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If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Beginnings of America, 1607-1763 - Voices from America’s Past - -Author: Richard Brandon Morris - James Woodress - -Release Date: November 10, 2021 [eBook #66701] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICA, -1607-1763 *** - - - - - VOICES FROM AMERICA’S PAST - - - - - THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICA - 1607-1763 - - - Edited by - Richard B. Morris - Gouverneur Morris Professor of History - Columbia University - New York, New York - - James Woodress - Chairman, Department of English - San Fernando Valley State College - Northridge, California - - - WEBSTER PUBLISHING COMPANY - ST. LOUIS ATLANTA DALLAS PASADENA - - VOICES FROM AMERICA’S PAST - _The Beginnings of America 1607-1763_ - _The Times That Tried Men’s Souls 1770-1783_ - _The Age of Washington 1783-1801_ - _The Jeffersonians 1801-1829_ - _Jacksonian Democracy 1829-1848_ - _The Westward Movement 1832-1889_ - _A House Divided: The Civil War 1850-1865_ - (_Other titles in preparation_) - - Copyright ©, 1961, by Webster Publishing Company - Printed in the United States of America - All rights reserved - - - - - TABLE OF CONTENTS - - -Preface v - I Settlements North and South - -The Founding of Jamestown 1 - William Simmonds Describes the Settlers’ Problems 2 - John Smith’s Adventures 4 - -The Founding of Plymouth 9 - William Bradford’s History Of _Plymouth Plantation_ 9 - John Winthrop, Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony 17 - Cotton Mather Describes John Winthrop 18 - John Winthrop’s Letters to His Wife 19 - II Religious Life in America - -New England 22 - Edward Taylor’s Poems 23 - The Salem Witch Trials 25 - Samuel Sewall’s Confession of Error 30 - The Great Awakening: Jonathan Edwards 30 - -Other Colonies 33 - John Woolman’s Journal 33 - III Colonial Problems - -Indian Troubles 37 - Mrs. Rowlandson’s Captivity 38 - -Conflict with France 42 - George Washington’s Letter on Braddock’s Defeat 42 - Benjamin Franklin’s Comments on Braddock 44 - IV Colonial Life - -Transportation 46 - Sarah Kemble Knight Journeys to Connecticut 46 - -Life in the South 49 - William Byrd, a Virginia Gentleman 49 - William Byrd Sees North Carolina 50 - William Byrd Visits Colonel Spotswood 52 - -Life in a City 52 - From Benjamin Franklin’s _Autobiography_ 53 - - - - -The excerpt from _Of Plymouth Plantation_, by William Bradford, edited -by Samuel Eliot Morison, which begins on page 11, was reprinted by -permission of Alfred Knopf, Inc., 1952. - -The poems by Edward Taylor, “Housewifery” and “The Joy of Church -Fellowship Rightly Attended,” which begin on page 23, were reprinted by -permission of the _New England Quarterly_, December, 1937. - -The picture on page 1, of Pocahontas saving the life of Captain John -Smith, and the picture on page 22, “The Witch,” were reprinted through -the courtesy of the Library of Congress. The picture on the cover and -the picture on page 37, of a colonial woman captured by Indians, were -reprinted through the courtesy of the National Life Insurance Company of -Montpelier, Vermont. The picture of Benjamin Franklin shown on page 46 -was reprinted through the courtesy of the John Hancock Mutual Life -Insurance Company of Boston, Massachusetts. - - - - - Preface - - -The seventeenth century in America was the seedtime of colonization. For -115 years after Columbus discovered America, explorers sailed the -western waters, and the nations of Europe staked out vast empires. -England launched several successful attempts to plant colonies in what -is now the United States. In the years following the landing at -Jamestown in 1607, England laid the foundation for her extensive -colonial system in North America. From these scattered colonies a nation -grew, but a long time passed before the colonies became states and the -states became a nation. - -The English colonization of North America did not suffer for want of -reporters to describe it. The people who took part in the enterprise -wrote a great deal about their experiences. Governor Bradford of -Plymouth wrote a history to preserve a record of the colony’s early -days. Captain John Smith of Virginia wrote pamphlets to satisfy the -curiosity of folks back home who might want to come to the New World. -Many of these works were printed immediately; others remained in -manuscript until our day. - -Not only the leaders of the colonies wrote of their deeds. Ordinary -people also sent letters home to England and kept diaries for their -personal satisfaction. All in all, the United States had her beginnings -amid ample publicity. We are grateful to these people for preserving -records of the early days, for through their efforts we can get a -first-hand idea of colonial times. We don’t have to guess about the -events that took place in America three hundred years ago. Of course, we -don’t have nearly as many documents as we could wish for, but we do have -plenty of records to draw upon. - -This is the first of a series of booklets containing the story of -America, as told by those who were there, the eyewitnesses and -participants. The selections which make up this booklet are a few of the -records that historians use in writing their books. These diaries, -letters, biographies, and narratives are the raw material of history. -These accounts bring us face to face with the Indians of Virginia in -1607, make us feel something of the sufferings of the Pilgrims in -Massachusetts during their “starving time,” tell us about the deep -religious beliefs of the colonists, and the superstitions, like -witchcraft, which were hard to root out. We see life through the eyes of -a prosperous planter in Virginia and a struggling printer’s apprentice -in Philadelphia. History books can provide over-all pictures of a -country’s development, but these eyewitness accounts and first-hand -reports put flesh on the bare bones of history. - -In editing this booklet, we have let the authors tell their own story in -their own words, but we have sometimes modernized the spelling and -punctuation and—when it seemed absolutely necessary—words and sentence -structure. Our aim has been to turn the language of these old documents -into English modern enough that what the writers have to say is not -obscured by the way they said it. Occasionally we have made cuts within -selections to save space, but, for the most part, the material used is -complete. - - Richard B. Morris - James Woodress - - - - - Settlements North and South - - - [Illustration: Pocahontas saving the life of Captain John Smith] - - - - - The Founding of Jamestown - - -The first permanent English settlement in America was founded at -Jamestown, Virginia, in May, 1607. The colonists who went ashore that -spring morning more than three and one-half centuries ago discovered no -cultivated countryside. Instead of the trim, green farms one sees along -the James River today, they found a howling wilderness full of hostile -Indians and wild beasts. Neither the colonists nor their -merchant-sponsors in England were prepared for the troubles that -Jamestown faced. The settlers died of disease, starvation, and Indian -attacks, and they quarreled endlessly among themselves. The stockholders -in the Virginia Company never made any money on their investment in the -colony. - -The Jamestown settlers sailed from England in three ships on December -19, 1606. Captain Christopher Newport was in charge of getting the -colonists to Virginia. The ships stopped in the Canary Islands and the -West Indies before reaching their destination. It was a long, exhausting -voyage. Several weeks after landing at Jamestown, Captain Newport -returned to England. The settlers then were on their own. - - - William Simmonds Describes the Settlers’ Problems - -The following account of the early days at Jamestown was compiled in -London by William Simmonds. It is based on the writings, freely adapted, -of several of the colonists who were his friends. As you can see, -Simmonds’ friends had no use for Edward Wingfield, the first president -of the colony. They were supporters of Captain John Smith, whose own -writings begin after this narrative. - - Being thus left to our fortunes, within ten days, scarce ten amongst - us could either go or well stand, such extreme weakness and sickness - oppressed us. And thereat none need marvel, if they consider the cause - and reason, which was this: whilst the ships stayed, our allowance of - food was somewhat bettered by a daily portion of biscuit which the - sailors would pilfer [_steal_] to sell, give, or exchange with us, for - money, sassafras, [_or_] furs.... But when they departed, there - remained neither tavern, beer house, nor place of relief but the - common kettle. - - Had we been as free from all sins as we were free from gluttony and - drunkenness, we might have been canonized for saints. But our - president would never have been admitted, for he kept for his private - use oatmeal, sack [_wine_], oil, aqua vitae [_brandy_], beef, eggs, or - what not. [_President Wingfield hotly denied this charge_.] The - [_contents of the common_] kettle indeed he allowed equally to be - distributed, and that was half a pint of wheat and as much barley - boiled with water for a man a day. This [_grain_] having fried some 26 - weeks in the ship’s hold contained as many worms as grains, so that we - might truly call it rather so much bran than corn. - - Our drink was water, our lodging, castles in the air. With this - lodging and diet our extreme toil in bearing and planting palisades - strained and bruised us. Our continual labor in the extremity of the - heat had so weakened us as were cause sufficient to have made us - miserable in our native country, or any other place in the world. From - May to September those that escaped dying lived upon sturgeon and sea - crabs. Fifty in this time we buried. [_The original colony numbered - 104._] - - Then seeing the President’s projects (who all this time had neither - felt want nor sickness) to escape these miseries by flight in our - pinnace [_small sailing boat_] so moved our dead spirits that we - deposed [_removed_] him and established [_John_] Ratcliffe in his - place.... But now was all our provision spent, the sturgeon gone, all - helps abandoned, each hour expecting the fury of the savages, when - God, the patron of all good endeavors, in that desperate extremity, so - changed the hearts of the savages that they brought such plenty of - their fruits and provision that no man wanted. - - And now where some affirmed it was ill done of the Council to send - forth men so badly provided, this incontradictable reason will show - them plainly they are too ill-advised to nourish such ideas. First, - the fault of our going was our own. What could be thought fitting or - necessary we had; but what we should find, what we should want, where - we should be, we were all ignorant. And supposing to make our passage - in two months with victual [_food_] to live and the advantage of - spring to work, we were at sea five months where we spent both our - victual and lost the opportunity of the time and season to plant. - - Such actions have ever since the world’s beginning been subject to - such accidents. Everything of worth is found full of difficulties, but - nothing [_is_] so difficult as to establish a commonwealth so far - remote from men and means and where men’s minds are so untoward - [_unlucky_] as neither [_to_] do well themselves nor to suffer others - [_to do well_]. But to proceed. - - The new president, being little beloved, of weak judgment in dangers - and less industry in peace, committed the managing of all things - abroad to Captain Smith, who, by his own example, good words, and fair - promises set some to mow, others to bind thatch, some to build houses, - others to thatch them, himself always bearing the greatest task for - his own share. In short time he provided most of them lodgings, - neglecting any for himself. - - This done, seeing the savages’ superfluity [_large numbers_] begin to - decrease, [_he_] with some of his workmen shipped himself in the - shallop [_small boat_] to search the country for trade.... He went - down the river to Kecoughtan [_an Indian village_] where at first they - scorned him as a starved man, yet he so dealt with them that the next - day they loaded his boat with corn. And in his return he discovered - and kindly traded with the Warascoyks.... - - And now the winter approaching, the rivers became so covered with - swans, geese, ducks, and cranes that we daily feasted with good bread, - Virginia peas, pumpkins, and persimmons, fish, fowl, and diverse sorts - of wild beasts, ... so that none of our Tuftaffaty [_silk-dressed_] - humorists desired to go for England. - - - John Smith 1580-1631 - -Captain John Smith already had lived an exciting life by the time he -joined the Virginia-bound colonists at the age of 26. He had left -England at 16 to become a soldier of fortune on the continent of Europe. -He fought with the Austrians against the Turks, and once in single -combat he cut off the heads of three Turkish champions. A Transylvanian -prince rewarded him with a coat of arms for his deeds. Later he was -captured and given as a present to the wife of a Turkish pasha, but he -escaped and made his way back to England. - -Smith’s adventures are so fantastic that many historians have called him -a liar and refused to believe him. Yet recent historical research shows -that Smith’s stories are reasonably accurate. He may have exaggerated -his adventures to make a good story a little better, but it is probably -true that Smith saved the Jamestown colony by his resourceful foraging -among the Indians and by his bold leadership. Certainly he was an -energetic and able man. For a fascinating account of Smith’s career, as -verified by an expert in Hungarian history, see Marshall Fishwick, “Was -John Smith a Liar?” _American Heritage_, IX, 29-33, 110 (October, 1958). - -Smith returned to England in 1609 and never again saw Virginia, but he -wrote much about the colony. One of his most interesting works is a -pamphlet called _A Map of Virginia_. In it he put together a vivid -eyewitness account of the animals, the plants, and the Indians. Smith’s -booklet was designed to satisfy the great curiosity in England about the -New World and to urge new settlers to go there. He does not mention the -hardships. - - - THE INDIANS - - The people differ very much in stature, ... some being very great, ... - others very little, ... but generally tall and straight, of a comely - [_pretty_] proportion and of a color brown, when they are of any age, - but they are borne white. Their hair is generally black, but few have - any beards. The men wear half their heads shaven, the other half long. - For barbers they use their women, who with two shells will grate the - hair, of any fashion they please.... - - They are very strong, of an able body and full of agility, able to - endure, to lie in the woods under a tree by the fire in the worst of - winter or in the weeds and grass in ambush in the summer. They are - inconstant [_changeable_] in everything but what fear constrains them - to keep.... Some are of disposition fearful, some bold, most - cautelous [_deceitful_], all savage. Generally [_they are_] covetous - of copper, beads, and such like trash. They are soon moved to anger - and so malicious that they seldom forget an injury.... - - For their apparel they are sometimes covered with skins of wild - beasts, which in winter are dressed with the hair but in summer - without. The better sort use large mantles of deerskin, ... some - embroidered with white beads, some with copper, others painted after - their manner. But the common sort have scarce to cover their nakedness - but with grass, the leaves of trees, or such like. We have seen some - use mantles made of turkey feathers so prettily wrought and woven with - threads that nothing could be discerned [_seen_] but the feathers, - that was exceedingly warm and very handsome. But the women are always - covered about their middles with a skin and very shamefast to be seen - bare.... - - Their women some have their legs, hands, breasts, and face cunningly - embroidered with diverse works, as beasts, serpents, artificially - wrought into their flesh with black spots. In each ear commonly they - have three great holes, whereat they hang chains, bracelets, or - copper. Some of their men wear in those holes a small green and yellow - colored snake, near half a yard in length, which crawling and lapping - herself about his neck often times familiarly would kiss his lips. - Others wear a dead rat tied by the tail. Some on their heads wear the - wing of a bird or some large feather with a rattle.... Their heads - and shoulders are painted red with the root _pocone_ powdered and - mixed with oil; this they hold in summer to preserve them from the - heat and in winter from the cold. Many other forms of paintings they - use, but he is the most gallant that is the most monstrous to - behold.... - - Men, women, and children have their several names according to the - several humors of their parents. Their women (they say) are easily - delivered of child, yet do they love children very dearly. To make - them hardy, in the coldest mornings they wash them in the rivers and - by painting and ointments so tan their skins that after a year or two - no weather will hurt them. - - The men bestow their time in fishing, hunting, wars, and such man-like - exercises, ... which is the cause that the women be very painful - [_busy_] and the men often idle. The women and children do the rest of - the work. They make mats, baskets, pots, pound their corn, make their - bread, prepare their victuals, plant their corn, gather their corn, - bear all kinds of burdens, and such like. - - Their fire they kindle presently by chafing a dry pointed stick in a - hole of a little square piece of wood, that firing itself will so fire - moss, leaves, or any such like dry thing that will quickly burn. - - - THEIR RELIGION - - There is yet in Virginia no place discovered to be so savage in which - the savages have not a religion, deer, and bow and arrows. All things - that were able to do them hurt beyond their prevention they adore with - their kind of divine worship, as the fire, water, lightning, thunder, - our ordnance [_guns_], horses, etc. But their chief god they worship - is the devil. Him they call _Oke_ and serve him more of fear than - love. They say they have conference with him and fashion themselves as - near to his shape as they can imagine. In their temples, they have his - image evil favoredly carved and then painted and adorned with chains, - copper, and beads, and covered with a skin.... - - By him is commonly the sepulchre [_tomb_] of their kings. Their bodies - are first bowelled [_that is, disembowelled or the internal organs - removed_], then dried upon hurdles [_racks_] till they be very dry, - and so about the most of their joints and neck they hang bracelets or - chains of copper, pearl, and such like, as they used to wear. Their - inwards they stuff with copper beads and cover with a skin, hatchets, - and such trash. Then they lappe [_wrap_] them very carefully in white - skins and so roll them in mats for their winding sheets. And in the - tomb, which is an arch made of mats, they lay them orderly. What - remaineth of this kind of wealth their kings have, they set at their - feet in baskets. These temples and bodies are kept by their priests. - - For their ordinary burials they dig a deep hole in the earth with - sharp stakes, and the corpses being lapped in skins and mats with - their jewels, they lay them upon sticks in the ground and so cover - them with earth. The burial ended, the women being painted all their - faces with black coal and oil do sit 24 hours in the houses mourning - and lamenting by turns with such yelling and howling as may express - their great passions. - -John Smith’s most famous story is the account of his rescue by -Pocahontas, but many historians have doubted the tale. Smith is the only -person who says it happened. The facts are these: During the first hard -winter, 1607-1608, when Smith was scouting for provisions, he was -captured by the Indians and taken to the chief, Powhatan, father of -Pocahontas. After three weeks the chief sent him back to Jamestown. When -Smith first wrote about his experiences a few months later, he never -mentioned Pocahontas. - -Years later, in England, Smith wrote a history of Virginia and, for the -first time, told the story of Pocahontas. Between the time Smith was -captured and the time he wrote his history, Pocahontas had married an -Englishman. Her husband had brought her to England, where she had been a -sensation. One cannot help feeling that Smith “remembered” more than -actually happened in order to exploit public interest in the Indian -princess. His account, however, is a good story, even if it happened -only in his mind. Pocahontas was a real person who visited Jamestown -often and brought food to the starving settlers during their worst -times. Many Americans like to think the episode is true, and the tale -has become part of our folklore, like the legendary deeds of Davy -Crockett. Here is Smith’s story: - - At last they brought him [_note that here Smith writes of himself in - the third person_] to Meronocomoco where was Powhatan, their emperor. - Here more than two hundred of those grim courtiers stood wondering at - him, as he had been a monster.... Before a fire upon a seat like a - bedstead he sat covered with a great robe made of raccoon skins and - all the tails hanging by. On either hand did sit a young wench of 16 - or 18 years, and along on each side [_of_] the house two rows of men, - and behind them as many women, with all their heads and shoulders - painted red. Many of their heads [_were_] bedecked with the white down - of birds; but everyone with something, and a great chain of white - beads about their necks. - - At his entrance before the king, all the people gave a great shout. - The Queen of Appamatuck was appointed to bring him water to wash his - hands, and another brought him a bunch of feathers instead of a towel - to dry them. Having feasted him after their best barbarous manner they - could, a long consultation was held, but the conclusion was [_that_] - two great stones were brought before Powhatan. Then as many as could, - laid hands on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and - being ready with their clubs to beat out his brains, Pocahontas, the - king’s dearest daughter, when no entreaty could prevail, got his head - in her arms and laid her own upon his to save him from death; whereat - the emperor was contented he should live to make him hatchets, and her - bells, beads, and copper; for they thought him as well [_capable_] of - all occupations as themselves. For the king himself will make his own - robes, shoes, bows, arrows, pots; plant, hunt, or do anything so well - as the rest.... - - Two days after, Powhatan having disguised himself in the most - fearfullest manner he could, caused Captain Smith to be brought forth - to a great house in the woods, and there upon a mat by the fire to be - left alone. Not long after from behind a mat that divided the house - was made the most dolefullest noise he ever heard. Then Powhatan, more - like a devil than a man, with some two hundred more as black as - himself, came unto him and told him now they were friends and - presently he should go to Jamestown.... So to Jamestown with 12 guides - Powhatan sent him. - -In another place in the history, Smith prints a letter he wrote to the -Queen of England at the time Pocahontas visited London. In this letter -he tells more about the Indian girl and describes her as a sort of -guardian angel for the colony: - - [_Pocahontas_] so prevailed with her father that I was safely - conducted to Jamestown, where I found about eight and thirty miserable - poor and sick creatures to keep possession of all those large - territories of Virginia; such was the weakness of this poor - commonwealth. Had the savages not fed us, we directly had starved. And - this relief, most gracious Queen, was commonly brought us by this Lady - Pocahontas. - - Notwithstanding all these passages, when inconstant fortune turned our - peace to war, this tender virgin would still not spare to dare to - visit us, and by her our jars [_distresses_] have been oft appeased - and our wants still supplied. Were it the policy of her father thus to - employ her or the ordinance of God thus to make her His instrument, or - her extraordinary affection to our nation, I know not, but of this I - am sure; when her father with the utmost of his policy and power - sought to surprise me, having but 18 with me, the dark night could not - affright her from coming through the irksome woods; and with watered - eyes [_she_] gave me intelligence with her best advice to escape his - fury, which had he known he had surely slain her. - - Jamestown with her wild train she as freely frequented as her father’s - habitation, and during the time of two or three years she next under - God was still the instrument to preserve this colony from death, - famine, and utter confusion. - - - - - The Founding of Plymouth - - - William Bradford - -William Bradford (1590-1657) was the wise and able governor of the -Plymouth colony for thirty years. During this time he wrote the best -account we have of our colonial beginnings. His narrative, Of Plymouth -Plantation, as he called his work, is a great adventure story. The -account of the little band of Pilgrims who came to Massachusetts in 1620 -is filled with hardships, suffering, courage, and faith. The Pilgrims -faced problems hard to solve, for they landed on the bleak coast of New -England at the beginning of the winter. They were three thousand miles -from home, friends, and civilization, but they worked, prayed, and -survived. The leadership of William Bradford is one of the reasons that -the Plymouth settlers were able to survive on the rocky shores of -Massachusetts. - -Governor Bradford began his history of the colony soon after the landing -and worked on it, from time to time, for many years. The precious -manuscript was not published, but was kept in the family. Early -historians used it, and at the time of the Revolution it was kept in the -library of the Old South Church in Boston. During the war the manuscript -was stolen, probably by a British soldier, and was lost for years. In -the middle of the nineteenth century, however, it was found in the -library of the Bishop of London. Various Americans tried to persuade the -British to return the historic document to America. Finally the American -ambassador succeeded in bringing the manuscript home in 1897, and it now -is the property of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. - -If the manuscript were printed just as it was written, it would look -very strange. Bradford did not prepare it for publication, and thus used -many abbreviations and strange contractions. Also, the English language -has changed since the history was written. The following selections have -been pruned somewhat and words have been spelled out, but the governor’s -old-fashioned language is still not easy to read. Be patient and you -will understand it. It is a story of simple faith and courage. - -The first part of the history describes the experiences of the Pilgrims -before they came to America. Because they disapproved of the Church of -England, they separated themselves from it. Hence the Pilgrims also are -known as Separatists. They first went to Holland, where they were able -to worship as they pleased. But that country was small and -overpopulated. They found it difficult to make a living there. Also, -they feared their children would grow up more Dutch than English. -Therefore they decided, after much discussion, to leave Europe for -America. It was a hard decision, and some of the Pilgrims were terrified -at the prospect. - -Some were afraid of the long sea voyage; others were afraid they would -starve to death. They worried about the change of air, diet, and -drinking water. They were fearful of the Indians and intimidated by the -stories they had heard. The Indians were said to be cruel, barbarous, -treacherous—even cannibal. But men like Bradford argued that “all great -and honorable actions were accompanied with great difficulties.” It was -granted that the difficulties were great and the dangers numerous. But -with the aid of God and courage and patience they would overcome the -obstacles. The brave ones persuaded most of the rest to go. - -Thus they hired the Mayflower, a ship only ninety feet long, and left -Europe on September 6, 1620. For more than nine weeks they sailed -westward. At first they had fair winds, but then the autumn storms -caught them and the ship began to leak. Many of the crew wanted to turn -back, but emergency repairs were made, and Governor Bradford says: “They -committed themselves to the will of God and resolved to proceed.” Then -he continues: - - After long beating at sea they fell with that land which is called - Cape Cod; the which being made and certainly known to be it, they were - not a little joyful. After some deliberation had amongst themselves - and with the master of the ship, they tacked about and resolved to - stand for the southward (the wind and weather being fair) to find some - place about Hudson’s River for their habitation. But after they had - sailed that course about half the day, they fell amongst dangerous - shoals and roaring breakers, and they were so far entangled therewith - as they conceived themselves in great danger; and the wind shrinking - upon them withal, they resolved to bear up again for the Cape, and - thought themselves happy to get out of those dangers before night - overtook them, as by God’s good providence they did. - - Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they - fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven, who had brought - them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the - perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and - stable earth.... - - But here I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amazed at - this poor people’s present condition; and so I think will the reader, - too, when he well considers the same. Being thus passed the vast - ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation, they had now - no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their - weatherbeaten bodies; no houses or much less towns to repair to, to - seek for succour [_help_]. It is recorded in Scripture as a mercy to - the Apostle and his shipwrecked company that the barbarians showed - them no small kindness in refreshing them, but these savage - barbarians, when they met with them were readier to fill their sides - full of arrows than otherwise. And for the season it was winter, and - they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and - violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel - to known places, much more to search an unknown coast. - - Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, - full of wild beasts and wild men—and what multitudes there might be of - them they knew not. Neither could they, as it were, go up to the top - of Pisgah [_the mountain that Moses climbed to see the Promised Land_] - to view from this wilderness a more goodly country to feed their - hopes; for which way soever they turned their eyes (save upward to the - heavens) they could have little solace or content in respect of any - outward objects. For summer being done, all things stand upon them - with a weather-beaten face, and the whole country, full of woods and - thickets, represented a wild and savage hue. If they looked behind - them, there was the mighty ocean which they had passed and was now as - a main bar and gulf to separate them from all the civil parts of the - world.... - - What could now sustain them but the Spirit of God and His grace? May - not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: “Our - fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were - ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and - He heard their voice and looked on their adversity,” etc. “Let them - therefore praise the Lord, because He is good; and His mercies endure - forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, show how - He hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they - wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to - dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. - Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness and His wonderful - works before the sons of men.” - -For the next three weeks the Pilgrims explored Cape Cod, looking for a -suitable place to land and build their homes. They found Plymouth Bay -and sailed the Mayflower into it on December 16. On Christmas Day, 1620, -they began to erect the first house. But during their explorations they -were attacked by the Indians. This was on December 6: - - So they [_the exploring party_] ranged up and down all that day, but - found no people, nor any place they liked. When the sun grew low, they - hasted out of the woods to meet with their shallop [_small boat_], to - whom they made signs to come to them into a creek hard by, which they - did at high water; of which they were very glad, for they had not seen - each other all that day since the morning. So they made them a - barricade as usually they did every night, with logs, stakes and thick - pine boughs, the height of a man, leaving it open to leeward, partly - to shelter them from the cold and wind (making their fire in the - middle and lying round about it) and partly to defend them from any - sudden assaults of the savages, if they should surround them; so being - very weary, they betook them to rest. But about midnight they heard a - hideous and great cry, and their sentinel called, “Arm! arm!” So they - bestirred them and stood to their arms and shot off a couple of - muskets, and then the noise ceased.... - - So they rested till about five of the clock in the morning; for the - tide, and their purpose to go from thence, made them be stirring - betimes [_early_]. So after prayer they prepared for breakfast, and it - being day dawning, it was thought best to be carrying things down to - the boat. But some said it was not best to carry the arms down; others - said they would be the readier, for they had lapped [_wrapped_] them - up in their coats [_as protection_] from the dew; but some three or - four would not carry theirs till they went themselves. Yet as it fell - out, the water being not high enough, they laid them down on the bank - side and came up to breakfast. - - But presently, all on the sudden, they heard a great and strange cry, - which they knew to be the same voices they heard in the night, though - they varied their notes; and one of their company being abroad came - running in and cried, “Men, Indians! Indians!” And withal, their - arrows came flying amongst them. Their men ran with all speed to - recover their arms, as by the good providence of God they did. In the - meantime, of those that were there ready, two muskets were discharged - at them, and two more stood ready in the entrance of their rendezvous - but were commanded not to shoot till they could take full aim at them. - And the other two charged again with all speed, for there were only - four [_who_] had arms there, and defended the barricade, which was - first assaulted. - - The cry of the Indians was dreadful, especially when they saw there - men run out of the rendezvous toward the shallop to recover their - arms, the Indians wheeling about upon them. But some running out with - coats of mail on, and cutlasses in their hands, they soon got their - arms and let fly amongst them and quickly stopped their violence. Yet - there was a lusty man, and no less valiant, [_who_] stood behind a - tree within half a musket shot, and let his arrows fly at them; he was - seen [_to_] shoot three arrows, which were all avoided. He stood three - shots of a musket, till one taking full aim at him made the bark or - splinters of the tree fly about his ears, after which he gave an - extraordinary shriek and away they went, all of them.... - - Thus it pleased God to vanquish their enemies and give them - deliverance; and by His special providence so to dispose that not any - one of them were either hurt or hit, though their arrows came close by - them and on every side [_of_] them; and sundry [_several_] of their - coats, which hung up in the barricade, were shot through and through. - Afterwards they gave God solemn thanks and praise for their - deliverance, and gathered up a bundle of their arrows and sent them - into England afterward by the master of the ship, and called that - place the First Encounter. - - - THE STARVING TIME - - But that which was most sad and lamentable was, that in two or three - months’ time half of their company died, especially in January and - February, being the depth of winter, and wanting houses and other - comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases which this - long voyage and their inaccommodate [_unfit_] condition had brought - upon them. So as there died sometimes two or three of a day in the - foresaid time, that of 100 and odd persons, scarce fifty remained. And - of these, in the time of most distress, there was but six or seven - sound persons who to their great commendations, be it spoken, spared - no pains night nor day, but with abundance of toil and hazard of their - own health fetched them wood, made them fires, dressed them meat, made - their beds, washed their loathsome clothes, clothed and unclothed - them; in a word, did all the homely and necessary offices for them - which dainty and queasy stomachs cannot endure to hear named; and all - this willingly and cheerfully, without any grudging in the least, - showing herein their true love unto their friends and brethren; a rare - example and worthy to be remembered. - - Two of these seven were Mr. William Brewster, their reverend Elder - [_Brewster conducted religious services during the early days of the - Plymouth colony, though he was not an ordained minister_], and Myles - Standish, their Captain and military commander, unto whom myself and - many others were much beholden [_indebted_] in our low and sick - condition. And yet the Lord so upheld these persons as in this general - calamity they were not at all infected either with sickness or - lameness. And what I have said of these I may say of many others who - died in this general visitation, and others yet living, that whilst - they had health, yea, or any strength continuing, they were not - wanting to any that had need of them. And I doubt not but their - recompense is with the Lord. - - - SQUANTO - - All this while the Indians came skulking about them, and would - sometimes show themselves aloof off, but when any approached near - them, they would run away; and once they stole away their tools where - they had been at work and were gone to dinner. But about the 16th of - March, a certain Indian came boldly amongst them and spoke to them in - broken English, which they could well understand but marveled at it. - At length they understood by discourse with him that he was not of - these parts, but belonged to the eastern parts where some English - ships came to fish, with whom he was acquainted and could name sundry - of them by their names, amongst whom he had got his language. He - became profitable to them in acquainting them with many things - concerning the state of the country in the east parts where he - lived.... His name was Samaset. He told them also of another Indian - whose name was Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in - England and could speak better English than himself. - - Being, after some time of entertainment and gifts dismissed, a while - after he came again, and five more with him, and they brought again - all the tools that were stolen away before, and made way for the - coming of their great Sachem [_chief_], called Massasoit, who, about - four or five days after, came with the chief [_part_] of his friends - and other attendance, with the aforesaid Squanto.... - - Squanto continued with them and was their interpreter and was a - special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their - expectation. He directed them how to set [_plant_] their corn, where - to take fish, and to procure other commodities, and was also their - pilot to bring them to unknown places for their profit, and never left - them till he died. - - - THE FIRST THANKSGIVING - - They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up - their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in - health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some - were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in - fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good - store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there - was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter - approached, of which this place did abound when they came first.... - And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which - they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck of - meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that - proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their - plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned - [_pretended_] but true reports. - -Governor Bradford’s history does not describe the first Thanksgiving -dinner, but we have a letter written by Edward Winslow to a friend in -England, in which Winslow gives details of the feast that followed the -harvest. Governor Bradford sent out four hunters who returned with -enough wild fowl to last the colony a week. The Pilgrims then held a -celebration which was attended by Massasoit and ninety of his braves. -The Indians contributed five deer for the feast, which lasted three -days. - -Soon afterwards, however, another shipload of settlers arrived on the -Fortune. The new colonists come without equipment and provisions. In -order to feed the newcomers the Plymouth colony had to go on half -rations for the following winter. Next, the colony had more Indian -trouble, not with Massasoit’s friendly tribe, but with the Narragansett -Indians. In the following selection from Bradford’s history the Governor -summarizes the end of 1621, the first full year of the colony: - - Soon after this ship’s [_the Fortune’s_] departure, the great people - of the Narragansetts, in a braving manner, sent a messenger unto them - with a bundle of arrows tied about with a great snake-skin, which - their interpreters told them was a threatening and a challenge. Upon - which the Governor, with the advice of others, sent them a round - answer that if they had rather have war than peace, they might begin - when they would; they had done them no wrong, neither did they fear - them or should they find them unprovided [_unprepared_]. And by - another messenger [_he_] sent the snake-skin back with bullets in it. - But they would not receive it, but sent it back again.... - - But this made them [_the settlers_] the more carefully to look to - themselves, so as they agreed to enclose their dwellings with a good - strong pale [_fence_], and make flankers [_fortifications_] in - convenient places with gates to shut, which were every night locked, - and a watch kept; and when need required, there was also warding - [_guarding_] in the daytime. And the company was by the Captain’s and - the Governor’s advice divided into four squadrons, and everyone had - their quarter appointed them, unto which they were to repair upon any - sudden alarm. And if there should be any cry of fire, a company were - appointed for a guard, with muskets, whilst others quenched the same, - to prevent Indian treachery. This was accomplished very cheerfully, - and the town impaled round by the beginning of March [_1622_], in - which every family had a pretty garden plot secured. - - - John Winthrop 1588-1649 - -The Puritans who settled Boston in 1630 came to the New World with -plenty of supplies and equipment. There were more than a thousand new -colonists in the Massachusetts Bay settlements by the end of the year. -These people had the strength of numbers and did not suffer the terrible -privations of the Plymouth colony, but they still had to beat back the -wilderness and squeeze a living from the thin soil of New England. - -What William Bradford was to the Plymouth colony, John Winthrop was to -Massachusetts Bay. Both colonies were fortunate in having good, -resourceful governors. John Winthrop was re-elected governor many times -between the time his flagship, the _Arbella_, dropped anchor in Boston -harbor and his death in 1649. - - - Cotton Mather Describes John Winthrop - -The two selections which follow pertain to Governor Winthrop. The first -is part of Cotton Mather’s biographical sketch of the governor. It comes -from Mather’s _Magnalia Christi Americana_ (1702), which means the -“American Annals of Christ.” Cotton Mather himself was a famous Puritan -minister, the grandson of one of the early settlers and a historian of -the colony. The other selection consists of two of John Winthrop’s -letters to his wife, who remained in England until after the colony was -established. These are touching letters that show the wise governor as a -loving husband and a devout Christian. - - - MATHER’S SKETCH OF WINTHROP - - Accordingly when the noble design of carrying a colony of chosen - people into an American wilderness was by some eminent persons - undertaken, this eminent person was, by the consent of all, chosen for - the Moses who must be the leader of so great an undertaking. And - indeed nothing but a Mosaic spirit could have carried him through the - temptations to which either his farewell to his own land or his travel - in a strange land must needs expose a gentleman of his education. - Wherefore having sold a fair estate of six or seven hundred [_pounds_] - a year, he transported himself with the effects of it into New England - in the year 1630, where he spent it upon the service of a famous - plantation founded and formed for the seat of the most reformed - Christianity.... - - But at the same time his liberality unto the needy was even beyond - measure generous.... ’Twas his custom also to send some of his family - upon errands unto the houses of the poor about their meal time on - purpose to spy whether they wanted; and if it were found that they - wanted, he would make that the opportunity of sending supplies unto - them. And there was one passage of his charity that was perhaps a - little unusual. In an hard and long winter, when wood was very scarce - at Boston, a man gave him a private information that a needy person in - the neighborhood stole wood sometimes from his pile; whereupon the - Governor in a seeming anger did reply, “Does he so? I’ll take a course - with him; go, call that man to me; I’ll warrant you I’ll cure him of - stealing!” - - When the man came, the Governor, considering that if he had stolen, it - was more out of necessity than disposition, said unto him: “Friend, it - is a severe winter, and I doubt you are but meanly provided for wood; - wherefore I would have you supply yourself at my woodpile till this - cold season be over.” And he then merrily asked his friends whether he - had not effectually cured this man of stealing his wood?... - - There was a time when he received a very sharp letter from a gentleman - who was a member of the court, but he delivered back the letter unto - the messengers that brought it with such a Christian speech as this: - “I am not willing to keep such a matter of provocation by me!” - Afterwards the same gentleman was compelled by the scarcity of - provisions to send unto him that he would sell him some of his cattle; - whereupon the Governor prayed him to accept what he had sent for as a - token of his good will; but the gentleman returned him this answer: - “Sir, your overcoming of yourself hath overcome me.” - - - THE FIRST LETTER: BEFORE LEAVING ENGLAND - - My Faithful and Dear Wife,—It pleaseth God, that thou shouldst once - again hear from me before our departure, and I hope this shall come - safe to thy hands. I know it will be a great refreshing to thee. And - blessed be His mercy, that I can write thee so good news, that we are - all in very good health, and, having tried our ship’s entertainment - now more than a week, we find it agrees very well with us. Our boys - are well and cheerful, and have no mind of home. They lie both with - me, and sleep as soundly in a rug (for we use no sheets here) as ever - they did at Groton; and so I do myself (I praise God). - - The wind hath been against us this week and more; but this day it is - come fair to the north, so as we are preparing (by God’s assistance) - to set sail in the morning. We have only four ships ready, and some - two or three Hollanders go along with us. The rest of our fleet (being - seven ships) will not be ready this sennight [_for a week_]. We have - spent now two Sabbaths on shipboard very comfortably (God be praised) - and are daily more and more encouraged to look for the Lord’s presence - to go along with us.... - - We are, in all our eleven ships, about seven hundred persons, - passengers, and two hundred and forty cows, and about sixty horses. - The ship, which went from Plymouth, carried about one hundred and - forty persons, and the ship, which goes from Bristol, carrieth about - eighty persons. And now (my sweet soul) I must once again take my last - farewell of thee in Old England. It goeth very near my heart to leave - thee; but I know to Whom I have committed thee, even to Him Who loves - thee much better than any husband can, Who hath taken account of the - hairs of thy head, and puts all thy tears in His bottle, Who can, and - (if it be for His glory) will bring us together again with peace and - comfort. Oh, how it refresheth my heart, to think, that I shall yet - again see thy sweet face in the land of the living!—that lovely - countenance that I have so much delighted in and beheld with so great - content! - - I have hitherto been so taken up with business, as I could seldom look - back to my former happiness, but now when I shall be at some leisure, - I shall not avoid the remembrance of thee, nor the grief for thy - absence. Thou hast thy share with me, but I hope the course we have - agreed upon will be some ease to us both. Mondays and Fridays, at five - of the clock at night, we shall meet in spirit till we meet in person. - Yet if all these hopes should fail, blessed be our God, that we are - assured we shall meet one day, if not as husband and wife, yet in a - better condition. Let that stay and comfort thy heart. Neither can the - sea drown thy husband, nor enemies destroy, nor any adversity deprive - thee of thy husband or children. - - Therefore I will only take thee now and my sweet children in mine - arms, and kiss and embrace you all, and so leave you with my God. - Farewell, farewell. I bless you all in the name of the Lord Jesus. I - salute my daughter Winth., Matt., Nan., and the rest, and all my good - neighbors and friends. Pray all for us. Farewell. Commend my blessing - to my son John. I cannot now write to him, but tell him I have - committed thee and thine to him. Labor to draw him yet nearer to God, - and he will be the surer staff of comfort to thee. I cannot name the - rest of my good friends, but thou canst supply it. I wrote a week - since to thee and Mr. Leigh and divers others. - Thine wheresoever, - Jo. Winthrop - - From aboard the ARBELLA, riding at the COWES. - March 28, 1630 - - - THE SECOND LETTER: FROM MASSACHUSETTS BAY - - Charlestown in New England - July 16, 1630 - - My Dear Wife,—Blessed be the Lord, our good God and merciful Father, - that yet hath preserved me in life and health to salute thee, and to - comfort thy long longing heart with the joyful news of my welfare, and - the welfare of thy beloved children. - - We had a long and troublesome passage, but the Lord made it safe and - easy to us; and though we have met with many and great troubles (as - this bearer can certify thee) yet He hath pleased to uphold us, and - give us hope of a happy issue. - - I am so overpressed with business, as I have no time for these or - other mine own private occasions. I only write now that thou mayest - know that yet I live and am mindful of thee in all my affairs. The - larger discourse of all things thou shalt receive from my brother - Downing, which I must send by some of the last ships. We have met with - many sad and discomfortable things, as thou shalt hear after, and the - Lord’s hand hath been heavy upon myself in some very near to me. My - son Henry! my son Henry! ah, poor child! [_His son Henry was drowned - on the day the ship landed._] Yet it grieves me much more for my dear - daughter. The Lord strengthen and comfort her heart, to bear this - cross patiently. I know thou wilt not be wanting to her in this - distress. Yet for all these things (I praise my God) I am not - discouraged; nor do I see cause to repent or despair of those good - days here, which will make amends for all. - - I shall expect thee next summer (if the Lord please) and by that time - I hope to be provided for thy comfortable entertainment. My most sweet - wife, be not disheartened; trust in the Lord, and thou shalt see His - faithfulness. - - Commend me heartily to all our kind friends ... and all the rest of my - neighbors and their wives, both rich and poor.... - - The good Lord be with thee and bless thee and all our children and - servants. - - Commend my love to them all; I kiss and embrace thee, my dear wife, - and all my children, and leave thee in His arms, Who is able to - preserve you all, and to fulfill our joy in our happy meeting in His - good time. Amen. - - Thy faithful husband, - Jo. Winthrop. - - - - - Religious Life in America - - - [Illustration: “The Witch”] - - - - - New England - - -Religion played a vital role in the lives of our colonial ancestors. -Massachusetts and Virginia began during an age when men were fighting -religious wars in Europe. The Puritans came to America so that they -could worship God in their own manner. Even the Virginians, who came for -more worldly reasons, took their religion very seriously. Almost nowhere -in the world in those days did people believe that religion was a -private matter between man and God. The Puritans were extremely -intolerant of other religions and persecuted Quakers, Catholics, and -Jews alike. They even persecuted each other. Roger Williams, who founded -Rhode Island, was banished from Massachusetts for his opinions, and -innocent women were hanged in Salem because they were thought to be -witches. The intolerance and persecution of the seventeenth century are -well known, but one should not overlook the admirable piety and intense -love of God that these people also had. - - - Edward Taylor 1645-1729 - -The following selections were written by Edward Taylor, the most -important American poet of the Puritan period. He preached in a frontier -town of western Massachusetts and wrote poetry privately to express his -great love for God. Because his poems were so personal, he did not want -them published, and they remained in manuscript for more than 200 years. -Finally they were found in a dusty corner of the Yale University -Library. - -In the following poem, Taylor imagines himself in heaven looking down on -his fellow New England Puritans, who are on their way to heaven in a -horse-drawn coach—Christ’s coach—which, of course, means figuratively -that they are going to heaven through believing in Christ. These New -England saints are singing at the top of their lungs, happy that they -are in Christ’s coach, but you will note that the harmony is not -perfect. Man is a sinful creature and sometimes, says Taylor, the -singers get out of tune. Also, he notes, there isn’t room in the coach -for everyone, and some have to walk. - - The Joy of Church Fellowship Rightly Attended - - In heaven soaring up, I dropt an ear - On earth, and oh! sweet melody! - And listening, found it was the saints who were - Encoached for heaven that sang for joy. - For in Christ’s coach they sweetly sing, - As they to glory ride therein. - - Oh! joyous hearts! Enfired with holy flame! - Is speech thus tasseled with praise? - Will not your inward fire of joy contain - That it in open flames doth blaze? - For in Christ’s coach saints sweetly sing, - As they to glory ride therein. - - And if a string do slip, by chance, they soon - Do screw it up again: whereby - They set it in a more melodious tune - And a diviner harmony. - For in Christ’s coach they sweetly sing, - As they to glory ride therein. - - In all their acts, public and private, nay, - And secret too, they praise impart. - But in their acts divine and worship, they - With hymns do offer up their heart. - Thus in Christ’s coach they sweetly sing, - As they to glory ride therein. - - Some few not in, and some whose time and place - Block up this coach’s way, do go - As travelers afoot: and so do trace - The road that gives them right thereto; - While in this coach these sweetly sing, - As they to glory ride therein. - -Next, Taylor’s great love of God is expressed in a beautiful figure of -speech in which the poet wants God to use him as a housewife uses wool -to make yarn and yarn to make cloth. In the first stanza, he asks God to -make him into a spinning wheel, of which the flyers, distaff, spool, and -reel all are parts. In the second stanza, Taylor wants to be a loom on -which God can weave holy robes. A fulling mill is a place where cloth is -dyed. Finally, the poet wants God to clothe him in the holy robes made -on this imaginary loom. This poem is a highly original way to ask God to -give one faith, love, and understanding. You should consider it a -prayer. - - Housewifery - - Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning-wheel complete; - Thy holy Word my distaff make for me; - Make mine affections Thy swift flyers neat; - And make my soul Thy holy spool to be; - My conversation make to be Thy reel, - And reel the yarn thereon, spun of Thy wheel. - - Make me Thy loom then; knit therein this twine; - And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills; - Then weave the web Thyself. The yarn is fine. - Thine ordinances make my fulling mills. - Then dye the same in heavenly colors choice, - All pinked with varnished flowers of paradise. - - Then clothe therewith mine understanding, will, - Affections, judgment, conscience, memory, - My words and actions, that their shine may fill - My ways with glory and Thee glorify. - Then mine apparel shall display before Ye - That I am clothed in holy robes for glory. - - - The Salem Witch Trials - -During the seventeenth century, the superstitions of the Middle Ages had -not yet relaxed their hold on men’s minds. People still believed in -witches, even such a prominent clergyman as Cotton Mather. Hence, the -events of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, are understandable, though they -are nonetheless tragic. Early that year Betty Parris and Abigail -Williams, who were nine and eleven years old, began having strange fits. -Soon the mysterious disease spread to other girls in the village. When -the local doctor, with his primitive knowledge of medicine, could not -diagnose the trouble, he concluded that the devil must have bewitched -the girls. - -This diagnosis did not surprise anyone. The New England Puritans -believed that the devil was always at work trying to tempt them from the -path of righteousness. The parents of the children set about to discover -the identity of the devil’s agent who was tormenting their girls. They -questioned the children at length until the children really began to -believe they were bewitched. Betty and Abigail then accused three women -in the community of practicing witchcraft: Tituba, an illiterate slave -from Barbados; Sarah Good, a sharp-tongued woman whom many in the -village thought a nuisance; and Sarah Osburne, a backslider who did not -go to church. No one was surprised when these women were named as -witches. The town proceeded to examine the three on charges of -practicing witchcraft. John Hathorne, ancestor of the novelist Nathaniel -Hawthorne, conducted the hearing in the village church. - -The first of the accused to be questioned was Sarah Good, who denied the -charges with vigor. Then came Sarah Osburne, who was dragged out of a -sickbed to testify. She, too, denied the charges. But, every time these -women denied the charges the children became hysterical and went into -their fits. Finally, the old slave Tituba was questioned. She apparently -decided that she should tell her accusers what they wanted to hear, and -she concocted a wild tale of witchcraft out of her rich imagination. The -selections that follow are actual transcripts of the testimony taken -down that infamous day, March 1, 1692, in Salem by the village clerk. -The proceedings have been edited just enough to make them readable. - - HATHORNE: Sarah Good, what evil spirit have you familiarity with? - - GOOD: None. - - H: Have you made no contract with the devil? - - G: No. - - H: Why do you hurt these children? - - G: I do not hurt them. I scorn it. - - H: Who do you employ then to do it? - - G: I employ nobody. - - H: What creature do you employ then? - - G: No creature; I am falsely accused. - - H: Why did you go away muttering from Mr. Parris’ house? - - G: I did not mutter, but I thanked him for what he gave my child. - - H: Have you made no contract with the devil? - - G: No. - - Judge Hathorne desired the children, all of them, to look upon her and - see if this were the person that had hurt them, and so they all did - look upon her and said this was one of the persons that did torment - them. Presently they were all tormented. - - H: Sarah Good, do you not see now what you have done? Why do you not - tell us the truth? Why do you thus torment these poor children? - - G: I do not torment them. - - H: Who do you employ then? - - G: I employ nobody. I scorn it. - - H: How came they thus tormented? - - G: What do I know? You bring others here, and now you charge me with - it. - - H: Why who was it? - - G: I do not know, but it was someone you brought into the meeting - house with you. - - H: We brought you into the meeting house. - - G: But you brought in two more. - - H: Who was it then that tormented the children? - - G: It was Osburne. - - H: What is it you say when you go muttering away from persons’ houses? - - G: If I must tell, I will tell. - - H: Do tell us then. - - G: It is the commandments. I may say my commandments, I hope. - -The testimony went on for a while longer. Sarah Good continued to be a -very uncooperative witness, but finally Judge Hathorne finished with her -and called Sarah Osburne to the stand. - - HATHORNE: What evil spirit have you familiarity with? - - OSBURNE: None. - - H: Have you made no contract with the devil? - - O: No, I never saw the devil in my life. - - H: Why do you hurt these children? - - O: I do not hurt them. - - H: Who do you employ then to hurt them? - - O: I employ nobody. - - H: What familiarity have you with Sarah Good? - - O: None. I have not seen her these two years. - - H: Where did you see her then? - - O: One day a-going to town. - - H: What communications had you with her? - - O: I had none, only, how do you do or so. I did not know her name. - - H: What did you call her then? - - [_At this point Sarah Osburne had to admit that she had called her - Sarah._] - - H: Sarah Good saith that it was you that hurt the children. - - O: I do not know if the devil goes about in my likeness to do any - hurt. - - Mr. Hathorne desired all the children to stand up and look upon her - and see if they did know her, which they all did, and every one of - them said that this was one of the women that did afflict them and - that they had constantly seen her in the very habit that she was now - in. - -The evidence continued. In a feeble effort to gain sympathy, she said -that she “was more like to be bewitched than that she was a witch.” Mr. -Hathorne asked her what made her say this. She answered that she was -frightened one time in her sleep and either saw or dreamed that she saw -a thing “like an Indian all black which did prick her in the neck and -pulled her by the back part of her head to the door of the house.” Mr. -Hathorne asked her if she had seen anything else. She replied that she -had not. At this point, however, some of the spectators said that Sarah -Osburne also had heard the voice of a lying spirit. - - H: Hath the devil ever deceived you and been false to you? - - O: I do not know the devil. I never did see him. - - H: What lying spirit was it then? - - O: It was a voice that I thought I heard. - - H: What did it propound to you? - - O: That I should go no more to meeting, but I said I would and did go - the next Sabbath day. - - H: Were you never tempted further? - - O: No. - - H: Why did you yield thus far to the devil as never to go to meeting - since? - - O: Alas! I have been sick and not able to go. - - Sarah Osburne was then dismissed from the stand, and Mr. Hathorne - began to question Tituba, the slave, who told her questioners just - what they wanted to hear. - - HATHORNE: Did you never see the devil? - - TITUBA: The devil came to me and bid me serve him.... - - H: What service? - - T: Hurt the children, and last night there was an appearance - [_apparition_] that said to kill the children and if I would not go on - hurting the children they would do worse to me. - - H: What is this appearance you see? - - T: Sometimes he is like a hog and sometimes like a great dog. - - H: What did it say to you? - - T: The black dog said, “Serve me,” but I said, “I am afraid.” He said - if I did not he would do worse to me. - - H: What did you say to it? - - T: I will serve you no longer. Then he said he would hurt me, and then - he looked like a man. This man had a yellow bird that he kept with - him, and he told me he had more pretty things that he would give me if - I would serve him.... - - H: Did you not pinch Elizabeth Hubbard this morning? - - T: The man brought her to me and made me pinch her. - - H: Why did you go to Thomas Putnam’s last night and hurt his child? - - T: They pull and haul me and make me go.... - - H: How did you go? - - T: We ride upon sticks and are there presently. - - H: Why did you not tell your master? - - T: I was afraid. They said they would cut off my head if I told.... - - H: Did not you hurt Mr. Corwin’s child? - - T: Goody [_Mrs._] Good and Goody Osburne told me that they did hurt - Mr. Corwin’s child and would have had me hurt him too, but I did - not.... - - H: Do you see who it is that torments these children now? - - T: Yes, it is Goody Good. She hurts them now in her own shape. - -And so the testimony went. Tituba’s story was even more sensational when -she described the “tall man of Boston,” who was supposed to be a wizard -in charge of all the local witches. The court adjourned for the day, -convinced that the devil had chosen Salem as a special point of attack. -Soon, other people in the village began imagining that they, too, were -being pursued by witches. Neighbor began accusing neighbor until the -whole community was swept up by the hysteria. - -Throughout the summer of 1692, Salem was gripped by the witch hunt. -Twenty persons were executed for witchcraft; 55 were frightened or -tortured into confessing their guilt; 150 were jailed; more than 200 -were denounced by former friends and neighbors. For a time it looked as -if Massachusetts had gone mad. But when the denunciations began to -include some of the most prominent members of the community, such as the -acting president of Harvard College, the authorities knew the hysteria -had to stop or it would destroy the colony. In September the trials were -halted and the jails emptied. In succeeding years many people repented -their part in the tragic business, and the state even restored some of -the property confiscated from the so-called witches. - - - Samuel Sewall’s Confession of Error - -Five years after the unhappy episode ended, one of the judges, Samuel -Sewall, courageously made public confession of error. As the minister -read aloud Sewall’s confession of shame, the judge stood in his pew with -head bowed. - - “Samuel Sewall, sensible of the reiterated strokes of God upon himself - and family, and being sensible that as to the guilt contracted upon - the opening of the late commission of Oyer and Terminer at Salem [_the - trials_], to which the order for this Day relates, he is, upon many - accounts, more concerned than any that he knows of, desires to take - the blame and shame of it, asking pardon of men and especially - desiring prayers that God, Who has an unlimited authority, would - pardon that sin and all other his sins, personal and relative: and - according to His infinite benignity and sovereignty not visit the sin - of him or of any other upon himself or any of his, nor upon the land: - but that He would powerfully defend him against all temptations to sin - for the future and vouchsafe him the efficacious saving conduct of His - word and spirit.” - -Thereafter, for the rest of his life, Samuel Sewall observed one day of -prayer and fasting each year as penance for his part in the Salem witch -trials. - - - The Great Awakening - -Within a century after the Puritan migration to New England, life in the -colonies was changing. New England Puritans were becoming Yankee -traders, and the religious fervor that brought Bradford and Winthrop and -their followers to the New World was dying out. At this time there -appeared upon the American scene a great preacher and theologian, -Jonathan Edwards. After entering Yale College at the age of 13, he had -gone on to study theology and then enter the ministry. By 1729 he had -succeeded his grandfather as pastor of the village church in -Northampton, Massachusetts. During his ministry in Northampton, Edwards -led a great revival movement, which has come to be known as the Great -Awakening. It was an effort to rekindle the dying sparks of Puritanism, -and for a time it brought new religious vitality to New England. The -movement also spread to other colonies. - -During the Great Awakening Edwards made many converts. While he was -doing this, he also was concerned with the psychology of religious -enthusiasm. One of his most interesting books is called Narrative of -Surprising Conversions. In it he records some of the more remarkable -effects of the revival movement that he led. The account of -four-year-old Phebe Bartlet’s conversion, which Edwards writes about in -the following selection, is an astonishing story. Phebe certainly was -not a typical child, but the fact that any child could undergo the -religious experience Edwards describes reminds us again that religion -played a central role in the lives of our colonial ancestors. - -She was born in March, in the year 1731. About the latter end of April, -or beginning of May, 1735, she was greatly affected by the talk of her -brother, who had been hopefully converted a little before, at about -eleven years of age, and then seriously talked to her about the great -things of religion. Her parents did not know of it at that time, and -were not wont, in the counsels they gave to their children, particularly -to direct themselves to her, by reason of her being so young, and, as -they supposed, not capable of understanding; but after her brother had -talked to her, they observed her very earnestly to listen to the advice -they gave to the other children, and she was observed very constantly to -retire, several times in a day, as was concluded, for secret prayer, and -grew more and more engaged in religion, and was more frequently in her -closet, till at last she was wont to visit it five or six times in a -day, and was so engaged in it, that nothing would, at any time, divert -her from her stated closet exercises. Her mother often observed and -watched her, when such things occurred, as she thought most likely to -divert her, either by putting it out of her thoughts, or otherwise -engaging her inclinations, but never could observe her to fail. She -mentioned some very remarkable instances. - -She once, of her own accord, spake of her unsuccessfulness, in that she -could not find God, or to that purpose. But on Thursday, the last of -July, about the middle of the day, the child being in the closet, where -it used to retire, its mother heard it speaking aloud, which was -unusual, and never had been observed before; and her voice seemed to be -as of one exceeding importunate and engaged, but her mother could -distinctly hear only these words (spoken in her childish manner, but -seemed to be spoken with extraordinary earnestness, and out of distress -of soul), “Pray BLESSED LORD, give me salvation! I PRAY, BEG, pardon all -my sins!” When the child had done prayer, she came out of the closet, -and came and sat down by her mother, and cried out aloud. Her mother -very earnestly asked her several times, what the matter was, before she -would make any answer, but she continued exceedingly crying, and -wreathing her body to and fro, like one in anguish of spirit. Her mother -then asked her whether she was afraid that God would not give her -salvation. She then answered, “Yes, I am afraid I shall go to hell!” Her -mother then endeavored to quiet her, and told her she would not have her -cry—she must be a good girl, and pray every day, and she hoped God would -give her salvation. But this did not quiet her at all—but she continued -thus earnestly crying and taking on for some time, till at length she -suddenly ceased crying and began to smile, and presently said with a -smiling countenance, “Mother, the kingdom of heaven is come to me!” Her -mother was surprised at the sudden alteration, and at the speech, and -knew not what to make of it, but at first said nothing to her.... - -The same day the elder children, when they came home from school, seemed -much affected with the extraordinary change that seemed to be made in -Phebe; and her sister Abigail standing by, her mother took occasion to -counsel her, now to improve her time, to prepare for another world; on -which Phebe burst out in tears, and cried out, “Poor Nabby!” Her mother -told her she would not have her cry, she hoped that God would give Nabby -salvation; but that did not quiet her, but she continued earnestly -crying for some time; and when she had in a measure ceased, her sister -Eunice being by her, she burst out again, and cried, “Poor Eunice!” and -cried exceedingly; and when she had almost done, she went into another -room, and there looked upon her sister Naomi, and burst out again, -crying, “Poor Amy!” Her mother was greatly affected at such behavior in -the child, and knew not what to say to her. One of the neighbors coming -in a little after, asked her what she had cried for. She seemed, at -first, backward to tell the reason. Her mother told her she might tell -that person, for he had given her an apple; upon which she said she -cried because she was afraid they would go to hell.... - -From this time there has appeared a very remarkable abiding change in -the child: she has been very strict upon the Sabbath, and seems to long -for the Sabbath day before it comes, and will often in the week time be -inquiring how long it is to the Sabbath day, and must have the days -particularly counted over that are between, before she will be -contented. And she seems to love God’s house—is very eager to go -thither. Her mother once asked her why she had such a mind to go? -Whether it was not to see the fine folks? She said no, it was to hear -Mr. Edwards preach. When she is in the place of worship, she is very far -from spending her time there as children at her age usually do, but -appears with an attention that is very extraordinary for such a child. -She also appears, very desirous at all opportunities, to go to private -religious meetings, and is very still and attentive at home, in prayer -time, and has appeared affected in time of family prayer. - - - - - Other Colonies - - - John Woolman’s Journal - -Although one may think first of New England Puritanism in discussing the -religious life of the colonies, America was founded by many religious -groups. The Church of England was dominant in the southern colonies, -Maryland was founded by Catholics, and New York was settled by -Netherlanders who belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church. Still another -important religious influence was the Quaker faith, represented most -significantly by William Penn, who established the Pennsylvania colony. -There also were many Quakers in New Jersey, one of whom, John Woolman, -is the writer of the following selection. - -Woolman was a simple, plain tailor and shopkeeper who spent much of his -adult life traveling about the colonies visiting Quaker churches. His -Journal gives a clear account of the faith and life of a Quaker. The -portion printed below (from the original edition published in -Philadelphia in 1774) details Woolman’s boyhood and early religious -experience. - - I was born in Northampton, in Burlington County, West-Jersey, in the - year 1720; and before I was seven years old I began to be acquainted - with the operations of divine love. Through the care of my parents, I - was taught to read nearly as soon as I was capable of it; and, as I - went from school one Seventh Day [_the Quaker’s term for Saturday; - Sunday is the First Day_], I remember, while my companions went to - play by the way, I went forward out of sight, and, sitting down, I - read the 22d Chapter of the Revelations: “He showed me a pure river of - water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God - and of the Lamb,” etc., and, in reading it, my mind was drawn to seek - after that pure habitation, which, I then believed, God had prepared - for His servants. The place where I sat, and the sweetness that - attended my mind, remain fresh in my memory. - - This, and the like gracious visitations, had that effect upon me, that - when boys used ill language it troubled me; and, through the continued - mercies of God, I was preserved from it. - - The pious instructions of my parents were often fresh in my mind when - I happened to be among wicked children, and were of use to me. My - parents, having a large family of children, used frequently, on First - Days after meeting, to put us to read in the holy scriptures, or some - religious books, one after another, the rest sitting by without much - conversation; which, I have since often thought, was a good practice. - From what I had read and heard, I believed there had been, in past - ages, people who walked in uprightness before God, in a degree - exceeding any that I knew, or heard of, now living: and the - apprehension of there being less steadiness and firmness, amongst - people in this age than in past ages, often troubled me while I was a - child.... - - A thing remarkable in my childhood was, that once, going to a - neighbour’s house, I saw, on the way, a robin sitting on her nest, and - as I came near she went off, but having young ones flew about, and - with many cries expressed her concern for them; I stood and threw - stones at her, till, one striking her, she fell down dead: at first I - was pleased with the exploit, but after a few minutes was seized with - horror, as having, in a sportive way, killed an innocent creature - while she was careful for her young. I beheld her lying dead, and - thought these young ones, for which she was so careful, must now - perish for want of their dam to nourish them; and after some painful - considerations on the subject, I climbed up the tree, took all the - young birds, and killed them; supposing that better than to leave them - to pine away and die miserably: and believed, in this case, that - scripture-proverb was fulfilled, “The tender mercies of the wicked are - cruel.” I then went on my errand, but, for some hours, could think of - little else but the cruelties I had committed, and was much troubled. - Thus, He, Whose tender mercies are over all His works, hath placed a - principle in the human mind, which incites to exercise goodness - towards every living creature; and this being singly attended to, - people become tender hearted and sympathizing; but being frequently - and totally rejected, the mind becomes shut up in a contrary - disposition. - - About the twelfth year of my age, my father being abroad, my mother - reproved me for some misconduct, to which I made an undutiful reply; - and, the next First Day, as I was with my father returning from - meeting, he told me he understood I had behaved amiss to my mother, - and advised me to be more careful in [_the_] future. I knew myself - blameable, and in shame and confusion remained silent. Being thus - awakened to a sense of my wickedness, I felt remorse in my mind, and, - getting home, I retired and prayed to the Lord to forgive me; and do - not remember that I ever, after that, spoke unhandsomely to either of - my parents, however foolish in some other things. - - Having attained the age of sixteen years, I began to love wanton - company; and though I was preserved from profane language, or - scandalous conduct, still I perceived a plant in me which produced - much wild grapes; yet my merciful Father forsook me not utterly, but, - at times, through His grace, I was brought seriously to consider my - ways; and the sight of my backslidings affected me with sorrow; but, - for want of rightly attending to the reproofs of instruction, vanity - was added to vanity, and repentance to repentance: upon the whole, my - mind was more and more alienated from the truth, and I hastened toward - destruction. While I meditate on the gulf towards which I travelled, - and reflect on my youthful disobedience, for these things I weep, mine - eyes run down with water. - - Advancing in age, the number of my acquaintances increased, and - thereby my way grew more difficult; though I had found comfort in - reading the holy scriptures, and thinking on heavenly things, I was - now estranged therefrom: I knew I was going from the flock of Christ, - and had no resolution to return; hence serious reflections were uneasy - to me, and youthful vanities and diversions my greatest pleasure. - Running in this road I found many like myself; and we associated in - that which is the reverse of true friendship. - - But in this swift race it pleased God to visit me with sickness, so - that I doubted of recovering; and then did darkness, horror, and - amazement, with full force, seize me, even when my pain and distress - of body was very great. I thought it would have been better for me - never to have had a being, than to see the day which I now saw. I was - filled with confusion; and in great affliction, both of mind and body, - I lay and bewailed myself. I had not confidence to lift up my cries to - God, Whom I had thus offended; but, in a deep sense of my great folly, - I was humbled before Him; and, at length, that Word which is as a fire - and a hammer, broke and dissolved my rebellious heart, and then my - cries were put up in contrition; and in the multitude of His mercies I - found inward relief, and felt a close engagement, that, if He was - pleased to restore my health, I might walk humbly before Him. - - - - - Colonial Problems - - - [Illustration: Woman captured by Indians] - - - - - Indian Troubles - - -As we have seen, the task of planting colonies in the New World took -stout hearts and strong arms. The major problem was the unspectacular -one of scratching a living from the soil. There were, in addition, more -dramatic problems, such as Indian skirmishes and even full-scale war. -More and more land was being taken up by the English settlers. In New -England, an Indian leader known as King Philip organized a big Indian -drive to rid the country of English settlers. This drive was known as -King Philip’s War and was waged in the years 1675-76. In this conflict, -the Indians of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut spread -terror throughout New England and burnt many houses, but in the end were -nearly wiped out themselves. During the next century, England and France -fought for control of the Mississippi Valley. In the latter part of this -struggle, between 1754 and 1763, usually called the French and Indian -War, the American colonies found themselves the battleground for the -rivalries of two great European powers. - - - Mrs. Rowlandson’s Captivity - -In the selection that follows, Mary Rowlandson, a New England housewife, -tells of her capture by the Indians and her captivity during King -Philip’s War. She was held by the Indians for twelve weeks until her -friends were able to ransom her. As vivid today as when it was written -in 1682, this narrative is called _A True History of the Captivity and -Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson_. - - - THE ATTACK - - On the tenth of February, 1675, came the Indians with great numbers - upon Lancaster [_Massachusetts_]. Their first coming was about - sunrising; hearing the noise of some guns, we looked out; several - houses were burning, and the smoke ascending to heaven. There were - five persons taken in one house; the father and the mother and a - sucking child they knocked on the head; the other two they took and - carried away alive. There were two others who, being out of their - garrison upon some occasion, were set upon; one was knocked on the - head, the other escaped. Another there was who, running along, was - shot and wounded, and fell down; he begged of them his life, promising - them money (as they told me); but they would not hearken to him, but - knocked him in [_the_] head, and stripped him naked, and split open - his bowels. Another seeing many of the Indians about his barn ventured - and went out, but was quickly shot down. There were three others - belonging to the same garrison who were killed; the Indians, getting - up upon the roof of the barn, had advantage to shoot down upon them - over their fortification. Thus these murderous wretches went on, - burning and destroying before them. - - At length they came and beset our own house, and quickly it was the - dolefulest day that ever mine eyes saw. The house stood upon the edge - of a hill; some of the Indians got behind the hill, others into the - barn, and others behind anything that could shelter them; from all - which places they shot against the house, so that the bullets seemed - to fly like hail; and quickly they wounded one man among us, then - another, and then a third. About two hours (according to my - observation in that amazing time) they had been about the house before - they prevailed to fire it (which they did with flax and hemp, which - they brought out of the barn, and there being no defense about the - house, only two flankers [_fortifications_] at two opposite corners, - and one of them not finished). They fired it once and one ventured out - and quenched it, but they quickly fired it again, and that took. - - Now is the dreadful hour come that I have often heard of (in time of - war, as it was in the case of others), but now mine eyes see it. Some - in our house were fighting for their lives, others wallowing in their - blood, the house on fire over our heads, and the bloody heathen ready - to knock us on the head if we stirred out. Now might we hear mothers - and children crying out for themselves and one another, “Lord, what - shall we do?” Then I took my children (and one of my sisters hers) to - go forth and leave the house, but as soon as we came to the door and - appeared, the Indians shot so thick that the bullets rattled against - the house as if one had taken an handful of stones and threw them, so - that we were fain to give back. We had six stout dogs belonging to our - garrison, but none of them would stir, though another time, if an - Indian had come to the door, they were ready to fly upon him and tear - him down. The Lord hereby would make us the more to acknowledge His - hand, and to see that our help is always in Him. - - But out we must go, the fire increasing, and coming along behind us - roaring, and the Indians gaping before us with their guns, spears, and - hatchets to devour us. No sooner were we out of the house but my - brother-in-law (being before wounded in defending the house, in or - near the throat) fell down dead, whereat the Indians scornfully - shouted and hallowed, and were presently upon him, stripping off his - clothes. The bullets flying thick, one went through my side, and the - same (as would seem) through the bowels and hand of my dear child in - my arms. One of my elder sister’s children (named William) had then - his leg broken, which the Indians perceiving they knocked him on the - head. Thus were we butchered by those merciless heathen, standing - amazed, with the blood running down to our heels. My eldest sister - being yet in the house, and seeing those woeful sights, the infidels - hauling mothers one way and children another, and some wallowing in - their blood, and her elder son telling her that her son William was - dead and myself was wounded, she said, “And, Lord, let me die with - them”; which was no sooner said but she was struck with a bullet and - fell down dead over the threshold. - - Of the thirty-seven persons in the house, twelve were killed and only - one escaped. Mrs. Rowlandson and her baby were among the remaining - twenty-four taken captive. - - - THE FIRST REMOVE - - Now away we must go with those barbarous creatures, with our bodies - wounded and bleeding, and our hearts no less than our bodies. About a - mile we went that night up upon a hill, within sight of the town, - where they intended to lodge. There was hard by a vacant house - (deserted by the English before, for fear of the Indians); I asked - them whether I might not lodge in the house that night, to which they - answered, “What, will you love Englishmen still?” This was the - dolefulest night that ever my eyes saw. Oh, the roaring, and singing, - and dancing, and yelling of those black creatures in the night, which - made the place a lively resemblance of hell! And as miserable was the - waste that was there made, of horses, cattle, sheep, swine, calves, - lambs, roasting pigs, and fowl (which they had plundered in the town), - some roasting, some lying and burning, and some boiling, to feed our - merciless enemies, who were joyful enough, though we were - disconsolate. - - To add to the dolefulness of the former day and the dismalness of the - present night, my thoughts ran upon my losses and sad, bereaved - condition. All was gone, my husband gone (at least separated from me, - he being in the Bay; and to add to my grief, the Indians told me they - would kill him as he came homeward), my children gone, my relations - and friends gone, our house and home, and all our comforts within door - and without—all was gone (except my life), and I knew not but the next - moment that might go too. - - There remained nothing to me but one poor, wounded babe, and it seemed - at present worse than death, that it was in such a pitiful condition, - bespeaking compassion, and I had no refreshing for it nor suitable - things to revive it. Little do many think what is the savageness and - brutishness of this barbarous enemy ... when the English have fallen - into their hands.... - - - THE SECOND REMOVE - - But now (the next morning) I must turn my back upon the town, and - travel with them into the vast and desolate wilderness, I know not - whither. It is not my tongue or pen can express the sorrows of my - heart and bitterness of my spirit that I had at this departure; but - God was with me in a wonderful manner, carrying me along and bearing - up my spirit, that it did not quite fail. One of the Indians carried - my poor wounded babe upon a horse; it went moaning all along: “I shall - die, I shall die.” I went on foot after it, with sorrow that cannot be - expressed. At length I took it off the horse and carried it in my - arms, till my strength failed and I fell down with it. - - Then they set me upon a horse with my wounded child in my lap; and - there being no furniture [_saddle_] upon the horseback, as we were - going down a steep hill, we both fell over the horse’s head, at which - they, like inhuman creatures, laughed and rejoiced to see it, though I - thought we should there have ended our days, overcome with so many - difficulties. But the Lord renewed my strength still, and carried me - along, that I might see more of His power, yea, so much that I could - never have thought of, had I not experienced it. - - After this it quickly began to snow; and when the night came on they - stopped; and now down I must sit in the snow by a little fire, and a - few boughs behind me, with my sick child in my lap and calling much - for water, being now (through the wound) fallen into a violent fever. - My own wound also growing so stiff that I could scarce sit down or - rise up, yet so it must be, that I must sit all this cold winter night - upon the cold snowy ground, with my sick child in my arms, looking - that every hour would be the last of its life, and having no Christian - friend near me, either to comfort or help me. Oh, I may see the - wonderful power of God, that my spirit did not utterly sink under my - affliction; still the Lord upheld me with His gracious and merciful - spirit, and we were both alive to see the light of the next morning. - - - THE THIRD REMOVE - - The morning being come, they prepared to go on their way. One of the - Indians got up upon a horse, and they set me up behind him, with my - poor sick babe in my lap. A very wearisome and tedious day I had of - it; what with my own wound and my child’s being so exceeding sick, and - in a lamentable condition with her wound. It may be easily judged what - a poor feeble condition we were in, there being not the least crumb of - refreshing that came within either of our mouths from Wednesday night - to Saturday night, except only a little cold water.... - - Thus nine days I sat upon my knees with my babe in my lap, till my - flesh was raw again; my child being even ready to depart this - sorrowful world, they bade me carry it out to another wigwam (I - suppose because they would not be troubled with such spectacles) - whither I went with a very heavy heart, and down I sat with the - picture of death in my lap. About two hours in the night my sweet babe - like a lamb departed this life, on February 18, 1675, it being about - six years and five months old. It was nine days from the first - wounding, in this miserable condition, without any refreshing of one - nature or other, except a little cold water.... In the morning, when - they understood that my child was dead they sent for me home to my - master’s wigwam.... I went to take up my dead child in my arms to - carry it with me, but they bid me let it alone. There was no - resisting, but go I must and leave it. When I had been at my master’s - wigwam, I took the first opportunity I could get to go look after my - dead child. When I came I asked them what they had done with it? Then - they told me it was upon the hill. Then they went and showed me where - it was, where I saw the ground was newly digged, and there they told - me they had buried it. There I left that child in the wilderness and - must commit it and myself also in this wilderness condition to Him who - is above all. - - Mrs. Rowlandson’s ordeal lasted twelve weeks, after which she was - ransomed and allowed to return home to her husband, who had survived - the attack. Her two other children, also captured with her, were - rescued and reunited with their parents. - - - - - Conflict with France - - - George Washington’s Letter on Braddock’s Defeat - -On July 9, 1755, during the French and Indian War, Colonel George -Washington took part in the Battle of Monongahela, in which General -Braddock was killed and his army routed. Washington had advised Braddock -to push on rapidly towards the French-held Fort Duquesne and to leave -behind his artillery and baggage wagons so that he could move through -the wilderness as fast as possible. Washington feared the consequences -of moving too slowly and wrote his brother a few days before the battle -that the army “instead of pushing on with vigor, without regarding a -little rough road” was “halting to level every mold hill and to erect -bridges over every brook; by which means we were four days getting -twelve miles.” Washington’s fear of disaster was only too well-founded. -The following letter is his account of the battle, written to his mother -nine days later: - - Fort Cumberland, July 18, 1755 - - Honored Madam: - - As I doubt not but you have heard of our defeat, and perhaps have it - represented in a worse light (if possible) than it deserves; I have - taken this earliest opportunity to give you some account of the - engagement, as it happened within seven miles of the French fort, on - Wednesday the ninth. - - We marched on to that place without any considerable loss, having only - now and then a straggler picked up by the French scouting Indians. - When we came here, we were attacked by a body of French and Indians - whose number (I am certain) did not exceed 300 men; ours consisted of - about 1,300 well-armed troops, chiefly of the English soldiers who - were struck with such a panic that they behaved with more cowardice - than it is possible to conceive. The officers behaved gallantly in - order to encourage their men, for which they suffered greatly, there - being nearly 60 killed and wounded, a large proportion out of the - number we had! The Virginia troops showed a good deal of bravery and - were near all killed, for I believe out of three companies that were - there, there is scarce 30 men left alive. Capt. Peyrouny and all his - officers down to a corporal was killed. Capt. Polson shared near as - hard a fate, for only one of his was left. In short the dastardly - behavior of those they call regulars exposed all others that were - inclined to do their duty to almost certain death, and at last, in - despite of all the efforts of the officers to the contrary, they broke - and run as sheep pursued by dogs, and it was impossible to rally them. - - The general was wounded, of which he died three days after. Sir Peter - Halket was killed in the field where died many other brave officers. I - luckily escaped without a wound, though I had four bullets through my - coat and two horses shot under me. Captains Orme and Morris, two of - the general’s aides de camp, were wounded early in the engagement, - which rendered the duty hard upon me, as I was the only person then - left to distribute the general’s orders, which I was scarcely able to - do, as I was not half recovered from a violent illness that confined - me to my bed and a wagon for above ten days. I am still in a weak and - feeble condition, which induces me to halt here two or three days in - hopes of recovering a little strength to enable me to proceed - homewards, from whence, I fear, I shall not be able to stir till - towards September, so that I shall not have the pleasure of seeing you - till then, unless it be in Fairfax. Please give my love to Mr. Lewis - [_his brother-in-law_] and my sister and compliments to Mr. Jackson - and all other friends that inquire after me. I am, Honored Madam, your - most dutiful son. - - - Benjamin Franklin’s Comments - -Benjamin Franklin shared George Washington’s doubts about Braddock’s -ability to capture Fort Duquesne. As a public-spirited citizen, Franklin -had taken the initiative in collecting wagons from Pennsylvania farmers -to transport the army’s supplies. His comments on Braddock, written many -years later, come from his autobiography. - - This general was, I think, a brave man, and might probably have made a - figure as a good officer in some European war. But he had too much - self-confidence, too high an opinion of the validity of regular - troops, and too mean a one of both Americans and Indians. George - Croghan, our Indian interpreter, joined him on his march with one - hundred of those people, who might have been of great use to his army - as guides, scouts, etc., if he had treated them kindly; but he - slighted and neglected them, and they gradually left him. - - In conversation with him one day, he was giving me some account of his - intended progress. “After taking Fort Duquesne,” says he, “I am to - proceed to Niagara; and having taken that to Frontenac, if the season - will allow time; and I suppose it will, for Duquesne can hardly detain - me above three or four days; and then I see nothing that can obstruct - my march to Niagara.” Having before revolved in my mind the long line - his army must make in their march by a very narrow road, to be cut for - them through the woods and bushes, and also what I had read of a - former defeat of fifteen hundred French who invaded the Iroquois - country, I had conceived some doubts and some fears for the event of - the campaign. But I ventured only to say, “To be sure, sir, if you - arrive well before Duquesne, with these fine troops, so well provided - with artillery, that place, not yet completely fortified, and as we - hear with no very strong garrison, can probably make but a short - resistance. The only danger I apprehend of obstruction to your march - is from ambuscades of Indians, who, by constant practice, are - dexterous in laying and executing them; and the slender line, near - four miles long, which your army must make, may expose it to be - attacked by surprise in its flanks, and to be cut like a thread into - several pieces, which, from their distance, can not come up in time to - support each other.” - - He smiled at my ignorance, and replied, “These savages may, indeed, be - a formidable enemy to your raw American militia, but upon the king’s - regular and disciplined troops, sir, it is impossible they should make - any impression.” I was conscious of an impropriety in my disputing - with a military man in matters of his profession, and said no more. - - - - - Colonial Life - - - [Illustration: Benjamin Franklin] - - - - - Transportation - - -Life in the United States has changed beyond recognition from life in -America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In thousands of -ways people live differently. They work, they play, they eat, and they -even sleep differently. Then, there was no station wagon in the garage -to take the family to the beach or mountains over weekends and no -telephone at hand to call a friend to ask how to do tomorrow’s algebra -problem. Life was slower-paced than it is today, and was not complicated -by the machines that have become masters as well as slaves of our -society. The selections that follow will give you an insight into the -daily lives of several interesting early Americans. It is just as -important to understand how people lived in colonial times as it is to -know about wars and kings and presidents. - - - Sarah Kemble Knight 1666-1727 - -Madam Knight, as Sarah Kemble Knight is known, was a Boston -schoolteacher and businesswoman. In the autumn of 1704 she made a -business trip to New York by way of Rhode Island and Connecticut. On the -journey she kept a journal which gives a vivid account of her -experiences. You will find that this Boston woman writes about -Connecticut as though it were a foreign country. She had a good sense of -humor and a keen eye for detail. You learn in this report that not all -of your New England ancestors were cultivated people like governors -Winthrop and Bradford. - - - THE THIRD DAY - - Wednesday, October 4, 1704 - - About four in the morning, we set out for Kingston [_Rhode Island_] - (for so was the town called) with a French doctor in our company. He - and the post put on very furiously, so that I could not keep up with - them, only as now and then they’d stop till they see me. This road was - poorly furnished with accommodations for travelers, so that we were - forced to ride 22 miles by the post’s account, but nearer thirty by - mine, before we could bait [_feed_] so much as our horses, which I - exceedingly complained of. But the post encouraged me by saying we - should be well accommodated anon at Mr. Devil’s, a few miles further. - But I questioned whether we ought to go to the devil to be helped out - of affliction. However, like the rest of [_the_] deluded souls that - post to the infernal den, we made all possible speed to this devil’s - habitation, where, alighting in full assurance of good accommodation, - we were going in. But meeting his two daughters, as I supposed twins, - they so nearly resembled each other, both in features and habit, and - looked as old as the devil himself and quite as ugly, we desired - entertainment but could hardly get a word out of ’em, till with our - importunity [_urging_], telling them our necessity, etc., they called - the old sophister, who was as sparing of his words as his daughters - had been, and no, or none, was the reply he made us to our demands. He - differed only in this from the old fellow in t’other country: he let - us depart.... - - Thus leaving this habitation of cruelty, we went forward, and arriving - at an ordinary [_inn_] about two mile further, found tolerable - accommodation. But our hostess, being a pretty full-mouthed old - creature, entertained our fellow traveler, the French doctor, with - innumerable complaints of her bodily infirmities and whispered to him - so loud that all the house had as full a hearing as he, which was very - diverting to the company (of which there was a great many), as one - might see by their sneering. But poor weary I slipped out to enter my - mind in my journal, and left my great landlady with her talkative - guests to themselves.... - - - THE SIXTH DAY - - Saturday, October 7 - - About two o’clock [_in the_] afternoon we arrived at New Haven - [_Connecticut_], where I was received with all possible respects and - civility. Here I discharged Mr. Wheeler with a reward to his - satisfaction and took some time to rest after so long and toilsome a - journey, and informed myself of the manners and customs of the place, - and at the same time employed myself in the affair I went there upon. - - They are governed by the same laws as we in Boston (or little - differing) throughout this whole colony of Connecticut, and much the - same way of church government and many of them good, sociable people, - and I hope religious too. But [_they are_] a little too much - independent in their principles, and, as I have been told, were - formerly in their zeal very rigid in their administrations towards - such as their laws made offenders, even to a harmless kiss or innocent - merriment among young people.... - - Their diversions in this part of the country are on lecture days and - [_militia_] training days mostly. On the former there is riding from - town to town. - - And on training days the youth divert themselves by shooting at the - target, as they call it (but it very much resembles a pillory), where - he that hits nearest the white has some yards of red ribbon presented - him, which being tied to his hatband, the two ends streaming down his - back, he is led away in triumph, with great applause, as the winners - of the Olympic Games. They generally marry very young, the males - oftener, as I am told, under twenty than above. They generally make - public weddings and have a way something singular (as they say) in - some of them, namely, just before joining hands the bridegroom quits - the place, who is soon followed by the bridesmen, and as it were, - dragged back to duty—being the reverse to the former practice among - us, to steal his bride.... - - Being at a merchant’s house, in comes a tall country fellow, with his - alfogeos [_cheeks_] full of tobacco, for they seldom lose their cud - but keep chewing and spitting as long as their eyes are open. He - advanced to the middle of the room, makes an awkward nod, and spitting - a large deal of aromatic tincture, he gave a scrape with his - shovel-like shoe, leaving a small shovel full of dirt on the floor, - made a full stop. Hugging his own pretty body with his hands under his - arms, [_he_] stood staring round him like a cat let out of a basket. - At last, like the creature Balaam rode on [_an ass_], he opened his - mouth and said: “Have you any ribbon for hatbands to sell, I pray?” - The questions and answers about the pay being past, the ribbon is - brought and opened. Bumpkin Simpers cries, “It’s confounded gay, I - vow,” and beckoning to the door, in comes Joan Tawdry, dropping about - 50 curtsies, and stands by him. He shows her the ribbon. “Law you,” - says she, “It’s right gent; do you take it; ’tis dreadful pretty.” - Then she inquires: “Have you any hood silk, I pray?” which being - brought and bought, “Have you any thread silk to sew it with,” says - she, which being accommodated with, they departed. They generally - stand, after they come in, a great while speechless and sometimes - don’t say a word till they are asked what they want, which I impute to - the awe they stand in of the merchants, who they are constantly almost - indebted to and must take what they bring without liberty to choose - for themselves; but they serve them as well, making the merchants stay - [_wait_] long enough for their pay. - - - - - Life in the South - - -A century after Jamestown was founded, Virginia was a prosperous, -flourishing colony. The capital was moved a few miles away to -Williamsburg, which today has been rebuilt to look much as it did in -colonial times. Along the James River were large plantations, operated -by gentleman farmers. These men lived much as their land-owning cousins -did in the old country. Lower on the social scale, of course, were white -indentured servants, who had bound themselves to years of labor in -return for their passage to Virginia, and slaves. - - - William Byrd 1674-1744 - -The culture of the colony, however, was dominated by prosperous planters -like William Byrd, ancestor of the present Byrd family of Virginia. His -estate occupied the present site of Richmond. He was educated in England -and active in the affairs of the colony. - -In 1728, he was appointed to help survey the boundary between North -Carolina and Virginia. The boundary, which was disputed, ran through -virgin forests and over mountains. During the arduous weeks that the -commissioners were making their survey, Byrd kept notes. His account of -this experience is given in _The History of the Dividing Line_. You can -see that Virginia gentlemen did not think much of the poor farmers in -North Carolina. - - - LIFE IN NORTH CAROLINA - - March 25, 1728: Surely there is no place in the world where the - inhabitants live with less labor than in North Carolina. It approaches - nearer to the description of Lubberland [_a mythical land of plenty - and idleness_] than any other, by the great felicity of the climate, - the easiness of raising provisions, and the slothfulness of the - people. - - Indian corn is of so great increase that a little pains will subsist a - very large family with bread, and then they may have meat without any - pains at all, by the help of the low grounds, and the great variety of - mast [_nuts_] that grows on the high land. The men, for their parts, - just like the Indians, impose all the work upon the poor women. They - make their wives rise out of their beds early in the morning, at the - same time that they lie and snare till the sun has run one-third of - his course and dispersed all the unwholesome damps. Then, after - stretching and yawning for half an hour, they light their pipes, and, - under the protection of a cloud of smoke, venture out into the open - air, though if it happens to be never so little cold, they quickly - return shivering into the chimney corner. When the weather is mild, - they stand leaning with both their arms upon the cornfield fence, and - gravely consider whether they had best go and take a small heat at the - hoe, but generally find reasons to put it off till another time. Thus - they loiter away their lives.... - - March 27: Within 3 or 4 miles of Edenton [_North Carolina_], the soil - appears to be a little more fertile, though it is much out with - slashes [_swamps_], which seem all to have a tendency towards the - Dismal. - - This town is situate on the north side of Albemarle Sound, which is - there about 5 miles over. A dirty slash runs all along the back of it, - which in the summer is a foul annoyance and furnishes abundance of - that Carolina plague, mosquitoes. There may be 40 or 50 houses, most - of them small and built without expense. A citizen here is counted - extravagant, if he has ambition enough to aspire to a brick chimney. - Justice herself is but indifferently lodged, the court house having - much the air of a common tobacco house. I believe this is the only - metropolis in the Christian or Mohammedan world, where there is - neither church, chapel, mosque, synagogue, or any other place of - public worship of any sect or religion whatsoever. - - What little devotion there may happen to be is much more private than - their vices. The people seem easy without a minister, as long as they - are exempted from paying him. Sometimes the society for propagating - the Gospel has had the charity to send over missionaries to this - country; but unfortunately the priest has been too lewd [_worthless_] - for the people, or, which oftener happens, they too lewd for the - priest. For these reasons these reverend gentlemen have always left - their flocks as arrant heathen as they found them. Thus much, however, - may be said for the inhabitants of Edenton, that not a soul has the - least taint of hypocrisy or superstition, acting very frankly and - aboveboard in all their excesses. - - Provisions here are extremely cheap and extremely good, so that people - may live plentifully at a trifling expense. Nothing is dear but law, - physic, and strong drink, which are all bad in their kind, and the - last they get with so much difficulty, that they are never guilty of - the sin of suffering it to sour upon their hands. Their vanity - generally lies not so much in having a handsome dining room as a - handsome house of office [_kitchen_]. In this kind of structure they - are really extravagant. - - They are rarely guilty of flattering or making any court to their - governors, but treat them with all the excesses of freedom and - familiarity. They are of opinion their rulers would be apt to grow - insolent, if they grew rich, and for that reason take care to keep - them poorer, and more dependent, if possible, than the saints in New - England used to do their governors. - -A Virginia planter had many responsibilities and many interests. Besides -growing tobacco and raising livestock, Byrd and his associates made -their plantations as self-sufficient as possible. Late in his life Byrd -visited some mining property he owned in western Virginia, and on the -trip stopped off to see Colonel Spotswood, a former governor of -Virginia. The following account, from _A Progress to the Mines_, gives -us a glimpse of another Virginian’s house. Note, too, how Byrd concerns -himself with collecting medicinal herbs. - - - A VISIT TO COLONEL SPOTSWOOD - - September 27, 1732: I came into the main county road that leads from - Fredericksburg to Germanna, which last place I reached in ten miles - more. This famous town consists of Col. Spotswood’s enchanted castle - on one side of the street and a baker’s dozen of ruinous tenements on - the other.... Here I arrived about three o’clock and found only Mrs. - Spotswood at home, who received her old acquaintance with many a - gracious smile. I was carried into a room elegantly set off with pier - glasses [_full-length mirrors set between windows_] the largest of - which came soon after to an odd misfortune. - - Amongst other favorite animals that cheered this lady’s solitude, a - brace of tame deer ran familiarly about the house, and one of them - came to stare at me as a stranger. But unluckily spying his own figure - in the glass, he made a spring over the tea table that stood under it, - and shattered the glass to pieces, and falling back upon the tea - table, made a terrible fracas among the china. This exploit was so - sudden and accompanied with such a noise that it surprised me, and - perfectly frightened Mrs. Spotswood. But ’twas worth all the damage to - show the moderation and good humor with which she bore this disaster. - - In the evening the noble colonel came home from his mines, who saluted - me very civilly, and Mrs. Spotswood’s sister, Miss Theky, who had been - to meet him _en cavalier_ [_on horseback_] was so kind too as to bid - me welcome. We talked over a legend [_collection_] of old stories, - supped about 9, and then prattled with the ladies till ’twas time for - a traveler to retire. In the meantime I observed my old friend to be - very uxorious [_submissive to his wife_] and exceedingly fond of his - children. This was so opposite to the maxims he used to preach up - before he was married, that I could not forbear rubbing up the memory - of them. But he gave a very goodnatured turn to his change of - sentiments by alleging that whoever brings a poor gentlewoman into so - solitary a place, from all her friends and acquaintance, would be - ungrateful not to use her and all that belongs to her with all - possible tenderness. - - September 28: We all kept snug in our several apartments till nine, - except Miss Theky, who was the housewife of the family. At that hour - we met over a pot of coffee, which was not quite strong enough to give - us the palsy. After breakfast the Colonel and I left the ladies to - their domestic affairs and took a turn in the garden, which has - nothing beautiful but 3 terrace walks that fall in slopes one below - another. I let him understand that besides the pleasure of paying him - a visit, I came to be instructed by so great a master in the mystery - of making of iron, wherein he had led the way.... - - September 30: The sun rose clear this morning, and so did I and - finished all my little affairs by breakfast. It was then resolved to - wait on the ladies on horseback, since the bright sun, the fine air, - and the wholesome exercise all invited us to it. We forded the river a - little above the ferry and rode 6 miles up the neck to a fine level - piece of rich land where we found about 20 plants of ginseng, with the - scarlet berries growing on the top of the middle stalk. The root of - this is of wonderful virtue in many cases, particularly to raise the - spirits and promote perspiration, which makes it a specific in colds - and coughs. The colonel complimented me with all we found in return - for my telling him the virtues of it. We were all pleased to find so - much of this king of plants so near the colonel’s habitation and - growing too upon his own land.... I carried home this treasure with as - much joy as if every root had been a graft of the Tree of Life, and - washed and dried it carefully. - - - - - Life in a City - - -Benjamin Franklin’s life is too well-known to need summarizing here. The -story of his life should be on the reading list of every American, and -the best account of it is the one he wrote himself. Unfortunately, he -never finished his autobiography, so we do not have in his own words the -story of his diplomatic mission to France during the Revolution, or his -activities in America at the time of the Declaration of Independence and -later during the Constitutional Convention. His early career, however, -is well described. The following selection from the Autobiography tells -of Franklin’s arrival in Philadelphia at the age of 17 after running -away from home in Boston. - - - From Benjamin Franklin’s _Autobiography_ - - I was in my working dress, my best clothes being to come round by sea. - I was dirty from my journey; my pockets were stuffed out with shirts - and stockings; I knew no soul nor where to look for lodging. I was - fatigued with traveling, rowing, and want of rest; I was very hungry; - and my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar and about a - shilling in copper. The latter I gave the people of the boat for my - passage, who at first refused it, on account of my rowing; but I - insisted on their taking it, a man being sometimes more generous when - he has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps through - fear of being thought to have but little. - - Then I walked up the street, gazing about, till near the market-house - I met a boy with bread. I had made many a meal on bread, and, - inquiring where he got it, I went immediately to the baker’s he - directed me to, in Second Street, and asked for biscuit, intending - such as we had in Boston; but they, it seems, were not made in - Philadelphia. Then I asked for a three-penny loaf, and was told they - had none such. So, not considering or knowing the difference of money, - and the greater cheapness nor the names of his bread, I bade him give - me three-penny-worth of any sort. He gave me, accordingly, three great - puffy rolls. I was surprised at the quantity, but took it, and, having - no room in my pockets, walked off with a roll under each arm, and - eating the other. Thus I went up Market Street as far as Fourth - Street, passing by the door of Mr. Read, my future wife’s father; when - she, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I certainly - did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance. Then I turned and went - down Chestnut Street and part of Walnut Street, eating my roll all the - way, and, coming round, found myself again at Market Street wharf, - near the boat I came in, to which I went for a draught of the river - water; and, being filled with one of my rolls, gave the other two to a - woman and her child that came down the river in the boat with us, and - were waiting to go farther. - - Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which by this time had - many clean-dressed people in it, who were all walking the same way. I - joined them, and thereby was led into the great meeting-house of the - Quakers near the market. I sat down among them, and, after looking - round awhile and hearing nothing said, being very drowsy through labor - and want of rest the preceding night, I fell fast asleep, and - continued so till the meeting broke up, when one was kind enough to - rouse me. This was, therefore, the first house I was in, or slept in, - in Philadelphia. - - Walking down again toward the river and looking in the faces of - people, I met a young Quaker man, whose countenance I liked and - accosting him, requested he would tell me where a stranger could get - lodging. We were then near the sign of the Three Mariners. “Here,” - says he, “is one place that entertains strangers, but it is not a - reputable house; if thee wilt walk with me, I’ll show thee a better.” - He brought me to the Crooked Billet in Water Street. Here I got a - dinner; and while I was eating it several sly questions were asked me, - as it seemed to be suspected from my youth and appearance that I might - be some runaway. - - After dinner my sleepiness returned, and, being shown to a bed, I lay - down without undressing, and slept till six in the evening, was called - to supper, went to bed again very early, and slept soundly till next - morning. Then I made myself as tidy as I could and went to Andrew - Bradford the printer’s. I found in the shop the old man his father, - whom I had seen at New York, and who, traveling on horseback, had got - to Philadelphia before me. He introduced me to his son, who received - me civilly, gave me a breakfast, but told me he did not at present - want a hand, being lately supplied with one; but there was another - printer in town, lately set up, one Keimer, who perhaps might employ - me; if not, I should be welcome to lodge at his house, and he would - give me a little work to do now and then till fuller business should - offer. - - The old gentleman said he would go with me to the new printer; and - when we found him, “Neighbor,” says Bradford, “I have brought to see - you a young man of your business; perhaps you may want such a one.” He - asked me a few questions, put a composing stick in my hand to see how - I worked, and then said he would employ me soon, though he had just - then nothing for me to do; and, taking old Bradford, whom he had never - seen before, to be of the town’s people that had a good will for him, - entered into a conversation on his present undertaking and prospects; - while Bradford, not discovering that he was the other printer’s - father, on Keimer’s saying he expected soon to get the greatest part - of the business into his own hands, drew him on by artful questions, - and starting little doubts, to explain all his views, what interest he - relied on, and in what manner he intended to proceed. I, who stood by - and heard all, saw immediately that one of them was a crafty old - sophister, and the other a mere novice. Bradford left me with Keimer, - who was greatly surprised when I told him who the old man was. - - Keimer’s printing-house, I found, consisted of an old shattered press, - and one small, worn-out font of English [_type_], which he was then - using himself, composing an elegy on Aquila Rose, before mentioned, an - ingenious young man, of excellent character, much respected in the - town, clerk of the Assembly, and a pretty poet. Keimer made verses - too, but very indifferently. He could not be said to write them, for - his manner was to compose them in the types directly out of his head. - So there being no copy, but one pair of cases, and the elegy likely to - require all the letters, no one could help him. I endeavored to put - his press (which he had not yet used, and of which he understood - nothing) into order fit to be worked with; and, promising to come and - print off his elegy as soon as he should have got it ready, I returned - to Bradford’s, who gave me a little job to do for the present, and - there I lodged and dieted. A few days after, Keimer sent for me to - print off the elegy. And now he had got another pair of cases, and a - pamphlet to reprint, on which he set me to work. - - These two printers I found poorly qualified for their business. - Bradford had not been bred to it, and was very illiterate; and Keimer, - though something of a scholar, was a mere compositor, knowing nothing - of presswork. He had been one of the French prophets [_a group of - French Protestants known as Camisards, persecuted under Louis XIV_], - and could act their enthusiastic agitations. At this time he did not - profess any particular religion, but something of all on occasion; was - very ignorant of the world, and had, as I afterward found, a good deal - of the knave in his composition. He did not like my lodging at - Bradford’s while I worked with him. He had a house, indeed, but - without furniture, so he could not lodge me; but he got me a lodging - at Mr. Read’s, before mentioned, who was the owner of his house; and, - my chest and clothes being come by this time, I made rather a more - respectable appearance in the eyes of Miss Read than I had done when - she first happened to see me eating my roll in the street. - - I began now to have some acquaintance among the young people of the - town that were lovers of reading, with whom I spent my evenings very - pleasantly; and gaining money by my industry and frugality, I lived - very agreeably, forgetting Boston as much as I could, and not desiring - that any there should know where I resided. - -Franklin was an industrious, ambitious young man who had thoroughly -mastered the trade of printer before leaving Boston. In Philadelphia, he -set up his own printing business and prospered so much that he was able -to retire at the age of 42. The rest of his life he devoted to public -enterprises and to scientific investigation. He was instrumental in -founding a hospital, the academy that became the University of -Pennsylvania, and the American Philosophical Society. He initiated -projects for providing police protection, street lighting, cleaning, and -paving in Philadelphia. He served as postmaster-general for the -colonies, and later represented them in England as events moved toward -the Revolution. One of his many public-spirited projects was the -establishment of a lending library, and in the selection that follows he -tells just how he got the library started. - - At the time I established myself in Pennsylvania, there was not a good - bookseller’s shop in any of the colonies to the southward of Boston. - In New York and Philadelphia the printers were indeed stationers; they - sold only paper, etc., almanacs, ballads, and a few common - school-books. Those who loved reading were obliged to send for their - books from England; the members of the Junto [_Franklin’s club_] had - each a few. We had left the alehouse, where we first met, and hired a - room to hold our club in. I proposed that we should all of us bring - our books to that room, where they would not only be ready to consult - in our conferences, but become a common benefit, each of us being at - liberty to borrow such as he wished to read at home. This was - accordingly done, and for some time contented us. - - Finding the advantage of this little collection, I proposed to render - the benefit from books more common, by commencing a public - subscription library. I drew a sketch of the plan and rules that would - be necessary, and got a skilful conveyancer, Mr. Charles Brockden, to - put the whole in form of articles of agreement to be subscribed, by - which each subscriber engaged to pay a certain sum down for the first - purchase of books, and an annual contribution for increasing them. So - few were the readers at that time in Philadelphia, and the majority of - us so poor, that I was not able, with great industry, to find more - than fifty persons, mostly young tradesmen, willing to pay down for - this purpose forty shillings each, and ten shillings per annum. [_A - shilling in Franklin’s day was worth perhaps $1.50 in today’s money._] - On this little fund we began. The books were imported; the library was - opened one day in the week for lending to the subscribers, on their - promissory notes to pay double the value if not duly returned. The - institution soon manifested its utility, was imitated by other towns, - and in other provinces. The libraries were augmented by donations; - reading became fashionable; and our people, having no public - amusements to divert their attention from study, became better - acquainted with books, and in a few years were observed by strangers - to be better instructed and more intelligent than people of the same - rank generally are in other countries.... - - This library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study, - for which I set apart an hour or two each day, and thus repaired in - some degree the loss of the learned education my father once intended - for me. Reading was the only amusement I allowed myself. I spent no - time in taverns, games, or frolics of any kind; and my industry in my - business continued as indefatigable as it was necessary. - - [Illustration: A Woman Captured by Indians] - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - ---Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook - is public-domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected a few palpable typos, leaving period spellings - unchanged. - ---In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by - _underscores_. - ---Added subheadings in the text to match entries in the Table of - Contents. - ---Added captions to illustrations based on the attributions in front - matter. - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICA, -1607-1763 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. 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