A DESCRIPTION of New England: OR THE OBSERVATIONS, AND With the proofe of the prefent benefit this A LONDON Printed by Humfrey Lownes, for Robert Clerke; and are to be fould at his houfe called the Lodge, in Chancery lane, ouer against Lincolncs Inne. 1616. if the Lord by this worke of his providence thought these few to many for the great worke he had to doe. But here by the way let me show, how afterward it was found that the leaknes of this ship was partly by being overmasted, and too much pressed with sayles; for after she was sould and put into her old trime, she made many viages and performed her service very sufficently, to the great profite of her owners.1 But more espetially, by the cuning and deceite of the m[aste]r and his company, who were hired to stay a whole year in the cuntrie,2 and now fancying dislike and fearing wante of victeles, they ploted this strategem to free them selves; as afterwards was knowne, and by some of them confessed. For they apprehended that the greater ship, being of force, and in whom most of the provissions were stowed, she would retayne enough for her selfe, what soever became of them or the passengers; and indeed shuch speeches had bene cast out by some of them; and yet, besides other incouragments, the cheefe of them that came from Leyden wente in this shipe to give the m[aste]r contente. But so strong was self love and his fears, as he forgott all duty and [43] former kindnesses, and delt thus falsly with them, though he pretended otherwise. Amongest those that returned was Mr. Cushman and his familie, whose hart and courage was gone from them before, as it seems, though his body was with them till now he departed; as may appear by a passionate letter he write to a freind in London from Dartmouth, whilst the ship lay ther a mending; the which, 1 In 1635 a vessel, the Speedwell, took John Winter and Edward Trelawny from Richmond's Island to England. Baxter says this was the same vessel that had caused the Pilgrims so much trouble, and had been chartered by Trelawny for a voyage to New England. George Cleeve and his Times, 49 n. The name, however, is often met with in the lists of vessels of that day. A Speed-well, of 50 tons, was Martin Pring's vessel in 1603. Purchas, Pilgrimes, Iv. 1654. Of the crew of the Mayflower at least two were under a like contract, William Trevore and Ely. Bradford records that "when their time was out, they both returned." One of these two was the probable informant on the master's "cunning." Charges of treachery, which were brought by Nathaniel Morton also against the master of the Mayflower, receive notice p. 158, infra. besides the expressions of his owne fears, it shows much of the providence of God working for their good beyonde mans expectation, and other things concerning their condition in these streats. I will hear relate it. And though it discover some infirmities in him (as who under temtation is free), yet after this he continued to be a spetiall instrumente for their good, and to doe the offices of a loving freind and faithfull brother unto them, and pertaker of much comforte with them. The letter is as followth.1 To his loving friend Ed: S[outhworth] at Henige House Dartmouth, Aug. 17. [1620.] LOVING FRIEND, My most kind remembrance to you and your wife, with loving E. M. etc. whom in this world I never looke to see againe. For besides the eminente dangers of this viage, which are no less then deadly, an infirmitie of body hath ceased me, which will not in all liclyhoode leave me till death. What to call it I know not, but it is a bundle of lead, as it were, crushing my harte more and more these · 14. days, as that allthough I doe the acctions of a liveing man, yet I am but as dead; but the will of God be done. Our pinass will not cease leaking, els I thinke, we had been halfe way at Virginia, our viage hither hath been as full of crosses, as our selves have been of crokednes. We put in hear to trimme her, and I thinke, as others also, if we had stayed at sea but 3 or 4. howers more, shee would have sunke right downe. And though she was twise trimmed at Hamton, yet now shee is as open 1 In Governor Bradford's Collection of Letters, this is Edward Southworth. PRINCE, in Bradford мs. Arber conjectures that this letter came into Bradford's hands by his second wife, Alice, the widow of Southworth, to whom it was addressed. Story of the Pilgrim Fathers, 46. Southworth was a member of the Leyden congregation, and a say-weaver, and died before the summer of 1623. The Southworth family is associated with Basset-Lawe, which is in the same hundred as Scrooby, where Robinson's church was located. Alice came to New Plymouth in the Anne. • Cushman lived to make the journey to New England and back in 1621, and died early in 1625. |