that some of them presently swarmed out into another place, a little further eastward. The reverend and learned Mr. Parker was at first called to Ipswich,' to join with Mr. Ward; but he choosing rather to accompany some of his countrymen that came out of Wiltshire in England, to that new place, than to be engaged with such as he had not been acquainted withall before, therefore removed with them thither, and called it|| Newberry; which recess of theirs made room for others that soon after supplied their place.

In the latter end of this year, 1635, Mr. Bachelor, pastor of the church at Lynn, (whereof mention was made before,) was complained of to the magistrates, and convened before them on this occasion. He came out of England with a small body of six or seven persons, who settled with him at Lynn, where he received many of the inhabitants of that place into his church, or, at least, they had with the rest received him as their pastor; but contention growing between him and the greatest part of his church, he desired dismission for himself and his first members, which being granted, upon supposition that he would leave the town, as he had given out he would, he, with the six or seven persons, renewed their old covenant, intending to raise another church in the place; whereat the most and chief of the town being offended, (for that it would cross their intentions of calling another minister,) complained to the magistrates, who, foreseeing the distraction which was like to come by this course, had forbid him to proceed in any such church way, until the cause were considered by the other ministers. But he refused to desist, whereupon they sent for him, and upon his delay, day after day, the marshal was sent to fetch him. Upon his appearance and submission, and promise to remove out of the town within three months, he was discharged. Accordingly he removed to the Plantation that then was new begun beyond Ipswich, called Newbery, where he stayed not long, in regard he could not accomplish his desire of being admitted to a pastoral office in the church of that place, waiting an opportunity of providing a suitable || settled at ||

1 In 1634.-H.

the

place for himself and his company elsewhere, which at last was found at Hampton, a Plantation begun towards Pascataqua, about the year 1638.

The next year' they of Lynn gathered another church, having invited Mr. Whiting to be their pastor, a man of great worth and learning, that not long before? came over from a parish3 adjoining to Boston, in Lincolnshire. There was some difficulty in settling them in church order anew, in regard they had many of them formerly belonged to another church in Mr. Bachelor's time, according to the usual observation, that many times it is more easy to raise a new building than repair an old one, especially when the persons concerned either want experience or skill in the kind of the architecture as was said to be the case there. But Anno 1637 Mr. Thomas Cobbet, that came over with Mr. Davenport, was called also to Lynn, where he was ordained teacher of the same church whereof Mr. Whiting was the pastor. The learning and abilities of Mr. Cobbet are well known by his writings, since published to the world.

CHAP. XXIX.

Memorable accidents during this lustre of years. The small-pox among the Indians; pestilential fever at Plymouth; with other occurrences worthy to be observed, from the year 1630 to 1636.

IN the year 1633 it pleased God to visit the Colony of Plymouth with a pestilential fever, whereof many died, upwards of twenty, men, women, and children, which was a great number out of a small company of inhabitants. Some of them looked upon a numerous company of strange flies in the spring, like bumblebees, (which coming out of the ground, with a terrible kind of humming noise, so as the woods did ring therewith) to be a presage of that mortality which followed very hot, in the months of June, July and August. But in the end of that year and winter following a great mortality happened among the Massachusetts Indians, whereby thousands of them were swept away, which came by the 2 He arrived in Boston, May 26, 1636,- -H.

1 Nov. 8, 1636.-H.

3 Skirbeck.-H.

Bradford, in Prince, pp. 432, 437; Davis's Morton, pp. 173-4.-H.

small-pox, a disease which, [it] is said, is not usual among them, if ever it was there known before. John Sagamore and almost all his people died there at WinnesiJames Sagamore, at Lynn, died of the same. disease, with most of his people. It is said that those two promised, if ever they recovered, to live with the English, and serve their God.

It is very remarkable, that as about a dozen years before the Southern Indians, about Plymouth, were visited with a kind of pestilential disease, whereby great numbers of them were suddenly taken away, and the country almost depopulated thereby, by which occasion way was made for the English at Plymouth, in their weak condition, to settle peaceably amongst them, so at this time the country of the Massachusetts, that was of all the Indians thereabouts the most populous, was in a manner unpeopled by this disease, by which means room was, as it were, prepared for the English, that now were ready to people it with a new Colony.

This contagious disease was so noisesome and terrible to these naked Indians, that they, in many places, left their dead unburied, as appeared by the multitude of the bones of dead carcases that were found up and down the countries, where had been the greatest numbers of them. Thus, in a sense as it was of old, God cast out the heathen to make room for his people, some parts of the country being thereby made to look like a mere Golgotha.2

In June, in the year 1633,3 fell out a very remarkable accident upon some that belonged to Pemaquid. One Abraham Shurd, and one Captain Wright, with others belonging to that place, being bound for Boston in a shallop, intending to turn into Pascataqua by the way, but just as they were entering into the river's mouth one of the seamen, going to light a pipe of tobacco, set fire on a barrel of powder, which tore the boat in pieces, laden with about £200 worth of commodities, which were all lost. That seaman that kindled the fire was never seen more, (though the rest were all saved) till after

See Young's Chronicles of Plymouth, pp. 183, 206, 229, 234, 258, 259; Chronicles of Mass., pp. 256, 277..-H. 2 Ibid. 226, 305, 306, 386; Davis's Morton, p. 175; Sav. Win. i. 115-16, 119-20, 123, 124.-H. 3 Should be 1632. See Sav. Win. i. 79.-H.

wards the trunk of his body was found with his hands and his feet torn off, which was a very remarkable judgment of God upon him; for one of his fellows wished him to forbear taking tobacco till they came ashore, which was hard by, to whom he replied, that if the devil should carry him away quick, he would take one pipe.

The like judgment befel two lewd persons that lived in service with one of Roxbury,' who, rowing in a boat from the Windmill Hill in Boston, struck upon an oyster bank near the channel, and going out of their boat, before they had fastened her, to get oysters, the tide came in before they were aware, and floated away the boat, and they, not being acquainted with the channel, were both drowned on the bank, though they might at first easily have waded through to the shore. One of them being a little before reproved for some evil, and warned of hell, answered that if hell were ten times hotter, he had rather be there than in service with his master, against whom he had no exception, but only that he had bound himself for some time, and understood afterward that, if he were free, he might have had more wages elsewhere. This happened in August,2 1633.

Another accident of like nature fell out at Boston within three years after, viz. March 8, 1636, where a manservant, having stolen something from his master, was only threatened to be brought before authority, yet presently went and hanged himself like Judas, as if he had cause to fear a worse punishment for so small an offence. He was noted to be very profane upon all accounts, much given to cursing and swearing, and frequently using to go from the sermon, on the Lordsday, to steal from his master. He was said also to be very much discontented, which, in probability, contributed not a little to his miserable end. The ground of his discontent was said to be the long time which he was to serve with his master, by whom he was well used; and the very same day in which he destroyed himself a letter was to have been delivered him from his father, with order to receive money wherewith to buy out his time. He had tied his neck with a codline to a beam, from which might have reached the floor with his knees.

safely

!"Servants to one Moodye." Sav. Win. i. 106.-H.

2

Aug. 6th. Ibid.—н.

A maid first espying him was so affrighted with the sight that, not daring to come near him to prevent the mischief, [she] ran to acquaint somebody else with it; but his exit was past, and his life beyond recalling, before they came whom she went to call. Such examples, left upon record, may serve as buoys to give notice of the dangerous temptations that, like rocks which lie unseen, are found in discontented minds, on which they often shipwreck their souls forever, as well as lives.

In December, 1633, one Cooper,' of Pascataqua, going to an island in the river there, to fetch sack with which he intended to make merry on the Lord's Day, was carried to sea, with his boy that went with him in his canoe, and were never heard of afterward. Thus they that wander from the path of understanding shall sooner or later, unless they return home by repentance, be found in the congregation of the dead.

In June, 1635, two carpenters, going to wash themselves between Mount Wollaston and Weymouth, were carried away with the tide and drowned. Those that want skill to swim in the water should keep their footing sure on the firm land.

August 12, 1634, one Craford, with his brother and a servant, (who all came into the country that summer,) having put much goods into a little boat which lay in Charles River, overset the same with the weight of some hogsheads, (as was supposed,) so as they were all three drowned, though one of them could swim well, and though the neighbors also came running forth instantly upon their cry, yet, as it fell out, not soon enough to save any of them from drowning.

This accident was followed with another as sad, on the 20th of October following, at Salem, where six men, going together a fowling in a small canoe, toward Kettle Island, either with overmuch weight, or want of skill, turned her over into the sea, so as five of them were drowned.

On the 21st of November, that year, two men2 and two boys going for wood to Noddle's Island, were drowned as they were coming home in the night, in a || Wallaston ||

1 Cowper, says Winthrop.-H. 2 John Willis" and one Dorety." Sav. Win. i. 150; Farmer's Genealogical Register.-H.