to them selves; and made agreement with the maister to be ready at a certaine day, and take them, and their goods in, at a conveniente place, wher they accordingly would all attende in readines. So after long waiting, and large expences (though he kepte not day with them) yet he came at length and tooke them in, in the night; But when he had them and their goods abord, he betrayed them, haveing before hand complotted with the serchers, and other officers so to doe. Who tooke them, and put them into open boats, and ther rifled and ransaked them, searching them to their shirts for money, yea even the women furder then became modestie; and then caried them back into the towne, and made them a spectackle, and wonder to the multitude, which came flocking on all sides to behould them. Being thus first, by the chatchpoule1 officers, rifled, and stripte of their money, books, and much other goods; they were presented to the majestrates, and messengers sente to informe the lords of the Counsell of them; and so they were commited to ward. Indeed the majestrats used them courteously, and shewed them what favour they could; but could not deliver them, till order came from the Counsell-table. But the issue was that after a months imprisonmente, the greatest parte were dismiste, and sent to the places from whence they came; but 7. of the principall were still kept in prison, and bound over to the Assises.2

The nexte spring after, ther was another attempte made by some

1 A word of Provençal origin, meaning one who hunts or chases fowls; in time it was applied to a tax-gatherer, and later to a sheriff's officer. In Bradford's day it had become a word of contempt.

? Among the seven was William Brewster. See under 1643, infra. As Brewster received pay as postmaster at Scrooby up to the last day of September, 1607, this attempt to reach Holland must have occurred after that time. Arber (86) conjectures it was in October or November of that year. Boston is about sixty-seven miles to the east of Scrooby. The river Idle is navigable for small boats from Scaftworth, one mile east of Scrooby, to the Trent, and thus Gainsborough could be reached. From that place to Boston is fifty-five miles by the river Witham. The assizes were sessions held periodically in each county of England, for the purpose of administering civil and criminal justice, by judges acting under special commissions.

of these and others; to get over at an other place. And it so fell out, that they light of a Dutchman at Hull, having a ship of his owne belonging to Zealand; they made agreemente with him, and aquaint[9]ed him with their condition, hoping to find more faithfullne[ss] in him, then in the former of their owne nation; he bad them not fear, for he would doe well enough. He was (by appointment) to take them in betweene Grimsbe, and Hull, wher was a large commone a good way distante from any towne.1 Now against the prefixed time, the women and children, with the goods, were sent to the place in a small barke, which they had hired for that end; and the men were to meete them by land. But it so fell out, that they were ther a day before the shipe came, and the sea being rough, and the women very sicke, prevailed with the seamen to put into a creeke hardby, where they lay on ground at low-water. The nexte morning the shipe came, but they were fast, and could not stir, till aboute noone; In the mean time (the shipe maister, perceiveing how the matter was) sente his boate to be getting the men abord whom he saw ready, walking aboute the shore. But after the first boat full was gott abord, and she was ready to goe for more, the mr. espied a greate company (both horse, and foote) with bills,2 and gunes, and other weapons (for the countrie was raised to take them).

1 Arber says, "Local opinion would seem to favor East Halton Skitter haven, in Lat. 53°, 41′, 30"; because that is the only break in the specified coast line of Lincolnshire viz. between Hull and Great Grimsby: from which latter place it is distant some twenty miles." The bark with the women would thus have floated down the Trent, thirty miles, and then some twenty miles or so along the coast; the men, coming from West Stockwith, would walk forty miles. Story of the Pilgrim Fathers, 94. Dexter believes Stallingborough, about four miles north of Grimsby, meets the conditions best. The England and Holland of the Pilgrims, 405. The party doubtless sailed by the Idle River to the Humber, where they took the bark. "It is thirty miles from Gainsborough to the mouth of the Trent; twenty-two miles from thence, to Hull; and twenty miles from Hull to Great Grimsby." Arber, 94.

2 A bill varied in form from a simple concave blade with a long handle, to a kind of concave axe with a spike at the back and its shaft terminating in a spearhead. Now obsolete, in the seventeenth century it was used by the infantry and by constables of the watch.

The Dutch-man seeing that, swore (his countries oath), sacremente; and having the wind faire, waiged his Ancor, hoysed sayles, and away. But the poore-men which were gott abord, were in great distress for their wives, and children, which they saw thus to be taken, and were left destitute of their helps; and them selves also, not having a cloath to shifte them with, more then they had on their baks, and some scarce a peney aboute them, all they had being abord the barke. It drew tears from their eyes, and any thing they had they would have given to have been a shore againe; but all in vaine, ther was no remedy; they must thus sadly part. And afterward endured a fearfull storme at sea, being · 14 days or more before they arived at their porte, in .7. wherof they neither saw son, moone, nor stars, and were driven near the coast of Norway; the mariners them selves often despairing of life; and once with shriks and cries gave over all, as if the ship had been foundred in the sea, and they sinking without recoverie. But when mans hope, and helpe wholy failed, the lords power and mercie appeared in ther recoverie; for the ship rose againe, and gave the mariners courage againe to manage here. And if modestie would suffer me, I might declare with what fer[10]vente prayres they cried unto the lord in this great distres, (espetialy some of them) even without any great distraction when the water rane into their mouthes and ears; and the mariners cried out we sinke, we sinke; they cried (if not with mirakelous, yet with a great hight or degree of devine faith) yet Lord thou canst save; yet Lord thou canst save; with shuch other expressions as I will forbeare. Upon which the ship did not only recover, but shortly after the violence of the storme begane to abate; and the lord filed their afflicted minds with shuch comforts as every one cannot understand. And in the end brought them to their desired Haven, wher the people came flockeing admiring their deliverance, the storme having ben so longe and sore, in which much hurt had been don, as the masters freinds related unto him in their congrattulations.