but had litle respecte [159] amongst them, and was sleghted by the meanest servants. Haveing continued ther some time, and not finding things to answer their expectations, nor profite to arise as they looked for, Captaine Wollaston takes a great part of the sarvants, and transports them to Virginia, wher he puts them of at good rates, selling their time to other men; and writes back to one Mr. Rassdall, one of his cheefe partners, and accounted their marchant,' to bring another parte of them to Verginia likewise, intending to put them of ther as he had done the rest. And he, with the consente of the said Rasdall, appoynted one Fitcher to be his Liuetenante, and governe the remaines of the plantation, till he or Rasdall returned to take further order theraboute. But this Morton abovesaid, haveing more craft then honestie, (who had been a kind of petie-fogger, of Furneffells Inne,) 2 in the others absence, watches an oppertunitie, (and commons being but hard amongst them), and gott some strong drinck and other junkats, and made them a feast; and after they were merie, he begane to tell them, he would give them good counsell. You see (saith he) that many of your fellows are carried to Virginia; and if you stay till this Rasdall returne, you will also be carried away and sould for slaves with the rest. Therfore I

1 Merchant probably means supercargo in this reference.

2 Morton speaks of himself as of "Cliffords Inne gent." There were ten of the lesser houses or innes, which were called Inns of the Chancery. Both Clifford's and Furnival's Inns were of the Chancery, belonging to the Inner Temple, and subordinate to the Inns of Court. The Inns of Chancery, though possessing property, hall, chambers, etc., perform no public functions, like the Inns of Court.

The demand for "servants" in Virginia proved so strong as to offer the best market for the unexpired terms of service among the uncertain settlements elsewhere. The cultivation of tobacco required much labor, and the land obtainable for bringing a servant into the colony was another cause of the movement. Yet for many years the treatment given to these indentured servants, who had sold their services for a period of four to seven years in order to obtain transportation to Virginia, was harsh and even scandalously bad. The terms of an indenture of 1628, for serving four years in Virginia, are given in Neill, Virginia Carolorum, 57 n. "Sustenance, meat, drink, apparel and other necessaries for his livelihood and sustenance" during the term of service formed an essential part of this contract, but there existed no means of

would advise you to thruste out this Lieutenant Fitcher; and I, having a parte in the plantation, will receive you as my partners and consociates; so may you be free from service, and we will converse, trade, plante, and live togeather as equalls, and supporte and protecte one another, or to like effecte. This counsell was easily received; so they tooke oppertunitie, and thrust Leuetenante Fitcher out a dores, and would suffer him to come no more amongst them, but forct him to seeke bread to eate, and other releefe from his neigbours, till he could gett passages for England. After this they fell to great licenciousnes, and led a dissolute life, powering out them selves into all profanenes. And Morton became lord of misrule,1 and maintained (as it were) a schoole of Athisme. And after they had gott some goods into their hands, and gott much by trading with the Indeans, they spent it as vainly, in quaffing and drinking both wine and strong waters in great exsess, and, as some reported, Iolis. worth in a morning. They allso set up a May-pole, drinking and dancing aboute it many days togeather, inviting the Indean women, for their consorts, dancing and frisking togither, (like so many fairies, or furies rather,) and worse practises. As if they had anew revived and celebrated the feasts of the Roman Goddes Flora, or the beasly practieses of the madd Bacchinalians. Morton likassuring the fulfilment of the contract. Many such servants came to New Plymouth, and could buy out their service or, on the expiration of their time, could receive land, if stipulated in the contract, or become householders and freemen.

1 "First in the feaste of Christmas, there was in the kinges house, wheresoeuer hee was lodged, a Lord of Misrule, or Maister of merry disports, and the like had yee in the house of euery noble man, of honor, or good worshippe, were he spirituall or temporall. Amongst the which the Mayor of London, and eyther of the shiriffes had their seuerall Lordes of Misrule, euer contending without quarrell or offence, who should make the rarest pastimes to delight the Beholders. These Lordes beginning their rule on Alhollon Eue, continued the same till the morrow after the Feast of the Purification, commonlie called Candlemas day: In all which space there were fine and subtle disguisinges, Maskes and Mummeries, with playing at Cardes for Counters, Nayles and pointes in euery house, more for pastimes then for gaine." Stow, Survey of London (Kingsford), 1. 97.

Mayday and its festivities have been traced to the Roman feast of Flora, which

wise' (to shew his poetrie) composed sundry rimes and verses, some tending to lasciviousnes, and others to the detraction and scandall of some persons, which he affixed to this idle or idoll May-polle.1 They chainged allso the name of their place, and in stead of calling it Mounte Wollaston, they call it Merie[160]mounte, as if this joylity would have lasted ever. But this continued not long, for after Morton was sent for England, (as folows to be declared,) shortly after came over that worthy gentleman, Mr. John Indecott, who brought over a patent under the broad seall, for the govermente began on April 28, and lasted some days. Stow, in his Survey of London (1603), thus summarizes the festivities of the day: "I find also that, in the moneth of May, the citizens of London . . . had their seuerall mayings, and did fetch in Maypoles, with diuerse warlike shewes, with good Archers, Morice dauncers, and other deuices, for pastime all the day long, and towards the Euening they had stage playes, and Bonefiers in the streetes." To the Puritan the festival was obnoxious for its pagan origin and its worldly practices. After describing the great veneration and devotion shown by the crowd in bringing from the woods their "chiefest jewell," the Maypole, Stubbes (Anatomy of Abuses) continues: "And then fall they to banquet and feast, to leape and daunce about it, as the Heathen people did at the dedication of their Idolles, whereof this is a perfect patterne, or rather the thyng itself." The day had long ceased to be a day of simple and innocent enjoyments, and offered considerable license to those who took part in the games. Adams, in the introduction to Morton, New English Canaan, 18. In April, 1644, Parliament ordered all Maypoles to be taken down and removed, and the sports and merriments went with the poles. Under Charles II Mayday festivities were renewed and encouraged. Morton's Maypole was not the first erected in New England. 4 Mass. Hist. Collections, IV. 478.

1 Specimens of Morton's attempts at versification are to be found in his New English Canaan. These may at the time have contained allusions, the significance of which cannot now be traced. References to the somewhat rigid life led at New Plymouth and characteristics of individuals there living may have been apparent at the time, and thus have drawn down upon the author the hostility of the authorities. • "The inhabitants of Pasonagessit having translated the name of their habitation from that ancient Salvage name to Ma-re-Mount . . . the precise seperatists that lived at New Plimmouth stood at defiance with the place, naming it Mount Dagon; threatning to make it a woefull mount and not a merry mount." Morton, New English Canaan (Prince Society), 276, 278. Trumbull was unable to give the meaning of Passonagessit, but suggested that it stood for Pasco-naig-és-it, or "near the little point," which answers well to the topographical situation of Mount Wollaston. Adams, in New English Canaan, 14 n.

of the Massachusets,1 who visiting those parts caused that Maypolle to be cutt downe, and rebuked them for their profannes, and admonished them to looke ther should be better walking; so they

1 White and some others of the Dorchester Company were still desirous of establishing a plantation in New England, and proposed to send over to Conant and his associates (vol. I. p. 418), “twelve Kine and Buls more." "And conferring casually with some Gentlemen of London, moved them to adde vnto them as many more. By which occasion the businesse came to agitation afresh in London, and being at first disapproved by some and disliked by others, by argument and disputation it grew to be more vulgar. In so much, that some men shewing some good affection to the worke, and offering the helpe of their purses, if fit men might be procured to goe over; Enquiry was made whither any would be willing to engage their persons in the Voyage: by this enquiry it fell out that among others they lighted at last on Master Endecott, a man well knowne to divers persons of good note: who manifested much willingnesse to accept of the offer as soone as it was tendered: which gaue great encouragement to such as were upon the point of resolution to set on this worke, of erecting a new Colony upon the old foundation. Hereupon divers persons having subscribed for the raising of a reasonable Summe of Mony: A Patent was granted with large encouragements every way by his most Excellent Majestie. Master Endecott was sent over Governour assisted with a few men, and arriving in safety there, in September 1628, and uniting his owne men with those which were formerly planted in the County, into one body, they made up in all not much above fiftie or sixtie persons." White, The Planters Plea, *75.

Endecott did not bring over the patent under the broad seal. That was not issued until March 4, 1628-29. It is printed in Hazard, Historical Collections, 1. 239.

The grant of these charters was accomplished in a characteristic and loose manner. Robert Gorges, having died, his rights passed to his brother John, from whom Oldham and one John Dorrell now obtained a lease or grant of "all the lands within Mattachusetts Bay betweene Charles River and Abousett River." If Sir Ferdinando Gorges, in acceding to the patent to the Massachusetts Company, reserved the rights

now, or others, changed the name of their place againe, and called it Mounte-Dagon.1

Now to maintaine this, riotous prodigallitie and profuse excess, Morton, thinking him selfe lawless, and hearing what gaine the French and fisher-men made by trading of peeces, powder, and shotte to the Indeans, he, as the head of this consortship, begane the practise of the same in these parts; and first he taught them how to use them, to charge, and discharge, and what proportion of powder to give the peece, according to the sise or bignes of the same; and what shotte to use for foule, and what for deare. And having thus instructed them, he imployed some of them to hunte and fowle of his son Robert, his precaution proved of no service, for the Company obtained a royal confirmation of their patent and took possession before Gorges or Oldham could so much as specify their claim, much less establish it. The incident is of interest here as showing the ambition of Oldham. The history of the grant will be developed in Winthrop's History. A John Darrell came to New England in 1637, in the Mary Ann, from Great Yarmouth and desired to go to Salem. Nothing further is known of him. Endecott sailed in the ship Abigail, Henry Gauden, master, from Weymouth, June 20, 1628, and arrived at Naumkeak, in September, bringing full instructions from the Massachusetts Bay Company to take possession of the territory covered. by their patent and hold it against intruders. Especially was he to guard against the occupation by Oldham, under his patent from John Gorges, of any of the territory adjacent to Massachusetts Bay, as what is now Boston Bay was then designated. When Higginson wrote his relation of his voyage he described the situation thus: "When we came first to Naimkeck, now called Salem, we found about half a score houses built: and a fayre house newly built for the governour, and we found also abundance of corne planted by them, excellent good and well liking. We brought with us about 200 passengers and planters more, which now by common consent of all the ould planters are all now combyned together into one body politique under the same governor. There are with us in all ould and new planters 300, whereof 200 are settled at Naimkecke, now called Salem, and the rest plant themselves at Massachusets bay, being to build a towne there called Charleston or Charlestowne." Hutchinson Papers, 1. *47.

1 Dagon, the national god of the Philistines, usually represented with the face and arms of a man and the tail of a fish. "The fish-like form was a natural emblem of fruitfulness, and as such was likely to be adopted by seafaring tribes in the representation of their gods." Bradford may have had this appositeness of the mention in his mind, but more likely recalled that it was at the feast of Dagon that Samson pulled down the pillars of his temple at Gaza. Judges, xvi.