[them, of which Mr. Wheelwright and Mrs. Hutchinson were the chief, and probably he had a view to them in particular.

Cromwell seems to have been the first who had a true sense of the importance of the colonies to their mother country. The expedition to Hispaniola was by him well intended, though by his servants badly executed, and his plan for enlarging the national interest in America no doubt extended further than the conquest of that island. Let us take a view of the state of the colonies at that time. Barbadoes and the Caribees were at that time under the same government. These with Virginia, Maryland, and Bermudas, refused to acknowledge the parliament whilst the king lived, and it occasioned some trouble to reduce them after his death. They were all the colonies, except New England, which were settled when Cromwell took the government upon him. There were no less than three different governors over Virginia during his short rule; Digby, Bennet, and Matthews. Barbadoes surrendered to Sir George Ayscough, upon condition that the government should be by governor, council, and assembly; and Daniel Searl being appointed their governor, continued until the restoration. It was a rash thing to resist the supreme authority in England, and gave great offence. Until then all the colonies had been indulged in a free open trade to and from all parts of the world, unless the privileges granted to the East India company made an exception; but Cromwell obtained an act or ordinance of the parliament, prohibiting the plantations from receiving or exporting any European commodities, except in English-built ships navigated by Englishmen, and all correspondence was forbidden with any nation or colony not subject to England, and no alien was allowed to set up a factory or carry on a trade in the plantations. Virginia made heavy complaints that they were not allowed to send off their produce to, nor to import necessaries from, any foreign countries, whilst England alone, they said, could not take off their produce, nor could they at that time be supplied from thence with all things necessary for them. But, how ever grievous this act might prove to the other colonies, it is certain that those of New England, whether it was designed to extend there or not, suffered nothing by it. In a letter to Cromwell, in 1654, the Massachusetts seem to be under fears lest they should be deprived of the privileges which had been indulged to them by his predecessors, and hope his highness will be no less propitious, and will not be displeased with them for

asserting their just privileges, to the prejudice whereof some attempts had been made by the commanders of ships, especially by some armed with commission, which through for fear of offending they had patiently endured, yet they thought it not safe to approve of such actings, &c. If this letter had respect to any attempts to regulate the trade, they were attempts which were soon given over, and caused little or no interruption; and they were not only indulged in their trade to all parts, but that extraordinary privilege of having their goods imported into England, free from all custom which other subjects were liable to pay, seems to have been continued until the restoration. No wonder if they were envied by the other colonies, and if the merchants in England were dissatisfied also with the continuance of the last-mentioned extraordinary favour.

(Anno 1656 to 1660.)-In the year 1656 began what has been generally, and not improperly, called the persecution of the Quakers. Two years before, an order had been made that every inhabitant who had in their custody any of the books of John Reeves and Lodowick Muggleton, "who pretend to be the two last witnesses and prophets of Jesus Christ," which books were said to be full of blasphemies, should bring or send them in to the next magistrate, within one month, on pain of 101. for each book remaining in any person's hands after that time. No person appeared professing the opinions of the Quakers until July 1656, when Mary Fisher and Ann Austin arrived from Barbadoes. A few weeks after arrived in the ship Speedwell of London, Robert Lock master, nine more of these itinerants, whose names "after the flesh," the language they used to the officers sent to make inquiry, were William Brend, Thomas Thurston, Christopher Holder, John Copeland, Richard Smith, Mary Prince, Dorothy Waugh, Sarah Gibbons, aud Mary Witherhead. On the 8th of September they were brought before the court of assistants, and being examined, and each of them questioned how they could make it appear that God sent them, after a pause they answered, that they had the same call which Abraham had to go out of his country; to other questions they gave rude and contemptuous answers, which is the reason assigned for committing them to prison. A great number of their books, which they had brought over with intent to scatter them about the country, were seized and reserved for the fire. Soon after this, as the governor was going from the public worship on the Lord's day to his own house, several gentlemen accompanying him,]

[Mary Prince called to him from a window of the prison, railing at and reviling him, saying, woe unto thee, thou art an oppressor; and denouncing the judgments of God upon him. Not content with this, she wrote a letter to the governor and magistrates, filled with opprobrious stuff. The governor sent for her twice from the prison to his house, and took much pains to persuade her to desist from such extravagancies. Two of the ministers were present, and with much moderation and tenderness endeavoured to convince her of her errors, to which she returned the grossest railings, reproaching them as hirelings, deceivers of the people, Baal's priests, the seed of the serpent, of the brood of Ishmael, and the like.

The court passed sentence of banishment against them all, and required the master of the ship in which they came, to become bound with sureties to the value of 500l. to carry them all away, and caused them to be committed to prison until the ship should be ready to sail. At this time there was no special provision by law for the punishment of Quakers; they came within a colony law against heretics in general. At the next sessions of the general court, the 14th of October following, an act passed, laying a penalty of 1007. upon the master of any vessel who should bring a known Quaker into any part of the colony, and requiring him to give security to carry him back again; that the Quaker should be immediately sent to the house of correction and whipped twenty stripes, and afterwards kept to hard labour until transportation. They also laid a penalty of five pounds for importing, and the like for dispersing, Quakers books, and several penalties for defending their heretical opinions. And the next year, an additonal law was made, by which all persons were subjected to the penalty of forty shillings for every hour's entertainment given to any known Quaker, and any Quaker, after the first conviction, if a man was to lose one ear, and a second time the other; a woman, each time to be severely whipped; and the third time, man or woman, to have their tongues bored through with a red-hot iron; and every Quaker, who should become such in the colony, was subjected to the like punishments. In May 1658, a penalty of ten shillings was laid on every person present at a Quakers meeting, and five pounds upon every one speaking at such meeting. Notwithstanding all this severity, the number of Quakers, as might well have been expected, increasing rather than diminishing, in October following, a further law was made for punishing with death all Quakers who should return into the jurisdiction after banishinent. That some provision was

necessary against these people, so far as they were disturbers of civil peace and order, every one will allow; but such sanguinary laws against particular doctrines or tenets in religion are not to be defended. The most that can be said for the people of Massachusetts is, that they tried gentler means at first, which they found utterly ineffectual, and that they followed the example of the authorities in most other states, and in most ages of the world, who, with the like absurdity, have supposed every person could and ought to think as they did, and with the like cruelty have punished such as appeared to differ from them. We may add, that it was with reluctance that these unnatural laws were carried into execution.

That we may finish what relates to the Quakers, it must be further observed, that their friends in England solicited and at length obtained an order from the king, Sept. 9th, 1661, requiring that a stop should be put to all capital or corporal punishment of those of his subjects called Quakers, and that such as were obnoxious should be sent to England. Whatever opinion they might have of the force of orders from the crown controuling the laws of the colony, they prudently complied with this instruction, and suspended the execution of the laws against Quakers, so far as respected corporal punishment, until further order.

From 1656 to 1660, we find but very few facts relative to the public affairs of the colony worth transmitting to posterity. After the peace with the Dutch in Europe, the trade between the English and Dutch colonies was revived, and Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor in 1657, wrote to the commissioners of the English colonies, that the limits agreed and settled in 1650, both upon the main and upon Long island, were ratified and confirmed by the states general of the United Provinces, and desired that the confirmation of the Lord Protector being ready, time and place might be appointed for the exchange. The commissioners, in their answer, let him know that they had ever conformed to that settlement, although he had not; but they said nothing of the Protector's confirmation. It does not appear that ever they sought for it. Towards the end of this period the changes in England were so frequent, that it was prudence in the colonies to take as little notice of them as might be, until there appeared a prospect of a lasting establishment. An express acknowledgement of Richard Cromwell was expected from the Massachusetts, but they declined it. An original letter from him to the governor, recommending the case of Mr. Sewall, a minister, is all that appears upon the records relative to him.]

[The rapid increase of the Massachusetts colony, together with the figure which many of the first settlers made in England before their removal, and the correspondence which they maintained with their friends of great distinction there, many years after, eclipsed the colony of New Plymouth, whose growth and progress would otherwise have been thought considerable. The s. part of the colony in general, being of a light sandy soil, would have been incapable of supporting its inhabitants, were it not for the large bodies of salt meadow, the hay of which serves for fodder for their cattle in the winter, and the dung from it, being an excellent manure, produces good crops of grain, with little labour, in the summer, light land being easily tilled. The . parts, bordering upon the Massachusetts, afforded many good farms, particularly the town of Bridgewater, which has been famous for the quality of the land and for good husbandry. They were few at first, and but little additions were made after the Massachusetts was planted, except from their natural increase; and yet before the year 1643, besides the town of Plymouth, they had settled Duxbury, Scituate, Taunton, Rehoboth, Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth, and Fastham. Upon the death of Mr. Carver, their first governor, soon after their arrival, they chose in his stead Mr. Bradford, being a grave discreet man. They were so well satisfied with his administration, that they continued to choose him annually, until his death in 1657, except two years, when they chose Mr. Winslow, and one year Mr. Prince.

Their ecclesiastical affairs were for divers years in discouraging circumstances. They had expec tations that Mr. Robinson their pastor, whom they had left with one half his church in Holland, would follow them, but his death, in 1624, put an end to their hopes. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to settle a minister; the principles of one and the manners of another were exceptionable, and having several brethren among themselves well gifted, they chose to continue without a minister for some time, rather than to settle one who was not exemplary in his life, or who differed from them in points of doctrine or church government; but in 1613, they had a set of pious learned ministers ; one of whom, Mr. Chauncey, some years after, was chosen to the presidentship of the college in the Massachusetts, and removed to Cambridge.

CHAP. II.

Historical occurrences from the restoration of King Charles II. to the year 1686, when the charter

reas vacated.

(Anno 1660.)—Since the year 1640, the people

had been without any apprehensions of danger to their religious or civil privileges. They prudently acknowledged subjection to the parliament, and afterwards to Cromwell, so far as was necessary to keep upon terms and avoid exception, and no farther. It was not till the 30th of November in this year, that a ship arrived from Bristol, which brought advices of the proceedings of parliament, and that all matters were fully settled in England. They were also informed by letters from Mr. Leveret their agent, and others, that petitions and complaints were preferred against the colony to the king in council, and to the parliament, (a citation being posted upon the Exchange in London), by Mason, Gorges, and others. The governor and assistants met forthwith; called the general court to convene the 19th of December; a very loyal address to the king was presently agreed upon, and another to the two houses of parliament. A most gracious answer was given to the address by the king's letter dated Feb. 15, 1660, which was the first public act or order concerning them after the restoration, except a few lines the 23d of January before, from secretary Morice, to inclose an order. for the apprehending two of the late king's judges.

A day of public thanksgiving was appointed by authority, to aknowledge the favour of heaven, in: inclining the king graciously to accept and answer the address made to him. They were notwithstanding under no small degree of fear, lest the re-. volution of government in England should produce as great a change in the form of their government, both in church and state. They were alarmed from all quarters. Reports were spread, that Virginia and the islands were forbid tradingwith them, that three frigates would soon be sent from England, and that a general governor over all the colonies was to come in one of them.

The proclaiming the king having been deferred until August 1661, the governor, upon intelligence from England of what was doing there to the prejudice of the colony, did not think proper to delay it any longer, and called the general court together the 7th of August, when, after a great variety of forms for a proclamation had been proposed, the following was agreed to.

"Forasmuch as Charles II. is undoubted king of Great Britain, and all other his Majesty's, territories and dominions thereunto belonging, and bath. been some time since lawfully proclaimed and crowned, accordingly : We therefore do, as in duty we are bound, own and acknowledge him to be our sovereign lord and king, and do therefore hereby proclaim and declare his sacred Majesty Charles II. to be lawful king of Great Britain,]

[France, and Ireland, and all other the territories thereunto belonging. God save the king."

he adds, that the queen-mother of France died about the same time. One had appeared just before Mr. Cotton's death. The death of their aged governor, and the troubles the colony met with the next year, from the king's commissioners, tended to confirm the people in their opinion.

The year 1662 was remarkable for a synod or general council of all the churches, held at Boston in the month of September, by order of the general court.

The two questions referred to their decision, and concerning which the country was much divided in sentiment, were these,

1st, Who are the subjects of baptism? 2d, Whether, according to the word of God, there ought to be a consociation of churches, and what should be the manner of it?

The result of this synod was printed by order of the general court, and is particularly mentioned by Dr. Mather, Mr. Neale, and other writers.

John Touton, a French doctor and inhabitant of Rochelle in France, made application to the court, in behalf of himself and other protestants expelled from their habitations, on account of their religion, that they might have liberty to inhabit here, which was readily granted to them.

The inhabitants upon Connecticut river being increased to three townships, Springfield, Northampton, and Hadley, at the sessions of the general court in May 1662, they were made a county by the name of Hampshire.

(Anno 1663.)-A letter was sent signed by the governor, in the name of the general court, dated Oct. 20, 1663, to Dr. John Owen, desiring him to come over and to accept the call or invitation which the first church in Boston had given him, to become their teacher in the room of Mr. Norton; but he could not be prevailed upon.

(Anno 1664.)—In 1664, the people of New England were surprised with the appearance of a very large comet, which continued from the 17th of November until the 4th of February following. At first it appeared in the e. bearded, afterwards in the w. with a tail. They were not alone in their opinion, that comets were omens of great evils. So judicious a writer as Sleidan observes, that a comet was seen all the month of August preceding the October when Zuinglius was slain;

Thomas Gold, Edward Drinker, John George, and Thomas Osborne, were charged before the governor and other magistrates, with "gathering themselves into a pretended church state, in opposition to the order of the churches in Christ in the colony, and intermeddling with those holy appointments of the Lord Jesus, which are proper only to office trust." They confessed they had joined in a church society, that they had been rebaptized, and that one of them administered the Lord's supper. They were admonished, and threatened that if they continued to meet and practise contrary to the order of the gospel, the court would proceed against them according to their demerits. They persevered notwithstanding, and were sentenced by the court to be disfranchised, if they were freemen; and if they still continued their practice, to be committed to prison, upon conviction before one magistrate, until the general court should take further order; and some time after, they were imprisoned and banished. Nitimur in vetitum was verified in this proceeding, as it usually is in the like cases. Severity made converts, and then it was thought advisable to cease from further prosecutions.

In the year 1664, the line between the Massachusetts and Plymouth was fully and amicably settled, and ran by a committee from each colony, their return being accepted by the general court of the Massachusetts, and ordered to be recorded; and there is no doubt the general court of Plymouth colony accepted it likewise.

From the restoration until the vacating the charter, the colony never stood well in England; the principal persons, both in church and state, were never without fearful expectations of being deprived of their privileges. The years 1664 and 1665 afforded them greater occasion for fears than they had met with at any time before. In the spring of 1664, intelligence was brought that se veral men of war were coming from England, and several gentlemen of distinction aboard them. As soon as the general court met in May, they or dered the captain of the castle to give the speediest notice, upon sight of the ships, to the governor and]

[deputy governor; appointed a committee to repair on board to present the respects of the court to the gentlemen, and to acquaint them that it was the desire of the authority of the place, that strict orders should be given to the under-officers and soldiers, in their coming ashore to refresh themselves, but at no time to exceed a convenient number, and those without arms, and to behave themselves orderly, and to give no offence to the people and laws of the place. This was no more than a prudent precaution, considering how strict the laws were against all immoralities, the sense the magistrates had of their obligations to execute them upon all offenders without distinction, the certainty that the crews of men of war would offend, and the danger of tumults, quarrels, and bloodshed, when they should be brought to punishment. Preparation was likewise made for receiving and entertaining the gentlemen in the best

manner.

A day of fasting and prayer was appointed to be observed throughout the jurisdiction, to implore the mercy of God to them under their many distractions and troubles, according as they should stand in need. And apprehending it to be of great concernment, that the patent or charter should be kept safe and secret, they ordered the secretary to bring it into court and to deliver it, together with a duplicate, to four of the court, who were directed to dispose of them as might be most safe for the country.

The ships arrived Saturday the 23d of July, with Colonel Richard Nichols and George Cartwright, Esq.; who, together with Sir Robert Carr and Samuel Maverick, Esq. had received a commission from the king for reducing the Dutch at the Manhados, visiting the colonies in New England, hearing and determining all matters of complaint, and settling the peace and security of the country, any three or two of them to be a quorum, Colonel Nichols during his life being one. At their desire the governor ordered a meeting of the council on Tuesday the 26th. The commissioners laid their commission before the council, with the king's letter of the 23d of April, and part of an instruction referring to the reducing the Manhados, and proposed the raising such a number of men as the country could spare, to begin their march on the 20th of August, promising that if in the mean time they could prevail by treaty or any nearer assistance, they would stop the progress of raising or marching the men.

The court resolved to raise a number not exceeding two hundred men, at the charge of the co

lony, for his Majesty's service against the Dutch. The men were raised, but the place surrendering upon articles, no orders were given for them to march.

The Dutch being reduced, Nichols remained at New York, the other commissioners returned to Boston the 15th of February, and departed the next day for Plymouth, to deliver the king's letter to that government. And having dispatched their business there, they went to the Naraganset country, and at Warwick held their court, made inquiry into the titles of lands there, and made divers determinations which had no long effect, and then came privately and separately to Boston the latter end of April, and so prevented, designedly as was supposed, that respect which was intended to have been shewn them at their arrival. Mr. Endicot the governor died the 15th of March 1665, and was succeeded in his office by Mr. Bellingham the deputy governor.

(1666 to 1670.)-This gentleman was afterwards duly elected, and continued to be annually chosen governor, and Mr. Willoughby deputy governor. Nova Scotia and the rest of Acadia, which had been rescued from the French by Cromwell, were restored by the treaty of Breda. The Frenchmade little progress in settling this country. The only inconvenience the Massachusetts complained of, until after the revolution, was the encouragement given to the Indians to make their inroads upon the frontiers. Sir Thomas Temple, who with others had a grant of the country first from Cromwell, and afterwards from King Charles, thought he had reason to complain, and the king's order was repeated to him, to give up his forts to the French, some pretence being made for not complying with the first order.

After 40 years, the greatest part of the first emigrants had finished their pilgrimage, and were arrived at the place of their everlasting -abode. Some of them lamented their being born too soon to see New England in its most flourishing state.

The people of New Hampshire had continued in a quiet and orderly state ever since the year 1641. There was no person who had any pretence to the powers of government, Mason having only a grant of the soil from the council of Plymouth. Sir Ferdinando Gorges received a royal charter, granting the same royalties, privileges, and franchises as are of right or ought to be enjoyed by the bishop of Durham, in the county palatine of Durham, with power to constitute a deputy governor, a chancellor, a treasurer, a marshal, a]