rest of that sect, removed, with some few that adhered to him, to Pascataqua, and seated themselves upon some of the upper branches or falls of that river, and called the place Exeter; looking at it [as] altogether without the bounds of the Massachusetts'. In this place they gathered a church, and walked together in an orderly Christian way, till it appeared, by the stretching the line of the Massachusetts more northward, that the place where he first settled was yet within the liberties of the Massachusetts, which, as is judged, occasioned his removal, soon after, from thence into the Province of Maine, to a Plantation since, by the inhabitants, called Wells.

Captain Underhill, after those stirs at Boston, had taken a voyage to England, and returning again to New England, in the year 1638, was intended to have removed after Mr. Wheelwright, for whose sake he had not long before incurred the displeasure of the Court of the Massachusetts. In order thereunto petitioning for three hundred acres of land, formerly promised him by the Court, he was, by occasion thereof, questioned for some speeches uttered by him in the ship, as he returned lately from England, viz., that they at Boston were zealous, as the Scribes and Pharisees were, and as Paul was before his conversion; which he denying, they were proved to his face by a sober woman, whom he had seduced in the ship, and drawn to his opinion; but she was afterward better informed in the truth. Among other passages, he told her how he came by his assurance, saying, that, having long lain under a spirit of bondage, and continued in a legal way near five years, he could get no assurance, till at length, as he was taking a pipe of the good creature tobacco, the Spirit || set || home upon his heart an absolute promise of free grace, with such assurance and joy, as he never doubted since of his good estate, neither should he, whatsoever sin he should fall into; (a good preparative for such motions as he familiarly used to make to some of that sex.) He would neither confess nor deny the words, but objected against the validity of fell

1 See pages 223, 242.-H. In December, 1638. See Sav. Win. i. 281; Farmer's Belknap, p. 20.-H. 3 Between April 17th and July 14th, 1643. See Maine Hist. Coll. i. 260-2; Farmer's Belknap, p. 32.—н.

a single testimony, and withal said he was still of the same opinion he had been of, about the petition or remonstrance, and that his retractation was only as to the manner, and not the matter. Whereupon his said retractation (which he had lately delivered to the Governor, to be presented to the Court) was read, wherein he professeth how that the Lord had brought him to see his sin in condemning the Court, and passing the bounds of modesty and submission, which is required in private persons, &c., and in what trouble of spirit he had been in for it, &c. Upon this the Court committed him for abusing them with a shew of retractation, when there was no such thing intended by him. The next day he was called again and banished. The Lord's Day after, he made a speech in the assembly, shewing that, as the Lord was pleased to convert Paul as he was persecuting, &c., so he might manifest himself to him as he was making moderate use of the good creature called tobacco. He professed withal that he knew not wherein he had deserved the sentence of the Court, and that he was sure Christ was his, &c.

The elders reproved him for his speech, and Mr. Cotton told him that he did break a rule, publicly to condemn the Court, unless he had privately convinced the magistrates, or some of them; and told him, also, that although God doth often lay a man under a spirit of bondage, while he is walking in sin, as Paul was, yet he never sends such a spirit of comfort but in an ordinance, as he did to the same Paul by Ananias, and therefore advised him well to examine the revelation and joy which he pretended to.

The next Lord's Day, this Captain Underhill, having been privately dealt with upon suspicion of incontinency with a neighbor's wife, and not hearkening to it, was questioned for it before the church, and put under admonition. The woman was young and beautiful, [and] withal of a jovial spirit and behavior, and it was known that he did daily frequent her house, and was divers times found there alone with her, the door being locked on the inside. He confessed it was ill, because it had an

appearance of evil in it, but his excuse was, that the woman was in great trouble of mind, and some temptations, and that he resorted to her to comfort her, and that, when the door was found locked upon them, they were in private prayer together; but this practice was clearly condemned also by the elders, affirming that it had not been of good report for any of them to have done the like, and that they ought, in such case, to have called in some brethren or sisters, and not to have locked the door. They also declared, that once he procured them to go unto her, telling them that she was in great trouble of mind; but taking her, (upon the sudden, it seems,) they found no such matter.

However, it seems the church, not having sufficient matter of conviction and proof of what he was suspected as guilty of, left him only under an admonition, and he, like a profane person, as was sometime said of Cain, that he went from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt on the east of Eden, so this gentleman went to the eastward, and made a great bluster among the inhabitants of Exeter and Dover, and ambitiously affected the government amongst them.

Those of Dover had about this time gotten one Mr. Burdet to be their minister. This Burdet, upon a pretended quarrel with the bishops and ceremonies of the Church of England, had, about the year 1634, left Yarmouth, in England, and, coming over into New England, was brought to Salem, where he was received a member of their church, and was employed to preach amongst them for a year or more, being an able scholar, and of plausible parts and carriage. But finding the discipline of the church as much too strict for his loose conscience, as the other was, in pretence, too large, he left his brethren at Salem, out of love to his friends at Pascataqua, where he continued for some time in good esteem (at least in appearance) with Mr. Wiggans, that had the power of a Governor thereabouts, until he declared himself of what sort he was; for the tree is not known but by its fruits. The General Court of the Massachusetts had left it with See page 221.—н. 5

VOL. VI. SECOND SERIES.

the Governor to write a letter to Mr. Wiggans, and the said Burdet, and others of the Plantations on the upper part of Pascataqua, to this effect-That, whereas there. had been good correspondence between them formerly, they could not but be sensible of their entertaining and countenancing, &c., some whom they had cast out, &c., and that their purpose was to survey their utmost limits, and make use of them.

Mr. Burdet returned a scornful answer, and would not give the Governor his title, &c. This was very ill taken, because he was one of their civil body, and sworn to their government, as well as a member of the church of Salem; so as the Governor was purposed to summon him to appear at their Court and answer for his contempt. But, advising with Mr. Dudley, the Deputy, about it, he was dissuaded from that course, as not willing to give him any opportunity thereby to ingratiate himself further with some that were their professed enemies in England, with whom they knew he had intelligence; judging also that, by such courses, he would become thoroughly known to those of Pascataqua. Whereupon the Governor wrote to Mr. Edward Hilton, declaring his ill dealing, to whom he also sent a copy of Burdet's letter, advising them that they take heed how they put themselves into his power, &c., but rather to give those of the Massachusetts a proof of their respect to them. He intimated, likewise, how ill it would relish with their Court and people if they there should advance Captain Underhill, who had lately been thrust out for abusing the authority of the Massachusetts, first by a seditious remonstrance, and then by feigning a retractation, as well as for his corrupt opinions, &c., and for casting reproach upon their churches; signifying, withal, that he was charged with foul incontinency; (for, beside the suspicion forementioned, he was likewise challenged by a sober young woman to have solicited her chastity, under pretence of Christian love, and to have owned to her that he had had his will of the woman in question, (a cooper's wife,) and all out of the strength of love, as he pretended,

&c.,) and that the church had sent unto him to come and give satisfaction, with a license under the hands of the Governor and Council, but he refused to come, excusing himself by letters to the elders, that the license was not sufficient, and that he had no rule to come, unless his sentence of banishment were released. But Pascataqua men, it seems, had chosen him their Governor, before this letter came to their hands; for it is like it was intercepted and opened by the forementioned persons, who were most concerned in the contents thereof, and they were so enraged thereby, as they wrote presently to England against them, discovering not only what they knew, but what they falsely imagined, of their resisting any authority that should come out of England against them. But how much soever they were moved upon the said letter, no advantage could be taken against him or them that sent it, being so drawn up as Mr. Hilton might without offence have shewn it to either of them. But Captain Underhill thereupon wrote a letter to Mr. Cotton, full of threatening and high words, and another to the Governor of a contrary strain, and in very fair terms, entreating there might be an obliteration of all that was past, and a bearing with human infirmities, disavowing all purposes of revenge.

But those of Exeter, in the mean time, were taken up with things of another nature; for having gathered a church, as was intimated before, they wrote a letter, about the middle of December, 1638, to the church of Boston, to desire Mr. Wheelwright's dismission to them for an officer or minister; but because it was not desired by himself, the elders did not propound it to the church. But soon after, upon his own letter, they granted a dismission to him, and to some others' also, (upon their request,) who desired to be dismissed thither.

Things proceeding after this rate, they of the Massachusetts looked upon it as very unneighborly for the inhabitants of Pascataqua to encourage and promote those whom they had thrust out; and, not long after, they themselves were very sensible of their greats error, in neglect

1 See their names in Farmer's Belknap, p. 20.-H.