CHAP. 5.

VPon the Friday seuen night before Easter, in Lent last, 1626. there arriued here at Parnassus, certaine Westerne Merchants out of England, iust about that time, as Apollo had decreed straight execution against some for the ea∣ting of Flesh on some prescribed dayes, for that weighty and politicall respect of maintaining Na∣uigation, wherein the workes of our Creator doe shew themselues no lesse admirable, then the land. Assoone as these Merchants had heard this neces∣sary Law, with the execution, one of them, a per∣son of very discreet behauiour, desired liberty to speake on the behalfe of his poore Countrey men for some oppressions, which Ferdinando Gorge Gouernour of the Fort at Plimouth, whom they pointed at, present in the great Hall of the Court of Audience, had vnder colour of a Patent deriued from his Earthly Soueraigne of great Britains Pre∣rogatiue, most vncharitably & vnlawfully commit∣ted against them, their Factors, and Mariners on the Coast of New England in America. Apollo willed them to declare their grieuances. First, they Page  31 particularly shewed that this place was an Hea∣thenish Coast, vntilled, and voyd of Christian Inhabi∣tants: in regard whereof they tooke it to be law∣full for them being Christians, who in such re∣mote wild Countreyes were to passe for Free∣men, and equal for right with Alexander the great, that went into the East Indies, as they into the West, there to enioy the benefit of the Law of Nations, to discouer new Countries, to exchange wares for wares, Cloath for Furres, Ciuility for rudenesse, and likewise to transport Fish, which they laboured hardly for, Pitch, Tarre, Masts, and such like, which they could not haue in Europe, without a farre greater charge. All this notwith∣standing, Sir Ferdinando Gorge by his Lieutenant and Agents, opposed their Commerce, forced them to compound for their Stages, and preten∣ded the Commodities of the Country to bee due to him, and his Associates, who first discouered the same, and afterwards had obtained a Patent thereof, of the Noble King Iames for their vse. Likewise, they intimated, that the Sea was free and common to all men, more common then Er∣go in the Schooles, or the word Homo; which the Grammarians, euen since Orbilius, Quintilian, and Priscians time, haue stoutly maintained to bee a common name to all men, ciuill and sauage; yea, and to all sorts of women, the chast, as the strum∣pet. In respect of which Community, warranted by the Lawes of the Rhodes, the statutes of Oleron, by the Constitutions of Holland, and lastly, by his transcendent authority which wrote the Booke Page  32 called Mare liberum, they hoped to settle a bene∣ficiall Trading, as well for Fishing on these for∣raigne Coasts, as for such Land-Commodities, which the Sauages would trucke with them.

Apollo vnderstanding of these oppositions, ten∣ding in appearance to be a publike grieuance, de∣manded of Sir Ferdinando Gorge, wherefore hee sought to engrosse those merchandizes, and to make a monopoly of the Furres, which being bought of the Sauages, might in time by this con∣course of his fellow Christians, proue a meane to ciuilize those rude Nations; and specially his Ma∣iestie askt him why he went about to appropriate the Sea Coasts to some few of his adherents, which ought to be common, which serued to ex∣ercise honest men in industrious courses, and to make good his Law against the eating of flesh vpon prefixed dayes?

Sir Ferdinando Gorge answered: Most dread Soueraigne, the honour of a King consisteth as well in aduancing the building vp his Sauiours Church, as the inlarging of his Territories, which may proue an addition to the strengthening of his Forces, and the inriching of his Crowne. For the perfection of which glorious worke, it pleased God to raise mee and others to aduenture our meanes for the discouery of this Country called New England, which before lay vnknowne. Ha∣uing found it a habitable place, commodious for the vse of many distressed people, whom I saw to grone vnder the burthen of pouerty in my natiue Soile; I resolued to imitate the painefull Bees, to Page  33 build houses, like Hiues, and therein to transplant them. For which purpose to auoyd the confused state of an Anarchy, I prepared the Plantation intended with the support of the Regall counte∣nance, and to that end got the Patent specified by my Aduersaries with large priuiledges, immuni∣ties, and power, whereby our Planters might rest assured, not onely of security against Drones, but also of the quiet fruition of their profitable ende∣uours hazarded with their liues, and not to bee attained without labours and the sweat of their browes. Of what consequence not only this Plan∣tation is, but likewise all others of the like nature, who knowes better then your Maiestie, who once a yeare suruayes the vttermost parts of the earth, euen to the Southerne Pole? For what is it, which renders a Nation vnhappy? Next to the want of Gods knowledge, which the Scripture termes Dark∣nesse, it is the want of necessaries for the sustenta∣tion of life, as meat, drinke, and apparell. And when through a long peace, and their ouerspent fields, their Country-men doe increase and mul∣ply, so that the extent of their natiue Land is not capable nor sufficient to maintaine them, what (poore soules) shall they doe? If they rob or steale, they are hanged. If they looke for worke, perhaps they may meet with some couetous wretch that will retaine them during the haruest of Hay and Corne: but in the Winter, which in this Climat is longer then the Summer, they may starue for lacke of food, rayment and fyring. This inconuenience was foreseene aboue 100. yeares Page  34 since by Sir Thomas Moore, who grieuously be∣wailes the ouer-sight of our Policies, for condem∣ning men to be hanged, who robd of meere neces∣sity; * whereas their Country, like a prouident Mother, ought rather to prouide them reliefe, whereby they might liue like men borne of a wise and politike mother. Some mothers haue loued their children, that they haue hazarded their own liues, to get heritages for their younger children: yea, and were content to suffer want themselues, rather then their ofspring should miscarry.

Examples we can produce many. How came the world first to be planted? If the first Generati∣ons after Noahs Flood, had all abode in Armenia, Chaldea, and Assyria, the rest of the world had beene created in vaine. Therefore God sundred them by confounding their languages at Babell, that the glory of his power might be noised in all Regions, and the sound of his Name, throughout all Nations. This made Saturne to plant in Italy. This made Hercules to trauell to the Atlantique Iles, and to ingraue his name on those memorable Pillars at the Straights of Gibraltar. This made Iaso• with his braue Fleete of Argonantickes to saile into Cholchos, in hope of a perpetuall Trade for the Gold of that place with his Grecian Com∣modities. How came the Iles, the Iles of the Gen∣tiles to be peopled, but by Plantations transported vpon the charge of able and substantiall persons. Marseiles was ciuilized and inhabited with a Greeke Colony. From whence are we all come into these parts? We are not Natiues, but after many hands Page  35 led into this Kingdome. Wee came from Saxony our selues, as the most of Italy doe descend from the Northerly parts of Germany. The Spaniards deriue their pedegrees from the runnagate Gothes, or from the Moores, who likewise glory to bee a remnant of the fugitiue Arabes.

O what a shame is it vnto vs at this day, to see whole numbers of our English and Scottish disper∣sed abroad in Popish and Moorish Countries, tur∣ned Apostataes, and in time forgoing the memory of their naturall Mother-tongue, as of the tue Faith, wherein they were baptized! Now how easily might this monstrous and inhumane absur∣dity be preuented by a timely Plantation?

To this end haue I and my Copartners labou∣red. But as we were laying the foundation, these Antiplanters enuying at those hopefull attempts like those which repined at the rebuilding of Ieru∣salem, would needs inioy the fruits of our labours, despoyling vs of our Stages, and the plaine plats of ground bounding on the Sea; and not thus con∣tent, they would cut downe a tree worth forty shillings, fit for a Mast, where a tree of two shil∣lings might serue their turne. Sometimes they would either of despite to the Planters, or in a wanton vnbrideled humour, set fire on the woods two or three miles together. We neuer gaine-said them to fish vpon our Coast, but on the contrary, we were very glad of the occasiō. Only we sought to curbe their in solencies, which committed these outrages. We endeuoured to hinder their wilfull casting their ballast into the harbours, which in Page  36 small time will quickly decide this present contro∣uersie, when the harbours shall by this outragious abuse, bee choakt and dammed vp without any hope of recouery.

As for the Trade of Furs, how can this be a grie∣uance more then it is in England, where the petty Lords of Mannors clayme a farre greater Iurisdi∣ction there, to enlarge their Forrests and games: yea and some haue obtained a Free Warren, that none whatsoeuer should hawke or hunt vpon their Lands, or within their Precincts. If this be allow∣ed in Old England, much more ought we to stand vpon out Royalties in New England, in lieu of our infinite charge and paines taken in our voyages, and setling there our new inhabitants. What Gentlemen of fashion will forsake their Country, except they shall haue a larger extent of com∣mand, and more hopes of benefit then at home? To suffer such barbarous insolencies to bee done on a mans Free-hold, cannot but trouble the mee∣kest man on the earth: yea, another Moses, ano∣ther Iob. To this I adde, how some of these An∣tiplanters led by an vnheard-of greedinesse of gaine, haue sold vnto the Sauages, Muskets, Fowling-Peeces, Powder, Shot, Swords, Arrow∣heads, and other Armes, wherewith the Sauages slew some of those Fishermen, which had so in∣considerately sold such dangerous wares to Infi∣dels. By which means they are now become dan∣gerous & formidable to the Planters themselues. And farre more fearefull would they haue proued vnto vs, if the King of Great Britain our Soueraign,Page  37 had not strictly made a Proclamation to the contra∣ry, that no Subiect of his should presume to sel thē any such vnlawfull ware. Vp on the brute of which Proclamation, the Sauages being hopelesse euer to receiue of our Nation more Gunpowder; they very circumspectly sowed in the best cornefields they had all the Powder which remained, with full expectation to reape a goodly haruest thereof, as of Mastard or other seedes.

Apollo according to his wonted manner, hauing paused and meditated on the Plaintiffes and Defendants allegations about one quarter of an houre: at last pronounced this definitiue sentence. Forasmuch as wee conceiue both this Plantation, and the Fishing Trade to be very ex∣pedient to Great Britaine: we order both of them, like Hippocrates Twinnes, to consociate together in brotherly amity, and to assist one another with∣out malicious emulation. That the Fishermen haue conuenient places for the drying of their Fish on the land, with as much woods as will serue for their fewell during their abode in that Country, and for their returne homewards by the way, and also as much woods as will build vp on repaire their Ships & Stages; prouided that the common sort of Marriners shall not of their owne heads, without their Master of the Ship, and one of the chiefe of the Planters be present, cut or cast down any woods, but what by them shall be seene fit for those necessary vses. Secondly, that none of the Fishermen shall throw their Ballast into the Har∣bours to deface the same. Thirdly, that for some Page  38 few yeares, they shall not traffique with the Saua∣ges, but shall leaue the same to the Planters, vntill the Plantations be compleately strengthened, and of sufficient power to liue of themselues, and bee conueniently armed against those barbarous peo∣ple. Fourthly, that all such plats of plaine lands, neere to the Harbours, which the Planters shall from henceforth rid of woods, and make apt for Stages to dry fish vpon, shall belong to the Plan∣ters: And that all such places which the Fisher∣men haue already rid, and built Stages vpon, shall appertaine to them for euer. As also al such Stages, which they shall hereafter build for that purpose. In lieu of which priuiledges, euery Ship shall transport a Tunne of such prouisions which the Plantations want, receiuing for the same, tenne shillings, towards the fraught, and the price of the goods by them disbursed in England. Fiftly, that both the Planters and the Fishermen shall ioyne and suddenly assemble all their forces together with their best endeuours to expell Pirates, and their Countries enemies; if any arriue on that Coast, with intent to prey vpon eyther of them. Sixtly, if any dissention happen betwixt the Fi∣shermen and the Planters, the matter shall be com∣promitted to twelue mens arbitrement, sixe of the one side, and sixe of the other, and if they misse to accord the parties difference, then the chiefe per∣son in the Plantation, and the Master of the Ship, whereof the Fisherman is, to end the businesse as Vmpires and principall Iudges.