Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England : printed by order of the legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Front matter

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

Introduction

THE second manuscript volume of the Acts of the Commissioners of the United Colonies of New England, being part of the New Plymouth Colony Kecords, is printed in this volume, commencing on page 3, and ending on page 369, and includes the records of meetings, as mentioned on the title page, from 1653 to 1678. The manuscript contains 233 pages, and is in the hand-writing of Nathaniel Morton, Secretary of Plymouth Colony. The following pages were left blank, viz.: 90, 121, 206, 210, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 230. Several of them were subsequently used by John Cotton, Esq., for the purpose of an index, or table of contents, as in the preceding volume.

The Connecticut manuscript is more full than the Plymouth copy, and J. Hammond Trumbull, Esqr., the editor of the public records of Connecticut, having, while this volume was going through the press, printed in an appendix to the fourth volume of the Connecticut Colony Eecords portions of the records not contained in the Plymouth copy, together with such letters and reports belonging to the files of the Commissioners as are preserved in, the Connecticut archives, by his permission they are, together with the introductory note of Mr. Trumbull, reprinted in the Appendix to this volume, commencing on page 373, and ending on page 414.

To render this work still more perfect, several acts and minutes of the Commissioners, and other documents, &c., discovered since the printing of this volume was commenced, have been carefully transcribed from the originals in the Massachusetts archives, and vi INTRODUCTION.

placed in the Appendix, commencing on page 415, and ending on page 464. Two very -interesting letters from Roger Williams are printed, (pp. 438 and 453.)

In consideration of his services,*) and in consequence of his sufferings in Philip's war, the Council of Massachusetts passed the following act, taking off the sentence of banishment, which had been enacted and carried into effect by the General Court.

[Mass. Aiohives, Vol. 10, p. 233.]

" Whereas M' Roger Williams stands at present under a sentence of Restraint from coming into this Colony yet considering how readyly & freely at all tymes he hath served the English Interest in this time of warre with the Indians & manifested his particular respects to the Authority of this colony in several services desired of him, & further understanding, how by the last assault of the Indians upon Providence his House is burned & himself in his old age reduced to an uncomfortable & disabled state Out of Compassion to him in this condition The Council doe Order and Declare that if the sayd M' Williams shall see cause & desire it he shall have liberty to repayre into any of o' Townf^ for his security & comfortable abode during these Public Troubles, He behaving himself peaceably & inoffensively & not disseminating & venting any of his different opinions in matters of Religion

to the dissatisfaction of any.

Past by y* Council the

3V^ of M'ch 1676 E[DWARD] R[AWSON] S[ecretary.] "

The sentence of banishment, on the records of the General Court, is as follows: —

"Att the Gen-'all Court, holden att Newe Towne, SepP 2, 1635. M' Roge' Wii- Whereas M' Roger Williams, one of the elders of the Church of Salem,

Ijam" confinement, t« hath broached, ^ dyvulged, dyvers newe i dangerous opinions, against the

aucthoritie of Magistrates, as also writt ires of defamacSn, both of the magistrates i_ Churches here, ^ that before any conviccon, ^ yet mainetaineth the same without retraccbn It is therefore ordered that the said M'^ Williams shall depte out of this Jurisdiccon, within sixe weekes nowe nexte ensuelno-, w'^'' if hee neglect to pforme, it shalbe lawfull for the GoQn' ^ two of the Magistrates to send him to some place out of this Jurisdiccon, not to returne any more without licence from the Court/"

INTRODUCTION. vii

Having had occasion to insert a copy of the Dedication of Eliot's Indian Bible, it may be well to give a specimen of the work itself, which will be found on the next page, together with a fac-simile of the autograph of James Printer, alias Wowaus, the only man known to Mr. Eliot in the year 168| who could afford the assistance requisite for carrying the Indian Bible through the press. His signature, from which the fac-simile is taken, is affixed to a deed dated 28th April, 1682, jfrom several Indians to William Stoughton and Joseph Dudley, Esquires, which has been kindly loaned me by J. Wingate Thornton, Esq., in a note from whom is contained the following account of the Indian printer : —

In a letter from Roxbury, March IS"', 168|, the Apostle Eliot wrote to the Hon. Robert Boyle, the great patron and " nursing father " of the benevolent plan for civilizing and Christianizing the Indians :

" The great work that I travel about is the printing the Old Testament, that they may have the whole Bible. They have had the whole, in the first impression, and some of the Old they still have, and know the worth and use of it ; and, therefore, they are importunately desirous of the whole.

" I desire to see it done before I die, and I am so deep in years, that I cannot expect to live long : besides, we have but one man (viz., the Indian printer) that is able to compose the sheets, and correct the press with understanding. For such reasons, so soon as I received the sum of near 40Z. for the Bible work, I presently set the work on foot ; and one tenth part, or near, is done ; we are in Leviticus. I have added some part of my salary to keep up the work, and many more things I might add, as reasons of my urgency in this matter."

The " Indian printer " so indispensable to the venerable Eliot's work, and who must have been dear to him as a Christian convert, is, next after Eliot, of greatest interest to us in connection with the literary prodigy — " the Up-Biblum God." He is the very " James Printer, alias Wowaus," whose autograph I have trusted in your hands, and such are its associations.

Fac-similes are also given of the signatures of John Eliot, William Steele, John Hooper, Peter Stuyvesant, Koger Williams, Sir Arthur Hesilrige, of the Commissioners at the meetings of June, 1653, and 23d Sept., 1658, and of a mark on a parcel of goods sent from England to Mr. Eliot.

viii INTKODUCTION.

Great care has been taken in preparing and examining the proof of this volume, and some apparent mistakes or' slips of the pen on the part of Secretary Morton have been corrected, and some omissions supplied from the original minutes, which will be found in brackets in the margin, except in one or two instances where parts of words thus supplied are printed in the text in brackets. On page 142, a line is inserted from the original minutes.

It only remains to be said, that agreeably to the trust committed to the undersigned, it has been his aim, and he has the satisfaction of being able, to present a reliable copy of the Acts of the Commissioners, as recorded by Secretary Morton and others, of the Colony of New Plymouth, to which the Appendix will, it is believed, be found an interesting and valuable addition.

. DAVID PULSIFER.

LAMENTATION OF DAVID OVER SAUL AND JONATHAN. — 2 Samuel i. 17-27. [From a copy of the First Edition of Eliot's Indian Bible, in the Boston Athensenm.]

27 Uttoh wuttinne manuhkesitcheg penushoneau, kah ayeuteae auwohteaongash matchehteauunash.

PAC-SIMILES.

"These fbregoing Conclusions were subsorybed by the Comiasioners the third day of June, 1663."

9^

" wee desier that one psell of the goods now sent marked and numbred as in the margant ; may be deliuered vnto M' John Eliote."

[Mass. Archives, vol. 87, page 135.] From the charter of the tract of land called Narragansett Bay . . 10, Dec. 1643.

-j^^ ; Jl^Lyo^oT'

From the Deed of Black James and Company, of " Land in the Nipmug Country," to William Stoughton and Joseph Dudley, Esquires, dated 28 April, 1682.

[Page 212.] " These foregoing Conclusions were agreed and subscribed by the Comiss. the 23* of Sept. 1658.'

krffp^

MARKS AND CONTRACTIONS.

A Dash ~ (or straight line) over a letter indicates the omission of the letter following the one marked.

A Curved Line ~ indicates the omission of one or more letters next to the one marked.

A Superior Letter indicates the omission of contiguous letters, either pre-' ceding or following it.

A Caret ^ indicates an omission in the original record.

A Cross X indicates a lost or unintelligible word.

All doubtful words supplied by the editor are included between brackets, [ ].

Some redundancies in the original record are printed in Italics.

Some interlineations, that occur in the original record, are put between parallels, || ||.

Some words and paragraphs, which have been cancelled in the original record, are put between J ;}: .

Several characters have special significations, namely : —

@, — annum, anno, a, — an, am, — curia, curiam, a, — matrate, magistrate, ib, — ber, — num%, number ; Robt, Robert.

c, — ci, ti, — accon, action.

CO, — tio, — jurisdiccbn, jurisdiction. 8, — ere, cer, — a5s, acres, cleriS, — clericus.

d, — dd, delivered.

e, — Trer, Treasurer.

e, — committe, committee, g, — gfflal, general ; Georg, George, h, — chr, charter.

T, — begig, beginig, beginning. i, — ire, letter.

A, — month.

n, — nn, — Peii, Penn ; aiio, anno, n, — Dili, Domini, fj, — ner, — manfi), manner. o, — on, — mentio, mention. o, — mo, month.

p, — par, por, — pt, part ; ption, portion.

p, — per, par, pur, pear, — psuite, pursuite ; appd, appeared ; pson, person ; pte, parte,

p, — pro, — pporcon, proportion.

p, — pre, — fsent, present.

q., — q,stion, question.

^, — es^, esquire.

r, — Apr, April.

s, — s, session ; sd, said.

§, — ser, — svants, servants, [secretary.

t, — capt, captain. [ernor.

u, — abou, aboue, above.

V, — yer, — se?al, several.

w, — wn, when.

y«, the ; y™, them ; y", then ; y'', their ; y% this;- y', that.

5, — us, — vilibs, vilibus.

{j — es, et, &, and, — statut^, statutes.

id, &(3, &c*, — et csetera.

vizj, — videlicet, namely.

./ — full point.

CONTENTS OF YOLUME II

PAGE

ACTS OF THE COMMISSIONERS, 3

^^^\\.^ i\, \lV^^\\ivU Extraordinary of the Comissioners

for the^ ^ collonies called by spetiall order of Richard Bellingham Eequ' ['-raited.]

M' Increase Nowell W "Wiliam hibbins and M' John Glouer all being

of the counsell of the Massachusets which was as foUoweth ;

HONORED gentelmen ; our Counsell on the more then probable Rumers of the Duch engageing of seuerall Indians to cutt of the English att theire meeting att Boston the 28"^ of March, determines^ it nessesary [« determined.] that a meeting of the Comissioners for the seuerall collonies should bee summoned to counsell of the best way and meanes tending to the preseruation of the common safty of the English ; And therfore sent theire letters accordingly for a meeting att Boston on the eleauenth of May next; which aU p'sent Respecting the p'sent euidence compared with the time of the yeare thought it might bee one month ^; But vnderstanding the Reddines of New psoneinough.] haven Comissioners (on such further'* ^ cleare euidence that appeers to them [*t ] of soe hiddius a plott acted by the Duch) speedily to assemble together as the vrgency of the case Requires

The Majestrates now assembled Judging it not meet to bee wanting to the common safety to delay soe long doe therfore on the pussall of the articles of confeaderacSn which giues power and libertie to any two Majestrates in each Jurisdiction to Summon a meeting doe therfore desire the comissioners of each collonie would not fayle but meet att Boston on the 19* of this p'sent Aprill to consult of and determine what is or shalbee Judged convenient forthwith to bee donn before the Duch Receiue such Recrutes or aide as is vnderstood they expecte to procecute so vild^ a designe ; and desii-e that the [=^Tfle.] comissioners of each collonie would not neglect to bring the clearest^ ^ they [« euidence.] haue or can come by ; That nothing may bee wanting to procequte as there may '' bee cause against such that soe vnderhand whiles they pretend peace and C shall.] loue Intend nothing lesse but are engageing to Ruin those that they seeme to desire peace withall; And that the seuerall Jurisdictions in the mean time

ACTS OP THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE UNITED COLONIES.

16 5 3. take such order that each collonle may bee in such a posture Redily to proce-

"^ '' ' qute the orders of the Comissioners when mett (as may bee sent vnto them)

not else but our Respects ^6 Bemayne

your affectionate ffrinds

and servants

RICHARD BELLINGHAM

Eoston the 2=™* of ENCREASE NOWELL

Aprilli653 WILLAM HIBBINS

JOHN GLOUER

M' Simon Bradstreet beinge detained from the meeting of the comissioners by the hand of God vpon som of his nearest Relations they being afflicted with dangerus sicknes John Endicott Esq' being the next that was chosen for a Reserue did supply that defecte and mett with the reste of the Comissioners whoe were capt: Wiliam hathorne Wiliam Bradford Esq"^ M' John Browne M' Roger Ludlow capt: John Cullicke Theophilus Eaton Esq' and capt: John Astwood all being envested with full power and authoritie from theire seuerall generall courts according to the Articles of confeaderac6n for the vnited coUonies of New England concluded att Boston the IQ"' of May 1643

John Endicott Esq' was chosen Presedent for this meeting

The Counsell of the Massachusets Jurisdiction haueing sent 4 dales before the coming of the aforsaid comissioners to Boston a letter together with diuers queries to bee Read and Interpreted by Thomas Staunton or in default of him by some other able Interpreter to Ninigrett Pessicus and *2 Meeksam three of the cheifest Narragansett Sachems which *were car-

ried by two Messengers to the end theire seuerall answares might bee seasonably Returned att or p'sently vpon the meeting of the said comissioners which letters and queries are as folio w""/

Nimigrett the Gou' and Majestrats of the Massachusets now assembled att Boston haue Receiued Informacon both formerly from seuerall hands that the Duch Gou' hath stured vp youer selfe and seuerall other Sachems by pswasions and gifts to fight with and make warr vpon our selues and other English and for that end hath furnished you with guns powder and shott And I 'that.] now considering the solfme couenant of peace and frindshipp this^ is and hath been long betwixt vs which wee haue and alwaies entend to keep vnvoyolable till it bee broken on youer pte ; And knowing as yett wee haue neuer Injured any of you but haue been Reddy at all times to doe you Justice according to our best vnd'standing weighing alsoe the weaknes of the Duch to protect

April.

you which vree know you are not Ignorant of ; vpon These and some other of 1653. the like considerations ; Wee haue been and are very slowe to giue creditt to what wee heare ; or to engage in a warr against you till euident grounds appeer; yett wee thought it nessesarie vpon the aforsaid Eumer to bee a little more vigilent then ordinary and to send our messengers Seriant Richard Waite and Serjeant John Barrell vnto you to vnderstand the truth of these Reports anfl youer p'sent Resolution and Intention professing if you deale truely and plainly with vs and acquaint vs with what hath passed betwixt the Duch and you ; wee shall yett Retaine peace and frindshipp with you ; yea though you should haae been prevailed with through the wiles and falshood of the Duch to promise aide and asistance to him against vs ; If now you see youer Error and breach of couenant therin with vs and doe Really and in truth chang youer mind and former purpose and bee willing to giue such euidence and Demonstration of youer good Intention towards vs as in such case of Doubt is Requisite which wee leaue to our aforsaid Messengers further to make knowne our minds heerein vnto you desireing and expectinge likwise that you will giue clear and direct answares to such questions as wee haue giuen them directions to propound vnto you ; But if wee find youer answars to bee such as can not consist with truth ; and that you are not willing and free to giue vs such satisfaction as frinds in such a case would bee Reddy to doe ; Wee shall then looke att you as such that wee can not confide in as formerly wee haue donn ;

The queries were these vizj

Whether the Duch Gou' hath engaged him and other Narragansett I

Sachems and Indians to healp them to fight against the English and how

many

whether the Duch gouernor did not Indeauor such a conspiracy 2

whether hee hath not Receiued of the Duch Gou'' guns powder bullets j

and swords or any amunition to that end ; and how much or many of the

said provision for warr

what other Sachems or Indians to his knowlidge that are soe engaged to 4

the Duch or to him for such a de^igne

whether himselfe or the Rest are Resolued according to theire engage- ^

ment to fight against the English

If hee bee Resolued of his way what hee thinkes the English will doe 5

whether it bee not safest for him and his men to bee true to the English y

whether the Duch hath engaged to healp him and the Rest of the In- g

dians against the' English

ACTS OF THE COMMISSIONERS OP THE UNITED COLONIES.

If hee haue engaged against vs to aske vpon what grounds and what wrong wee haue donn him

10 whether hee thlnkes it not meet to come or send his Messenger to the Gou"^ and majestrates to Satisfy them consernlng these queries whoe shall haue free liberty to come ; and a safe conduct to Returne to theire places in peace

1 1 whether hee hath hiered the Mohakes to healp him fgainst vs

Signed JOHN ENDICOTT Gou' RICHARD BELLINGHAM

ENCREASE NOWELL SIMON BRADSTREET WILtAM HIBBINS

ROBERT BRIDGES and JOHN GLOUER;

*3 *The answare of the Sachemes viisj Nimigrett Pessecus

and Mixam vnto the queries and letters sent by the Messengers Sarjeant Waite and Sarjeant John Barrell the 18*'» of the 2^°"^ month i653

1 To the first querie Mixam doth answare ; I speake vnfeinedly from my hart without Desimulation that I know of noe such plott that is entended or ploted by the Duch Gou' against the English my frinds ; though I be poor it is not goods guns powder nor shott that shall draw mee to such a plott as this against the English my frinds ; That if the Duch Gou'' had ploted such a thing with mee I would haue made it knowne vnto the English men my frinds

' The answare of Pessecus to the same proposition is this I am very thankfuU to these two men that came from the Massachusetts and to you Thomas and to you VoU and to you M'' Smith you that are come soe fare as from the Bay to bring vs this Message and to enforme vs of these things wee knew not of before

2 To the 2°™* query Mixam answared Noe ; what do the English men the Sachems my frinds thinke of vs that wee should prefer goods guns powder and shott before our Hues and liuelihood both of vs and ours

Pessecus his answare to the 2'=™'^ is That for the Gou' of the Duch wee are loth to Invent any falshood of him though wee bee fare of from him toplease the English or any other that bring these Reports ; ffor what I speake with my mouth I speake from my hart ; for the Duch Gou' did neuer propound any such thinge vnto vs ; Doe you thinke that wee are madd and that wee haue forgott our writing that wee had in the Bay which doth bind vs to the English our ffrinds in a way of frindshipp shall wee throw away that writing and ourselues too ; Againe haue wee not Reason in vs ; how can the

April.

Duct, stelter vs being soe Remote against the power of the English our 1653. frinds wee liueing close by the Dores of the English our frinds ; wee doe professe wee doe abhore it ;

To the S^ proposition the answar of Mixam and Pessicus heerunto is I 3

speak from my hart as I did before, I did neuer Eeceiue any such thing from the Duch Gou' for any such End ;

The answare of Pessicus and Mixam to the fourth querie is Wee speak 4-

from our harts wee know of noe such plott by the Duch Gou' for there may come falce newes and Reports against vs ; let them say what they will they are falce

To the fift the answare of Mixam is that all these things you speak of 5

to mee are hidden from my hart for I doe professe I doe Intend noe such thing to the English men my frinds ; The answare of Pessicus is this I doe deney either to make warr or to plott warr against the English

To the sixt Pessicus and Mixam say that wee thinke wee haue answared 6

this before

To the seaventh Mixam answareth wee thinke it safest to bee true to y

the English ; what doe you thinke that wee thinke that the EngHsh are a sleepy people but whiles my life doth last I wilbee true but when I am dead and gone I know not how they will carry it ; The answare of Pessicus to the seauenth is that I know there is a feirme league and couenant made betwixt vs and the English for my pte and our ptes for ought I know wee desire to keepe it feirmly to our dieing day as neare as wee can ; And when wee are dieing and goeing out of the world wee wiU leaue it in spetiall charge to ours to carry it well to the English and theire children

To the eight and ninth the answare of Mixam and Pessicus is that they ,8. Q. haue answared it before ;

To the tenth Pessicus and Mixam answare that it is a very good proposi- I O tion that you doe propound for It is fitting that wee should either goe or send ; But said Mixam for my pte I am old and cannot trauell two daies together ; But wee will send some man into the Massachusets to speak to the Sachems there I haue sent to M"^ Smith and Voll his man to speake to M' Browne that I love the English Sachems and all Enghsh men in the Bay ; And that M' Smith would enform the Sachems in the Bay that the child that is now ^ borne or to bear shall see noe warr made by vs against the English j [i new]

To the eleuenth they answare they deney itt ; II

ACTS OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE UNITED COLONIES. 1G53.

■ "f ' *The answare of Ninigrett to the seuerall queries or propositions

J To the first hee saith hee doth vtterly deney that there is any such

agreement made betwixt him and the Duch Gou' euen from his hart to fight against the EngUsh j fibr said hee I did neuer heare the Duch men say they would goe and fight against the English ; Neither did I heare the Indians say they would Joyne with the Duch to fight against the English ; But whiles I was there att the Indian "Wiggwames there came som Indians that told mee there was a shipp come in from holland which did Eeport the English and the Duch were fighting together in theire owne countrey and that there were seuerall other shipps cominge with amunition to fight against the English heer and that there would bee a great blow giuen to the English when they came but this said hee I had from the Indians and how true it is I can not tell;

2 Ninnigrett answare to the 2'=™'* is that hee denieth that there is any such thing from the Duch to him or from him to the Duch ;

3 To the third his answare is why should hee giue them any such thing when there was noe such thinge treated on ;

A To the fourth hee saith I haue answared it before for there is noe such

thinge neither from the Duch to the Indians nor from the Indians to the Duch that I know of shall I make or envent any thinge to doe any man wronge

C To the fift hee saith why shall I conclude with him or any other to fight

against the English for hee saith hee doth not know any wronge the English hath donn him neither will hee wronge the English ;

A To the sixt hee saith what shall I answare these things ouer and ouer

againe what doe the English thinke that I thinke they bee asleep and suffer mee to doe them wronge doe not wee know the English are not a sleeppy people ; the English make queries for guns powder and shott and swords for such a designe ; doe they thinke wee are madd to sell our lines and the liues of our wives and children and all our kinred and to haue our countrey destroyed for a few guns powder shott and swords what will they doe vs good when wee are dead ;

ij To the seauenth proposition hee saith hee doth not know neither can hee

find any Season yett why hee should not keep his league with the English his old frinds and if these things were soe how can hee expect to bee preserued hee and his by a few Duch men whoe are soe Remote when as wee doe Hue by the dore of the English lO

ACTS OF THE COMMISSIONEKS OF THE UNITED COLONIES.

To the eight and ninth hee doth answare hee deneyeth them both O ^

To the tenth hee saith It being Indifferently spoken whether hee may goe or send yet hee knowing nothing by himselfe wherin hee hath wronged the English but that hee may goe yett being Indifferently spoken hee would send to speak with the English

The eleventh proposition hee deneyeth ; ^^

The answares to the letters

Mixam and Pessicus say wee desire there may bee noe Mistake but that I

wee may bee vnderstood and that there may bee a true vnderstanding on both sides

Wee desire to know where you had this newes that there was such 2

such a league made betwixt the Duch and vs and alsoe to know our accusers

The answare of Ninnigrett to his letter

You are kindly welcom to vs and I kindly thanke the Sachems of the Massachusets that they would Nominate my name amongst the other to Require my answare to the propositions or queries ; had any of the other Sachems been att the Duch I should haue feared theire folly might haue donn som hurt one way or other but they haue not been there I ame the man that haue been there my selfe therfore I must answare for what I haue donn ; ffor my owne pte I doe vtterly deney and protest against any such acteings donn by mee ; or to my knowlidge att or with the Duch ; What is the story of these great Rumers that I hear att Pocatocke that I should bee cutt of and that the English had a quarrell against mee I know of noe such cause att all for my pte ; Is it because I went thether to take Phisicke for my health or what is the cause I found noe such entertainment *from the Duch Gou' when *5

I was there to giue mee any Incorragement to sturr mee vpp to such a league against the English my frinds ; It was winter time and I stood a great pte of a winter day knocking att the Gou's dore and he would neither open it nor suffer others to open it to lett me in I was not wont to find such carriage from the English my frinds ;

After the Retume of our Messengers from the Narragansets the Comissioners for the vnited Collonies being ariued att Boston the three Sachems Nimigrett Pessacus and Mixam sent an Indian named Awashaw as theire Messenger accompanied with three or foure other Indians together to give such satisfaction as seemed good vnto them ;

Whoe being demaunded why Nimigret went to the Monhatoes the last

16 5 3. winter Awashaw answared that Ninnigrett told him that hee went thether to ""^ '' "^ be cured of his desease hearing there was a iFrenchman tliere that could cure liira ; And that M"' John Winthorpe knew of his goeinge ; and that Nimlgrett carried with him thirty fathome of wampame ten fathom therof hee guue to the Docter ; and fifteen to the Gou' and that the Gou"' gaue him in Leiue therof sleiued coates but not one gun but the Indians thcr gaue Nimigrett two guns ; further Awashaw saith saiih that Nimigrett told him that ['t there tiimc whiles hee was att Monhatoes hee went ouer the other side of hudsons Riuer'