nours of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf," &c. Mr. Vassall finding no encouragement to stay in England, went to the Barbadoes; the torrid zone being most agreeable to those of his disposition. Dr. Child also preferred a petition to the commissioners of plantations against New England, and put in Mr. Thomas Fowle his name among others; but he hearing of it protested against it, for (as was said) God had brought him very low, both in his estate and reputation, since he joined in the first petition. But it missed the mark, how directly soever it was levelled against the country; and not being able the effect his design that way, he attempted another sort of revenge, by reproaching the place and the fautors thereof. For falling in talk with Mr. Willoughby upon the exchange, (who not long before belonged to Charlestown of New England,) he flew out in scurrilous language against the people of New England, saying they were a company of rogues and knaves. Mr. Willoughby answered, that he who spake so was a knave, whereupon the doctor gave him a box on the ear. Mr. Willoughby was ready to have closed with him, &c. but being upon the royal exchange he was stayed, but presently arrested him. When the doctor saw the danger he was in, he employed some friends to make his peace; by whom he was persuaded to give five pounds to the poor of New England, and to give Mr. Willoughby open satisfaction in the full exchange, and to give it under his hand, never to speak evil of New England men after, nor to occasion any trouble to the country, or to any of the people; all which he gladly performed. In affairs of this nature passed the three first years of this lustre, in all which Mr. Winthrop, by annual election, held the governour's place, as Mr. Dudley did the deputy's. Although in the year 1647, there had been great labouring by the friends of the petitioners to have one chosen governour who had favoured their cause, and to have added some new magistrates of their side; but Mr. Winthrop carried it by near three hundred votes above any other; nor was any new assistant chosen but Capt. Robert Bridges, who was not fit for their turn. In the two follewing years, Mr. Dudley was declared, by the vote of the freeinen, most worthy to succeed in the place of governour, the deputy governour's place the same time falling to Mr. Endicot's share; Mr. Winthrop, the former governour, being called hence March 26, 1649, about the sixty third year of his age. Whatever were the sepulchre wherein his body was entombed, (not royal, like that of Jehoiada,) yet was he honoured with the like epitaph, engraven in the minds of the people, as a worthy gentleman, who had done good in Israel, having spent not only his whole estate, (which at the first was considerable,) but his bodily strength and life, in the service of the country, not sparing, but always as the burning torch spending his health and wealth for the good of others. His virtues were very many and very commendable; his errours but few and very small, compared with those observed in his detractors. One of the greatest note complained of in him, was his dia aμatos, i. e. not sparing the body; for the remedy of which his friends wished he had more literally taken notice of Paul's precept to Timothy, "drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities," which too many of that holy apostle's disciples, or at least pretenders so to be, are very ready to observe, neglecting all the rest. But this good gentleman having, in those hard times of first planting the wilderness, endeavoured to leave others an unimitable pattern of temperance and frugality, he so much overcooled his natural heat, that he thereby as it were, invited death to take seizure of his weak body before he had scarce made any entrance into old age. CHAP. LVI. Various occurrents in New England, from 1646 to 1651. IN October 1645, the general court of the Massachusetts had made an order for 10 shillings, to be paid upon every butt of Spanish wine landed there. In the spring following, there arrived divers English ships, which brought eight hundred butts, but the merchants having lost much by leakage, and coming to a bad market as they said, were very unwilling to pay the impost, and refused to give in an invoice of such wines as they had landed; by reason of which they were forfeited by the foremen. tioned order. But upon their petition, the court remitted the forfeit and half the impost, (in regard the order was made so late as they could not have notice of it in those parts from which the wine came;) but this notwithstanding, they would not submit to the order, so as the auditor, (who had a charge of receiving the said impost,) was forced to break open the cellar doors where their wine lay, and took out of their best wines for the impost, which by the order he might do; but that they took also as a great injury, because their best wines being gone, the sale of the rest was thereby much hindered, and the merchants threatened to get recompense some other way. But too much indulgence in that kind opened a door of encoungement to wine merchants, who have since filled the country with that commodity, to the overflowing of luxury and other evils; whereas, had there been a greater impost laid thereon, it might have turned the stream of traffick into another channel, that might have been much more beneficial to the place. Too much oil extinguishes the light it should maintain. When this commodity began to abound in New England, it might have been truly said, as of old in the times of Constantine, Hodie venenum effusum est in ecclesiam. Once New England complained for want of traffick, but now it may be said, filia devoravit matrem. Occasions of offence still continued betwixt the Dutch and those of New Haven, which began to rise to a great height of provocation on both sides, so as they were incessantly complaining of injuries on either side, which they were ready to revenge with the sword. The inhabitants of New Haven, having purchased some land of the Indians thirty miles up into the country, toward the northwest, upon a river called Patuxet, built a trading house there. The Dutch governour hearing thereof makes a protest against it, and sent it to Mr. Eaton, claiming the place to belong to New Netherlands, and lying within ten miles of the fort of Aurania. Mr. Eaton sent an answer, allowing no right in the Dutch, but alleging their purchase, and offering to refer the case, &c. The Dutch governour complained thereof to the governour of the Massachusetts, and also of a speech of Mr. Whiting, (a magistrate of Connecticut,) that the English were fools for suffering the Dutch in the centre of the country. The Massachusetts governour informed Mr. Eaton thereof, (the commissioners being then to meet at New Haven,) and tendered to their consideration, if it would not be expedient to call Mr. Whiting to give account of those speeches, seeing the Dutch would expect satisfaction; but the sense of present injuries, which, as they apprehended, they were continually followed withal, made them backward to hearken to that intimation. March 19, 1646, one Capt. Dobson, in a ship of 80 tons, double manned, and fitted for a man of war, was set forth from Boston to trade to the eastward. Their testimonial was for the gulph of Canada, but being taken with foul weather, whereby they lost their boat, they put into harbour at Cape Sables, and there shooting off five or six pieces of ordnance, the Indians came aboard them, and traded some skins. Monsieur D'Aulney was as list of hearing as the Indians, and sent away twenty men, (being not above thirty miles from Port Royal,) who lurking in the woods for their advantage, Providence now offered them a very fair one, for the ship having bought a shallop of the Indians, and being under sail therein, in the mouth of the harbour, the wind came inul, about southerly with such violence as forced them to an October 20, 1648, came Mr. Harrison, pastor of the ! |
