200 X. DEATH OF GOVERNOR CARVER. CHAP. greatly of his head. Within a few hours his senses fail, so as he speaks no more, and in a few days after 1621. dies, to our great lamentation and heaviness. His April. care and pains were so great for the common good, as therewith, it is thought, he oppressed himself and shortened his days; of whose loss we cannot sufficiently complain; and his wife deceases about five or six weeks after.1 "Before I pass on, I may not omit to take notice of the sad loss the church and this infant commonwealth sustained by the death of Mr. JOHN CARVER, who was one of the deacons of the church in Leyden, but now had been and was their first governor. This worthy gentleman was one of singular piety, and rare for humility, which appeared, as otherwise, so by his great condescendency, whenas this miserable people were in great sickness. He shunned not to do very mean services for them, yea, the meanest of them. He bare a share likewise of their labor in his own person, according as their great necessity required. Who being one also of a considerable estate, spent the main part of it in this enterprise, and from first to last approved himself not only as their agent in the first transacting of things, but also all along to the period of his life, to be a pious, faithful, and very beneficial instrument. He deceased in the month of April in the year 1621, and is now reaping the fruit of his labor with the Lord." MS. Records of Plym. Ch. vol. i. p. 27. See also Morton's Memorial, p. 68. It is supposed that Carver's death was occasioned by a stroke of the sun; and yet, as Baylies observes, "it is not a little remarkable that such an effect should have been produced in this climate in the month of April." Morton says, "he was buried in the best man ner they could, with as much solemnity as they were in a capacity to perform, with the discharge of some volleys of shot of all that bare arms." Nothing is known of Carver previous to his appointment in 1617 as one of the agents of the Church at Leyden. Nor is any thing known of his immediate descendants. It will be seen by the Compact, p. 121, that there were 8 persons in his family. He lost a son Dec. 6, and his daughter Elizabeth married John Howland. See note on page 149. The name of Carver does not appear in the assignment of the lands in 1623, nor in the division of the cattle in 1627; nor does it appear at any subsequent time in the annals of the Colony. "His children attained no civil honors; they rose to no distinction; but less fortunate than the children of the other governors, they remained in obscurity, and were unnoticed by the people." William, the grandson (or nephew) of the governor died at Marshfield, Oct. 2, 1760, at the age of 102. Not long before his death, this grandson, with his son, his grandson, and great grandson, were all at work together without doors, and the great great grandson was in the house at the same time. Many of the name are still living in various parts of the Old Colony. The town of Carver in Plymouth County will help to perpetuate it. Compare Hutchinson's Mass. ii. 456, THE FIRST MARRIAGE AND DUEL. 201 X. 1621. Soon after we choose Mr. William Bradford our CHAP. governor and Mr. Isaac Allerton his assistant, who are by renewed elections continued together sundry years. May May 12. The first marriage in this place is of Mr. 12. Edward Winslow to Mrs. Susanna White, widow of Mr. William White.1 18. June 18. The second offence is the first duel fought June in New England, upon a challenge at single combat with sword and dagger, between Edward Doty and Edward Leister, servants of Mr. Hopkins. Both being wounded, the one in the hand, the other in the thigh, they are adjudged by the whole company to have their head and feet tied together, and so to lie for twentyfour hours, without meat or drink; which is begun to be inflicted, but within an hour, because of their great pains, at their own and their master's humble request, upon promise of better carriage, they are released by the governor.] with Mitchell's Hist. of Bridgewater, pp. 129 and 362; and see Baylies' Plymouth, i. 71, and Belknap's Am. Biog. ii. 179-216. 'Wm. White died Feb. 21, and Edward Winslow's first wife, March 24. 26 CHAPTER XI. A JOURNEY TO PACKANOKICK, THE HABITATION OF THE June. CHAP. Ir seemed good to the company, for many considerXI. ations, to send some amongst them to Massasoyt, the 1621. greatest commander amongst the savages bordering upon us; partly to know where to find them, if occasion served, as also to see their strength, discover the country, prevent abuses in their disorderly coming unto us, make satisfaction for some conceived injuries to be done on our parts, and to continue the league of peace and friendship between them and us. For these and the like ends, it pleased the governor to make choice of Steven Hopkins and Edward Winsloe to go unto him; and having a fit opportunity, by reason of a savage called Tisquantum, that could speak English, coming There can hardly be a doubt that the narrative of this expedition was written by Winslow. He and Hopkins were the only persons engaged in it, and of course one of them must have written it. That the author was Winslow, and not Hopkins, is rendered highly probable by the circumstance that Hopkins's name is mentioned first. The peculiar mode in which certain words are spelt corresponds with the manner in which they are spelt in Winslow's Good News from New England. Thus the name of their Indian interpreter is in both papers invariably called Tisquantum, whilst Bradford writes it Squanto. In both narratives too we read Paomet instead of Pamet. EMBASSY TO MASSASOIT. 203 XI. unto us, with all expedition provided a horseman's CHAP. coat of red cotton, and laced with a slight lace, for a present, that both they and their message might be the 1621. more acceptable amongst them. The message was as follows: That forasmuch as his subjects came often and without fear upon all occasions amongst us, so we were now come unto him; and in witness of the love and good-will the English bear unto him, the governor hath sent him a coat, desiring that the peace and amity that was between them and us might be continued; not that we feared them, but because we intended not to injure any, desiring to live peaceably, and as with all men, so especially with them, our nearest neighbours. But whereas his people came very often, and very many together unto us, bringing for the most part their wives and children with them, they were welcome; yet we being but strangers as yet at Patuxet, alias New Plymouth,' and not knowing how our corn might prosper, we could no longer give them such entertainment as we had done, and as we desired still to do. Yet if he would be pleased to come himself, or any special friend of his desired to see us, coming from him they should be welcome. And to the end we might know them from others, our governor had sent him a copper chain; desiring if any messenger should come from him to us, we might know him by bringing it with him, and hearken Capt. John Smith, in his map of New England, published in 1616, had given the name of Plymouth to this place. Morton says in his Memorial, p. 56, "The name of Plymouth was so called, not only for the reason here named, but also because Plymouth, in Old England, was the last town they left in their native country; and for that they June. 204 XI. THE DESIGN OF THE EMBASSY. CHAP. and give credit to his message accordingly; also requesting him that such as have skins should bring them 1621. to us, and that he would hinder the multitude from oppressing us with them. And whereas, at our first arrival at Paomet,' called by us Cape Cod, we found there corn buried in the ground, and finding no inhabitants, but some graves of dead new buried, took the corn, resolving, if ever we could hear of any that had right thereunto, to make satisfaction to the full for it; yet since we understand the owners thereof were fled for fear of us, our desire was either to pay them with the like quantity of corn, English meal, or any other commodities we had, to pleasure them withal; requesting him that some one of his men might signify so much unto them, and we would content him for his pains. And last of all, our governor requested one favor of him, which was that he would exchange some of their corn for seed with us, that we might make trial which best agreed with the soil where we live. With these presents and message we set forward the June 10th June, about nine o'clock in the morning, our July guide resolving that night to rest at Namaschet,1 a town 3. under Massasoyt, and conceived by us to be very near, 10 or because the inhabitants flocked so thick upon every slight occasion amongst us; but we found it to be some 1 See note note on page 125, and with the rest of the Journal, I con- on page 210. Namaschet, or Namasket; that part of Middleborough, which the English first began to settle. See Mass. Hist. Coll. iii. 148. Capt. Dermer was at this place in 1619. See note on page 190. 3 |