A better fet of emigrants never croffed the Atlantic; "they were a plain, frugal, induftrious, confcientious, and loving people; and, for the day in which they lived, and confidering their education, poffeffed a good fhare of politenefs. The important light in which they viewed morality, led them, in many inftances, to fuch critical exactnefs, as would be deemed by the moderns ridiculous; from thence, however, the community derived fubftantial benefits. They have been ftigmatised as enthufiafts, but nothing like enthusiasm is to be met with in the records of any of their transactions, either civil or ecclefiaftic. Their piety indeed was eminent and fervent, but it was alfo rational, and their religion was that of the Bible, and had a proper influence upon their conduct."

On the 3d of November, 1620, King James figned a patent, incorporating the Duke of Lenox, the Marquiffes of Buckingham and Hamilton, the Earls of Arundel and Warwick, Sir Francis Georges, with thirty-four others, and their fucceffors, ftiling them, 'The council established in Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering, and governing, of New-England in America.' To this council he granted all that part of America which lies between the 40th and 48th degrees of north latitude. This patent is the great civil bafis of all the grants and patents by which New-England was afterwards divided. This council retained the power vested in them by the crown until the year 1635, when they refigned their charter.

In March, 1621, Mafaffoit,* one of the most powerful Sagamores of the neighbouring Indians, with fixty attendants, made a vifit to the Plymouth fettlers, and entered into a formal and very friendly treaty with them, wherein they agreed to avoid injuries on both fides-to punish offenders-to restore stolen goods to affift each other in all juftifiable wars-to promote peace among their neighbours, &c. Mafaffoit and his fucceffors, for fifty years, inviolably obferved this treaty. The English are much indebted to him for his friendship, and his memory will ever be refpected in New-England.

The Narraganfets, difliking the conduct of Masassoit, declared war against him, which occafioned much confufion and fighting among the Indians. The Plymouth colony interpofed in favour of Mafaffoit, their good ally, and terminated the difpute,

The feat of Mafaffoit was at Pakanokit, on Namasket river, which pus into Narraganfet Bay.

to the terror of their enemies; even Canonicus himself, the tetrific Sachem of the Narraganfets, fued for peace.

The prudent, friendly, and upright conduct of the Plymouth colony towards their neighbours, the Indians, fecured their friendship and alliance. On the 13th of September, 1621, no lefs than nine Sachems declared allegiance to King James; and Mafafioit, with many of his Sub-Sachems, who lived around the bays of Patuxent and Maffachusetts, fubscribed a writing, acknowledging the King of England their mafter. Thefe trani actions are fo many proofs of the peaceful and benevolent difpofition of the Plymouth fettlers; for had they been otherwife difpofed, they never could have introduced and maintained a friendly intercourfe with the natives.

On the 10th of September this year, the King granted to Sir William Alexander a patent of all the tract of country bounded by a line drawn from Cape Sables to the Bay of St. Mary; thence to the river St. Croix: thence north to Canada river; down the river Gachepe; thence fouth-east to Cape Breton ifland and Cape Breton; thence round to Cape Sables; with all feas and islands within fix leagues of the western and eaftern parts, and within forty leagues fouthward of Cape Breton and Cape Sables; to be called Nova Scotia.

This year, 1622, died Squanto, the friend of the English, who merits to have his name perpetuated in hiftory. Squanto was one of the twenty Indians whom Hunt perfidiously carried to Spain; whence he came to London, and afterwards returned to his native country with the Plymouth colony. Forgetting the perfidy of thofe who made him a captive, he became a warm friend to the English, and continued fo to the day of his death. A few days before he died, he defired the governor to pray that he might go to the Englithman's God in Heaven.

In March, 1624, Mr. Winflow, agent for the colony, arrived, and, together with a good fupply of cloathing, brought a buil and three heifers, which were the first cattle of the kind in this part of America. From these, and others that were afterwards brought over from England, fprang the prefent multitude of cattle in the northern ftates. None of the domestic animals were found in America by the firft European fettlers.

At the clofe of this year, 1624, the plantation of New-Plymouth confifted of one hundred and eighty perfons, who lived in thirty-two dwelling houfes. Their ftock was a few cattle and goats, and a plenty of twine and poultry. Their town was impaled about half a mile in compass. On a high mount in the

town they had erected a fort of wood, lime, and stone, and a handfome watch tower.

year of

The year 1625 is diftinguifhed by the death of the Rev. Mr. Robinfon; he died at Leyden in March, in the fiftieth his age. He was truly a great and good man, and lived in great love and harmony with his people; he was held in high estimation by all his acquaintance, for his learning, piety, moderation, and excellent accomplishments. His death was lamented as a public lofs, and felt by none more than by his beloved and fardiftant people at Plymouth. His fon Ifaac went over to Plymouth where he lived to the age of ninety years. His defcendants ftill live in Barnftable county, in Maffachusetts.

After the death of Mr. Robinfon, the remaining part of his congregation were extremely defirous of going over to their friends at Plymouth, and measures were taken for the purpose; yet it was not until the year 1629 that they affected their defign.

The Plymouthians having cleared the way for other fufferers to settle in America, with less difficulty and danger than what they had experienced; the fame of their planation spreading through the western parts of England, and the government in church and state growing more and more oppreflive; the territory of the Maffachusetts-Bay was purchased of the Plymouth-Council, in the year 1628, and a company foon formed, who confulted on fettling a plantation, to which non-conforming puritans might emigrate in order to enjoy their own principles in full fecurity.Their fufferings had been moderated for a few years before Elizabeth's death. The queen was far advanced in life; the next heir to the crown was a prefbyterian, who had fubfcribed to the Scotch national covenant, and, with hands uplifted to heaven, had pronounced, "The Scotch kirk the purest in the world, and the fervice of the kirk of England an evil faid mass in English, that wants nothing of the mass but the liftings" he had interceded for fome of the perfecuted minifters; and the bishops were cautious of acting against a party, for whom King James had declared; but upon his afcending the throne, the fears of the high churchmen and the hopes of the non-conformists were foon ended. It was not long before the king became in the church a furious perfecutor of the nonconformists, and in the ftate as errant a defpot as his cowardice would allow. In ftigmatizing for puritans, all who stood by the laws of the land, and oppofed his arbitrary government, though ftrenuous churchmen, he strengthened the cause of the Vol. II.

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church-puritans: the former, called by way of diftinction statepuritans, joining the latter, both together became at length the majority of the nation.

Still the times were not mended; and the death of James made way for their becoming much worse. Charles took for his bofom counfellor, in religious affairs, Bifhop Laud, the moft unqualified perfon for the purpole of any to be found in the three kingdoms; he alfo refigned himself up to the most arbitrary councils.

The lowering profpeft thickened apace; the Massachusetts Company, therefore, provided a fafe retreat in feafon. They applied immediately to the improvement of their purchased territory, and fent out Captain John Endicott and others, with fervants, to begin a plantation, who arrived at, what is now named, Salem. They foon after petitioned for a royal charter, hoping that their existence and powers would be thereby fecured and promoted. They fucceeded, and on the 4th of March, 1629, a charter of incorporation was granted, making them a body politic, by the name of "The Governor and Company of the Maffachusetts-Bay in New-England," with as full powers as any other corporation in the realm of England. The grant and fale of the Plymouth-Council was confirmed. Till the annual election by the company could commence, the governor, deputy-governor, and eighteen affiftants were specified. The mode of governing, and of admitting freemen was prefcribed. They were empowered to eleft and conftitute fuch other officers, as might be thought requifite for the managing of their affairs; and to make laws and ordinances, not contrary to the laws and ftatutes of the realm, for the good of the faid company, and the government of their lands and plantation, and the inhabitants thereof. They were allowed to transport perfons, whether fubjects or ftrangers, weapons, merchandife, &c. any law to the contrary notwithstanding-fuch was the diipenfing power the king affumed. He also exempted them from paying cuftom or fubfidy for feven years: the governor and company, their factors and affigns, were to pay neither that nor any taxes in New-England for the fame fpace. All were freed from duties upon goods imported or exported for twenty-one years, except the old five per cent. cuftom upon imports after the expiration of the feven years. All his majefty's fubjects going to and inhabiting the company's lands, together with their children, were to enjoy all the liberties of free and natural subjets, within any of his dominions, the fame as though born in England. Belide, the governor and company were entrusted

with the power of making laws, ordinances, &c. not contrary to the laws of England; of fettling the government and magiftracy of the plantation and its inhabitants; of naming all the officers; and of fetting forth their feveral duties, powers, and limits; and the king commanded that all fuch laws, ordinances, &c. fhould be published, in writing, under the common scal of the company, and thereupon be carefully obferved and put into execution, according to their true meaning. The charter* does not once mention liberty of confcience or toleration; though onet hiftorian has inadvertently advanced, that "free liberty of confcience was likewife granted to all who fhould fettle in the Maffachusetts-Bay, to worship God in their own way ;" and another, the charter granted toleration to all Chriftians, except papifts." The affertions apply only to the charter granted by King William and Queen Mary.

The company, in the exercise of their chartered powers, determined, on the 30th of April, 1629, that a governor and council of twelve, refiding on the plantation, fhould have the fole ordering of its affairs and government. They appointed Captain Endicott governor, and feven gentlemen going from England to be counsellors, and directed how the other five fhould be elected, together with a deputy-governor and secretary.

Meffrs. Higginfon, Skelton, Bright, John and Samuel Browne, were of the feven counsellors nominated by the company.—The three first, being minifters, had declared themselves to be of one judgment, and to be fully agreed in the manner how to exercise their miniftry. The company's committee in their letter to Governor Endicott, expreffed good hopes on account of it, and at the fame time recommended Meffrs. John and Samuel Browne as men whom they much refpected, being fully perfuaded of their fincere affections to the good of the plantation. The Minifters and paffengers were epifcopally inclined when they left England, though they could not conform to many ceremonies and cuftoms, nor fubmit to, what they judged, different corruptions, impofed upon their confciences by the king and prelates; they were allo ftrongly prejudiced against the

• See the Charter in Hutchinfon's Collection of Papers, p. 1---23.

+ Neale's Hiftory of the Puritans, 4to. Vol. I. p. 543

Hutchinfon's Hiftory of the Mafiachusetts-Bay. Vol. II. p. 3.

Suffolk Records.