations as these
-before he wrote his letters to Carver and the Leyden friends, on Saturday
-morning, he would certainly have mentioned them. As he named neither, it
-is clear that they had not then occurred. It is equally certain that
-Cushman's appeal to Weston was not made, and his renewed activity
-aroused, until after these letters had been dispatched and nothing of the
-kind could have been done without Weston.
-
-His letter-writing of June 10 was obviously in the morning, as proven by
-the great day's work Cushman performed subsequently. He must have
-written his letters early and have taken them to such place as his
-messenger had suggested (Who his messenger was does not appear, but it
-was not John Turner, as suggested by Arber, for he did not arrive till
-that night.) Cushman must then have looked up Weston and had an hour or
-more of earnest argument with him, for he says: "at the last [as if some
-time was occupied] he gathered himself up a little more" [i.e. yielded
-somewhat.] Then came an interval of "two hours," at the end of which
-Weston came to him,
-
- [It would be highly interesting to know whether, in the two hours
- which intervened between Cushman's call on Weston and the latter's
- return call, Weston consulted Gorges and got his instructions. It
- is certain that he came prepared to act, and that vigorously, which
- he had not previously been.]
-
-and they "advised together,"--which took time. It was by this evidently
-somewhat past noon, a four or five hours having been consumed. They then
-went to look for a ship and found one, which, from Cushman's remark, "but
-a fine ship it is," they must (at least superficially) have examined.
-While hunting for the ship they seem to have come across, and to have
-hired, John Clarke the "pilot," with whom they necessarily, as with the
-ship's people, spent some time. It is not improbable that the approach
-of dusk cut short their examination of the ship, which they hence "took
-liking of [refusal of] till Monday." It is therefore evident that the
-"refusal" of the "sixty last" ship was taken, and the "pilot" Clarke was
-"hired," on Saturday afternoon, June 10, as on Sunday, June 11, Cushman
-informed the Leyden leaders of these facts by letter, as above indicated,
-and gave instructions as to the SPEEDWELL'S "pilott," Master Reynolds.
-
-We are therefore able to fix, nearly to an hour, the "turning of the
-tide" in the affairs of the Pilgrim movement to America.
-
-It is also altogether probable that the Pilgrims and humanity at large
-are still further (indirectly) indebted to Cushman's "one more trial" and
-resultant Saturday afternoon's work, for the MAY-FLOWER (though not found
-that day), and her able commander Jones, who, whatever his faults, safely
-brought the Pilgrims through stormy seas to their "promised land."
-
-Obligations of considerable and rapidly cumulative cost had now been
-incurred, making it imperative to go forward to embarkation with all
-speed, and primarily, to secure the requisite larger ship. Evidently
-Weston and Cushman believed they had found one that would serve, when on
-Saturday, they "took liking," as we have seen, of the "fine ship" of 120
-tons, "till Monday." No less able authorities than Charles Deane, Goodwin,
-and Brown, with others, have mistakenly concluded that this ship was the
-MAY-FLOWER, and have so stated in terms. As editor of Bradford's history
-"Of Plimoth Plantation," Mr. Deane (in a footnote to the letter of
-Cushman written Sunday, June 11), after quoting the remark, "But it is a
-fine ship," mistakenly adds, "The renowned MAYFLOWER.--Ed.," thus
-committing himself to the common error in this regard. John Brown, in
-his "Pilgrim Fathers of New England," confuses the vessels, stating
-that, "when all was ready for the start, a pilot came over to conduct the
-emigrants to England, bringing also a letter from Cushman announcing that
-the MAYFLOWER, a vessel of one hundred and eighty tons, Thomas Jones,
-Master, would start from London to Southampton in a week or two," etc.
-As we have seen, these statements are out of their relation. No pilot
-went for that purpose and none carried such a letter (certainly none from
-Cushman), as alleged. Cushman's letter, sent as we know by John Turner,
-announced the finding of an entirely different vessel, which was neither
-of 180 tons burden, nor had any relation to the MAY-FLOWER or her future
-historic freight. Neither was there in his letter any time of starting
-mentioned, or of the port of Southampton as the destination of any vessel
-to go from London, or of Jones as captain. Such loose statements are the
-bane of history. Goodwin, usually so accurate, stumbles unaccountably in
-this matter--which has been so strangely misleading to other competent
-men--and makes the sadly perverted statement that, "In June, John Turner
-was sent, and he soon returned with a petulant (sic) letter from Cushman,
-which, however, announced that the ship MAYFLOWER had been selected and
-in two weeks would probably leave London for Southampton." He adds, with
-inexcusable carelessness in the presence of the words "sixty last" (which
-his dictionary would have told him, at a glance, was 120 tons), that:
-"This vessel (Thomas Jones, master) was rated at a hundred and eighty
-tons . . . . Yet she was called a fine ship," etc. It is evident
-that, like Brown, he confused the two vessels, with Cushman's letter
-before his eyes, from failure to compute the "sixty last." He moreover
-quotes Cushman incorrectly. The great disparity in size, however, should
-alone render this confusion impossible, and Cushman is clear as to the
-tonnage ("sixty last"), regretting that the ship found is not larger,
-while Bradford and all other chroniclers agree that the MAY-FLOWER was of
-"9 score" tons burden.
-
-It is also evident that for some reason this smaller ship (found on
-Saturday afternoon) was not taken, probably because the larger one, the
-MAY-FLOWER, was immediately offered to and secured by Masters Weston and
-Cushman, and very probably with general approval. Just how the
-MAY-FLOWER was obtained may never be certainly known. It was only on
-Saturday, June 10, as we have seen, that Master Weston had seriously set
-to work to look for a ship; and although the refusal of one--not wholly
-satisfactory--had been prudently taken that day, it was both natural and
-politic that as early as possible in the following week he should make
-first inquiry of his fellow-merchants among the Adventurers, whether any
-of them had available such a ship as was requisite, seeking to find, if
-possible, one more nearly of the desired capacity than that of which he
-had "taken the refusal" on Saturday. It appears altogether probable that,
-in reply to this inquiry, Thomas Goffe, Esq., a fellow Adventurer and
-shipping-merchant of London, offered the MAY-FLOWER, which, there is
-ample reason to believe, then and for ten years thereafter, belonged to
-him.
-
-It is quite likely that Clarke, the newly engaged "pilot," learning that
-his employers required a competent commander for their ship, brought to
-their notice the master of the ship (the FALCON) in which he had made his
-recent voyage to Virginia, Captain Jones, who, having powerful friends at
-his back in both Virginia Companies (as later appears), and large
-experience, was able to approve himself to the Adventurers. It is also
-probable that Thomas Weston engaged him himself, on the recommendation of
-the Earl of Warwick, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges.
-
-As several weeks would be required to fit the ship for her long voyage on
-such service, and as she sailed from London July 15, her charter-party
-must certainly have been signed by June 20, 1620. The SPEEDWELL, as
-appears from various sources (Bradford, Winslow et al.), sailed from
-Delfshaven, Saturday, July 22. She is said to have been four days on the
-passage to Southampton, reaching there Wednesday, July 26. Cushman, in
-his letter of Thursday, August 17, from Dartmouth to Edward Southworth,
-says, "We lay at Southampton seven days waiting for her" (the SPEEDWELL),
-from which it is evident, both that Cushman came on the MAY-FLOWER from
-London, and that the MAY-FLOWER must have left London at least ten days
-before the 26th of July, the date of the SPEEDWELL'S arrival. As given
-traditionally, it was on the 15th, or eleven days before the SPEEDWELL'S
-arrival at Southampton.
-
-By whom the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed will probably
-remain matter of conjecture, though we are not without intimations of
-some value regarding it. Captain John Smith tells us that the Merchant
-Adventurers (presumably one of the contracting parties) "were about
-seventy, . . . not a Corporation, but knit together by a voluntary
-combination in a Society without constraint or penalty. They have a
-President and Treasurer every year newly chosen by the most voices, who
-ordereth the affairs of their Courts and meetings; and with the assent of
-most of them, undertaketh all the ordinary business, but in more weighty
-affairs, the assent of the whole Company is required." It would seem
-from the foregoing--which, from so intelligent a source at a date so
-contemporaneous, ought to be reliable--that, not being an incorporated
-body, it would be essential that all the Adventurers (which Smith
-expressly states was their rule) should "assent" by their signatures,
-which alone could bind them to so important a business document as this
-charter-party. It was certainly one of their "more weighty affairs," and
-it may well be doubted, also, if the owner of the vessel (even though one
-of their number) would accept less than the signatures of all, when there
-was no legal status by incorporation or co-partnership to hold them
-collectively.
-
-If the facts were indeed as stated by Smith,--whose knowledge of what he
-affirmed there is no reason to doubt,--there can be little question that
-the contract for the service of the MAY-FLOWER was signed by the entire
-number of the Adventurers on the one part. If so, its covenants would be
-equally binding upon each of them except as otherwise therein stipulated,
-or provided by the law of the realm. In such case, the charter-party of
-the MAY-FLOWER, with the autograph of each Merchant Adventurer appended,
-would constitute, if it could be found, one of the most interesting and
-valuable of historical documents. That it was not signed by any of the
-Leyden congregation--in any representative capacity--is well-nigh
-certain. Their contracts were with the Adventurers alone, and hence they
-were not directly concerned in the contracts of the latter, their
-"agents" being but co-workers with the Adventurers (under their
-partnership agreements), in finding shipping, collecting moneys,
-purchasing supplies, and in generally promoting the enterprise. That
-they were not signing-parties to this contract, in particular, is made
-very certain by the suggestion of Cushman's letter of Sunday, June 11,
-to the effect that he hoped that "our friends there [at Leyden] if they
-be quitted of the ship-hire [as then seemed certain, as the Adventurers
-would hire on general account] will be induced to venture [invest] the
-more." There had evidently been a grave fear on the part of the Leyden
-people that if they were ever to get away, they would have to hire the
-necessary ship themselves.
-
-There is just the shadow of a doubt thrown upon the accuracy of Smith's
-statement as to the non-corporate status of the Adventurers, by the loose
-and unwieldy features which must thereby attach to their business
-transactions, to which it seems probable that merchants like Weston,
-Andrews, Beauchamp, Shirley, Pickering, Goffe, and others would object,
-unless the law at that time expressly limited and defined the rights and
-liabilities of members in such voluntary associations. Neither evidences
-of (primary) incorporation, or of such legal limitation, have, however,
-rewarded diligent search. There was evidently some more definite and
-corporate form of ownership in the properties and values of the
-Adventurers, arrived at later. A considerable reduction in the number of
-proprietors was effected before 1624--in most cases by the purchase of
-the interests of certain ones by their associates--for we find their
-holdings spoken of in that year as "sixteenths," and these shares to have
-sometimes been attached for their owners' debts. A letter of Shirley,
-Brewer et als., to Bradford, Allerton et als., dated London, April 7,
-1624, says: "If it had not been apparently sold, Mr. Beauchamp, who is of
-the company also, unto whom he [Weston] oweth a great deal more, had long
-ago attached it (as he did other's 16ths)," etc. It is exceedingly
-difficult to reconcile these unquestionable facts with the equal
-certainty that, at the "Composition" of the Adventurers with the Planters
-in 1626, there were forty-two who signed as of the Adventurers. The
-weight, however, of evidence and of probability must be held to support
-the conclusion that in June, 1620, the organization was voluntary, and
-that the charter-party of the MAY-FLOWER was signed--" on the one part
-"--by each of the enrolled Adventurers engaged in the Leyden
-congregation's colonization scheme. Goodwin' alone pretends to any
-certain knowledge of the matter, but although a veracious usually
-reliable writer, he is not infallible, as already shown, and could hardly
-have had access to the original documents,--which alone, in this case,
-could be relied on to prove his assertion that "Shortly articles were
-signed by both parties, Weston acting for the Adventurers." Not a
-particle of confirmatory evidence has anywhere been found in Pilgrim or
-contemporaneous literature to warrant this statement, after exhaustive
-search, and it must hence, until sustained by proof, be regarded as a
-personal inference rather than a verity. If the facts were as appears,
-they permit the hope that a document of so much prima facie importance
-may have escaped destruction, and will yet be found among the private
-papers of some of the last survivors of the Adventurers, though with the
-acquisition of all their interests by the Pilgrim leaders such documents
-would seem, of right, to have become the property of the purchasers, and
-to have been transferred to the Plymouth planters.
-
-This all-important and historic body--the company of Merchant
-Adventurers--is entitled to more than passing notice. Associated to
-"finance" the projected transplantation of the Leyden congregation of
-"Independents" to the "northern parts of Virginia," under such patronage
-and protection of the English government and its chartered Companies as
-they might be able to secure, they were no doubt primarily brought
-together by the efforts of one of their number, Thomas Weston, Esq., the
-London merchant previously named, though for some obscure reason Master
-John Pierce (also one of them) was their "recognized" representative in
-dealing with the (London) Virginia Company and the Council for the
-Affairs of New England, in regard to their Patents.
-
-Bradford states that Weston "was well acquainted with some of them the
-Leyden leaders and a furtherer of them in their former proceedings,"
-and this fact is more than once referred to as ground for their gratitude
-and generosity toward him, though where, or in what way, his friendship
-had been exercised, cannot be learned,--perhaps in the difficulties
-attending their escape from "the north country" to Holland. It was
-doubtless largely on this account, that his confident assurances of all
-needed aid in their plans for America were so relied upon; that he was so
-long and so fully trusted; and that his abominable treachery and later
-abuse were so patiently borne.
-
-We are indebted to the celebrated navigator, Captain John Smith, of
-Virginia fame, always the friend of the New England colonists, for most
-of what we know of the organization and purposes of this Company. His
-ample statement, worthy of repetition here, recites, that
-"the Adventurers which raised the stock to begin and supply this
-Plantation, were about seventy: some, Gentlemen; some, Merchants; some,
-handicraftsmen; some adventuring great sums, some, small; as their
-estates and affections served . . . . These dwell most about London.
-They are not a corporation but knit together, by a voluntary combination,
-in a Society, with out constraint or penalty; aiming to do good and to
-plant Religion." Their organization, officers, and rules of conduct, as
-given by Smith, have already been quoted. It is to be feared from the
-conduct of such men as Weston, Pierce, Andrews, Shirley, Thornell,
-Greene, Pickering, Alden, and others, that profitable investment, rather
-than desire "to do good and to plant Religion," was their chief interest.
-That the higher motives mentioned by Smith governed such tried and
-steadfast souls as Bass, Brewer, Collier, Fletcher, Goffe, Hatherly,
-Ling, Mullens, Pocock, Thomas, and a few others, there can be no doubt.
-
- [Weston wrote Bradford, April 10, 1622, "I perceive and know as well
- as another ye disposition of your adventurers, whom ye hope of gaine
- hath drawne on to this they have done; and yet I fear ye hope will
- not draw them much further." While Weston's character was utterly
- bad, and he had then alienated his interest in both Pilgrims and
- Adventurers, his judgment of men was evidently good.]
-
-No complete list of the original "seventy" has ever been found, and we
-are indebted for the names of forty-two, of the fifty who are now known,
-to the final "Composition" made with the Pilgrim colonists, through the
-latter's representatives, November 15/25, 1626, as given by Bradford,
-and to private research for the rest. The list of original members of the
-company of Merchant Adventurers, as ascertained to date, is as follows.
-More extended mention of them appears in the notes appended to this list.
-
-Robert Allden, Thomas Fletcher, Emanuel Altham, Thomas Goffe, Richard
-Andrews, Peter Gudburn, Thomas Andrews, William Greene, Lawrence Anthony,
-Timothy Hatherly, Edward Bass, Thomas Heath, John Beauchamp, William
-Hobson, Thomas Brewer, Robert Holland, Henry Browning, Thomas Hudson,
-William Collier, Robert Keayne, Thomas Coventry, Eliza Knight,
-John Knight, John Revell, Miles Knowles, Newman Rookes, John Ling, Samuel
-Sharpe, Christopher Martin(Treasurer pro tem.), James Shirley
-(Treasurer), Thomas Millsop, William Thomas, Thomas Mott, John Thornell
-William Mullens, Fria Newbald, Matthew Thornell William Pennington,
-William Penrin. Joseph Tilden, Edward Pickering, Thomas Ward, John
-Pierce, John White, John Pocock, John Wincob, Daniel Poynton, Thomas
-Weston, William Quarles, Richard Wright.
-
-Shirley, in a letter to Governor Bradford, mentions a Mr. Fogge and a Mr.
-Coalson, in a way to indicate that they might have been, like himself,
-Collier, Thomas, Hatherly, Beauchamp, and Andrews, also of the original
-Merchant Adventurers, but no proof that they were such has yet been
-discovered. It has been suggested that Sir Edwin Sandys was one of the
-number, at the inception of the enterprise, but--though there is evidence
-to indicate that he stood the friend of the Pilgrims in many ways,
-possibly lending them money, etc.--there is no proof that he was ever
-one of the Adventurers. It is more probable that certain promoters of
-Higginson's and Winthrop's companies, some ten years later, were early
-financial sponsers of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Some of them were
-certainly so, and it is likely that others not known as such, in reality,
-were. Bradford suggests, in a connection to indicate the possibility of
-his having been an "Adventurer," the name of a "Mr. Denison," of whom
-nothing more is known. George Morton of London, merchant, and friend of
-the leaders from the inception, and later a colonist, is sometimes
-mentioned as probably of the list, but no evidence of the fact as yet
-appears. Sir George Farrer and his brother were among the first of the
-Adventurers, but withdrew themselves and their subscriptions very early,
-on account of some dissatisfaction.
-
-It is impossible, in the space at command, to give more than briefest
-mention of each of these individual Adventurers.
-
-Allden. Was at one time unfriendly to the Pilgrims,--Bradford calls him
- "one of our powerfullest opposers,"--but later their ally. Little
- is known of him. He appears to have been of London.
-
-Altham. Was Master of the pinnace LITTLE JAMES, belonging chiefly to
- Fletcher, and apparently expected to command her on her voyage to
- New Plymouth in 1623, as consort of the ANNE, but for some reason
- did not go, and William Bridge went as her Master, in his stead.
-
-Andrews (Richard). Was one of the wealthiest and most liberal of the
- Adventurers. He was a haberdasher of Cheapside, London, and an
- Alderman of the city. He became an early proprietor and liberal
- benefactor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, but most illogically
- gave the debt due him from Plymouth Colony (L540) to the stronger
- and richer Bay Colony. He had been, however, unjustly prejudiced
- against the Pilgrims, probably through the deceit of Pierce, Weston,
- Shirley, and Allerton.
-
-Andrews (Thomas). A Lord Mayor of London, reputed a brother of the
- last-named. Never very active in the Adventurers' affairs, but
- friendly, so far as appears.
-
-Anthony. Little or nothing is known concerning him.
-
-Bass. Was one of the enduring friends of the struggling Colony and
- loaned them money when they were in dire straits and the prospect of
- recovery was not good. He was of London, and considerable is known
- concerning him.
-
-Beauchamp. Was one of the most active of the Company for many years.
- Generally to be relied upon as the Colony's friend, but not without
- some sordid self seeking. Apparently a wealthy citizen and "salter"
- of London.
-
-Brewer. Is too well-known as long the partner of Brewster in the conduct
- of the "hidden press" at Leyden, and as a sufferer for conscience'
- sake, to require identification. He was a wealthy man, a scholar,
- writer, printer, and publisher. Was of the University of Leyden,
- but removed to London after the departure of the chief of the
- Pilgrims. Was their stanch friend, a loyal defender of the faith,
- and spent most of his later life in prison, under persecution of the
- Bishops.
-
-Browning. Does not appear to have been active, and little is known of
- him.
-
-Collier. Was a stanch and steadfast friend. Finally cast in his lot
- with the Pilgrims at New Plymouth and became a leading man in the
- government there. His life is well known. He was a "brewer."
-
-Coventry. Appears only as a signer, and nothing is known of him.
-
-Fletcher. Was a well-to-do merchant of London, a warm friend and a
- reliance of the Pilgrims. The loss of the LITTLE JAMES was a severe
- blow to him financially.
-
-Greene. Appears to have been a merchant and a partner in Holland (and
- perhaps at London) of Edward Pickering. They were well acquainted
- personally with the Pilgrims, and should have been among their most
- liberal and surest friends. Facts indicate, however, that they were
- sordid in their interest and not entirely just.
-
-Goffe. Was a London merchant and ship-owner, as else where appears.
- He was not only a Merchant Adventurer, but a patentee and
- deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company, and an intimate
- friend of Winthrop. He lost heavily by his New England ventures.
- There is, as shown elsewhere, good reason to believe that he was
- the owner of the MAY-FLOWER on her historic voyage, as also when
- she came over in Higginson's and Winthrop's fleets, ten years
- later.
-
-Gudburn. Appears only as a signer, so far as known.
-
-Hatherly. Was a well-to-do friend of the Pilgrims, and after many
- complaints had been made against them among the "Purchasers"
- --arising out of the rascality of Shirley and Allerton--went to New
- England on a mission of inquiry. He was perfectly convinced of the
- Pilgrims' integrity and charmed with the country. He made another
- visit, and removed thither in 1633, to remain. He became at once
- prominent in the government of New Plimoth Colony.
-
-Heath. Does not appear to have been active, and naught is known of him.
-
-Hobson. Is known only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Holland. Was a friend and ally of the Pilgrims, and one of their
- correspondents. He is supposed to have been of the ancient house of
- that name and to have lived in London.
-
-Hudson. Was not active, and appears as a signer only.
-
-Keayne. Was a well-to-do citizen of the vicinity of London, a friend, in
- a general way, of the Pilgrims. He came to Boston with Winthrop.
- Was prominent in the Massachusetts Colony. Was the founder and
- first commander of the early Artillery Company of Boston, the oldest
- military organization of the United States, and died at Boston,
- leaving a large estate and a very remarkable will, of which he made
- Governor Winslow an "overseer." He was an erratic,--but valuable,
- citizen.
-
-Knight (Eliza). Seems to have been the only woman of the Adventurers, so
- far as they are known, but no thing is known of her. It has been
- suggested that the given name has been wrongly spelled and should be
- "Eleazar,"--a man's name,--but the "Composition" gives the signature
- as Eliza, clearly, as published.
-
-Knight (John). Finds no especial mention. He was probably a relative of
- Eliza.
-
-Knowles. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Ling. Was a wealthy friend of the colonists and always true to them. He
- lost his property and was in poverty when the Pilgrims (though not
- yet well on their feet), in grateful remembrance of his fidelity,
- sent him a generous gift.
-
-Martin. Was the first treasurer of the colonists and also a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim. Mention of him appears later. He was no credit to the
- Company, and his early death probably prevented much vexation.
-
-Millsop. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Mott. Has no especial mention, but is believed to have sent some of his
- people to Plymouth Colony at an early day.
-
-Mullens. Was, as appears elsewhere, a well-conditioned tradesman of
- Surrey, England, who was both an Adventurer and a MAY-FLOWER
- Pilgrim, and Martin and himself appear to have been the only ones
- who enjoyed that distinction. He died, however, soon after the
- arrival at Plymouth. That he was an Adventurer is but recently
- discovered by the author, but there appears no room for doubt as to
- the fact. His record was brief, but satisfactory, in its relation to
- the Pilgrims.
-
-Newbald. Finds no especial mention.
-
-Pennington. Appears only as a signer. It is a London name.
-
-Penrin. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Pickering. Is introduced to us first as a Leyden merchant, through John
- Robinson's letters. He appears to have been a shrewd, cold-blooded
- calculator, like his partner-Adventurer, Greene, not interested
- especially in the Pilgrims, except for gain, and soon deserting the
- Adventurers. His family seem to have been in favor with Charles II.
- (See Pepys' "Diary.")
-
-Pierce (John). Although recognized by the Virginia Companies and Council
- for New England, as the representative of the Adventurers, he has
- only been recently generally reckoned a chief man of the
- Adventurers. A Protean friend of the Pilgrims, never reliable, ever
- pretentious, always self-seeking, and of no help. He was finally
- ruined by the disasters to his ship, the PARAGON, which cost him all
- his interests. Having attempted treacherously to secure to himself
- the Patent granted in the Colony's interest, he was compelled by the
- Council to surrender its advantages to the Adventurers and
- colonists.
-
-Pocock. Was a stanch and firm supporter of the Pilgrims and their
- interests, at all times, and to the end. He was also a financial
- supporter and deputy-governor the Massachusetts Company, under
- Winthrop. A correspondent of Bradford. A good man.
-
-Poyton. Finds no especial mention. He appears as a signer only.
-
-Quarles. Appears only as a signer of the "Composition."
-
-Revell. Was a very wealthy citizen, merchant, and ship owner of London,
- and a good man. He became also ardently interested in Winthrop's
- Company. Was an "assistant" and one of the five "undertakers"
- chosen to go to New England to reside. He went to New England on
- the JEWELL of Winthrop's fleet, and was part owner of the LADY
- ARBELLA. He evidently, however, did not like the life, and returned
- after a few weeks' stay.
-
-Rookes. Appears only as a signer.
-
-Sharpe. Was also a friend of both Pilgrim and Puritan. He came to New
- England in 1629, and settled first at Salem, in the Massachusetts
- Company. He died in 1658, having long been a ruling elder of the
- church there. He met with many enemies, but was a valuable man and
- an able one. He was Governor Cradock's New England agent.
-
-Shirley. Requires little mention here. The perfidious friend of the
- Pilgrims,--perhaps originally true to them,--he sunk everything for
- hope of gain. He was treasurer of the Adventurers, one of their
- most active and intelligent men, but proved a rascal and a canting
- hypocrite. He was a "citizen and gold-smith" of London.
-
-Thomas. Has nowhere been enumerated in any list of the Adventurers
- (though occasionally mentioned as such by recent writers), which is
- strange, as repeated letters of his to Bradford, and other data,
- show him to have been one of the best and truest of them all. He
- sold his interests before the "Composition" and became a colonist
- after 1630. He was the fifth of the Adventurers to come to New
- England to remain, and cast in his lot with the Pilgrims at New
- Plimoth--Martin, Mullens, Collier, and Hatherly preceding him. A
- wealthy and well-informed man, he became a power in the government.
- Probably Welsh by birth, he was a London merchant when the
- Adventurers were organized. His home at Marshfield, Massachusetts,
- has since become additionally famous as the home of Daniel Webster.
-
-Thornell (John). Is sometimes confounded with another Adventurer,
- Matthew Thornhill, as his name is some times so spelled. There is
- reason to believe they were related. He was not a friend to the
- Pilgrims.
-
-Thornhill (or Thornell), (Matthew). Little is known concerning him.
-
-Tilden. Was of an old family in Kent, "a citizen and girdler of London,"
- as his will declares, his brother (Nathaniel) later coming to New
- England and settling near Hatherly at Scituate. Nathaniel's son
- Joseph--named for his uncle--was made his executor and heir. The
- uncle was always a firm friend of the Pilgrims. Mr. Tilden's will
- is given by Waters ("Genealogical Gleanings," vol. i. p. 71), and
- is of much interest.
-
-Ward. Appears only as a signer.
-
-White. Probably the Rev. John White, a stanch friend of the Pilgrims,
- although not a "Separatist," and intimately connected with the
- upbuilding of New England. His record was a broad and noble one.
- Goodwin says: "Haven thinks White was that Dorchester clergyman
- reputed to be the author of the Planters' Plea." Probably, but
- not certainly, William White of the Pilgrims was also an Adventurer.
-
-Wincob (?). Was a gentleman of the family of the Countess of Lincoln,
- and the one in whose name the first patent in behalf of the
- Adventurers and Pilgrims (which, however, was never used) was taken.
- It is only recently that evidences which, though not conclusive, are
- yet quite indicative, have caused his name to be added to the list,
- though there is still a measure of doubt whether it belongs there.
-
-Weston. Requires little mention here. Once a friend of the Pilgrims and
- unmistakably the organizer of the Adventurers, he became a graceless
- ingrate and rascal. An instrument of good at first, he became a
- heartless and designing enemy of the Planters. He was a "citizen
- and merchant [ironmonger] of London." It is altogether probable
- that he was originally a tool of Sir Ferdinando Gorges and was led
- by him to influence the Leyden brethren to break off negotiations
- with the Dutch. He died poor, at Bristol, England.
-
-Wright. Perhaps came to New Plimoth and married a daughter of the
- MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim, Francis Cooke. If so, he settled at Rehoboth and
- became its leading citizen. He may possibly have been the settler
- of that name in the Bay-Colony, and the weight of evidence rather
- favors the latter supposition.
-
-Of the Adventurers, Collier, Hatherly, Keayne, Mullens, Revell, Pierce,
-Sharpe, Thomas, and Weston, probably Wright and White, possibly others,
-came to America for longer or shorter periods. Several of them were back
-and forth more than once. The records show that Andrews, Goffe, Pocock,
-Revell, Sharpe, and White were subsequently members of the Massachusetts
-(Winthrop's) Company.
-
-Professor Arberl finds but six of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers who
-later were among the Adventurers with Winthrop's Company of Massachusetts
-Bay, viz.:--Thomas Andrews, John Pocock, Samuel Sharpe, Thomas Goffe,
-John Revell, John White.
-
-He should have added at least, the names of Richard Andrews and Robert
-Keayne, and probably that of Richard Wright.
-
-Of their number, Collier, Hatherly, Martin, Mullens, Thomas, and
-(possibly) Wright were Plymouth colonists Martin and Mullens, as noted,
-being MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims. Nathaniel Tilden, a brother of Joseph Tilden
-of the Adventurers, came, as previously mentioned, to the Colony from
-Kent, settling at Scituate. Joseph, being apparently unmarried, made his
-nephew, Joseph of Scituate, his residuary legatee, and his property
-mostly came over to the Colony.
-
-Collier, Hatherly, and Thomas all located within a few miles of one
-another, were all wealthy and prominent men in the government of the
-Colony, were intimate friends,--the first and last especially,--and lent
-not a little dignity and character to this new dependency of King James
-the First. The remaining twenty or thereabouts whose names are not
-surely known--though a few of them are pretty safely conjectured, some
-being presumably of the Holland Pilgrims and their friends--were probably
-chiefly small contributors, whose rights were acquired from time to time
-by others of larger faith in the enterprise, or greater sympathy or
-means. Not all, however, who had ceased to hold their interests when the
-"Composition" was made with Allerton in behalf of the colonists, in 1626,
-were of these small holders. Weston was forced out by stress of
-circumstances; Thomas moved to New England; Pierce was ruined by his
-ventures by sea; Martin and Mullens died in 1621; Pickering and Greene
-got out early, from distrust as to profits; Wincob alone, of this class,
-was a small investor, if he was one at all.
-
-By far the greater portion of the sums invested by the Adventurers in
-behalf of the Colony is represented by those whose names are known, those
-still unknown representing, doubtless, numbers rather than amounts. It
-is, however, interesting to note, that more than four sevenths of the
-original number, as given by Captain John Smith, continued to retain
-their interests till the "Composition" of 1626. It is to be hoped that
-it may yet be possible to increase considerably, if not to perfect, the
-list of these coadjutors of the Pilgrims--the Merchant Adventurers--the
-contracting "party of the second part," to the charter-party of the
-MAY-FLOWER.
-
-
-Who the Owner of the MAY-FLOWER was, or who his representative, the
-"party of the first part," to the charter party of the Pilgrim ship,
-cannot be declared with absolute certainty, though naturally a matter of
-absorbing interest. There is, however, the strongest probability, as
-before intimated, that Thomas Goffe, Esq., one of the Merchant
-Adventurers, and always a stanch friend of the Pilgrims, was the owner of
-the historic vessel,--and as such has interwoven his name and hers with
-the histories of both the Pilgrim and Puritan hegiras from Old to New
-England. He was, as previously stated, a wealthy "merchant and ship
-owner of London," and not only an Adventurer with the Leyden Pilgrims,
-but--nearly ten years later--a patentee of the Massachusetts Company and
-one of its charter officers.
-
-We are told in the journal of Governor Winthrop of that Company--then on
-board the LADY ARBELLA, the, "Admiral" or flagship of his fleet, riding
-at Cowes, ready to set sail for New England--that on "Easter Monday
-(March 29), 1630, the CHARLES, the MAY-FLOWER, the WILLIAM AND FRANCIS,
-the HOPEWELL, the WHALE, the SUCCESS, and the TRIAL," of his fleet, were
-"still at Hampton [Southampton] and are not ready." Of these seven ships
-it is certain that Mr. Goffe owned at least two, as Governor Winthrop--in
-writing, some days later, of the detention of his son Henry and his
-friend Mr. Pelham, who, going ashore, failed to return to the governor's
-ship before she sailed from Cowes, and so went to the fleet at
-Southampton for passage--says: "So we have left them behind and suppose
-they will come after in one of Mr. Goffe's ships." It is clear,
-therefore, that Mr. Goffe, who was an intimate friend and business
-associate of Governor Winthrop, as the latter's correspondence amply
-attests, and was a charter deputy-governor of the Massachusetts Company,
-and at this time "an assistant," was the owner of at least two (probably
-not more) of these seven belated ships of the governor's fleet, riding at
-Southampton. Bearing in mind that the MAY-FLOWER and the WHALE were two
-of those ships, it becomes of much importance to find that these two
-ships, evidently sailing in company (as if of one owner), arrived
-together in the harbor of Charlestown, New England, on Thursday, July 1,
-having on board one of them the governor's missing son, Henry Winthrop.
-If he came--as his father expected and as appears certain--"in one of Mr.
-Goffe's ships," then evidently, either the MAY-FLOWER or the WHALE, or
-both, belonged to Mr. Goffe. That both were Goffe's is rendered probable
-by the fact that Governor Winthrop--writing of the vessels as if
-associated and a single interest--states that "most of their cattle [on
-these ships] were dead, whereof a mare and horse of mine." This
-probability is increased, too, by the facts that the ships evidently kept
-close company across the Atlantic (as if under orders of a common owner,
-and as was the custom, for mutual defence and assistance, if occasion
-required), and that Winthrop who, as we above noted, had large dealings
-with Goffe, seems to have practically freighted both these ships for
-himself and friends, as his freight bills attest. They would hence, so
-far as possible, naturally keep together and would discharge their
-cargoes and have their accountings to a single consignee, taken as nearly
-together as practicable. Both these ships came to Charlestown,--as only
-one other did,--and both were freighted, as noted, by one party.
-
-Sadly enough, the young man, Henry Winthrop, was drowned at Salem the
-very day after his arrival, and before that of either of the other
-vessels: the HOPEWELL, or WILLIAM AND FRANCIS (which arrived at Salem the
-3d); or the TRIAL or CHARLES (which arrived--the first at Charlestown, of
-the last at Salem--the 5th); or the SUCCESS (which arrived the 6th);
-making it certain that he must have come in either the MAY-FLOWER or the
-WHALE. If, as appears, Goffe owned them both, then his ownership of the
-MAY-FLOWER in 1630 is assured, while all authorities agree without cavil
-that the MAY-FLOWER of Winthrop's fleet in that year (1630) and the
-MAY-FLOWER of the Pilgrims were the same. In the second "General Letter
-of Instructions" from the Massachusetts Company in England--dated London,
-May 28, 1629--to Governor Endicott and his Council, a duplicate of which
-is preserved in the First Book of the Suffolk Registry of Deeds at
-Boston, the historic vessel is described as "The MAY-FLOWER, of Yarmouth
---William Pierse, Master," and Higginson, in his "Journal of a Voyage to
-New England," says, "The fifth ship is called the MAY-FLOWER carrying
-passengers and provisions." Yarmouth was hence undoubtedly the place of
-register, and the hailing port of the MAY-FLOWER,--she was very likely
-built there,--and this would remain the same, except by legal change of
-register, wherever she was owned, or from what ever port she might sail.
-Weston and Cushman, according to Bradford, found and hired her at London,
-and her probable owner, Thomas Goffe, Esq., was a merchant of that city.
-Dr. Young remarks: "The MAYFLOWER Of Higginson's fleet is the renowned
-vessel that brought the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth in 1620." Hon.
-James Savage says "The MAYFLOWER had been a name of renown without
-forming part of this fleet [Winthrop's, 1630], because in her came the
-devoted planters of Plimouth [1620] and she had also brought in the year
-preceding [1629] some of Higginson's company to Salem." Goodwin' says:
-"In 1629 she [the Pilgrim MAY-FLOWER] came to Salem with a company of the
-Leyden people for Plymouth, and in 1630 was one of the large fleet that
-attended John Winthrop, discharging her passengers at Charlestown." Dr.
-Young remarks in a footnote: "Thirty-five of the Leyden congregation with
-their families came over to Plymouth via Salem, in the MAY-FLOWER and
-TALBOT."
-
-In view of such positive statements as these, from such eminent
-authorities and others, and of the collateral facts as to the probable
-ownership of the MAY-FLOWER in 1630, and on her earlier voyages herein
-presented, the doubt expressed by the Rev. Mr. Blaxland in his "Mayflower
-Essays," whether the ship bearing her name was the same, on these three
-several voyages, certainly does not seem justified.
-
-Captain William Pierce, who commanded the MAY-FLOWER in 1629, when she
-brought over part of the Leyden company, was the very early and intimate
-friend of the Pilgrims--having brought over the ANNE with Leyden
-passengers in 1623--and sailed exclusively in the employ of the Merchant
-Adventurers, or some of their number, for many years, which is of itself
-suggestive.
-
-To accept, as beyond serious doubt, Mr. Goffe's ownership of the
-MAY-FLOWER, when she made her memorable voyage to New Plimoth, one need
-only to compare, and to interpret logically, the significant facts;
---that he was a ship-owner of London and one of the body of Merchant
-Adventurers who set her forth on her Pilgrim voyage in 1620; and that he
-stood, as her evident owner, in similar relation to the Puritan company
-which chartered her for New England, similarly carrying colonists,
-self-exiled for religion's sake, in 1629 and again in 1630. This
-conviction is greatly strengthened by the fact that Mr. Goffe continued
-one of the Pilgrim Merchant Adventurers, until their interests were
-transferred to the colonists by the "Composition" of 1626, and three
-years later (1629) sent by the MAY-FLOWER, on her second New England
-voyage, although under a Puritan charter, another company from the
-Leyden congregation. The (cipher) letter of the "Governor and deputies
-of the New-England Company for a plantation in Massachusetts Bay" to
-Captain John Endicott, written at Gravesend, England, the 17th of April,
-1629, says: "If you want any Swyne wee have agreed with those of Ne[w]
-Plimouth that they deliver you six Sowes with pigg for which they a[re]
-to bee allowed 9 lb. in accompt of what they the Plymouth people owe
-unto Mr. Goffe [our] deputie [Governor]." It appears from the foregoing
-that the Pilgrims at New Plymouth were in debt to Mr. Goffe in 1629,
-presumably for advances and passage money on account of the contingent
-of the Leyden congregation, brought over with Higginson's company to
-Salem, on the second trip of the MAY-FLOWER. Mr. Goffe's intimate
-connection with the Pilgrims was certainly unbroken from the
-organization of their Merchant Adventurers in 1619/20, through the
-entire period of ten years, to 1630. There is every reason to believe,
-and none to doubt, that his ownership of the MAY-FLOWER of imperishable
-renown remained equally unbroken throughout these years, and that his
-signature as her owner was appended to her Pilgrim charter-party in
-1620. Whoever the signatories of her charter-party may have been, there
-can be no doubt that the good ship MAY-FLOWER, in charge of her
-competent, if treacherous, Master, Captain Thomas Jones, and her first
-"pilot," John Clarke, lay in the Thames near London through the latter
-part of June and the early part of July, in the summer of
-1620, undergoing a thorough overhauling, under contract as a
-colonist-transport, for a voyage to the far-off shores of "the
-northern parts of Virginia."
-
-In whatever of old English verbiage, with quaint terms and cumbersome
-repetition, the stipulations of this contract of were concealed, there
-can be no doubt that they purported and designed to "ingage" that "the
-Good ship MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth, of 9 score tuns burthen, whereof for
-the present viage Thomas Joanes is Master," should make the "viage" as a
-colonist-transport, "from the city of London in His Majesty's Kingdom of
-Great Britain," etc., "to the neighborhood of the mouth of Hudson's
-River, in the northern parts of Virginia and return, calling at the Port
-of Southampton, outward bound, to complete her lading, the same of all
-kinds, to convey to, and well and safely deliver at, such port or place,
-at or about the mouth of Hudson's River, so-called, in Virginia
-aforesaid, as those in authority of her passengers shall direct," etc.,
-with provision as to her return lading, through her supercargo, etc.
-
-It is probable that the exact stipulations of the contract will never
-transpire, and we can only roughly guess at them, by somewhat difficult
-comparison with the terms on which the LADY ARBELLA, the "Admiral," or
-flagship, of Winthrop's fleet, was chartered in 1630, for substantially
-the like voyage (of course, without expectation or probability, of so
-long a stay on the New England coast), though the latter was much the
-larger ship. The contract probably named an "upset" or total sum for the
-"round voyage," as was the of the case with the LADY ARBELLA, though it
-is to be hoped there was no "demurrage" clause, exacting damage, as is
-usual, for each day of detention beyond the "lay days" allowed, for the
-long and unexpected tarries in Cape Cod and Plymouth harbors must have
-rolled up an appalling "demurrage" claim. Winthrop enters among his
-memoranda, "The agreement for the ARBELLA L750, whereof is to be paid in
-hand [i e. cash down] the rest upon certificate of our safe arrival."
-The sum was doubtless considerably in excess of that paid for the
-MAY-FLOWER, both because she was a much larger, heavier-armed, and
-better-manned ship, of finer accommodations, and because ships were, in
-1630, in far greater demand for the New England trade than in 1620,
-Winthrop's own fleet including no less than ten. The adjustments of
-freight and passage moneys between the Adventurers and colonists are
-matter of much doubt and perplexity, and are not likely to be fully
-ascertained. The only light thrown upon them is by the tariffs for such
-service on Winthrop's fleet, and for passage, etc., on different ships,
-at a little later day. It is altogether probable that transportation of
-all those accepted as colonists, by the agents of the Adventurers and
-"Planters," was without direct charge to any individual, but was debited
-against the whole. But as some had better quarters than others, some
-much more and heavier furniture, etc., while some had bulky and heavy
-goods for their personal benefit (such as William Mullen's cases of
-"boots and shoes," etc.), it is fair to assume that some schedule of
-rates for "tonnage," if not for individuals, became necessary, to
-prevent complaints and to facilitate accounts. Winthrop credits Mr.
-Goffe--owner of two of the ships in 1630--as follows:--
-
- "For ninety-six passengers at L4, L384.
- For thirty-two tons of goods at L3 (per ton).
- For passage for a man, his wife and servant, (3 persons)
- L16/10, L5/10 each."
-
-Goodwin shows the cost of transportation at different times and under
-varying conditions. "The expense of securing and shipping Thos. Morton
-of 'Merry Mount' to England, was L12 7 0," but just what proportion the
-passage money bore to the rest of the account, cannot now be told. The
-expense of Mr. Rogers, the young insane clergyman brought over by Isaac
-Allerton, without authority, was, for the voyage out: "For passage L1.
-For diet for eleven weeks at 4s. 8d. per week, total L3 11 4"
-[A rather longer passage than usual.] Constant Southworth came in the
-same ship and paid the same, L3 11 4, which may hence be assumed as the
-average charge, at that date, for a first-class passage. This does not
-vary greatly from the tariff of to-day, (1900) as, reduced to United
-States currency, it would be about $18; and allowing the value of
-sterling to be about four times this, in purchase ratio, it would mean
-about $73. The expenses of the thirty-five of the Leyden congregation
-who came over in the MAY-FLOWER in 1620, and of the others brought in the
-LION in 1630, were slightly higher than these figures, but the cost of
-the trip from Leyden to England was included, with that of some clothing.
-In 1650, Judge Sewall, who as a wealthy man would be likely to indulge in
-some luxury, gives his outlay one way, as, "Fare, L2 3 0; cabin expenses,
-L4 11 4; total, L6 14 4."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER--THE SHIP HERSELF
-
-Unhappily the early chroniclers familiar with the MAY-FLOWER have left us
-neither representation nor general description of her, and but few data
-from which we may reconstruct her outlines and details for ourselves.
-Tradition chiefly determines her place in one of the few classes into
-which the merchant craft of her day were divided, her tonnage and service
-being almost the only other authentic indices to this class.
-
-Bradford helps us to little more than the statement, that a vessel, which
-could have been no other, "was hired at London, being of burden about 9
-score" [tons], while the same extraordinary silence, which we have
-noticed as to her name, exists as to her description, with Smith,
-Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and the other contemporaneous or early writers
-of Pilgrim history. Her hundred and eighty tons register indicates in
-general her size, and to some extent her probable model and rig.
-
-Long search for a reliable, coetaneous picture of one of the larger ships
-of the merchant service of England, in the Pilgrim period, has been
-rewarded by the discovery of the excel lent "cut" of such a craft, taken
-from M. Blundeville's "New and Necessarie Treatise of Navigation,"
-published early in the seventeenth century. Appearing in a work of so
-high character, published by so competent a navigator and critic, and
-(approximately) in the very time of the Pilgrim "exodus," there can be no
-doubt that it quite correctly, if roughly and insufficiently, depicts the
-outlines, rig, and general cast of a vessel of the MAY-FLOWER type and
-time, as she appeared to those of that day, familiar therewith.
-
-It gives us a ship corresponding, in the chief essentials, to that which
-careful study of the detail and minutiae of the meagre MAY-FLOWER history
-and its collaterals had already permitted the author and others to
-construct mentally, and one which confirms in general the conceptions
-wrought out by the best artists and students who have attempted to
-portray the historic ship herself.
-
-Captain J. W. Collins, whose experience and labors in this relation are
-further alluded to, and whose opinion is entitled to respect, writes the
-author in this connection, as follows "The cut from Blundeville's
-treatise, which was published more or less contemporaneously with the
-MAYFLOWER, is, in my judgment, misleading, since it doubtless represents
-a ship of an earlier date, and is evidently [sic] reproduced from a
-representation on tapestry, of which examples are still to be seen (with
-similar ships) in England. The actual builder's plans, reproduced by
-Admiral Paris, from drawings still preserved, of ships of the MAYFLOWER'S
-time, seem to me to offer more correct and conclusive data for accurately
-determining what the famous ship of the Pilgrim Fathers was like."
-
-Decidedly one of the larger and better vessels of the merchant class of
-her day, she presumably followed the prevalent lines of that class, no
-doubt correctly represented, in the main, by the few coeval pictures of
-such craft which have come down to us. No one can state with absolute
-authority, her exact rig, model, or dimensions; but there can be no
-question that all these are very closely determined from even the meagre
-data and the prints we possess, so nearly did the ships of each class
-correspond in their respective features in those days. There is a
-notable similarity in certain points of the MAY-FLOWER, as she has been
-represented by these different artists, which is evidence upon two
-points: first, that all delineators have been obliged to study the type
-of vessel to which she belonged from such representations of it as each
-could find, as neither picture nor description of the vessel herself was
-to be had; and second, that as the result of such independent study
-nearly all are substantially agreed as to what the salient features of
-her type and class were. A model of a ship [3 masts] of the MAY-FLOWER
-type, and called in the Society's catalogue "A Model of the MAY FLOWER,
-after De Bry," but itself labelled "Model of one of Sir Walter Raleigh's
-Ships," is (mistakenly) exhibited by the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth.
-It is by no means to be taken as a correct representation of the Pilgrim
-bark. Few of the putative pictures of the MAY-FLOWER herself are at all
-satisfactory,--apart from the environment or relation in which she is
-usually depicted,--whether considered from an historical, a nautical,
-or an artistic point of view. The only one of these found by the author
-which has commanded (general, if qualified) approval is that entitled
-"The MAY-FLOWER at Sea," a reproduction of which, by permission, is the
-frontispiece of this volume. It is from an engraving by the master hand
-of W. J. Linton, from a drawing by Granville Perkins, and appeared in the
-"New England Magazine" for April, 1898, as it has elsewhere. Its
-comparative fidelity to fact, and its spirited treatment, alike commend
-it to those familiar with the subject, as par excellence the modern
-artistic picture of the MAY-FLOWER, although somewhat fanciful, and its
-rig, as Captain Collies observes, "is that of a ship a century later than
-the MAY-FLOWER; a square topsail on the mizzen," he notes, "being unknown
-in the early part of the seventeenth century, and a jib on a ship equally
-rare." Halsall's picture of "The Arrival of the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth
-Harbor," owned by the Pilgrim Society, of Plymouth, and hung in the
-Society's Hall, while presenting several historical inaccuracies,
-undoubtedly more correctly portrays the ship herself, in model, rig,
-etc., than do most of the well-known paintings which represent her.
-It is much to be regretted that the artist, in woeful ignorance, or
-disregard, of the recorded fact that the ship was not troubled with
-either ice or snow on her entrance (at her successful second attempt) to
-Plymouth harbor, should have covered and environed her with both.
-
-Answering, as the MAY-FLOWER doubtless did, to her type, she was
-certainly of rather "blocky," though not unshapely, build, with high poop
-and forecastle, broad of beam, short in the waist, low "between decks,"
-and modelled far more upon the lines of the great nautical prototype, the
-water-fowl, than the requirements of speed have permitted in the carrying
-trade of more recent years. That she was of the "square rig" of her
-time--when apparently no use was made of the "fore-and-aft" sails which
-have so wholly banished the former from all vessels of her size--goes
-without saying. She was too large for the lateen rig, so prevalent in
-the Mediterranean, except upon her mizzenmast, where it was no doubt
-employed.
-
-The chief differences which appear in the several "counterfeit
-presentments" of the historic ship are in the number of her masts and
-the height of her poop and her forecastle. A few make her a brig or
-"snow" of the oldest pattern, while others depict her as a full-rigged
-ship, sometimes having the auxiliary rig of a small "jigger" or
-"dandy-mast," with square or lateen sail, on peak of stern, or on the
-bow sprit, or both, though usually her mizzenmast is set well aft upon
-the poop. There is no reason for thinking that the former of these
-auxiliaries existed upon the MAY-FLOWER, though quite possible. Her 180
-tons measurement indicates, by the general rule of the nautical
-construction of that period, a length of from 90 to 100 feet, "from
-taffrail to knighthead," with about 24 feet beam, and with such a hull
-as this, three masts would be far more likely than two. The fact that
-she is always called a "ship"--to which name, as indicating a class,
-three masts technically attach--is also somewhat significant, though the
-term is often generically used. Mrs. Jane G. Austin calls the
-MAY-FLOWER a "brig," but there does not appear anywhere any warrant
-for so doing.
-
-At the Smithsonian Institution (National Museum) at Washington, D. C.,
-there is exhibited a model of the MAY-FLOWER, constructed from the ratio
-of measurements given in connection with the sketch and working plans of
-a British ship of the merchant MAY-FLOWER class of the seventeenth
-century, as laid down by Admiral Francois Edmond Paris, of France, in his
-"Souvenirs de Marine." The hull and rigging of this model were carefully
-worked out by, and under the supervision of Captain Joseph W. Collins
-(long in the service of the Smithsonian Institution, in nautical and
-kindred matters, and now a member of the Massachusetts Commission of
-Inland Fisheries and Game), but were calculated on the erroneous basis of
-a ship of 120 instead of 180 tons measurement. This model, which is upon
-a scale of 1/2 inch to 1 foot, bears a label designating it as "The
-'MAYFLOWER' of the Puritans" [sic], and giving the following description
-(written by Captain Collins) of such a vessel as the Pilgrim ship, if of
-120 tons burthen, as figured from such data as that given by Admiral
-Paris, must, approximately, have been. (See photographs of the model
-presented herewith.) "A wooden, carvel-built, keel vessel, with full
-bluff bow, strongly raking below water line; raking curved stem; large
-open head; long round (nearly log-shaped) bottom; tumble in top side;
-short run; very large and high square stern; quarter galleries; high
-forecastle, square on forward end, with open rails on each side; open
-bulwarks to main [spar] and quarter-decks; a succession of three
-quarter-decks or poops, the after one being nearly 9 feet above main
-[spar] deck; two boats stowed on deck; ship-rigged, with pole masts
-[i.e. masts in one piece]; without jibs; square sprit sail (or water
-sail under bowsprit); two square sails on fore and main masts, and
-lateen sail on mizzenmast."
-
-Dimensions of Vessel. Length, over all, knightheads to taffrail, 82
-feet; beam, 22 feet; depth, 14 feet; tonnage, 120; bowsprit, outboard, 40
-feet 6 inches; spritsail yard, 34 feet 6 inches; foremast, main deck to
-top, 39 feet; total length, main [spar] deck to truck, 67 feet 6 inches;
-fore-yard, 47 feet 6 inches; foretopsail yard, 34 feet 1 2 inches;
-mainmast, deck to top, 46 feet; total, deck to truck, 81 feet; main yard,
-53 feet; maintopsail yard, 38 feet 6 inches; mizzen mast, deck to top, 34
-feet; total, deck to truck, 60 feet 6 inches; spanker yard, 54 feet 6
-inches; boats, one on port side of deck, 17 feet long by 5 feet 2 inches
-wide; one on starboard side, 13 feet 6 inches long by 4 feet 9 inches
-wide. The above description "worked out" by Captain Collins, and in
-conformity to which his putative model of the "MAY FLOWER" was
-constructed, rests, of course, for its correctness, primarily, upon the
-assumptions (which there is no reason to question) that the "plates" of
-Admiral Paris, his sketches, working plans, dimensions, etc., are
-reliable, and that Captain Collins's mathematics are correct, in reducing
-and applying the Admiral's data to a ship of 120 tons. That there would
-be some considerable variance from the description given, in applying
-these data to a ship of 60 tons greater measurement (i.e. of 180 tons),
-goes without saying, though the changes would appear more largely in the
-hull dimensions than in the rigging. That the description given, and its
-expression in the model depicted, present, with considerable fidelity, a
-ship of the MAY-FLOWER'S class and type, in her day,--though of sixty
-tons less register, and amenable to changes otherwise,--is altogether
-probable, and taken together, they afford a fairly accurate idea of the
-general appearance of such a craft.
-
-In addition to mention of the enlargements which the increased tonnage
-certainly entails, the following features of the description seem to call
-for remark.
-
-It is doubtful whether the vessels of this class had "open bulwarks to
-the main [spar] deck," or "a succession of three quarter-decks or poops."
-Many models and prints of ships of that period and class show but two.
-It is probable that if the jib was absent, as Captain Collins believes
-(though it was evidently in use upon some of the pinnaces and shallops of
-the time, and its utility therefore appreciated), there was a small
-squaresail on a "dandy" mast on the bowsprit, and very possibly the
-"sprit" or "water-sail" he describes. The length of the vessel as given
-by Captain Collins, as well as her beam, being based on a measurement of
-but 120 tons, are both doubtless less than they should be, the depth
-probably also varying slightly, though there would very likely be but few
-and slight departures otherwise from his proximate figures. The
-long-boat would be more likely to be lashed across the hatch amidships
-than stowed on the port side of the deck, unless in use for stowage
-purposes, as previously suggested. Captain Collins very interestingly
-notes in a letter to the author, concerning the measurements indicated
-by his model: "Here we meet with a difficulty, even if it is not
-insurmountable. This is found in the discrepancy which exists between
-the dimensions--length, breadth, and depth--requisite to produce a
-certain tonnage, as given by Admiral Paris and the British Admiralty.
-Whether this is due to a difference in estimating tonnage between France
-(or other countries) and Great Britain, I am unable to say, but it is a
-somewhat remarkable fact that the National Museum model, which was made
-for a vessel of 120 tons, as given by Admiral Paris who was a Frenchman,
-has almost exactly the proportions of length, depth, and breadth that an
-English ship of 180 tons would have, if we can accept as correct the
-lists of measurements from the Admiralty records published by Charnock
-. . . In the third volume of Charnock's 'History of Marine
-Architecture,' p. 274., I find that a supply transport of 175 tons,
-built in 1759, and evidently a merchant ship originally, or at least a
-vessel of that class, was 79.4 feet long (tonnage measure), 22.6 feet
-beam, and 11.61 feet deep." The correspondence is noticeable and of
-much interest, but as the writer comments, all depends upon whether or
-not "the measurement of the middle of the eighteenth century materially
-differed in Great Britain from what it was in the early part of the
-previous century."
-
-Like all vessels having high stems and sterns, she was unquestionably "a
-wet ship,"--upon this voyage especially so, as Bradford shows, from being
-overloaded, and hence lower than usual in the water. Captain John Smith
-says: "But being pestered [vexed] nine weeks in this leaking,
-unwholesome ship, lying wet in their cabins; most of them grew very weak
-and weary of the sea." Bradford says, quoting the master of the
-MAY-FLOWER and others: "As for the decks and upper works they would caulk
-them as well as they could, . . . though with the working of the ship,
-they would not long keep staunch." She was probably not an old craft, as
-her captain and others declared they "knew her to be strong and firm
-under water;" and the weakness of her upper works was doubtless due to
-the strain of her overload, in the heavy weather of the autumnal gales.
-Bradford says: "They met with many contrary winds and fierce storms with
-which their ship was shrewdly shaken and her upper works made very
-leaky." That the confidence of her master in her soundness below the
-water-line was well placed, is additionally proven by her excellent
-voyages to America, already noted, in 1629, and 1630, when she was ten
-years older.
-
-That she was somewhat "blocky" above water was doubtless true of her, as
-of most of her class; but that she was not unshapely below the water-line
-is quite certain, for the re markable return passage she made to England
-(in ballast) shows that her lower lines must have been good. She made
-the run from Plymouth to London on her return voyage in just thirty-one
-days, a passage that even with the "clipper ships" of later days would
-have been respectable, and for a vessel of her model and rig was
-exceptionally good. She was "light" (in ballast), as we know from the
-correspondence of Weston and Bradford, the letter of the former to
-Governor Carver--who died before it was received--upbraiding him for
-sending her home "empty." The terrible sickness and mortality of the
-whole company, afloat and ashore, had, of course, made it impossible to
-freight her as intended with "clapboards" [stave-stock], sassafras roots,
-peltry, etc. No vessels of her class of that day were without the high
-poop and its cabin possibilities,--admirably adapting them to passenger
-service,--and the larger had the high and roomy topgallant forecastles so
-necessary for their larger crews. The breadth of beam was always
-considerably greater in that day than earlier, or until much later,
-necessitated by the proportionately greater height ("topsides"), above
-water, at stem and stern. The encroachments of her high poop and
-forecastle left but short waist-room; her waist-ribs limited the height
-of her "between decks;" while the "perked up" lines of her bow and stern
-produced the resemblance noted, to the croup and neck of the wild duck.
-That she was low "between decks" is demonstrated by the fact that it was
-necessary to "cut down" the Pilgrims' shallop--an open sloop, of
-certainly not over 30 feet in length, some 10 tons burden, and not very
-high "freeboard"--"to stow" her under the MAY-FLOWER'S spar deck. That
-she was "square-rigged" follows, as noted, from the fact that it was the
-only rig in use for ships of her class and size, and that she had
-"topsails" is shown by the fact that the "top-saile halliards" were
-pitched over board with John Howland, and saved his life. Bradford says:
-"A lustie yonge man (called John Howland) coming upon some occasion above
-ye grattings, was with a seele of ye shipe throwne into ye sea: but it
-pleased God yt he caught hould of ye top-saile halliards which hunge over
-board & rane out at length yet he held his hould . . . till he was
-haled up," etc. Howland had evidently just come from below upon the
-poop-deck (as there would be no "grattings" open in the waist to receive
-the heavy seas shipped). The ship was clearly experiencing "heavy
-weather" and a great lurch ("seele") which at the stern, and on the
-high, swinging, tilting poop-deck would be most severely felt,
-undoubtedly tossed him over the rail. The topsail halliards were
-probably trailing alongside and saved him, as they have others under
-like circumstances.
-
-Whether or not the MAY-FLOWER had the "round house" under her poop-deck,
----a sort of circular-end deck-house, more especially the quarters, by
-day, of the officers and favored passengers; common, but apparently not
-universal, in vessels of her class,--we have no positive knowledge, but
-the presumption is that she had, as passenger ships like the PARAGON (of
-only 140 tons), and others of less tonnage, seem to have been so fitted!
-
-It is plain that, in addition to the larger cabin space and the smaller
-cabins,--"staterooms," nowadays,--common to ships of the MAY-FLOWER'S
-size and class, the large number of her passengers, and especially of
-women and children, made it necessary to construct other cabins between
-decks. Whether these were put up at London, or Southampton, or after the
-SPEEDWELL'S additional passengers were taken aboard at Plymouth, does not
-appear. The great majority of the men and boys were doubtless provided
-with bunks only, "between decks," but it seems that John Billington had a
-cabin there. Bradford narrates of the gunpowder escapade of young
-Francis Billington, that, "there being a fowling-piece, charged in his
-father's cabin [though why so inferior a person as Billington should have
-a cabin when there could not have been enough for better men, is a query],
-shot her off in the cabin, there being a little barrel of powder
-half-full scattered in and about the cabin, the fire being within four
-feet of the bed, between the decks, . . . and many people gathered
-about the fire," etc.
-
-Whatever other deductions may be drawn from this very badly constructed
-and ambiguous paragraph of Bradford, two things appear certain,--one,
-that Billington had a "cabin" of his own "between decks;" and the other,
-that there was a "fire between decks," which "many people" were gathered
-"about." We can quite forgive the young scamp for the jeopardy in which
-he placed the ship and her company, since it resulted in giving us so
-much data concerning the MAY-FLOWER'S "interior." Captain John Smith's
-remark, already quoted, as to the MAY-FLOWER'S people "lying wet in their
-cabins," is a hint of much value from an experienced navigator of that
-time, as to the "interior" construction of ships and the bestowal of
-passengers in them, in that day, doubtless applicable to the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-While it was feasible, when lying quietly at anchor in a land-locked
-harbor, with abundance of fire-wood at hand, to have a fire, about which
-they could gather, even if only upon the "sand-hearth" of the early
-navigators, when upon boisterous seas, in mid-ocean, "lying . . . in
-their cabins" was the only means of keeping warm possible to voyagers.
-In "Good Newes from New England," we find the lines:--
-
- "Close cabins being now prepared,
- With bred, bief, beire, and fish,
- The passengers prepare themselves,
- That they might have their wish."
-
-Her magazine, carpenter's and sailmaker's lockers, etc., were doubtless
-well forward under her forecastle, easily accessible from the spar-deck,
-as was common to merchant vessels of her class and size. Dr. Young, in
-his "Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers" (p. 86, note), says: "This vessel
-was less than the average size of the fishing-smacks that go to the Grand
-Banks. This seems a frail bark in which to cross a stormy ocean of three
-thousand miles in extent. Yet it should be remembered that two of the
-ships of Columbus on his first daring and perilous voyage of discovery,
-were light vessels, without decks, little superior to the small craft
-that ply on our rivers and along our coasts . . . . Frobisher's fleet
-consisted of two barks of twenty-five tons each and a pinnace of ten
-tons, when he sailed in 1576 to discover a north-west passage to the
-Indies. Sir Francis Drake, too, embarked on his voyage for
-circumnavigating the globe, in 1577, with five vessels, of which the
-largest was of one hundred, and the smallest fifteen tons. The bark in
-which Sir Humphrey Gilbert perished was of ten tons only." The LITTLE
-JAMES, which the Company sent to Plymouth in July, 1623, was "a pinnace
-of only forty-four tons," and in a vessel of fifty tons (the SPEEDWELL),
-Martin Pring, in 1603, coasted along the shores of New England. Goodwin
-says: "In 1587 there were not in all England's fleet more than five
-merchant vessels exceeding two hundred tons." The SPARROW-HAWK wrecked
-on Cape Cod in 1626 was only 40 feet "over all." The Dutch seem to have
-built larger vessels. Winthrop records that as they came down the
-Channel, on their way to New England (1630), they passed the wreck of
-"a great Dutch merchantman of a thousand tons."
-
-The MAY-FLOWER'S galley, with its primitive conditions for cooking,
-existed rather as a place for the preparation of food and the keeping of
-utensils, than for the use of fire. The arrangements for the latter were
-exceedingly crude, and were limited to the open "hearth-box" filled with
-sand, the chief cooking appliance being the tripod-kettle of the early
-navigators: This might indeed be set up in any part of the ship where the
-"sand-hearth" could also go, and the smoke be cared for. It not
-infrequently found space in the fore castle, between decks, and, when
-fine weather prevailed, upon the open deck, as in the open caravels of
-Columbus, a hundred years before. The bake-kettle and the frying-pan
-held only less important places than the kettle for boiling. It must have
-been rather a burst of the imagination that led Mrs. Austin, in "Standish
-of Standish," to make Peter Browne remind poor half-frozen Goodman--whom
-he is urging to make an effort to reach home, when they had been lost,
-but had got in sight of the MAY-FLOWER In the harbor--of "the good fires
-aboard of her." Moreover, on January 22, when Goodman was lost, the
-company had occupied their "common-house" on shore. Her ordnance
-doubtless comprised several heavy guns (as such were then reckoned),
-mounted on the spar-deck amid ships, with lighter guns astern and on.
-the rail, and a piece of longer range and larger calibre upon the
-forecastle. Such was the general disposal of ordnance upon merchant
-vessels of her size in that day, when an armament was a 'sine qua non'.
-Governor Winslow in his "Hypocrisie Unmasked," 1646 (p. 91), says, in
-writing of the departure of the Pilgrims from Delfshaven, upon the
-SPEEDWELL: "The wind being fair we gave them a volley of small shot and
-three pieces of ordnance," by which it seems that the SPEEDWELL, of only
-sixty tons, mounted at least "three pieces of ordnance" as, from the form
-of expression, there seem to have been "three pieces," rather than three
-discharges of the same piece.
-
-The inference is warranted that the MAY-FLOWER, being three times as
-large, would carry a considerably heavier and proportionate armament.
-The LADY ARBELLA, Winthrop's ship, a vessel of 350 tons, carried
-"twenty-eight pieces of ordnance;" but as "Admiral" of the fleet, at a
-time when there was a state of war with others, and much piracy, she
-would presumably mount more than a proportionate weight of metal,
-especially as she convoyed smaller and lightly armed vessels, and
-carried much value. There is no reason to suppose that the MAY-FLOWER,
-in her excessively crowded condition, mounted more than eight or ten
-guns, and these chiefly of small calibre. Her boats included her
-"long-boat," with which the experience of her company in "Cape Cod harbor"
-have made us familiar, and perhaps other smaller boats,--besides the
-Master's "skiff" or "gig," of whose existence and necessity there are
-numerous proofs. "Monday the 27," Bradford and Winslow state, "it
-proved rough weather and cross winds, so as we were constrained, some in
-the shallop and others in the long-boat," etc. Bradford states, in
-regard to the repeated springings-a-leak of the SPEEDWELL: "So the
-Master of the bigger ship, called Master Jones, being consulted with;"
-and again, "The Master of the small ship complained his ship was so
-leaky . . . so they [Masters Jones and Reynolds] came to
-consultation, again," etc. It is evident that Jones was obliged to
-visit the SPEEDWELL to inspect her and to consult with the leaders, who
-were aboard her. For this purpose, as for others, a smaller boat than
-the "long-boat" would often serve, while the number of passengers and
-crew aboard would seem to demand still other boats. Winthrop notices
-that their Captain (Melborne) frequently "had his skiff heaved out," in
-the course of their voyage. The Master's small boat, called the "skiff"
-or "gig," was, no doubt, stowed (lashed) in the waist of the ship, while
-the "long-boat" was probably lashed on deck forward, being hoisted out
-and in, as the practice of those days was, by "whips," from the
-yardarms. It was early the habit to keep certain of the live-stock,
-poultry, rabbits, etc., in the unused boats upon deck, and it is
-possible that in the crowded state of the MAY-FLOWER this custom was
-followed. Bradford remarks that their "goods or common store . . .
-were long in unlading [at New Plimoth] for want of boats." It seems
-hardly possible that the Admiralty authorities,--though navigation laws
-were then few, crude, and poorly enforced,--or that the Adventurers and
-Pilgrim chiefs themselves, would permit a ship carrying some 130 souls
-to cross the Atlantic in the stormy season, without a reasonable boat
-provision. The capacity of the "long-boat" we know to have been about
-twenty persons, as nearly that number is shown by Bradford and Winslow
-to have gone in her on the early expeditions from the ship, at Cape Cod.
-She would therefore accommodate only about one sixth of the ship's
-company. As the "gig" would carry only five or six persons,--while the
-shallop was stowed between decks and could be of no service in case of
-need upon the voyage,--the inference is warranted that other boats were
-carried, which fail of specific mention, or that she was wofully
-lacking. The want of boats for unlading, mentioned by Bradford, suggests
-the possibility that some of the ship's quota may have been lost or
-destroyed on her boisterous voyage, though no such event appears of
-record, or is suggested by any one. In the event of wreck, the Pilgrims
-must have trusted, like the Apostle Paul and his associates when cast
-away on the island of Melita, to get to shore, "some on boards and some
-on broken pieces of the ship." Her steering-gear, rigging, and the
-mechanism for "getting her anchors," "slinging," "squaring," and
-"cockbilling" her yards; for "making" and "shortening" sail; "heaving
-out" her boats and "handling" her cargo, were of course all of the crude
-and simple patterns and construction of the time, usually so well
-illustrating the ancient axiom in physics, that "what is lost [spent] in
-power is gained in time."
-
-The compass-box and hanging-compass, invented by the English cleric,
-William Barlow, but twelve years before the Pilgrim voyage, was almost
-the only nautical appliance possessed by Captain Jones, of the
-MAY-FLOWER, in which no radical improvement has since been made.
-Few charts of much value--especially of western waters--had yet been
-drafted, but the rough maps and diagrams of Cabot, Smith, Gosnold,
-Pring, Champlain and Dermer, Jones was too good a navigator not to have
-had. In speaking of the landing at Cape Cod, the expression is used by
-Bradford in "Mourt's Relation," "We went round all points of the
-compass," proving that already the mariner's compass had become familiar
-to the speech even of those not using it professionally.
-
-That the ship was "well-found" in anchors (with solid stocks), hemp
-cables, "spare" spars, "boat-tackling" and the heavy "hoisting-gear" of
-those days, we have the evidence of recorded use. "The MAY-FLOWER,"
-writes Captain Collins, would have had a hemp cable about 9 inches in
-circumference. Her anchors would probably weigh as follows: sheet anchor
-(or best bower) 500 to 600 lbs.; stream anchor 350 to 400 lbs.; the spare
-anchors same as the stream anchor.
-
-"Charnock's Illustrations" show that the anchors used in the MAY-FLOWER
-period were shaped very much like the so called Cape Ann anchor now made
-for our deep-sea fishing vessels. They had the conventional shaped
-flukes, with broad pointed palms, and a long shank, the upper end passing
-through a wooden stock. [Tory shows in his diagrams some of the anchors
-of that period with the space between the shank and flukes nearly filled
-up in the lower part with metal.] Such an anchor has the maximum of
-holding powers, and bearing in mind the elasticity of the hemp cables
-then used, would enable a vessel to ride safely even when exposed to
-heavy winds and a racing sea: There is no doubt, according to the
-British Admiralty Office,--which should be authority upon the matter,
---that the flag under which the MAY-FLOWER, and all other vessels of the
-merchant marine of Great Britain, sailed, at the time she left England
-(as noted concerning the SPEEDWELL), was what became known as the "Union
-Jack," as decreed by James the First, in 1606, supplanting the English
-ensign, which had been the red cross of St. George upon a white field.
-The new flag resulted from the "union" of the crowns and kingdoms of
-England and Scotland, upon the accession of James VI. of Scotland to the
-English throne, as James I. of England, upon the death of queen
-Elizabeth. Its design was formed by superimposing the red cross of St.
-George upon the white cross of St. Andrew, on a dark blue field; in other
-words, by imposing the cross of St. George, taken from the English
-ensign, upon the Scotch flag, and creating there by the new flag of Great
-Britain.
-
-In a little monograph on "The British Flag--Its Origin and History," a
-paper read by its author, Jona. F. Morris, Esq., before the Connecticut
-Historical Society, June 7, 1881, and reprinted at Hartford (1889), Mr.
-Morris, who has made much study of the matter, states (p. 4): "In 1603,
-James VI. of Scotland was crowned James I. of England. The Scots, in
-their pride that they had given a king to England, soon began to contend
-that the cross of St. Andrew should take precedence of the cross of St.
-George, that ships bearing the flag of the latter should salute that of
-St. Andrew. To allay the contention, the King, on the 12th of April,
-1606, ordered that all subjects of Great Britain travelling by sea shall
-bear at the maintop the red cross of St. George and the white cross,
-commonly called the cross of St. Andrew, joined together according to a
-form made by his heralds besides this all vessels belonging to South
-Britain or England might wear the cross of St. George at the peak or
-fore, as they were wont, and all vessels belonging to North Britain or
-Scotland might wear the cross of St. Andrew at the fore top, as they had
-been accustomed; and all vessels were for bidden to wear any other flag
-at their peril. The new flag thus designed by the heralds and proclaimed
-by this order was called the 'King's Colors.' For a long period the red
-cross had been the colors of English navigators, as well as the badge of
-English soldiery . . . . No permanent English settlement in America
-was made until after the adoption of the 'King's Colors.' Jamestown,
-Plymouth, Salem, and Boston were settled under the new flag, though the
-ships bringing over settlers, being English vessels, also carried the red
-cross as permitted." Mr. Barlow Cumberland, of Toronto, Canada, has also
-given, in a little monograph entitled "The Union Jack" (published by
-William Briggs of that city, 1898), an admirable account of the history
-of the British jack, which confirms the foregoing conclusions. The early
-English jack was later restored. Such, roughly sketched, was the Pilgrim
-ship, the renowned MAY-FLOWER, as, drafted from the meagre but fairly
-trustworthy and suggestive data available, she appears to us of to-day.
-
-
-
-
-HER HISTORY:
-
-In even the little we know of the later history of the ship, one cannot
-always be quite sure of her identity in the records of vessels of her
-name, of which there have been many. Dr. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, of
-Boston, says that "a vessel bearing this name was owned in England about
-fifteen years or more before the voyage of our forefathers, but it would
-be impossible to prove or disprove its identity with the renowned
-MAY-FLOWER, however great such a probability might be. It is known,
-nevertheless, that--the identical famous vessel afterwards hailed from
-various English ports, such as London, Yarmouth, and Southampton, and
-that it was much used in transporting immigrants to this country. What
-eventually became of it and what was the end of its career, are equally
-unknown to history." Goodwin says: "It does not appear that the
-MAY-FLOWER ever revisited Plymouth, but in 1629 she came to Salem," with
-a company of the Leyden people for Plymouth, under command of Captain
-William Peirce, the warm friend of the Pilgrims, and in 1630 was one of
-the large fleet that attended John Winthrop, under a different master,
-discharging her passengers at Charlestown. Nothing is certainly known of
-her after that time. In 1648 a ship [hereinafter mentioned by Hunter]
-named the MAY-FLOWER was engaged in the slave trade, and the ill-informed
-as well as the ill-disposed have sometimes sneeringly alleged that this
-was our historic ship; but it is ascertained that the slaver was a vessel
-of three hundred and fifty tons,--nearly twice the size of our ship of
-happy memory. In 1588 the officials of Lynn (England) offered the
-"MAY-FLOWER" (150 tons) to join the fleet against the dreaded Spanish
-Armada. In 1657, Samuel Vassall, of London, complained that the
-government had twice impressed his ship, MAY-FLOWER, which he had
-"fitted out with sixty men, for the Straits." Rev. Joseph Hunter,
-author of "The Founders of New Plymouth," one of the most eminent
-antiquarians in England, and an indefatigable student of Pilgrim history
-among British archives, says: "I have not observed the name of MAY
-FLOWER [in which style he always writes it] before the year 1583 . . .
-But the name soon became exceedingly popular among those to whom
-belonged the giving of the names to vessels in the merchant-service.
-Before the close of that century [the sixteenth] we have a MAY-FLOWER of
-Hastings; a MAY-FLOWER of Rie; a MAY-FLOWER of Newcastle: a MAY FLOWER
-of Lynn; and a MAY-FLOWER Of Yarmouth: both in 1589. Also a MAY-FLOWER
-of Hull, 1599; a MAY FLOWER of London of eighty tons burden, 1587, and
-1594, Of which Richard Ireland was the master, and another MAY-FLOWER of
-the same port, of ninety tons burthen, of which Robert White was the
-master in 1594, and a third MAY-FLOWER of London, unless it is the same
-vessel with one of the two just spoken of, only with a different master,
-William Morecock. In 1587 there was a MAY-FLOWER Of Dover, of which
-John Tooke was the master. In 1593 there was a MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth
-of 120 tons, of which William Musgrove was the master. In 1608 there
-was a MAY-FLOWER of Dartmouth, of which Nicholas Waterdonne was the
-master; and in 1609 a MAY-FLOWER of Middleburgh entered an English
-port."
-
-Later in the century we find a MAY-FLOWER of Ipswich, and another of
-Newcastle in 1618; a MAY-FLOWER of York in 1621; a MAY-FLOWER of
-Scarborough in 1630, Robert Hadock the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Sandwich
-the same year, John Oliver the master; a MAY-FLOWER of Dover, 1633,
-Walter Finnis, master, in which two sons of the Earl of Berkshire crossed
-to Calais. "Which of these was the vessell which carried over the
-precious [Pilgrim] freight cannot perhaps be told [apparently neither,
-unless perhaps the MAY-FLOWER of Yarmouth of 1593, in which case her
-tonnage is incorrectly given], but we learn from Mr. Sherley's letter to
-Governor Bradford' that the same vessel was employed in 1629 in passing
-between the two countries, a company of the church at Leyden, who had
-joined in the first emigration, intending to pass in it to America; and
-in the same author we find that the vessel arrived in the harbour of
-Charlestown [N. E.] on July 1, 1630. There was a MAY-FLOWER which, in
-1648, gained an unenviable notoriety as a slaver. But this was not the
-MAY-FLOWER which had carried over the first settlers, it being a vessel
-Of 350 tons, while the genuine MAY-FLOWER was of only 180 tons." Of the
-first of her two known visits, after her voyage with the Pilgrim company
-from Leyden, Goodwin says: "In August, 1629, the renowned MAY-FLOWER came
-from England to Salem under Plymouth's old friend [William] Peirce, and
-in her came thirty-five Leyden people, on their way to Plymouth." The
-number has been in dispute, but the large cost of bringing them, over
-L500, would suggest that their families must have also come, as has been
-alleged, but for the following from Governor Bradford's Letter Book:
-"These persons," he says, "were in all thirty-five, which came at this
-time unto us from Leyden, whose charge out of Holland into England, and
-in England till the ship was ready, and then their transportation hither,
-came to a great deal of money, for besides victuals and other expenses,
-they were all newly apparelled." Shirley, one of the Adventurers,
-writing to Governor Bradford in 1629, says: "Here are now many of your
-friends from Leyden coming over. With them also we have sent some
-servants, or in the ship that went lately (I think called the TALBOT),
-and this that these come in is the MAY-FLOWER." All that Higginson's
-journal tells of her, as noted, is, that "she was of Yarmouth;" was
-commanded by William Peirce, and carried provisions and passengers, but
-the fact that she was under command of Captain Peirce of itself tells
-much. On her next trip the MAY-FLOWER sailed from Southampton, in May,
-1630, as part of Winthrop's fleet, and arrived at Charlestown July 1.
-She was, on this voyage, under command of a new master (perhaps a Captain
-Weatherby), Captain Peirce having, at this time, command of the ship
-LYON, apparently in the service of Plymouth Colony. A vessel of this
-name [MAY-FLOWER] was sailing between England and Boston in 1656. Young
-says: "The MAY-FLOWER is a ship of renown in the history of the
-colonization of New England. She was one of the five vessels which, in
-1629, conveyed Higginson's company to Salem, and also one of the fleet
-which, in 1630, brought over his colony to Massachusetts Bay."
-
-October 6, 1652, "Thomas Webber, Mr. of the good shipp called the
-MAYFLOWER of the burden of Two hundred Tuns or there abouts . . . .
-Rideing at Ancor in the Harber of Boston," sold one-sixteenth of the ship
-"for good & valluable Consideracons to Mr. John Pinchon of Springfield
-Mrchant." The next day, October 7, 1652, the same "Thomas Webber, Mr, of
-the good Shipp called the MAY FLOWER of Boston in New England now bound
-for the barbadoes and thence to London," acknowledges an indebtedness to
-Theodore Atkinson, a wealthy "hatter, felt-maker," and merchant of
-Boston, and the same day (October 7, 1652), the said "Thomas Webber, Mr.
-of the good shipp called the MAY FLOWER of the burthen of Two hundred
-tuns or thereabouts," sold "unto Theodore Atkinson felt-maker
-one-sixteenth part as well of said Shipp as of all & singular her masts
-Sails Sail-yards Ancors Cables Ropes Cords Gunns Gunpowder Shott
-Artillery Tackle Munition apparrell boate skiffe and furniture to the
-same belonging." It is of course possible that this was the historic
-ship, though, if so, reappearing twenty two years after her last known
-voyage to New England. If the same, she was apparently under both new
-master and owner. From the facts that she is called "of Boston in New
-England" and was trading between that port, "the Barbadoes" and London,
-it is not impossible that she may have been built at Boston--a sort of
-namesake descendant of the historic ship--and was that MAY-FLOWER
-mentioned as belonging, in 1657, to Mr. Samuel Vassall; as he had large
-interests alike in Boston, Barbadoes, and London. Masters of vessels
-were often empowered to sell their ships or shares in them. Although we
-know not where her keel was laid, by what master she was built, or where
-she laid her timbers when her work was done, by virtue of her grand
-service to humanity, her fame is secure, and her name written among the
-few, the immortal names that were not born to die.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER V
-
-THE OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE MAYFLOWER
-
-The officers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER were obviously important factors
-in the success of the Pilgrim undertaking, and it is of interest to know
-what we may concerning them. We have seen that the "pilot," John Clarke,
-was employed by Weston and Cushman, even before the vessel upon which he
-was to serve had been found, and he had hence the distinction of being
-the first man "shipped" of the MAY-FLOWER'S complement. It is evident
-that he was promptly hired on its being known that he had recently
-returned from a voyage to Virginia in the cattle-ship FALCON, as certain
-to be of value in the colonists' undertakings.
-
-Knowing that the Adventurers' agents were seeking both a ship and a
-master for her, it was the natural thing for the latter, that he should
-propose the Captain under whom he had last sailed, on much the same
-voyage as that now contemplated. It is an interesting fact that
-something of the uncertainty which for a time existed as to the names and
-features of the Pilgrim barks attaches the names and identity of their
-respective commanders. The "given" name of "Master" Reynolds, "pilott"
-and "Master" of the SPEED WELL, does not appear, but the assertion of
-Professor Arber, though positive enough, that "the Christian name of the
-Captain of the MAY-FLOWER is not known," is not accepted by other
-authorities in Pilgrim history, though it is true that it does not find
-mention in the contemporaneous accounts of the Pilgrim ship and her
-voyage.
-
-There is no room for doubt that the Captain of the FALCON--whose release
-from arrest while under charge of piracy the Earl of Warwick procured,
-that he might take command of the above-named cattle-ship on her voyage
-to Virginia, as hereinafter shown--was Thomas Jones. The identity of
-this man and "Master Jones" who assumed command of the MAY-FLOWER--with
-the former mate of the FALCON, John Clarke, as his first officer--is
-abundantly certified by circumstantial evidence of the strongest kind, as
-is also the fact that he commanded the ship DISCOVERY a little later.
-
-With the powerful backing of such interested friends as the Earl of
-Warwick and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, undoubtedly already in league with
-Thomas Weston, who probably made the contract with Jones,
-as he had with Clarke, the suggestion of the latter as to the competency
-and availability of his late commander would be sure of prompt approval,
-and thus, in all probability, Captain Thomas Jones, who finds his chief
-place in history--and a most important one--as Master of the MAY-FLOWER,
-came to that service.
-
-In 1619, as appears by Neill, the Virginia Company had one John Clarke in
-Ireland, "buying cattle for Virginia." We know that Captain Jones soon
-sailed for Virginia with cattle, in the FALCON, of 150 tons, and as this
-was the only cattle ship in a long period, we can very certainly identify
-Clarke as the newly-hired mate of the MAY-FLOWER, who, Cush man says
-(letter of June 11/21, 1620), "went last year to Virginia with a ship of
-kine." As 1620 did not begin until March 25, a ship sailing in February
-would have gone out in 1619, and Jones and Clarke could easily have made
-the voyage in time to engage for the MAY-FLOWER in the following June.
-"Six months after Jones's trip in the latter" (i.e. after his return
-from the Pilgrim voyage), Neill says, "he took the DISCOVERY (60 tons) to
-Virginia, and then northward, trading along the coast. The Council for
-New England complained of him to the Virginia Company for robbing the
-natives on this voyage. He stopped at Plymouth (1622), and, taking
-advantage of the distress for food he found there, was extortionate in
-his prices. In July, 1625, he appeared at Jamestown, Virginia, in
-possession of a Spanish frigate, which he said had been captured by one
-Powell, under a Dutch commission, but it was thought a resumption of his
-old buccaneering practices. Before investigation he sickened and died."
-
-That Jones was a man of large experience, and fully competent in his
-profession, is beyond dispute. His disposition, character, and deeds
-have been the subject of much discussion. By most writers he is held to
-have been a man of coarse, "unsympathetic" nature, "a rough sea-dog,"
-capable of good feeling and kindly impulses at times, but neither
-governed by them nor by principle. That he was a "highwayman of the
-seas," a buccaneer and pirate, guilty of blood for gold, there can be no
-doubt. Certainly nothing could justify the estimate of him given by
-Professor Arber, that "he was both fair-minded and friendly toward the
-Pilgrim Fathers," and he certainly stands alone among writers of
-reputation in that opinion. Jones's selfishness,
-
- [Bradford himself--whose authority in the matter will not be
- doubted--says (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 112): "As this calamitie,
- the general sickness, fell among ye passengers that were to be left
- here to plant, and were basted ashore and made to drinke water, that
- the sea-men might have ye more bear [beer] and one in his sickness
- desiring but a small can of beare it was answered that if he were
- their own father he should have none." Bradford also shows (op.
- cit. p. 153) the rapacity of Jones, when in command of the
- DISCOVERY, in his extortionate demands upon the Plymouth planters,
- notwithstanding their necessities.]
-
-threats, boorishness, and extortion, to say nothing of his exceedingly
-bad record as a pirate, both in East and West Indian waters, compel a far
-different estimate of him as a man, from that of Arber, however excellent
-he was as a mariner. Professor Arber dissents from Goodwin's conclusion
-that Captain Jones of the DISCOVERY was the former Master of the
-MAY-FLOWER, but the reasons of his dissent are by no means convincing. He
-argues that Jones would not have accepted the command of a vessel so much
-smaller than his last, the DISCOVERY being only one third the size of the
-MAY-FLOWER. Master-mariners, particularly when just returned from long
-and unsuccessful voyages, especially if in bad repute,--as was Jones,
---are obliged to take such employment as offers, and are often glad to get
-a ship much smaller than their last, rather than remain idle. Moreover,
-in Jones's case, if, as appears, he was inclined to buccaneering, the
-smaller ship would serve his purpose--as it seems it did satisfactorily.
-Nor is the fact that Bradford speaks of him--although previously so well
-acquainted--as "one Captain Jones," to be taken as evidence, as Arber
-thinks, that the Master of the DISCOVERY was some other of the name.
-Bradford was writing history, and his thought just then was the especial
-Providence of God in the timely relief afforded their necessities by the
-arrival of the ships with food, without regard to the individuals who
-brought it, or the fact that one was an acquaintance of former years.
-On the other hand, Winslow--in his "Good Newes from New England"
---records the arrival of the two ships in August, 1622, and says, "the one
-as I take [recollect] it, was called the DISCOVERY, Captain Jones having
-command thereof," which on the same line of argument as Arber's might be
-read, "our old acquaintance Captain Jones, you know"! If the expression
-of Bradford makes against its being Captain Jones, formerly of the
-MAY-FLOWER, Winslow's certainly makes quite as much for it, while the fact
-which Winslow recites, viz. that the DISCOVERY, under Jones, was sailing
-as consort to the SPARROW, a ship of Thomas Weston,--who employed him for
-the MAY-FLOWER, was linked with him in the Gorges conspiracy, and had
-become nearly as degenerate as he,--is certainly significant. There are
-still better grounds, as will appear in the closely connected relations
-of Jones, for holding with Goodwin rather than with Arber in the matter.
-The standard authority in the case is the late Rev. E. D. Neill, D. D.,
-for some years United States consul at Dublin, who made very considerable
-research into all matters pertaining to the Virginia Companies,
-consulting their original records and "transactions," the Dutch related
-documents, the "Calendars of the East India Company," etc. Upon him and
-his exhaustive work all others have largely drawn,--notably Professor
-Arber himself,--and his conclusions seem entitled to the same weight here
-which Arber gives them in other relations. Dr. Neill is clearly of
-opinion that the Captains of the MAY-FLOWER and the DISCOVERY were
-identical, and this belief is shared by such authorities in Pilgrim
-literature as Young, Prince, Goodwin, and Davis, and against this
-formidable consensus of opinion, Arber, unless better supported, can
-hardly hope to prevail.
-
-The question of Jones's duplicity and fraud, in bringing the Pilgrims to
-land at Cape Cod instead of the "neighbor-hood of Hudson's River," has
-been much mooted and with much diversity of opinion, but in the light of
-the subjoined evidence and considerations it seems well-nigh impossible
-to acquit him of the crime--for such it was, in inception, nature, and
-results, however overruled for good.
-
-The specific statements of Bradford and others leave no room for doubt
-that the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims fully intended to make their settlement
-somewhere in the region of the mouth of "Hudson's River." Morton states
-in terms that Captain Jones's "engagement was to Hudson's River."
-Presumably, as heretofore noted, the stipulation of his charter party
-required that he should complete his outward voyage in that general
-locality. The northern limits of the patents granted in the Pilgrim
-interest, whether that of John Wincob (or Wincop) sealed June 9/ 19,
-1619, but never used, or the first one to John Pierce, of February 2/12,
-1620, were, of course, brought within the limits of the First (London)
-Virginia Company's charter, which embraced, as is well-known, the
-territory between the parallels of 34 deg. and 41 deg. N. latitude.
-The most northerly of these parallels runs but about twenty miles to the
-north of the mouth of "Hudson's River." It is certain that the Pilgrims,
-after the great expense, labor, and pains of three years, to secure the
-protection of these Patents, would not willingly or deliberately, have
-planted themselves outside that protection, upon territory where they had
-none, and where, as interlopers, they might reasonably expect trouble
-with the lawful proprietors. Nor was there any reason why, if they so
-desired, they should not have gone to "Hudson's River" or its vicinity,
-unless it was that they had once seemed to recognize the States General
-of Holland as the rightful owners of that territory, by making petition
-to them, through the New Netherland Company, for their authority and
-protection in settling there. But even this fact constituted no moral or
-legal bar to such action, if desirable First, because it appears certain
-that, whatever the cause, they "broke off" themselves their negotiations
-with the Dutch,--whether on account of the inducements offered by Thomas
-Weston, or a doubt of the ability of the Dutch to maintain their claim to
-that region, and to protect there, or both, neither appears nor matters.
-Second, because the States General--whether with knowledge that they of
-Leyden had so "broken off" or from their own doubts of their ability to
-maintain their claim on the Hudson region, does not appear--rejected the
-petition made to them in the Pilgrims' behalf. It is probable that the
-latter was the real reason, from the fact that the petition was twice
-rejected.
-
-In view of the high opinion of the Leyden brethren, entertained, as we
-know, by the Dutch, it is clear that the latter would have been pleased
-to secure them as colonists; while if at all confident of their rights to
-the territory, they must have been anxious to colonize it and thus
-confirm their hold, increase their revenues as speedily as possible,
-and
-
-Third, because it appears upon the showing of the petition itself, made
-by the New Netherland Company (to which the Leyden leaders had looked,
-doubtless on account of its pretensions, for the authority and protection
-of the States General, as they afterward did to the English Virginia
-Company for British protection), that this Company had lost its own
-charter by expiration, and hence had absolutely nothing to offer the
-Leyden people beyond the personal and associate influence of its members,
-and the prestige of a name that had once been potential. In fact, the
-New Netherland Company was using the Leyden congregation as a leverage to
-pry for itself from the States General new advantages, larger than it had
-previously enjoyed.
-
-Moreover it appears by the evidence of both the petition of the Directors
-of the New Netherland Company to the Prince of Orange (February 2/12,
-1619/20), and the letters of Sir Dudley Carleton, the British ambassador
-at the Hague, to the English Privy Council, dated February 5/15, 1621/22,
-that, up to this latter date the Dutch had established no colony
-
- [British State Papers, Holland, Bundle 165. Sir Dudley Carleton's
- Letters. "They have certain Factors there, continually resident,
- trading with savages . . . but I cannot learn of any colony,
- either I already planted there by these people, or so much as
- intended." Sir Dudley Carleton's Letters.]
-
-on the territory claimed by them at the Hudson, and had no other
-representation there than the trading-post of a commercial company whose
-charter had expired. There can be no doubt that the Leyden leaders knew,
-from their dealings with the New Netherland Company, and the study of the
-whole problem which they evidently made, that this region was open to
-them or any other parties for habitation and trade, so far as any prior
-grants or charters under the Dutch were concerned, but they required more
-than this.
-
-To Englishmen, the English claim to the territory at "Hudson's River"
-was valid, by virtue of the discovery of the Cabots, under the law of
-nations as then recognized, not withstanding Hudson's more particular
-explorations of those parts in 1609, in the service of Holland,
-especially as no colony or permanent occupancy of the region by the
-Dutch had been made.
-
-Professor John Fiske shows that "it was not until the Protestant England
-of Elizabeth had come to a life-and-death grapple with Spain, and not
-until the discovery of America had advanced much nearer completion, so
-that its value began to be more correctly understood, that political and
-commercial motives combined in determining England to attack Spain
-through America, and to deprive her of supremacy in the colonial and
-maritime world. Then the voyages of the Cabots assumed an importance
-entirely new, and could be quoted as the basis of a prior claim on the
-part of the English Crown, to lands which it [through the Cabots] had
-discovered."
-
-Having in mind the terrible history of slaughter and reprisal between the
-Spanish and French (Huguenot) settlers in Florida in 1565-67,
-
- [Bancroft, History of the United States, vol. i. p. 68; Fiske,
- Discovery of America, vol. ii. p. 511 et seq. With the terrible
- experience of the Florida plantations in memory, the far-sighted
- leaders of the Leyden church proposed to plant under the shelter of
- an arm strong enough to protect them, and we find the Directors of
- the New Netherland Company stating that the Leyden party (the
- Pilgrims) can be induced to settle under Dutch auspices, "provided,
- they would be guarded and preserved from all violence on the part of
- other potentates, by the authority, and under the protection of your
- Princely Excellency and the High and Mighty States General."
- Petition of the Directors of the New Netherland Company to the
- Prince of Orange.]
-
-the Pilgrims recognized the need of a strong power behind them, under
-whose aegis they might safely plant, and by virtue of whose might and
-right they could hope to keep their lives and possessions. The King of
-England had, in 1606, granted charters to the two Virginia Companies,
-covering all the territory in dispute, and, there could be no doubt,
-would protect these grants and British proprietorship therein, against
-all comers. Indeed, the King (James I.) by letter to Sir Dudley
-Carleton, his ambassador at the Hague, under date of December 15, 1621,
-expressly claimed his rights in the New Netherland territory and
-instructed him to impress upon the government of the States General his
-Majesty's claim,--"who, 'jure prime occupation' hath good and sufficient
-title to these parts." There can be no question that the overtures of
-Sandys, Weston, and others to make interest for them with one of these
-English Companies, agreed as well with both the preferences and
-convictions of the Leyden Pilgrims, as they did with the hopes and
-designs of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. In the light of these facts, there
-appears to have been neither legal nor moral bar to the evident intention
-of the Pilgrims to settle in the vicinity of "Hudson's River," if they so
-elected. In their light, also, despite the positive allegations of the
-truthful but not always reliable Morton, his charges of intrigue between
-the Dutch and Master Jones of the MAY-FLOWER, to prevent the settlement
-of his ship's company at "Hudson's River," may well be doubted. Writing
-in "New England's Memorial" in 1669, Morton says: "But some of the Dutch,
-having notice of their intentions, and having thoughts about the same
-time of erecting a plantation there likewise, they fraudulently hired the
-said Jones, by delays while they were in England, and now under pretence
-of the shoals the dangers of the Monomoy Shoals off Cape Cod to
-disappoint them in going thither." He adds: "Of this plot between the
-Dutch and Mr. Jones, I have had late and certain intelligence." If this
-intelligence was more reliable than his assertion concerning the
-responsibility of Jones for the "delays while they were in England," it
-may well be discredited, as not the faintest evidence appears to make him
-responsible for those delays, and they are amply accounted for without
-him. Without questioning the veracity of Morton (while suggesting his
-many known errors, and that the lapse of time made it easy to
-misinterpret even apparently certain facts), it must be remembered that
-he is the original sponsor for the charge of Dutch intrigue with Jones,
-and was its sole support for many years. All other writers who have
-accepted and indorsed his views are of later date, and but follow him,
-while Bradford and Winslow, who were victims of this Dutch conspiracy
-against them, if it ever existed, were entirely silent in their writings
-upon the matter, which we may be sure they would not have been, had they
-suspected the Dutch as prime movers in the treachery. That there was a
-conspiracy to accomplish the landing of the MAY-FLOWER planters at a
-point north of "the Hudson" (in fact, north of the bounds defined by the
-(first) Pierce patent, upon which they relied), i.e. north of 41 deg. N.
-latitude,--is very certain; but that it was of Dutch origin, or based
-upon motives which are attributed to the Dutch, is clearly erroneous.
-While the historical facts indicate an utter lack of motive for such an
-intrigue on the part of the Dutch, either as a government or as
-individuals, there was no lack of motive on the part of certain others,
-who, we can but believe, were responsible for the conspiracy. Moreover,
-the chief conspirators were such, that, even if the plot was ultimately
-suspected by the Pilgrims, a wise policy--indeed, self-preservation
---would have dictated their silence. That the Dutch were without
-sufficient motive or interest has been declared. That the States General
-could have had no wish to reject so exceptionally excellent a body of
-colonists as subjects, and as tenants to hold and develop their disputed
-territory--if in position to receive them and guarantee them protection
---is clear. The sole objection that could be urged against them was their
-English birth, and with English regiments garrisoning the Dutch home
-cities, and foreigners of every nation in the States General's employ, by
-land and by sea, such an objection could have had no weight. Indeed, the
-Leyden party proposed, if they effected satisfactory arrangements with
-the States General (as stated by the Directors of the New Netherland
-Company), "to plant there [at "Hudson's River"] a new commonwealth, all
-under the order and command of your Princely Excellency and their High
-Mightinesses the States General:" The Leyden Pilgrims were men who kept
-their agreements.
-
-The Dutch trading-companies, who were the only parties in the Low
-Countries who could possibly have had any motive for such a conspiracy,
-were at this time themselves without charters, and the overtures of the
-principal company, made to the government in behalf of themselves and the
-Leyden brethren, had recently, as we have seen, been twice rejected.
-They had apparently, therefore, little to hope for in the near future;
-certainly not enough to warrant expenditure and the risk of disgraceful
-exposure, in negotiations with a stranger--an obscure ship-master--to
-change his course and land his passengers in violation of the terms of
-his charter-party;--negotiations, moreover, in which neither of the
-parties could well have had any guaranty of the other's good faith.
-
-But, as previously asserted, there was a party--to whom such knavery was
-an ordinary affair--who had ample motive, and of whom Master Thomas Jones
-was already the very willing and subservient ally and tool, and had been
-such for years. Singularly enough, the motive governing this party was
-exactly the reverse of that attributed--though illogically and without
-reason--to the Dutch. In the case of the latter, the alleged animus was
-a desire to keep the Pilgrim planters away from their "Hudson's River"
-domain. In the case of the real conspirators, the purpose was to secure
-these planters as colonists for, and bring them to, the more northern
-territory owned by them. It is well known that Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
-the leading spirit of the "Second Virginia Company," as he also became
-(with the Earl of Warwick a close second) of "The Council for the Affairs
-of New England," of which both men were made "Governors," in November of
-1620, when the Council practically superseded the "Second Virginia
-Company." The Great Charter for "The Council of Affairs of New England,"
-commonly known as "The Council for New England," issued Tuesday, November
-3/13, 1620, and it held in force till Sunday, June 7/17, 1635.
-
-Although not its official head, and ranked at its board by dukes and
-earls, Sir Ferdinando Gorges was--as he had been in the old Plymouth (or
-Second) Virginia Company--the leading man. This was largely from his
-superior acquaintance with, and long and varied experience in, New
-England affairs. The "Council" was composed of forty patentees, and
-Baxter truly states, that "Sir Ferdinando Gorges, at this time [1621]
-stood at the head of the Council for New England, so far as influence
-went; in fact, his hand shaped its affairs." This company, holding--by
-the division of territory made under the original charter-grants--a strip
-of territory one hundred miles wide, on the North American coast, between
-the parallels of 41 deg. and 45 deg. N. latitude, had not prospered, and
-its efforts at colonization (on what is now the Maine coast), in 1607 and
-later, had proved abortive, largely through the character of its
-"settlers," who had been, in good degree, a somewhat notable mixture of
-two of the worst elements of society,--convicts and broken-down
-"gentlemen."
-
-"In 1607," says Goodwin, "Gorges and the cruel Judge Popham planted a
-colony at Phillipsburg (or Sagadahoc, as is supposed), by the mouth of
-the Kennebec. Two ships came, 'THE GIFT OF GOD' and the 'MARY AND JOHN,'
-bringing a hundred persons. Through August they found all delightful,
-but when the ships went back in December, fifty five of the number
-returned to England, weary of their experience and fearful of the cold
-. . . . With spring the ships returned from England; "but by this time
-the remainder were ready to leave," so every soul returned with Gilbert
-[the Admiral] . . . . For thirty years Gorges continued to push
-exploration and emigration to that region, but his ambition and
-liberality ever resulted in disappointment and loss." The annals of the
-time show that not a few of the Sagadahoc colonists were convicts,
-released from the English jails to people this colony.
-
-Hakluyt says: "In 1607 [this should read 1608], disheartened by the death
-of Popham, they all embarked in a ship from Exeter and in the new
-pynnace, the 'VIRGINIA,' built in the colony, and sett sail for England,
-and this was the end of that northern colony upon the river Sachadehoc
-[Kennebec]."
-
-No one knew better than the shrewd Gorges the value of such a colony as
-that of the Leyden brethren would be, to plant, populate, and develop his
-Company's great demesne. None were more facile than himself and the
-buccaneering Earl of Warwick, to plan and execute the bold, but--as it
-proved--easy coup, by which the Pilgrim colony was to be stolen bodily;
-for the benefit of the "Second Virginia Company" and its successor,
-"the Council for New England," from the "First (or London) Company,"
-under whose patent (to John Pierce) and patronage they sailed. They
-apparently did not take their patent with them,--it would have been
-worthless if they had,--and they were destined to have no small trouble
-with Pierce, before they were established in their rights under the new
-patent granted him (in the interest of the Adventurers and themselves),
-by the "Council for New England." Master John Wincob's early and silent
-withdrawal from his apparently active connection with the Pilgrim
-movement, and the evident cancellation of the first patent issued to him
-in its interest, by the (London) Virginia Company, have never been
-satisfactorily explained. Wincob (or Wincop), we are told, "was a
-religious Gentleman, then belonging to the household of the Countess of
-Lincoln, who intended to go with them [the Pilgrims] but God so disposed
-as he never went, nor they ever made use of this Patent, which had cost
-them so much labor and charge." Wincob, it appears by the minutes of the
-(London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, May 26/June 5, 1619, was
-commended to the Company, for the patent he sought, by the fourth Earl of
-Lincoln, and it was doubtless through his influence that it was granted
-and sealed, June 9/19, 1619. But while Wincob was a member of the
-household of the Dowager Countess of Lincoln, mother of the fourth Earl
-of Lincoln; John, the eldest son of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, had married
-the Earl's daughter (sister ?), and hence Gorges stood in a much nearer
-relation to the Earl than did his mother's friend and dependant (as
-Wincob evidently was), as well as on a much more equal social footing.
-By the minutes of the (London) Virginia Company of Wednesday, February 2/
-12, 1619/20, it appears that a patent was "allowed and sealed to John
-Pierce and his associates, heirs and assigns," for practically the same
-territory for which the patent to Wincob had been given but eight months
-before. No explanation was offered, and none appears of record, but the
-logical conclusion is, that the first patent had been cancelled, that
-Master Wincob's personal interest in the Pilgrim exodus had ceased, and
-that the Lincoln patronage had been withdrawn. It is a rational
-conjecture that Sir Ferdinando Gorges, through the relationship he
-sustained to the Earl, procured the withdrawal of Wincob and his patent,
-knowing that the success of his (Gorges's) plot would render the Wincob
-patent worthless, and that the theft of the colony, in his own interest,
-would be likely to breed "unpleasantness" between himself and Wincob's
-sponsors and friends among the Adventurers, many of whom were friends of
-the Earl of Lincoln.
-
-The Earl of Warwick, the man of highest social and political rank in the
-First (or London) Virginia Company, was, at about the same time, induced
-by Gorges to abandon his (the London) Company and unite with himself in
-securing from the Crown the charter of the "Council of Affairs for New
-England." The only inducements he could offer for the change must
-apparently have resided in the promised large results of plottings
-disclosed by him (Gorges), but he needed the influential and unscrupulous
-Earl for the promotion of his schemes, and won him, by some means, to an
-active partnership, which was doubtless congenial to both. The "fine
-Italian hand" of Sir Ferdinando hence appears at every stage, and in
-every phase, of the Leyden movement, from the mission of Weston to
-Holland, to the landing at Cape Cod, and every movement clearly indicates
-the crafty cunning, the skilful and brilliant manipulation, and the
-dogged determination of the man.
-
-That Weston was a most pliant and efficient tool in the hands of Gorges,
-"from start to finish" of this undertaking, is certainly apparent.
-Whether he was, from the outset, made fully aware of the sinister designs
-of the chief conspirator, and a party to them, admits of some doubt,
-though the conviction strengthens with study, that he was, from the
-beginning, 'particeps criminis'. If he was ever single-minded for the
-welfare of the Leyden brethren and the Adventurers, it must have been for
-a very brief time at the inception of the enterprise; and circumstances
-seem to forbid crediting him with honesty of purpose, even then. The
-weight of evidence indicates that he both knew, and was fully enlisted
-in, the entire plot of Gorges from the outset. In all its early stages
-he was its most efficient promoter, and seems to have given ample proof
-of his compliant zeal in its execution. His visit to the Leyden brethren
-in Holland was, apparently, wholly instigated by Gorges, as the latter
-complacently claims and collateral evidence proves. In his endeavor to
-induce the leaders to "break off with the Dutch," their pending
-negotiations for settlement at "Hudson's River," he evidently made
-capital of, and traded upon, his former kindness to some of them when
-they were in straits,--a most contemptible thing in itself, yet
-characteristic of the man. He led the Pilgrims to "break off" their
-dealings with the Dutch by the largest and most positive promises of
-greater advantages through him, few of which he ever voluntarily kept (as
-we see by John Robinson's sharp arraignment of him), his whole object
-being apparently to get the Leyden party into his control and that of his
-friends,--the most subtle and able of whom was Gorges. Bradford recites
-that Weston not only urged the Leyden leaders "not to meddle with ye
-Dutch," but also,--"not too much to depend on ye Virginia [London]
-Company," but to rely on himself and his friends. This strongly suggests
-active cooperation with Gorges, on Weston's part, at the outset, with the
-intent (if he could win them by any means, from allegiance to the First
-(London) Virginia Company), to lead the Leyden party, if possible, into
-Gorges's hands and under the control and patronage of the Second (or
-Plymouth) Virginia Company. Whatever the date may have been, at which
-(as Bradford states) the Leyden people "heard, both by Mr. Weston and
-others, yt sundrie Honble: Lords had obtained a large grante from ye king
-for ye more northerly parts of that countrie, derived out of ye Virginia
-patents, and wholly secluded from theire Governmente, and to be called by
-another name, viz. New England, unto which Mr. Weston and the chiefe of
-them begane to incline;" Bradford leaves us in no doubt as to Weston's
-attitude toward the matter itself. It is certain that the governor,
-writing from memory, long afterward, fixed the time at which the Honble:
-Lords had obtained "their large grante" much earlier than it could
-possibly have occurred, as we know the exact date of the patent for the,
-"Council for New England," and that the order for its issue was not given
-till just as the Pilgrims left Leyden; so that they could not have known
-of the actual "grante" till they reached Southampton. The essential
-fact, stated on this best of authority, is, that "Mr. Weston and the
-chiefe of them [their sponsors, i.e. Weston and Lord Warwick, both in
-league with Gorges] begane to incline to Gorges's new Council for New
-England." Such an attitude (evidently taken insidiously) meant, on
-Weston's part, of necessity, no less than treachery to his associates of
-the Adventurers; to the (London) Virginia Company, and to the Leyden
-company and their allied English colonists, in the interest of Sir
-Ferdinando Gorges and his schemes and of the new "Council" that Gorges
-was organizing. Weston's refusal to advance "a penny" to clear the
-departing Pilgrims from their port charges at Southampton; his almost
-immediate severance of connection with both the colonists and the
-Adventurers; and his early association with Gorges,--in open and
-disgraceful violation of all the formers' rights in New England,--to say
-nothing of his exhibition of a malevolence rarely exercised except toward
-those one has deeply wronged, all point to a complete and positive
-surrender of himself and his energies to the plot of Gorges, as a full
-participant, from its inception. In his review of the Anniversary Address
-of Hon. Charles Francis Adams (of July 4, 1892, at Quincy), Daniel W.
-Baker, Esq., of Boston, says: "The Pilgrim Fathers were influenced in
-their decision to come to New England by Weston, who, if not the agent of
-Gorges in this particular matter, was such in other matters and held
-intimate relations with him."
-
-The known facts favor the belief that Gorges's cogitations on colonial
-matters--especially as stimulated by his plottings in relation to the
-Leyden people--led to his project of the grant--and charter for the new
-"Council for New England," designed and constituted to supplant, or
-override, all others. It is highly probable that this grand scheme
---duly embellished by the crafty Gorges,--being unfolded to Weston, with
-suggestions of great opportunities for Weston himself therein, warmed and
-drew him, and brought him to full and zealous cooperation in all Gorges's
-plans, and that from this time, as Bradford states, he "begane to
-incline" toward, and to suggest to the Pilgrims, association with Gorges
-and the new "Council." Not daring openly to declare his change of
-allegiance and his perfidy, he undertook, apparently, at first, by
-suggestions, e.g. "not to place too much dependence on the London
-Company, but to rely on himself and friends;" that "the fishing of New
-England was good," etc.; and making thus no headway, then, by a policy of
-delay, fault finding, etc., to breed dissatisfaction, on the Pilgrims'
-part, with the Adventurers, the patent of Wincob, etc., with the hope of
-bringing about "a new deal" in the Gorges interest. The same "delays" in
-sailing, that have been adduced as proof of Jones's complicity with the
-Dutch, would have been of equal advantage to these noble schemers, and if
-he had any hand in them-which does not appear--it would have been far
-more likely in the interest of his long-time patron, the Earl of Warwick,
-and of his friends, than of any Dutch conspirators.
-
-Once the colonists were landed upon the American soil, especially if late
-in the season, they would not be likely, it doubtless was argued, to
-remove; while by a liberal policy on the part of the "Council for New
-England" toward them--when they discovered that they were upon its
-territory--they could probably be retained. That just such a policy was,
-at once and eagerly, adopted toward them, as soon as occasion permitted,
-is good proof that the scheme was thoroughly matured from the start. The
-record of the action of the "Council for New England"--which had become
-the successor of the Second Virginia Company before intelligence was
-received that the Pilgrims had landed on its domain--is not at hand,
-but it appears by the record of the London Company, under date of Monday,
-July 16/26, 1621, that the "Council for New England" had promptly made
-itself agreeable to the colonists. The record reads: "It was moved,
-seeing that Master John Pierce had taken a Patent of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges, and thereupon seated his Company [the Pilgrims] within the limits
-of the Northern Plantations, as by some was supposed,"' etc. From this
-it is plain that, on receipt by Pierce of the news that the colony was
-landed within the limits of the "Council for New England," he had, as
-instructed, applied for, and been given (June 1, 1621), the (first)
-"Council" patent for the colony. For confirmation hereof one should see
-also the minutes of the "Council for New England" of March 25/April 4.,
-1623, and the fulsome letter of Robert Cushman returning thanks in behalf
-of the Planters (through John Pierce), to Gorges, for his prompt response
-to their request for a patent and for his general complacency toward them
-Hon. James Phinney Baxter, Gorges's able and faithful biographer, says:
-"We can imagine with what alacrity he [Sir Ferdinando] hastened to give
-to Pierce a patent in their behalf." The same biographer, clearly
-unconscious of the well-laid plot of Gorges and Warwick (as all other
-writers but Neill and Davis have been), bears testimony (all the stronger
-because the witness is unwitting of the intrigue), to the ardent interest
-Gorges had in its success. He says: "The warm desire of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges to see a permanent colony founded within the domain of the
-Plymouth [or Second] Virginia Company was to be realized in a manner of
-which he had never dreamed [sic!] and by a people with whom he had but
-little sympathized, although we know that he favored their settlement
-within the territorial limits of the Plymouth [Second] Company." He had
-indeed "favored their settlement," by all the craft of which he was
-master, and greeted their expected and duly arranged advent with all the
-jubilant open-handedness with which the hunter treats the wild horse he
-has entrapped, and hopes to domesticate and turn to account. Everything
-favored the conspirators. The deflection north-ward from the normal
-course of the ship as she approached the coast, bound for the latitude of
-the Hudson, required only to be so trifling that the best sailor of the
-Pilgrim leaders would not be likely to note or criticise it, and it was
-by no means uncommon to make Cape Cod as the first landfall on Virginia
-voyages. The lateness of the arrival on the coast, and the difficulties
-ever attendant on doubling Cape Cod, properly turned to account, would
-increase the anxiety for almost any landing-place, and render it easy to
-retain the sea-worn colonists when once on shore. The grand advantage,
-however, over and above all else, was the entire ease and certainty with
-which the cooperation of the one man essential to the success of the
-undertaking could be secured, without need of the privity of any other,
-viz. the Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas Jones.
-
-Let us see upon what the assumption of this ready and certain accord on
-the part of Captain Jones rests. Rev. Dr. Neill, whose thorough study of
-the records of the Virginia Companies, and of the East India Company
-Calendars and collateral data, entitles him to speak with authority,
-recites that, "In 1617, Capt. Thomas Jones (sometimes spelled Joanes) had
-been sent to the East Indies in command of the ship LION by the Earl of
-Warwick (then Sir Robt. Rich), under a letter of protection from the Duke
-of Savoy, a foreign prince, ostensibly 'to take pirates,' which [pretext]
-had grown, as Sir Thomas Roe (the English ambassador with the Great
-Mogul) states, 'to be a common pretence for becoming pirate.'" Caught by
-the famous Captain Martin Pring, in full pursuit of the junk of the Queen
-Mother of the Great Mogul, Jones was attacked, his ship fired in the
-fight, and burned,--with some of his crew,--and he was sent a prisoner to
-England in the ship BULL, arriving in the Thames, January 1, 1618/19. No
-action seems to have been taken against him for his offences, and
-presumably his employer, Sir Robert, the coming Earl, obtained his
-liberty on one pretext or another. On January 19, however, complaint was
-made against Captain Jones, "late of the LION," by the East India
-Company, "for hiring divers men to serve the King of Denmark in the East
-Indies." A few days after his arrest for "hiring away the Company's men,
-Lord Warwick got him off" on the claim that he had employed him
-"to go to Virginia with cattle." From the "Transactions" of the Second
-Virginia Company, of which--as we have seen--Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
-the leading spirit, it appears that on "February 2, 1619/20, a commission
-was allowed Captain Thomas Jones of the FALCON, a ship of 150 tons" [he
-having been lately released from arrest by the Earl of Warwick's
-intercession], and that "before the close of the month, he sailed with
-cattle for Virginia," as previously noted. Dr. Neill, than whom there
-can be no better authority, was himself satisfied, and unequivocally
-states, that "Thomas Jones, Captain of the MAY-FLOWER, was without doubt
-the old servant of Lord Warwick in the East Indies." Having done Sir
-Robert Rich's (the Earl of Warwick's) "dirty work" for years, and having
-on all occasions been saved from harm by his noble patron (even when
-piracy and similar practices had involved him in the meshes of the law),
-it would be but a trifling matter, at the request of such powerful
-friends as the Earl and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, to steal the Pilgrim
-Colony from the London Virginia Company, and hand it over bodily to the
-"Council for New England,"--the successor of the Second (Plymouth)
-Virginia Company,--in which their interests were vested, Warwick having,
-significantly, transferred his membership from the London Company to the
-new "Council for New England," as it was commonly called. Neill states,
-and there is abundant proof, that "the Earl of Warwick and Gorges were in
-sympathy," and were active coadjutors, while it is self-evident that both
-would be anxious to accomplish the permanent settlement of the "Northern
-Plantations" held by their Company. That they would hesitate to utilize
-so excellent an opportunity to secure so very desirable a colony, by any
-means available, our knowledge of the men and their records makes it
-impossible to believe,--while nothing could apparently have been easier
-of accomplishment. It will readily be understood that if the
-conspirators were these men,--upon whose grace the Pilgrims must depend
-for permission to remain upon the territory to which they had been
-inveigled, or even for permission to depart from it, without spoliation,
---men whose influence with the King (no friend to the Pilgrims) was
-sufficient to make both of them, in the very month of the Pilgrims'
-landing, "governors" of "The Council for New England," under whose
-authority the Planters must remain,--the latter were not likely to voice
-their suspicions of the trick played upon them, if they discovered it,
-or openly to resent it, when known. Dr. Dexter, in commenting on the
-remark of Bradford, "We made Master Jones our leader, for we thought it
-best herein to gratifie his kindness & forwardness," sensibly says,
-"This proves nothing either way, in regard to the charge which Secretary
-Morton makes of treachery against Jones, in landing the company so far
-north, because, if that were true, it was not known to any of the company
-for years afterward, and of course could not now [at that time] impair
-their feelings of confidence in, or kindness towards, him. Moreover,
-the phraseology, "we thought it best to gratifie," suggests rather
-considerations of policy than cordial desire, and their acquaintance,
-too, with the man was still young. There is, however, no evidence that
-Jones's duplicity was suspected till long afterward, though his
-character was fully recognized. Gorges himself furnishes, in his
-writings, the strongest confirmation we have of the already apparent
-fact, that he was himself the prime conspirator. He says, in his own
-"Narration," "It was referred [evidently by himself] to their [the London
-Virginia Company's] consideration, how necessary it was that means might
-be used to draw unto those their enterprises, some of those families that
-had retired themselves into Holland for scruple of conscience, giving
-them such freedom and liberty as might stand with their liking." When
-have we ever found Sir Ferdinando Gorges thus solicitous for the success
-of the rival Virginia Company? Why, if he so esteemed the Leyden people
-as excellent colonists, did he not endeavor to secure them himself
-directly, for his own languishing company? Certainly the "scruple of
-conscience" of the Leyden brethren did not hinder him, for he found it no
-bar, though of the Established Church himself, to giving them instantly
-all and more than was asked in their behalf, as soon as he had them upon
-his territory and they had applied for a patent. He well knew that it
-would be matter of some expense and difficulty to bring the Leyden
-congregation into agreement to go to either of the Virginia grants, and
-he doubtless, and with good reason, feared that his repute and the
-character and reputation of his own Company, with its past history of
-failure, convict settlers, and loose living, would be repellent to these
-people of "conscience." If they could be brought to the "going-point,"
-by men more of their ilk, like Sir Edwin Sandys, Weston, and others, it
-would then be time to see if he could not pluck the ripe fruit for
-himself,--as he seems to have done.
-
-"This advice," he says, "being hearkened unto, there were [those] that
-undertook the putting it in practice [Weston and others] and it was
-accordingly brought to effect," etc. Then, reciting (erroneously) the
-difficulties with the SPEEDWELL, etc., he records the MAY-FLOWER'S
-arrival at Cape Cod, saying, "The . . . ship with great difficulty
-reached the coast of New England." He then gives a glowing, though
-absurd, account of the attractions the planters found--in midwinter
---especially naming the hospitable reception of the Indians, despite the
-fact of the savage attack made upon them by the Nausets at Cape Cod, and
-adds: "After they had well considered the state of their affairs and
-found that the authority they had from the London Company of Virginia,
-could not warrant their abode in that place," which "they found so
-prosperous and pleasing [sic] they hastened away their ship, with orders
-to their Solicitor to deal with me to be a means they might have a grant
-from the Council of New England Affairs, to settle in the place, which
-was accordingly performed to their particular satisfaction and good
-content of them all." One can readily imagine the crafty smile with
-which Sir Ferdinando thus guilelessly recorded the complete success of
-his plot. It is of interest to note how like a needle to the pole the
-grand conspirator's mind flies to the fact which most appeals to him
---that they find "that the authority they had . . . could not warrant
-their abode in that place." It is of like interest to observe that in
-that place which he called "pleasant and prosperous" one half their own
-and of the ship's company had died before they hastened the ship away,
-and they had endured trial, hardships, and sorrows untellable,--although
-from pluck and principle they would not abandon it. He tells us "they
-hastened away their ship," and implies that it was for the chief purpose
-of obtaining through him a grant of the land they occupied. While we
-know that the ship did not return till the following April,--and then at
-her Captain's rather than the Pilgrims' pleasure,--it is evident that
-Gorges could think of events only as incident to his designs and from his
-point of view. His plot had succeeded. He had the "Holland families"
-upon his soil, and his willing imagination converted their sober and
-deliberate action into the eager haste with which he had planned that
-they should fly to him for the patent, which his cunning had--as he
-purposed--rendered necessary. Of course their request "was performed,"
-and so readily and delightedly that, recognizing John Pierce as their
-mouthpiece and the plantation as "Mr. Pierces Plantation," Sir Ferdinando
-and his associates--the "Council for New England," including his
-joint-conspirator, the Earl of Warwick--gave Pierce unhesitatingly
-whatever he asked. The Hon. William T. Davis, who alone among Pilgrim
-historians (except Dr. Neill, whom he follows) seems to have suspected
-the hand of Gorges in the treachery of Captain Jones, here demonstrated,
-has suggested that: "Whether Gorges might not have influenced Pierce, in
-whose name the patent of the Pilgrims had been issued--and whether both
-together might not have seduced Capt. Jones, are further considerations
-to be weighed, in solving the problem of a deviation from the intended
-voyage of the MAYFLOWER." Although not aware of these suggestions,
-either of Mr. Davis or of Dr. Neill, till his own labors had satisfied
-him of Gorges's guilt, and his conclusions were formed, the author
-cheerfully recognizes the priority to his own demonstration, of the
-suggestions of both these gentlemen. No thing appears of record,
-however, to indicate that John Pierce was in any way a party to Gorges's
-plot. On the contrary, as his interest was wholly allied to his patent,
-which Gorges's scheme would render of little value to his associate
-Adventurers and himself he would naturally have been, unless heavily
-bribed to duplicity beyond his expectations from their intended venture,
-the last man to whom to disclose such a conspiracy. Neither was he
-necessary in any way to the success of the scheme. He did not hire
-either the ship or her master; he does not appear to have had any
-Pilgrim relations to Captain Jones, and certainly could have had no such
-influence with him as Gorges could himself command, through Warwick and
-his own ability--from his position at the head of the "New England
-Council"--to reward the service he required. That Gorges was able
-himself to exert all the influence requisite to secure Jones's
-cooperation, without the aid of Pierce, who probably could have given
-none, is evident. Mr. Davis's suggestion, while pertinent and potential
-as to Gorges, is clearly wide of the mark as to Pierce. He represented
-the Adventurers in the matter of patents only, but Weston was in
-authority as to the pivotal matter of shipping. An evidently hasty
-footnote of Dr. Neill, appended to the "Memorial" offered by him to the
-Congress of the United States, in 1868, seems to have been the only
-authority of Mr. William T. Davis for the foregoing suggestion as to the
-complicity of Pierce in the treachery of Captain Jones, except the bare
-suspicion, already alluded to, in the records of the London Company.
-Neill says: "Captain Jones, the navigator of the MAY-FLOWER, and John
-Pierce, probably had arranged as to destination without the knowledge of
-the passengers." While of course this is not impossible, there is, as
-stated, absolutely nothing to indicate any knowledge, participation, or
-need of Pierce in the matter, and of course the fewer there were in the
-secret the better.
-
-Unobservant that John Pierce was acting upon the old adage, "second thief
-best owner," when he asked, a little later, even so extraordinary a thing
-as that the "Council for New England" would exchange the patent they had
-so promptly granted him (as representing his associates, the Adventurers
-and Planters) for a "deed-pole," or title in fee, to himself alone, they
-instantly complied, and thus unwittingly enabled him also to steal the
-colony, and its demesne beside. It is evident, from the very servile
-letter of Robert Cushman to John Pierce (written while the former was at
-New Plymouth, in November-December, 1621, on behalf of the MAY-FLOWER
-Adventurers), that up to that time at least, the Pilgrims had no
-suspicion of the trick which had been played upon them. For, while too
-adroit recklessly to open a quarrel with those who could--if they chose
---destroy them, the Pilgrims were far too high-minded to stoop to flattery
-and dissimulation (especially with any one known to have been guilty of
-treachery toward them), or to permit any one to do so in their stead.
-In the letter referred to, Cush man acknowledges in the name of the
-colonists the "bounty and grace of the President and Council of the
-Affairs of New England [Gorges, Warwick, et als.] for their allowance and
-approbation" of the "free possession and enjoyment" of the territory and
-rights so promptly granted Pierce by the Council, in the colonists'
-interest, upon application. If the degree of promptness with which the
-wily Gorges and his associates granted the petition of Pierce, in the
-colony's behalf for authority to occupy the domain to which Gorges's
-henchman Jones had so treacherously conveyed them, was at all
-proportionate to the fulsome and lavish acknowledgments of Cushman,
-there must have been such eagerness of compliance as to provoke general
-suspicion at the Council table. Gorges and Warwick must have "grinned
-horribly behind their hands" upon receipt of the honest thanks of these
-honest planters and the pious benedictions of their scribe, knowing
-themselves guilty of detestable conspiracy and fraud, which had
-frustrated an honest purpose, filched the results of others' labors, and
-had "done to death" good men and women not a few. Winslow, in
-"Hypocrisie Unmasked," says: "We met with many dangers and the mariners'
-put back into the harbor of the Cape." The original intent of the
-Pilgrims to go to the neighborhood of the Hudson is unmistakable; that
-this intention was still clear on the morning of November 10 (not 9th)
---after they had "made the land"--has been plainly shown; that there was
-no need of so "standing in with the land" as to become entangled in the
-"rips" and "shoals" off what is now known as Monomoy (in an effort to
-pass around the Cape to the southward, when there was plenty of open
-water to port), is clear and certain; that the dangers and difficulties
-were magnified by Jones, and the abandonment of the effort was urged and
-practically made by him, is also evident from Winslow's language above
-noted,--"and the mariners put back," etc. No indication of the old-time
-consultations with the chief men appears here as to the matter of the
-return. Their advice was not desired. "The mariners put back" on their
-own responsibility.
-
-Goodwin forcibly remarks, "These waters had been navigated by Gosnold,
-Smith, and various English and French explorers, whose descriptions and
-charts must have been familiar to a veteran master like Jones. He
-doubtless magnified the danger of the passage [of the shoals], and managed
-to have only such efforts made as were sure to fail. Of course he knew
-that by standing well out, and then southward in the clear sea, he would
-be able to bear up for the Hudson. His professed inability to devise any
-way for getting south of the Cape is strong proof of guilt."
-
-The sequential acts of the Gorges conspiracy were doubtless practically
-as follows:--
-
-(a) The Leyden leaders applied to the States General of Holland, through
-the New Netherland Company, for their aid and protection in locating at
-the mouth of "Hudson's" River;
-
-(b) Sir Dudley Carleton, the English ambassador at the Hague, doubtless
-promptly reported these negotiations to the King, through Sir Robert
-Naunton;
-
-(c) The King, naturally enough, probably mentioned the matter to his
-intimate and favorite, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the leading man in American
-colonization matters in the kingdom;
-
-(d) Sir Ferdinando Gorges, recognizing the value of such colonists as the
-Leyden congregation would make, anxious to secure them, instead of
-permitting the Dutch to do so, and knowing that he and his Company would
-be obnoxious to the Leyden leaders, suggested, as he admits, to Weston,
-perhaps to Sandys, as the Leyden brethren's friends, that they ought to
-secure them as colonists for their (London) Company;
-
-(e) Weston was dispatched to Holland to urge the Leyden leaders to drop
-the Dutch negotiations, come under English auspices, which he guaranteed,
-and they, placing faith in him, and possibly in Sandys's assurances of
-his (London) Virginia Company's favor, were led to put themselves
-completely into the hands of Weston and the Merchant Adventurers; the
-Wincob patent was cancelled and Pierces substituted;
-
-(f) Weston, failing to lead them to Gorges's company, was next deputed,
-perhaps by Gorges's secret aid, to act with full powers for the
-Adventurers, in securing shipping, etc.;
-
-(g) Having made sure of the Leyden party, and being in charge of the
-shipping, Weston was practically master of the situation. He and
-Cushman, who was clearly entirely innocent of the conspiracy, had the
-hiring of the ship and of her officers, and at this point he and his acts
-were of vital importance to Gorges's plans. To bring the plot to a
-successful issue it remained only to effect the landing of the colony
-upon territory north of the 41st parallel of north latitude, to take it
-out of the London Company's jurisdiction, and to do this it was only
-necessary to make Jones Master of the ship and to instruct him
-accordingly. This, with so willing a servant of his masters, was a
-matter of minutes only, the instructions were evidently given, and the
-success of the plot--the theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony--was assured.
-
-To a careful and candid student of all the facts, the proofs are
-seemingly unmistakable, and the conclusion is unavoidable, that the
-MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims were designedly brought to Cape Cod by Captain
-Jones, and their landing in that latitude was effected, in pursuance of
-a conspiracy entered into by him, not with the Dutch, but with certain
-of the nobility of England; not with the purpose of keeping the planters
-out of Dutch territory, but with the deliberate intent of stealing the
-colony from the London Virginia Company, under whose auspices it had
-organized and set sail, in the interest, and to the advantage, of its
-rival Company of the "Northern Plantations."
-
-It is noteworthy that Jones did not command the MAY-FLOWER for another
-voyage, and never sailed afterward in the employ of Thomas Goffe, Esq.,
-or (so far as appears) of any reputable shipowner. Weston was not such,
-nor were the chiefs of the "Council for New England," in whose employ he
-remained till his death.
-
-The records of the Court of the "Council" show, that "as soon as it would
-do," and when his absence would tend to lull suspicion as to the parts
-played, Captain Jones's noble patrons took steps to secure for him due
-recognition and compensation for his services, from the parties who were
-to benefit directly, with themselves, by his knavery. The records read:
-
-"July 17, 1622. A motion was made in the behaffe of Captaine Thomas
-Jones, Captaine of the DISCOVERY, nowe employed in Virginia for trade and
-fishinge [it proved, apparently, rather to be piracy], that he may be
-admitted a freeman in this Companie in reward of the good service he hath
-there [Virginia in general] performed. The Court liked well of the
-motion and condiscended thereunto." The DISCOVERY left London at the
-close of November, 1621. She arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in April,
-1622. She reached Plymouth, New England, in August, 1622. Her outward
-voyage was not, so far as can be learned, eventful, or entitled to
-especial consideration or recognition, and the good store of English
-trading-goods she still had on hand--as Governor Bradford notices--on
-her arrival at Plymouth indicates no notable success up to that time, in
-the way of a trading-voyage, while "fishing" is not mentioned. For
-piracy, in which she was later more successful, she had then had neither
-time nor opportunity. The conclusion is irresistible, that "the good
-service" recognized by the vote recorded was of the past (he had sailed
-only the MAY-FLOWER voyage for the "Council" before), and that this
-recognition was a part of the compensation previously agreed upon, if,
-in the matter of the MAY-FLOWER voyage, Captain Jones did as he was
-bidden. Thus much of the crafty Master of the MAY-FLOWER, Captain Thomas
-Jones,--his Christian name and identity both apparently beyond dispute,
---whom we first know in the full tide of his piratical career, in the
-corsair LION in Eastern seas; whom we next find as a prisoner in London
-for his misconduct in the East, but soon Master of the cattle-ship FALCON
-on her Virginia voyage; whom we greet next--and best--as Admiral of the
-Pilgrim fleet, commander of the destiny freighted MAY-FLOWER, and though
-a conspirator with nobles against the devoted band he steered, under the
-overruling hand of their Lord God, their unwitting pilot to "imperial
-labors" and mighty honors, to the founding of empire, and to eternal
-Peace; whom we next meet--fallen, "like Lucifer, never to hope again"
---as Captain of the little buccaneer,--the DISCOVERY, disguised as a
-trading-ship, on the Virginian and New England coasts; and lastly, in
-charge of his leaking prize, a Spanish frigate in West Indian waters,
-making his way--death-stricken--into the Virginia port of Jamestown,
-where (July, 1625), he "cast anchor" for the last time, dying, as we
-first found him, a pirate, to whom it had meantime been given to
-"minister unto saints."
-
-Of JOHN CLARKE, the first mate of the MAY-FLOWER, we have already learned
-that he had been in the employ of the First (or London) Virginia Company,
-and had but just returned (in June, 1620) from a voyage to Virginia with
-Captain Jones in the FALCON, when found and employed by Weston and
-Cushman for the Pilgrim ship. Dr. Neill quotes from the "Minutes of the
-London Virginia Company," of Wednesday, February 13/23, 1621/2, the
-following; which embodies considerable information concerning him:--
-
-"February 13th, 1621. Master Deputy acquainted the Court, that one Master
-John Clarke being taken from Virginia long since [Arber interpolates,
-"in 1612"] by a Spanish ship that came to discover the Plantation, that
-forasmuch as he hath since that time done the Company presumably the
-First (or London) Virginia Company good service in many voyages to
-Virginia; and, of late [1619] went into Ireland, for the transportation of
-cattle to Virginia; he was a humble suitor to this Court that he might be
-a Free brother of the Company, and have some shares of land bestowed upon
-him."
-
-From the foregoing he seems to have begun his American experiences as
-early as 1612, and to have frequently repeated them. That he was at once
-hired by Weston and Cushman as a valuable man, as soon as found, was not
-strange.
-
-He seems to have had the ability to impress men favorably and secure
-their confidence, and to have been a modest and reliable man. Although
-of both experience and capacity, he continued an under-officer for some
-years after the Pilgrim voyage, when, it is fair to suppose, he might
-have had command of a ship. He seems to have lacked confidence in
-himself, or else the breadth of education necessary to make him trust his
-ability as a navigator.
-
-He is not mentioned, in connection with the affairs of the Pilgrims,
-after he was hired as "pilot,"--on Saturday afternoon the 10th of June,
-1620, at London,--until after the arrival at Cape Cod, and evidently was
-steadily occupied during all the experience of "getting away" and of the
-voyage, in the faithful performance of his duty as first mate (or
-"pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER. It was not until the "third party" of
-exploration from Cape Cod harbor was organized and set out, on Wednesday,
-December 6, that he appeared as one of the company who put out in the
-shallop, to seek the harbor which had been commended by Coppin, "the
-second mate." On this eventful voyage--when the party narrowly escaped
-shipwreck at the mouth of Plymouth harbor--they found shelter under the
-lee of an island, which (it being claimed traditionally that he was first
-to land there on) was called, in his honor, "Clarke's Island," which name
-it retains to this day. No other mention of him is made by name, in the
-affairs of ship or shore, though it is known inferentially that he
-survived the general illness which attacked and carried off half of the
-ship's company. In November, 1621,--the autumn following his return from
-the Pilgrim voyage,--he seems to have gone to Virginia as "pilot" (or
-"mate") of the FLYING HART, with cattle of Daniel Gookin, and in 1623 to
-have attained command of a ship, the PROVIDENCE, belonging to Mr. Gookin,
-on a voyage to Virginia where he arrived April 10, 1623, but died in that
-colony soon after his arrival. He seems to have been a competent and
-faithful man, who filled well his part in life. He will always have
-honorable mention as the first officer of the historic MAY-FLOWER, and as
-sponsor at the English christening of the smiling islet in Plymouth
-harbor which bears his name.
-
-Of ROBERT COPPIN, the "second mate" (or "pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER,
-nothing is known before his voyage in the Pilgrim ship, except that he
-seems to have made a former to the coast of New England and the vicinity
-of Cape Cod, though under what auspices, or in what ship, does not
-transpire. Bradford says: "Their Pilotte, one Mr. Coppin, who had been
-in the countrie before." Dr. Young a suggests that Coppin was perhaps on
-the coast with Smith or Hunt. Mrs. Austin imaginatively makes him, of
-"the whaling bark SCOTSMAN of Glasgow," but no warrant whatever for such
-a conception appears.
-
-Dr. Dexter, as elsewhere noted, has said: "My impression is that Coppin
-was originally hired to go in the SPEEDWELL, . . . that he sailed with
-them [the Pilgrims] in the SPEED WELL, but on her final putting back was
-transferred to the MAY-FLOWER." As we have seen in another relation,
-Dr. Dexter also believed Coppin to have been the "pilot" sent over by
-Cushman to Leyden, in May, 1620, and we have found both views to be
-untenable. It was doubtless because of this mistaken view that Dr.
-Dexter believed that Coppin was "hired to go in the SPEEDWELL," and, the
-premise being wrong, the conclusion is sequentially incorrect. But there
-are abundant reasons for thinking that Dexter's "impression" is wholly
-mistaken. It would be unreasonable to suppose (as both vessels were
-expected to cross the ocean), that each had not--certainly on leaving
-Southampton her full complement of officers. If so, each undoubtedly had
-her second mate. The MAY-FLOWER'S officers and crew were, as we know,
-hired for the voyage, and there is no good reason to suppose that the
-second mate of the MAY-FLOWER was dismissed at Plymouth and Coppin put in
-his place which would not be equally potent for such an exchange between
-the first mate of the SPEEDWELL and Clarke of the MAY-FLOWER. The
-assumption presumes too much. In fact, there can be no doubt that
-Dexter's misconception was enbased upon, and arose from, the unwarranted
-impression that Coppin was the "pilot" sent over to Leyden. It is not
-likely that, when the SPEEDWELL'S officers were so evidently anxious to
-escape the voyage, they would seek transfer to the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Charles Deane, the editor of Bradford's "Historie" (ed.1865), makes,
-in indexing, the clerical error of referring to Coppin as the
-"master-gunner," an error doubtless occasioned by the fact that in the
-text referred to, the words, "two of the masters-mates, Master Clarke
-and Master Coppin, the master-gunner," etc., were run so near together
-that the mistake was readily made.
-
-In "Mourt's Relation" it appears that in the conferences that were held
-aboard the ship in Cape Cod harbor, as to the most desirable place for
-the colonists to locate, "Robert Coppin our pilot, made relation of a
-great navigable river and great harbor in the headland of the Bay, almost
-right over against Cape Cod, being a right line not much above eight
-leagues distant," etc. Mrs. Jane G. Austin asserts, though absolutely
-without warrant of any reliable authority, known tradition, or
-probability, that "Coppin's harbor . . . afterward proved to be Cut
-River and the site of Marshfield," but in another place she contradicts
-this by stating that it was "Jones River, Duxbury." As Coppin described
-his putative harbor, called "Thievish Harbor," a "great navigable river
-and good harbor" were in close relation, which was never true of either
-the Jones River or "Cut River" localities, while any one familiar with
-the region knows that what Mrs. Austin knew as "Cut River" had no
-existence in the Pilgrims' early days, but was the work of man,
-superseding a small river-mouth (Green Harbor River), which was so
-shallow as to have its exit closed by the sand-shift of a single storm.
-
-Young, with almost equal recklessness, says: "The other headland of the
-bay," alluded to by Coppin, was Manomet Point, and the river was probably
-the North River in Scituate; but there are no "great navigable river and
-good harbor" in conjunction in the neighborhood of Manomet, or of the
-North River,--the former having no river and the latter no harbor. If
-Coppin had not declared that he had never seen the mouth of Plymouth
-harbor before ("mine eyes never saw this place before"), it might readily
-have been believed that Plymouth harbor was the "Thievish Harbor" of his
-description, so well do they correspond.
-
-Goodwin, the brother of Mrs. Austin, quite at variance with his sister's
-conclusions, states, with every probability confirming him, that the
-harbor Coppin sought "may have been Boston, Ipswich, Newburyport, or
-Portsmouth."
-
-As a result of his "relation" as to a desirable harbor, Coppin was made
-the "pilot" of the "third expedition," which left the ship in the
-shallop, Wednesday, December 6, and, after varying disasters and a narrow
-escape from shipwreck--through Coppin's mistake--landed Friday night
-after dark, in the storm, on the island previously mentioned, ever since
-called "Clarke's Island," at the mouth of Plymouth harbor.
-
-Nothing further is known of Coppin except that he returned to England
-with the ship. He has passed into history only as Robert Coppin, "the
-second mate" (or "pilot") of the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-
-But one other officer in merchant ships of the MAY-FLOWER class in her
-day was dignified by the address of "Master" (or Mister), or had rank
-with the Captain and Mates as a quarter-deck officer,--except in those
-instances where a surgeon or a chaplain was carried. That the MAY-FLOWER
-carried no special ship's-surgeon has been supposed from the fact of Dr.
-Fuller's attendance alike on her passengers and crew, and the increased
-mortality of the seamen--after his removal on shore.
-
- [The author is greatly indebted to his esteemed friend, Mr. George
- Ernest Bowman, Secretary-General of the Society of MAY-FLOWER
- Descendants, for information of much value upon this point. He
- believes that he has discovered trustworthy evidence of the
- existence of a small volume bearing upon its title-page an
- inscription that would certainly indicate that the MAY-FLOWER had
- her own surgeon. A copy of the inscription, which Mr. Bowman
- declares well attested (the book not being within reach), reads as
- follows:--
- "To Giles Heale Chirurgeon,
- from Isaac Allerton
- in Virginia.
- Feb. 10, 1620."
-
- Giles Heale's name will be recognized as that of one of the
- witnesses to John Carver's copy of William Mullens's nuncupative
- will, and, if he was the ship's-surgeon, might very naturally appear
- in that relation. If book and inscription exist and the latter is
- genuine, it would be indubitable proof that Heale (who was surely
- not a MAY-FLOWER passenger) was one of the ship's company, and if a
- "chirurgeon," the surgeon of the ship, for no other Englishmen,
- except those of the colonists and the ship's company, could have
- been at New Plymouth, at the date given, and New England was then
- included in the term "Virginia." It is much to be hoped that Mr.
- Bowman's belief may be established, and that in Giles Heale we shall
- have another known officer, the surgeon, of the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
-That she had no chaplain goes without saying. The Pilgrims had their
-spiritual adviser with them in the person of Elder Brewster, and were not
-likely to tolerate a priest of either the English or the Romish church on
-a vessel carrying them. The officer referred to was the representative
-of the business interests of the owner or chartering-party, on whose
-account the ship made the voyage; and in that day was known as the
-"ship's-merchant," later as the "purser," and in some relations as the
-"supercargo." No mention of an officer thus designated, belonging to the
-MAY-FLOWER, has ever been made by any writer, so far as known, and it
-devolves upon the author to indicate his existence and to establish, so
-far as possible, both this and his identity.
-
-A certain "Master Williamson," whose name and presence, though but once
-mentioned by Governor Bradford, have greatly puzzled Pilgrim historians,
-seems to have filled this berth on board the MAY-FLOWER. Bradford tells
-us that on Thursday, March 22, 1620/21, "Master Williamson" was
-designated to accompany Captain Standish--practically as an officer
-of the guard--to receive and escort the Pokanoket chief, Massasoit,
-to Governor Carver, on the occasion of the former's first visit of state.
-Prior to the recent discovery in London, by an American genealogist, of a
-copy of the nuncupative will of Master William Mullens, one of the
-MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims, clearly dictated to Governor John Carver on board
-the ship, in the harbor of New Plymouth (probably) Wednesday, February
-21, 1620 (though not written out by Carver till April 2, 1620), on which
-day (as we learn from Bradford), Master Mullens died, no other mention
-of "Master Williamson" than that above quoted was known, and his very
-existence was seriously questioned. In this will, as elsewhere noted,
-"Master Williamson" is named as one of the "Overseers." By most early
-writers it was held that Bradford had unwittingly substituted the name
-"Williamson" for that of Allerton, and this view--apparently for no
-better reasons than that both names had two terminal letters in common,
-and that Allerton was associated next day with Standish on some military
-duty--came to be generally accepted, and Allerton's name to be even
-frequently substituted without question.---Miss Marcia A. Thomas, in her
-"Memorials of Marshfield" (p. 75), says: "In 1621, Master Williamson,
-Captain Standish, and Edward Winslow made a journey to make a treaty
-with Massasoit. He is called 'Master George,' meaning probably Master
-George Williamson," etc.
-
-This is certainly most absurd, and by one not familiar with the
-exceptional fidelity and the conscientious work of Miss Thomas would
-rightly be denounced as reckless and reprehensible fabrication. Of
-course Williamson, Standish, and Winslow made no such journey, and made
-no treaty with Massasoit, but aided simply in conducting, with due
-ceremonial, the first meeting between Governor John Carver and the Indian
-sachem at Plymouth, at which a treaty was concluded. There is no
-historical warrant whatever for the name of "George," as appertaining to
-"Master William son." The fact, however,--made known by the fortunate
-discovery mentioned,--that "Master Williamson" was named in his will by
-Master Mullens as one of its "Overseers," and undoubtedly probated the
-will in England, puts the existence of such a person beyond reasonable
-doubt. That he was a person of some dignity, and of very respectable
-position, is shown by the facts that he was chosen as Standish's
-associate, as lieutenant of the guard, on an occasion of so much
-importance, and was thought fit by Master Mullens, a careful and
-clear-headed man as his will proves,--to be named an "Overseer" of that
-will, charged with responsible duties to Mullens's children and
-property. It is practically certain that on either of the
-above-mentioned dates (February 21, or March 22) there were no human
-beings in the Colony of New Plymouth beside the passengers of the
-MAY-FLOWER, her officers and crew, and the native savages. Visitors, by
-way of the fishing vessels on the Maine coast, had not yet begun to
-come, as they did a little later. It is certain that no one of the name
-of "Williamson" was among the colonist passengers, or indeed for several
-years in the colony, and we may at once dismiss both the passengers and
-the savages from our consideration. This elimination renders it
-inevitable that "Master Williamson" must have been of the ship's
-company. It remains to determine, if possible, what position upon the
-MAY-FLOWER'S roster he presumably held. His selection by "Master"
-Mullens as one of the "Over seers" of his will suggests the probability
-that, having named Governor Carver as the one upon whom he would rely
-for the care of his family and affairs in New England, Mr. Mullens
-sought as the other a proper person, soon to return to England, and
-hence able to exercise like personal interest in his two children and
-his considerable property left there? Such a suggestion points to a
-returning and competent officer of the ship. That "Master Williamson"
-was above the grade of "petty officer," and ranked at least with the
-mates or "pilots," is clear from the fact that he is invariably styled
-"Master" (equivalent to Mister), and we know with certainty that he was
-neither captain nor mate. That he was a man of address and courage
-follows the fact that he was chosen by Standish as his lieutenant, while
-the choice in and of itself is a strong bit of presumptive proof that he
-held the position on the MAY-FLOWER to which he is here assigned.
-
-The only officer commonly carried by a ship of the MAY-FLOWER class,
-whose rank, capacities, and functions would comport with every fact and
-feature of the case, was "the ship's-merchant," her accountant, factor,
-and usually--when such was requisite--her "interpreter," on every
-considerable (trading) voyage.
-
-It is altogether probable that it was in his capacity of "interpreter"
-(as Samoset and Tisquantum knew but little English), and on account of
-what knowledge of the Indian tongue he very probably possessed, that
-Standish chose Williamson as his associate for the formal reception of
-Massasoit. It is indeed altogether probable that it was this familiarity
-with the "trade lingo" of the American coast tribes which influenced
---perhaps determined--his employment as "ship's-merchant" of the
-MAY-FLOWER for her Pilgrim voyage, especially as she was expected to
-"load back" for England with the products of the country, only to be had
-by barter with the Indians. It is evident that there must naturally
-have been some provision made for communication with the natives, for
-the purposes of that trade, etc., which the Planters hoped to establish.
-Trading along the northern coast of Virginia (as the whole coast strip
-was then called), principally for furs, had been carried on pretty
-actively, since 1584, by such navigators as Raleigh's captains, Gosnold,
-Pring, Champlain, Smith, Dermer, Hunt, and the French and Dutch, and
-much of the "trade lingo" of the native tribes had doubtless been
-"picked up" by their different "ship's-merchants." It appears by
-Bradford' that Dermer, when coasting the shores of New England, in Sir
-Ferdinando Gorges's employ, brought the Indian Tisquantum with him, from
-England, as his interpreter, and doubtless from him Dermer and other
-ship's officers "picked up" more or less Indian phrases, as Tisquantum
-(Squanto) evidently did of English. Winslow, in his "Good Newes from
-New England," written in 1622, says of the Indian tongue, as spoken by
-the tribes about them at Plymouth, "it is very copious, large, and
-difficult. As yet we cannot attain to any great measure thereof, but
-can understand them, and explain ourselves to their understanding, by
-the help of those that daily converse with us." This being the case,
-after two years of constant communication, and noting how trivial
-knowledge of English speech Samoset and Tisquantum had, it is easy to
-understand that, if Williamson had any knowledge of the native tongue,
-Standish would be most anxious to have the benefit of it, in this prime
-and all-important effort at securing a permanent alliance with the
-ruling sachem of the region. Bradford, in "Mourt's Relation," speaking
-of the speech of Governor Carver to Massasoit, says: "He [Massasoit]
-liked well of the speech and heard it attentively, though the
-interpreters did not well express it." Probably all three, Tisquantum,
-Samoset, and Williamson, had a voice in it.
-
-That "Master Williamson" was a veritable person at New Plymouth, in
-February and March, 1620/21, is now beyond dispute; that he must have
-been of the ship's company of the MAY-FLOWER is logically certain; that
-he was one of her officers, and a man of character, is proven by his
-title of "Master" and his choice by Standish and Mullens for exceptional
-and honorable service; that the position of "ship's-merchant" alone
-answers to the conditions precedent, is evident; and that such an officer
-was commonly carried by ships of the MAY-FLOWER class on such voyages as
-hers is indicated by the necessity, and proven by the facts known as to
-other ships on similar New England voyages, both earlier and later. The
-fact that he was called simply "Master Williamson," in both cases where
-he is mentioned, with out other designation or identification, is highly
-significant, and clearly indicates that he was some one so familiarly
-known to all concerned that no occasion for any further designation
-apparently occurred to the minds of Mullens, Carver, or Bradford, when
-referring to him. In the case of Master John Hampden, the only other
-notable incognito of early Pilgrim literature, the description is full,
-and the only question concerning him has been of his identity with John
-Hampden, the English patriot of the Cromwellian era. It is, therefore,
-not too much to assert that the MAY-FLOWER carried a "ship's-merchant"
-(or purser), and that "Master Williamson" was that officer. If
-close-linked circumstantial evidence is ever to be relied upon, it
-clearly establishes in this case the identity of the "Master Williamson"
-who was Governor Bradford's incognito, and the person of the same name
-mentioned a month earlier in "Master" Mullens's will; as also the fact
-that in him we have a new officer of the MAY FLOWER, hitherto unknown as
-such to Pilgrim literature. If Mr. Bowman's belief as to Giles Heale
-(see note) proves correct, we have yet another, the Surgeon.
-
-The Carpenter, Gunner, Boatswain, Quartermaster, and "Masters-mates" are
-the only "petty officers" of the Pilgrim ship of whom any record makes
-mention. The carpenter is named several times, and was evidently, as
-might be expected, one of the most useful men of the ship's crew. Called
-into requisition, doubtless, in the conferences as to the condition of
-the SPEEDWELL, on both of her returns to port, at the inception of the
-voyage, he was especially in evidence when, in mid-ocean, "the cracking
-and bending of a great deck-beam," and the "shaken" condition of "the
-upper works" of the MAY-FLOWER, gave rise to much alarm, and it was by
-his labors and devices, and the use of the now famous "jack-screw," that
-the bending beam and leaking deck were made secure. The repairs upon the
-shallop in Cape Cod harbor also devolved upon him, and mention is made of
-his illness and the dependence placed upon him. No doubt, in the
-construction of the first dwellings and of the ordnance platform on the
-hill, etc., he was the devising and principal workman. He undoubtedly
-returned to England with the ship, and is known in history only by his
-"billet," as "the carpenter" of the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-The Master Gunner seems to have been a man with a proclivity for Indian
-barter, that led him to seek a place with the "third expedition" at Cape
-Cod, thereby nearly accomplishing his death, which indeed occurred later,
-in Plymouth harbor, not long before the return of the ship.
-
-The Boatswain is known, by Bradford's records, to have died in the
-general sickness which attacked the crew while lying in Plymouth harbor.
-The brief narrative of his sickness and death is all that we know of his
-personality. The writer says: "He was a proud young man, and would often
-curse and scoff at the passengers," but being nursed when dying, by those
-of them who remained aboard, after his shipmates had deserted him in
-their craven fear of infection, "he bewailed his former conduct," saying,
-"Oh! you, I now see, show your love like Christians indeed, one to
-another, but we let one another lie and die like dogs."
-
-Four Quartermasters are mentioned (probably helmsmen simply), of whom
-three are known to have died in Plymouth harbor.
-
-"Masters-mates" are several times mentioned, but it is pretty certain
-that the "pilots" (or mates) are intended. Bradford and Winslow, in
-"Mourt's Relation," say of the reappearance of the Indians: "So Captain
-Standish, with another [Hopkins], with their muskets, went over to them,
-with two of the masters-mates that follow them without [side?] arms,
-having two muskets with them: Who these "masters-mates" were does not
-appear." The language, "two of the masters-mates," would possibly suggest
-that there were more of them. It hardly seems probable that both the
-mates of the MAY-FLOWER would thus volunteer, or thrust themselves
-forward in such a matter, and it seems doubtful if they would have been
-permitted (even if both ashore at one time, which, though unusual, did
-occur), to assume such duty. Whoever they were, they did not lack
-courage.
-
-The names of the petty officers and seamen of the MAY-FLOWER do not
-appear as such, but the discovery of the (evidently) nuncupative will of
-William Mullens--herein referred to--has perhaps given us two of them.
-Attached to John Carver's certificate of the particulars of this will,
-filed at Somerset House, London, are the names, "Giles Heale" and
-"Christopher Joanes." As Mr Mullens died Wednesday, February 21, 1620,
-on board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, on which day we know from
-Bradford' that "the Master [Jones, whose name was Thomas] came on shore
-with many of his sailors," to land and mount the cannon on the fort, and
-as they had a full day's work to draw up the hill and mount five guns,
-and moreover brought the materials for, and stayed to eat, a considerable
-dinner with the Pilgrims, they were doubtless ashore all day. It is
-rational to interpret the known facts to indicate that in this absence of
-the Captain and most of his crew ashore, Mr. Mullens, finding himself
-failing fast, sent for Governor Carver and--unable to do more than speak
---dictated to him the disposition of his property which he desired to
-make. Carver, noting this down from his dictation, undoubtedly called in
-two of the ship's company (Heale very likely being the ship's-surgeon),
-who were left aboard to "keep ship," to hear his notes read to Mullens
-and assented to by him, they thus becoming the witnesses to his will, to
-the full copy of which, as made by Carver (April 2), they affixed their
-names as such. As there were then at Plymouth (besides savages) only the
-passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, and these men were certainly not
-among the passengers, it seems inevitable that they were of the crew.
-That "Christopher Joanes" was not the Master of the ship is clear,
-because Heale's is the first signature, and no man of the crew would have
-dared to sign before the Captain; because the Captain's name was (as
-demonstrated) Thomas; and because we know that he was ashore all that
-day, with most of his men. It is by no means improbable that Captain
-Jones had shipped one of his kinsmen in his crew, possibly as one of the
-"masters mates" or quartermasters referred to (and it is by no means
-certain that there were not more than two), though these witnesses may
-have been quartermasters or other petty officers left on board as
-"ship-keepers." Certain it is that these two witnesses must have been
-of the crew, and that "Christopher Joanes" was not the Captain, while it
-is equally sure, from the collateral evidence, that Master Mullens died
-on shipboard. Had he died on shore it is very certain that some of the
-leaders, Brewster, Bradford, or others, would have been witnesses, with
-such of the ship's officers as could aid in proving the will in England.
-It is equally evident that the officers of the ship were absent when
-Master Mullens dictated his will, except perhaps the surgeon.
-
-The number of seamen belonging to the ship is nowhere definitely stated.
-At least four in the employ of the Pilgrims were among the passengers
-and not enrolled upon the ships' lists. From the size of the ship,
-the amount of sail she probably carried, the weight of her anchors,
-and certain other data which appear,--such as the number allowed to
-leave the ship at a time, etc.,--it is probably not a wild estimate to
-place their number at from twenty to twenty-five. This is perhaps a
-somewhat larger number than would be essential to work the ship, and than
-would have been shipped if the voyage had been to any port of a civilized
-country; but on a voyage to a wild coast, the possibilities of long
-absence and of the weakening of the crew by death, illness, etc.,
-demanded consideration and a larger number. The wisdom and necessity
-of carrying, on a voyage to an uninhabited country, some spare men,
-is proven by the record of Bradford, who says: "The disease begane to
-fall amongst them the seamen also, so as allmost halfe of their company
-dyed before they went away and many of their officers and lustyest men;
-as ye boatson, gunner, 3 quarter maisters, the cooke, and others."
-
-The LADY ARBELLA, the "Admiral" of Governor Winthrop's fleet, a ship of
-350 tons, carried 52 men, and it is a fair inference that the MAY-FLOWER,
-of a little more than half her tonnage, would require at least half as
-many. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the officers and crew of the
-MAY-FLOWER, all told, mustered thirty men, irrespective of the sailors,
-four in number (Alderton, English, Trevore, and Ely), in the Pilgrims'
-employ.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VI
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S PASSENGERS
-
-The passenger list of the SPEEDWELL has given us the names of the Leyden
-members of the company which, with the cooperation of the associated
-Merchant Adventurers, was, in the summer of 1620, about to emigrate to
-America.
-
-Though it is not possible, with present knowledge, positively to
-determine every one of those who were passengers in the MAY-FLOWER from
-London to Southampton, most of them can be named with certainty.
-
-Arranged for convenience, so far as possible, by families, they were:--
-
-Master Robert Cushman, the London agent of the Leyden company,
- Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman, 2d wife,
- Thomas Cushman, son (by 1st wife).
-
-Master Christopher Martin, treasurer-agent of the colonists,
- Mrs. Martin, wife,
- Solomon Prower, "servant,"
- John Langemore, "servant."
-
-Master Richard Warren.
-
-Master William Mullens,
- Mrs. Alice Mullens, wife,
- Joseph Mullens, 2d son,
- Priscilla Mullens, 2d daughter,
- Robert Carter, "servant."
-
-Master Stephen Hopkins,
- Mrs. Elizabeth (Fisher?) Hopkins, 2d wife,
- Giles Hopkins, son (by former wife),
- Constance Hopkins, daughter (by former wife),
- Damaris Hopkins, daughter,
- Edward Dotey, "servant,"
- Edward Leister, "servant."
-
-Gilbert Winslow.
-
-James Chilton,
- Mrs. Susanna (2) Chilton, wife,
- Mary Chilton, daughter.
-
-Richard Gardiner.
-
-John Billington,
- Mrs. Eleanor (or Helen) Billington, wife,
- John Billington (Jr.), son,
- Francis Billington, son.
-
-William Latham, "servant-boy" to Deacon Carver.
-
-Jasper More, "bound-boy" to Deacon Carver.
-
-Ellen More, "little bound girl" to Master Edward Winslow.
-
-Richard More, "bound-boy" to Elder Brewster.
-------- More, "bound-boy" to Elder Brewster.
-
-
-There is a possibility that Thomas Rogers and his son, Joseph, who are
-usually accredited to the Leyden company, were of the London contingent,
-and sailed from there, though this is contra-indicated by certain
-collateral data.
-
-It is possible, also, of course, that any one or more of the English
-colonists (with a few exceptions--such as Cushman and family, Mullens and
-family, the More children and others--known to have left London on the
-MAY-FLOWER) might have joined her (as did Carver and Alden, perhaps
-Martin and family) at Southampton, but the strong presumption is that
-most of the English passengers joined the ship at London.
-
-It is just possible, too, that the seamen, Alderton (or Allerton),
-English, Trevore, and Ely, were hired in London and were on board the
-MAY-FLOWER when she left that port, though they might have been employed
-and joined the ship at either Southampton, Dartmouth, or Plymouth.
-It is strongly probable, however, that they were part, if not all, hired
-in Holland, and came over to Southampton in the pinnace.
-
-Robert Cushman--the London agent (for more than three years) of the
- Leyden congregation, and, in spite of the wickedly unjust criticism
- of Robinson and others, incompetent to judge his acts, their brave,
- sagacious, and faithful servant--properly heads the list.
-
- Bradford says: "Where they find the bigger ship come from London,
- Mr. Jones, Master, with the rest of the company who had been waiting
- there with Mr. Cushman seven days." Deacon Carver, probably from
- being on shore, was not here named. In a note appended to the
- memoir of Robert Cushman (prefatory to his Discourse delivered at
- Plymouth, New England, on "The Sin and Danger of Self-Love") it is
- stated in terms as follows: "The fact is, that Mr. Cushman procured
- the larger vessel, the MAY-FLOWER, and its pilot, at London, and
- left in that vessel." The statement--though published long after the
- events of which it treats and by other than Mr. Cushman--we know to
- be substantially correct, and the presumption is that the writer,
- whoever he may have been, knew also.
-
- Sailing with his wife and son (it is not probable that he had any
- other living child at the time), in full expectation that it was for
- Virginia, he encountered so much of ungrateful and abusive
- treatment, after the brethren met at Southampton,--especially at the
- hands of the insufferable Martin, who, without merit and with a most
- reprehensible record (as it proved), was chosen over him as
- "governor" of the ship,--that he was doubtless glad to return from
- Plymouth when the SPEEDWELL broke down. He and his family appear,
- therefore, as "MAY-FLOWER passengers," only between London and
- Plymouth during the vexatious attendance upon the scoundrelly Master
- of the SPEEDWELL, in his "doublings" in the English Channel. His
- Dartmouth letter to Edward Southworth, one of the most valuable
- contributions to the early literature of the Pilgrims extant,
- clearly demonstrates that he was suffering severely from dyspepsia
- and deeply wounded feelings. The course of events was his complete
- vindication, and impartial history to-day pronounces him second to
- none in his service to the Pilgrims and their undertaking. His
- first wife is shown by Leyden records to have been Sarah Reder, and
- his second marriage to have occurred May 19/June 3, 1617, [sic]
- about the time he first went to England in behalf of the Leyden
- congregation.
-
-Mrs. Mary (Clarke)-Singleton Cushman appears only as a passenger of the
- MAY-FLOWER on her channel voyage, as she returned with her husband
- and son from Plymouth, England, in the SPEEDWELL.
-
-Thomas Cushman, it is quite clear, must have been a son by a former wife,
- as he would have been but a babe, if the son of the latest wife,
- when he went to New England with his father, in the FORTUNE, to
- remain. Goodwin and others give his age as fourteen at this time,
- and his age at death is their warrant. Robert Cushman died in 1625,
- but a "Mary, wife [widow?] of Robert Cushman, and their son,
- Thomas," seem to have been remembered in the will of Ellen Bigge,
- widow, of Cranbrooke, England, proved February 12, 1638
- (Archdeaconry, Canterbury, vol. lxx. leaf 482). The will intimates
- that the "Thomas" named was "under age" when the bequest was made.
- If this is unmistakably so (though there is room for doubt), then
- this was not the Thomas of the Pilgrims. Otherwise the evidence is
- convincing.
-
-Master Christopher Martin, who was made, Bradford informs us, the
- treasurer-agent of the Planter Company, Presumably about the time of
- the original conclusions between the Adventurers and the Planters,
- seems to have been appointed such, as Bradford states, not because
- he was needed, but to give the English contingent of the Planter
- body representation in the management, and to allay thereby any
- suspicion or jealousy. He was, if we are to judge by the evidence
- in hand concerning his contention and that of his family with the
- Archdeacon, the strong testimony that Cushman bears against him in
- his Dartmouth letter of August 17, and the fact that there seems to
- have been early dissatisfaction with him as "governor" on the ship,
- a very self-sufficient, somewhat arrogant, and decidedly contentious
- individual. His selection as treasurer seems to have been very
- unfortunate, as Bradford indicates that his accounts were in
- unsatisfactory shape, and that he had no means of his own, while his
- rather surprising selection for the office of "governor" of the
- larger ship, after the unpleasant experience with him as
- treasurer-agent, is difficult to account for, except that he was
- evidently an active opponent of Cushman, and the latter was just
- then in disfavor with the colonists. He was evidently a man in the
- prime of life, an "Independent" who had the courage of his
- convictions if little discretion, and much of that energy and
- self-reliance which, properly restrained, are excellent elements
- for a colonist. Very little beside the fact that he came from
- Essex is known of him, and nothing of his wife. He has further
- mention hereafter.
-
-Solomon Prower is clearly shown by the complaint made against him by the
- Archdeacon of Chelmsford, the March before he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, to have been quite a youth, a firm "Separatist," and
- something more than an ordinary "servant." He seems to have been
- summoned before the Archdeacon at the same time with young Martin
- (a son of Christopher), and this fact suggests some nearer relation
- than that of "servant." He is sometimes spoken of as Martin's
- "son," by what warrant does not appear, but the fact suggests that
- he may have been a step-son. Bradford, in recording his death,
- says: "Dec. 24, this day dies Solomon Martin." This could, of
- course, have been none other than Solomon Prower. Dr. Young, in his
- "Chronicles," speaking of Martin, says, "he brought his wife and two
- children." If this means Martin's children, it is evidently an
- error. It may refer to age only. His case is puzzling, for
- Bradford makes him both "servant" and "son." If of sufficient age
- and account to be cited before the Archdeacon for discipline, it
- seems strange that he should not have signed the "Compact." Even if
- a "servant" this would seem to have been no bar, as Dotey and
- Leister were certainly such, yet signers. The indications are that
- he was but a well-grown lad, and that his youth, or severe illness,
- and not his station, accounts for the absence of his signature. If
- a young foster-son or kinsman of Martin, as seems most likely, then
- Martin's signature was sufficient, as in the cases of fathers for
- their sons; if really a "ser vant" then too young (like Latham and
- Hooke) to be called upon, as were Dotey and Leister.
-
-John Langemore; there is nothing (save the errors of Dr. Young) to
- indicate that he was other than a "servant."
-
-Richard Warren was probably from Kent or Essex. Surprisingly little is
- known of his antecedents, former occupation, etc.
-
-William Mullens and his family were, as shown, from Dorking in Surrey,
- and their home was therefore close to London, whence they sailed,
- beyond doubt, in the MAY-FLOWER. The discovery at Somerset House,
- London, by Mr. Henry F. Waters, of Salem, Massachusetts; of what is
- evidently the nuncupative will of William Mullens, proves an
- important one in many particulars, only one of which need be
- referred to in this connection, but all of which will receive due
- consideration. It conclusively shows Mr. Mullens not to have been
- of the Leyden congregation, as has sometimes been claimed, but that
- he was a well-to-do tradesman of Dorking in Surrey, adjacent to
- London. It renders it certain, too, that he had been some time
- resident there, and had both a married daughter and a son (William),
- doubtless living there, which effectually overthrows the "imaginary
- history" of Baird, and of that pretty story, "Standish of Standish,"
- whereby the Mullens (or Molines) family are given French (Huguenot)
- antecedents and the daughter is endowed with numerous airs, graces,
- and accomplishments, professedly French.
-
- Dr. Griffis, in his delightful little narrative, "The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, England, Holland, America," cites the name
- "Mullins" as a Dutch distortion of Molines or Molineaux. Without
- questioning that such it might be,--for the Dutch scribes were
- gifted in remarkable distortions of simple names, even of their own
- people,--they evidently had no hand in thus maltreating the patronym
- of William Mullens (or Mullins) of the Pilgrims, for not only is
- evidence entirely wanting to show that he was ever a Leyden citizen,
- though made such by the fertile fiction of Mrs. Austin, but Governor
- Carver, who knew him well, wrote it in his will "Mullens," while two
- English probate functionaries of his own home-counties wrote it
- respectively "Mullens" and "Mullins."
-
- Dr. Grifs speaks of "the Mullens family" as evidently [sic] of
- Huguenot or Walloon birth or descent, but in doing so probably knew
- no other authority than Mrs. Austin's little novel, or (possibly)
- Dr. Baird's misstatements.
-
- A writer in the "New England Historic-Genealogical Register," vol.
- xlvii, p. 90, states, that "Mrs. Jane G. Austin found her authority
- for saying that Priscilla Mullens was of a Huguenot family, in Dr.
- Baird's 'History of Huguenot Emigration to America,' vol. i.
- p. 158," etc., referring to Rev. Charles W. Baird, D. D., New York.
- The reference given is a notable specimen of very bad historical
- work. Of Dr. Baird, one has a right to expect better things, and
- the positiveness of his reckless assertion might well mislead those
- not wholly familiar with the facts involved, as it evidently has
- more than one. He states, without qualification or reservation,
- that "among the passengers in the SPEEDWELL were several of the
- French who had decided to cast in their lot with these English
- brethren. William Molines and his daughter Priscilla, afterwards
- the wife of John Alden and Philip Delanoy, born in Leyden of French
- parents, were of the number." One stands confounded by such a
- combination of unwarranted errors. Not only is it not true that
- there "were several of the French among the passengers in the
- SPEEDWELL," but there is no evidence whatever that there was even
- one. Those specifically named as there, certainly were not, and
- there is not the remotest proof or reason to believe, that William
- Mullens (or Molines) and his daughter Priscilla (to say nothing of
- the wife and son who accompanied him to America, whom Baird forgets)
- ever even saw Leyden or Delfshaven. Their home had been at Dorking
- in Surrey, just across the river from London, whence the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed for New England, and nothing could be more absurd than to
- assume that they were passengers on the SPEEDWELL from Delfshaven to
- Southampton.
-
- So far from Philip Delanoy (De La Noye or Delano) being a passenger
- on the SPEEDWELL, he was not even one of the Pilgrim company, did
- not go to New England till the following year (in the FORTUNE), and
- of course had no relation to the SPEEDWELL. Neither does Edward
- Winslow--the only authority for the parentage of "Delanoy"--state
- that "he was born in Leyden," as Baird alleges, but only that "he
- was born of French parents . . . and came to us from Leyden to
- New Plymouth,"--an essential variance in several important
- particulars. Scores and perhaps hundreds of people have been led to
- believe Priscilla Mullens a French Protestant of the Leyden
- congregation, and themselves--as her descendants--"of Huguenot
- stock," because of these absolutely groundless assertions of Dr.
- Baird. They lent themselves readily to Mrs. Austin's fertile
- imagination and facile pen, and as "welcome lies" acquired a hold on
- the public mind, from which even the demonstrated truth will never
- wholly dislodge them. The comment of the intelligent writer in the
- "Historic-Genealogical Register" referred to is proof of this. So
- fast-rooted had these assertions become in her thought as the truth,
- that, confronted with the evidence that Master Mullens and his
- family were from Dorking in England, it does not occur to her to
- doubt the correctness of the impression which the recklessness of
- Baird had created,--that they were of Leyden,--and she hence
- amusingly suggests that "they must have moved from Leyden to
- Dorking." These careless utterances of one who is especially bound
- by his position, both as a writer and as a teacher of morals, to be
- jealous for the truth, might be partly condoned as attributable to
- mistake or haste, except for the facts that they seem to have been
- the fountain-head of an ever-widening stream of serious error, and
- that they are preceded on the very page that bears them by others as
- to the Pilgrim exodus equally unhappy. It seems proper to suggest
- that it is high time that all lovers of reliable history should
- stand firmly together against the flood of loose statement which is
- deluging the public; brand the false wherever found; and call for
- proof from of all new and important historical propositions put
- forth.
-
-Stephen Hopkins may possibly have had more than one wife before
- Elizabeth, who accompanied him to New England and was mother of the
- sea-born son Oceanus. Hopkins's will indicates his affection for
- this latest wife, in unusual degree for wills of that day. With
- singular carelessness, both of the writer and his proof-reader, Hon.
- William T. Davis states that Damaris Hopkins was born "after the
- arrival" in New England. The contrary is, of course, a well
- established fact. Mr. Davis was probably led into this error by
- following Bradford's "summary" as affecting the Hopkins family. He
- states therein that Hopkins "had one son, who became a seaman and
- died at Barbadoes probably Caleb, and four daugh ters born here."
- To make up these "four" daughters "born here" Davis found it
- necessary to include Damaris, unmindful that Bradford names her in
- his list of MAY-FLOWER passengers. It is evident, either that
- Bradford made a mistake in the number, or that there was some
- daughter who died in infancy. It is evident that Dotey and Leister,
- the "servants" of Hopkins, were of English origin and accompanied
- their master from London.
-
-Gilbert Winslow was a brother of Edward Winslow, a young man, said to
- have been a carpenter, who returned to England after "divers years"
- in New England. There is a possibility that he was at Leyden and
- was a passenger on the SPEEDWELL. It has been suggested that he
- spent the greater part of the time he was in New England, outside of
- the Pilgrim Colony. He took no part in its affairs.
-
-James Chilton and his family are but little known to Pilgrim writers,
- except the daughter Mary, who came into notice principally through
- her marriage with John Winslow, another brother of Governor Edward,
- who came over later. Their name has assumed a singular prominence
- in popular regard, altogether disproportionate to either their
- personal characteristics, station, or the importance of their early
- descendants. Some unaccountable glamour of romance, without any
- substantial foundation, is probably responsible for it. They left a
- married daughter behind them in England, which is the only hint we
- have as to their home just prior to the embarkation. There has been
- a disposition, not well grounded, to regard them as of Leyden.
-
-Richard Gardiner, Goodwin unequivocally places with the English colonists
- (but on what authority does not fully appear), and he has been
- claimed, but without any better warrant, for the Leyden list.
-
-John Billington and his family were unmistakably of the English
- colonists. Mrs. Billington's name has been variously given,
- e.g. Helen, Ellen, and Eleanor, and the same writer has used them
- interchangeably. One writer has made the inexcusable error of
- stating that "the younger son, Francis, was born after the arrival
- at New Plymouth," but his own affidavit shows him to have been born
- in 1606.
-
-William Latham, a "servant-boy" of Deacon Carver, has always been of
- doubtful relation, some circumstances indicating that he was of
- Leyden and hence was a SPEEDWELL passenger, but others--and these
- the more significant--rendering it probable that he was an English
- boy, who was obtained in London (like the More children) and
- apprenticed to Carver, in which case he probably came in the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, though he may have awaited her coming with
- his master at Southampton, in which case he probably originally
- embarked there, with him, on the SPEEDWELL, and was transferred
- with him, at Plymouth, to the MAY-FLOWER. There is, of course,
- also still the possibility that he came with Carver's family from
- Leyden. Governor Carver's early death necessarily changed his
- status somewhat, and Plymouth early records do not give much beyond
- suggestion as to what the change was; but all indications confirm
- the opinion that he was a poor boy--very likely of London or
- vicinity--taken by Carver as his "servant."
-
-The More children, Jasper, Richard, their brother (whose given name has
- never transpired), and Ellen, their sister, invite more than passing
- mention. The belief has always been current and confident among
- students of Pilgrim history that these More children, four in
- number, "put" or "indentured" to three of the Leyden leaders, were
- probably orphaned children of some family of the Leyden
- congregation, and were so "bound" to give them a chance in the new
- colony, in return for such services as they could render to those
- they accompanied. If thus of the Leyden contingent they would,
- of course, be enumerated as passengers in the SPEEDWELL from
- Delfshaven, but if of the English contingent they should probably be
- borne on the list of passengers sailing from London in the
- MAY-FLOWER, certainly should be reckoned as part of the English
- contingent on the MAY-FLOWER at Southampton. An affidavit of
- Richard More, perhaps the eldest of these children, indentured to
- Elder Brewster, dated in 1684., found in "Proceedings of the
- Provincial Court, Maryland Archives, vol. xiv. ('New England
- Historic-Genealogical Register,' vol 1. p. 203 )," affirms the
- deponent to be then "seaventy years or thereabouts" of age, which
- would have made him some six years of age, "or thereabouts," in
- 1620. He deposes "that being in London at the house of Mr. Thomas
- Weston, Iron monger, in the year 1620, he was from there transported
- to New Plymouth in New England," etc. This clearly identifies
- Richard More of the MAY FLOWER, and renders it well-nigh certain
- that he and his brothers and sister, "bound out" like himself to
- Pilgrim leaders, were of the English company, were probably never in
- Leyden or on the SPEEDWELL, and were very surely passengers on the
- MAY-FLOWER from London, in charge of Mr. Cushman or others. The
- fact that the lad was in London, and went from thence direct to New
- England, is good evidence that he was not of the Leyden party. The
- fair presump tion is that his brothers and sister were, like
- himself, of English birth, and humble--perhaps deceased--parents,
- taken because of their orphaned condition. It is highly improbable
- that they would be taken from London to Southampton by land, at the
- large expense of land travel in those days, when the MAY-FLOWER was
- to sail from London. That they would accompany their respective
- masters to their respectively assigned ships at Southampton is
- altogether likely. The phraseology of his affidavit suggests the
- probability that Richard More, his brothers, and sister were brought
- to Mr. Weston's house, to be by him sent aboard the MAY-FLOWER,
- about to sail. The affidavit is almost conclusive evidence as to
- the fact that the More children were all of the English colonists'
- party, though apprenticed to Leyden families, and belonged to the
- London passenger list of the Pilgrim ship. The researches of Dr.
- Neill among the MS. "minutes" and "transactions" of the (London)
- Virginia Company show germanely that, on November 17, 1619, "the
- treasurer, council, and company" of this Virginia Company addressed
- Sir William Cockaine, Knight, Lord Mayor of the city of London, and
- the right worthys the aldermen, his brethren, and the worthys the
- "common council of the city," and returning thanks for the benefits
- conferred, in furnishing out one hundred children this last year
- for "the plantation in Virginia" (from what Neill calls the
- "homeless boys and girls of London"), states, that, "forasmuch as we
- have now resolved to send this next spring [1620] very large
- supplies," etc., "we pray your Lordship and the rest . . . to
- renew the like favors, and furnish us again with one hundred more
- for the next spring. Our desire is that we may have them of twelve
- years old and upward, with allowance of L3 apiece for their
- transportation, and 40s. apiece for their apparel, as was formerly
- granted. They shall be apprenticed; the boys till they come to 21
- years of age, the girls till like age or till they be married," etc.
- A letter of Sir Edwin Sandys (dated January 28, 1620) to Sir Robert
- Naunton shows that "The city of London have appointed one hundred
- children from the superfluous multitude to be transported to
- Virginia, there to be bound apprentices upon very beneficial
- conditions." In view of the facts that these More children--and
- perhaps others--were "apprenticed" or "bound" to the Pilgrims
- (Carver, Winslow, Brewster, etc.), and that there must have been
- some one to make the indentures, it seems strongly probable that
- these four children of one family,--as Bradford shows,--very likely
- orphaned, were among those designated by the city of London for the
- benefit of the (London) Virginia Company in the spring of 1620.
- They seem to have been waifs caught up in the westward-setting
- current, but only Richard survived the first winter. Bradford,
- writing in 1650, states of Richard More that his brothers and sister
- died, "but he is married [1636] and hath 4 or 5 children." William
- T. Davis, in his "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth" (p. 24), states,
- and Arber copies him, that "he was afterwards called Mann; and died
- at Scituate, New England, in 1656." The researches of Mr. George E.
- Bowman, the able Secretary of the Massachusetts Society of
- MAY-FLOWER Descendants, some time since disproved this error,
- but Mores affidavit quoted conclusively determines the matter.
-
-The possible accessions to the company, at London or Southampton, of
-Henry Sampson and Humility Cooper, cousins of Edward Tilley and wife,
-would be added to the passengers of the pinnace rather than to the
-MAY-FLOWER'S, if, as seems probable, their relatives were of the
-SPEEDWELL. If Edward Tilley and his wife were assigned to the MAY
-FLOWER, room would doubtless also be found for these cousins on the
-ship. John Alden, the only positively known addition (except Carver)
-made to the list at Southampton, was, from the nature of his engagement
-as "cooper," quite likely assigned to the larger ship. There are no
-known hints as to the assignments of passengers to the respective
-vessels at Southampton--then supposed to be final--beyond the remarks of
-Bradford that "the chief [principal ones] of them that came from Leyden
-went on this ship [the SPEEDWELL] to give the Master content," and his
-further minute, that "Master Martin was governour in the biger ship and
-Master Cushman assistante." It is very certain that Deacon Carver, one
-of the four agents of the colonists, who had "fitted out" the voyage in
-England, was a passenger in the SPEEDWELL from Southampton,--as the
-above mentioned remark of Bradford would suggest,--and was made
-"governour" of her passengers, as he later was of the whole company, on
-the MAY-FLOWER. It has sometimes been queried whether, in the interim
-between the arrival of the SPEEDWELL at Southampton and the assignment
-of the colonists to their respective ships (especially as both vessels
-were taking in and transferring cargo), the passengers remained on board
-or were quartered on shore. The same query has arisen, with even better
-reason, as to the passengers of the SPEEDWELL during the stay at
-Dartmouth, when the consort was being carefully overhauled to find her
-leaks, the suggestion being made that in this case some of them might
-have found accommodation on board the larger ship. The question may be
-fairly considered as settled negatively, from the facts that the
-colonists, with few exceptions, were unable to bear such extra expense
-themselves; the funds of the Adventurers--if any were on hand, which
-appears doubtful--were not available for the purpose; while the evidence
-of some of the early writers renders it very certain that the Leyden
-party were not released from residence on shipboard from the time they
-embarked on the SPEEDWELL at Delfshaven till the final landing in the
-harbor of New Plimoth. Just who of the Leyden chiefs caused themselves
-to be assigned to the smaller vessel, to encourage its cowardly Master,
-cannot be definitely known. It may be confidently assumed, however, that
-Dr. Samuel Fuller, the physician of the colonists, was transferred to
-the MAY-FLOWER, upon which were embarked three fourths of the entire
-company, including most of the women and children, with some of whom, it
-was evident, his services would be certainly in demand. There is little
-doubt that the good Elder (William Brewster) was also transferred to the
-larger ship at Southampton, while it would not be a very wild guess--in
-the light of Bradford's statement--to place Carver, Winslow, Bradford,
-Standish, Cooke, Howland, and Edward Tilley, and their families, among
-the passengers on the consort. Just how many passengers each vessel
-carried when they sailed from Southampton will probably never be
-positively known. Approximately, it may be said, on the authority of
-such contemporaneous evidence as is available, and such calculations as
-are possible from the data we have, that the SPEEDWELL had thirty (30),
-and the MAY-FLOWER her proportionate number, ninety (90)--a total of one
-hundred and twenty (120).
-
-Captain John Smith says,
-
- [Smith, New England's Trials, ed. 1622, London, p. 259. It is a
- singular error of the celebrated navigator that he makes the ships
- to have, in less than a day's sail, got outside of Plymouth, as he
- indicates by his words, "the next day," and "forced their return to
- Plymouth." He evidently intends to speak only in general terms, as
- he entirely omits the (first) return to Dartmouth, and numbers the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER, on her final departure, at but "one
- hundred." He also says they "discharged twenty passengers."]
-
-apparently without pretending to be exact, "They left the coast of
-England the 23 of August, with about 120 persons, but the next day [sic]
-the lesser ship sprung a leak that forced their return to Plymouth; where
-discharging her [the ship] and twenty passengers, with the great ship and
-a hundred persons, besides sailors, they set sail again on the 6th of
-September."
-
- [Dr. Ames, so stringent in his requirements of other authors, for
- example Jane Austin, has to this point been pathetically naive as to
- the opinions of Captain John Smith. Captain Smith's self-serving
- and very subjective narratives of his own voyages obtained for him
- the very derogatory judgement by his contemporaries. One of the
- best reviews of John Smith's life may be found in a small book on
- this adventurer by Charles Dudley Warner. D.W.]
-
-If the number one hundred and twenty (120) is correct, and the
-distribution suggested is also exact, viz. thirty (30) to the SPEEDWELL
-and ninety (90) to the MAY-FLOWER, it is clear that there must have been
-more than twelve (the number usually named) who went from the consort to
-the larger ship, when the pinnace was abandoned. We know that at least
-Robert Cushman and his family (wife and son), who were on the MAY-FLOWER,
-were among the number who returned to London upon the SPEEDWELL (and the
-language of Thomas Blossom in his letter to Governor Bradford, else where
-quoted, indicates that he and his son were also there), so that if the
-ship's number was ninety (90), and three or more were withdrawn, it would
-require fifteen (15) or more to make the number up to one hundred and two
-(102), the number of passengers we know the MAY-FLOWER had when she took
-her final departure. It is not likely we shall ever be able to determine
-exactly the names or number of those transferred to the MAY-FLOWER from
-the consort, or the number or names of all those who went back to London
-from either vessel. Several of the former and a few of the latter are
-known, but we must (except for some fortunate discovery) rest content
-with a very accurate knowledge of the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER
-when she left Plymouth (England), and of the changes which occurred in it
-afterward; and a partial knowledge of the ship's own complement of
-officers and men.
-
-Goodwin says: "The returning ones were probably of those who joined in
-England, and had not yet acquired the Pilgrim spirit." Unhappily this
-view is not sustained by the relations of those of the number who are
-known. Robert Cushman and his family (3 persons), Thomas Blossom and his
-son (2 persons), and William Ring (1 person), a total of six, or just one
-third of the putative eighteen who went back, all belonged to the Leyden
-congregation, and were far from lacking "the Pilgrim spirit." Cushman
-was both ill and heart-sore from fatigue, disappointment, and bad
-treatment; Ring was very ill, according to Cushman's Dartmouth letter;
-but the motives governing Blossom and his son do not appear, unless the
-comparatively early death of the son--after which his father went to New
-England--furnishes a clue thereto. Bradford says: "Those that went back
-were, for the most part, such as were willing to do so, either out of
-some discontent, or fear they conceived of the ill success of the Voyage,
-seeing so many crosses befallen and the year time so far spent. But
-others, in regard of their own weakness and the charge of many young
-children, were thought [by the Managers] least useful and most unfit to
-bear the brunt of this hard adventure." It is evident from the above
-that, while the return of most was from choice, some were sent back by
-those in authority, as unfit for the undertaking, and that of these some
-had "many young chil dren." There are said to have been eighteen who
-returned on the SPEEDWELL to London. We know who six of them were,
-leaving twelve, or two thirds, unknown. Whether these twelve were in
-part from Leyden, and were part English, we shall probably never know.
-If any of them were from Holland, then the number of those who left
-Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL is increased by so many. If any were of the
-English contingent, and probably the most were,--then the passenger list
-of the MAY-FLOWER from London to Southampton was probably, by so many,
-the larger. It is evident, from Bradford's remark, that, among the
-twelve unknown, were some who, from "their own weakness and charge of
-many young children, were thought least useful and most unfit," etc.
-From this it is clear that at least one family was included which had a
-number of young children, the parents' "own weakness" being recognized.
-A father, mother, and four children (in view of the term "many") would
-seem a reasonable surmise, and would make six, or another third of the
-whole number. The probability that the unknown two thirds were chiefly
-from England, rather than Holland, is increased by observation of the
-evident care with which, as a rule, those from the Leyden congregation
-were picked, as to strength and fitness, and also by the fact that their
-Leyden homes were broken up. Winslow remarks, "the youngest and
-strongest part were to go," and an analysis of the list shows that those
-selected were mostly such. Bradford, in stating that Martin was "from
-Billericay in Essex," says, "from which part came sundry others." It is
-quite possible that some of the unknown twelve who returned were from
-this locality, as none of those who went on the MAY-FLOWER are understood
-to have hailed from there, beside the Martins.
-
-All the colonists still intending to go to America were now gathered in
-one vessel. Whatever previous disposition of them had been made, or
-whatever relations they might have had in the disjointed record of the
-exodus, were ephemeral, and are now lost sight of in the enduring
-interest which attaches to their final and successful "going forth" as
-MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims.
-
-Bradford informs us--as already noted--that, just before the departure
-from Southampton, having "ordered and distributed their company for
-either ship, as they conceived for the best," they "chose a Governor and
-two or three assistants for each ship, to order the people by the way,
-and see to the disposing of the provisions, and such like affairs. All
-which was not only with the liking of the Masters of the ships, but
-according to their desires." We have seen that under this arrangement
---the wisdom and necessity of which are obvious--Martin was made "Governor"
-on the "biger ship" and Cushman his "assistante." Although we find no
-mention of the fact, it is rendered certain by the record which Bradford
-makes of the action of the Pilgrim company on December 11, 1620, at Cape
-Cod,--when they "confirmed" Deacon John Carver as "Governor,"--that he
-was and had been such, over the colonist passengers for the voyage (the
-ecclesiastical authority only remaining to Elder Brewster), Martin
-holding certainly no higher than the second place, made vacant by
-Cushman's departure.
-
-Thus, hardly had the Pilgrims shaken the dust of their persecuting
-mother-country from their feet before they set up, by popular voice
-(above religious authority, and even that vested by maritime law in their
-ships' officers), a government of themselves, by themselves, and for
-themselves. It was a significant step, and the early revision they made
-of their choice of "governors" certifies their purpose to have only
-rulers who could command their confidence and respect. Dr. Young says:
-"We know the age of but few of the Pilgrims," which has hitherto been
-true; yet by careful examination of reliable data, now available, we are
-able to deter mine very closely the ages of a considerable number, and
-approximately the years of most of the others, at the time of the exodus.
-No analysis, so far as known, has hitherto been made of the vocations
-(trades, etc.) represented by the MAY-FLOWER company. They were, as
-befitted those bent on founding a colony, of considerable variety, though
-it should be understood that the vocations given were, so far as
-ascertained, the callings the individuals who represented them had
-followed before taking ship. Several are known to have been engaged
-in other pursuits at some time, either before their residence in Holland,
-or during their earlier years there. Bradford tells us that most of the
-Leyden congregation (or that portion of it which came from England, in or
-about 1608) were agricultural people. These were chiefly obliged to
-acquire handicrafts or other occupations. A few, e.g. Allerton,
-Brewster, Bradford, Carver, Cooke, and Winslow, had possessed some means,
-while others had been bred to pursuits for which there was no demand in
-the Low Countries. Standish, bred to arms, apparently followed his
-profession nearly to the time of departure, and resumed it in the colony,
-adding thereto the calling which, in all times and all lands, had been
-held compatible in dignity with that of arms,--the pursuit of
-agriculture. While always the "Sword of the White Men," he was the
-pioneer "planter" in the first settlement begun (at Duxbury) beyond
-Plymouth limits. Of the "arts, crafts or trades" of the colonists from
-London and neighboring English localities, but little has been gleaned.
-They were mostly people of some means, tradesmen rather than artisans,
-and at least two (Martin and Mullens) were evidently also of the Merchant
-Adventurers.
-
-Their social (conjugal) conditions--not previously analyzed, it is
-thought--have been determined, it is believed, with approximate accuracy;
-though it is of course possible that some were married, of whom that fact
-does not appear, especially among the seamen.
-
-
-The passengers of the MAY-FLOWER on her departure from Plymouth
-(England), as arranged for convenience by families, were as appears by
-the following lists.
-
-While the ages given in these lists are the result of much careful study
-of all the latest available data, and are believed, when not exact, to be
-very close approximates; as it has been possible to arrive at results,
-in several cases, only by considerable calculation, the bases of which
-may not always have been entirely reliable, errors may have crept in.
-Though the author is aware that, in a few instances, the age stated does
-not agree with that assigned by other recognized authority, critical
-re-analysis seems to warrant and confirm the figures given.
-
-The actual and comparative youth of the majority of the colonist leaders
---the Pilgrim Fathers--is matter of comment, even of surprise, to most
-students of Pilgrim history, especially in view of what the Leyden
-congregation had experienced before embarking for America. Only two of
-the leaders exceeded fifty years of age, and of these Governor Carver
-died early. Of the principal men only nine could have been over forty,
-and of these Carver, Chilton, Martin, Mullins, and Priest (more than half
-died within a few months after landing), leaving Brewster, Warren (who
-died early), Cooke, and Hopkins--neither of the latter hardly forty--the
-seniors. One does not readily think of Alden as but twenty-one, Winslow
-as only twenty-five, Dr. Fuller as about thirty, Bradford as only
-thirty-one when chosen Governor, Allerton as thirty-two, and Captain
-Standish as thirty-six. Verily they were "old heads on young
-shoulders." It is interesting to note that the dominant influence
-at all times was that of the Leyden contingent.
-
-Of these, all except William Butten, who died upon the voyage, reached
-Cape Cod in safety, though some of them had become seriously ill from the
-hardships encountered, and Howland had narrowly escaped drowning. Two
-were added to the number en voyage,--Oceanus Hopkins, born upon the sea,
-and Peregrine White, born soon after the arrival in Cape Cod harbor.
-This made the total of the passenger list 103, before further depletion
-by death occurred, though several deaths again reduced it before the
-MAY-FLOWER cast anchor in Plymouth harbor, her final haven on the
-outward voyage.
-
-Deacon John Carver's place of birth or early life is not known, but he
- was an Essex County man, and was probably not, until in middle life,
- a member of Robinson's congregation of "Independents." His age is
- determined by collateral evidence.
-
-Mrs. Katherine Carver, it has been supposed by some, was a sister of
- Pastor Robinson. This supposition rests, apparently, upon the
- expression of Robinson in his parting letter to Carver, where he
- says: "What shall I say or write unto you and your good wife, my
- loving sister?" Neither the place of Mrs. Carver's nativity nor her
- age is known.
-
-Desire Minter was evidently a young girl of the Leyden congregation,
- between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, who in some way (perhaps
- through kinship) had been taken into Carver's family. She returned
- to England early. See ante, for account of her (probable)
- parentage.
-
-John Howland was possibly of kin to Carver and had been apparently some
- years in his family. Bradford calls him a "man-servant," but it is
- evident that "employee" would be the more correct term, and that he
- was much more than a "servant." It is observable that Howland
- signed the Compact (by Morton's List) before such men as Hopkins,
- the Tilleys, Cooke, Rogers, and Priest, which does not indicate much
- of the "servant" relation. His antecedents are not certainly known,
- but that he was of the Essex family of the name seems probable.
- Much effort has been made in recent years to trace his ancestry,
- but without any considerable result. His age at death (1673)
- determines his age in 1620. He was older than generally supposed,
- being born about 1593.
-
-Roger Wilder is also called a "man-servant" by Bradford, and hardly more
- than this is known of him, his death occurring early. There is no
- clue to his age except that his being called a "man-servant" would
- seem to suggest that he was of age; but the fact that he did not
- sign the Compact would indicate that he was younger, or he may have
- been extremely ill, as he died very soon after arrival.
-
-William Latham is called a "boy" by Bradford, though a lad of 18. It is
- quite possible he was one of those "indentured" by the corporation
- of London, but there is no direct intimation of this.
-
-"Mrs. Carver's maid," it is fair to presume, from her position as
- lady's-maid and its requirements in those days, was a young woman of
- eighteen or twenty years, and this is confirmed by her early
- marriage. Nothing is known of her before the embarkation. She died
- early.
-
-Jasper More, Bradford says, "was a child yt was put to him." Further
- information concerning him is given in connection with his brother
- Richard, "indentured" to Elder Brewster. He is erroneously called
- by Justin Winsor in his "History of Duxbury" (Massachusetts) a child
- of Carver's, as Elizabeth Tilley is "his daughter." Others have
- similarly erred.
-
-Elder William Brewster's known age at his death determines his age in
- 1620. He was born in 1566-67. His early life was full of interest
- and activity, and his life in Holland and America no less so. In
- early life he filled important stations. Steele's "Chief of the
- Pilgrims" is a most engaging biography of him, and there are others
- hardly less so, Bradford's sketch being one of the best.
-
-Mrs. Mary Brewster's age at her death determines it at the embarkation,
- and is matter of computation.
-
-Love Brewster was the second son of his parents, his elder brother
-Jonathan coming over afterwards.
-
-Wrestling Brewster was but a "lad," and his father's third son.
-
-Richard More and his brother, Bradford states, "were put to him" (Elder
- Brewster) as bound-boys. For a full account of their English
- origin, Richard's affidavit, etc., see ante. This makes him but
- about six, but he was perhaps older.
-
-Governor Edward Winslow's known age at his death fixes his age at the
- time of the exodus, and his birth is duly recorded at Droitwich, in
- Worcester, England. (See "Winslow Memorial," David Parsons Holton,
- vol. i. p. 16.)
-
-Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, the first wife of the Governor, appears
- by the data supplied by the record of her marriage in Holland, May
- 27, 1618, to have been a maiden of comporting years to her
- husband's, he being then twenty-three. Tradition makes her slightly
- younger than her husband.
-
-George Soule, it is evident,--like Howland,--though denominated a
- "servant" by Bradford, was more than this, and should rather have
- been styled, as Goodwin points out, "an employee" of Edward Winslow.
- His age is approximated by collateral evidence, his marriage, etc.
-
-Elias Story is called "man-servant" by Bradford, and his age is unknown.
- The fact that he did not sign the Compact indicates that he was
- under age, but extreme illness may have prevented, as he died early.
-
-Ellen More, "a little girl that was put to him" (Winslow), died early.
- She was sister of the other More children, "bound out" to Carver and
- Brewster, of whom extended mention has been made.
-
-Governor William Bradford's date of birth fixes his age in 1620. His
- early home was at Austerfield, in Yorkshire. Belknap ("American
- Biography," vol. ii. p. 218) says: "He learned the art of
- silk-dyeing."
-
-Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford's age (the first wife of the Governor) is
- fixed at twenty-three by collateral data, but she may have been
- older. She was probably from Wisbeach, England. The manner of her
- tragic death (by drowning, having fallen overboard from the ship in
- Cape Cod harbor), the first violent death in the colony, was
- especially sad, her husband being absent for a week afterward. It
- is not known that her body was recovered.
-
-Dr. Samuel Fuller, from his marriage record at Leyden, made in 1613, when
- he was a widower, it is fair to assume was about thirty, perhaps
- older, in 1620, as he could, when married, have hardly been under
- twenty-one. His (third) wife and child were left in Holland.
-
-William Butten (who died at sea, November 6/16), Bradford calls
- "a youth." He was undoubtedly a "servant"-assistant to the doctor.
-
-Isaac Allerton, it is a fair assumption, was about thirty-four in 1620,
- from the fact that he married his first wife October 4, 1611, as he
- was called "a young man" in the Leyden marriage record. He is
- called "of London, England," by Bradford and on the Leyden records.
- He was made a "freeman" of Leyden, February 7, 1614. Arber and
- others state that his early occupation was that of "tailor," but he
- was later a tradesman and merchant.
-
-Mary (Norris) Allerton is called a "maid of Newbury in England," in the
- Leyden record of her marriage, in October, 1611, and it is the only
- hint as to her age we have. She was presumably a young woman. Her
- death followed (a month later) the birth of her still-born son, on
- board the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor, February 25/March 7, 1621.
-
-Bartholomew Allerton, born probably in 1612/13 (his parents married
- October, 1611), was hence, as stated, about seven or eight years old
- at the embarkation. He has been represented as older, but this was
- clearly impossible. He was doubtless born in Holland.
-
-Remember Allerton, apparently Allerton's second child, has (with a
- novelist's license) been represented by Mrs. Austin as considerably
- older than six, in fact nearer sixteen (Goodwin, p. 183, says,
- "over 13"), but the known years of her mother's marriage and her
- brother's birth make this improbable. She was, no doubt, born in
- Holland about 1614--She married Moses Maverick by 1635, and Thomas
- Weston's only child, Elizabeth, was married from her house at
- Marblehead to Roger Conant, son of the first "governor" of a
- Massachusetts Bay "plantation."
-
-Mary Allerton, apparently the third child, could hardly have been much
- more than four years old in 1620, though Goodwin ("Pilgrim
- Republic," p. 184) calls her eleven, which is an error. She was
- probably born in Holland about 1616. She was the last survivor of
- the passengers of the MAY-FLOWER, dying at Plymouth, New England,
- 1699.
-
-John Hooke, described by Bradford as a "servant-boy," was probably but a
- youth. He did not sign the Compact. Nothing further is known of him
- except that he died early. It is quite possible that he may have
- been of London and have been "indentured" by the municipality to
- Allerton, but the presumption has been that he came, as body-servant
- of Allerton, with him from Leyden.
-
-Captain Standish's years in 1620 are conjectural (from fixed data), as is
- his age at death. His early home was at Duxborough Hall, in
- Lancashire. His commission as Captain, from Queen Elizabeth, would
- make his birth about 1584. Rose Standish, his wife, is said by
- tradition to have been from the Isle of Man, but nothing is known of
- her age or antecedents, except that she was younger than the
- Captain. She died during the "general sickness," early in 1621.
-
-Master Christopher Martin, as previously noted, was from Billerica, in
- Essex. From collateral data it appears that he must have been
- "about forty" years old when he joined the Pilgrims. He appears to
- have been a staunch "Independent" and to have drawn upon himself the
- ire of the Archdeacon of Chelmsford, (probably) by his loud-mouthed
- expression of his views, as only "a month before the MAY-FLOWER
- sailed" he, with his son and Solomon Prower of his household
- (probably a relative), were cited before the archdeacon to answer
- for their shortcomings, especially in reverence for this church
- dignitary. He seems to have been at all times a self-conceited,
- arrogant, and unsatisfactory man. That he was elected treasurer
- and ship's "governor" and permitted so much unbridled liberty as
- appears, is incomprehensible. It was probably fortunate that he
- died early, as he did, evidently in utter poverty. He had a son,
- in 1620, apparently quite a grown youth, from which it is fair to
- infer that the father was at that time "about forty." Of his wife
- nothing is known. She also died early.
-
-Solomon Prower, who is called by Bradford both "son" and "servant" of
- Martin, seems from the fact of his "citation" before the Archdeacon
- of Chelmsford, etc., to have been something more than a "servant,"
- possibly a kinsman, or foster-son, and probably would more properly
- have been termed an "employee." He was from Billerica, in Essex,
- and was, from the fact that he did not sign the Compact, probably
- under twenty-one or very ill at the time. He died early. Of John
- Langemore, his fellow "servant," nothing is known, except that he is
- spoken of by Young as one of two "children" brought over by Martin
- (but on no apparent authority), and he did not sign the Compact,
- though this might have been from extreme illness, as he too died
- early.
-
-William White was of the Leyden congregation. He is wrongly called by
- Davis a son of Bishop John White, as the only English Bishop of that
- name and time died a bachelor. At White's marriage, recorded at the
- Stadthaus at Leyden, January 27/February 1, 1612, to Anna [Susanna]
- Fuller, he is called "a young man of England." As he presumably was
- of age at that time, he must have been at least some twenty-nine or
- thirty years old at the embarkation, eight years later. His son
- Peregrine was born in Cape Cod harbor. Mr. White died very early.
-
-Susanna (Fuller) White, wife of William, and sister of Dr. Fuller (?),
- was apparently somewhat younger than her first husband and perhaps
- older than her second. She must, in all probability (having been
- married in Leyden in 1612), have been at least twenty-five at the
- embarkation eight years later. Her second husband, Governor
- Winslow, was but twenty-five in 1620, and the presumption is that
- she was slightly his senior. There appears no good reason for
- ascribing to her the austere and rather unlovable characteristics
- which the pen of Mrs. Austin has given her.
-
-Resolved White, the son of William and Susanna White, could not have been
- more than six or seven years old, and is set down by Goodwin and
- others--on what seems inconclusive evidence--at five. He was
- doubtless born at Leyden.
-
-William Holbeck is simply named as "a servant" of White, by Bradford.
- His age does not appear, but as he did not sign the Compact he was
- probably "under age." From the fact that he died early, it is
- possible that he was too ill to sign.
-
-Edward Thompson is named by Bradford as a second "servant" of Master
- White, but nothing more is known of him, except that he did not sign
- the Compact, and was therefore probably in his nonage, unless
- prevented by severe sickness. He died very early.
-
-Master William Mullens (or Molines, as Bradford some times calls him) is
- elsewhere shown to have been a tradesman of some means, of Dorking,
- in Surrey, one of the Merchant Adventurers, and a man of ability.
- From the fact that he left a married daughter (Mrs. Sarah Blunden)
- and a son (William) a young man grown, in England, it is evident
- that he must have been forty years old or more when he sailed for
- New England, only to die aboard the ship in New Plymouth harbor.
- That he was not a French Huguenot of the Leyden contingent, as
- pictured by Rev. Dr. Baird and Mrs. Austin, is certain.
-
-Mrs. Alice Mullens, whose given name we know only from her husband's
- will, filed in London, we know little about. Her age was (if she
- was his first wife) presumably about that of her husband, whom she
- survived but a short time.
-
-Joseph Mullens was perhaps older than his sister Priscilla, and the third
- child of his parents; but the impression prevails that he was
- slightly her junior,--on what evidence it is hard to say. That he
- was sixteen is rendered certain by the fact that he is reckoned by
- his father, in his will, as representing a share in the planter's
- half-interest in the colony, and to do so must have been of that
- age.
-
-Priscilla Mullens, whom the glamour of unfounded romance and the pen of
- the poet Longfellow have made one of the best known and best beloved
- of the Pilgrim band, was either a little older, or younger, than her
- brother Joseph, it is not certain which. But that she was over
- sixteen is made certain by the same evidence as that named
- concerning her brother.
-
-Robert Carter is named by Bradford as a "man-servant," and Mrs. Austin,
- in her imaginative "Standish of Standish," which is never to be
- taken too literally, has made him (see p. 181 of that book) "a dear
- old servant," whom Priscilla Mullens credits with carrying her in
- his arms when a small child, etc. Both Bradford's mention and Mr.
- Mullens's will indicate that he was yet a young man and "needed
- looking after." He did not sign the Compact, which of itself
- indicates nonage, unless illness was the cause, of which, in his
- case, there is no evidence, until later.
-
-Richard Warren, as he had a wife and five pretty well grown daughters,
- must have been forty-five or more when he came over. He is
- suggested to have been from Essex.
-
-Stephen Hopkins is believed to have been a "lay-reader" with Mr. Buck,
- chaplain to Governor Gates, of the Bermuda expedition of 1609 (see
- Purchas, vol. iv. p. 174). As he could hardly have had this
- appointment, or have taken the political stand he did, until of
- age, he must have been at least twenty-one at that time. If so, he
- would have been not less than thirty two years old in 1620, and was
- probably considerably older, as his son Giles is represented by
- Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 184) as being "about 15." If the
- father was but twenty-one when the son was born, he must have been
- at least thirty-seven when he became a MAY-FLOWER Pilgrim. The
- probabilities are that he was considerably older. His English home
- is not known. Professor Arber makes an error (The Story of the
- Pilgrim Fathers," p. 261) in regard to Hopkins which, unless noted,
- might lead to other and more serious mistakes. Noting the
- differences between John Pierce and a Master Hopkins, heard before
- the Council for New England, May 5/15, 1623, Arber designates Master
- Hopkins as "Stephen" (on what authority does not appear), and leaves
- us to infer that it was the Pilgrim Hopkins. On further inquiry it
- transpires that the person who was at variance with Master John
- Pierce over the matter of passage and freight money, on account of
- the unfortunate PARAGON, was a Rev. Master Hopkins (not Stephen of
- the MAY-FLOWER), who, we learn from Neill's "History of the Virginia
- Company," was "recommended July 3, 1622, by the Court of the Company
- to the Governor of Virginia, . . . being desirous to go over at
- his own charge. He was evidently a passenger on both of the
- disastrous attempts of the PARAGON under Captain William Pierce, and
- being forced back the second time, apparently gave up the intention
- of going.
-
-Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, nothing is known concerning, except that she was
- not her husband's first wife. Sometime apparently elapsed between
- her husband's marriages.
-
-Giles Hopkins we only know was the son of his father's first wife, and
- "about 15." An error (of the types presumably) makes Griffis ("The
- Pilgrims in their Three Homes," p. 176) give the name of Oceanus
- Hopkins's father as Giles, instead of Stephen. Constance (or
- Constantia) Hopkins was apparently about eleven years old in 1620,
- as she married in 1627, and probably was then not far from eighteen
- years old. Damaris Hopkins, the younger daughter of Master Hopkins,
- was probably a very young child when she came in the MAY-FLOWER, but
- her exact age has not been as certained. Davis, as elsewhere noted,
- makes the singular mistake of saying she was born after her parents
- arrived in New England. She married Jacob Cooke, and the
- ante-nuptial agreement of his parents is believed to be the
- earliest of record in America, except that between Gregory
- Armstrong and the widow Billington.
-
-Edward Dotey is called by Bradford "a servant," but nothing is known of
- his age or antecedents. It is very certain from the fact that he
- signed the Compact that he was twenty-one. He was a very energetic
- man. He seems to have been married before coming to New England, or
- soon after.
-
-Edward Leister (the name is variously spelled) was a "servant," by
- Bradford's record. He was doubtless of age, as he signed the
- Compact.
-
-Master John Crackstone, being (apparently) a widower with a son, a child
- well grown, was evidently about thirty five years old when he
- embarked for New England. He left a daughter behind. He died early.
-
-John Crackstone, Jr., was but a lad, and died early.
-
-Master Edward Tilley (sometimes spelled Tillie) and his wife Ann seem to
- have been without children of their own, and as they took with them
- to New England two children who were their kindred, it may be
- inferred that they had been married some little time. It is hence
- probable that Mr. Tilley was in the neighborhood of thirty. His
- wife's age is purely conjectural. They were, Bradford states, "of
- the Leyden congregation."
-
-Henry Sampson was apparently but a young English lad when he came over in
- the MAY-FLOWER with his cousins the Tilleys. As he married in 1636,
- he was probably then about twenty-one, which would make him five or
- six when he came over. Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 184) says he
- was "six."
-
-Humility Cooper is said by Bradford to have been a "cosen" of the
- Tilleys, but no light is given as to her age or antecedents. She
- was but a child, apparently. She returned to England very soon
- after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Tilley, and "died young."
-
-Master John Tilley, having twice married, and having a daughter some
- fourteen years old, must have been over thirty-five years old when
- he sailed on the Pilgrim ship. His birthplace and antecedents are
- not known, but he was "of the Leyden congregation."
-
-Mrs. Bridget (Van der Velde) Tilley was just possibly a second wife.
- Nothing is known concerning her except that she was of Holland, and
- that she had, apparently, no child.
-
-Elizabeth Tilley is said by Goodwin (op. cit. p. 298) and others to have
- been fourteen years old at her parents' death in 1621, soon after
- the arrival in New England. She was the child of her father's first
- wife. She married John Howland before 1624. Historians for many
- years called her the "daughter of Governor Carver," but the recovery
- of Bradford's MS. "historie" corrected this, with many other
- misconceptions, though to some the error had become apparent before.
- Her will also suggests her age.
-
-Francis Cooke's age in 1620 is fixed by his known age at his death
- ("about 81") in 1663. He was from the north of England, and long a
- member of Robinson's congregation, both in England and in
- Holland(?).
-
-John Cooke, son of Francis, is known to have been about ten years old
- when he sailed with his father for America, as his parents did not
- marry before 1609. He was undoubtedly born at Leyden. He was long
- supposed to have been the last male survivor of the original
- passengers (dying at Dartmouth in 1695.)
-
-James Chilton's antecedents and his age are quite unknown. He must have
- been at least fifty, as he had a married daughter in Leyden,
- according to Bradford. He died among the first, and there is
- nothing of record to inform us concerning him, except Bradford's
- meagre mention. He may have lived at Leyden.
-
-Mrs. Chilton's given name is declared by one writer to have been Susanna,
- but it is not clearly proven. Whence she came, her ancestry, and
- her age, are alike unknown.
-
-Mary Chilton was but a young girl in 1620. She married, before 1627,
- John Winslow, and was probably not then over twenty, nor over
- fourteen when she came with her parents in the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Thomas Rogers appears, from the fact that he had a son, a lad well-grown,
- to have been thirty or more in 1620. His birthplace, antecedents,
- and history are unknown, but he appears to have been "of the Leyden
- congregation." His wife and children came later.
-
-Joseph Rogers was only a "lad" aboard the MAY-FLOWER, but he left a
- considerable posterity. Nothing is surely known of him, except that
- he was Thomas's son.
-
-Degory Priest had the distinction of being "freeman" of Leyden, having
- been admitted such, November 16, 1615. He was by occupation a
- "hatter," a man of some means, who left a wife and at least two
- children in Holland when he embarked for America. His known age at
- death gives his age at sailing but a few months previous. At his
- marriage in Leyden, October 4, 1611, he was called "of London." He
- was about thirty-two when he married. His wife (a widow Vincent)
- was a sister of Isaac Allerton, who also was married at the same
- time that he was. Goodwin ("Pilgrim Republic," p. 183) also gives
- his age as "forty-one." His widow remarried and came over later.
- Dexter ("Mourt's Relation," p. 69, note) states, quoting from Leyden
- MS. records, that "Degory Priest in April, 1619, calling himself a
- 'hatter,' deposes that he 'is forty years of age.'" He must,
- therefore, have been about forty-one when he sailed on the
- MAY-FLOWER, and forty-two years old at his death.
-
-John Rigdale and his wife Alice afford no data. They both died early,
- and there is no record concerning either of them beyond the fact
- that they were passengers.
-
-Edward Fuller and his wife have left us little record of themselves save
- that they were of Leyden, that he is reputed a brother of Dr. Samuel
- Fuller (for whom they seem to have named the boy they brought over
- with them,--leaving apparently another son, Matthew, behind), and
- that both died the first winter. He must have been at least
- twenty-five, judging from the fact that he was married and had two
- children, and was perhaps somewhat older (though traditionally
- represented as younger) than his brother. Neither his occupation
- nor antecedents are surely known.
-
-Samuel Fuller--the son of Edward Fuller and his wife--is called by
- Bradford "a young child." He must have been some five or six years
- of age, as he married in 1635, fifteen years later, and would
- presumably have been of age, or nearly so.
-
-Thomas Tinker's name, the mention of his "wife" and "son," the tradition
- that they were "of the Leyden congregation" (which is not sure), the
- certainty that they were MAY-FLOWER passengers,--on Brad ford's
- list,--and that all died early, are all we know of the Tinker
- family.
-
-John Turner and his two sons we know little about. He seems to have been
- a widower, as no mention is found of his wife, though this is not
- certain. He was of the Leyden congregation, and evidently a man of
- some standing with the leaders, as he was made their messenger to
- Carver and Cushman in London, in June, 1620, and was apparently
- accustomed to travel. He appears to have had business of his own in
- England at the time, and was apparently a man of sober age. As he
- had three children,--a daughter who came later to New England, and
- two sons, as stated by Bradford,--it is probable that he was thirty
- or over. He and both his sons died in the spring of 1621.
-
-Francis Eaton was of Leyden, a carpenter, and, having a wife and child,
- was probably a young man about twenty five, perhaps a little
- younger. He married three times.
-
-Mrs. Sarah Eaton, wife of Francis, was evidently a young woman, with an
- infant, at the date of embarkation. Nothing more is known of her,
- except that she died the spring following the arrival at Plymouth.
-
-Samuel Eaton, the son of Francis and his wife, Sarah, Bradford calls "a
- sucking child:" He lived to marry.
-
-Gilbert Window was the third younger brother of Governor Edward Winslow,
- and is reputed to have been a carpenter. He was born on Wednesday,
- October 26, 1600, at Droitwitch, in Worcester, England. ("Winslow
- Memorial," vol. i. p. 23.) He apparently did not remain long in
- the colony, as he does not appear in either the "land division" of
- 1623 or the "cattle division" of 1627; and hence was probably not
- then in the "settlement," though land was later allowed his heirs,
- he having been an "original" voyager of the Plymouth colony. He was
- but twenty years and fifteen days old when he signed the Compact,
- but probably was--from his brother's prominence and his nearness to
- his majority--counted as eligible. Bradford states that he returned
- to England after "divers years" in New England, and died there. It
- has been suggested that he went very early to some of the other
- "plantations."
-
-John Alden was of Southampton, England, was hired as "a cooper," was
- twenty-one years old in 1620, as determined by the year of his
- birth, 1599 ("Alden Memorial," p. 1), and became the most prominent
- and useful of any of the English contingent of the MAY FLOWER
- company. Longfellow's delightful poem, "The Courtship of Miles
- Standish," has given him and his bride, Priscilla Mullens,
- world-wide celebrity, though it is to be feared that its historical
- accuracy would hardly stand criticism. Why young Alden should have
- been "hired for a cooper at Southampton," with liberty to "go or
- stay" in the colony, as Bradford says he was (clearly indicating
- that he went to perform some specific work and return, if he liked,
- with the ship), has mystified many. The matter is clear, however,
- when it is known, as Griffis shows, that part of a Parliamentary Act
- of 1543 reads: "Whosoever shall carry Beer beyond Sea, shall find
- Sureties to the Customers (?) of that Port, to bring in Clapboard
- [staves] meet [sufficient] to make so much Vessel [barrel or
- "kilderkin"] as he shall carry forth." As a considerable quantity of
- beer was part of the MAY-FLOWER'S lading, and her consignors stood
- bound to make good in quantity the stave-stock she carried away,
- it was essential, in going to a wild country where it could not be
- bought, but must be "got out" from the growing timber, to take along
- a "cooper and cleaver" for that purpose. Moreover, the great demand
- for beer-barrel stock made "clapboard" good and profitable return
- lading. It constituted a large part of the FORTUNE'S return freight
- (doubtless "gotten out" by Alden), as it would have undoubtedly of
- the MAY-FLOWER'S, had the hardship of the colony's condition
- permitted.
-
-Peter Browne we know little concerning. That he was a man of early
- middle age is inferable from the fact that he married the widow
- Martha Ford, who came in the FORTUNE in 1621. As she then was the
- mother of three children, it is improbable that she would have
- married a very young man. He appears, from certain collateral
- evidence, to have been a mechanic of some kind, but it is not clear
- what his handicraft was or whence he came.
-
-John Billington (Bradford sometimes spells it Billinton) and his family,
- Bradford tells us, "were from London." They were evidently an
- ill-conditioned lot, and unfit for the company of the planters, and
- Bradford says, "I know not by what friend shuffled into their
- Company." As he had a wife and two children, the elder of whom must
- have been about sixteen years old, he was apparently over
- thirty-five years of age. There is a tradition that he was a
- countryman bred, which certain facts seem to confirm. (See land
- allotments for data as to age of boys, 1632.) He was the only one
- of the original colonists to suffer the "death penalty" for crime.
-
-Mrs. Ellen (or "Elen") Billington, as Bradford spells the name, was
- evidently of comporting age to her husband's, perhaps a little
- younger. Their two sons, John and Francis, were lively urchins who
- frequently made matters interesting for the colonists, afloat and
- ashore. The family was radically bad throughout, but they have had
- not a few worthy descendants. Mrs. Billington married Gregory
- Armstrong, and their antenuptial agreement is the first of record
- known in America.
-
-John Billington, Jr., is always first named of his father's two sons, and
- hence the impression prevails that he was the elder, and Bradford so
- designates him. The affidavit of Francis Billington (Plymouth
- County, Mass., Deeds, vol. i. p. 81), dated 1674, in which he
- declares himself sixty-eight years old, would indicate that he was
- born in 1606, and hence must have been about fourteen years of age
- when he came on the MAY-FLOWER to New Plymouth. If John, his
- brother, was older than he, he must have been born about 1604, and
- so was about sixteen when, he came to New England. The indications
- are that it was Francis, the younger son, who got hold of the
- gunpowder in his father's cabin in Cape Cod harbor, and narrowly
- missed blowing up the ship. John died before 1630. Francis lived,
- as appears, to good age, and had a family.
-
-Moses Fletcher was of the Leyden company, a "smith," and at the time of
- his second marriage at Leyden, November 30/December 21, 1613, was
- called a "widower" and "of England." As he was probably of age at
- the time of his first marriage,--presumably two years or more before
- his last,--he must have been over thirty in 1620. He was perhaps
- again a widower when he came over, as no mention is made of his
- having wife or family. He was possibly of the Amsterdam family of
- that name. His early death was a great loss to the colony.
-
-A Thomas Williams is mentioned by Hon. Henry C Murphy ("Historical
- Magazine," vol. iii. pp. 358, 359), in a list of some of Robinson's
- congregation who did not go to New England in either the MAY-FLOWER,
- FORTUNE, ANNE, Or LITTLE JAMES. He either overlooked the fact that
- Williams was one of the MAY-FLOWER passengers, or else there were
- two of the name, one of whom did not go. Nothing is known of the
- age or former history of the Pilgrim of that name. He died in the
- spring of 1621 (before the end of March). As he signed the Compact,
- he must have been over twenty-one. He may have left a wife, Sarah.
-
-John Goodman we know little more about than that he and Peter Browne seem
- to have been "lost" together, on one occasion (when he was badly
- frozen), and to have had, with his little spaniel dog, a rencontre
- with "two great wolves," on another. He was twice married, the last
- time at Leyden in 1619. He died before the end of March, 1621.
- As he signed the Compact, he must have been over twenty-one.
-
-Edward Margeson we know nothing about. As he signed the Compact, he was
- presumably of age.
-
-Richard Britteridge affords little data. His age, birthplace, or
- occupation do not transpire, but he was, it seems, according to
- Bradford, the first of the company to die on board the ship after
- she had cast anchor in the harbor of New Plymouth. This fact
- negatives the pleasant fiction of Mrs. Austin's "Standish of
- Standish" (p. 104), that Britteridge was one of those employed in
- cutting sedge on shore on Friday, January 12. Poor Britteridge died
- December 21, three weeks earlier. He signed the Compact, and hence
- may be accounted of age at the landing at Cape Cod.
-
-Richard Clarke appears only as one of the passengers and as dying before
- the end of March. He signed the Compact, and hence was doubtless
- twenty-one or over.
-
-Richard Gardiner, we know from Bradford, "became a seaman and died in
- England or at sea." He was evidently a young man, but of his age or
- antecedents nothing appears. He signed the Compact, and hence was
- at least twenty-one years old.
-
-John Alderton (sometimes spelled Allerton), we are told by Bradford,--as
- elsewhere noted,--"was hired, but was reputed one of the company,
- but was to go back, being a seaman and so, presumably, unmindful of
- the voyages, for the help of others." Whether Bradford intended by
- the latter clause to indicate that he had left his family behind,
- and came "to spy out the land," and, if satisfied, to return for
- them, or was to return for the counsel and assistance of Robinson
- and the rest, who were to follow, is not clear, but the latter view
- has most to support it. We learn his occupation, but can only infer
- that he was a young man over twenty-one from the above and the fact
- that he signed the Compact. It has been suggested that he was a
- relative of Isaac Allerton, but this is nowhere shown and is
- improbable. He died before the MAY-FLOWER returned to England.
-
-Thomas English (or Enlish), Bradford tells us ("Historie," Mass. ed.
- p. 533), "was hired to goe Master of a [the] shallop here." He,
- however, "died here before the ship returned." It is altogether
- probable that he was the savior of the colony on that stormy night
- when the shallop made Plymouth harbor the first time, and, narrowly
- escaping destruction, took shelter under Clarke's Island. The first
- three governors of the colony, its chief founders,--Carver,
- Bradford, and Winslow,--with Standish, Warren, Hopkins, Howland,
- Dotey, and others, were on board, and but for the heroism and prompt
- action of "the lusty sea man which steered," who was--beyond
- reasonable doubt--English, as Bradford's narrative ("Morton's
- Memorial") shows, the lives of the entire party must, apparently,
- have been lost. That English was, if on board--Bradford shows in
- the "Memorial" that he was--as Master of the shallop, properly her
- helmsman in so critical a time, goes without saying, especially as
- the "rudder was broken" and an oar substituted; that the ship's
- "mates," Clarke and Coppin, were not in charge (although on board)
- fully appears by Bradford's account; and as it must have taken all
- of the other (four) seamen on board to pull the shallop, bereft of
- her sail, in the heavy breakers into which she had been run by
- Coppin's blunder, there would be no seaman but English for the
- steering-oar, which was his by right. Had these leaders been lost
- at this critical time,--before a settlement had been made,--it is
- certain that the colony must have been abandoned, and the Pilgrim
- impress upon America must have been lost. English's name should, by
- virtue of his great service, be ever held in high honor by all of
- Pilgrim stock. His early death was a grave loss. Bradford spells
- the name once Enlish, but presumably by error. He signed the
- Compact as Thomas English.
-
-William Trevore was, according to Bradford, one of "two seamen hired to
- stay a year in the countrie." He went back when his time expired,
- but later returned to New England. Cushman (Bradford, "Historie,"
- p. 122) suggests that he was telling "sailors' yarns." He says:
- "For William Trevore hath lavishly told but what he knew or imagined
- of Capewock Martha's Vineyard, Monhiggon, and ye Narragansetts." In
- 1629 he was at Massachusetts Bay in command of the HANDMAID
- (Goodwin, p. 320), and in February, 1633 (Winthrop, vol. i. p. 100),
- he seems to have been in command of the ship WILLIAM at Plymouth,
- with passengers for Massachusetts Bay. Captain Standish testified
- in regard to Thompson's Island in Boston harbor, that about 1620 he
- "was on that Island with Trevore," and called it "Island Trevore."
- (Bradford, "Historie," Deane's ed. p. 209.) He did not sign the
- Compact, perhaps because of the limitations of his contract (one
- year).
-
---- Ely (not Ellis, as Arber miscalls him, "The Story of the Pilgrim
- Fathers," p. 377) was the other of the "two seamen hired to stay a
- year," etc. He also returned when his time expired. (Bradford,
- Hist. Mass. ed. p. 534.) He did not sign the Compact, probably for
- the reason operative in .Trevore's case. A digest of the foregoing
- data gives the following interesting, if incomplete, data (errors
- excepted):--
-
-Adult males (hired seamen and servants of age included)... 44
-Adult females (including Mrs. Carver's maid).............. 19
-Youths, male children, and male servants, minors.......... 29
-Maidens, female children.................................. 10
- -------
- 102
-
-Married males............................................. 26
-Married females........................................... 18
-Single (adult) males (and young men)...................... 25
-Single (adult) females (Mrs. Carver's maid)............... 1
-
-
-Vocations of adults so far as known (except wives, who are presumed
-housekeepers for their husbands):--
-
-Carpenters................................................ 2
-Cooper.................................................... 1
-Fustian-worker and silk-dyer.............................. 1
-Hatter.................................................... 1
-Lay-reader................................................ 1
-Lady's-maid............................................... 1
-Merchants................................................. 3
-Physician................................................. 1
-Printers and publishers................................... 2
-Seamen.................................................... 4
-Servants (adult).......................................... 10
-Smith..................................................... 1
-Soldier................................................... 1
-Tailor.................................................... 1
-Tradesmen................................................. 2
-Wool-carders.............................................. 2
-
-Allowing for the addition of Wilder and the two sailors, Trevore and Ely,
-who did not sign it, the number of those who signed the Compact tallies
-exactly with the adult males. Besides these occupations, it is known
-that several of the individuals representing them were skilled in other
-callings, and were at some time teachers, accountants, linguists,
-writers, etc., while some had formerly practised certain handicrafts;
-Dr. Fuller, e.g. having formerly been a "silk-worker," Brad ford (on the
-authority of Belknap), a "silk-dyer," and others "fustian-workers."
-Hopkins had apparently sometime before dropped his character of
-"lay-reader," and was a pretty efficient man of affairs, but his
-vocation at the time of the exodus is not known.
-
-The former occupations of fourteen of the adult colonists, Browne,
-Billington, Britteridge, Cooke, Chilton, Clarke, Crackstone, Goodman,
-Gardiner, Rogers, Rigdale, Turner, Warren, and Williams are not certainly
-known. There is evidence suggesting that Browne was a mechanic;
-Billington and Cooke had been trained to husbandry; that Chilton had been
-a small tradesman; that Edward Tilley had been, like his brother, a
-silk-worker; that Turner was a tradesman, and Warren a farmer; while it
-is certain that Cooke, Rogers, and Warren had been men of some means.
-
-Of the above list of fourteen men whose last occupations before joining
-the colonists are unknown, only five, viz. Browne, Billington, Cooke,
-Gardiner, and Warren lived beyond the spring of 1621. Of these, Warren
-died early, Gardiner left the colony and "became a seaman;" the other
-three, Billington, Browne, and Cooke, became "planters." Thomas Morton,
-of "Merry Mount," in his "New Eng land's Canaan" (p. 217), gives
-Billington the sobriquet "Ould Woodman."
-
-The early deaths of the others make their former handicrafts--except as
-so much data pertaining to the composi tion and history of the colony--
-matters of only ephemeral interest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VII
-
-QUARTERS, COOKING, PROVISIONS
-
-Probably no more vexatious problem presented itself for the time being to
-the "governors" of the two vessels and their "assistants," upon their
-selection, than the assignment of quarters to the passengers allotted to
-their respective ships. That these allotments were in a large measure
-determined by the requirements of the women and children may be
-considered certain. The difficulties attendant on due recognition of
-social and official station (far more imperative in that day than this)
-were in no small degree lessened by the voluntary assignment of
-themselves, already mentioned, of some of the Leyden chief people to the
-smaller ship; but in the interests of the general welfare and of harmony,
-certain of the leaders, both of the Leyden and London contingents, were
-of necessity provided for in the larger vessel. The allotments to the
-respective ships made at Southampton, the designation of quarters in the
-ships themselves, and the final readjustments upon the MAY-FLOWER at
-Plymouth (England), when the remaining passengers of both ships had been
-united, were all necessarily determined chiefly with regard to the needs
-of the women, girls, and babes. Careful analysis of the list shows that
-there were, requiring this especial consideration, nineteen women, ten
-young girls, and one infant. Of the other children, none were so young
-that they might not readily bunk with or near their fathers in any part
-of the ship in which the latter might be located.
-
-We know enough of the absolute unselfishness and devotion of all the
-Leyden leaders, whatever their birth or station,--so grandly proven in
-those terrible days of general sickness and death at New Plymouth,--to be
-certain that with them, under all circumstances, it was noblesse oblige,
-and that no self-seeking would actuate them here. It should be
-remembered that the MAY-FLOWER was primarily a passenger transport, her
-passengers being her principal freight and occupying the most of the
-ship, the heavier cargo being chiefly confined to the "hold." As in that
-day the passenger traffic was, of course, wholly by sailing vessels, they
-were built with cabin accommodations for it, as to numbers, etc.,
-proportionately much beyond those of the sailing craft of to-day. The
-testimony of Captain John Smith, "the navigator," as to the passengers of
-the MAY-FLOWER "lying wet in their cabins," and that of Bradford as to
-Billington's "cabin between decks," already quoted, is conclusive as to
-the fact that she had small cabins (the "staterooms" of to-day), intended
-chiefly, no doubt, for women and children. The advice of Edward Winslow
-to his friend George Morton, when the latter was about to come to New
-England in the ANNE, "build your cabins as open as possible,"
-is suggestive of close cabins and their discomforts endured upon the
-MAY-FLOWER. It also suggests that the chartering-party was expected in
-those days to control, if not to do, the "fitting up" of the ship for her
-voyage. In view of the usual "breadth of beam" of ships of her class and
-tonnage, aft, and the fore and aft length of the poop, it is not
-unreasonable to suppose that there were not less than four small cabins
-on either side of the common (open) cabin or saloon (often depicted as
-the signing-place of the Compact), under the high poop deck. Constructed
-on the general plan of such rooms or cabins to-day (with four single
-berths, in tiers of two on either hand), there would be--if the women and
-girls were conveniently distributed among them--space for all except the
-Billingtons, who we know had a cabin (as had also doubtless several of
-the principal men) built between decks. This would also leave an after
-cabin for the Master, who not infrequently made his quarters, and those
-of his chief officer, in the "round house," when one existed, especially
-in a crowded ship.
-
-Cabins and bunks "between decks" would provide for all of the males of
-the company, while the seamen, both of the crew and (some of) those in
-the employ of the Pilgrims--like Trevore and Ely--were no doubt housed in
-the fore castle. Alderton and English seem to have been counted "of the
-company." The few data we have permit us to confidently assume that some
-such disposition of the passengers was (necessarily) made, and that but
-for the leaky decks, the inseparable discomforts of the sea, and those of
-over crowding, the wives of the Pilgrims (three of whom gave birth to
-children aboard the ship), and their daughters, were fairly "berthed."
-
-Bradford is authority for the statement that with the "governor" of the
-ship's company were chosen "two or three assistants . . . to order
-[regulate] the people by the way [on the passage] and see to the
-disposition of the provisions," etc. The last-named duty must have been a
-most difficult and wearisome one. From what has been shown of the
-poverty of the ship's cooking facilities (especially for so large a
-company), one must infer that it would be hopeless to expect to cook food
-in any quantity, except when all conditions favored, and then but slowly
-and with much difficulty. From the fact that so many would require food
-at practically the same hours of the day, it is clear that there must
-have been distribution of food (principally uncooked) to groups or
-families, who, with the aid of servants (when available), must each have
-prepared their own meals, cooking as occasion and opportunity indicated;
-much after the manner of the steerage passengers in later days, but
-before those of the great ocean liners. There appears to have been but
-one cook for the officers and crew of the ship, and his hands were
-doubtless full with their demands. It is certain that his service to the
-passengers must have been very slight. That "the cook" is named as one
-of the ship's crew who died in Plymouth harbor (New England) is all the
-knowledge we have concerning him.
-
-The use of and dependence upon tea and coffee, now so universal, and at
-sea so seemingly indispensable, was then unknown, beer supplying their
-places, and this happily did not have to be prepared with fire. "Strong
-waters"--Holland gin and to some extent "aqua vitae" (brandy)--were
-relied upon for the (supposed) maintenance of warmth. Our Pilgrim
-Fathers were by no means "total abstainers," and sadly bewailed being
-deprived of their beer when the supply failed. They also made general
-and habitual (moderate) use of wine and spirits, though they sharply
-interdicted and promptly punished their abuse.
-
-In the absence of cooking facilities, it became necessary in that day to
-rely chiefly upon such articles of food as did not require to be prepared
-by heat, such as biscuit (hard bread), butter, cheese ("Holland cheese"
-was a chief staple with the Pilgrims), "haberdyne" (or dried salt
-codfish), smoked herring, smoked ("cured ") ham and bacon, "dried neat's
-tongues," preserved and "potted" meats (a very limited list in that day),
-fruits, etc. Mush, oatmeal, pease-puddings, pickled eggs, sausage meats,
-salt beef and pork, bacon, "spiced beef," such few vegetables as they had
-(chiefly cabbages, turnips, and onions,--there were no potatoes in that
-day), etc., could be cooked in quantity, when the weather permitted, and
-would then be eaten cold.
-
-Except as dried or preserved fruits, vegetables (notably onions), limes,
-lemon juice, and the free use of vinegar feebly counteracted, their food
-was distinctively stimulant of scorbutic and tuberculosis disease, which
-constant exposure to cold and wet and the overcrowded state of the ship
-could but increase and aggravate. Bradford narrates of one of the crew
-of the MAY-FLOWER when in Plymouth harbor, as suggestive of the wretched
-conditions prevalent in the ship, that one of his shipmates, under an
-agreement to care for him, "got him a little spice and made him a mess of
-beef, once or twice," and then deserted him.
-
-Josselyn, in his "Two Voyages to New England," gives as the result of the
-experience and observations had in his voyages, but a few years later,
-much that is interesting and of exceptional value as to the food and
-equipment of passengers to, and colonists in, this part of America. It
-has especial interest, perhaps, for the author and his readers, in the
-fact that Josselyn's statements were not known until after the data given
-in these pages had been independently worked out from various sources,
-and came therefore as a gratifying confirmation of the conclusions
-already reached.
-
-Josselyn says as to food, as follows:--"The common proportion of
-victuals for the sea to a mess (being 4 men) is as followeth:--
-
-"2 pieces of Beef of 3 lb. 1/4 apiece. Pork seems to have been
-inadvertently omitted.
-
-"Four pounds of Bread [ship-bread].
-
-"One pint & 1/2 of Pease.
-
-"Four Gallons of Bear [Beer], with mustard and vinegar for 3 flesh days
-in the week."
-
-
-"For four fish days to each mess per day:--
-
-"Two pieces of Codd or Haberdine, making 3 pieces of a fish, i.e. a
-dried salt cod being divided into three pieces, 2 of those pieces were to
-be a day's ration for 4 men.
-
-"Four pounds of Bread.
-
-"Three-quarters of a pound of cheese.
-
-"Bear as before."
-
-"Oatmeal per day for 50 men 1 Gallon [dry], and so proportionable for
-more or fewer."
-
-"Thus you see the ship's provision is Beefe and Porke, Fish, Butter,
-Cheese, Pease, Pottage, Water-Gruel, Bisket, and six shilling Bear."
-
-
-"For private fresh provision you may carry with you (in case you or any
-of yours should be sick at sea):--
-
-"Conserves of Roses, Clove-Gilliflowers, Wormwood, Green-Ginger,
-Burnt-Wine, English Spirits, Prunes to stew, Raisons of the Sun,
-Currence [currants], Sugar, Nutmeg, Mace, Cinnamon, Pepper and Ginger,
-White Bisket, Butter, or 'Captains biscuit,' made with wheat flour or
-Spanish Rusk, Eggs, Rice, Juice of Lemons, well put up to cure or
-prevent the Scurvy, Small Skillets, Pipkins, Porringers and small
-Frying Pans."
-
-Josselyn further gives us an estimate for:--
-
-"Victuals for a whole year to be carried out of England for one man and so
-for more after this rate." He annexed also their current prices:--
-
-"Eight bushels of Meal [Rye meal probably intended]
-Two bushels of Pease at 3/s
-Two bushels of Oatmeal at 4s/6d
-One Gallon of Aqua Vitae
-One Gallon of Oyl
-Two Gallons of Vinegar
-[No estimate of Beef or Pork, or of vegetables, is included.]
-A Hogshead of English Bear
-A Hogshead of Irish Bear
-A Hogshead of Vinegar
-A bushel of Mustard seed
-A Kental [Quintal] of fish, Cod or Haberdine, 112 lb."
-
-
-Edward Window, in his letter to George Morton before mentioned, advising
-him as to his voyage, says: "Bring juice of lemons and take it fasting.
-It is of good use."
-
-It is indeed remarkable that, totally unused to any such conditions, wet,
-cold, poorly fed, overcrowded, storm-tossed, bruised and beaten, anxious,
-and with no homes to welcome them, exposed to new hardships and dangers
-on landing, worn and exhausted, any of the MAY-FLOWER'S company survived.
-It certainly cannot be accounted strange that infectious diseases, once
-started among them, should have run through their ranks like fire, taking
-both old and young. Nor is it strange that--though more inured to
-hardship and the conditions of sea life--with the extreme and unusual
-exposure of boat service on the New England coast in mid winter, often
-wading in the icy water and living aboard ship in a highly infected
-atmosphere, the seamen should have succumbed to disease in almost equal
-ratio with the colonists. The author is prepared, after careful
-consideration, to accept and professionally indorse, with few exceptions,
-the conclusions as to the probable character of the decimating diseases
-of the passengers and crew of the MAY-FLOWER, so ably and interestingly
-presented by Dr. Edward E. Cornwall in the "New England Magazine" for
-February, 1897--From the fact that Edward Thompson, Jasper More, and
-Master James Chilton died within a month of the arrival at Cape Cod (and
-while the ship lay in that harbor), and following the axiom of vital
-statistics that "for each death two are constantly sick," there must have
-been some little (though not to say general) sickness on the MAY-FLOWER
-when she arrived at Cape Cod. It would, in view of the hardship of the
-voyage, have been very remarkable if this had not been the case. It
-would have been still more remarkable if the ill-conditioned,
-thin-blooded, town-bred "servants" and apprentices had not suffered
-first and most. It is significant that eight out of nine of the male
-"servants" should have died in the first four months. It was impossible
-that scurvy should not have been prevalent with both passengers and
-crew.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VIII
-
-THE MAY-FLOWER'S LADING
-
-Beside her human freight of one hundred and thirty or more passengers and
-crew, the lading of the MAY-FLOWER when she sailed from Plymouth
-(England), September 6/16, 1620, was considerable and various. If
-clearing at a custom-house of to-day her manifest would excite no little
-interest and surprise. Taking no account of the ship's stores and
-supplies (necessarily large, like her crew, when bound upon such a
-voyage, when every possible need till her return to her home port must be
-provided for before sailing), the colonists' goods and chattels were
-many, their provisions bulky, their ordnance, arms, and stores (in the
-hold) heavy, and their trading-stock fairly ample. Much of the cargo
-originally stowed in the SPEEDWELL, a part, as we know, of her company,
-and a few of her crew were transferred to the MAY-FLOWER at Plymouth, and
-there can be no doubt that the ship was both crowded and overladen.
-
-It is altogether probable that the crowded condition of her spar and main
-decks caused the supply of live-stock taken--whether for consumption upon
-the voyage or for the planters' needs on shore--to be very limited as to
-both number and variety. It has been matter of surprise to many that no
-cattle (not even milch-cows) were taken, but if--as is not unlikely--it
-was at first proposed to take a cow or two (when both ships were to go
-and larger space was available), this intent was undoubtedly abandoned at
-Plymouth, England, when it became evident that there would be dearth of
-room even for passengers, none whatever for cattle or their fodder (a
-large and prohibitive quantity of the latter being required for so long a
-voyage), and that the lateness of the season and its probable hardships
-would endanger the lives of the animals if taken. So far as appears the
-only domestic live-stock aboard the MAY-FLOWER consisted of goats, swine,
-poultry, and dogs. It is quite possible that some few sheep, rabbits, and
-poultry for immediate consumption (these requiring but little forage) may
-have been shipped, this being customary then as now. It is also probable
-that some household pets--cats and caged singing-birds, the latter always
-numerous in both England and Holland--were carried on board by their
-owners, though no direct evidence of the fact is found. There is ample
-proof that goats, swine, poultry, and dogs were landed with the colonists
-at New Plymouth, and it is equally certain that they had at first neither
-cattle, horses, nor sheep. Of course the she-goats were their sole
-reliance for milk for some time, whether afloat or ashore, and goat's
-flesh and pork their only possibilities in the way of fresh meat for many
-months, save poultry (and game after landing), though we may be sure, in
-view of the breeding value of their goats, poultry, and swine, few were
-consumed for food. The "fresh meat" mentioned as placed before
-Massasoit' on his first visit was probably venison, though possibly kid's
-meat, pork, or poultry. Of swine and poultry they must have had a pretty
-fair supply, judging from their rapid increase, though their goats must
-have been few. They were wholly without beasts of draft or burden (though
-it seems strange that a few Spanish donkeys or English "jacks" had not
-been taken along, as being easily kept, hardy, and strong, and quite
-equal to light ploughing, hauling, carrying, etc.), and their lack was
-sorely felt. The space they and their forage demanded it was doubtless
-considered impracticable to spare. The only dogs that appear in evidence
-are a large mastiff bitch (the only dog of that breed probably seen on
-these shores since Pring's "bigge dogges" so frightened the Indians' in
-this region seventeen years before)
-
- [Captain Martin Pring had at Plymouth, in 1603, two great "mastive
- dogges" named "Fool" and "Gallant," the former being trained to carry
- a half-pike in his mouth. "The Indians were more afraid of these
- dogs than of twenty men." American Magazine of History; Goodwin,
- Pilgrim Republic, p. 3.]
-
-and a small spaniel, both the property of passengers, though there may
-have been others not mentioned. Speaking of the venison found in a tree
-by one of the exploring parties, Winslow says: "We thought it fitter for
-the dogs than for us," perhaps suggesting by his word "the" their own
-dogs aboard ship and provision for them. There is an intimation as to
-the ownership of these two dogs in the facts that on certainly two
-occasions John Goodman was accompanied by the little spaniel (once when
-alone), from which it may perhaps be inferred that he was the dog's
-master; while the big mastiffs presence when only Peter Browne and
-Goodman were together suggests that Browne was her owner. The goats,
-swine, rabbits, and poultry were doubtless penned on the spar-deck
-forward, while possibly some poultry, and any sheep brought for food, may
-have been temporarily housed--as was a practice with early voyagers--in
-the (unused) ship's boats, though these appear to have been so few in
-number and so much in demand that it is doubtful if they were here
-available as pens. The heavy cargo and most of the lighter was of course
-stowed in the hold, as the main deck (or "'tween decks") was mostly
-occupied as quarters for the male passengers, old and young, though the
-colonists' shallop, a sloop-rigged boat some thirty feet in length, had
-been "cut down" and stowed "between the decks" for the voyage. A glimpse
-of the weary life at sea on that long and dreary passage is given in
-Bradford's remark that "she was much opened with the people's lying in
-her during the voyage:" This shallop with her equipment, a possible spare
-skiff or two, the chests, "boxes," and other personal belongings of the
-passengers, some few cases of goods, some furniture, etc., constituted
-the only freight for which there could have been room "between decks,"
-most of the space (aft) being occupied by cabins and bunks.
-
-The provisions in use, both by passengers and crew, were probably kept in
-the lazarette or "runs," in the stern of the ship, which would be
-unusually capacious in vessels of this model; some--the bulkiest--in the
-hold under the forward hatch, as the custom was, and to some extent still
-is. The food supply of the Pilgrims, constituting part of the
-MAY-FLOWER'S Cargo, included, as appears from authentic sources:--
-
-Breadstuff's, including,--
- Biscuits or ship-bread (in barrels).
- Oatmeal (in barrels or hogsheads).
- Rye meal (in hogsheads).
-Butter (in firkins).
-Cheese, "Hollands" and English (in boxes).
-Eggs, pickled (in tubs).
-Fish, "haberdyne" [or salt dried cod] (in boxes).
-Smoked herring (in boxes).
-Meats, including,--
- Beef, salt, or "corned" (in barrels).
- Dry-salted (in barrels).
- Smoked (in sacks).
- Dried neats'-tongues (in boxes).
- Pork, bacon, smoked (in sacks or boxes).
- Salt ["corned"] (in barrels).
- Hams and shoulders, smoked (in canvas sacks or hogsheads).
-Salt (in bags and barrels).
-Vegetables, including,--
- Beans (in bags and barrels).
- Cabbages (in sacks and barrels).
- Onions (in sacks).
- Turnips (in sacks).
- Parsnips (in sacks).
- Pease (in barrels), and
-Vinegar (in hogsheads), while,--
-Beer (in casks), brandy, "aqua vitae" (in pipes), and gin ["Hollands,"
- "strong waters," or "schnapps"] (in pipes) were no small or
- unimportant part, from any point of view, of the provision supply.
-
-Winslow, in his letter to George Morton advising him as to his
-preparations for the voyage over, says: "Be careful to have a very good
-bread-room to keep your biscuit in." This was to keep them from
-dampness. Winthrop gives us the memorandum of his order for the
-ship-bread for his voyage in 1630. He says: "Agreed with Keene of
-Southwark, baker, for 20,000 of Biscuit, 15,000 of brown, and 5,000 of
-white." Captain Beecher minutes: "10 M. of bread for the ship ARBELLA."
-Beecher's memorandum of "oatmeal" is "30 bushels." Winslow mentions
-"oatmeal," and Winthrop notes among the provisions bought by Captain
-William Pierce, "4 hhds. of oatmeal." Rye meal was usually meant by the
-term "meal," and Window in his letter to George Morton advises him: "Let
-your meal be so hard-trod in your casks that you shall need an adz or
-hatchet to work it out with;" and also to "be careful to come by [be
-able to get at] some of your meal to spend [use] by the way."
-Notwithstanding that Bradford' speaks of their "selling away" some "60
-firkins of butter," to clear port charges at Southampton, and the
-leaders, in their letter to the Adventurers from that port (August 3),
-speak of themselves, when leaving Southampton in August, 1620, as
-"scarce having any butter," there seems to have been some left to give
-as a present to Quadrequina, Massasoit's brother, the last of March
-following, which would indicate its good "keeping" qualities. Wood, in
-his "New England's Prospect" (ch. 2), says: "Their butter and cheese
-were corrupted." Bradford mentions that their lunch on the exploration
-expedition of November 15, on Cape Cod, included "Hollands cheese,"
-which receives also other mention. There is a single mention, in the
-literature of the day, of eggs preserved in salt, for use on shipboard.
-"Haberdyne" (or dried salt cod) seems to have been a favorite and staple
-article of diet aboard ship. Captain Beecher minutes "600 haberdyne for
-the ship ARBELLA." Wood says: "Their fish was rotten." Smoked
-"red-herring" were familiar food to all the MAY-FLOWER company. No
-house or ship of England or Holland in that day but made great
-dependence upon them. Bacon was, of course, a main staple at sea. In
-its half-cooked state as it came from the smoke-house it was much
-relished with their biscuit by seamen and others wishing strong food,
-and when fried it became a desirable article of food to all except the
-sick. Mention is made of it by several of the early Pilgrim writers.
-Carlyle, as quoted, speaks of it as a diet-staple on the MAY-FLOWER.
-Salt ("corned") beef has always been a main article of food with seamen
-everywhere. Wood' states that the "beef" of the Pilgrims was "tainted."
-In some way it was made the basis of a reputedly palatable preparation
-called "spiced beef," mentioned as prepared by one of the sailors for a
-shipmate dying on the MAY-FLOWER in Plymouth harbor. It must have been a
-very different article from that we now find so acceptable under that
-name in England. Winthrop' gives the price of his beef at "19 shillings
-per cwt." Winslow advises his friend Morton, in the letter so often
-quoted, not to have his beef "dry-salted," saying, "none can do it
-better than the sailors," which is a suggestion not readily understood.
-"Smoked" beef was practically the same as that known as "jerked,"
-"smoked," or "dried" beef in America. A "dried neat's-tongue" is named
-as a contribution of the Pilgrims to the dinner for Captain Jones and
-his men on February 21, 1621, when they had helped to draw up and mount
-the cannon upon the platform on the hill at Plymouth. Winthrop paid
-"14d. a piece" for his "neats' tongues." The pork of the Pilgrims is
-also said by Wood' to have been "tainted." Winthrop states that his
-pork cost "20 pence the stone" (14 lbs.).
-
-Hams seem to have been then, as now, a highly-prized article of diet.
-Goodwin mentions that the salt used by the Pilgrims was (evaporated)
-"sea-salt" and very "impure." Winthrop mentions among his supplies,
-"White, Spanish, and Bay salt."
-
-The beans of the Pilgrims were probably of the variety then known as
-"Spanish beans." The cabbages were apparently boiled with meat, as
-nowadays, and also used considerably for "sour-krout" and for pickling,
-with which the Leyden people had doubtless become familiar during their
-residence among the Dutch. As anti-scorbutics they were of much value.
-The same was true of onions, whether pickled, salted, raw, or boiled.
-Turnips and parsnips find frequent mention in the early literature of the
-first settlers, and were among their stock vegetables. Pease were
-evidently staple articles of food with the Plymouth people, and are
-frequently named. They probably were chiefly used for porridge and
-puddings, and were used in large quantities, both afloat and ashore.
-
-Vinegar in hogsheads was named on the food-list of every ship of the
-Pilgrim era. It was one of their best antiscorbutics, and was of course
-a prime factor in their use of "sour krout," pickling, etc. The fruits,
-natural, dried, and preserved, were probably, in that day, in rather
-small supply. Apples, limes, lemons, prunes, olives, rice, etc., were
-among the luxuries of a voyage, while dried or preserved fruits and small
-fruits were not yet in common use. Winslow, in the letter cited, urges
-that "your casks for beer . . . be iron bound, at least for the first
-[end] tyre" [hoop]. Cushman states that they had ample supplies of beer
-offered them both in Kent and Amsterdam. The planters' supply seems to
-have failed, however, soon after the company landed, and they were
-obliged to rely upon the whim of the Captain of the MAY-FLOWER for their
-needs, the ship's supply being apparently separate from that of the
-planters, and lasting longer. Winthrop's supply seems to have been large
-("42 tons"--probably tuns intended). It was evidently a stipulation of
-the charter-party that the ship should, in part at least, provision her
-crew for the voyage,--certainly furnish their beer. This is rendered
-certain by Bradford's difficulty (as stated by himself) with Captain
-Jones, previously referred to, showing that the ship had her own supply
-of beer, separate from that of the colonists, and that it was intended
-for the seamen as well as the officers.
-
-Bradford mentions "aqua vitae" as a constituent of their lunch on the
-exploring party of November 15. "Strong waters" (or Holland gin) are
-mentioned as a part of the entertainment given Massasoit on his first
-visit, and they find frequent mention otherwise. Wine finds no mention.
-Bradford states in terms: "Neither ever had they any supply of foode from
-them [the Adventurers] but what they first brought with them;" and again,
-"They never had any supply of vitales more afterwards (but what the Lord
-gave them otherwise), for all ye company [the Adventurers] sent at any
-time was allways too short for those people yt came with it."
-
-The clothing supplies of the Pilgrims included hats, caps, shirts,
-neck-cloths, jerkins, doublets, waistcoats, breeches (stuff and leather),
-"hosen," stockings, shoes, boots, belts (girdles), cloth, piece-goods
-(dress-stuff's), "haberdasherie," etc., etc., all of which, with minor
-items for men's and women's use, find mention in their early narratives,
-accounts, and correspondence. By the will of Mr. Mullens it appears that
-he had twenty-one dozen of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots on board,
-doubtless intended as medium of exchange or barter. By the terms of the.
-contract with the colonists, the Merchant Adventurers were to supply all
-their actual necessities of Clothing food, clothing, etc., for the full
-term of seven years, during which the labors of the "planters" were to be
-for the joint account. Whether under this agreement they were bound to
-fully "outfit" the colonists before they embarked (and did so), as was
-done by Higginson's company coming to Salem in 1628-29 at considerable
-cost per capita, and as was done for those of the Leyden people who came
-over in 1629 with Pierce in the MAY-FLOWER and the TALBOT to Salem, and
-again in 1630 with the same Master (Pierce) in the LION by the Plymouth
-successors to the Adventurers (without recompense), does not clearly
-appear. No mention is found of any "outfitting" of the MAY-FLOWER
-passengers except the London apprentices. There is no doubt that a
-considerable supply of all the above-named articles was necessarily sent
-by the Adventurers on the MAY-FLOWER, both for the Pilgrims' needs on the
-voyage and in the new colony, as also for trading purposes. There seems
-to have been at all times a supreme anxiety, on the part of both Pilgrim
-and Puritan settlers, to get English clothes upon their red brethren of
-the forest, whether as a means of exchange for peltry, or for decency's
-sake, is not quite clear. There was apparently a greater disparity in
-character, intelligence, and station between the leaders of Higginson's
-and Winthrop's companies and their followers than between the chief men
-of the Pilgrims and their associates. With the former were titles and
-considerable representation of wealth and position. With the passengers
-of the MAY-FLOWER a far greater equality in rank, means, intelligence,
-capacity, and character was noticeable. This was due in part, doubtless,
-to the religious beliefs and training of the Leyden contingent, and had
-prompt illustration in their Compact, in which all stood at once on an
-equal footing. There was but little of the "paternal" nature in the form
-of their government (though something at times in their punishments), and
-there was much personal dignity and independence of the individual.
-An equipment having so much of the character of a uniform--not to say
-"livery"--as that furnished by Higginson's company to its people
-suggests the "hedger and ditcher" type of colonists (of whom there were
-very few among the Plymouth settlers), rather than the scholar,
-publisher, tradesman, physician, hatter, smith, carpenter, "lay reader,"
-and soldier of the Pilgrims, and would certainly have been obnoxious to
-their finer sense of personal dignity and proportion. Doubtless an
-equivalent provision existed--though in less "all-of-a-pattern"
-character--in the bales and boxes of the MAY-FLOWER'S cargo for every
-need suggested by the list of the Higginson "outfit," which is given
-herewith, both as matter of interest and as affording an excellent idea
-of the accepted style and needs in dress of a New England settler (at
-least of the men) of 1620-30. One cannot fail to wonder at the
-noticeably infrequent mention of provision in apparel, etc., for the
-women and children. The inventory of the "Apparell for 100 men" furnished
-by Higginson's company in 1628-29 gives us, among others, the following
-items of clothing for each emigrant:--
-4 "peares of shoes."
-4 "peares of stockings."
-1 "peare Norwich gaiters."
-4 "shirts."
-2 "suits dublet and hose of leather lyn'd with oyld skyn leather, ye hose
- & dublett with hooks & eyes."
-1 "sute of Norden dussens or hampshire kersies lynd the hose with skins,
-dublets with lynen of gilford or gedlyman kerseys."
-4 bands.
-2 handkerchiefs.
-1 "wastecoat of greene cotton bound about with red tape."
-1 leather girdle.
-1 "Monmouth cap."
-1 "black hatt lyned in the brows with lether."
-5 "Red knitt capps milf'd about 5d apiece."
-2 "peares of gloves."
-1 "Mandiliion lynd with cotton" [mantle or greatcoat].
-1 "peare of breeches and waistcoat."
-1 "leather sute of Dublett & breeches of oyled leather."
-1 "peare of leather breeches and drawers to weare with both there other
-sutes."
-
-In 1628 Josselyn put the average cost of clothing to emigrants to New
-England at L4 each. In 1629 good shoes cost the "Bay" colonists 2s/7d
-per pair. In his "Two Voyages to New England" previously referred to,
-Josselyn gives an estimate (made about 1628) of the "outfit" in clothing
-needed by a New England settler of his time. He names as "Apparel for
-one man--and after this rate for more:--"
- One Hatt
- One Monmouth Cap
- Three falling bands
- Three Shirts
- One Wastcoat
- One Suite of Frize (Frieze)
- One Suite of Cloth
- One Suite of Canvas
- Three Pairs of Irish Stockings
- Four Pairs of Shoes
- One Pair of Canvas Sheets
- Seven ells of coarse canvas, to make a bed at sea for two men,
- to be filled with straw
- One Coarse Rug at Sea
-
-The Furniture of the Pilgrims has naturally been matter of much interest
-to their descendants and others for many years. While it is doubtful if
-a single article now in existence can be positively identified and
-truthfully certified as having made the memorable voyage in the
-MAY-FLOWER (nearly everything having, of course, gone to decay with the
-wear and tear of more than two hundred and fifty years), this honorable
-origin is still assigned to many heirlooms, to some probably correctly.
-Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes in his delightful lines, "On Lending a Punch
-Bowl," humorously claims for his convivial silver vessel a place with
-the Pilgrims:--
-
- "Along with all the furniture, to fill their new abodes,
- To judge by what is still on hand, at least a hundred loads."
-
-To a very few time-worn and venerated relics--such as Brewster's chair
-and one or more books, Myles Standish's Plymouth sword, the Peregrine
-White cradle, Winslow's pewter, and one or two of Bradford's books--a
-strong probability attaches that they were in veritate, as traditionally
-avowed, part of the MAY-FLOWER'S freight, but of even these the fact
-cannot be proven beyond the possibility of a doubt.
-
-From its pattern and workmanship, which are of a period antedating the
-"departure from Delfshaven," and the ancient tradition which is traceable
-to Brewster's time, it appears altogether probable that what is known as
-"Elder Brewster's chair" came with him on the ship. There is even
-greater probability as to one of his books bearing his autograph.
-
-The sword of Myles Standish, in possession of the Pilgrim Society, may
-claim, with equal probability, MAY-FLOWER relation, from its evident
-antiquity and the facts that, as a soldier, his trusty blade doubtless
-stayed with him, and that it is directly traceable in his descendants'
-hands, back to his time; but an equally positive claim is made for
-similar honors for another sword said to have also belonged to the
-Captain, now in the keeping of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
-
-The Peregrine White cradle "is strongly indorsed as of the MAY-FLOWER,
-from the facts that it is, indubitably, of a very early Dutch pattern and
-manufacture; that Mrs. White was anticipating the early need of a cradle
-when leaving Holland; and that the descent of this one as an heirloom in
-her (second) family is so fairly traced."
-
-The pewter and the silver flask of Winslow not only bear very early
-"Hallmarks," but also the arms of his family, which it is not likely he
-would have had engraved on what he may have bought after notably becoming
-the defender of the simplicity and democracy of the "Pilgrim Republic."
-Long traceable use in his family strengthens belief in the supposition
-that these articles came with the Pilgrims, and were then very probably
-heirlooms. One of Governor Bradford's books (Pastor John Robinson's
-"Justification of Separation"), published in 1610, and containing the
-Governor's autograph, bears almost 'prima facie' evidence of having come
-with him in the MAY-FLOWER, but of course might, like the above-named
-relics, have come in some later ship.
-
-In this connection it is of interest to note what freight the MAY-FLOWER
-carried for the intellectual needs of the Pilgrims. Of Bibles, as the
-"book of books," we may be sure--even without the evidence of the
-inventories of the early dead--there was no lack, and there is reason to
-believe that they existed in several tongues, viz. in English, Dutch, and
-possibly French (the Walloon contribution from the Huguenots), while
-there is little doubt that, alike as publishers and as "students of the
-Word," Brewster, Bradford, and Winslow, at least, were possessed of, and
-more or less familiar with, both the Latin and Greek Testaments. It is
-altogether probable, however, that Governor Bradford's well attested
-study of "the oracles of God in the original" Hebrew, and his possession
-of the essential Hebrew Bible, grammar, and lexicon, were of a later day.
-Some few copies of the earliest hymnals ("psalme-bookes")--then very
-limited in number--there is evidence that the Holland voyagers had with
-them in the singing of their parting hymns at Leyden and Delfshaven, as
-mentioned by Winslow and in the earlier inventories: These metrical
-versions of the Psalms constituted at the time, practically, the only
-hymnology permitted in the worship of the "Separatists," though the grand
-hymn of Luther, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott," doubtless familiar to
-them, must have commended itself as especially comforting and apposite.
-
-Of the doctrinal tracts of their beloved Pastor, John Robinson, there is
-every probability, as well as some proof, that there was good supply, as
-well as those of Ainsworth and Clyfton and of the works of William Ames,
-the renowned Franeker Professor, the controversial opponent but sincere
-friend of Robinson: the founder of evangelical "systematic theology,"
-[method--Methodist? D.W.] whom death alone prevented from becoming the
-President of Harvard College. We may be equally sure that the few cases
-of books in the freight of the Pilgrim ship included copies of the
-publications of the "hidden and hunted press" of Brewster and Brewer, and
-some at least of the issues of their fellows in tribulation at Amsterdam
-and in Scotland and England. Some few heavy tomes and early classics in
-English, Dutch, Latin, and Greek were also presumably among the goodly
-number of books brought in the MAY FLOWER by Brewster, Bradford, Winslow,
-Fuller, Hopkins, Allerton, Standish, and others, though it is probable
-that the larger part of the very considerable library of four hundred
-volumes, left at his death by Brewster (including sixty-two in Latin),
-and of the respectable libraries of Fuller, Standish, and others, named
-in their respective inventories, either were brought over in the later
-ships, or were the products of the earliest printers of New England. One
-is surprised and amused that the library of the good Dr. Fuller should
-contain so relatively small a proportion of medical works (although the
-number in print prior to his death in 1633 was not great), while rich in
-religious works pertinent to his functions as deacon. It is equally
-interesting to note that the inventory of the soldier Standish should
-name only one book on military science, "Bariffe's Artillery," though it
-includes abundant evidence to controvert, beyond reasonable doubt, the
-suggestion which has been made, that he was of the Romanist faith. Just
-which of the books left by the worthies named, and others whose
-inventories we possess, came with them in the Pilgrim ship, cannot be
-certainly determined, though, as before noted, some still in existence
-bear intrinsic testimony that they were of the number. There is evidence
-that Allerton made gift of a book to Giles Heale of the MAY-FLOWER
-(perhaps the ship's surgeon), while the ship lay at Plymouth, and Francis
-Cooke's inventory includes "1 great Bible and 4 olde bookes," which as
-they were "olde," and he was clearly not a book-buyer, very probably came
-with him in the ship. In fact, hardly an adult of the Leyden colonists,
-the inventory of whose estate at death we possess, but left one or more
-books which may have been his companions on the voyage.
-
-Some of the early forms of British and Dutch calendars, "annuals," and
-agricultural "hand-books," it is certain were brought over by several
-families, and were doubtless much consulted and well-thumbed "guides,
-counsellors, and friends" in the households of their possessors. The
-great preponderance of reading matter brought by the little colony was,
-however, unquestionably of the religious controversial order, which had
-been so much a part of their lives, and its sum total was considerable.
-There are intimations, in the inventories of the Fathers, of a few works
-of historical cast, but of these not many had yet been printed.
-"Caesar's Commentaries," a "History of the World," and a "History of
-Turkey" on Standish's shelves, with the two Dictionaries and "Peter
-Martyr on Rome" on Dr. Fuller's, were as likely to have come in the first
-ship, and to have afforded as much satisfaction to the hungry readers of
-the little community as any of the books we find named in the lists of
-their little stock. It is pathetic to note, in these days of utmost
-prodigality in juvenile literature, that for the Pilgrim children, aside
-from the "Bible stories," some of the wonderful and mirth-provoking
-metrical renderings of the "Psalme booke," and the "horne booke," or
-primer (the alphabet and certain elementary contributions in verse or
-prose, placed between thin covers of transparent horn for protection),
-there was almost absolutely nothing in the meagre book-freight of the
-Pilgrim ark. "Milk for Babes," whether as physical or mental pabulum,
-was in poor supply aboard the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-The most that can be claimed with confidence, for particular objects of
-alleged MAY-FLOWER relation, is that there is logical and moral certainty
-that there was a supply of just such things on board, because they were
-indispensable, and because every known circumstance and condition
-indicates their presence in the hands to which they are assigned, while
-tradition and collateral evidence confirm the inference and sometimes go
-very far to establish their alleged identity, and their presence with
-their respective owners upon the ship. A few other articles besides those
-enumerated in possession of the Pilgrim Society, and of other societies
-and individuals, present almost equally strong claims with those named,
-to be counted as "of MAY-FLOWER belonging," but in no case is the
-connection entirely beyond question. Where so competent, interested, and
-conscientious students of Pilgrim history as Hon. William T. Davis, of
-Plymouth, and the late Dr. Thomas B. Drew, so long the curator of the
-Pilgrim Society, cannot find warrant for a positive claim in behalf of
-any article as having come, beyond a doubt, "in the MAY FLOWER," others
-may well hesitate to insist upon that which, however probable and
-desirable, is not susceptible of conclusive proof.
-
-That certain articles of household furniture, whether now existent or
-not, were included in the ship's cargo, is attested by the inventories of
-the small estates of those first deceased, and, by mention or
-implication, in the narratives of Bradford, Winslow, Morton, and other
-contemporaries, as were also many utensils and articles of domestic use.
-There were also beyond question many not so mentioned, which may be
-safely named as having very certainly been comprised in the ship's
-lading, either because in themselves indispensable to the colonists, or
-because from the evidence in hand we know them to have been inseparable
-from the character, social status, daily habits, home life, or
-ascertained deeds of the Pilgrims. When it is remembered that
-furnishings, however simple, were speedily required for no less than
-nineteen "cottages" and their households, the sum total called for was not
-inconsiderable.
-
- [Bradford, in Mourt's Relation (p. 68), shows that the colonists
- were divided up into "nineteen families," that "so we might build
- fewer houses." Winslow, writing to George Morton, December 11/21,
- 1621, says: "We have built seven dwelling-houses and four for the
- use of the plantation." Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 110)
- calls the houses "small cottages."]
-
-Among the furniture for these "cottages" brought on the Pilgrim ship may
-be enumerated: chairs, table-chairs, stools and forms (benches), tables
-of several sizes and shapes (mostly small), table-boards and "cloathes,"
-trestles, beds; bedding and bed-clothing, cradles, "buffets," cupboards
-and "cabinets," chests and chests of drawers, boxes of several kinds and
-"trunks," andirons, "iron dogs," "cob-irons," fire-tongs and "slices"
-(shovels), cushions, rugs, and "blanckets," spinning wheels, hand-looms,
-etc., etc. Among household utensils were "spits," "bake-kettles," pots
-and kettles (iron, brass, and copper), frying-pans, "mortars" and pestles
-(iron, brass, and "belle-mettle"), sconces, lamps (oil "bettys"),
-candlesticks, snuffers, buckets, tubs, "runlets," pails and baskets,
-"steel yards," measures, hour-glasses and sun-dials, pewter-ware
-(platters, plates, mugs, porringers, etc.), wooden trenchers, trays,
-"noggins," "bottles," cups, and "lossets." Earthen ware, "fatten" ware
-(mugs, "jugs," and "crocks "), leather ware (bottles, "noggins," and
-cups), table-ware (salt "sellars," spoons, knives, etc), etc. All of the
-foregoing, with numerous lesser articles, have received mention in the
-early literature of the Pilgrim exodus, and were undeniably part of the
-MAY-FLOWER'S lading.
-
-The MAY-FLOWER origin claimed for the "Governor Carver chair" and the
-"Elder Brewster chair" rests wholly upon tradition, and upon the
-venerable pattern and aspect of the chairs themselves. The "Winslow
-chair," in possession of the Pilgrim Society at Plymouth (Mass.), though
-bearing evidence of having been "made in Cheapside, London, in 1614," is
-not positively known to have been brought on the MAY-FLOWER. Thacher's
-"History of Plymouth" (p. 144.) states that "a sitting-chair, said to
-have been screwed to the floor of the MAY-FLOWER'S cabin for the
-convenience of a lady, is known to have been in the possession of
-Penelope Winslow (who married James Warren), and is now in possession of
-Hannah White." There are certain venerable chairs alleged, with some
-show of probability, to have been the property of Captain Standish, now
-owned in Bridgewater, but there is no record attached to them, and they
-are not surely assignable to either ship or owner. That some few tables
---mostly small--were brought in the MAY-FLOWER, there is some evidence,
-but the indications are that what were known as "table-boards"--long and
-narrow boards covered with what were called "board-cloths"--very largely
-took the place of tables. The walnut-top table, said to have once been
-Governor Winslow's and now in possession of the Pilgrim Society, is not
-known to have come over with him, and probably did not. It was very
-likely bought for the use of the Council when he was governor. The
-"table-boards" mentioned were laid on "trestles" (cross-legged and folding
-supports of proper height), which had the great merit that they could be
-placed in any convenient spot and as easily folded up, and with the board
-put away, leaving the space which a table would have permanently occupied
-free for other use.
-
-Bradford mentions that when the fire of Sunday, January 14., 1621,
-occurred in the "common house," the "house was as full of beds as they
-could lie one by another." There is a doubt, however, whether this
-indicates bedsteads or (probably) "pallets" only. Beds, bedding of all
-sorts, pillow-"beers," pillow-cases and even "mattrises," are of most
-frequent mention in the earliest wills and inventories. (See Appendix.)
-"Buffets," "cupboards," and "cabinets," all find mention in the earliest
-writers and inventories, and one or two specimens, for which a MAY-FLOWER
-history is claimed, are in possession of the Pilgrim Society and others.
-The "White" cabinet, of putative MAY-FLOWER connection, owned by the
-Pilgrim Society, is a fine example of its class, and both its "ear marks"
-and its known history support the probable truth of the claim made for
-it. Of "chests" and "chests-of-drawers" there were doubtless goodly
-numbers in the ship, but with the exception of a few chests (or the
-fragments of them), for which a MAY-FLOWER passage is vaunted, little is
-known of them. The chest claimed to be that of Elder Brewster, owned by
-the Connecticut Historical Society, was not improb ably his, but that it
-had any MAY-FLOWER relation is not shown. A fragment of a chest claimed
-to have been "brought by Edward Winslow in the MAY-FLOWER" is owned by
-the Pilgrim Society, and bears considerable evidence of the probable
-validity of such claim, but proof positive is lacking. Boxes of several
-kinds and sizes were part of the Pilgrims' chattels on their ship, some
-of them taking the place of the travellers' "trunks" of to-day, though
-"trunks" were then known by that name and find early mention in Pilgrim
-inventories, and there were no doubt some upon the Pilgrim ship. A few
-claiming such distinction are exhibited, but without attested records of
-their origin.
-
-"Andirons, fire-dogs, and cob-irons" (the latter to rest roasting spits
-upon) were enumerated among the effects of those early deceased among the
-Pilgrims, rendering it well-certain that they must have been part of
-their belongings on the MAY-FLOWER. Fire-tongs and "slices" [shovels]
-are also frequently mentioned in early Pilgrim inventories, placing them
-in the same category with the "andirons and fire-dogs."
-
-In "Mourt's Relation," in the accounts given of the state reception of
-Massasoit, "a green rug and three or four cushions" are shown to have
-performed their parts in the official ceremonies, and were, of course,
-necessarily brought in the MAY-FLOWER.
-
-Spinning-wheels and hand-looms were such absolute necessities, and were
-so familiar and omnipresent features of the lives and labors of the
-Pilgrim housewives and their Dutch neighbors of Leyden, that we should be
-certain that they came with the Pilgrims, even if they did not find
-mention in the earliest Pilgrim inventories. Many ancient ones are
-exhibited in the "Old Colony," but it is not known that it is claimed for
-any of them that they came in the first ship. It is probable that some of
-the "cheese fatts" and churns so often named in early inventories came in
-the ship, though at first there was, in the absence of milch kine, no
-such use for them as there had been in both England and Holland, and soon
-was in New England.
-
-Among cooking utensils the roasting "spit" was, in one form or another,
-among the earliest devices for cooking flesh, and as such was an
-essential of every household. Those brought by the Plymouth settlers
-were probably, as indicated by the oldest specimens that remain to us, of
-a pretty primitive type. The ancient "bake-kettle" (sometimes called
-"pan"), made to bury in the ashes and thus to heat above and below, has
-never been superseded where resort must be had to the open fire for
-cooking, and (practically unchanged) is in use to-day at many a
-sheep-herder's and cowboy's camp fire of the Far West. We may be sure
-that it was in every MAY-FLOWER family, and occasional ancient specimens
-are yet to be found in "Old Colony" garrets. Pots and kettles of all
-sorts find more frequent mention in the early inventories than anything
-else, except muskets and swords, and were probably more numerous upon
-the ship than any other cooking utensil. A few claimed to be from the
-Pilgrim ship are exhibited, chief of which is a large iron pot, said to
-have been "brought by Myles Standish in the MAY-FLOWER," now owned by
-the Pilgrim Society.
-
-Hardly an early Pilgrim inventory but includes "a mortar and pestle,"
-sometimes of iron, sometimes of "brass" or "belle-mettle" (bell metal).
-They were of course, in the absence of mills, and for some purposes for
-which small hand mills were not adapted, prime necessities, and every
-house hold had one. A very fine one of brass (with an iron pestle), nine
-and a half inches across its bell-shaped top,--exhibited by the Pilgrim
-Society, and said to have been "brought in the MAY-FLOWER by Edward
-Winslow,"--seems to the author as likely to have been so as almost any
-article for which that distinction is claimed.
-
-The lighting facilities of the Pilgrims were fewer and cruder than those
-for cooking. They possessed the lamp of the ancient Romans, Greeks, and
-Hebrews, with but few improvements,--a more or less fanciful vessel for
-oil, with a protuberant nose for a wick, and a loose-twisted cotton wick.
-Hand-lamps of this general form and of various devices, called
-"betty-lamps," were commonly used, with candlesticks of various metals,
---iron, brass, silver, and copper,--though but few of any other ware.
-For wall-lighting two or more candle sockets were brought together in
-"sconces," which were more or less elaborate in design and finish. One
-of the early writers (Higginson) mentions the abundance of oil (from
-fish) available for lamps, but all tallow and suet used by the early
-colonists was, for some years (till cattle became plentiful),
-necessarily imported. Some of the "candle-snuffers" of the "first
-comers" doubtless still remain. We may be sure every family had its
-candles, "betty-lamps," candlesticks, and "snuffers." "Lanthorns" were
-of the primitive, perforated tin variety--only "serving to make darkness
-visible" now found in a few old attics in Pilgrim towns, and on the
-"bull-carts" of the peons of Porto Rico, by night. Fire, for any
-purpose, was chiefly procured by the use of flint, steel, and tinder, of
-which many very early specimens exist. Buckets, tubs, and pails were,
-beyond question, numerous aboard the ship, and were among the most
-essential and highly valued of Pilgrim utensils. Most, if not all of
-them, we may confidently assert, were brought into requisition on that
-Monday "wash-day" at Cape Cod, the first week-day after their arrival,
-when the women went ashore to do their long-neglected laundrying, in the
-comparatively fresh water of the beach pond at Cape Cod harbor. They
-are frequently named in the earliest inventories. Bradford also
-mentions the filling of a "runlet" with water at the Cape. The
-"steel-yards" and "measures" were the only determiners of weight and
-quantity--as the hour-glass and sun dial were of time--possessed at
-first (so far as appears) by the passengers of the Pilgrim ship, though
-it is barely possible that a Dutch clock or two may have been among the
-possessions of the wealthiest. Clocks and watches were not yet in
-common use (though the former were known in England from 1540), and
-except that in "Mourt's Relation" and Bradford's "Historie" mention is
-made of the time of day as such "o'clock" (indicating some degree of
-familiarity with clocks), no mention is made of their possession at the
-first. Certain of the leaders were apparently acquainted at Leyden with
-the astronomer Galileo, co-resident with them there, and through this
-acquaintance some of the wealthier and more scholarly may have come to
-know, and even to own, one of the earliest Dutch clocks made with the
-pendulum invented by Galileo, though hardly probable as early as 1620.
-Pocket watches were yet practically unknown.
-
-Except for a few pieces of silver owned by the wealthiest of their
-number, pewter was the most elegant and expensive of the Pilgrims'
-table-ware. A pewter platter said to have been "brought over in the
-MAY-FLOWER" is now owned by the Pilgrim Society, which also exhibits
-smaller pewter formerly Edward Winslow's, and bearing his "arms," for
-which, as previously noted, a like claim is made. Platters, dishes,
-"potts," ladles, bottles, "flaggons," "skelletts," cups, porringers,
-"basons," spoons, candlesticks, and salt "sellars," were among the many
-pewter utensils unmistakably brought on the good ship.
-
-The wooden-ware of the colonists, brought with them, was considerable
-and various. The Dutch were long famous for its fabrication. There was
-but very little china, glass, or pottery of any kind in common use in
-western Europe in 1620; some kinds were not yet made, and pewter, wood,
-and leather largely filled their places. Wooden trenchers (taking the
-place of plates), trays, "noggins" (jug or pitcher-like cups), cups, and
-"lossets" (flat dishes like the bread-plates of to day), were of course
-part of every housewife's providings. Some few of Pilgrim origin
-possibly still exist. As neither coffee, tea, nor china had come into
-use, the cups and saucers which another century brought in--to delight
-their owners in that day and the ceramic hunter in this--were not
-among the "breakables" of the "good-wife" of the MAY-FLOWER. The
-"table-plenishings" had not much variety, but in the aggregate the
-(first) "nineteen families" must have required quite a quantity of
-spoons, knives, salt "sellars," etc. Forks there were none, and of the
-accessories of to-day (except napkins), very few. Meat was held by the
-napkin while being cut with the knife. Josselyn' gives a list of
-"Implements for a family of six persons" going to New England.
-
-Kitchen utensils:--
- "1 Iron Pot.
- 1 Great Copper Kettle.
- 1 Small Kettle.
- 1 Lesser Kettle.
- 1 Large Frying pan.
- 1 Brass Mortar.
- 1 Spit.
- 1 Gridiron.
- 2 Skillets.
- Platters, dishes, and spoons of wood.
- A pair of Bellows.
- A Skoope, etc."
-
-Among the implements of husbandry, etc., and mechanics' tools we find
-evidence of hoes, spades, shovels, scythes, "sikles," mattocks,
-bill-hooks, garden-rakes, hay-forks ("pitch-forks"), besides seed-grain
-and garden seeds. Axes, saws, hammers, "adzs," augers, chisels, gouges,
-squares, hatchets, an "iron jack-scrue," "holdfasts" (vises),
-blacksmiths' tools, coopers' tools, iron and steel in bar, anvils,
-chains, etc., "staples and locks," rope, lime (for mortar), nails, etc.,
-are also known to have been in the ship. Francis Eaton, the carpenter,
-seems to have had a very respectable "kit," and Fletcher, the smith, was
-evidently fairly "outfitted."
-
-The implements of husbandry were of the lighter (?) sort; no ploughs,
-harrows, carts, harness, stone-drags, or other farming tools requiring
-the strength of beasts for their use, were included. In nothing could
-they have experienced so sharp a contrast as in the absence of horses,
-cattle, and sheep in their husbandry, and especially of milch kine.
-Bradford and Window both mention hoes, spades, mattocks, and sickles,
-while shovels, scythes, bill-hooks (brush-scythes, the terrible weapons
-of the English peasantry in their great "Mon mouth" and earlier
-uprisings), pitchforks, etc., find very early mention in inventories and
-colonial records. Josselyn, in his "Two Voyages to New England," gives,
-in 1628, the following very pertinent list of "Tools for a Family of six
-persons, and so after this rate for more,--intending for New England."
-This may be taken as fairly approximating the possessions of the average
-MAY-FLOWER planter, though probably somewhat exceeding individual
-supplies. Eight years of the Pilgrims' experience had taught those who
-came after them very much that was of service.
-
-5 Broad Howes [hoes].
-6 Chisels.
-5 Narrow Howes [hoes].
-3 Gimblets.
-5 Felling Axes.
-2 hatchets.
-2 steel hand saws.
-2 frones (?) to cleave pail! (Probably knives for cleaving pail stock.)
-2 hand saws.
-2 hand-bills.
-1 whip saw, set and files with box.
-Nails of all sorts.
-2 Pick-axes.
-A file and rest.
-3 Locks and 3 paire fetters.
-2 Hammers.
-2 Currie Combs.
-3 Shovels.
-Brands for beasts.
-2 Spades.
-A hand vice.
-2 Augers.
-A pitchfork, etc.
-2 Broad Axes.
-
-Unhappily we know little from contemporaneous authority as to what grain
-and other seeds the Pilgrims brought with them for planting. We may be
-sure, however, that rye, barley, oats, wheat, pease, and beans were the
-bulkiest of this part of their freight, though Bradford mentions the
-planting of "garden seeds" their first spring.
-
-While we know from the earliest Pilgrim chronicles that their mechanics'
-implements embraced axes, saws, hammers, "adzs," augers, hatchets, an
-"iron jack-scrue," "staples and locks," etc., we know there must have
-been many other tools not mentioned by them, brought over with the
-settlers. The "great iron-scrue," as Bradford calls it in his original
-MS., played, as all know, a most important part on the voyage, in forcing
-the "cracked and bowed" deck-beam of the ship into place. Governor
-Bradford tells us that "it was brought on board by one of the Leyden
-passengers," and one may hazard the guess that it was by either Moses
-Fletcher, the smith, or Francis Eaton, the "carpenter." "Staples" and
-"locks" found their place and mention, as well as the "chains,"
-"manacles," and "leg-irons" named in the list of accoutrements for
-offence or defence, when it became necessary to chain up the Indian spy
-of the Neponsets (as narrated by Winslow in his "Good Newes from New
-England") and other evil-doers. The planters seem to have made stiff
-"mortar," which premises the use of lime and indicates a supply.
-
-Among the fishing and fowling implements of the MAY FLOWER colonists are
-recorded, nets, "seynes," twine, fish hooks, muskets (for large game),
-"fowling pieces," powder, "goose-shot," "hail-shot," etc.
-
-Such early mention is found of the nets, "seynes," etc., of their fishing
-equipment, as to leave no room for doubt that store of them was brought
-in the ship. They seem to have been unfortunate in the size of their
-fish-hooks, which are spoken of as "too large" even for cod. They must,
-as Goodwin remarks, "have been very large." Window also says, "We wanted
-fit and strong seines and other netting."
-
-They seem to have relied upon their muskets to some extent for wild fowl
-(as witness Winslow's long and successful shot at a duck, on his visit to
-Massasoit), as they undoubtedly did for deer, etc. They were apparently
-fairly well supplied with them, of either the "matchlock" or "snaphance"
-(flintlock) pattern, though the planters complained to the Merchant
-Adventurers (in their letter of August 3, from Southampton), that they
-were "wanting many muskets," etc. That they had some "fowling-pieces" is
-shown by the fact that young Billington seems (according to Bradford) to
-have "shot one off in his father's cabin" aboard ship in Cape Cod harbor,
-and there are several other coeval mentions of them.
-
-The arms and accoutrements (besides ordnance) of the MAY-FLOWER Pilgrims,
-known on the authority of Bradford and Winslow to have been brought by
-them, included muskets ("matchlocks"), "snaphances" (flintlocks), armor
-("corslets," "cuirasses," "helmets," "bandoliers," etc.), swords,
-"curtlaxes" (cutlasses), "daggers," powder, "mould-shot," "match"
-(slow-match for guns), "flints," belts, "knapsacks," "drum," "trumpet,"
-"manacles," "leg-irons," etc., etc. "Pistols" (brass) appear in early
-inventories, but their absence in the early hand-to-hand encounter at
-Wessagussett indicates that none were then available, or that they were
-not trusted. It is evident from the statement of Bradford that every one
-of the sixteen men who went out (under command of Standish) on the "first
-exploration" at Cape Cod had his "musket, sword, and corslet;" that they
-relied much on their armor, and hence, doubtless, took all possible with
-them on the ship. They probably did not long retain its use. In the
-letter written to the Adventurers from Southampton, the leaders complain
-of "wanting many muskets, much armour, &c."
-
-Josselyn gives' the equipment he considers necessary for each man going
-to New England to settle:--
-
-"Armor compleat:--
- One long piece [musket] five feet or five and a half long.
- One Sword.
- One bandoleer.
- One belt.
- Twenty pounds of powder.
- Sixty pounds of shot or lead, pistol and Goose-shot."
-
-"Another list gives an idea of 'complete armor.'"
- Corselet
- Breast [plate or piece].
- Back [ditto].
- Culet (?).
- Gorget [throat-piece].
- Tussis [thigh-pieces].
- Head-piece "[morion skull-cap]."
-
-Bradford states that they used their "curtlaxes" (cutlasses) to dig the
-frozen ground to get at the Indians' corn, "having forgotten to bring
-spade or mattock." "Daggers" are mentioned as used in their celebrated
-duel by Dotey and Leister, servants of Stephen Hopkins. Bradford
-narrates that on one of their exploring tours on the Cape the length of
-guard duty performed at night by each "relief" was determined by the
-inches of slow-match burned ("every one standing when his turn came
-while five or six inches of match was burning"), clearly indicating that
-they had no watches with them. The "drum" and "trumpet" are both
-mentioned in "Mourt's Relation" in the account given of Massasoit's
-reception, the latter as eliciting the especial attention of his men, and
-their efforts at blowing it.
-
-The Ordnance (cannon) brought in the ship consisted (probably) of ten
-guns, certainly of six. Of these, two (2) were "sakers,"--guns ten feet
-long of 3 to 4 inches bore, weighing from fifteen to eighteen hundred
-pounds each; two (2) were "minions" (or "falcons"),--guns of 3 1/2 inch
-bore, weighing twelve hundred pounds (1200 lbs.) each; and two (2) were
-"bases,"--small guns of 1 1/4 inch bore, weighing some three hundred
-pounds (300 lbs.) each. These were mounted on "the Hill" fort or
-platform. It is probable that besides these were the four smallest
-cannon, called "patereros" (or "murderers"), which, at the time of De
-Rasiere's visit to Plymouth in 1627, were mounted on a platform (in front
-of the Governor's house), at the intersection of the two streets of the
-town, and commanded its several approaches. It is not likely that they
-were sent for after 1621, because the Adventurers were never in mood to
-send if asked, while Bradford, in speaking of the first alarm by the
-Indians, says, "This caused us to plant our great ordnance in places most
-convenient," leaving a possible inference that they had smaller ordnance
-in reserve. With this ordnance was of course a proper supply of
-ammunition adapted to its use. The "sakers" are said to have carried a
-four-pound ball, the "minions" a three-pound ball, and the "bases" a ball
-of a pound weight. There is not entire agreement between authorities, in
-regard to the size, weight, and calibre of these different classes of
-early ordnance, or the weight of metal thrown by them, but the above are
-approximate data, gathered from careful comparison of the figures given
-by several. There is no doubt that with this heavy ordnance and
-ammunition they stowed among their ballast and dunnage (as was the case
-in Higginson's ships), their "spare chains and anchors, chalk, bricks,
-sea-coal (for blacksmithing), iron, steel, lead, copper, red-lead, salt,"
-etc.; all of which they also necessarily had, and from their bulk,
-character, and weight, would stow as low in the ship as might be.
-
-That a considerable "stock of trading goods" was included in the
-MAY-FLOWER'S lading is mentioned by at least one writer, and that this
-was a fact is confirmed by the records of the colonists' dealings with
-the Indians, and the enumeration of not a few of the goods which could
-have had, for the most part, no other use or value. They consisted
-largely of knives, bracelets (bead and metal), rings, scissors,
-copper-chains, beads, "blue and red trading cloth," cheap (glass) jewels
-("for the ears," etc.), small mirrors, clothing (e. g. "red-cotton
-horseman's coats--laced," jerkins, blankets, etc.), shoes, "strong
-waters," pipes, tobacco, tools and hard ware (hatchets, nails, hoes,
-fish-hooks, etc.), rugs, twine, nets, etc., etc. A fragment of one of
-the heavy hoes of the ancient pattern--"found on the site of the
-Pilgrim trading house at Manomet"--is owned by the Pilgrim Society, and
-speaks volumes of the labor performed by the Pilgrims, before they had
-ploughs and draught-cattle, in the raising of their wonderful crops of
-corn. Such was the MAY-FLOWER'S burden, animate and inanimate, whe
---the last passenger and the last piece of freight transferred from the
-SPEEDWELL--her anchor "hove short," she swung with the tide in Plymouth
-roadstead, ready to depart at last for "the Virginia plantations."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IX
-
-THE JOURNAL OF THE SHIP MAY-FLOWER
-
-Thomas Jones, Master, from London, England, towards "Hudson's River" in
-Virginia
-
- [The voyage of the MAY-FLOWER began at London, as her consort's did
- at Delfshaven, and though, as incident to the tatter's brief career,
- we have been obliged to take note of some of the happenings to the
- larger ship and her company (at Southampton, etc.), out of due
- course and time, they have been recited only because of their
- insuperable relation to the consort and her company, and not as part
- of the MAY-FLOWER'S own proper record]
-
-
-SATURDAY, July 15/25, 1620
- Gravesend. Finished lading. Got
- passengers aboard and got under way for
- Southampton. Dropped down the Thames to
- Gravesend with the tide.
-
- [Vessels leaving the port of London always, in that day, "dropped
- down with the tide," tug-boats being unknown, and sail-headway
- against the tide being difficult in the narrow river.]
-
- Masters Cushman and Martin, agents of the
- chartering--party, came aboard at London.
-
-SUNDAY, July 16/26
- Gravesend. Channel pilot aboard. Favoring
- wind.
-
-MONDAY, July 17/27
- In Channel. Course D.W. by W. Favoring
- wind.
-
-TUESDAY, July 18/28
- In Channel. Southampton Water.
-
-WEDNESDAY, July 19/29
- Southampton Water. Arrived at Southampton
- and came to anchor.
-
- [Both ships undoubtedly lay at anchor a day or two, before hauling
- in to the quay. The MAY-FLOWER undoubtedly lay at anchor until
- after the SPEEDWELL arrived, to save expense]
-
-THURSDAY, July 20/30
- Lying at Southampton off north end of "West
- Quay."
-
-FRIDAY, July 21/31
- Lying at Southampton. Masters Carver,
- Cushman, and Martin, three of the agents
- here. Outfitting ship, taking in lading,
- and getting ready for sea.
-
-SATURDAY, July 22/Aug 1
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-SUNDAY, July 23/Aug 2
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-MONDAY, July 24/Aug 3
- Lying off Quay, Southampton.
-
-TUESDAY, July 25/Aug 4
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Waiting for
- consort to arrive from Holland.
-
-WEDNESDAY, July 26/Aug 5
- Lying off Quay, Southampton. Pinnace
- SPEEDWELL, 60 tons, Reynolds, Master, from
- Delfshaven, July 22, consort to this ship,
- arrived in harbor, having on board some 70
- passengers and lading for Virginia. She
- came to anchor off north end "West Quay."
-
-THURSDAY, July 27/Aug. 6
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, SPEEDWELL
- warped to berth at Quay near the ship, to
- transfer lading.
-
- [Some of the cargo of the SPEEDWELL is understood to have been here
- transferred to the larger ship; doubtless the cheese, "Hollands,"
- and other provisions, ordered, as noted, by Cushman]
-
-FRIDAY, July 28/Aug. 7
- Lying at Quay, Southampton, Much parleying
- and discontent among the passengers.
-
- [Bradford gives an account of the bickering and recrimination at
- Southampton, when all parties had arrived. Pastor Robinson had
- rather too strenuously given instructions, which it now began to be
- seen were not altogether wise. Cushman was very much censured, and
- there was evidently some acrimony. See Cushman's Dartmouth letter
- of August 17 to Edward Southworth, Bradford's Historie, Mass. ed.
- p. 86.]
-
-SATURDAY, July 29/Aug. 8
- Lying at Quay, Southampton. Some of the
- passengers transferred from SPEEDWELL and
- some to her. Master Christopher Martin
- chosen by passengers their "Governour" for
- the voyage to order them by the way, see to
- the disposing of their pro visions, etc.
- Master Robert Cushman chosen "Assistant."
- The ship ready for sea this day, but
- obliged to lie here on account of leakiness
- of consort, which is forced to retrim. Ship
- has now 90 passengers and consort 30.
-
-SUNDAY, July 30/Aug. 9
- Lying at Southampton.
-
-MONDAY, July 31/Aug. 10
- Lying at Southampton. Letters received for
- passengers from Holland. One from the
- Leyden Pastor [Robinson] read out to the
- company that came from that place.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 1/Aug. 11
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. SPEEDWELL
- retrimmed a second time to overcome
- leakiness.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 2/Aug. 12
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Master
- Weston, principal agent of the Merchants
- setting out the voyage, came up from Lon
- don to see the ships dispatched, but, on
- the refusal of the Planters to sign certain
- papers, took offence and returned to London
- in displeasure, bidding them "stand on
- their own legs," etc.
-
- [The two "conditions" which Weston had changed in the proposed
- agreement between the Adventurers and Planters, the Leyden leaders
- refused to agree to. Bradford, op cit. p. 61. He says: "But they
- refused to sign, and answered him that he knew right well that these
- were not according to the first Agreement." Dr. Griffis has made
- one of those little slips common to all writers--though perfectly
- conversant with the facts--in stating as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, etc. p. 158), with reference to the new
- "conditions" which some blamed Cushman for assenting to, as "more
- fit for thieves and slaves than for honest men," that, "nevertheless
- they consented to them;" while on p. 169 he says "The SPEEDWELL
- people [i.e. the Leyden leaders would not agree with the new
- conditions, without the consent of those left behind in Leyden."
-
- The fact is that the Pilgrims did not assent to the new conditions,
- unwarrantably imposed by Weston, though of small consequence in any
- view of the case, until Cushman came over to New Plymouth in the
- FORTUNE, in 1621, and by dint of his sermon on the "Sin and Danger
- of Self-Love," and his persuasion, induced them (they being also
- advised thereto by Robinson) to sign them. All business up to this
- time had been done between the Adventurers and the Pilgrims,
- apparently, without any agreement in writing. It was probably felt,
- both by Robinson and the Plymouth leaders, that it was the least
- reparation they could make Cushman for their cruel and unjust
- treatment of him, realizing at length that, through all
- vicissitudes, he had proven their just, sagacious, faithful, and
- efficient friend. There does not appear to be any conclusive
- evidence that any articles of agreement between the Adventurers and
- colonists were signed before the MAY-FLOWER Sailed.]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 3/Aug. 13
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. After
- Master Weston's departure, the Planters had
- a meeting and resolved to sell some of such
- stores as they could best spare, to clear
- port charges, etc., and to write a general
- letter to the Adventurers explaining the
- case, which they did. Landed some three
- score firkins of butter, sold as
- determined.
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 4/Aug. 14
- Lying at anchor at Southampton. Consort
- nearly ready for sea. Heard that the
- King's warrant had issued to Sir James
- Coventry, under date of July 23, to prepare
- a Patent for the Council for the Affairs of
- New England to supersede the Plymouth
- Virginia Company, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and
- Sir Robert Rich the Earl of Warwick among
- the Patentees.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 5/Aug. 15
- Weighed anchor, as did consort, and in
- company dropped down Southampton Water.
- Took departure from Cowes, Isle of Wight,
- and laid course down the Solent to Channel.
- Winds baffling. General course S.W. by S.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 6/Aug. 16
- Head winds. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In Company. Passed Bill of
- Portland.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 7/Aug. 17
- Wind contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL In company.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 8/Aug. 18
- Wind still contrary. Beating out Channel.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9/Aug. 19
- Wind ahead. Beating down Channel. Consort
- in company.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 10/20
- Wind fair. All sail set. SPEEDWELL in
- company. Signalled by consort, which hove
- to. Found to be leaking badly. On
- consultation of Masters and chief of
- passengers of both ships, it was concluded
- that both should put into Dartmouth, being
- nearest port. Laid course for Dartmouth
- with wind ahead.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 11/21
- Wind ahead. Bearing up to Dartmouth.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 12/22
- Made port at Dartmouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company, and came to anchor in harbor.
-
- [Bradford, op. cit. Deane's ed. p. 68, note. Russell (Pilgrim
- Memorials, p. 15) says: "The ships put back into Dartmouth, August
- 13/23." Goodwin (op. cit. p. 55) says: "The port was reached
- about August 23." Captain John Smith strangely omits the return of
- the ships to Dartmouth, and confuses dates, as he says "But the next
- day after leaving Southampton the lesser ship sprung a leak that
- forced their return to Plymouth," etc. Smith, New England's Trials,
- 2d ed. 1622. Cushman's letter, written the 17th, says they had
- then lain there "four days," which would mean, if four full days,
- the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th.]
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 13/23
- Lying at anchor with SPEEDWELL leaking
- badly in Dartmouth harbor. No passengers,
- except leaders, allowed ashore.
-
- [Cushman in his letter to Edward Southworth, written at Dartmouth,
- August 17, says that Martin, the "governour" of the passengers in
- the MAY-FLOWER, "will not suffer them the passengers to go, ashore
- lest they should run away." This probably applied especially to
- such as had become disaffected by the delays and disasters, the
- apprenticed ("bound") servants, etc. Of course no responsible
- colonist would be thus restrained for the reason alleged.]
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 14/24
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL at Quay taking out lading for
- thorough overhauling.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 15/25
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16/26
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL being thoroughly overhauled for
- leaks. Pronounced "as open and leaky as a
- sieve." Much dissatisfaction between the
- passengers, and discontent with the ship's
- "governour" Master Martin, between whom
- and Mr. Cushman, the "assistant," there is
- constant disagreement.
-
- [Cushman portrays the contemptible character and manner of Martin
- very sharply, and could not have wished to punish him worse for his
- meannesses than he has, by thus holding him up to the scorn of the
- world, for all time. He says, 'inter alia': "If I speak to him, he
- flies in my face and saith no complaints shall be heard or received
- but by himself, and saith: 'They are froward, and waspish,
- discontented people, and I do ill to hear them.'"]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 17/27
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- being searched and mended. Sailors offended
- at Master Martin because of meddling.
-
- [Cushman's letter, Dartmouth, August 17. He says: "The sailors also
- are so offended at his ignorant boldness in meddling and controling
- in things he knows not what belongs to, as that some threaten to
- mischief him . . . . But at best this cometh of it, that he
- makes himself a scorn and laughing stock unto them."]
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 18/28
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- still repairing. Judged by workmen that
- mended her sufficient for the voyage.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 19/29
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
- SPEEDWELL relading.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 20/30
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 21/31
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Consort
- relading.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 22/Sept. 1
- Lying at anchor, Dartmouth harbor. Both
- ships ready for sea.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Deane's ed. p. 68. He says: "Some leaks were
- found and mended and now it was conceived by the workmen and all,
- that she was sufficient, and they might proceed without either fear
- or danger." Bradford shows (op. cit. p. 69) note that they must
- have left Dartmouth "about the 21st" of August. Captain John Smith
- gives that date, though somewhat confusedly. Arber (the Story of
- the Pilgrim Fathers, p. 343 says: "They actually left on 23 August."
- Goodwin (Pilgrim Republic, p. 55) says : "Ten days were spent in
- discharging and re-stowing the SPEEDWELL and repairing her from stem
- to stern," etc.)]
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23/Sept. 2
- Weighed anchor, as did consort. Laid
- course W.S.W. Ships in company. Wind
- fair.
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 24/Sept. 3
- Comes in with wind fair. General course
- W.S.W. Consort in company.
-
-FRIDAY, Aug. 25/Sept. 4
- Comes in with wind fair. Course W.S.W.
- SPEEDWELL in company.
-
-SATURDAY, Aug. 26/Sept. 5
- Observations showed ship above 100 leagues
- W.S.W. of Land's End. SPEEDWELL signalled
- and hove to. Reported leaking dangerously.
- On consultation between Masters and
- carpenters of both ships, it was concluded
- to put back into Plymouth--Bore up for
- Plymouth. Consort in company.
-
-SUNDAY, Aug. 27/Sept. 6
- Ship on course for Plymouth. SPEEDWELL in
- company.
-
-MONDAY, Aug. 28/Sept. 7
- Made Plymouth harbor, and came to anchor in
- the Catwater, followed by consort.
-
-TUESDAY, Aug. 29/Sept. 8
- At anchor in roadstead. At conference of
- officers of ship and consort and the chief
- of the Planters, it was decided to send the
- SPEEDWELL back to London with some 18 or 20
- of her passengers, transferring a dozen or
- more, with part of her lading, to the
- MAY-FLOWER.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30/Sept. 9
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead off the
- Barbican. Transferring passengers and
- lading from consort, lying near by.
- Weather fine.
-
- [Goodwin notes (Pilgrim Republic, p. 57) that "it was fortunate for
- the overloaded MAY-FLOWER that she had fine weather while lying at
- anchor there, . . . for the port of Plymouth was then only a
- shallow, open bay, with no protection. In southwesterly gales its
- waters rose into enormous waves, with such depressions between that
- ships while anchored sometimes struck the bottom of the harbor and
- were dashed in pieces."]
-
-THURSDAY, Aug. 31/Sept. 10
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring cargo from SPEEDWELL.
-
-FRIDAY, Sept. 1/Sept. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
- Transferring passengers and freight to and
- from consort. Master Cushman and family,
- Master Blossom and son, William Ring, and
- others with children, going back to London
- in SPEEDWELL. All Of SPEEDWELL'S
- passengers who are to make the voyage now
- aboard. New "governour" of ship and
- assistants chosen. Master Carver
- "governour."
-
- [We have seen that Christopher Martin was made "governour" of the
- passengers on the MAY-FLOWER for the voyage, and Cushman
- "assistant." It is evident from Cushman's oft-quoted letter (see
- ante) that Martin became obnoxious, before the ship reached
- Dartmouth, to both passengers and crew. It is also evident that
- when the emigrants were all gathered in the MAY-FLOWER there was a
- new choice of officers (though no record is found of it), as Cushman
- vacated his place and went back to London, and we find that, as
- noted before, on November 11 the colonists "confirmed" John Carver
- as their "governour," showing that he had been such hitherto.
- Doubtless Martin was deposed at Southampton (perhaps put into
- Cushman's vacant place, and Carver made "governour" in his stead.)]
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 2/Sept. 12
- At anchor, Plymouth roadstead. Some of
- principal passengers entertained ashore by
- friends of their faith. SPEEDWELL sailed
- for London. Quarters assigned, etc.
-
-SUNDAY, Sept. 3/Sept. 13
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead.
-
-MONDAY, Sept. 4/Sept. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Some Of
- company ashore.
-
-TUESDAY, Sept. 5/Sept. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth roadstead. Ready for
- sea.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Sept. 6/Sept. 16
- Weighed anchor. Wind E.N.E., a fine gale.
- Laid course W.S.W. for northern coasts of
- Virginia.
-
-THURSDAY, Sept. 7/Sept. 17
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Light gale
- continues. Made all sail on ship.
-
-FRIDAY, Sept. 8/Sept. 18
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale continues.
- All sails full.
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 9/Sept. 19
- Comes in with wind E.N E. Gale holds.
- Ship well off the land.
-
-SUNDAY, Sept. 10/Sept. 20
- Comes in with wind E.N.E. Gale holds.
- Distance lost, when ship bore up for
- Plymouth, more than regained.
-
-MONDAY, Sept. 11/Sept. 21
- Same; and so without material change, the
- daily record of wind, weather, and the
- ship's general course--the repetition of
- which would be both useless and wearisome
- --continued through the month and until the
- vessel was near half the seas over. Fine
- warm weather and the "harvest-moon." The
- usual equinoctial weather deferred.
-
-SATURDAY, Sept. 23/Oct. 3
- One of the seamen, some time sick with a
- grievous disease, died in a desperate manner.
- The first death and burial at sea of the
- voyage.
-
- [We can readily imagine this first burial at sea on the MAY FLOWER,
- and its impressiveness. Doubtless the good Elder "committed the
- body to the deep" with fitting ceremonial, for though the young man
- was of the crew, and not of the Pilgrim company, his reverence for
- death and the last rites of Christian burial would as surely impel
- him to offer such services, as the rough, buccaneering Master (Jones
- would surely be glad to evade them).
-
- Dr. Griffis (The Pilgrims in their Three Homes, p. 176) says "The
- Puritans [does this mean Pilgrims ?] cared next to nothing about
- ceremonies over a corpse, whether at wave or grave." This will
- hardly bear examination, though Bradford's phraseology in this case
- would seem to support it, as he speaks of the body as "thrown
- overboard;" yet it is not to be supposed that it was treated quite
- so indecorously as the words would imply. It was but a few years
- after, certainly, that we find both Pilgrim and Puritan making much
- ceremony at burials. We find considerable ceremony at Carver's
- burial only a few months later. Choate, in his masterly oration at
- New York, December 22, 1863, pictures Brewster's service at the open
- grave of one of the Pilgrims in March, 1621.]
-
- A sharp change. Equinoctial weather,
- followed by stormy westerly gales;
- encountered cross winds and continued
- fierce storms. Ship shrewdly shaken and
- her upper works made very leaky. One of
- the main beams in the midships was bowed
- and cracked. Some fear that the ship could
- not be able to perform the voyage. The
- chief of the company perceiving the
- mariners to fear the sufficiency of the
- ship (as appeared by their mutterings) they
- entered into serious consultation with the
- Master and other officers of the ship, to
- consider, in time, of the danger, and
- rather to return than to cast themselves
- into a desperate and inevitable peril.
-
- There was great distraction and difference
- of opinion amongst the mariners themselves.
- Fain would they do what would be done for
- their wages' sake, being now near half the
- seas over; on the other hand, they were
- loath to hazard their lives too
- desperately. In examining of all opinions,
- the Master and others affirmed they knew
- the ship to be strong and firm under water,
- and for the buckling bending or bowing of
- the main beam, there was a great iron scrue
- the passengers brought out of Holland which
- would raise the beam into its place. The
- which being done, the carpenter and Master
- affirmed that a post put under it, set firm
- in the lower deck, and otherwise bound,
- would make it sufficient. As for the decks
- and upper works, they would caulk them as
- well as they could; and though with the
- working of the ship they would not long
- keep staunch, yet there would otherwise be
- no great danger if they did not overpress
- her with sails. So they resolved to
- proceed.
-
- In sundry of these stormes, the winds were
- so fierce and the seas so high, as the ship
- could not bear a knot of sail, but was
- forced to hull drift under bare poles for
- divers days together. A succession of
- strong westerly gales. In one of the
- heaviest storms, while lying at hull, [hove
- to D.W.] a lusty young man, one of the
- passengers, John Howland by name, coming
- upon some occasion above the gratings
- latticed covers to the hatches, was with
- the seel [roll] of the ship thrown into the
- sea, but caught hold of the topsail
- halliards, which hung overboard and ran out
- at length; yet he held his hold, though he
- was sundry fathoms under water, till he was
- hauled up by the same rope to the brim of
- the water, and then with a boathook and
- other means got into the ship again and his
- life saved. He was something ill with it.
-
- The equinoctial disturbances over and the
- strong October gales, the milder, warmer
- weather of late October followed.
-
- Mistress Elizabeth Hopkins, wife of Master
- Stephen Hopkins, of Billericay, in Essex,
- was delivered of a son, who, on account of
- the circumstances of his birth, was named
- Oceanus, the first birth aboard the ship
- during the voyage.
-
- A succession of fine days, with favoring
- winds.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 6/16
- William Butten; a youth, servant to Doctor
- Samuel Fuller, died. The first of the
- passengers to die on this voyage.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 7/17
- The body of William Butten committed to the
- deep. The first burial at sea of a
- passenger, on this voyage.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 8/18
- Signs of land.
-
-MONDAY Nov. 9/19
- Closing in with the land at nightfall.
- Sighted land at daybreak. The landfall
- made out to be Cape Cod the bluffs [in what
- is now the town of Truro, Mass.]. After a
- conference between the Master of the ship
- and the chief colonists, tacked about and
- stood for the southward. Wind and weather
- fair. Made our course S.S.W., continued
- proposing to go to a river ten leagues
- south of the Cape Hudson's River. After
- had sailed that course about half the day
- fell amongst dangerous shoals and foaming
- breakers [the shoals off Monomoy] got out of
- them before night and the wind being
- contrary put round again for the Bay of
- Cape Cod. Abandoned efforts to go further
- south and so announced to passengers.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 93) says: "They resolved to bear
- up again for the Cape." No one will question that Jones's assertion
- of inability to proceed, and his announced determination to return
- to Cape Cod harbor, fell upon many acquiescent ears, for, as Winslow
- says: "Winter was come; the seas were dangerous; the season was
- cold; the winds were high, and the region being well furnished for a
- plantation, we entered upon discovery." Tossed for sixty-seven days
- on the north Atlantic at that season of the year, their food and
- firing well spent, cold, homesick, and ill, the bare thought of once
- again setting foot on any land, wherever it might be, must have been
- an allurement that lent Jones potential aid in his high-handed
- course.]
-
-SATURDAY Nov. 11/21
- Comes in with light, fair wind. On course
- for Cape Cod harbor, along the coast. Some
- hints of disaffection among colonists, on
- account of abandonment of location
-
- [Bradford (in Mourt's Relation) says: "This day before we come to
- harbor Italics the author's, observing some not well affected to
- unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was
- thought good there should be an Association and Agreement that we
- should combine together in one body; and to submit to such
- Government and Governors as we should, by common consent, agree to
- make and choose, and set our hands to this that follows word for
- word." Then follows the Compact. Bradford is even more explicit in
- his Historie (Mass. ed. p. 109), where he says: "I shall a little
- returne backe and begin with a combination made by them before they
- came ashore, being ye first foundation of their governments in this
- place; occasioned partly by ye discontent & mutinous speeches that
- some of the strangers amongst them [i.e. not any of the Leyden
- contingent had let fall from them in ye ship--That when they came
- ashore they would use their owne libertie: for none had power to
- command them, the patents they had being for Virginia, and not for
- New-England which belonged to another Government, with which ye
- London [or First Virginia Company had nothing to doe, and partly
- that such an acte by them done . . . might be as firm as any
- patent, and in some respects more sure." Dr. Griffis is hardly
- warranted in making Bradford to say, as he does (The Pilgrims in
- their Three Homes, p. 182), that "there were a few people I
- 'shuffled' in upon them the company who were probably unmitigated
- scoundrels." Bradford speaks only of Billington and his family as
- those "shuffled into their company," and while he was not improbably
- one of the agitators (with Hopkins) who were the proximate causes of
- the drawing up of the Compact, he was not, in this case, the
- responsible leader. It is evident from the foregoing that the
- "appearance of faction" did not show itself until the vessel's prow
- was turned back toward Cape Cod Harbor, and it became apparent that
- the effort to locate "near Hudson's River" was to be abandoned, and
- a location found north of 41 degrees north latitude, which would
- leave them without charter rights or authority of any kind. It is
- undoubtedly history that Master Stephen Hopkins,--then "a
- lay-reader" for Chaplain Buck,--on Sir Thomas Gates's expedition to
- Virginia, had, when some of them were cast away on the Bermudas,
- advocated just such sentiments--on the same basis--as were now
- bruited upon the MAY-FLOWER, and it could hardly have been
- coincidence only that the same were repeated here. That Hopkins
- fomented the discord is well-nigh certain. It caused him, as
- elsewhere noted, to receive sentence of death for insubordination,
- at the hands of Sir Thomas Gates, in the first instance, from which
- his pardon was with much difficulty procured by his friends. In the
- present case, it led to the drafting and execution of the Pilgrim
- Compact, a framework of civil self-government whose fame will never
- die; though the author is in full accord with Dr. Young (Chronicles,
- p. 120) in thinking that "a great deal more has been discovered in
- this document than the signers contemplated,"--wonderfully
- comprehensive as it is. Professor Herbert B. Adams, of Johns
- Hopkins University, says in his admirable article in the Magazine of
- American History, November, 1882 (pp--798 799): "The fundamental
- idea of this famous document was that of a contract based upon the
- common law of England,"--certainly a stable and ancient basis of
- procedure. Their Dutch training (as Griffis points out) had also
- led naturally to such ideas of government as the Pilgrims adopted.
- It is to be feared that Griffis's inference (The Pilgrims in their
- Three Homes, p. 184), that all who signed the Compact could write,
- is unwarranted. It is more than probable that if the venerated
- paper should ever be found, it would show that several of those
- whose names are believed to have been affixed to it "made their
- 'mark.'" There is good reason, also, to believe that neither
- "sickness" (except unto death) nor "indifference" would have
- prevented the ultimate obtaining of the signatures (by "mark," if
- need be) of every one of the nine male servants who did not
- subscribe, if they were considered eligible. Severe illness was, we
- know, answerable for the absence of a few, some of whom died a few
- days later.
-
- The fact seems rather to be, as noted, that age--not social status
- was the determining factor as to all otherwise eligible. It is
- evident too, that the fact was recognized by all parties (by none so
- clearly as by Master Jones) that they were about to plant themselves
- on territory not within the jurisdiction of their steadfast friends,
- the London Virginia Company, but under control of those formerly of
- the Second (Plymouth) Virginia Company, who (by the intelligence
- they received while at Southampton) they knew would be erected into
- the "Council for the Affairs of New England." Goodwin is in error
- in saying (Pilgrim Republic, p. 62), "Neither did any other body
- exercise authority there;" for the Second Virginia Company under Sir
- Ferdinando Gorges, as noted, had been since 1606 in control of this
- region, and only a week before the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod (i.e.
- on November 3) King James had signed the patent of the Council for
- New England, giving them full authority over all territory north of
- the forty-first parallel of north latitude, as successors to the
- Second Virginia Company. If the intention to land south of the
- forty-first parallel had been persisted in, there would, of course,
- have been no occasion for the Compact, as the patent to John Pierce
- (in their interest) from the London Virginia Company would have been
- in force. The Compact became a necessity, therefore, only when they
- turned northward to make settlement above 41 deg. north latitude.
- Hence it is plain that as no opportunity for "faction"--and so no
- occasion for any "Association and Agreement"--existed till the
- MAY-FLOWER turned northward, late in the afternoon of Friday,
- November to, the Compact was not drawn and presented for signature
- until the morning of Saturday, November 11. Bradford's language,
- "This day, before we came into harbour," leaves no room for doubt
- that it was rather hurriedly drafted--and also signed--before noon
- of the 11th. That they had time on this winter Saturday--hardly
- three weeks from the shortest day in the year--to reach and
- encircle the harbor; secure anchorage; get out boats; arm, equip,
- and land two companies of men; make a considerable march into the
- land; cut firewood; and get all aboard again before dark, indicates
- that they must have made the harbor not far from noon. These facts
- serve also to correct another error of traditional Pilgrim history,
- which has been commonly current, and into which Davis falls
- (Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth, p. 60), viz. that the Compact was
- signed "in the harbor of Cape Cod." It is noticeable that the
- instrument itself simply says, "Cape Cod," not "Cape Cod harbour,"
- as later they were wont to say. The leaders clearly did not mean
- to get to port till there was a form of law and authority.]
-
- for settlement on territory under the
- protection of the patent granted in their
- interest to John Pierce, by the London
- Virginia Company.
-
- [The patent granted John Pierce, one of the Merchant Adventurers,
- by the London Virginia Company in the interest of the Pilgrims,
- was signed February 2/12, 1619, and of course could convey no rights
- to, or upon, territory not conveyed to the Company by its charter
- from the King issued in 1606, and the division of territory made
- thereunder to the Second Virginia Company. By this division the
- London Company was restricted northward by the 41st parallel, as
- noted, while the Second Company could not claim the 38th as its
- southern bound, as the charter stipulated that the nearest
- settlements under the respective companies should not be within one
- hundred miles of each other.]
-
- Meeting in main cabin of all adult male
- passengers except their two hired seamen,
- Trevore and Ely, and those too ill--to make
- and sign a mutual 'Compact"
-
- [The Compact is too well known to require reprinting here (see
- Appendix); but a single clause of it calls for comment in this
- connection. In it the framers recite that, "Having undertaken to
- plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia," etc.
- From this phraseology it would appear that they here used the words
- "northern parts of Virginia" understandingly, and with a new
- relation and significance, from their connection with the words "the
- first colony in," for such declaration could have no force or truth
- except as to the region north of 41 deg. north latitude. They knew,
- of course, of the colonies in Virginia under Gates, Wingfield,
- Smith, Raleigh, and others (Hopkins having been with Gates), and
- that, though there had been brief attempts at settlements in the
- "northern plantations," there were none there then, and that hence
- theirs would be in a sense "the first," especially if considered
- with reference to the new Council for New England. The region of
- the Hudson had heretofore been included in the term "northern parts
- of Virginia," although in the southern Company's limit; but a new
- meaning was now designedly given to the words as used in the
- Compact, and New England was contemplated. ]
-
- to regulate their civil government. This
- done, they confirmed Master Carver their
- "governour" in the ship on the voyage,
- their "governour" for the year. Bore up
- for the Cape, and by short tacks made the
- Cape [Paomet, now Provincetown] Harbor,
- coming to an anchorage a furlong within the
- point. The bay so circular that before
- coming to anchor the ship boxed the compass
- [i.e. went clear around all points of it].
-
- Let go anchors three quarters of an English
- mile off shore, because of shallow water,
- sixty-seven days from Plymouth (Eng.),
- eighty-one days from Dartmouth, ninety-nine
- days from Southampton, and one hundred and
- twenty from London. Got out the long-boat
- and set ashore an armed party of fifteen or
- sixteen in armor, and some to fetch wood,
- having none left, landing them on the long
- point or neck, toward the sea.
-
- [The strip of land now known as Long Point, Provincetown (Mass.)
- harbor.]
- Those going ashore were forced to wade a
- bow-shot or two in going aland. The party
- sent ashore returned at night having seen
- no person or habitation, having laded the
- boat with juniper wood.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 12/22
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. All hands
- piped to service. Weather mild.
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 13/23
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor, unshipped the
- shallop and drew her on land to mend and
- repair her.
-
- [Bradford (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 97) says: "Having brought a large
- shallop with them out of England, stowed in quarters in ye ship they
- now gott her out and sett their carpenters to worke to trime her up:
- but being much brused and shatered in ye ship with foule weather,
- they saw she sould be longe in mending." In 'Mourt's Relation' he
- says: "Monday, the 13th of November, we unshipped our shallop and
- drew her on land to mend and repair her, having been forced to cut
- her down, in bestowing her betwixt the decks, and she was much
- opened, with the peoples lying in her, which kept us long there: for
- it was sixteen or seventeen days before the Carpenter had finished
- her." Goodwin says she was "a sloop-rigged craft of twelve or
- fifteen tons." There is an intimation of Bradford that she was
- "about thirty feet long." It is evident from Bradford's account
- (Historie, Mass. ed. p. 105) of her stormy entrance to Plymouth
- harbor that the shallop had but one mast, as he says "But herewith
- they broake their mast in 3 pieces and their saill fell overboard in
- a very grown sea."]
-
-
- Many went ashore to refresh themselves, and
- the women to wash.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 14/24
- Lying at anchor. Carpenter at work on
- shallop. Arms and accoutrements being got
- ready for an exploring party inland.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15/25
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Master and
- boat's crew went ashore, followed in the
- afternoon by an armed party of sixteen men
- under command of Captain Myles Standish.
- Masters William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins,
- and Edward Tilley being joined to him for
- council. The party to be gone from the
- ship a day or two. Weather mild and ground
- not frozen.
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 16/26
- Lying at anchor in harbor. Exploring party
- still absent from ship. Weather continues
- open.
-
-FRIDAY, Nov. 17/27
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Weather open.
- Saw signal-fire on the other side of bay
- this morning, built by exploring party as
- arranged. The Master, Governor Carver, and
- many of the company ashore in afternoon,
- and met exploring party there on their
- return to ship. Hearing their signal-guns
- before they arrived at the shore, sent
- long-boat to fetch them aboard. They
- reported seeing Indians and following them
- ten miles without coming up to them the
- first afternoon out, and the next day found
- store of corn buried, and a big ship's
- kettle, which they brought to the ship with
- much corn. Also saw deer and found
- excellent water.
-
-SATURDAY, Nov. 18/28
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Planters
- helving tools, etc. Carpenter at work on
- shallop, which takes more labor than at
- first supposed. Weather still moderate.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 19/29
- At anchor, Gape Cod harbor. Second Sunday
- in harbor. Services aboard ship. Seamen
- ashore. Change in weather. Colder.
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 20/30
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter and
- others at work on shallop, getting out
- stock for a new shallop, helving tools,
- making articles needed, etc.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 21/Dec. 1
- At anchor in harbor. Much inconvenienced
- in going ashore. Can only go and come at
- high water except by wading, from which
- many have taken coughs and colds.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22/Dec. 2
- At anchor in harbor. Weather cold and
- stormy, having changed suddenly.
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 23/Dec. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and stormy.
- Work progressing on shallop.
-
-FRIDAY, Nov. 24/Dec. 4
- At anchor in harbor. Continues cold and
- stormy.
-
-SATURDAY, Nov. 25/Dec. 5
- At anchor in harbor. Weather same. Work
- on shallop pretty well finished and she can
- be used, though more remains to be done.
- Another exploration getting ready for
- Monday. Master and crew anxious to unlade
- and return for England. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Nov. 26/Dec. 6
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Third Sunday
- here. Master notified Planters that they
- must find permanent location and that he
- must and would keep sufficient supplies for
- ship's company and their return.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 96. The doubt as to how the
- ship's and the colonists' provisions were divided and held is again
- suggested here. It is difficult, however, to understand how the
- Master "must and would" retain provisions with his small force
- against the larger, if it came to an issue of strength between Jones
- and Standish.]
-
-MONDAY, Nov. 27/Dec. 7
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Rough weather
- and cross winds. The Planters determined
- to send out a strong exploring party, and
- invited the Master of the ship to join them
- and go as leader, which he agreed continued
- to, and offered nine of the crew and the
- long-boat, which were accepted. Of the
- colonists there were four-and-twenty,
- making the party in all four-and-thirty.
- Wind so strong that setting out from the
- ship the shallop and long-boat were obliged
- to row to the nearest shore and the men to
- wade above the knees to land. The wind
- proved so strong that the shallop was
- obliged to harbor where she landed. Mate
- in charge of ship. Blowed and snowed all
- day and at night, and froze withal.
- Mistress White delivered of a son which is
- called "Peregrine." The second child born
- on the voyage, the first in this harbor.
-
-TUESDAY, Nov. 28/Dec. 8
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Master
- Jones and exploring party absent on shore
- with long-boat and colonists' shallop. The
- latter, which beached near ship yesterday
- in a strong wind and harbored there last
- night, got under way this morning and
- sailed up the harbor, following the course
- taken by the long-boat yesterday, the wind
- favoring. Six inches of snow fell
- yesterday and last night. Crew at work
- clearing snow from ship.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29/Dec. 9
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Cold. Foul
- weather threatening. Master Jones with
- sixteen men in the long-boat and shallop
- came aboard towards night (eighteen men
- remaining ashore), bringing also about ten
- bushels of Indian corn which had been found
- buried. The Master reports a long march,
- the exploration of two creeks, great
- numbers of wild fowl, the finding of much
- corn and beans,' etc.
-
- [This seems to be the first mention of beans (in early Pilgrim
- literature) as indigenous (presumably) to New England. They have
- held an important place in her dietary ever since.]
-
-THURSDAY, Nov. 30/Dec. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Sent shallop to head
- of harbor with mattocks and spades, as
- desired by those ashore, the seamen taking
- their muskets also. The shallop came
- alongside at nightfall with the rest of the
- explorers--the tide being out--bringing a
- lot of Indian things, baskets, pottery,
- wicker-ware, etc., discovered in two graves
- and sundry Indian houses they found after
- the Master left them. They report ground
- frozen a foot deep.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 1/11
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- finishing work on shallop. Colonists
- discussing locations visited, as places for
- settlement.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 2/12
- At anchor in harbor. Much discussion among
- colonists as to settlement, the Master
- insisting on a speedy determination.
- Whales playing about the ship in
- considerable numbers. One lying within
- half a musket-shot of the ship, two of the
- Planters shot at her, but the musket of the
- one who gave fire first blew in pieces both
- stock and barrel, yet no one was hurt.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 3/13
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fourth
- Sunday here. Scarce any of those aboard
- free from vehement coughs, some very ill.
- Weather very variable.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 4/14
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. Carpenter
- completing repairs on shallop. Much
- discussion of plans for settlement. The
- Master urging that the Planters should
- explore with their shallop at some
- distance, declining in such season to stir
- from the present anchorage till a safe
- harbor is discovered by them where they
- would be and he might go without danger.
- This day died Edward Thompson, a servant of
- Master William White, the first to die
- aboard the ship since she anchored in the
- harbor. Burying-party sent ashore after
- services to bury him.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Francis Billington, a
- young son of one of the passengers, put the
- ship and all in great jeopardy, by shooting
- off a fowling-piece in his father's cabin
- between decks where there was a small
- barrel of powder open, and many people
- about the fire close by. None hurt.
- Weather cold and foul.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Very cold, bad
- weather. This day died Jasper More, a lad
- bound to Governor Carver. The second death
- in the harbor. The third exploring party
- got away from the ship in the afternoon in
- the shallop, intent on finding a harbor
- recommended by the second mate, Robert
- Coppin, who had visited it. Captain
- Standish in command, with whom were
- Governor Carver, Masters Bradford, Winslow,
- John Tilley and Edward Tilley, Warren and
- Hopkins, John Howland, Edward Dotey, and
- two of the colonists' seamen, Alderton and
- English, and of the ship's company, the
- mates Clarke and Coppin, the master-gunner
- and three sailors, eighteen in all. The
- shallop was a long time getting clear of
- the point, having to row, but at last got
- up her sails and out of the harbor. Sent
- burying-party ashore with body of little
- More boy, after services aboard.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 7/17
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. This day
- Mistress Dorothy Bradford, wife of Master
- Bradford, who is away with the exploring
- party to the westward, fell over board and
- was drowned.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. A strong south-east
- gale with heavy rain, turning to snow and
- growing cold toward night, as it cleared.
- This day Master James Chilton died aboard
- the ship. The third passenger, and first
- head of a family; to die in this harbor.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 9/19
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party sent
- ashore after services aboard, to bury
- Chilton. Fetched wood and water.
-
-
- [The death of Chilton was the first of the head of a family, and it
- may readily be imagined that the burial was an especially affecting
- scene, especially as following so closely upon the tragic death of
- Mrs. Bradford (for whom no funeral or burial arrangements are
- mentioned?? D.W.)]
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 10/20
- At anchor in Cape Cod harbor. The fifth
- Sunday in this harbor. The exploring party
- still absent. Four deaths one by drowning;
- very severe weather; the ship's narrow
- escape from being blown up; and the absence
- of so many of the principal men, have made
- it a hard, gloomy week.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 11/21
- At anchor in harbor. Clear weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 12/22
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- still absent.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13/23
- At anchor in harbor. Exploration party
- returned to ship, where much sad
- intelligence met them (especially Master
- Bradford), as to his wife's drowning. The
- exploring party report finding a
- considerable Indian burying-place; several
- Indian houses; a fierce attack on them by
- Indians on Friday morning, but without
- harm; a severe gale on the same afternoon,
- in which their rudder-hinges broke, their
- mast was split in three pieces, their sail
- fell over board in a heavy sea, and they
- were like to have been cast away in making
- a harbor which Master Coppin thought he
- knew, but was deceived about. They landed
- on an island at the mouth of the harbor,
- which they named for Master Clarke, the
- first mate, and spent Saturday and Sunday
- there, and on Monday examined the harbor
- they found, and are agreed that it is the
- place for settlement. Much satisfaction
- with the report among the colonists.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 14/24
- At anchor, Cape Cod harbor. The colonists
- have determined to make settlement at the
- harbor they visited, and which is
- apparently, by Captain John Smith's chart
- of 1616, no other than the place he calls
- "Plimoth" thereon. Fetched wood and water.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 15/25
- Weighed anchor to go to the place the
- exploring party discovered. Course west,
- after leaving harbor. Shallop in company.
- Coming within two leagues, the wind coming
- northwest, could not fetch the harbor, and
- was faine to put round again towards Cape
- Cod. Made old anchorage at night. The
- thirty-fifth night have lain at anchor
- here. Shallop returned with ship.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 16/26
- Comes in with fair wind for Plymouth.
- Weighed anchor and put to sea again and made
- harbor safely. Shallop in company. Within
- half an hour of anchoring the wind changed,
- so if letted [hindered] but a little had
- gone back to Cape Cod. A fine harbor.
- Let go anchors just within a long spur of
- beach a mile or more from shore. The end of
- the outward voyage; one hundred and two days
- from Plymouth (England to Plymouth New
- England). One hundred and fifty-five days
- from London.
-
-
-
-
- THE SHIPS JOURNAL WHILE SHE LAY IN
- PLYMOUTH HARBOR
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 17/27
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Services on
- ship. This harbor is a bay greater than
- Cape Cod, compassed with goodly land. It is
- in fashion like a sickle or fish-hook.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 18/28
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor: The Master of
- the ship, with three or four of the sailors
- and several of the Planters, went aland and
- marched along the coast several miles.
- Made careful examination of locality. Found
- many brooks of fine water, abundant wood,
- etc. The party came aboard at night weary
- with marching.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 19/29
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. A party from
- the ship went ashore to discover, some
- going by land and some keeping to the
- shallop. A creek was found leading up
- within the land and followed up three
- English miles, a very pleasant river at
- full sea. It was given the name of "Jones
- River" in compliment to the Master of the
- ship. A bark of thirty tons may go up at
- high tide, but the shallop could scarcely
- pass at low water. All came aboard at
- night with resolution to fix, to-morrow,
- which of the several places examined they
- would settle upon.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20/30
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor, many ill. Dec.
- After service the colonists decided to go
- ashore this morning and determine upon one
- of two places which were thought most
- fitting for their habitation. So a
- considerable party went ashore and left
- twenty of their number there to make a
- rendezvous, the rest coming on board at
- night. They reported that they had chosen
- by the most voices the site first looked at
- by the largest brook, near where they
- landed on the 11th on a large rock
- [Plymouth Rock].
-
- [The "Rock" seems to have become the established landing place of
- the Pilgrims, from the time of the first visit of the third
- exploring party on December 11/21. The absurdity of the claims of
- the partisans of Mary Chilton, in the foolish contention which
- existed for many years as to whether she or John Alden was the first
- person to set foot upon the "Rock," is shown by the fact that, of
- course, no women were with the third exploring party which first
- landed there, while it is also certain that Alden was not of that
- exploring party. That Mary Chilton may have been the first woman to
- land at Cape Cod harbor is entirely possible, as it is that she or
- John Alden may have been the first person to land on the "Rock"
- after the ship arrived in Plymouth harbor. It was a vexatious
- travesty upon history (though perpetuated by parties who ought to
- have been correct) that the Association for building the Pilgrim
- Monument at Plymouth should issue a pamphlet giving a picture of the
- "Landing of the Pilgrims, December 21, 1620," in which women are
- pictured, and in which the shallop is shown with a large
- fore-and-aft mainsail, while on the same page is another picture
- entitled, "The Shallop of the MAY-FLOWER," having a large yard and
- square-sail, and a "Cuddy" (which last the MAY-FLOWER'S shallop we
- know did not have). The printed description of the picture,
- however, says: "The cut is copied from a picture by Van der Veldt,
- a Dutch painter of the seventeenth century, representing a
- shallop," etc. It is matter of regret to find that a book like
- Colonel T. W. Higginson's 'Book of American Explorers', intended
- for a text-book, and bearing the imprint of a house like Longmans,
- Green & Co. should actually print a "cut" showing Mary Chilton
- landing from a boat full of men (in which she is the only woman)
- upon a rock, presumably Plymouth Rock.]
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 21/31
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Wet and
- stormy, so the Planters could not go ashore
- as planned, having blown hard and rained
- extremely all night. Very uncomfortable
- for the party on shore. So tempestuous
- that the shallop could not go to land as
- soon as was meet, for they had no victuals
- on land. About eleven o'clock the shallop
- went off with much ado with provision, but
- could not return, it blew so strong. Such
- foul weather forced to ride with three
- anchors ahead. This day Richard
- Britteridge, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship, the first to die in this
- harbor.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 22/Jan. 1
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The storm
- continues, so that no one could go ashore,
- or those on land come aboard. This morning
- goodwife Allerton was delivered of a son,
- but dead-born. The third child born on
- board the ship since leaving England,--the
- first in this harbor.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 23/Jan. 2
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sent body of
- Britteridge ashore for burial, the storm
- having prevented going before, and also a
- large party of colonists to fell timber,
- etc. Left a large number on shore at the
- rendezvous. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 24/Jan. 3
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Second Sunday
- here. This day died Solomon Prower, one of
- the family of Master Martin, the treasurer
- of the colonists, being the sixth death
- this month, and the second in this harbor.
- A burying-party went ashore with Prower's
- body, after services aboard.
-
-MONDAY, Dec. 25/Jan. 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Christmas
- Day, but not observed by these colonists,
- they being opposed to all saints' days,
- etc. The men on shore Sunday reported that
- they "heard a cry of some savages," as they
- thought, that day. A large party went
- ashore this morning to fell timber and
- begin building. They began to erect the
- first house about twenty feet square for
- their common use, to receive them and their
- goods. Another alarm as of Indians this
- day. All but twenty of the Planters came
- aboard at night, leaving the rest to keep
- court of guard. The colonists began to
- drink water, but at night the Master caused
- them to have some beer.
-
-TUESDAY, Dec. 26/Jan. 5
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A violent
- storm of wind and rain. The weather so
- foul this morning that none could go
- ashore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27/Jan. 6
- At anchor in harbor. Sent working party
- ashore. All but the guard came aboard at
- night.
-
-THURSDAY, Dec. 28/Jan. 7
- At anchor. All able went ashore this
- morning to work on a platform for ordnance
- on the hill back of the settlement,
- commanding the harbor. The Planters this
- day laid out their town-site and allotted
- ground to the several families. Many of
- the colonists ill from exposure. All but
- the guard came off to the ship at night.
-
-FRIDAY, Dec. 29/Jan. 8
- At anchor in harbor. No working-party went
- aland. The Planters fitting tools, etc.,
- for their work. The weather wet and cold.
-
-SATURDAY, Dec. 30/Jan. 9
- At anchor in harbor. Very stormy and cold.
- No working-party sent aland. The Planters
- fitting tools, etc. Great smokes of fires
- visible from the ship, six or seven miles
- away, probably made by Indians.
-
-SUNDAY, Dec. 31/Jan. 10
- At anchor in harbor. The third Sunday in
- this harbor. Sailors given leave to go
- ashore. Many colonists ill.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 1/Jan. 11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. This day
- Degory Priest, one of the colonists, died
- aboard the ship. A large party went ashore
- early to work. Much time lost between ship
- and shore, the ship drawing so much water
- as obliged to anchor a mile and a half off.
- The working-party came aboard at nightfall.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 2/Jan. 12
- At anchor in harbor. Sent burying-party
- ashore with Priest's body. Weather good.
- Working-party aland and returned to ship at
- night.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3/Jan. 13
- At anchor in harbor. Working-party aland,
- returned at night. They report seeing
- great fires of the Indians. Smoke seen
- from the ship. Have seen no savages since
- arrival.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 4/Jan. 14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Captain
- Standish, with four or five men, went to
- look for savages, and though they found
- some of their old houses "wigwams" could
- not meet with any of them.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 5/Jan. 15
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Working-
- party went aland early. One of the sailors
- found a live herring upon the shore, which
- the Master had to his supper. As yet have
- caught but one cod.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 6/Jan. 16
- At anchor in harbor. In judgment of
- Masters Brewster, Bradford, and others,
- Master Martin, the colonists' treasurer,
- was so hopelessly ill that Governor Carver,
- who had taken up his quarters on land, was
- sent for to come aboard to speak with him
- about his accounts. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 7/Jan. 17
- At anchor in harbor. Fourth Sunday here.
- Governor Carver came aboard to talk with
- Master Martin, who was sinking fast.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 8/Jan. 18
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. A very fan
- fair day. The working-party went aland
- early. The Master sent, the shallop for
- fish. They had a great tempest at sea and
- were in some danger. They returned to the
- ship at night, with three great seals they
- had shot, and an excellent great cod.
- Master Martin died this day. He had been a
- "governour" of the passengers on the ship,
- and an "assistant," and was an Adventurer.
- One of the Master-mates took a musket, and
- went with young Francis Billington to find
- the great inland sea the latter had seen
- from the top of a tree, and found a great
- water, in two great lakes [Billington Sea,]
- also Indian houses.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 9/Jan. 19
- At anchor in harbor. Fair day. Sent
- burying-party ashore after services aboard,
- with the body of Master Martin, and he was
- buried with some ceremony on the hill near
- the landing-place. The settlers drew lots
- for their meersteads and garden-plots. The
- common-house nearly finished, wanting only
- covering.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10/Jan. 20
- At anchor in harbor. Party went aland from
- ship. Frosty.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 11/Jan. 21
- At anchor in harbor. A fair day. Party
- ashore from ship and coming off at night,
- reported Master William Bradford very ill:
- Many ill aboard.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 12/Jan. 22
- At anchor in harbor. Began to rain at noon
- and stopped all work. Those coming aboard
- ship at night reported John Goodman and
- Peter Browne, two of the colonists,
- missing, and fears entertained that they
- may have been taken by Indians. Froze and
- snowed at night. The first snow for a
- month. An extremely cold night.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 13/Jan. 23
- At anchor in harbor. The Governor sent out
- an armed party of ten or twelve to look for
- the missing men, but they returned without
- seeing or hearing anything at all of them.
- Those on shipboard much grieved, as deeming
- them lost. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 14/Jan. 24
- At anchor in harbor. About six o'clock in
- the morning, the wind being very great, the
- watch on deck spied the great new
- rendezvous on shore on fire and feared it
- fired by Indians, but the tide being out,
- men could not get ashore for three quarters
- of an hour, when they went armed. At the
- landing they heard that the lost men were
- returned, some frost-bitten, and that the
- thatch of the common-house only was burnt
- by a spark, but no other harm done the
- roof. The most loss was Governor Carver's
- and Master Bradford's, both of whom lay
- sick in bed, and narrowly missed being
- blown up with powder. The meeting was to
- have been kept ashore to-day, the greater
- number of the people now being there, but
- the fire, etc., prevented. Some of those
- sick in the common-house were fain to
- return aboard for shelter. Fifth Sunday in
- this harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 15/Jan. 25
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Rained much
- all day. They on shipboard could not go
- ashore nor they on shore do any labor, but
- were all wet.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 16/Jan. 26
- At anchorage. A fine, sunshining day like
- April. Party went aland betimes. Many ill
- both on ship and on shore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17/Jan. 27
- At anchorage. Another fine, sunshining
- day. Working-party went aland early. Set
- on shore some of the Planters' goods.
-
- [Mourt's Relation, Dexter's ed. p. 77. Bradford states (op. cit.
- Mass. ed. p. 110) that they were hindered in getting goods ashore
- by "want of boats," as well as sickness. Mention is made only of
- the "long-boat" and shallop. It is possible there were no others,
- except the Master's skiff]
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 18/Jan. 28
- At anchorage. Another fine, bright day.
- Some of the common goods [i.e. belonging
- to all] set on shore.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 19/Jan. 29
- At anchorage. A shed was begun on shore to
- receive the goods from the ship. Rained at
- noon but cleared toward night.
-
- [Cleared toward evening (though wet at noon), and John Goodman went
- out to try his frozen feet, as is recorded, and had his encounter
- with wolves.]
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 20/Jan. 30
- At anchorage. Shed made ready for goods
- from ship. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 21/Jan. 31
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sixth Sunday
- in this harbor. Many ill. The Planters
- kept their meeting on land to-day for the
- first time, in the common-house.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 22/Feb. 1
- At anchorage. Fair day. Hogsheads of meal
- sent on shore from ship and put in
- storehouse.
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 23/Feb. 2
- At anchorage. The general sickness
- increases, both on shipboard and on land.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24/Feb. 3
- At anchor in harbor. Fair weather. Party
- on shore from ship and returned at night.
-
-THURSDAY, Jan. 25/Feb. 4
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore and came aboard at night.
-
-FRIDAY, Jan. 26/Feb. 5
- At anchorage. Weather good. Party set
- ashore. The sickness increases.
-
-SATURDAY, Jan. 27/Feb. 6
- At anchorage. Weather fair. Good working
- weather all the week, but many sick.
- Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Jan. 28/Feb. 7
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. Seventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Meeting kept on
- shore. Those of Planters on board who were
- able, and some of the ship's company, went
- ashore, and came off after service.
-
-MONDAY, Jan. 29/Feb. 8
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. Morning cold,
- with frost and sleet, but after reason ably
- fair. Both long-boat and shallop carrying
- Planters' goods on shore. Those returning
- reported that Mistress Rose Standish, wife
- of Captain Standish, died to-day.
-
-
-TUESDAY, Jan. 30/Feb. 9
- At anchorage. Cold, frosty weather, so no
- working-party went on shore from ship. The
- Master and others of the ship's company saw
- two savages that had been on the island
- near the ship [Clarke's Island]. They were
- gone so far back again before they were
- discovered that could not speak with them.
- The first natives actually seen since the
- encounter on the Cape.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31/Feb. 10
- At anchor in harbor. Still cold and
- frosty, with sleet. No party went on
- shore. Eight of the colonists have died
- this month on the ship and on shore.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 1/Feb. 11
- At anchor in harbor. Weather better, and
- some of those on board the ship went on
- shore to work, but many ill.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 2/Feb. 12
- At anchorage. The same.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 3/13
- At anchorage. Weather threatening. Fetched
- wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 4/14
- At anchor, Plymouth harbor. The eighth
- Sunday in this harbor, and now inexpedient
- to think of getting away, till both Planters
- and crew in better condition as to health.
-
- [Bradford, Historie, p. 92; Young, Chronicler, p. 198. Bradford
- says (op. cit. Mass. ed, pp. 120, 121): "The reason on their parts
- why she stayed so long was ye necessitie and danger that lay upon
- them, for it was well toward ye ende of December before she could
- land anything here, or they able to receive anything ashore. After
- wards, ye 14 of January the house which they had made for a general
- randevoze by casulty fell afire, and some were faine to retire
- aboard for shelter. Then the sickness begane to fall sore amongst
- them, and ye weather so bad as they could not make much sooner
- dispatch. Againe, the Governor & chiefe of them seeing so many dye,
- and fall down sick dayly, thought it no wisdom to send away the
- ship, their condition considered, and the danger they stood in from
- ye Indians, till they could procure some shelter; and therefore
- thought it better to draw some more charge upon themselves & friends
- ["demurrage?"] than hazard all. The Mr. and sea-men likewise;
- though before they hasted ye passengers a shore to be goone [gone],
- now many of their men being dead, and of ye ablest of them [as is
- before noted, and of ye rest many lay sick & weake, ye Mr, durst not
- put to sea till he saw his men begine to recover, and ye hart of
- winter over."]]
-
- A very rainy day with the heaviest gusts of
- wind yet experienced. The ship in some
- danger of oversetting, being light and
- unballasted.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 5/15
- At anchor in harbor. Clearing weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 6/16
- At anchor in harbor. Cold and clear.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Much colder.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 8/18
- At anchorage. Hard, cold weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 9/19
- At anchorage. Cold weather continues.
- Little work possible. The little house for
- the sick people on shore took fire this
- afternoon, by a spark that kindled in the
- roof. No great harm done. The Master
- going ashore, killed five geese, which he
- distributed among the sick people. He also
- found a good deer the savages had killed,
- having also cut off his horns. A wolf was
- eating him. Cannot conceive how he came
- there.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 10/20
- At anchor in harbor. Getting goods on
- shore, but sickness makes both Planters and
- crew shorthanded. Fetched wood and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 11/21
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. Ninth Sunday
- in this harbor.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 12/22
- At anchorage. Getting goods on shore.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 13/23
- At anchorage. Rainy.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14/24
- At anchorage. More sickness on ship and on
- shore than at any time, and more deaths.
- Rainy, clearing.
-
- [The sickness and mortality had rapidly increased and was now at its
- height]
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 15/25
- At anchorage. Northerly wind and frost.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 16/26
- At anchorage. Northerly wind continues,
- which continues the frost. Those from
- shore reported that one of the Planters,
- being out fowling and hidden in the reeds,
- about a mile and a half from the
- settlement, saw twelve Indians marching
- toward the plantation and heard many more.
- He hurried home with all speed and gave the
- alarm, so all the people in the woods at
- work returned and armed themselves, but saw
- nothing of the Indians. Captain Standish's
- and Francis Cooke's tools also stolen by
- Indians in woods. A great fire toward
- night seen from the ship, about where the
- Indians were discovered.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 17/27
- At anchorage. All the colonists on the
- ship able to go on shore went this morning
- to attend the meeting for the establishment
- of military orders among them. They chose
- Captain Standish their captain, and gave
- him authority of command in affairs. Two
- savages appeared on the hill, a quarter of
- a mile from the plantation, while the
- Planters were consulting, and made signs
- for Planters to come to them. All armed
- and stood ready, and sent two towards them,
- Captain Standish and Master Hopkins, but
- the natives would not tarry. It was
- determined to plant the great ordnance in
- convenient places at once. Fetched wood
- and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The Feb.
- tenth Sunday in this harbor. Many sick,
- both on board the ship and on shore.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 19/Mar. 1
- At anchorage. Got one of the great guns on
- shore with the help of some of the
- Planters.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 20/Mar. 2
- At anchorage. Getting cannon ashore and
- mounted.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21/Mar. 3
- At anchorage. The Master, with many of the
- sailors, went on shore, taking one of the
- great pieces called a minion, and with the
- Planters drew it up the hill, with another
- piece that lay on the shore, and mounted
- them and a saller and two bases--five guns
- --on the platform made for them. A hard
- day's work. The Master took on shore with
- him a very fat goose he had shot, to which
- the Planters added a fat crane, a mallard,
- and a dried neat's tongue (ox tongue), and
- Planters and crew feasted together. When
- the Master went on shore, he sent off the
- Governor to take the directions of Master
- Mullens as to his property, as he was lying
- near to death,--as also Master White.
- Master Mullens dictated his will to the
- Governor, which he noted down, and Giles
- Heale, the chirurgeon, and Christopher
- Joanes, of the crew, witnessed, they being
- left aboard to care for the sick, keep the
- ship, etc. Master Mullens and Master White
- both died this day. Two others also died.
- Got the men aboard about nightfall.
-
-THURSDAY, Feb. 22/Mar. 4
- At anchorage. Large burial-party went
- ashore with bodies of Masters Mullens and
- White, and joined with those on shore made
- the chief burial thus far had. The service
- on shore, the most of the people being
- there, Master Mullens being one of the
- chief subscribing Adventurers, as well as
- one of the chief men of the Planters, as
- was Master White. Their deaths much
- deplored.
-
-FRIDAY, Feb. 23/Mar. 5
- At anchorage. Party from the ship went on
- shore to help finish work on the ordnance.
-
-SATURDAY, Feb. 24/Mar. 6
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Feb. 25/Mar. 7
- At anchorage in Plymouth harbor. Eleventh
- Sunday in this harbor. Mistress Mary
- Allerton, wife of Master Isaac Allerton,
- one of the chief men of the colonists, died
- on board this day, not having mended well
- since the birth of her child, dead-born
- about two months agone.
-
-MONDAY, Feb. 26/Mar. 8
- At anchor in harbor. Burying-party went
- ashore to bury Mistress Allerton, services
- being held there.
-
-TUESDAY, Feb. 27/Mar. 9
- At anchorage. The sickness and deaths of
- the colonists on shore have steadily
- increased, and have extended to the ship,
- which has lost several of its petty
- officers, including the master gunner,
- three quarter-masters, and cook, and a
- third of the crew, many from scurvy.
-
- [There can be no doubt that both planters and ship's crew suffered
- severely from scurvy. The conditions all favored it, the sailors
- were familiar with it, and would not be likely to be mistaken in
- their recognition of it, and Dr. Fuller, their competent physician,
- would not be likely to err in his diagnosis of it. Tuberculosis was
- its very natural associate.]
-
-WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28/Mar. 10
- At anchorage. The last day of the month.
- The fifty-third day the ship has lain in
- this harbor, and from the present rate of
- sickness and death aboard, no present
- capacity or prospect of getting away, those
- better being yet weak. The Planters have
- lost seventeen this month, their largest
- mortality.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 1/11
- At anchorage. Blustering but milder
- weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 2/12
-
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 3/13
- At anchorage. Wind south. Morning misty
- [foggy]. Towards noon warm and fine
- weather. At one o'clock it thundered. The
- first heard. It rained sadly from two
- o'clock till midnight. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 4/14
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The twelfth
- Sunday in this harbor. Cooler. Clear
- weather.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 5/15
- At anchorage. Rough weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 6/16
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 7/17
- At anchor in harbor. Wind full east, cold
- but fair. The Governor went this day with
- a party of five, to the great ponds,
- discovered by one of the ship's mates and
- Francis Billington. Some planting done in
- the settlement.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 8/18
- At anchor in harbor. Rough easterly
- weather.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 9/19
- At anchorage. Same. Many sick aboard.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 10/20
- At anchorage. Same. Fetched wood and
- water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 11/21
- At anchorage, Plymouth harbor. The
- thirteenth Sunday the ship has lain in this
- harbor. Many of crew yet ill, including
- boatswain.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 12/22
- At anchorage. Easterly weather.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 13/23
- At anchorage. The sickness and mortality
- on ship and on shore continue.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 14/24
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 15/25
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 16/26
- At anchorage. A fair, warm day, towards
- noon. The Master and others went ashore to
- the general meeting. The plantation was
- startled this morning by a visit from an
- Indian who spoke some English and bade
- "Welcome." He is from Monhiggon, an island
- to the eastward some days' sail, near where
- Sir Ferdinando Gorges had a settlement. He
- was friendly, and having had much
- intercourse with Englishmen who came to
- fish in those parts, very comfortable with
- them. He saw the ship in the harbor from a
- distance and supposed her to be a fishing
- vessel. He told the Governor that the
- plantation was formerly called "Patuxet"
- [or Apaum], and that all its inhabitants
- had been carried off by a plague about four
- years ago. All the afternoon was spent in
- communication with him. The Governor
- purposed sending him aboard the ship at
- night, and he was well content to go and
- went aboard the shallop to come to the
- ship, but the wind was high and water scant
- [low], so that the shallop could not go to
- the ship. The Governor sent him to Master
- Hopkins's house and set a watch over him.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 17/27
- At anchor in harbor. The Master and others
- came off to the ship. Samoset the Indian
- went away back to the Massasoits whence he
- came. A reasonably fair day. Fetched wood
- and water.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 18/28
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fourteenth Sunday the ship has lain at this
- anchorage. A fair day. The sickness
- stayed a little. Many went on shore to the
- meeting in the common-house. Samoset the
- savage came again, and brought five others
- with him.
-
- [This Sunday visit was doubtless very much to the dislike of the
- good brethren, or at least of the leaders, but policy dictated every
- possible forbearance. Their consciences drew the line at trade,
- however, and they got rid of their untimely visitors as soon as
- possible without giving offense. Massasoit's men seem to have
- shown, by leaving their peltry with them, a confidence in their new
- white neighbors that is remarkable in view of the brevity of their
- friendship.]
-
- They left their bows and arrows a quarter
- of a mile from the town, as instructed.
- The Planters gave them entertainment, but
- would not truck with them.
-
- ["Truck--to trade." All early and modern lexicographers give the
- word, which, though now obsolete, was in common use in parts of New
- England fifty years ago.]
-
- They sang and danced after their manner,
- and made semblance of amity and friendship.
- They drank tobacco and carried pounded corn
- to eat. Their faces were painted. They
- brought a few skins which they left with
- the Planters, and returned the tools which
- Captain Standish and Francis Cooke left in
- the woods. The Planters dismissed them
- with a few trifles as soon as they could,
- it being Sunday, and they promised soon to
- return and trade. Samoset would not go
- with them, feigning sick, and stayed.
- Those on shore from the ship came off to
- her at night.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 19/29
- At anchorage. A fair day. The Planters
- digging and sowing seeds.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 20/30
- At anchorage. A fine day. Digging and
- planting of gardens on shore. Those sick
- of the crew mending.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 21/31
- At anchorage. A fine warm day. Beginning
- to put ship in trim for return voyage.
- Bringing ballast, etc. Some, including
- the Masters-mates, went on shore, who on
- return reported that the Planters sent the
- Indian Samoset away. A general meeting of
- the Planters was held at the common-house,
- to conclude laws and orders, and to confirm
- the military orders formerly proposed, and
- twice broken off by the savages coming, as
- happened again. After the meeting had held
- an hour or so, two or three savages
- appeared on the hill over against the town,
- and made semblance of daring the Planters.
- Captain Standish and another, with their
- muskets, went over to them, with the two
- Masters-mates of the ship, who were ashore,
- also armed with muskets. The savages made
- show of defiance, but as our men drew near
- they ran away. This day the carpenter, who
- has long been ill of scurvy, fitted the
- shallop to carry all the goods and
- furniture aboard the ship, on shore.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 22/Apr. 1
- At anchorage. A very fair, warm day.
- At work on ship getting ready for sea,
- bringing ballast aboard, etc. Another
- general meeting of the Planters which all
- able attended. They had scarce been an
- hour together when Samoset the Indian came
- again with one Squanto, the only native of
- Patuxet (where the Planters now inhabit)
- surviving, who was one of the twenty captives
- carried away from this place by Captain Hunt,
- to England. He could speak a little English.
- They brought three other Indians with them.
- They signified that their great Sagamore,
- Masasoyt, was hard by, with Quadequina his
- brother, and all their men. They could not
- well express what they would in English,
- but after an hour the king came to the top
- of the hill, over against the plantation,
- with his train of about sixty men. Squanto
- went to him and brought a message that one
- should be sent to parley with him, and Master
- Edward Winslow went, to know hisnmind, and
- signify the wish of the Governor to have
- trading and peace with him, the Governor
- sending presents to the king and his brother,
- with something to eat and drink.
-
- [Edward Winslow gives us here another proof of that rare
- self-sacrifice, that entire devotion to his work, and that splendid
- intrepidity which so signally characterized his whole career. At
- this most critical moment, the fate of the little colony trembling
- in the balance, when there was evident fear of treachery and
- surprise on the part of both the English and the savages; though the
- wife of his youth lay at the point of death (which came but two days
- later), and his heart was heavy with grief; forgetting all but the
- welfare of his little band of brethren, he goes forward alone, his
- life in his hand, to meet the great sachem surrounded by his whole
- tribe, as the calm, adroit diplomatist, upon whom all must depend;
- and as the fearless hostage, to put himself in pawn for the savage
- chief.]
-
- The king, leaving Master Winslow with
- brother, came over the brook, with some
- twenty of his men, leaving their bows and
- arrows behind them, and giving some six or
- seven of their men as hostages for Master
- Winslow. Captain Standish, with Master
- Williamson, the ship's-merchant, as
- interpreter,
-
- [It would seem from the frequent mention of the presence of some of
- the ship's company, Master Jones, the "Masters-mates," and now the
- "ship's-merchant," that the ship was daily well represented in the
- little settlement on shore. The presence of Master Williamson on
- this occasion is perhaps readily accounted for. Every other meeting
- with the Indians had been unexpected, the present one was
- anticipated, and somewhat eagerly, for upon its successful issue
- almost everything depended. By this time Standish had probably
- become aware that Tisquantum's command of English was very limited,
- and he desired all the aid the ship's interpreter could give. By
- some means, the sachem and the colonists succeeded in establishing
- on this day a very good and lasting understanding.]
-
- and a guard of half a dozen musketeers, met
- the king at the brook,
-
- [The guard was probably made thus small to leave the body of the
- colonists as strong a reserve force as possible to meet any surprise
- attack on the part of the Indians. Colonel Higginson, in his Book
- of American Explorers, gives a cut of this meeting of Massasoit and
- his pineses with Standish and his guard of honor, but it is
- defective in that the guard seems to have advanced to the hill
- ("Strawberry," or later "Watson's") to meet the sachem, instead of
- only to "the brook;" and more especially in that there are but two
- officers with the "six musketeers," where there ought to be three,
- viz. Standish, in command, Edward Window, as the envoy and hostage
- (in full armor), and "Mr. Williamson," the ship's-merchant or
- purser, as interpreter, perhaps acting as lieutenant of the guard.
- It is always matter of regret when books, especially text-books,
- written by authors of some repute, and published by reputable
- houses, fail, for want of only a little care in the study of the
- available history of events they pictorially represent, to make
- their pictures and the known facts correspond.]
-
- and they saluted each other, and the guard
- conducted the Sagamore to one of the new
- houses then building, where were placed a
- green rug and three or four cushions. Then
- came the Governor with drum and trumpet,
- and a guard of musketeers, and they drank
- to each other in some strong waters, and
- the Governor gave the king and his
- followers meat, and they made a treaty in
- King James's name, and drank tobacco
- together. His face was painted a sad red,
- and his head and face were oiled, which
- made him look greasy. All his followers
- were more or less painted. So after all
- was done, the Governor conducted him to the
- brook, and his brother came, and was also
- feasted, and then conveyed him to the
- brook, and Master Winslow returned.
- Samoset and Squanto stayed in the town and
- the Indians stayed all night in the woods
- half a mile away. The last of the
- colonists on board the ship went ashore to
- remain to-day.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 23/Apr. 2
- At anchor. A fair day. Some of the ship's
- company went on shore. Some of the Indians
- came again, and Captain Standish and Master
- Allerton went to see the king, and were
- welcomed by him. This morning the Indians
- stayed till ten or eleven of the clock, and
- the Governor, sending for the king's
- kettle, filled it with pease, and they went
- their way? Making ready for sea, getting
- ballast, wood, and water from the shore,
- etc. The Planters held a meeting and
- concluded both of military orders and some
- laws, and chose as Governor, for the coming
- year, Master John Carver, who was
- "governor" on the ship.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 24/April 3
- At anchorage. The ship's company busy with
- preparations for the return voyage,
- bringing ballast, wood, and water from the
- shore, etc., the ship having no lading for
- the return. This day died, on shore,
- Mistress Elizabeth Winslow, wife of Master
- Winslow. Many still sick. More on the
- ship than on shore.
-
-SUNDAY, Mar. 25/April 4
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- fifteenth Sunday in this port. Many of the
- crew dead and some still sick, but the
- sickness and mortality lessening.
-
-MONDAY, Mar. 26/April 5
- At anchor. Bringing ballast from shore and
- getting ship in trim.
-
-TUESDAY, Mar. 27/April 6
- At anchorage. Getting ballast, overhauling
- rigging, getting wood, water, etc., from
- shore.
-
-WEDNESDAY, Mar. 28/April 7
- At anchorage. Same.
-
-THURSDAY, Mar. 29/April 8
- At anchorage. The Master offered to take
- back any of the colonists who wished to
- return to England, but none desired to go.
- Getting in stores and ballast.
-
-FRIDAY, Mar. 30/April 9
- At anchorage. Hastening all preparations
- for sailing. Getting ballast, etc. Water
- butts filled.
-
-SATURDAY, Mar. 31/April 10
- At anchorage. Setting up rigging, bending
- light sails, etc. Getting ballast and wood
- from the beach and island. The colonists
- have lost thirteen by death the past month,
- making in all half of their number.
-
-SUNDAY, April 1/11
- At anchor in Plymouth harbor. The
- sixteenth Sunday the ship has lain at
- anchor here, and to be the last, being
- nearly ready to sail. Most of the crew
- ashore on liberty. In the sixteen weeks the
- ship has lain here, half of her crew (but
- none of her officers) have died, and a few
- are still weak. Among the petty officers
- who have died have been the master gunner,
- boatswain, and three quartermasters, beside
- the cook, and more than a third of the
- sailors. A bad voyage for the owner,
- Adventurers, ship, and crew.
-
-MONDAY, April 2/12
- Still at anchor, but making last
- preparations for voyage. Ship's officers
- made farewells on shore. Governor Carver
- copied out, and Giles Heale and Chris.
- Jones witnessed, Master Mullens's will, to
- go to England.
-
-TUESDAY, April 3/13
- Still at anchorage, but (near) ready to
- sail with a fair wind. Master Williamson,
- the ship's-merchant [purser], appointed by
- Master Mullens an overseer of his will,
- takes copy of same to England for probate,
- with many letters, keepsakes, etc., etc.,
- to Adventurers and friends. Very little
- lading, chiefly skins and roots. Make
- adieus to Governor Carver and company.
-
-WEDNESDAY, April 4/14
- Still at anchor in Plymouth harbor. Sails
- loosened and all ready for departure except
- Governor's letters. Last visits of shore
- people to ship. Sail with morning tide, if
- wind serves. One hundred and ten days in
- this harbor.
-
-THURSDAY, April 5/15
- Got anchors, and with fair wind got
- underway at full tide. Many to bid adieu.
- Set colors and gave Planters a parting
- salute with the ensign and ordnance.
- Cleared the harbor without hindrance, and
- laid general course E.S.E. for England
- with a fine wind. Took departure from Cape
- Cod early in the day, shook off the land
- and got ship to rights before night. All
- sails set and the ship logging her best.
-
-
-
-And so the MAY-FLOWER began her speedy, uneventful, homeward run,
-of but thirty-one days, arriving in England May 6, 1621, having been
-absent, on her "round voyage," from her sailing port, two hundred and
-ninety-six days.
-
-
-
- THE END OF THE VOYAGE
- AND OF THIS
- JOURNAL
-
-
-
-AUTHOR'S NOTE. Of the "Log" Of the MAY-FLOWER, the author is able to
-repeat the assurance given as to the brief Journal of the SPEEDWELL, and
-is able to say, in the happy phrase of Griffis, "I have tried to state
-only recorded facts, or to give expression to well grounded inferences."
-
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX
-
-
-In view of the natural wish of many of "restricted facilities," to consult
-for themselves the full text of certain of the principal letters and
-documents which have imparted much of the most definite and valuable
-information concerning the Pilgrim movement, it has been thought well to
-include certain of them here verbatim, that they may be of ready
-availability to the reader. The list comprises copies of--
-
-I. The Agreement of the Merchant Adventurers and Planters;
-
-II. The Letter of the Leyden Leaders to John Carver and Robert Cushman
-(at London), May 31/June 10, 1620;
-
-III. The Letter of Robert Cushman to John Carver (then at Southampton),
-Saturday, June 10/20, 1620;
-
-IV. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, June 10/20,
-1620;
-
-V. The Letter of Robert Cushman to the Leyden Leaders, Sunday, June
-11/21, 1620;
-
-VI. The Letter of Rev. John Robinson to John Carver at London, June
-14/24, 1620;
-
-VII. The Letter of the Planters to the Merchant Adventurers from
-Southamp ton, August 3, 1620;
-
-VIII. The Letter of Robert Cushman (from Dartmouth) to Edward
-Southworth, Thursday, August 17,1620;
-
-IX. The MAY-FLOWER Compact;
-
-X. The Nuncupative Will of Master William Mullens; and
-
-XI. The Letter of "One of the Chiefe of ye Companie" (The Merchant
-Adventurers), dated at London, April 9, 1623--
-
-Many other early original documents frequently referred to in this volume
-are of no less interest than those here given, but most of them have
-either had such publication as to be more generally known or accessible,
-or involve space and cost disproportionate to their value in this
-connection.
-
-
- I
- THE AGREEMENT OF THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS AND PLANTERS
-
-Anno: 1620, July 1.
-
-1. The adventurers & planters doe agree, that every person that goeth
-being aged 16. years & upward, be rated at 10li., and ten pounds to be
-accounted a single share.
-
-2. That he goeth in person, and furnisheth him selfe out with 10li.
-either in money or other provisions, be accounted as haveing 20li. in
-stock, and in ye devission shall receive a double share.
-
-3. The persons transported & ye adventurers shall continue their joynt
-stock & partnership togeather, ye space of 7 years, (excepte some
-unexpected impedimente doe cause ye whole company to agree otherwise,)
-during which time, all profits & benifits that are gott by trade,
-traffick, trucking, working, fishing, or any other means of any person or
-persons, remaine still in ye comone stock untill ye division.
-
-4. That at their coming ther, they chose out such a number of fitt
-persons, as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing upon ye sea;
-imploying the rest of their severall faculties upon ye land; as building
-houses, tilling, and planting ye ground, & makeing shuch comodities as
-shall be most usefull for ye collonie.
-
-5. That at ye end of ye 7 years, ye capitall & profits, viz. the
-houses, lands, goods and chatels, be equally devided betwixte ye
-adventurers, and planters; wch done, every man shall be free from other
-of them of any debt or detrimente concerning this adventure.
-
-6. Whosoever cometh to ye colonie hereafter, or putteth any into ye
-stock, shall at the ende of ye 7. years be alowed proportionably to ye
-time of his so doing.
-
-7. He that shall carie his wife & children, or servants, shall be alowed
-for everie person now aged 16. years & upward, a single share in ye
-devision, or if he provid them necessaries, a duble share, or if they be
-between 10. year old and 16., then 2. of them to be reconed for a person,
-both in trasportation and devision.
-
-8. That such children as now goe, & are under ye age of ten years, have
-noe other shar in ye devision, but 50. acers of unmanured land.
-
-9. That such persons as die before ye 7. years be expired, their
-executors to have their parte or sharr at ye devision, proportionably to
-ye time of their life in ye collonie.
-
-10. That all such persons as are of this collonie, are to have their
-meate, drink, apparell, and all provissions out of ye comon stock & goods
-of ye said collonie.
-
-
-Governor Bradford adds:--
-
-"The chief and principal differences betwene these & the former
-[original] conditions, stood in those 2. points; that ye houses, & lands
-improved, espetialy gardens & home lotts should remaine undevided wholy
-to ye planters at ye 7. years end. 2ly, yt they should have had 2. days
-in a weeke for their owne private imploymente, for ye more comforte of
-themselves and their families, espetialy such as had families."
-
-[Apparently, as has been noted, neither these articles of agreement, nor
-their predecessors which received the approval of the Leyden leaders,
-were ever signed by the contracting parties, until Robert Cushman brought
-the later draft over in the FORTUNE, in 1621, and the planter body
-(advised thereto by Pastor Robinson, who had previously bitterly opposed)
-signed them. Much might be truly said on either side of this
-controversy--indeed was said at the time; but if the Pilgrims were to
-abandon their contention, whatever its merits, in a year's time, as they
-did, it would seemingly have been much better not to have begun it, for
-it undoubtedly cost them dear.]
-
-
-
-
- II
- LETTER OF THE LEYDEN LEADERS TO JOHN CARVER AND
- ROBERT CUSHMAN, AT LONDON
-
-May 31/June 10, 1620.
-
-To their loving freinds John Carver and Robart Cushman, these, &c.
-
-Good bretheren, after salutations, &c. We received diverse letters at ye
-coming of Mr. [Thomas] Nash & our pilott, which is a great incouragmente
-unto us, and for whom we hop after times will minister occasion of
-praising God; and indeed had you not sente him, many would have been
-ready to fainte and goe backe. Partly in respecte of ye new conditions
-which have bene taken up by you, which all men are against, and partly in
-regard of our owne inabillitie to doe any one of those many waightie
-bussineses you referr to us here. For ye former wherof, wheras Robart
-Cushman desirs reasons for our dislike, promising therupon to alter ye
-same, or els saing we should thinke he hath no brains, we desire him to
-exercise them therin, refering him to our pastors former reasons, and
-them to ye censure of ye godly wise. But our desires are that you will
-not entangle your selvs and us in any such unreasonable courses as those
-are, viz. yt the marchants should have ye halfe of mens houses and lands
-at ye dividente; and that persons should be deprived of ye 2. days in a
-weeke agreed upon, yea every momente of time for their owne perticuler;
-by reason wherof we cannot conceive why any should carie servants for
-their own help and comfort; for that we can require no more of them than
-all men one of another. This we have only by relation from Mr. Nash, &
-not from any writing of your owne, & therfore hope you have not proceeded
-farr in so great a thing without us. But requiring you not to exseed the
-bounds of your comission, which was to proceed upon ye things or
-conditions agred upon and expressed in writing (at your going over it),
-we leave it, not without marveling, that your selfe, as you write,
-knowing how smale a thing troubleth our consultations, and how few,
-as you fear, understands the busnes aright, should trouble us with such
-matters as these are, &c. Salute Mr. Weston from us, in whom we hope we
-are not deceived; we pray you make known our estate unto him, and if you
-thinke good shew him our letters, at least tell him (yt under God) we
-much relie upon him & put our confidence in him; and, as your selves well
-know, that if he had not been an adventurer with us, we had not taken it
-in hand; presuming that if he had not seene means to accomplish it, he
-would not have begune it; so we hope in our extremitie he will so farr
-help us as our expectation be no way made frustrate concerning him.
-Since therfor, good brethren, we have plainly opened ye state of things
-with us in this matter, you will, &c. Thus beseeching ye Allmightie, who
-is allsufficiente to raise us out of this depth of difficulties, to
-assiste us herin; raising such means by his providence and fatherly care
-for us, his pore children & servants, as we may with comforte behould ye
-hand of our God for good towards us in this our bussines, which we
-undertake in his name & fear, we take leave & remaine
- Your perplexed, yet hopful
- bretheren,
-June 10, New Stille
-Ano: 1620. SAMUEL FULLER, EDWARD WINSLOW,
- WILLIAM BRADFORD, ISAAC ALLERTON.
-
-
-
-
- III
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (AT LONDON), TO
- JOHN CARVER (AT SOUTHAMPTON)
-
-Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.
-
-To his loving freind Mr. John Carver, these, &c.
-
-Loving freind, I have received from you some letters, full of affection &
-complaints, & what it is you would have of me I know not; for your
-crieing out, Negligence, negligence, negligence, I marvell why so
-negligente a man was used in ye bussines: Yet know you yt all that I have
-power to doe hear, shall not be one hower behind, I warent you. You have
-reference to Mr. Weston to help us with money, more then his adventure;
-wher he protesteth but for his promise, he would not have done any thing.
-He saith we take a heady course, and is offended yt our provissions are
-made so farr of; as also that he was not made aquainted with our
-quantitie of things; and saith yt in now being in 3. places, so farr
-remote, (i.e. Leyden, London, and Southampton) we will, with going up &
-downe, and wrangling & expostulating, pass over ye sourer before we will
-goe. And to speake ye trueth, they is fallen already amongst us a flatt
-schisme; and we are redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde a
-vaiage. I have received from Leyden since you wente (to Southampton) 3.
-or 4. letters directed to you, though they only conscerne me. I will not
-trouble you with them. I always feared ye event of ye Amsterdamers
-(members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth's church there) striking in with us.
-I trow you must excomunicate me, or els you must goe without their
-companie, or we shall wante no quareling; but let them pass.
-
-We have reckoned, it should seeme, without our host; and, count upon a
-150. persons, ther cannot be founde above 1200li. & odd moneys of all ye
-venturs you can reckone, besids some cloath, stockings, & shoes, which
-are not counted; so we shall come shorte at least 3. or 400li. I would
-have had some thing shortened at first of beare (beer) & other
-provissions in hope of other adventurs, & now we could have, both in
-Amsterd & Kente, beere inough to serve our turne, but now we cannot
-accept it without prejudice. You fear we have begune to build & and
-shall not be able to make an end; indeed, our courses were never
-established by counsell, we may therfore justly fear their standing.
-Yea, then was a schisme amongst us 3. at ye first. You wrote to Mr.
-Martin, to prevente ye making of ye provissions in Kente, which he did,
-and sett downe his resolution how much he would have of every thing,
-without respecte to any counsell or exception. Surely he yt is in a
-societie & yet regards not counsell, may better be a king then a
-consorte. To be short, if then be not some other dispossition setled
-unto then yet is, we yt should be partners of humilitie and peace, shall
-be examples of jangling & insulting. Yet your money which you ther
-[Southampton] must have, we will get provided for you instantly. 500li.
-you say will serve; for ye rest which hear & in Holand is to be used, we
-may goe scratch for it. For Mr. Crabe, of whom you write, he hath
-promised to goe with us, yet I tell you I shall not be without feare till
-I see him shipped, for he [i.e. his going] is much opposed, yet I hope
-he will not faile. Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is
-wanting, and ye Lord guid us all.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-London June 10.
-Ano: 1620.
-
-
-
-
- IV
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS
-
-(Probably written at London, Saturday, June 10/20, 1620.)
-
-Brethern, I understand by letters & passagess yt have come to me, that
-ther are great discontents, & dislike of my proceedings amongst you.
-Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it, as not doubting but yt
-partly by writing, and more principally by word when we shall come
-togeather, I shall satisfie any reasonable man. I have been perswaded by
-some, espetialy this bearer, to come and clear things unto you; but as
-things now stand I cannot be absente one day, excepte I should hazard all
-ye viage. Neither conceive I any great good would come of it. Take
-then, brethern, this as a step to give you contente. First, for your
-dislike of ye alteration of one clause in ye conditions, if you conceive
-it right, ther can be no blame lye on me at all. For ye articles first
-brought over by John Carver were never seene of any of ye adventurers
-hear, excepte Mr. Weston, neither did any of them like them because of
-that clause; nor Mr. Weston him selfe, after he had well considered it.
-But as at ye first ther was 500li. withdrawne by Sr. Georg Farrer and his
-brother upon that dislike, so all ye rest would have withdrawne (Mr.
-Weston excepted) if we had not altered yt clause. Now whilst we at
-Leyden conclude upon points, as we did, we reckoned without our host,
-which was not my faulte. Besids, I shewed you by a letter ye equitie of
-yt condition, & our inconveniences, which might be sett against all Mr.
-Rob: [Robinson's] inconveniences, that without ye alteration of yt
-clause, we could neither have means to gett thither, nor supplie wherby
-to subsiste when we were ther. Yet notwithstanding all those reasons,
-which were not mine, but other mens wiser than my selfe, without answer
-to any one of them, here cometh over many quirimonies, and complaints
-against me, of lording it over my brethern, and making conditions fitter
-for theeves & bondslaves then honest men, and that of my owne head I did
-what I list. And at last a paper of reasons, framed against yt clause in
-ye conditions, which as yey were delivered me open, so my answer is open
-to you all. And first, as they are no other but inconveniences, such as
-a man might frame 20. as great on ye other side, and yet prove nor
-disprove nothing by them, so they misse & mistake both ye very ground of
-ye article and nature of ye project.
-
-For, first, it is said, that if ther had been no divission of houses &
-lands, it had been better for ye poore. True, and yt showeth ye
-inequalitie of ye condition; we should more respect him yt ventureth both
-his money and his person, then him yt ventureth but his person only.
-
-2. Consider whereaboute we are, not giveing almes, but furnishing a
-store house; no one shall be porer then another for 7. years, and if any
-be rich, none can be pore. At ye least, we must not in such bussines
-crie, Pore, pore, mercie, mercie. Charitie hath it[s] life in wraks, not
-in venturs; you are by this most in a hopefull pitie of makeing,
-therefore complaine not before you have need.
-
-3. This will hinder ye building of good and faire houses, contrarie to
-ye advise of pollitiks. A. So we would have it; our purpose is to build
-for ye presente such houses as, if need be, we may with litle greefe set
-a fire, and rune away by the lighte; our riches shall not be in pompe,
-but in strength; if God send us riches, we will imploye them to provid
-more men, ships, munition, &c. You may see it amongst the best
-pollitiks, that a comonwele is readier to ebe then to flow, when once
-fine houses and gay cloaths come up.
-
-4. The Govet may prevente excess in building. A. But if it be on all
-men beforehand resolved on, to build mean houses, ye Govet laboure is
-spared.
-
-5. All men are not of one condition. A. If by condition you mean
-wealth, you are mistaken; if you mean by condition, qualities, then I say
-he that is not contente his neighbour shall have as good a house, fare,
-means, &c. as him selfe, is not of a good qualitie. 2ly. Such retired
-persons, as have an eie only to them selves, are fitter to come wher
-catching is, then closing; and are fitter to live alone, then in any
-societie, either civil or religious.
-
-6. It will be of litle value, scarce worth 5li. A. True, it may not be
-worth halfe 5li. If then so smale a thing will content them, (the
-Adventurers) why strive we thus aboute it, and give them occasion to
-suspecte us to be worldly & covetous? I will not say what I have heard
-since these complaints came first over [from Leyden].
-
-7. Our freinds with us yt adventure mind not their owne profite, as did
-ye old adventurers. A. Then they are better than we, who for a little
-matter of profite are readie to draw back, and it is more apparente,
-brethern looke too it, that make profit your maine end; repente of this,
-els goe not least you be like Jonas to Tarshis. Though some of
-them mind not their profite, yet others doe mind it; and why not as well
-as we? venturs are made by all sorts of men, and we must labour to give
-them all contente, if we can.
-
-8. It will break ye course of comunitie, as may be showed by many
-reasons. A. That is but said, and I say againe, it will best foster
-comunion, as may be showed by many reasons.
-
-9. Great profite is like to be made by trucking, fishing, &c. A. As it
-is better for them, so for us; for halfe is ours, besids our living still
-upon it, and if such profite in yt way come, our labour shall be ye less
-on ye land, and our houses & lands will be of less value.
-
-10. Our hazard is greater than theirs. A. True, but doe they put us
-upon it? doe they urge or egg us? hath not ye motion & resolution been
-always in our selves? doe they any more then in seeing us resolute if we
-had means, help us to means upon equall termes & conditions! If we will
-not goe, they are content to keep their moneys.
-
-Thus I have pointed at a way to loose those knots, which I hope you will
-consider seriously, and let me have no more stirr about them.
-
-Now furder, I hear a noise of slavish conditions by me made; but surly
-this is all I have altered, and reasons I have sent you. If you mean it
-of ye 2. days in a week for perticuler, as some insinuate, you are
-deceived; you may have 3. days in a week for me if you will. And when I
-have spoken to ye adventurers of times of working, they have said they
-hope we are men of discretion & conscience, and so fitt to be trusted our
-selves with that. But indeed ye ground of our proceedings at Leyden was
-mistaken, and so here is nothing but tottering every day, &c.
-
-As for them of Amsterdam, [i.e. the members of Rev. Henry Ainsworth's
-church there] I had thought they would as soon gone to Rome as with us;
-for our libertie is to them as ratts bane, and their riggour as bad to us
-as ye Spanish Inquisition. If any practise of mine discourage them, let
-them yet draw back; I will undertake they shall have their money againe
-presently paid hear. Or if the Company think me to be ye Jonas, let them
-cast me of before we goe; I shall be content to stay with good will,
-having but ye cloaths on my back; only let us have quietnes, and no more
-of these clamors; full little did I expect these things which are now
-come to pass, &c.
- Yours,
- R. CUSHMAN.
-
-
-
-
- V
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN TO THE LEYDEN LEADERS, LONDON
-
- (Sunday, June 11/21, 1620.)
-
-Salutations, &c. I received your letter [of May 31/June 10] yesterday,
-by John Turner, with another ye same day from Amsterdam by Mr. W.
-savouring of ye place whenc it came. And indeed the many discouragements
-I find her,[London] togeather with ye demurrs and retirings ther,[Leyden]
-had made me to say, I would give up my accounts to John Carver, & at his
-comeing aquainte him fully with all courses, and so leave it quite, with
-only ye pore cloaths on my back. But gathering up my selfe by further
-consideration, I resolved yet to make one triall more, and to acquainte
-Mr. Weston with ye fainted state of our bussines; and though he hath been
-much discontented at some thing amongst us of late, which hath made him
-often say, that save for his promise, he would not meadle at all with ye
-bussines any more, yet considering how farr we were plunged into maters,
-& how it stood both on our credits & undoing, at ye last he gathered up
-him selfe a litle more, & coming to me 2. hours after, he tould me he
-would not yet leave it. And so advising togeather we resolved to hire a
-ship, and have tooke liking of one till Monday, about 60. laste, for a
-greater we cannot gett, excepte it be tow great; but a fine ship it is.
-And seeing our neer freinds ther are so streite lased, we hope to assure
-her without troubling them any further; and if ye ship fale too small, it
-fitteth well yt such as stumble at strawes already, may rest them ther a
-while, least worse blocks come in ye way ere 7. years be ended. If you
-had beaten this bussines so throuly a month agoe, and write to us as now
-you doe, we could thus have done much more conveniently. But it is as it
-is; I hope our freinds they, if they be quitted of ye ship hire, will be
-indusced to venture ye more. All yt I now require is yt salt and netts
-may ther be boughte, and for all ye rest we will here provid it; yet if
-that will not be, let them but stand for it a month or tow, and we will
-take order to pay it all. Let Mr. Reinholds tarie ther, and bring ye
-ship to Southampton. We have hired another pilote here, one Mr. Clarke,
-who went last year to Virginia with a ship of kine.
-
-You shall here distinctly by John Turner, who I thinke shall come hence
-on tewsday night. I had thought to have come with him, to have answered
-to my complaints; but I shal lerne to pass litle for their censurs; and
-if I had more minde to goe & dispute & expostulate with them, then I have
-care of this waightie bussines, I were like them who live by clamours &
-jangling. But neither my mind nor my body is at libertie to doe much,
-for I am fettered with bussines, and had rather study to be quiet, then
-to make answer to their exceptions. If men be set on it, let them beat
-ye eair; I hope such as are my sinceire freinds will not thinke but I can
-give some reason of my actions. But of your mistaking aboute ye mater,
- & other things tending to this bussines, I shall nexte informe you
-more distinctly. Mean space entreate our freinds not to be too bussie in
-answering matters, before they know them. If I doe such things as I
-canot give reasons for, it is like you have sett a foole aboute your
-bussines, and so turne ye reproofe to your selves, & send an other, and
-let me come againe to my Combes. But setting aside my naturall
-infirmities, I refuse not to have my cause judged, both of God, & all
-indifferent men; and when we come togeather I shall give accounte of my
-actions hear. The Lord, who judgeth justly without respect of persons,
-see into ye equitie of my cause, and give us quiet, peacable, and patient
-minds, in all these turmoils, and sanctifie unto us all crosses
-whatsoever. And so I take my leave of you all, in all love & affection.
- I hope we shall gett all hear ready in 14. days.
- Your pore brother,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-[London]
-June 11. 1620 [O.S.].
-
-
-
-
- VI
- A LETTER OF MR. JOHN ROBINSON TO JOHN CARVER,
- JUNE 14. (N.S.), 1620
-
- [Professor Arber ("The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers," p. 317) has
- apparently failed to notice that in the original MS. of Bradford,
- this letter is dated "June 14, 1620, N. Stile," which would make it
- June 4., O.S., while Arber dates it "14/24 June," which is
- manifestly incorrect. A typographical error in Arber (p. 317)
- directs the letter to "Leyden" instead of to London. ]
-
-
- June 14. 1620. N. Stile.
-
-My dear freind & brother, whom with yours I alwaise remember in my best
-affection, and whose wellfare I shall never cease to comend to God by my
-best & most earnest praires. You doe throwly understand by our generall
-letters ye estate of things hear, which indeed is very pitifull;
-espetialy by wante of shiping, and not seeing means lickly, much less
-certaine, of having it provided; though withall ther be great want of
-money & means to doe needfull things. Mr. [Edward] Pickering, you know
-before this, will not defray a peny hear; though Robert Cushman presumed
-of I know not how many 100li. from him, & I know not whom. Yet it seems
-strange yt we should be put to him to receive both his & his partners
-[William Greene's] adventer, and yet Mr. Weston write unto him, yt in
-regard of it, he hath drawne upon him a 100li. more. But they is in this
-some misterie, as indeed it seems ther is in ye whole course. Besids,
-wheras diverse are to pay in some parts of their moneys yet behinde, they
-refuse to doe it, till they see shiping provided, or a course taken for
-it. Neither doe I thinke is ther a man hear would pay anything, if he
-had againe his money in his purse. You know right well we depended on
-Mr. Weston alone, and upon such means as he would procure for this
-commone bussines; and when we had in hand an other course with ye
-Dutchmen, broke it of at his motion, and upon ye conditions by him
-shortly after propounded. He did this in his love I know, but things
-appeare not answerable from him hitherto. That he should have first have
-put in his moneys, is thought by many to have been but fitt, but yt I can
-well excuse, he being a marchante and haveing use of it to his benefite;
-whereas others, if it had been in their hands, would have consumed it.
-But yt he should not but have had either shipping ready before this time,
-or at least certaine means, and course, and ye same knowne to us for it,
-or have taken other order otherwise, cannot in my conscience be excused.
-I have heard yt wen he hath been moved in the bussines, he hath put it of
-from him selfe, and referred it to ye others; and would come to Georg
-Morton [in London] & enquire news of him aboute things, as if he had
-scarce been some accessarie unto it. Wlether he hath failed of some helps
-from others which he expected, and so be not well able to goe through
-with things, or whether he hath feared least you should be ready too
-soone & so encrease ye charge of shiping above yt is meete, or whether he
-hath thought by withhoulding to put us upon straits, thinking yt therby
-Mr. Brewer and Mr. Pickering would be drawne by importunitie to doe more,
-or what other misterie is in it, we know not; but sure we are yt things
-are not answerable to such an occasion. Mr. Weston maks himselfe mery
-with our endeavors aboute buying a ship, [the SPEEDWELL], but we have
-done nothing in this but with good reason, as I am perswaded, nor yet
-that I know in any thing els, save in those tow: ye one, that we imployed
-Robart Cushman, who is known (though a good man & of spetiall abilities
-in his kind, yet) most unfitt to deale for other by reason of his
-singularitie, and too great indifferancie for any conditions, and for (to
-speak truly) that we have had nothing from him but termes & presumptions.
-The other, yt we have so much relyed, by implicite faith as it were, upon
-generalities, without seeing ye perticuler course & means for so waghtie
-an affaire set down unto us. For shiping, Mr. Weston, it should seeme,
-is set upon hireing, which yet I wish he may presently effecte; but I see
-litle hope of help from hence if so it be. Of Mr. [Thomas] Brewer, you
-know what to expecte. I doe not thinke Mr. Pickering will ingage,
-excepte in ye course of buying [ships?] in former letters specified.
-Aboute ye conditions, you have our reason for our judgments of what is
-agreed. And let this spetially be borne in minde, yt the greatest pane
-of ye Collonie is like to be imployed constantly, not upon dressing they
-perticuler land & building houses, but upon fishing, trading, &c. So as
-ye land & house will be but a trifell for advantage to ye adventurers,
-and yet the devission of it a great discouragmente to ye planters, who
-would with singuler care make it comfortable with borowed houres from
-their sleep. The same consideration of comone imploymente constantly by
-the most is a good reason not to have ye 2, daies in a week denyed ye few
-planters for private use, which yet is subordinate to comone good.
-Consider also how much unfite that you & your liks must serve a new
-prentishipe of 7. years, and not a daies freedome from taske. Send me
-word what persons are to goe, who of usefull faculties, & how many, &
-perticulerly of every thing. I know you wante not a minde. I am sorie
-you have not been at London all this while, but ye provissions could not
-want you. Time will suffer me to write no more; fare, you & yours well
-allways in ye Lord, in whom I rest.
- Yours to use,
- JOHN' ROBINSON.
-
-
-
-
- VII
- THE LETTER OF THE PLANTERS TO THE
- MERCHANT ADVENTURERS (FROM SOUTHAMPTON)
-
- Aug. 3. Ano. 1620.
-
-Beloved freinds, sory we are that ther should be occasion of writing at
-all unto you, partly because we ever expected to see ye most of you hear,
-but espetially because ther should any difference at all be conceived
-betweene us. But seing it faleth out that we cannot conferr togeather,
-we thinke it meete (though brefly) to show you ye just cause & reason of
-our differing from those articles last made by Robert Cushman, without
-our comission or knowledg.
-
-And though he might propound good ends to himselfe, yet it no way
-justifies his doing it. Our maine diference is in ye 5.& 9. article,
-concerning ye deviding or holding of house and lands; the injoying
-whereof some of your selves well know, was one spetiall motive, amongst
-many other, to provoke us to goe. This was thought so reasonable, yt
-when ye greatest of you in adventure (whom we have much cause to
-respecte), when he propounded conditions to us freely of his owne
-accorde, he set this downe for one; a coppy wherof we have sent unto you,
-with some additions then added by us; which being liked on both sids, and
-a day set for ye paimente of moneys, those in Holland paid in theirs.
-After yt, Robert Cushman, Mr. [John] Pierce, & Mr. [Christopher] Martine,
-brought them into a better forme, & write them in a booke now extante;
-and upon Robarts [Cushmans] shewing them and delivering Mr. [William]
-Mullins a coppy thereof under his hand (which we have), he payed in his
-money. And we of Holland had never seen other before our coming to
-Hamton, but only as one got for him selfe a private coppy of them; upon
-sight wherof we manyfested uter dislike, but had put of our estats & were
-ready to come, and therfore was too late to rejecte ye vioage. Judge
-therefore we beseech you indifferently of things, and if a faulte have
-bene comited, lay it where it is, & not upon us, who have more cause to
-stand for ye one, then you have for ye other. We never gave Robart
-Cushman comission to make any one article for us, but only sent him to
-receive moneys upon articles before agreed on, and to further ye
-provissions till John Carver came, and to assiste him in it. Yet since
-you conceive your selves wronged as well as we, we thought meete to add a
-branch to ye end of our 9. article, as will allmost heale that wound of
-it selfe, which you conceive to be in it. But that it may appeare to all
-men yt we are not lovers of our selves only, but desire also ye good &
-inriching of our freinds who have adventured your moneys with our
-persons, we have added our last article to ye rest, promising you againe
-by leters in ye behalfe of the whole company, that if large profits
-should not arise within ye 7. years, yt we will continue togeather longer
-with you, if ye Lord give a blessing.--[Bradford adds in a note, "It is
-well for them yt this was not accepted."]--This we hope is sufficente to
-satisfie any in this case, espetialy freinds, since we are asured yt if
-the whole charge was devided into 4. parts, 3. of them will not stand
-upon it, nether doe regarde it, &c. We are in shuch a streate at
-presente, as we are forced to sell away 60li. worth of our provissions to
-cleare ye Haven [Southampton] & withall put our selves upon great
-extremities, scarce haveing any butter, no oyle, not a sole to mend a
-shoe, nor every man a sword to his side, wanting many muskets, much
-armoure, etc. And yet we are willing to expose our selves to shuch
-eminente dangers as are like to insue, & trust to ye good providence of
-God, rather then his name & truth should be evill spoken of for us. Thus
-saluting all of you in love, and beseeching ye Lord to give a blesing to
-our endeavore, and keepe all our harts in ye bonds of peace & love, we
-take leave & rest,
- Yours, &c
-
-Aug. 3. 1620.
-
- ["It was subscribed with many names of ye cheefest of ye company."
- --Bradford, "Historie," Mass. ed. p. 77.]
-
-
-
-
- VIII
- THE LETTER OF ROBERT CUSHMAN (FROM SOUTHAMPTON)
- TO EDWARD SOUTHWORTH
-
-To his loving friend Ed[ward] S[outhworth] at Henige House, in ye Duks
-Place [London], these, &c.
-
- Dartmouth [Thursday] Aug. 17, [Anno 1620.]
-
-Loving friend, my most kind remembrance to you & your wife, with loving
-E. M. &c. whom in this world I never looke to see againe. For besids ye
-eminente dangers of this viage, which are no less then deadly, an
-infirmitie of body Hath seased me, which will not in all licelyhoode
-leave me till death. What to call it I know not, but it it is a bundle
-of lead, as it were, crushing my harte more & more these 14. days, as
-that allthough I doe ye acctions of a liveing man, yet I am but as dead;
-but ye will of God be done. Our pinass [the SPEEDWELL] will not cease
-leaking, els I thinke we had been halfe way at Virginia, our viage hither
-hath been as full of crosses, as our, selves have been of crokednes. We
-put in hear to trime her, & I thinke, as others also, if we had stayed at
-sea but 3. or 4. howers more, shee would have sunke right downe. And
-though she was twice trimed at Hamton, yet now shee is open and lekie as
-a seine; and ther was a borde, a man might have puld of with his fingers,
-2 foote longe, wher ye water came in as at a mole hole. We lay at Hamton
-7. days, in fair weather, waiting for her, and now we lye hear waiting
-for her in as faire a wind as can blowe, and so have done these 4. days,
-and are like to lye 4. more, and by yt time ye wind will happily turne as
-it did at Hamton. Our victualls will be halfe eaten up, I thinke, before
-we goe from the coaste of England, and if our viage last longe, we shall
-not have a months victialls when we come in ye countrie. Near 700li.
-hath bene bestowed at Hamton upon what I know not. Mr. Martin saith he
-neither can nor will give any accounte of it, and if he be called upon
-for accounts he crieth out of unthankfulness for his paines & care, that
-we are susspitious of him, and flings away, and will end nothing. Also
-he so insulteh over our poore people with shuch scorne and contempte, as
-if they were not good enough to wipe his shoes. It would break your hart
-to see his dealing, and ye mourning of our people. They complaine to me,
-& alass! I can doe nothing for them; if I speake to him, he flies in my
-face, as mutinous, and saith no complaints shall be heard or received but
-by him selfe, and saith they are forwarde, & waspish, discontented
-people, & I doe ill to hear them. Ther are others yt would lose all they
-have put in, or make satisfaction for what they have had, that they might
-departe; but he will not hear them, nor suffer them to goe ashore, least
-they should rune away. The sailors also are so offended at his ignorante
-bouldnes, in medling & controuling in things he knows not what belongs
-too, as yt some threaten to misscheefe him, others say they will leave ye
-shipe & goe their way. But at ye best this cometh of it, yt he maks him
-selfe a scorne & laughing stock unto them. As for Mr. Weston, excepte
-grace doe greatly swaye with him, he will hate us ten times more then
-ever he loved us, for not confirming ye conditions. But now, since some
-pinches have taken them, they begine to reveile ye trueth, and say Mr.
-Robinson was in ye falte who charged them never to consente to those
-conditions, nor chuse me into office, but indeede apointed them to chose
-them they did chose. But he and they will rue too late, they may now
-see, & all be ashamed when it is too late, that they were so ignorante,
-yea, & so inordinate in their courses. I am sure as they were resolved
-not to seale those conditions, I was not so resolute at Hamton to have
-left ye whole bussines, excepte they would seale them, and better ye
-vioage to have bene broken of then, then to have brought such miserie to
-our selves, dishonour to God, & detrimente to our loving freinds, as now
-it is like to doe. 4. or 5. of ye cheefe of them which came from Leyden,
-came resolved never to goe on those conditions. And Mr. Martine, he said
-he never received no money on those conditions, he was not beholden to ye
-marchants, for a pine [pennie], they were bloudsuckers, & I know not
-what. Simple man, he indeed never made any conditions wth the marchants,
-nor ever spake with them.
-
-But did all that money flie to Hamton, or was it his owne? Who will goe
-lay out money so rashly & lavishly as he did, and never know how he comes
-by it, or on what conditions? I tould him of ye alteration longe
-agoe, & he was contente; but now he dominires, & said I had betrayed them
-into ye hands of slaves; he is not beholden to them, he can set out 2
-ships him selfe to a viage. When, good man? He hath but 50li. in, & if
-he should give up his accounts he would not have a penie left him,
---["This was found true afterwards.] W[illiam] B"[radford]]--as I
-am persuaded, &c. Freind, if ever we make a plantation, God works a
-mirakle; especially considering how scante we shall be of victualls, and
-most of all ununited amongst our selves, & devoyd of good tutors and
-regimente. Violence will break all. Wher is ye meek & humble spirite of
-Moyses? & of Nehemiah who reedified ye wals of Jerusalem, and ye state of
-Israell? Is not ye sound of Rehoboams braggs daly hear amongst us? Have
-not ye philosophers and all wise men observed yt, even in setled comone
-welths, violente governours bring either them selves, or people, or
-boath, to ruine; how much more in ye raising of comone wealths, when ye
-mortar is yet scarce tempered yt should bind ye wales [walls]. If I
-should write to you of all things which promiscuously forerune our ruine,
-I should over charge my weake head and greeve your tender hart; only
-this, I pray you prepare for evill tidings of us every day. But pray for
-us instantly, it may be ye Lord will be yet entreated one way or other to
-make for us. I see not in reason how we shall escape even ye gasping of
-hunger starved persons; but God can doe much, & his will be done. It is
-better for me to dye, then now for me to bear it, which I doe daly, &
-expect it howerly; haveing received ye sentance of death, both within me
-& with out me. Poore William Ring & my selfe doe strive who shall be
-meate first for ye fishes; but we looke for a glorious resurrection,
-knowing Christ Jesus after ye flesh no more, but looking unto ye joye yt
-is before us, we will endure all these things and accounte them light in
-comparison of ye joye we hope for. Remember me in all love to our
-freinds as if I named them, whose praiers I desire earnestly, & wish
-againe to see, but not till I can with more comforte looke them in ye
-face. The Lord give us that true comforte which none can take from us.
-I had a desire to make a breefe relation of our estate to some freind.
-I doubte not but your wisdome will teach you seasonably to utter things
-as here after you shall be called to it. That which I have writen is
-treue, & many things more which I have for borne. I write it as upon my
-life, and last confession in England. What is of use to be spoken of
-presently, you may speake of it, and what is fitt to conceile, conceall.
-Pass by my weake maner, for my head is weake, and my body feeble, ye Lord
-make me strong in him, and keepe both you & yours.
- Your loving freind,
- ROBART CUSHMAN.
-
-Dartmouth, Aug. 17, 1620.
-
-
-
-
- IX
- THE MAY-FLOWER COMPACT
-
-In ye name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall
-subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord, King James, by ye grace of God, of
-Great Britaine, Franc, & Ireland king, defender of ye faith, &c., haveing
-under taken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye Christian
-faith, and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first
-colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly
-& mutualy in ye presence of God, and one of another, covenant & combine
-our selves together into a civill body politick, for our better ordering
-& preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid: and by vertue hearof
-to enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equall lawes, ordinances,
-actes, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought
-most meete & convenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie, unto which we
-promise all due submission and obedience. In witnes wherof we have here
-under subscribed our names at Cape-Codd ye 11. of November, in ye year of
-ye raigne of our soveraigne lord, King James, of England, France, &
-Ireland ye eighteenth, and of Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano. Dom. 1620
-
-
-
-
- X
- A COPY OF THE NUNCUPATIVE WILL OF MASTER WILLIAM MULLENS
-
- [Undoubtedly taken by Governor Carver on board the MAY-FLOWER.]
-
- [Although the dictation must, apparently, have been taken on the day
- of Master Mullens's death, February 21/March 3, 1620, Governor
- Carver evidently did not write out his notes, and have them
- witnessed, till April 2, 1621, some weeks later.]
-
- "April, 1621.
-
-In the name of God, Amen: I comfit my Soule to God that gave it and my
-bodie to the earth from whence it came. Alsoe I give my goodes as
-followeth: That fforty poundes wch is in the hand of good-man Woodes I
-give my wife tenn poundes, my sonne Joseph tenn poundes, my daughter
-Priscilla tenn poundes, and my eldest sonne tenn poundes. Alsoe I give to
-my eldest sonne all my debtes, bonds, bills (onelye yt forty poundes
-excepted in the handes of goodman Wood) given as aforesaid wth all the
-stock in his owne handes. To my eldest daughter I give ten shillinges to
-be paied out of my sonnes stock Furthermore that goodes I have in
-Virginia as followeth To my wife Alice halfe my goodes. 2. to Joseph and
-Priscilla the other halfe equallie to be devided betweene them. Alsoe I
-have xxi dozen of shoes, and thirteene paire of bootes wch I give into
-the Companies handes for forty poundes at seaven years end if they like
-them at that rate. If it be thought to deare as my Overseers shall
-thinck good. And if they like them at that rate at the devident I shall
-have nyne shares whereof I give as followeth twoe to my wife, twoe to my
-sonne William, twoe to my sonne Joseph, towe to my daughter Priscilla,
-and one to the Companie. Allsoe if my sonne William will come to
-Virginia I give him my share of land furdermore I give to my two
-Overseers Mr. John Carver and Mr. Williamson, twentye shillinges apeece
-to see this my will performed desiringe them that he would have an eye
-over my wife and children to be as fathers and freindes to them, Allsoe
-to have a speciall eye to my man Robert wch hathe not so approved
-himselfe as I would he should have done.
-
-This is a Coppye of Mr. Mullens his Will of all particulars he hathe
-given. In witnes whereof I have sette my hande John Carver, Giles Heale,
-Christopher Joanes."
-
-
-
-
- XI
- THE LETTER OF "ONE OF THE CHIEFE OF YE COMPANIE"
- [THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS]
- DATED AT LONDON, APRIL 9, 1623
-
-Loving friend, when I write my last leter, I hope to have received one
-from you well-nigh by this time. But when I write in Des: I little
-thought to have seen Mr. John Pierce till he had brought some good
-tidings from you. But it pleased God, he brought us ye wofull tidings of
-his returne when he was half-way over, by extraime tempest, werin ye
-goodnes & mercie of God appeared in sparing their lives, being 109.
-souls. The loss is so great to Mr. Pierce &c., and ye companie put upon
-so great charge, as veryly, &c. Now with great trouble & loss, we have
-got Mr. John Pierce to assigne over ye grand patente to ye companie,
-which he had taken in his owne name, and made quite voyd our former
-grante. I am sorie to writ how many hear thinke yt the hand of God was
-justly against him, both ye first and 2. time of his returne; in regard
-he, whom you and we so confidently trusted, but only to use his name for
-ye company, should aspire to be lord over us all, and so make you & us
-tenants at his will and pleasure, our assurance or patente being quite
-voyd & disanuled by his means. I desire to judg charitably of him. But
-his unwillingness to part with his royall lordship, and ye high rate he
-set it at, which was 500li. which cost him but 50li., maks many speake
-and judg hardly of him. The company are out for goods in his ship, with
-charge aboute ye passengers, 640li., &c.
-
-We have agreed with 2 merchants for a ship of 140 tunes, caled ye Anne,
-which is to be ready ye last of this month, to bring 60 passengers &
-60 tune of goods, &c--[Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 167.]
-
-
-
-ADDENDA
-
-Governor Winslow, in his "Hypocrisie Unmasked" (pp. 89,90), indicates
-that the representatives of the Leyden congregation (Cushman and Carver)
-sought the First (or London) Virginia Company as early as 1613. It is
-beyond doubt that preliminary steps toward securing the favor, both of
-the King and others, were taken as early as 1617, and that the Wincob
-Patent was granted in their interest, June 9/19, 1619. But the Leyden
-people were but little advanced by the issue of this Patent. They became
-discouraged, and began early in 1620 (perhaps earlier) negotiations with
-the Dutch, which were in progress when, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando
-Gorges, Thomas Weston undertook (February 2/12, April 1/11, 1620) to
-secure the Leyden party, avowedly for the London Virginia Company, but
-really for its rival, the Second Virginia Company, soon to be merged in
-the "Council of Affairs for New England." It was then, and under these
-influences, that the Leyden leaders "broke off," as Bradford puts it,
-their negotiations with the Dutch authorities, who, however, apparently
-about the same time, determined to reject their propositions. While the
-renewal of the Leyden leaders' negotiations, through Weston, were, "on
-their face" (and so far as the Pilgrims were concerned), with the First
-Virginia Company, with whom, through Sir Edwin Sandys and other friends,
-their original efforts were made, they were, as stated, subverted by
-Gorges's plans and Weston's cooperation, in the interest of the Second
-Virginia Company. The Merchant Adventurers were represented, in the
-direct negotiations for the Patent only, by John Pierce, who, at that
-time, was apparently dealing honestly, and was not, so far as appears,
-in Gorges's confidence, though later he proved a traitor and a consummate
-rascal, albeit he always acted, apparently, alone. The so-called "Pierce
-Patent" (which displaced the Wincob) was rendered worthless by the
-landing of the Pilgrims north of 41 deg. north latitude. The third
-Patent (Pierce's second) was from the Council for New England to Pierce,
-for the colonists, but was exchanged by him for a "deed-pole" to himself,
-though at last surrendered to the colony under stress.
-
-
-
-
-ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
-
-All business without any agreement in writing
-Anxiety to get English clothes upon their red brethren
-As 1620 did not begin until March 25
-Borowed houres from their sleep
-Crime--for such it was, in inception, nature, and results
-Forks there were none
-Genius,--proverbially indifferent to detail
-Lanterns--only "serving to make darkness visible"
-Malevolence rarely exercised except toward those one has wronged
-Meat was held by the napkin while being cut with the knife
-Not to be too bussie in answering matters, before they know them
-Old Style and the New Style dates
-Personal inference rather than a verity
-Redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde
-Sorie I am to hear it, yet contente to beare it
-The old adage, "second thief best owner"
-Theft of the MAY-FLOWER colony
-Thinke ye best of all, and bear with patience what is wanting
-Transplantation to the "northern parts of Virginia"
-Welcome lies acquired a hold on the public mind
-
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg's The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete, by Azel Ames
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAYFLOWER AND LOG ***
-
-***** This file should be named 4107.txt or 4107.zip *****
-This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
- https://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/0/4107/
-
-Produced by David Widger
-
-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
-will be renamed.
-
-Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
-one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
-(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
-permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
-set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
-copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
-protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
-Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
-charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
-do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
-rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
-such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
-research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
-practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
-subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
-redistribution.
-
-
-
-*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
-
-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
-https://gutenberg.org/license).
-
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic works
-
-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
-all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
-If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
-terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
-entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
-
-1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
-and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
-or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
-collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
-individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
-located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
-copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
-works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
-are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
-Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
-freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
-this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
-the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
-keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
-Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
-
-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
-a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
-the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
-before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
-creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
-Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
-the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
-States.
-
-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
-access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
-whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
-phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
-Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
-copied or distributed:
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
-from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
-posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
-and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
-or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
-with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
-work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
-through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
-Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
-1.E.9.
-
-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
-terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
-to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
-permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
-
-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
-
-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm License.
-
-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
-word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
-distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
-"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
-posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
-you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
-copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
-request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
-form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
-License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
-that
-
-- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
- the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
- you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
- owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
- has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
- Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
- must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
- prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
- returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
- sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
- address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
- the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
-
-- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
- you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
- does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
- License. You must require such a user to return or
- destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
- and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
- Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
- money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
- electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
- of receipt of the work.
-
-- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
- distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
-
-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
-electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
-forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
-both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
-Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
-Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
-
-1.F.
-
-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
-public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
-collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
-"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
-corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
-property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
-computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
-your equipment.
-
-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
-of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
-your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
-the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
-refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
-providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
-receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
-is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
-opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
-WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
-WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
-If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
-law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
-interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
-the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
-provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
-
-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
-with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
-promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
-harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
-that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
-or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
-work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
-Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
-
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
-including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
-because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
-people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
-To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
-and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
-Foundation
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
-https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
-permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
-
-The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
-Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
-throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
-809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
-business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact
-information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
-page at https://pglaf.org
-
-For additional contact information:
- Dr. Gregory B. Newby
- Chief Executive and Director
- gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
-spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
-freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
-status with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
-SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
-particular state visit https://pglaf.org
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
-donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
-
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
-works.
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
-concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
-with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
-Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
-
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
-unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
-keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
-
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
-
- https://www.gutenberg.org
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107.zip b/old/old-2025-02-20/4107.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index 679d482..0000000
--- a/old/old-2025-02-20/4107.zip
+++ /dev/null
Binary files differ