infirmities one of another, and so stand in neede of more watchfulnesse this way, lest when such things fall out in men and women as you suspected not, you be inordinately affected with them; which doth require at your hands much wisedome and charitie for the couering and preuenting of incident offences that way. And lastly your intended course of ciuill communitie wil minister continuall occasion of offence, and will be as fuell for that fire, except you diligently quench it with brotherly forbearance. And if taking of offence causlessly or easily at mens doings be so carefully to be auoided, how much more heed is to be taken that we take not offence at God himselfe, which yet we certainly do so oft as we do murmure at his prouidence in our crosses, or beare impatiently such afflictions as wherewith he pleaseth to visit vs. Store we vp therefore patience against the euill day, without which we take offence at the Lord himselfe in his holy and iust works. A fourth thing there is carefully to be prouided for, to wit, that with your common emploiments you ioyne common affections truly bent vpon the generall good, auoiding as a deadly plague of your both common and speciall comfort all retirednesse of minde for proper aduantage, and all singularly affected any maner of way; let euery man represse in himselfe and the whole bodie in each person, as so many rebels against the common good, all priuate respects of mens selues, not sorting with the generall conueniencie. And as men are careful not to haue a new house shaken with any violence before it be well settled and the parts firmly knit: so be you, I beseech you brethren, much more carefull, that the house of God which you are and are to be, be not shaken with vnnecessary_nouelties or other oppositions at the first settling thereof. Lastly, whereas you are to become a body politik, vsing amongst your selues ciuill gouernment, and are not furnished with any persons of speciall eminencie aboue the rest, to be chosen by you into office of gouernment: Let your wisedome and godlinesse appeare, not onely in chusing such persons as do entirely loue, and will diligently promote the common good, but also in yeelding vnto them all due honour and obedience in their lawfull administrations, not beholding in them the ordinarinesse of their persons, persons, but God's ordinance for your good; nor being like vnto the foolish multitude, who more honour the gay coate, than either the vertuous mind of the man, or glorious ordinance of the Lord. But you know better things, and that the image of the Lords power and authoritie which the Magistrate beareth, is honorable, in how meane persons soeuer. And this dutie you both may more willingly, and ought the more conscionably to performe, because you are at least for the present to haue onely them for your ordinary gouernours, which your selues shall make choise of for that worke. the Sundrie other things of importance I could put you in mind of, and of those before mentioned in more words, but I will not so far wrong your godly minds, as to thinke you heedlesse of these things, there being also diuers among you so well able to admonish both themselues and others of what concerneth them. These few things therefore, and the same in few words I do earnestly commend vnto your care and conscience, ioyning therewith my daily incessant prayers vnto the Lord, that he who hath made the heauens and the earth, the sea and all riuers of waters, and whose prouidence is ouer all his workes, especially ouer all his deare children for good, would so guide and guard you in your wayes, as inwardly by his Spirit, so outwardly by the hand of his power, as that both you and we also, for and with you, may haue after matter of praising his Name all the days of your and our liues. Fare you well in him in whom you trust, and in whom I rest An vnfained well-willer I. R. THE BEGINNINGS OF THE PILGRIMAGE, PRELIMI NARY TO THE JOURNAL. THE abrupt commencement of the Journal of the Pilgrims, at the date of their last parting from Plymouth in England, will be best introduced by the simple extract from Governor Bradford, given by Mr. Prince, commencing with the departure of the Pilgrims from Leyden. From that day to the date of their arrival in Cape Cod Harbor, the time was 108 days. From August 5th, the date of their first setting sail from Southampton in England, to Nov. 10th, the date of their anchorage in Cape Cod Harbor, 98 days, which in truth was the length of their voyage across the Atlantic; but from their last setting sail, after being compelled to put back to Plymouth, Sept. 6th, at which day the Journal of the Pilgrims commences, the voyage occupies 66 days, from port to port. It was a boisterous passage; their first experience of the equinoctial storms between England and America, of which no record remains, save in the few lines from Governor Bradford under date of September 6th. They were in great peril, obliged to beat about for days, unable, through the violence of the gale, to carry a single sail. We should have been glad of some record of those days and nights of anxiety and prayer, in which they were sometimes in such serious question of the possibility of the ship enduring, as to ask whether they ought not again to put back to England. Thus their various delays, under Divine Providence, threw them upon our coast on the verge of winter, which, had it not been by the same Divine Provi dence, urrusually mild and open, must have destroyed them utterly. Their experience was to be an illustration of God's discipline in all great enterprises, life out of death. "The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death. Thou which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.” The extract from Governor Bradford is entitled by Mr. Prince, The Voyage of the English people at Leyden for Virginia. "About July 21, the English voyagers at Leyden leave that city, where they had lived near twelve years, being accompanied by most of their brethren to Delph-Haven, where their ship lay ready, and sundry came from Amsterdam to see them shipped and take their leave. They spend that night in friendly entertaining and Christian converse, and July 22d, the wind being fair, they go aboard, their friends attending them. At their parting, Mr. Robinson falling down on his knees, and they all with him, he with watery cheeks commends them with most fervent prayer to God; and then with mutual embraces and many tears they take their leave, and with a prosperous gale come to Southampton, where they find the bigger ship from London, Mr. Jones Master, with the rest of the company, who had been waiting there with Mr. Cushman seven days. Seven hundred pounds sterling are laid out at Southampton, and they carry about seventeen hundred pounds' venture with them. And Mr. Weston comes thither from London, to see them dispatched." "July 27th.—Mr. Robinson writes to Mr. Carver and people, letters, which they receive at Southampton. And the company being called together, theirs is read among them, to the acceptance of all, and after-fruit of many. Then they distribute their company into the ships, and with the approbation of the masters choose a governor and two or three assistants for each, to order the people and provisions. "August 5th they sail from Southampton, but reach not far before Mr. Reinolds, master of the lesser ship, complained she was so leaky, that he dare proceed no further. Upon which they both put in to Dartmouth, about August 13th, when they search and mend her, to their great charge and loss of time and a fair wind; though, had they stayed at sea but three or four hours more, she had sunk right down. "About August 21 they set sail again; but having gone above a hundred leagues from the land's end of England, Mr. Reinolds complained of her leaking again, that they must either return or sink, for they could scarce free her by pumping. Upon which they both put back to Plymouth, where, finding no defect, they judge her leakiness owing to her general weakness. They therefore agree to dismiss her, and those who are willing, to return to London, though this was very grievous and discouraging; Mr. Cushman and family returning with them. The rest, taking what provision they could well stow in the larger ship, resolve to proceed on the voyage alone.. 66 Sept. 6th they make another sad parting, and the greater ship sets sail again; but about half-seas over meets with cross winds and many fierce storms, which often force them to hull for diverse days together, not being able to bear a knot of sail; make her upper works very leaky, and bow and wrack a main beam in the midship, which puts them in such fear, as the chief of the company enters into a serious consultation with the ship officers about returning. But a passenger having brought a great iron screw from Holland, they with it raise the beam into its place, and then, committing themselves to the Divine Will, proceed. |