Honour this be accepted as payment from him, who netiher hath, nor is any more, than Your Honour's Old Thankful Servant, THOMAS DUDLEY. Boston in New England, For the satisfaction of your Honour, and some friends, and for the use of such as shall hereafter intend to increase our plantation in New England, I have in the throng of domestick, and not altogether free from publick business, thought fit to commit to memory our present condition, and what hath befallen us since our arrival here; which I will do shortly, after my usual manner, and must do rudely, having yet no table, nor other room to write in, than by the fire-side upon my knee, in this sharp winter; to which my fam ily must have leave to resort, though they break good manners, and make me sometimes forget what I would say, and say what I would not. (Here commences the ancient MS. copy, which probably contained an account of the Bays and Rivers, and then a brief notice of the Indian tribes living on them.) * * Sachim in New England whom I saw the last somer. Vpon the river of Naponset neere to the Mattachusetts feilds dwelleth Chicka Talbott, who hath betweene 50 and 60 subiects. This man least favoureth the English of any Sagamore (for soe are the kinges with vs called, as they are Sachims Southwards) wee are acquainted with, by reason of *That is, 1631, the double date being omitted. the old quarrell betweene him and those of Plymouth, wherein hee lost 7 of his best men, yet hee lodged one night the last winter at my house in freindly manner. About 70 or 80 miles westward from theis, are seated the Nipnett men, whose Sagamore wee know not, but wee heare their numbers exceed any but the Pecoates and the Narragansets, and they are the only people wee yet heare of in the inland Country. Vppon the river of Mistick is seated Saggamore John, and vppon the river Sawgus, Sagamore James† his brother, both soe named by the English. The elder brother John is a handsome young (one line missing) conversant with vs, affecting English Apparell and howses and speaking well of our God. His brother James is of a farr worse disposition, yet repaireth often to vs. Both theis brothers command not above 30 or 40 men for aught I can learne. Neer to Salem dwelleth 2 or 3 families, subiect to the Saggamore of Agawam, whose name he tould mee, but I have forgotten it. This Sagamore hath but few subiects and them and himself tributary to Sagamore James, hauinge beene before the last yeare (in James his minority) tributary to Chicka Talbott. Vppon the river Merimack is seated Sagamore Passaconaway, haueing under his command 4 or 500 men, being esteemed by his countrymen `a false fellow, and by vs a wich. For any more northerly I know not, but leave it to after relacons. Haueing thus breifly and disorderly, especially in my description of the Bays and Rivers set downe what is come to hand touching the (one line missing) *[His Indian name was Wonohaquaham.] tHis original name was Montowampate. He died three years after the date of this letter. Lewis, Hist. Lynn, 16, 17.] Now concerninge the English that are planted here, I find that about the year 1620, certaine English sett out from Leyden, in Holland, intending their course for Hudson's river; the mouth whereof lyeth. south of the river of the Pecoates, but ariseth as I am informed, northwards in about 43 degrees, and soe a good part of it within the compass of our Patent. Theis being much weather beaten and wearied with seeking the river after a most tedious voyage, arrived at length in a small Bay, lyeing north east from Cape Cod, where, landing about the moenth of December, by the favour of a calm winter, such as was never seene here since, beganne to build their dwellinges in that place, which now is called New Plymouth, where, after much sicknes, famine, povertie and great mortality, (through all which God by an unwonted Providence caryed them) they are now groune vpp to a people, healthfull, wealthy, politique and religious: such thinges doth the Lord for those that waite for his mercies. Theis of Plymouth came with Patents from King James, and have since obtained others from our Sovereigne King Charles, hauinge a Governour and Counsaile of their owne. There was about the same time one Mr. Wesen,* an English merchant, who sent diverse men to plant and trade who sate downe by the river Wesaguscus, but theis not comeing for soe good ends as those of Plymouth, spedd not soe well, for the most of them dyinge and languishing away, they who survived were rescued by those of Plymouth out of the hands of [Thomas Weston, who commenced in May 1622, the settlement of Weymouth, a town, although the settlement was suspended a short time, probably the oldest in Massachusetts, out of Plymouth Colony. He returned to England, and died at Bristol.] Chicka Talbott, and his Indians, who oppressed these weake English, and intended to have distroyed them, and the Plymotheans also, as is set downe in a tract written by Mr. Winslow of Plymouth. Also since, one Capt. Wollastone wth. some 30 with him, came neer to the same place, aud built on a hill, which he named Mount Wollaston; but being not supplied with renewed provisions, they vanished away as the former did. Also, diverse merchants of Bristow and some other places have yearly for theis 8 years or thereabouts sent ships hether at the fishing times to trade for Beaver where there factors dishonestly for their gaines, haue furnished the Indians with guns, swords, powder and shott. Touching the plantacon which wee here haue begun, it fell out thus:-About the yeare 1627, some friends beeing togea ther in Lincolnshire, fell into some discourse about New England, and the plantinge of the gospell there; and after some deliberation wee imparted our resaons by lres. and messages to some in London and the west country, where it was likewise deliberately thought vppon, and at length with often negotiation soe ripened that in the year 1628, wee procured a patent from his Matie for our planting betweene the Matachusets Bay and Charles River on the south and the River of Merimack on the North; and 3 miles on eyther side of those Rivers and Bay; as allso for the goverment of those who did or should inhabit wth. in that compass: and the same yeare, we sent Mr. John Endicott* and [*The PLANTERS PLEA, printed at London, by William Jones, in 1630, gives the following account of this emigration. "Master Endecott was sent over Governour assisted with a few men, and arriving in safety there, in September 1628, and uniting his own men with those which were formerly planted in the country. into one body; they made up in all not much above fiftie or sixtie persons. His prosperous Iourney and safe arrivall of himselfe and all his Company, and good, report he sent backe of the Country, gave such encouragement to the worke, that some wth. him to beginne a plantacon; and to strengthen such as hee should find there, which wee sent hether from Dorchester and some places adioyning; from whom the same year receiveinge hopeful newes, the next yeare, 1629, wee sent diverse shipps over wth. about 300 people, and some cowes, goates and horses, many of which arrived safely. Theis by their too large commendacons of the Country, and the commodities thereof, invited us soe strongly to goe on that Mr. Wenthropp* of Suffolke (who was well knowne in his owne country and well approved heere for his pyety, liberality, wisedom and gravity) cominge in to us, wee came to such resolution that in April, 1630, wee sett saile from old England with 4 good shipps. And in May following, 8 more followed; 25 haueing gone before in February and March, and 2 more following in June and August, besides another set out by a private merchant. Theis 17 shipps arrived all safe in New England for the increase of the plantacon here this yeare 1630-but made a long, a troublesome and costly voyage, beeing all windbound long in England, and hindred with contrary winds, after they sett saile and soe scattered wth. mists and tempests that few of them arrived together. Our 4 shipps which sett out in April arrived here in June and July, more Adventurers joining with the first Vndertakers, and all engaging themselues more deeply for the prosecution of the designe; they sent over the next yeare about three hundred persons more, most Seruants, &c.] [John Winthrop, the first governour of the Massachusetts Colony, whose services and character may be fully known by reading his valuable JOURNAL, edited by the Hon. James Savage, and entitled, "The History of New England, from 1630 to 1649." [The Arabella, Jewell, Ambrose and Talbot.] The May-Flower, Whale, Hopewell, William and Francis, Trial, Charles, Success and Gift.] [The Lyon and Mary-John.] [The Handmaid was one of these two; the name of the other and the mershant ship not being known.] |