much to lying and idleness, &c. Nor was there any occasion for him, or any other in like case, to talk of God's assistance; for many notorious malefactors, and one about that time at the court had shewn the like silence, when their punishment was inflicted upon them. It may be, that some others that at that time came down from Providence and Rhode Island, and entering into the assemblies in some places in the Massachusetts, would in time of singing keep on their hats, as it were to brave it out with them, and so occasion disturbance, and breach of the peace. If any such have by that means been brought to suffer corporal punishment, they will certainly in the account of all indifferent and prudent people have cause to find no fault with any thing but their own obstinacy and folly. Mr. Roger Williams, of whom there is large mention before, having suffered not a little on this score, taking upon himself a kind of voluntary exile, did now take the opportunity of passing over into England, to promote some designs of his own, or of his friends about Providence; and did in the year 1644 return again to New England, bringing with him a letter, under the hands of several honourable and worthy personages, (to whom he was either known before, or had now made himself known unto,) wherein they express their compassion toward him, which he might have found from his neighbours here, long before, if the way had not been obstructed by himself. The copy of the said letter, to prevent mistakes or misreports, here followeth. To the right worshipful the Governour and assistants, and the rest of our worthy friends in the plantation of the Massachusetts Bay. OUR MUCH HONOURED FRIENDS, Taking notice (some of us of long time) of Mr. Roger Williams his good affections and conscience, and of his sufferings by our common enemy, and oppressors of God's people, the prelates; as also of his great industry and travels, in his printed Indian labours in your parts, (the like whereof we have not seen extant from any part of America,) and in which respect it hath pleased both houses of parliament to grant unto him, and friends with him, a free and absolute charter of civil government for those parts of his abode and withal sorrowfully resenting, that amongst good men (our friends) driven to the ends of the world, exercised with the trials of a wilderness, and who mutually give good testimony each of other, (as we observe you do of him, and he abundantly of you,) there should be such a distance; we thought it fit (upon divers considerations) to profess our great desires of both your utmost endeavours of nearer closing, and of ready expressing those good affections (which we perceive you bear each to other) in the actual performance of all friendly offices; the rather because of those bad neighbours you are like to find too near you in Virginia, and the unfriendly visits from the west of England and from Ireland; that howsoever it may please the Most High to shake our foundations, yet the report of your peaceable and prosperous plantations may be some refreshings to your true and faithful friends, NORTHUMBERLAND, MILES CORDET, Upon the receipt of the said letter the governour and magistrates of the Massachusetts found, upon examination of their hearts, they saw no reason to condemn themselves for any former proceedings against Mr. Williams; but for any offices of christian love, and duties of humanity, they were very willing to maintain a mutual correspondency with him. But as to his dangerous principles of separation, unless he can be brought to lay them down, they see no reason why to concede to him, or any so persuaded, free liberty of ingress and egress, lest any of their people should be drawn away with his erroneous opinions. He had so much interest sometimes with the people of Rhode Island, as well as Providence, as to be chosen their governour, (whether before or since his obtaining the charter, specified in the letter above, is not much ma terial,) but for the most part he hath contented himself with a private and retired life; nor will his outward estate admit of any other; on which account he hath many times been an object of charity to divers persons of the Massachusetts, that way disposed. But as to the differing sorts of religion found at Rhode Island; those of the persuasion of the Quakers, as they have had great resort to the place of late years, so are they at present the prevailing party there, or lately were so. They have been strenuously opposed in their damnable opinions by Mr. Roger Williams, who, though himself had vented divers strange notions about separation, yet apprehending the danger of the Quakers' principles, which do overthrow the very fundamentals of Christian religion, he stoutly engaged with sundry of their chief leaders in a publick dispute, since published by himself, anno 1677. But forasmuch as it will be very difficult in an historical way to give a particular and distinct account of all the affairs of that colony, without much reflection upon the persons, or relations yet surviving, of some that were much concerned therein, no more shall be added; only intimating the fear of their neighbours round about them, that the Spanish saying of the English nation may not unfitly be applied to them of Rhode Island, "bona terra, mala gens." CHAP. XLIV. Ecclesiastical affairs, with other occurrences, at Pascataqua and the places adjacent. Contests between Mr. Cleeves and Mr. Vines about the bounds of Ligonia. MR. WHEELWRIGHT, as was declared before, being sentenced to depart out of the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts, was not so ill grounded in the truth as to be carried away with any dangerous errours of the Antinomian doctrine, therefore, refusing to go along with the rest of that sect, removed, with some few that adhered to him, to Pascataqua, and seated themselves upon some of the upper branches or falls of that river, and called the place Exeter; looking at it altogether without the bounds of the Massachusetts. In this place they gathered a church, and walked together in an orderly christian way, till it appeared, by the stretching the line of the Massa chusetts more northward, that the place where he first settled was yet within the liberties of the Massachusetts, which, as is judged, occasioned his removal, soon after, from thence into the Province of Maine, to a plantation since by the inhabitants called Wells. Capt Underhill, after those stirs at Boston, had taken a voyage to England, and returning again to New Eng land, in the year 1638, was intended to have removed after Mr. Wheelwright, for whose sake he had not long before incurred the displeasure of the court of the Massachusetts. In order thereunto petitioning for three hundred acres of land, formerly promised him by the court, he was by occasion thereof questioned for some speeches uttered by him in the ship, as he returned lately from England, viz. that they at Boston were zealous, as the scribes and pharisees were, and as Paul was before his conversion; which he denying, they were proved to his face, by a sober woman, whom he had seduced in the ship, and drawn to his opinion; but she was afterward better informed in the truth. Among other passages, he told her how he came by his assurance, saying, that having long lain under a spirit of bondage, and continued in a legal way near five years, he could get no assurance, till at length, as he was taking a pipe of the good creature tobacco, the Spirit fell home upon his heart, an absolute promise of free grace, with such assurance and joy, as he never doubted since of his good estate, neither should he, whatsoever sin he should fall into; (a good preparative for such motions as he familiarly used to make to some of that sex.) He would neither confess nor deny the words, but objected against the validity of a single testimony, and withal said he was still of the same opinion he had been of, about the petition or remonstrance, and that his retractation was only as to the manner, and not the matter. Whereupon his said retractation (which he had lately delivered to the governour, to be presented to the court) was read, wherein he professeth how that the Lord had brought him to see his sin in condemning the court, and passing the bounds of modesty and submission, which is required in private persons, &c. and in what trouble of spirit he had been in for it, &c. Upon this the court committed him for abusing them with a shew of retractation, when there was no such thing intended by him. The next day he was called again and banished. The Lord's day after, he made a speech in the assembly, shewing that as the Lord was pleased to convert Paul as he was persecuting, &c. so he might manifest himself to him as he was making moderate use of the good creature, called tobacco. He professed withal that he knew not wherein he had deserved the sentence of the court, and that he was sure Christ was his, &c. The elders reproved him for his speech, and Mr. Cotton told him that he did break a rule, publickly to condemn the court, unless he had privately convinced the magistrates, or some of them; and told him also, that although God doth often lay a man under a spirit of bondage, while he is walking in sin, as Paul was, yet he never sends such a spirit of comfort but in an ordinance, as he did to the same Paul by Ananias, and therefore advised him well to examine the revelation and joy which he pretended to. The next Lord's day this Capt. Underhill, having been privately dealt with upon suspicion of incontinency with a neighbour's wife, and not hearkening to it, was questioned for it before the church, and put under admonition. The woman was young and beautiful withal, of a jovial spirit and behaviour, and it was known that he did daily frequent her house, and was divers times found there alone with her, the door being locked on the inside. He confessed it was ill, because it had an appearance of |