degenerated into, nor are any other customs here to be observed, that bespeak any relation to that stock, more than to any other people, unless it be polygamy, which yet was no more peculiar to the Jews than to all other nations of the East. It is certainly known also, that within two hundred miles compass their language is nothing akin; so as one nation of the natives can no more understand the language of them that live a hundred miles from them, unless a little upon the sea coast, than if they spake Greek or Welch; as is evident to them that have been amongst the Mohawks, who live not above a hundred miles westwards 'from the sea coast: yet their language is different one from the other, as the English is from the Welch. In general their disposition and temper, or inclination, is much what the same all over New England, being neither so sottish as those amongst the negroes, nor yet so fierce and warlike as some of the northern Tartars and Scythians. They are indifferently affable and courteous, yet subtle and strangely revengeful, and malicious. A small kindness will oblige them for a whole generation; and as little an injury, or suspicion thereof, will work in them a deadly hatred and opposition; in whom, if once a spirit of jealousy arise against any person or people, it is scarce possible to allay it. They are very treacherous, deceitful, and cruel withal, when they get any of their enemies into their hands; i being their usual course to torture them with cutting and mangling their flesh, whom they intend to sacrifice to their malicious genius, and burning the wounded parts with coals and hot embers, as it were carbonading their flesh while they are alive; yet so obdurate are they that they never use to express any sense of pain, while the most exquisite torments of that nature are inflicted upon them. But for eating of man's flesh, it was never of use amongst any of them since the English had any interest here. Many of them are very active and quick of apprehension in any mechanical science, which, with a little observation they attain, working in iron, brass, [and] pewter, as well as in timber; but have been accustomed to such a lazy, idle kind of life, leaving

1 First written, from the north parts.—H.

all their drudgery and laborious work to their women, that it is rare to find any of them that care to be held to any constant employment or bodily labor a whole day together. As for our religion, some, yet a few of them, have seemed seriously to embrace it; but until they be reduced to more civility some judicious persons have conceived no great harvest is to be expected of real converts, which, for the future, must be left to the observation of them that come after, there being little progress made that way for the present, notwithstanding that many endeavors have been made in that kind; of which more afterwards.

CHAP. VII.

Of the several nations of the Indians found in New England upon the first discovery thereof; with a touch upon their laws, government, and successions.

THE northern parts of America were never observed, by any of the first discoverers, to be alike populous with the southern, the land there being less fruitful, and the winters more tedious and severe, so as such multitudes could not herd together as was found about Mexico and Peru, where little care need be taken either for meat or clothing, and not only the soil, being far more rich, but the season, being always summer in those parts, and affording more crops in a year than one, greater numbers might more easily be maintained together. But for those parts that lie more northward, they were, when the English first discovered them, never observed to be any thing so populous, nor were any great numbers ever known to be reduced under any one general head, their government being rather patriarchal than monarchical; that is, some family is commonly found to be predominate|| above others, of which the eldest heir hath the sole and absolute government and rule over the rest, whom they use to call sagamore or sachem. The Indians of every noted place, so combined, make a kind of a petty lordship, and are commonly united ||in|| one chief person, who hath the rule over all those lesser fraternities or companies. In the places to predominate || || * under ||

more eastward they called the chief rulers that commanded the rest, bashabeas, as in the more westward plantations they called them sagamores and sachems; and that government they have is likewise rather arbitrary and customary, than limited by any laws or constitution known before hand: so as they depend upon the absolute will of their chieftains. As for succession, it is rather collateral than direct. When the English first settled any plantations along the coast since called New England, there were several nations of these Indians that were in some kind of confederacy one with another, against some other of their potent neighbors, that were at enmity, and commonly they agreed to be at peace with those that spake the same language. Those that were seated more eastward about Pemmaquid and Kennebecke were called Tarratines, betwixt whom and those that lived about Pascatoqua, Merrimack, and Agawam, now called Ipswich, had arisen some deadly feud, upon the account of some treachery used by those western Indians against the others; so as every year they were afraid of being surprised by them, which made them upon every occasion to hide themselves among the English, after they were settled in any of those places.

Every noted place of fishing or hunting was usually a distinct seigniory, and thither all their friends and allies of the neighboring provinces used to resort in time of year to attend those seasons, partly for recreation, and partly to make provision for the year. Such places as they chose for their abode, were usually at the falls of great rivers, or near the sea side, where was any convenience of catching such fish as every summer and winter used to come upon the coast, at which times they used, like good fellows, to make all common; and then those who had entertained their neighbors by the sea side, expected the like kindness from them again, up higher in the country: and they were wont to have their great dances for mirth at those general meetings. With such kind of intercourses were their affairs and commerce carried on, between those that lived up in the country, and those that were seated on the sea coast, about

the havens and channels that issued into the sea; where there used to be at all times, clams, muscles, and oysters, and in the summer season lobsters, bass, or mullet, and sturgeon, of which they used to take great plenty, and dry them in the smoke, and keep them the rest of the year. Up higher, at the falls of great rivers, they used to take salmon, shad, [and] alewives, that use in great quantities, more than cart loads, in the spring to pass up into the fresh water ponds and lakes, therein to spawn, of all which they, with their wares, used to take great store for their use. In all such places there was wont to be great resort. In time of year for their denomination, they use to be divided, as the clans in Scotland, by the head of the tribes, and called after their names. Every son of such a chief person used, if he could, to get a company to him, of which he also made himself the sagamore.

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At every of these places there used to be, if commodious, about an hundred or two hundred inhabitants, who had a sagamore over them, whom they acknowledged as their chief; and commonly in every province where the tribe was greater, there was some greater sagamore, to whom the rest owed more reverence than to the lesser, whom they called sachem. So as things of common concernment were acted by common consent and agreement, and in such cases they used to be mutually engaged to assist each other in time of danger.

Betwixt Kenebecke and Connecticut were observed to be about twenty societies, or companies, of these savages, when the English first came upon this coast, to which all the rest may be reduced, all of them together not being capable to make a nation. As, first, at Kenibeecke itself, where was a great number of them when it was first discovered, who were only known to those of the Massachusetts by the name of Tarratines, or Eastern men. 2. Casco bay, at the head of which, or near by about Shipscot* river, was the seat of [the] Amorascoggan Indians, still standing out in hostility against the English, in

the year 1677, after all the rest were either subdued or fled away, if they have not lately concluded a peace with our agents. 3. Saco a more noted river than many others, which always was wont to entertain a sagamore, with a considerable number of Indians. 4. Pascataqua, which being a navigable river, and into which many lesser channels used to empty themselves, was a fit seat for many tribes of them. 5. Merrimack, where were several receptacles of them, some twenty and thirty, some forty or fifty, miles from the mouth of it, as Wammeset, Pentucket, Patucket, Amoskeag, Pennicooke, etc. 6. The river of Newberry, at the falls of which was a noted plantation of them, by reason of the plenty of fish, that almost at all seasons of the year used to be found there, both in winter and summer. 7. At Agawam, called now Ipswich, was another noted and desirable place, for plenty of several sorts of fish found there in time of year, both at the harbor's mouth shell fish of all sorts, and other kinds higher up the stream, and to which belonged those of Newbery falls that lies in the midway, betwixt Merrimack and Agawam. 8. Naumkeag, now called Salem, ||as|| much frequented by the savages in former times, together with Marblehead and Lin, near adjoining, which Lin had a distinct sagamore of their own, surviving till of late, called George, and the Indians' name of the place was Saugust. 9. The Massachusetts, at or near the mouth of Charles river, where used to be the general rendezvous of all the Indians, both on the south and north side of the country, §about§ that which by the English is called Charles river," ||at|| the bottom of the great bay that runs in between Cape Cod and Cape Ann, and was the seat of a great sachem or sagamore, much reverenced by all the plantations of the Indians; near by to which were Narponset, Punkapog, Wessagusquasset, and so up Charles river, where were several plantations of the natives seated. At Misticke was the seat of another sagamore, near adjoining which is a great creek, that meets with the mouth of Charles river, and so makes the haven of Boston. 10. Pokanacket or Sowams, the seat of the Wompanoogs, of