extirpation of all his friends and adherents, within a few months after they began it, as is declared in the narrative, which may be hereunto annexed. The articles and conditions, on which the said league was agreed upon, were as followeth, as in ||Morton||, page 24. The experiences of the aforementioned passages of Providence put the new inhabitants of Plymouth in mind of God's promise to the people of Israel in their passage towards the possession of the land of Canaan, where he engaged to them concerning the Canaanite and the Hittite, that he would by little and little drive them out from before his people, till they were increased, and did inherit the land; which consideration is the more to be remembered herein, in that it was known to the said planters of Plymouth not long after, that these Indians, before they came to make friendship with them, had taken Balaam's counsel against Israel in getting all the powwawes of the country together, who for three days incessantly had, in a dark and dismal swamp, attempted to have cursed the English, and thereby have prevented their settling in those parts, which when they discerned was not like to take place, they were not unwilling to seek after a peace. The like was confessed many years after to have been attempted by an old and noted and chief Sagamore and Powaw, about Merrimack, to the northward of the Massachusetts, called Passaconaway, who, when he perceived he could not bring about his end therein, he left it, as his last charge to his son, that was to succeed him, and all his people, never to quarrel with the English, lest thereby they came to be destroyed utterly, and rooted out of the country. This hath been confirmed to the remnant of the faithful, that surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, nor divination against Israel.

It may here be added, that in the following year, 1621, several other Sachems or Sagamores - which are but one and the same titles, the first more usual with the southward, the other with the northward Indians, to express the title of him that hath the chief command of a place or people as well as the afore-named Massasoit, came to the Governor of New Plymouth, and did volun

tarily acknowledge themselves to be the loyal subjects of our Lord, King James, and subscribed a writing to that purpose with their own hands, the tenor of which here followeth, with their names annexed thereunto, that succeeding times may keep a memorial thereof, it having no small influence into the first foundations here laid, Morton, page 29.

September 13, Anno Dom. 1621. Know all men by these Presents, That we whose Names are under-written, do acknowledge ourselves to be the Loyal Subjects of King James, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. In Witness whereof, and as a Testimonial of the same, we have subscribed our [Names or] Marks, as followeth.

Of the government, civil and military, established in the Colony of New Plymouth.

THAT which our Savior once affirmed concerning a kingdom, is as true of the smallest colony, or puny state, or least society of mankind, that if it be divided against itself it cannot stand; and how can divisions be avoided where all sorts of people are to be at their liberty, whether in things civil or sacred, to do all that doth, and nothing but what doth, seem good in their own eyes. Our first founders of this new colony, were aware of this, before they removed themselves from the parts of Europe, whether England or Holland, to those of America; and, therefore, according to the prudent advice of Mr. Robinson, their Pastor, they had procured a Patent for themselves, or had a power granted from their Sovereign Prince, whereby they might form themselves into a body politic in the place specified in their Patent. But missing of the place, the things

contained therein were utterly invalidated, and made useless thereby, which they wisely considered in the first place, as was said before, and therefore they all signed an instrument, concerning some way of order and government, which they, according as necessity required, intended to mould themselves into, upon the first opportunity which should offer itself, after they found a place of habitation fit to settle upon. By the aforesaid accident, things so fell out, that for the present they could not fall into any order of government, but by way of combination; with which they intended to content themselves till occasion might serve for the obtaining another Patent from the King, for that place where Providence now had cast their lot. For the present, therefore, they devolved the sole power of government upon MR. JOHN CARVER, in whose prudence they so far confided, that he would not adventure upon any matter of moment without consent of the rest, or at least advice of such as were thought to be the wisest amongst them, and not to increase the number of rulers, where the persons were so few to be ruled; knowing also that they could at their pleasure add more as there might be occasion, much better than to have eased themselves of the burden, if they should pitch upon too many at first. One Nehemiah is better than a whole Sanhedrim of mercenary Shemaiahs.

The Laws they intended to be governed by were the Laws of England, the which they were willing to be subject unto, though in a foreign land, and have since that time continued in that mind for the general, adding only some particular municipal laws of their own, suitable to their constitution in such cases where the common laws and statutes of England could not well reach or afford them help in emergent difficulties of the place, possibly on the same ground that ||Pacuvius|| sometimes advised his neighbors of Capua, not to cashier their old magistrates till they could agree upon better to place in their room. So did these choose to abide by the Laws of England, till they could be provided of better.

| Pacavius

As for their military affairs, they were at this time as necessary to be provided for, in regard of enemies without, as were the civil concernments within amongst themselves; and although the order thereof be founded in the same authority with the former, yet is it, at least in our days, usual and needful it should be managed by other hands, for which purpose they were well furnished by a person of that company, though at that time not of their church, well skilled in the affair, and of as good courage as conduct, Capt. Miles Standish by name, a gentleman very expert in things of that nature, by whom they were all willing to be ordered in those concerns. He was likewise improved with good acceptance and success in affairs of greatest moment in that colony, to whose interest he continued firm and steadfast to the last; and always managed his trust with great integrity and faithfulness. What addition and alteration was made afterwards in and about the premises, there may be an occasion to observe afterward.

CHAP. XI.

Of the religion, worship, and discipline, professed or practised, by those of Plymouth.

As of old, notice was taken in the Sacred Records, how happy it was with Israel when they were led like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron, so hath it been observed in all ages, as a certain token of God's presence with and amongst his people, when their ecclesiastical, as well as civil affairs, are carried on by the same care and endeavor. The faith and order of the church of the Colossians was a desirable sight in the eyes of the Apostle. The addition of civil order forementioned in the new colony, without doubt, did not a little increase the beauty of this small society, rendering this little citadel of Sion, that was now begun to be erected in America, hopeful to become beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible at the last as an army with banners, that the

powers of darkness and the gates of hell have not yet been able to prevail against, how strangely soever of late times they have endeavored it. As for the doctrine of religion held forth by this people, together with their worship, it was for the substance little discrepant from that of the rest of the reformed churches of Europe, abating the discipline, with the rites and ceremonies observed in the church of England, ever since the first reformation begun in those kingdoms, under the English sceptre; on which account those people that were a part of Mr. Robinson's church at Leyden, whose pedigree some that favor that interest derive from the English church at Frankford, settled afterward at London, made a professed separation from the rest of the reformed churches, whence in the former age they were styled Separatist, and generally known by that name, not only with relation to the rites and ceremonies of worship, but in special also in regard of the discipline and government of the church; all which, because they were so well known to the world. by several writings that passed between Mr. Robinson, with some of the like persuasion, and other learned persons of the contrary judgment, no further or ||more|| particular account need be given thereof in this place; but when we come to speak of the settling of the other colonies, there will be a fitter occasion to treat more fully thereof, for as much as none of the rest of the planters came over in any settled order of government, only resolving when they came hither to carry on those affairs as near as they could exactly according to the rule and pattern laid before them in the word of God, wherein they cannot be blamed for endeavoring, according to their best understanding, to approve themselves faithful to the Supreme Lord of his church, as opportunity might be afforded. It is easy to observe a difference between him that is about repairing of a building, by age and time fallen into some decay, and one that is about to rear a new fabric; with whom it is no harder work, if he have materials at hand, to square everything according to the best pattern and method made known, than it is for the other to endeavor the bringing of things to

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