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came over into their native Country. He then refusing to resort to the Public Assembly of the Church, soon after sundry began to resort to his Family, where he preached to them on the Lord's day. But this carriage of his, in renouncing the Church upon such an occasion, and with them, all the Churches in the Country, and the1 spreading his Leaven to sundry that resorted to him; *this* gave the Magistrates the more cause to observe the heady unruliness of his spirit, and the incorrigibleness thereof by any Church-way, all the Churches in the Country being then renounced by him. And this was the other occasion which hastened the Sentence of his Banishment upon the former Grounds. If upon these Grounds Mr. Williams be ready, (as he professeth,) not only to be bound, and banished, but also to die in New England; let him remember (what he knows) Non pæna, sed causa facit Martyrem; no Martyr of Christ did ever suffer for such

a cause."4

Thus men of great parts and strong affections, for want of stability in their judgments to discern the truth in matters of controversy, like a vessel that carries too high a sail, are apt to overset in the stream, and ruin those that are embarked with them.

CHAP. XXXI.

The first planting of those parts of New England, on the east and west side of Pascataqua River, called the Province of Maine and New Hampshire, and the parts adjoining. Attempts for a new settlement of those lands by some of the Grand Council of New England, before they surrendered their Charter into the hands of the King. How great a sound soever is, or hath been, made about the Province of Maine, and the lands about Pascataqua River, comprehended in sundry Patents and Grants, that were long since said to be jointly and severally made to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Mason, the whole history thereof may be comprised in a few words, so far as anything may be found in either of them worthy to be communicated to posterity.

In in the MS.—н.

In in the MS.-н.

That in the MS.-H.

4 See Cotton's " Bloudy Tenent Washed," (sm. 4to. Lond. 1647,) Pt. 2, pp. 27-30.-н.

The several vicissitudes and changes of government either of them have passed under are already touched upon in the second part of the Narrative of the troubles with the Indians in New England, printed at Boston in the year 1677. At present, therefore, only to insist upon what is most memorable about the first planting thereof, after it came first to be discovered by Captain Smith, and some others employed on that design, about the year 1614 and 1615.

Some merchants and other gentlemen in the west of England, belonging to the cities of Exeter, Bristol, [and] Shrewsbury, and towns of Plymouth, Dorchester, &c., incited no doubt by the fame of the Plantation begun at New Plymouth in the year 1620, having obtained Patents for several parts of the country of New England, from the Grand Council established at Plymouth, (into whose hands that whole country was committed) made some attempt of beginning a Plantation in some place about Pascataqua River, about the year 1623. For being encouraged by the report of divers mariners that came to make fishing voyages upon that coast, as well as by the aforementioned occasion, they sent over that year, one Mr. David Thompson,' with Mr. Edward Hilton, and his brother, Mr. William Hilton, who had been fishmongers in London, with some others, that came along with them, furnished with necessaries for carrying on a Plantation there. Possibly others might be sent after them in the years following, 1624 and 1625; some of whom first, in probability, seized on a place called the Little Harbor, on the west side of Pascataqua River, toward, or at, the mouth thereof; the Hiltons, in the mean while, setting up their stages higher up the river, toward the northwest, at or about a place since called Dover. But at that place called the Little Harbor, it is supposed, was the first house set up, that ever was built in those parts; the chimney, and some part of the stone wall, is standing at this day, and certainly was it, which was called then, or soon after, Mason Hall, because to it was annexed three or four thousand acres of land, with

"David Thomson, Gentleman." Robert Gorges's Patent.-H.

intention to erect a Manor, or Lordship there, according to the custom of England; for by consent of the rest of the undertakers, in some after division, that parcel of land fell to his share; and it is mentioned as his propriety, in his last will and testament, by the name of Mason Hall. Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Mason might have a principal hand in carrying on that design, but were not the sole proprietors therein; there being several other gentlemen, that were concerned therein, and till after the year 1631 there seems to have been not many other buildings considerable erected in any other place about Pascataqua River; all which is evident by an Indenture, yet extant in the hands of some gentlemen now living at Portsmouth, a town seated down near the mouth of the said river, wherein are these words:

2

"This Indenture, made the 3d of November, 1631, between the President and Council of New England on the one part, and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Captain John Mason, John Cotton, Henry Gardner, George Griffith, Edwin Guy,' Thomas Wannerton, Thomas Eyre, and Eliazer Eyre, on the other part, witnesseth," &c. After which is added, "forasmuch as the forementioned have, by their agents there, taken great pains and spent much time in discovery of the country, all which hath cost them, (as we are credibly informed,) three thousand pounds and upwards, which hitherunto they are wholly out of purse for, upon hope of doing good for time to come to the public, and for other sufficient causes and considerations the said President and Council especially moving, have given, granted, bargained, sold, enfeoffed, and confirmed to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the rest, an house with all the privileges thereunto belonging, wherein Captain Neal and the Colony with him do, or lately did, reside." Among other things there is also added "salt-works, lying and being situate near the harbor of Pascataqua, with all the lands adjoining, that run along five miles westward by the sea-coast, and so to cross over in an angle of three miles breadth towards a Plantation in the hands of Edward Hilton, supposed to be

'In Belknap's History of New Hampshire, (Farmer's ed.) p. 10, and in Adams's Portsmouth, p. 17, this name is Gay.—н.

See pages 484-5.-H.

about Dover, and so towards Exeter." And for this Grant, by way of acknowledgment, or something of like nature, as is expressed in the Indenture, they were to pay £48 per annum to the President and Council of New England, if demanded. In the same Indenture it is added, that they gave power to Captain Cammocke and Mr. Josselin, as their attornies, to put them into possession thereof, which was surely to be understood by way of anticipation, for it is known, that Captain Cammocke, (who is said to be related to the Earl of Warwick,) and Mr. Josselin were in England, at the time when this Indenture was dated, and neither of them came to New England till about the year 1633. This Indenture of November 3d, 1631, hath no other subscription in the bottom of it, but this,

"Hæc copia debitè examinata verbatim inventa est concordare cum originali. Per me notarium infra testatum, sacra regia authoritate admissum atque juratum, Londini commorantem, hoc 11 die Januarii, 1631.

THO: DE WACHE, Notar. Publ."

This Indenture, though without any hand or seal annexed, seems to be of as much force as other instruments of like nature, produced on such like accounts, at the present time. And whereas there is mention in this Indenture of Captain Neal, and the Colony with him, there residing in the said house, it must be understood, that the agents of Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain Mason, with the rest, had by their order built an house, and done something also about salt-works, sometime before the year 1630; in which year Captain Neal, with three other gentlemen, came over to Pascataqua, in the bark Warwick. He was said to be sent as Governor for Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the rest, and to superintend their affairs there. Another occasion of their sending over, was said to be searching, or making a more full discovery of, an imaginary Province, supposed to lie up higher into the country, called Laconia. But after three years spent in labor and travel for that end, or other fruitless endeavors, and expense of too much estate,

1 Cammock was here in 1632. See Sav. Win. i. 90.-H. Ibid. 7, 38.-H.

they returned back to England with a "non est inventa Provincia." Nor is there anything memorable recorded as done by him, or his company, during the time of his three years' stay, unless it were a contest between him and Captain Wiggans,' employed, in like manner, to begin a Plantation higher up the river, for some of Shrewsbury, who being forbidden by him, the said Neal, to come upon a point of land, that lieth in the midway betwixt Dover and Exeter, Captain Wiggan intended to have defended his right by the sword, but it seems both the litigants had so much wit in their anger as to wave the battle, each accounting himself to have done very manfully in what was threatened; so as in respect, not of what did, but what might have fallen out, the place to this day retains the formidable name of Bloody Point.

But because the Plantations of New England were all raised upon the Grand Charter of New England, given to the Council of Plymouth, as the foundation of them, the reader may take notice of the form of the said Charter, as it is expressed in what follows, with the names of all those honorable persons to whom it was first granted.

The Charter granted to the Grand Council, established at Plymouth, (of which there is often mention in this history) was put into the hands of the "Duke of Lenox, Marquis Buckingham, Marquis Hamilton, Earl of Pembroke, Earl of Arundel, Earl of Bath, Earl of South Hampton, Earl of Salisbury, Earl of Warwick, Viscount Haddington, Lord Zouche, Lord Sheffield, Lord Gorges, Sir Edward Seymour, Sir Robert Mansell, Sir Edward Zouche, Sir Dudley Diggs, Sir Thomas Roe, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Sir Francis Popham, Sir John Brooks, Sir Thomas Gates, Sir Richard Hawkins, Sir Richard Edgecombe, Sir Allen Apsley, Sir Warwick Heal, Sir Richard Catchmay, Sir John Bourchier, Sir Nathaniel Rich, Sir Edward Giles, Sir Giles Mompesson, Sir Thomas Wroth, Knights; Matthew Sutcliffe, Robert Heath, Henry Bourchier, John Drake, Rawley Gilbert, George Chudley, Thomas Hammond, and John

In 1631, says Adams's Portsmouth.-H.

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