floor, it will not serve the turn, for there will be means enow found, when wanted, to recall or reverse it; and we must rest herein on God's Providence." This reasoning, and the hope of being placed beyond the reach of ecclefiaftical courts, prevailed. They refolved to venture; and, after long attendance, much coft and labour, obtained a patent.

They agreed, that the minor part of younger and stronger men, with Mr. Brewster, an elder of the church, fhould go first, and that their pastor, Mr. Robinson, should remain behind with the majority, for a future favourable opportunity.

The colony deftined for America failed from Delft-Haven for Southampton on the 22d of July, 1620, and there met a ship, having fome English friends on board, who proposed removing with them. Both veffels proceeded to fea, but returned twice into port, on account of defects in the one from Delft, which was difmiffed. Part of the company returned to London, the remainder betook themselves to the ship, and failed from Plymouth the 6th of September. After many delays, difficulties, and dangers, they made Cape Cod at break of day on the 9th of November, and entered the harbour on the 10th.

It was their intention to have fettled at the mouth of Hudson's river; but the Dutch, intending to plant a colony there of their own, privately hired the matter of the fhip to contrive delays in England, and then to conduct them to thefe northern coafts, and there, under pretence of shoals and winter, to discourage them from yenturing to the place of deftination. This is confidently afferted by the hiftorians of that time. Although Cape Cod Harbour was good, the country around was fandy and barren. These were difcouraging circumstances; but the feafon being far advanced, they prudently determined to make the best of their present fituation.

As they were not within the limits of their patent, and confequently not under the jurifdiction of the Virginia Company, they concluded it neceffary to establish a separate government for themselves. Accordingly, before they landed, having devoutly given thanks to God for their fafe arrival, they formed themselves into a body politic, by a folemn contract, to which they all fubfcribed, thereby making it the bafis of their government. They chofe Mr. John Carver, a gentleman of piety and approved abili, ties, to be their governor for the first year. This was on the 11th of November, 1620.

· Their next object was to fix on a convenient place for fettlement. In doing this they were obliged to encounter numerous difficulties, and to fuffer incredible hardships. Many of them were fick in confequence of the fatigues of a long voyage; their provisions were bad-the season was uncommonly cold—the Indians, though afterwards friendly, were now hostile-and they were unacquainted with the coaft. These difficulties they furmounted, and on the 31ft of December they were all fafely landed at a place, which, in grateful commemoration of Plymouth in England, the town which they last left in their native land, they called Plymouth. This is the first English town that was fettled in New-England.

In some of their excurfions in search of a suitable place for fettlement, they found buried several baskets of Indian corn, to the amount of ten bufhels, which fortunately ferved them for planting the next spring, and perhaps was the means of preserving them from perishing with hunger. They made diligent inquiry for the owners, whom they found, and afterwards paid the full value of the corn.

Before the end of November, Sufanna, the Wife of William White, was delivered of a fon, whom they called Peregrine; he is supposed to have been the first child of European extraction born in New-England.

The whole company that landed confifted of but one hundred and one fouls; their fituation was diftreffing, and their profpect truly dismal and difcouraging. Their nearest neighbours, except the natives, were a French fettlement at Port Royal, and one of the English at Virginia. The nearest of these was five hundred miles from them, and utterly incapable of affording them relief in a time of famine or danger. Wherever they turned their eyes, diftress was before them. Perfecuted for religion in their native landgrieved for the profanation of the Sabbath, and other licentioufnefs in Holland-fatigued by their long and boisterous voyage-difappointed through the treachery of their commander of their expected country-forced on a dangerous and unknown shore, in the advance of a cold winter-furrounded by hoftile barbarians, without any hope of human fuccour-denied the aid or favour of the court of England-without a public promife of a peaceable enjoyment of their religious liberties-worn out with toil and sufferings, and without convenient fhelter from the rigours of the weather.Such were the profpects, and fuch the fituation of these pious folitary Chriftians; and, to add to their diftreffes, a general and very mortal

mortal fickness prevailed among them, which fwept off forty-fix of their number before the opening of the next fpring. To fupport them under these trials, they had need of all the aids and comforts which Christianity affords; and these were fufficient. The free and unmolested enjoyment of their religion reconciled them to their humble and lonely fituation-they bore their hardships with unexampled patience, and perfevered in their pilgrimage of almost unparalleled trials, with fuch refignation and calmnefs, as gave proof of great piety and unconquerable virtue.

It would have been aftonishing, had not thefe planters carried with them opinions favourable to liberty. The arbitrary proceedings of Elizabeth and James produced a spirit of inquiry, and induced the fufferers and others to canvafs the equity of those powers which were fo improperly exercifed. When the film of prejudice was removed, it was easy to difcern that tyranny, whether in church or fate, could not be vindicated by reafon or revelation; and that Heaven's permitting it, was no more a countenance to that than any other wickedness. Befide, the Plymouthians had lived for years. among a people, who had been engaged in a bloody war with a cruel unrelenting tyrant, whose fovereignty they had renounced. The frequent conversation that muft have paffed between the Dutch and English refugees, muft have improved the attachment of the last to the cause of freedom. It might also have been hinted to them, that it began to be the fentiment of fome Englifh nobles and principal commoners, that in cafe of a removal to America, perfons, without any charter from the crown, were at liberty to establish what form of government they pleased, and to set up a new state, as fully, to all intents and purposes, as though they were making their first entrance into civil fociety.

No wonder then, especially confidering the general equality prevailing among them, that the Plymouthians, by their contract before landing, formed themselves into a proper democracy; and that it was entered in the Plymouth records of 1636, "Finding, that as freeborn fubjects of the ftate of England, we hither came with all and 'fingular the privileges belonging to fuch; in the first place we think good, that it be established for an act, that, according to the rights, fuppofed to be wanting, and due privileges of the fubjects aforesaid, no imposition, law, or ordinance, be made or impofed upon us at prefent, or to come; but fuch as fhall be made and impofed by confent, according to the free liberties of free-born fubjects of the

ftate

state and kingdom of England, and no otherwife." They meant to continue their allegiance to the crown-to retain their connection with the mother country-to adopt the general laws of England for the rule of government, wherein they fuited-and to be governed by their own particular acts in other inftances.

A better set of emigrants never croffed the Atlantic; "they were a plain, frugal, industrious, confcientious, and loving people; and, for the day in which they lived, and confidering their education, poffeffed a good share of politeness. The important light in which they viewed morality, led them, in many inftances, to such critical exactness, as would be deemed by the moderns ridiculous; from thence, however, the community derived fubftantial benefits. They have been ftigmatifed as enthufiafts, but nothing like enthufiafm is to be met with in the records of any of their transactions, either civil or ecclefiaftic. Their piety indeed was eminent and fervent, but it was also rational, and their religion was that of the Bible, and had a proper influence upon their conduct."

On the 3d of November, 1620, King James figned a patent, incorporating the Duke of Lenox, the Marquiffes of Buckingham and Hamilton, the Earls of Arundel and Warwick, Sir Francis Gorges, with thirty-four others, and their fucceffors, ftiling them, The council established in Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering, and governing of New-England in America. To this council he granted all that part of America which lies between the 40th and 48th degrees of north latitude. This patent is the great civil basis of all the grants and patents by which NewEngland was afterwards divided. This council retained the power vefted in them by the crown until the year 1635, when they refigned their charter.

In March, 1621, Mafaffoit,* one of the most powerful Sagamores of the neighbouring Indians, with fixty attendants, made a vifit to the Plymouth fettlers, and entered into a formal and very friendly treaty with them, wherein they agreed to avoid injuries on both fides-to punifh offenders-to restore ftolen goods-to affift each other in all juftifiable wars-to promote peace among their neighbours, &c.-Mafaffoit and his fucceffors, for fifty years, inviolably observed this treaty. The English are much indebted to

The feat of Mafaffoit was at Pakanokit, on Namasket river, which empties into Narraganset Bay.

him for his friendship, and his memory will ever be respected in New-England.

The Narraganfets, difliking the conduct of Mafaffoit, declared war against him, which occafioned much confufion and fighting among the Indians. The Plymouth colony interposed in favour of Mafaffoit, their good ally, and terminated the dispute, to the terror of their enemies: even Canonicus himself, the terrific Sachem of the Narraganfets, fued for peace.

The prudent, friendly, and upright conduct of the Plymouth colony towards their neighbours, the Indians, fecured their friendship and alliance. On the 13th of September, 1621, no less than nine Sachems declared allegiance to King James; and Mafaffoit, with many of his Sub-Sachems, who lived around the bays of Patuxent and Maffachusetts, fubfcribed a writing, acknowledging the King of England their mafter. These transactions are fo many proofs of the peaceful and benevolent difpofition of the Plymouth fettlers; for had they been otherwise difpofed, they never could have introduced and maintained a friendly intercourfe with the natives.

On the 10th of September this year, the king granted to Sir William Alexander a patent of all the tract of country bounded by a line drawn from Cape Sables to the Bay of St. Mary; thence to the river St. Croix; thence north to Canada river; down the river Gachepe; thence fouth-eaft to Cape Breton ifland and Cape Breton ; thence round to Cape Sables; with all feas and islands within fix leagues of the western and eastern parts, and within forty leagues fouthward of Cape Breton and Cape Sables; to be called Nova Scotia.

This year, 1622, died Squanto, the friend of the English, who merits to have his name perpetuated in hiftory. Squanto was one of the twenty Indians whom Hunt perfidiously carried to Spain; whence he came to London, and afterwards returned to his native country with the Plymouth colony. Forgetting the perfidy of those who made him a captive, he became a warm friend to the English, and continued fo to the day of his death. A few days before he died, he defired the governor to pray that he might go to the Englifliman's God in heaven.

In March, 1624, Mr. Winflow, agent for the colony, arrived, and, together with a good supply of cloathing, brought a bull and three heifers, which were the first cattle of the kind in this part America. From these, and others that were afterwards brought

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