A LETTER FROM New England, &c.

I Received yours, and since that we are informed that a Quo Warranto is framing against the Government of this place; whether true or false I desire you to send word. I doubt not but in the mean time several of your Dissenters will think it a little hard, that their Breth∣ren should be perfecuted afar off, as they cry out they are at home; but if they knew, or upon knowledge consider∣ed, what a sort of People the Inhabitants of this Colony are, I believe the very worst of your Enthusiasts and Hy∣pocrites would not claim any Kindred with them.

I think it great reason that the King should make Inqui∣ry into their Authority, when they live altogether as if they denied his, and impose Arbitrary Laws on all Tra∣fiques hither, without respect to their Fellow Subjects; and most certainly the King has good grounds to suspect their Obedience to him, when they live in such a continual course of Debauchery, that by their Actions one would think they were Atheists, and as exempt from the Super∣intendency of God, as they fancy themselves unaccount∣able to any Power, by being a Constitution within them∣selves.

As to their Religion, I cannot perfectly distinguish it by name, it being a Hodgpodg of all Heresies and Errors mix'd together, he onely Cement being Hypocrisie and Dissimulation; and nothing keeps 'em Friends, but onely the fear of exposing one anothers Knavery. An Elder is a Mungrel begot by a Jack Presbyter upon the body of an Independent Sister. As for the Rabble, their onely Reli∣gion lies in ch•ating all they deal with, and now and then to be cheated themselves by their Pastors for Conscience sake. In a word, both Teacher and Flock are like Water∣men, that look one way and row another; their Eyes are always fixed upon Heaven, while they tread the paths to Hell; and have continually God in their mouths, but the Devil in their hearts and actions. Notwithstanding all their noise and clamour against Persecution, and the rea∣sonableness for a Toleration in Tender Consciences, you may expect more mercy from a Turk in his revenge, or fairer dealing from a Jew in his trade.

I have seen them whip several of the Anabaptist Princi∣ple in one day at the Gun, (the usual Whipping place here) onely for serving God according to their way, as if they would allow no body else to be in the wrong but themselves.

The Quakers are here a very suffering Generation, and hardly one of the Yea and Nay Persuasion, but has been abused severely, and three of the most obstinate were tied up; nothing but their Religion being laid to their charge. I would fain know what a bawling about Persecution, free exercise for the Godly, and Liberty and Property, would have been in England with you, if such things were acted amongst you as are here daily.

But the most unparallell'd Instance of all is, that though they profess themselves Protestants, their hatred is most generally against those few persons that are according to the Church of England; and if any man has the courage to own himself of that Communion, they'll slily threaten him, and study to trepan him into some breach of their Laws, and so make him either fine, or perhaps inflict a bo∣dily punishment. They exact three pounds a year of such Page  3persons for not frequenting their Conventicles; and if they come to inhabit with their Families, unless the Man or his Wife be a Member of their Church, they very cha∣ritably deny Baptism to their Children, looking upon all but their own dear Cubs as the Seed of Pagans and Infi∣dels.

I wonder by what Authority they thus Lord it over their Fellow Subjects, it being directly contrary to the Kings intent, and the Charter of the place; all Persuasions be∣ing allowed by Royal Leave, it being look'd upon as a Situation designed for Trade, not the propagation of their particular Religion.

They have all their Government within themselves in a particular manner; they choose their own Officers, and have a Court which consists of Eighteen Magistrates, which they call a Court of Justice. These sit as Judges in all matters that tend to the Execution of the Laws, which are always made by a Court of a General Assembly, which con∣sists not onely of the Court of Justice, but of a Deputy chose out of each respective Town belonging to the Masa∣theusets Colony. By this General Assembly all Taxes are laid on the People, Laws enacted, &c. Amongst the rest they have a Law, which lays an Imposition on all Goods whatsoever here imported from England, which in my opi∣nion is quite contrary to the Laws of England, an Act of Parliament being expresly to the contrary; and certainly they usurp that power, whereby they claim any thing from English Goods, that have paid His Majesty's Customs at English Ports; and how they came invested with this Pre∣rogative, I believe they will be put to it to give an ac∣count.

I know several have been forced to pay one Peny the Pound, and no redress could be had, they being both Jud∣ges and Exactors into the bargain.

They have several good and wholsom Laws as in other places, as against Adultery, Fornication, Cheating, Drun∣kenness, and Buggery; but considering their Actions, all their Laws look but like Scarecrows, or for fashions sake. In their practice they outgo the most notorious of Offend∣ers; Page  4Messalina was chaste in comparison of their lewd and repeated Fornications and Adulteries. For Lying and Cheating they outvie Judas, and all the false Merchants in Hell; and the worst of Drunkards may here find Pot∣companions enough, for all their pretences to Sobriety. In a word, no Sect of Men upon the face of the earth are so unmannerly, in their outward disclaiming against Vices in particular, and more punctual in the practice of all in ge∣neral.

The Chastity of the People may be guessed at by the number of Delinquents in that kind; there hardly passes a Court Day but four or five are convened for Fornication or Adultery, and Convictions in this nature are very fre∣quent; after which the fair Convict is sometimes turned over to a Lay Elder, for chastisement for her former sin, and the commission of a new one.

Now most certainly if Justice finds out so many Trans∣gressours in this kind, how many must the private ones amount to? I may without being uncharitable think, they include a great part of the Town; for private sins (as these are) seldom fall under publick censure, or at least not so of∣ten as more open ones.

Mr. A—s Wife has been most notorious, and disgrac'd the whole Herd, by putting the Horns on her Husband, and their Head-leader the old Pastor; who poor man, though he has the Gift of Sanctifying in the Spirit, fails much in Satisfying the Flesh; which gives occasion to his sweet Spouse to straggle abroad for an Help meet, and once particularly was caught, ha∣ving been at the Tavern almost all night with a Person well known here, and returning home to the old Gentleman, was en∣countered by the Watch, to whom (adding one time to another) she pretended she bad been upon the search for her Husband, but the Watch smok'd the business, and out of a sense of their own Failings, and her Credit, dismissed her home, not willing to make her a publick Example, lest the wicked should rejoyce, and the uncircumcized triumph at the sweet downfall of a Daugh∣ter of Zion.

I could name you several others, as my Lady S—ff, my Lady P—e, and young pretty Mrs. S—, Daughter to a great Member; Mrs. C—y, Mrs. T—r, Mrs. B—ll, Mrs. F—n, Mrs. R—t, Mrs. S—h, Mrs. M—s, and Mrs. J—n; all which are Well-willers to the Mathe∣maticks, and can tell how to adorn their Husbands Heads with a Forked Coat of Arms.

And yet further to prove to you how agreeable this sweet sin of Leachery is to them, I shall give you one In∣stance more, of one who formerly had murdered her In∣fant here, which was thrown into the Town Dock; the Infant being taken up, the Magistrates immediately gave order for the search of all the Women in the Town, to see if thereby they could find out the Murderess; now in this search, though the Murderess could not be found out, yet several of the Religious that went under the deno∣mination of Maids were found with Child.

In short, though this Town hath but three Conventicles in it, the North, the South, and the old one; yet few pla∣ces of greater extent abounds with more Pimps, Procurers, Panders, &c. than this does; and the lewdest of 'em all is one M—le.

For Cheating and Lying our Inhabitants are (I believe) singular by themselves, and the Villanies that are commit∣ted that way are without number. They make a sport of it here, look upon Cheating as a commendable piece of Ingenuity, and brag of those vile Actions which others are ashamed of, commending him that has the most skill to commit a piece of Roguery.

There was one H—n L—tt, a true Chip of the old Block, (Son to a Person notoriously known for his dutiful Declaration, in saying, that rather than this People should comply with the Kings Power, he'd sell the Country to the King of Spain, in imitation of his Fathers Virtues) being dispatch'd into the West Indies with a Cargo of Goods, to dispose of them as Factor. This Fellow thinking himself secure amongst the ignorant Indians, proceeds in his old method, and accordingly makes sale of Twelve Barrels of Flower, at a rate certain by the Hundred weight, and in Page  6four or five days the Indian comes for the Goods; but no sooner had my Rogue L—tt got his Chapmans back-side, but he causes the Flower to be repackt, and then filled the Barrels with Stone; by which means he increased his store to such a quantity, that he damaged the Indian Thirty Pie∣ces of Eight. But he being afterwards found out, was sued and forced to pay for his Knavery; and if it had not been for very earnest and importunate Sollicitations made on his behalf to the Governour, he had most certainly dis∣grac'd the Pilory.

Another Cheat which he committed was thus, and in his own Countrey too: He agrees with a Countryman for a Horse, and was to pay Four Pounds of Masathuset Mo∣ney, and that to become due upon the Day of Election for Magistrates, which is held yearly. He understanding that the Country man could not read, makes the Bill under his Hand to be payable at the Day of the Resurrection of the Magistrates, willing belike to take time enough to pay his Debts, or else in good hopes the Magistrates had no share in that Day. The Countryman however sues him, and with much trouble and charge recovers his Money.

This Fellow since his Father died is reduced to a Morsel of Bread, and in so low a condition, that he pimps to most of the Whores in Boston. Sometimes he threatens to pro∣secute Strangers for debauching a Sister or a Cousin, &c. but sometimes after all his blustering he will be contented with Half a Crown. He has his Mates as bad as he is, and many a Shopkeeper and Tradesman as bad as himself; who are so damnably addicted to Lying and Cheating, that it is dan∣gerous for a Stranger to trade amongst them, without peril of being inevitably ruined.

In whatever any one deals with them, he shall be cer∣tainly overreached either in goodness or value; so that it would be the wisdom of Foreiners to deal with none but the Factors here, who generally bear a good conscience. And yet amongst them, all are not honest neither: I will instance onely in one, who as I have been credibly inform∣ed, having a Warehouse burn'd down not worth to him above 80 l. and though he lost not much by the Fire, yet Page  7the Good Man had the conscience to charge his Corre∣spondents some Hundreds of Pounds for the loss of their Goods.

In short, Sir, these Bostonians enrich themselves by the ruine of Strangers, and (like ravenous Birds of Prey) strive who shall fasten his Talons first upon them. But all these things you must know, Sir, pass under the notion of Self-preservation and Christian Policy.

As to their Drunkenness, though they have a Law against it, yet they are so addicted to it, that they doubt whether it is a sin or no, and seldom go to bed without muddy brains. If you come into the company of one in such a condition, you have an infallible Mark to know him by, which is this, you shall hear nothing proceed from his mouth but Scrip∣ture Phrase, and when he can hardly speak any thing, he is clearly for Canting. Hence it comes that they are so silly and extravagant in their Prayers and Ejaculations:

Lord, (says one) I thank thee that thou hast thus enrich'd thy Servant; what am I, or what is my Fathers Family, that thou shouldest thus regard me? How hast thou filled thy Servants Cup, nay it runs over to two hundred pounds? Thou hast gi∣ven thy Servant as good an House as the Worshipful Mr. T—g thy humble Servant, nay almost as good an House as the Honour∣able the Governour, but there is not so many Bricks, O Lord.

Lord, (says another) I beseech thee give me this Cloth; thou hast promised that all such as belong to the Election of thy Grace shall not want; I challenge thee therefore on thy promise, thou knowest (O Lord) I want a Coat, a Pair of Breeches and a Doublet; 'tis true (O Lord) the Cloth is none of mine own, but persuade the man (O Lord) to give it me.

Lord, (says a third) thou knowest the pride of these people, and that it is for the pride of the people that thou hast brought upon us all these Judgments: O Lord, it is for the pride of the people I say, O Lord if thou wilt not believe me, do but look upon my Cupboards Head, and there are a Pair of Shooes with long Toes to them.

I wonder with what impudence these people can pre∣tend to Religion; nay a fourth went further, and in the midst of his Devotion forsooth, when some Milk that was Page  8on the fire boil'd over, he left his Prayers and curst his Boy, crying, God damn him for a Son of a Whore, did he not see the Milk boil over?

Another was at his Exercise, and a Customer knock'd at the door for a Penyworth of Nails; the Brother sends the Boy to the door, to enquire who it was; he returns and tells him, •t was a Customer for a Penyworth of Nails: ask him (says the Good Man) if he will joyn with us in prayer; he goes and returns with a No: why then (says the Good Man) serve him John, serve him. But of these profane Mix∣tures we have abundance, there being hardly a Shopkeeper in the whole Town without a tang of this Leven.

A sixth Instance I shall give you of a Lay Elder, one W—ll, as he prayed in the old Conventicle: Lord, (says he) thy mercies have been to us manifold, for behold formerly it was but a mere Bog and a Swamp, where our stately Townhouse stands; yea (Lord) the Sea and the Tide came up where now our Boys play at Football.

Now pray (Sir) let me see what the Brethren can say to these things, and what Scripture they have for their War∣rant. Now as to the sin of Buggery, which though it be one of the highest nature, yet there be some of the Breth∣ren that do love to embrace their likeness, (to wit a Beast;) choosing rather to have familiarity with a Beast or a hand∣som Boy, than use their own Wives.

Whereof take a sad Example of an ancient united Mem∣ber to his Church, in his respective habitation, who lived at New Haven; he was so extremely brutish, that he bugger∣ed no less than five several Creatures, a Mare, a Cow, a Sheep, a Sow, and a Bitch. His Wife caught him one day buggering a Sow in the Backside, and threatned him with Justice; but he menacing her with Death, scared her, and so escaped that time, and went on in his Villany; till he was detected by two of his Neighbours, who brought him to Justice for the same, where he confessed the buggering the five several Creatures before mentioned, and was ac∣cordingly executed.

I had not given you the trouble of so long a Letter, nor raked in such a Dunghil of Filth, but that this sort of Peo∣ple Page  9are apt to say, Stand off, for I am more holy than thou; and under that cloud shall perpetrate the most horrid Crimes that ever Hell spawned; as Murder, Adultery, Ly∣ing, Cheating, Drunkenness, and Buggery; all which are but Failings in a Brother or Sister: though if a wicked man (aliàs an honest man) should chance to commit the least of these Crimes, streight ways all the Volleys of D•m∣nation, that the envious mouth of an Hypocrite can dis∣charge on him, shall be his lot.

Of things and persons though I could write much more, yet I shall make an end with a Relation of a severe piece of Justice, done by one that is in Commission for the Peace; A Vintner in Boston put up a new Sign called The Rose and Crown, with two Naked Boys being Supporters, and their Nudities Pendent: the sight disturbed one Justice S—r, who commanded it down; and away were the Boys sent to the Carvers to be dismembered: but the unlucky Dog of a Carver sent them back again two chopping Girles with Merkins exposed. This enraged the Justice more, and the Sign was summoned before the wise Court, where they gravely determined (to keep the Girles from blushing) they should have Roses clapt upon their Merkins; which is the original of our new Proverb, Ʋnder the Rose a Merkin. Sir, I shall trouble you no more at present, onely that I am