To be more frequent and constant in private prayer.

To practise more carefully, and seriously, and frequently the duty of self-examination; especially before the receiving of the Lord's Supper.

To strive against carnal security, and excessive sleeping.

To strive against vain jangling, and misspending precious time.

IV. TOUCHING OTHERS.

To be more careful and zealous, to do good unto their souls, by private exhortations, reproofs, instructions, conferences of God's word. To be ready to do offices of love and kindness, not only or principally for the praise of men, to purchase commendation for a good neighbor, but rather out of conscience to the commandment of God. Renewed with a profession of disabilities in myself, for performance, and of desire to fetch power from Christ, thereunto to live upon him, and act from him, in all spiritual duties.-15 D. 6 M. 1636. RICHARD MATHER.

THE

A CHRONICLE OF WIND AND WAVE.

[Richard Mather's Journal. Written 1635.]

HE first Sabbath from Milford Haven, and the sixth on shipboard, a fair cool day; wind northerly, good for our purpose. I was exercised in the forenoon, and Mr. Maude in the afternoon. This evening we saw porpoises about the ship, and some would fain have been striking, but others dissuaded because of the Sabbath, and so it was let alone.

Monday morning, wind still northerly; a fair cool day. This morning about seven of the clock our seamen struck a great porpoise, and hauled it with ropes into the ship; for bigness not much less than an hog of twenty or twenty-five shillings a piece, and not much unlike for shape; with flesh, fat and lean, like in color to the fat and lean of an hog.

The seeing of him hauled into the ship, like a swine from the sty to the trestle, and opened upon the deck in view of all our company, was wonderful to us all, and marvellous merry sport and delightful to our women and children; so good was our God unto us, in affording us the day before spiritual refreshing to our souls, and this day morning also delightful recreation to our bodies, at the taking and opening of this huge and strange fish. In the afternoon the "Angel

Gabriel" sent their boat to our ship to see how we did, and our master, Captain Taylor, went aboard the "Angel" and took Matthew Michel and me with him. When we came thither we found their passengers that had been sea-sick now well recovered the most of them; and two children that had had the small-pox now well recovered again. We were entreated to stay sup there with their master, etc., and had good cheer, mutton boiled and roasted turkey, good sack, etc. After which loving and courteous entertainment, we took leave and came aboard the "James" again at night.

Tuesday, a fair, hot summer day, but small wind. This day we saw with wonder and delight abundance of porpoises, and likewise some grampuses as big as an ox, puffing and spewing up water as they went by the ship.

Friday, wind still northerly, but very faint. It was a great foggy mist, and exceeding cold as it had been December. One would have wondered to have seen the innumerable numbers of fowl which we saw swimming on every side of the ship, and mighty fishes rolling and tumbling in the waters, twice as long and big as an ox. In the afternoon we saw mighty whales spewing up water in the air, like the smoke of a chimney, and making the sea about them white and hoary (as it is said, Job xli. 32),—of such incredible bigness that I will never wonder that the body of Jonas could be in the belly of a whale. On Friday, in the evening, we had an hour or two of marvellous delightful recreation, which also was a feast unto us for many days after, while we fed upon the flesh of three huge porpoises, like to as many fat hogs, struck by our seamen and hauled with ropes into the ship; the flesh of them was good meat with salt, pepper and vinegar; the fat like fat bacon, the lean like bull-beef; and on Saturday evening they took another also.

The Lord had not done with us, nor yet had let us see all his power and goodness which he would have us to take knowledge of. And therefore on Saturday morning about break of day, the Lord sent forth a most terrible storm of rain and easterly wind, whereby we were in as much danger as I think ever people were; for we lost in that morning three great anchors and cables, of which cables, one (having cost fifty pounds) never had been in any water before, two were broken by the violence of the waves, and the third cut by the seamen, in extremity and distress, to save the ship and their and our lives. The Lord let us see that our sails could not save us neither, no more than our cables and anchors; for by the force of the wind and rain the sails were rent in sunder and split in pieces, as if they had been but rotten rags, so that of the foresail and spritsail there was scarce left as much as an hand-breadth, that was

not rent in pieces, and blown away into the sea. So that at this time all hope that we should be saved in regard to any outward appearance was utterly taken away, and the rather because we seemed to drive with full force of wind and rain directly upon a mighty rock standing out in sight above the water, so that we did but continually wait, when we should hear and feel the doleful rushing and crushing of the ship upon the rock. In this extremity and appearance of death, as dictress and distraction would suffer us, we cried unto the Lord, and He was pleased to have compassion and pity upon us; for by his overruling providence and his own immediate good hand, He guided the ship past the rock, assuaged the violence of the sea, and the wind and rain, and gave us a little respite to fit the ship with other sails. In all this grievous storm, my fear was the less, when I considered the clearness of my calling from God this way, and in some measure (the Lord's holy name be blessed for it) He gave us hearts contented and willing that He should do with us and ours what He pleased, and what might be most for the glory of his name, and in that we rested ourselves. But when news was brought unto us into the gunroom that the danger was past, oh, how our hearts did then relent and melt within us! And how we burst out into tears of joy amongst ourselves, in love unto our gracious God, and admiration of his kindness in granting to his poor servants such an extraordinary and miraculous deliverance! His holy name be blessed forever!

This day we went on towards Cape Anne, as the wind would suffer, and our poor sails further, and came within sight thereof the other morning; which Sabbath, being the thirteenth we kept on shipboard, was a marvellous pleasant day, for a fresh gale of wind and clear sunshine weather. This day we went directly before the wind, and had delight all along the coast as we went, in viewing Cape Anne, the bay of Saugust, the bay of Salem, Marvil head, Pullin point, and other places; and came to anchor at low tide in the evening at Nantascot, in a most pleasant harbor, like to which I had never seen, amongst a great many of islands on every side. I was exercised on shipboard both ends of the day. After the evening's exercise, when it was flowing tide again, we set sail, and came that night to anchor again before Boston, and so rested that night with glad and thankful hearts that God had put an end to a long journey, being a thousand leagues, that is, three thousand miles English, over one of the greatest seas in the world.

Now this our journey, by the goodness of God, was very prosperous unto us every manner of way. First of all, it was very safe and healthful to us. And a special means of the