. CHAP. VII. Of Thomas Mortons entertainement at Plimmouth and castinge away upon an Island. T ment in the wil His man arrived in those parts, and hearing newes of a Towne that was much praised, he was desirous to goe thither, and see how thinges stood, where his entertainement was there best, I dare be bould to say: for although they had but 3. Cowes in all, yet had they fresh butter and a sallet of egges in dainty wise, a dish not Brave entertainecommon in a wildernes, there hee bestowed some dernes time in the survey of this plantation. His new come servants in the meane time, were tane to taske, to have their zeale appeare, and questioned what preacher was among their company; and finding none, did seeme to condole their estate as if undone, because no man among them The meanes. had the guift, to be in Ionas steade, nor they the Our Master say they reades the Bible and the word of God, and useth the booke of common prayer, but this is not the meanes; the answere is: the meanes, they crie: alas poore Soules where is the meanes, you seeme as if betrayed to be without the meanes: how can you be stayed from fallinge headlonge to perdition? Facilis descensus averni: the booke of common prayer sayd they what poore thinge is that, for a man to reade in a booke? No, no, good sirs I would you were neere us, you might receave comfort by spised. instruction give me a man hath the guiftes of the spirit, not a booke in hand. I doe professe sayes one, to live without the meanes, is dangerous, the Lord doth know. Book learning de By these insinuations, like the Serpent they did creepe and winde into the good opinion of the illiterate multitude, that were desirous to be freed and gone (to them no doubt, which some of them after confessed) and little good was to be done one them after this charme was used, now plotts and factions, how they might get loose, and here was some 35. stout knaves, & some plotted how to steale Master Villanous plots of Westons barque, others exasperated knavishly to worke, would practise how to gett theire Master to an Island; and there leave him, which hee had notice of, and fitted him to try what would be done, and steps aborde his shallop bound for knaves. cretion. And discovered in drinke. Cape Anne to the Massachussets, with an Hogshead of Wine, Sugar hee tooke along, the Sailes hoist up and one of the Conspirators aboard to steere, who in the mid way pretended foule weather at the harboure mouth, and therefore for a time, hee would put in to an Island neere, and make some stay where hee thought to tempt his Master to walke the woods, and so be gone but their Master to prevent them, caused the sales Prevented by dis- and oares to be brought a shore, to make a tilt if neede should be, and kindled fire, broched that Hogshed, and caused them fill the can with lusty liqour, Claret sparklinge neate which was not suffered to grow pale and flatt, but tipled of with quick dexterity, the Master makes a shew of keepinge round, but with close lipps did seeme to make longe draughts, knowinge the wine would make them Protestants, and so the plot was then at large disclosed and discovered, & they made drowsie, and the inconstant windes shiftinge at night did force the kellecke home, and billedge the boat, that they were forced to leave her so, and cut downe trees that grew by the shore, to make Caffes: two of them went over by helpe of a fore saile almost a mile to the maine the other two stayed five dayes after, till the windes would serve to fill the sailes. The first two went to cape Ann by land, and had fowle enough, and fowle wether by the way, the Islanders had fish enough, shel-fish and fire to roast, & they could not perish for lacke of foode, and wine they had to be sure; and by this you see they were not then in any want; the wine and goodes brought thence, the boat left there so billedgd that it was not worth the labor to be mended. The Shallop billedged. Two men of the Company cast away swim to shore upon trees. CHAP. VIII. Of the Banishment of Master John Layford, and John Oldum from Plimmouth. A Minister required to renounce his cal linge. M Aster Layford was at the Merchants chardge sent to Plimmouth plantation to be their Pastor: But the Brethren, before they would allow of it, would have him first renounce his calling, to the office of the Ministery, received in England, as hereticall and Papisticall, (so hee confest) and then to receive a new callinge from them, after their fantasticall invention which hee refused, alledging and maintaining, that his calling as it stood was lawfull, and that hee would not renounce it; and so Iohn Oldam his opinion was one the affirmative, and both together did maintaine the Church of England, to be a true Church, although in some particulars (they said) defective concludinge so against the Tenents there, and by this meanes cancelled theire good opinion, amongst the number of the Seperatists, that stay they must not, lest they should be spies, and to fall fowle on this occation, the Brethren thought it would betray their cause, and make it fall under censure, therefore against Master Layford they had found out some scandall; to be laid on his former corse of life, to blemish that, and so to conclude hee was a spotted beast, and not to be allowed, where they ordained to have the Passover kept so zealously: as for Iohn Oldam, they could see hee would be passionate, and moody; and proove himselfe a mad Iack in his mood, and as soone mooved to be moody, and this impatience would Minister advantage to them to be ridd of him. Hanniball when hee had to doe with Fabius, was Impatience confu ted by example. kept in awe more by the patience of that one enemy, then by the resolution of the whole army: A well tempered enemy is a terrible enemy to incounter. They injoyne him to come to their needeles watch howse presse money. banishment. in person, and for refusinge give him a cracked New Plimmouth Crowne for presse money, and make the blood run downe about his eares, a poore trick, yet a good vaile though Luscus may see thorough it; and for his further behaviour in the Case, proceed to sentence him with banishment, which was performed after a solemne inven- The Solemnity of tion in this manner: A lane of Musketiers was made, and hee compelled in scorne to passe along betweene, & to receave a bob upon the bumme be every musketier, and then a board a shallop, and so convayed to Wessaguscus shoare, & staid at Massachussets, to whome Iohn Layford and some few more did resort, where Master Layford freely executed his office and preached every Lords day, and yet maintained his wife & children foure or five, upon his industry there, with the blessing of God, and the plenty of the Land, without the helpe of his auditory, in an honest and laudable manner, till hee was wearied and made to leave the Country, 11 CHAP. IX. Of a barren doe of Virginea growne fruithfull in New Canaan. C Hildren and the fruit of the Wombe, are said in holy writt, to be an inheritance that commeth of the Lord; then they must be coupled in Gods name first, and not as this and some other have done. They are as arrowes in the hand of a Gyant; A great happines and happy saith David, is the man, that hath his quiver full of them, and by that rule, happy is that Land and blessed to that is apt and fit for increase comes by propa gation, of children. I have shewed you before in the second part, of the discourse, how apt it is for the increase of Minerals, Vegetables, and sensible Creatures. Now I will shew you, how apt New Canaan is like wise for the increase of the reasonable Creatures, Children, of all riches being the principall: and I give you this for an instance. New Canaan in This Country of New Canaan in seaven yeares More Children in time could show more Children livinge, that have beene borne there, then in 27. could be yeares shewen in Virginea; yet here are but a handful of weomen landed, to that of Virginea. 7. yeares, then in Virginea in 27. The Country doth afford such plenty of Lobsters, and other delicate shellfish, and Venus is said to be borne of the Sea, or else it was some sallet herbe proper to the Climate or the fountaine at Weenaseemute made her become teeming here, that had tried a campe royall in other partes, where shee had been & yet never the neere, till shee came in to New Canaan. Bussards bay. Shee was delivered (in a voyage to Virginea) Delivered neare about Bussardes bay, to west of Cape Cod, where Dead and buried. shee had a Sonne borne, but died without baptisme and was buried; and being a thinge remarkable, had this Epitaph following made of purpose to memorize the worth of the persons. T EPITAPH. Ime that brings all thinges to light, For underneath this heape of stones, СНАР. Х. Of a man indued with many spetiall guifts sent over to be Master of the Ceremonies. T His was a man approoved of the Brethren, both for his zeale and guiftes, yet but a Bubble, & at the publike Chardge conveyed to New England, I thinke to be Master of the Ceremonies, betweene the Natives, and the Planters: for hee applied himselfe cheifly to pen the language downe in Stenography: But there for want of use, Stenography one which hee rightly understood not, all was losse of labor, somethinge it was when next it came to view, but what hee could not tell. guift. Oratory another great Merchant This man Master Bubble was in the time of John Oldams absence made the howse Chaplaine there, and every night hee made use of his guifts, whose oratory luld his auditory fast a sleepe, as Mercuries pipes did Argus gu eies: for when hee was in; they sayd hee could not tell how to get out: nay hee would hardly out, till hee were fired out, his zeale was such: (one fire they say drives out another,) hee would become a great Merchant, and by any thinge that was to be sold so as hee might have a third guift. day and be trusted never so litle time: the price it seemed hee stood not much upon, but the day: for to his freind hee shewed commodities so priced, as caused him to blame the buyer, till the man this Bubble did declare, that it was tane up at day, and did rejoyce in the bargaine, insistinge on the day, the day, yea marry quoth his friend if you have doomesday for payment you are then well to passe. But if he had not, it were as good hee had, they were payed all alike. common prouerb. And now, this Bubbles day is become a common His day made a proverbe, hee obtained howse roome at Passonagessit, and remooved thether, because it stood convenient, for the Beaver trade, and the rather because the owner of Passonagessit had no Corne left: and this man seemed a bigg boned man, and therefore thought to be a good laborer, and |