1649
A NIGHT IN THE FOREST
by John Winthrop
Electronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)
A Night in the Forest
THE governor, being at his farm house at Mistick, walked out
after supper, and took a piece in his hand, supposing he might
see a wolf (for they came daily about the house, and killed swine
and calves, etc.); and, being about half a mile off, it grew
suddenly dark, so as, in coming home, he mistook his path, and
went till he came to a little ; house of Sagamore John, which stood
empty. There he stayed, and having a piece of match in his pocket
(for he always carried about him match and a compass, and in
summer time snakeweed), he made a good fire near the house, and
lay down upon some old mats, which he found there, and so spent
the night, sometimes walking by the fire, sometimes singing
psalms, and sometimes getting wood, but could not sleep. It was
(through God's mercy) a warm night; but a little before day it
began to rain, and, having no cloak, he made shift by a long pole
to climb up into the house. In the morningwazzu , there came thither an
Indian squaw, but perceiving her before she had opened the door,
he barred her out; yet she stayed there a great while essaying to
get in, and at last she went away, and he returned safe home, his
servants having been much perplexed for him, and having walked
about, and shot off pieces, and hallooed in the night, but he
heard them not.
The Reconciliation of Winthrop and Dudley
SOME differences fell out still, now and then, between the
governor and the deputy, which yet were soon healed. It had been
ordered in court, that all hands should help to the finishing of
the fort at Boston, and all the towns in the bay had gone once
over, and most the second time; but those of Newtown being
warned, the deputy would .not suffer them to come, neither did
acquaint the governor with the cause, which was, for that Salem
and Sagus had not brought in money for their parts. The governor,
hearing of it, wrote friendly to him, showing him that the intent
of the court was, that the work should be done by those in the
bay, and that, after, the others should pay a proportionable sum
for the house, etc., which must be done by money; and therefore
desired him that he would send in his neighbors. Upon this Mr.
Haynes and Mr. Hooker came to the governor to treat with him
about it, and brought a letter from the deputy full of bitterness
and resolution not to send till Salem, etc.
The governor told them it should rest till the court, and
withal gave the letter to Mr. Hooker with this speech: " I am not
willing to keep such an occasion of provocation by me." And soon
after he wrote to the deputy (who had before desired to buy a fat
hog or two of him, being somewhat short of provisions) to desire
him to send for one (which he would have sent him, if he had
known when his occasion had been to have made use of it), and to
accept it as a testimony of his good-will; and, lest he should
make any scruple of it, he made Mr. Haynes and Mr. Hooker (who
both sojourned in his house) partakers with him. Upon this the
deputy returned this answer: "Your overcoming yourself hath
overcome me. Mr. Haynes, Mr. Hooker, and myself, do most kindly
accept your good-will; but we desire, without offence, to refuse
your offer, and that I may only trade with you for two hogs;" and
so very lovingly concluded. The court being two days after,
ordered, that Newtown should do their work as others had done,
and then Salem, etc., should pay for three days at eighteen pence
a man.
How The Fathers Disciplined Governor Vane
THE governor, receiving letters from his friends in England,
which necessarily required his presence there, imparted the same
to the council and some others; and, being thereupon resolved of
his return into England, called a court of deputies, to the end
he might have free leave of the country, etc. They, being
assembled in court, and himself declaring the necessity of his
departure, and those of the council affirming the reasons to be
very urgent, though not fit to be imparted to the whole court,
they desired respite to consider thereof till the morning; when
one of the assistants using some pathetical passages of the loss
of such a governor in a time of such danger as did hang over us,
from the Indians and French, the governor brake forth into tears,
and professed, that howsoever the causes propounded for his
departure were such as did concern the utter ruin of his outward
estate, yet he would rather have hazarded all, than have gone
from them at this time, if something else had not pressed him
more, viz., the inevitable danger he saw of God's judgments to
come upon us for these differences and dissensions, which he saw
amongst us, and the scandalous imputations brought upon himself,
as if he should be the cause of all; and therefore he thought it
best for him to give place for a time, etc. Upon this the court
concluded that it would not be fit to give way to his departure
upon these grounds. Whereupon he recalled himself, and professed,
that the reasons concerning his own estate were sufficient to his
own satisfaction for his departure, and therefore desired the
court he might have leave to go; as for the other passage, it
slipped him out of his passion, and not out of judgment. Upon
this the court consented, silently, to his departure. Then the
question was about supply of his place. Some were of opinion,
that it should be executed by the deputy; but this scruple being
cast in, that if the deputy should die, then the government would
be vacant, and none have power to call any court, or preside
therein, etc., it was agreed to call a court of elections, for a
new governor and deputy, in case the present deputy should be
chose governor; and an order was made (in regard of the season)
that such as would might send their votes by proxy, in papers
sealed up and delivered to the deputies. And so this court was
adjourned four days, and two days after the court of elections
was to assemble. These things thus passed, divers of the
congregation of Boston met together, and agreed that they did not
apprehend the necessity of the governor's departure upon the
reasons alleged, and sent some of them to declare the same to the
court; whereupon the governor expressed himself to be an obedient
child to the church, and therefore, notwithstanding the license
of the court, yet, without the leave of the church, he durst not
go away.
Whereupon a great part of the court and country, who
understood hereof, declared their purpose to continue him still
in his place, and therefore, so soon as the day of election came,
and the country were assembled, it was thought the best way for
avoiding trouble, etc., not to proceed to election, but to
adjourn the court to the great general court in May. And so the
court of deputies, etc., continued still (for the other court was
not called).
At this court the elders of the churches were called, to
advise with them about discovering and pacifying the differences
among the churches in point of opinion. The governor having
declared the occasion to them, Mr. Dudley desired, that men would
be free and open, etc. Another of the magistrates spake, that it
would much further the end they came for, if men would freely
declare what they held different from others, as himself would
freely do, in what point soever he should be opposed. The
governor said, that he would be content to do the like, but that
he understood the ministers were about it in a church way, etc.,
which he spake upon this occasion: the ministers had met, a
little before, and had drawn into heads all the points, wherein
they suspected Mr. Cotton did differ from them, and had
propounded them to him, and pressed him to a direct answer,
affirmative or negative, to every one; which he had promised, and
taken time for.
This meeting being spoke of in the court the day before, the
governor took great offence at it, as being without his privity,
etc., which this day Mr. Peter told him as plainly of (with all
due reverence), and how it had sadded the ministers' spirits,
that he should be jealous of their meetings, or seem to restrain
their liberty, etc. The governor excused his speech, as sudden
and upon a mistake. Mr. Peter told him also, that before he came,
within less than two years since, the churches were in peace,
etc. The governor answered, that the light of the gospel brings a
sword, and the children of the bond-woman would persecute those
of the free-woman. Mr. Peter also besought him humbly to consider
his youth, and short experience in the things of God, and to be-
ware of peremptory conclusions, which he perceived him to be very
apt unto.
A Puritan School-Master
AT the general court at Boston, one Mr. Nathaniel Eaton,
brother to the merchant at Quilipiack, was convented and
censured. The occasion was this: He was a school-master, and had
many scholars, the sons of gentlemen and others of best note in
the country, and had entertained one Nathaniel Briscoe, a
gentleman born, to be his usher, and to do some other things for
him, which might not be unfit for a scholar. He had not been with
him above three days but he fell out with him for a very small
occasion, and, with reproachful terms, discharged him, and turned
him out of his doors; but, it being then about eight of the clock
after the Sabbath, he told him he should stay till next morning,
and, some words growing between them, he struck him and pulled
him into his house. Briscoe defended himself, and closed with
him, and, being parted, he came in and went up to his chamber to
lodge there. Mr. Eaton sent for the constable, who advised him
first to admonish him, etc., and if he could not, by the power of
a master, reform him, then he should complain to the magistrate.
But he caused his man to fetch him a cudgel, which was a walnut
tree plant, big enough to have killed a horse, and a yard in
length, and, taking his two men with him, he went up to Briscoe,
and caused his men to hold him till he had given him two hundred
stripes about the head and shoulders, etc., and so kept him under
blows (with some two or three short intermissions) about the
space of two hours, about which time Mr. Shepherd and some others
of the town came in at the outcry, and so he gave over. In this
distress Briscoe gate out his knife, and struck at the man that
held him, but hurt him not. He also fell to prayer (supposing he
should have been murdered), and then Mr. Eaton beat him for
taking the name of God in vain.
After this Mr. Eaton and Mr. Shepherd (who knew not then of
these passages) came to the governor and some other of the
magistrates, complaining of Briscoe for his insolent speeches,
and for crying out murder and drawing his knife, and desired that
he might be enjoined to a public acknowledgment, etc. The
magistrates answered, that they must first hear him speak, and
then they would do as they should see cause.
Mr. Eaton was displeased at this, and went away
discontented, etc., and, being after called into the court to
make answer to the information, which had been given by some who
knew the truth of the case, and also to answer for his neglect
and cruelty, and other ill usage towards his scholars, one of the
elders (not suspecting such miscarriages by him) came to the
governor, and showed himself much grieved, that he should be
publicly produced, alleging, that it would derogate from his
authority and reverence among his scholars, etc. But the cause
went on notwithstanding, and he was called, and these things laid
to his charge in the open court. His answers were full of pride
and disdain, telling the magistrates, that they should not need
to do any thing herein, for he was intended to leave his
employment. And being asked, why he used such cruelty to Briscoe
his usher, and to other his scholars (for it was testified by
another of his ushers and divers of his scholars, that he would
give them between twenty and thirty stripes at a time, and would
not leave till they had confessed what he required), his answer
was, that he had this rule, that he would not give over
correcting till he had subdued the party to his will.
Being also questioned about the ill and scant diet of his
boarders (for, though their friends gave large allowance, yet
their diet was ordinarily nothing but porridge and pudding, and
that very homely), he put it off to his wife. So the court
dismissed him at present, and commanded him to attend again the
next day, when, being called, he was commanded to the lower end
of the table (where all offenders do usually stand), and, being
openly convict of all the former offences, by the oaths of four
or five witnesses, he yet continued to justify himself; so, it
being near night, he was committed to the marshal till the next
day. When the court was set in the morning, many of the elders
came into the court (it being then private for matter of
consultation), and declared how, the evening before, they had
taken pains with him, to convince him to of his faults; yet, for
divers hours, he had still stood to his justification; but, in
the end, he was convinced, and had freely and fully acknowledged
his sin, and that with tears; so as they did hope he had truly
repented, and therefore desired of the court that he might be
pardoned, and continued in his employment, alleging such further
reasons as they thought fit.
After the elders were departed, the court consulted about
it, and sent for him, and there, in the open court, before a
great assembly, he made a very solid, wise, eloquent, and serious
(seeming) confession, condemning himself in all the particutars,
etc. Whereupon, being put aside, the court consulted privately
about his sentence, and, though many were taken with his
confession, and none but had a charitable opinion of it; yet,
because of the scandal of religion, and offence which would be
given to such might intend to send their children hither, they
all agreed to censure him, and put him from that employment. So,
being called in, the governor, after a short preface, etc.,
declared the sentence of the court to this effect, viz., that he
should give Briscoe 30, be fined 100 marks, and debarred
teaching of children within our jurisdiction. A pause being made,
and expectation that (according to his former confession) he
would have given glory to God, and acknowledged the justice and
clemency of the court, the governor giving him occasion, by
asking him if he had aught to say, he turned away with a
discontented look, saying, "If sentence be passed, then it is to
no end to speak." Yet the court remitted his fine to 20, and
willed Briscoe to take but 20.
The church at Cambridge, taking notice of these proceedings,
intended to deal with him. The pastor moved the governor, if they
might, without offence to the court, examine other witnesses. His
answer was, that the court would leave them to their own liberty
but he saw not to what end they should do it, seeing there had
been five already upon oath, and those whom they should examine
should speak without oath, and it was an ordinance of God, that
by the mouths of two or three witnesses every matter should be
established. But he soon discovered himself; for, ere the church
could come to deal with him, he fled to Pascataquack, and, being
pursued and apprehended by the governor there, he again
acknowledged his great sin in flying, etc., and promised (as he
was a Christian man) he would return with the messengers. But,
because his things he carried with him were aboard a bark there,
bound to Virginia, he desired leave to go fetch them, which they
assented unto, and went with him (three of them) aboard with him.
So he took his truss and came away with them in the boat; but,
being come to the shore, and two of them going out of the boat,
he caused the boatmen to put off the boat, and because the third
man would not go out, he turned him into the water, where he had
been drowned, if he had not saved himself by swimming. So he
returned to the bark, and presently they set sail and went out of
the harbor.
Being thus gone, his creditors began to complain; and
thereupon it was found, that he was run in debt about 000, and
had taken up most of this money upon bills he had charged into
England upon his brother's agents, and others whom he had no such
relation to. So his estate was seized, and put into
commissioners' hands, to be divided among his creditors, allowing
somewhat for the present maintenance of his wife and children.
And, being thus gone, the church proceeded and cast him out. He
had been sometimes initiated among the Jesuits, and, coming into
England, his friends drew him from them, but, it was very
probable, he now intended to return to them again, being at this
time about thirty years of age, and upwards.
The Penitence of Captain Underhill
CAPTAIN UNDERHILL being brought, by the blessing of God in
this church's censure of excommunication, to remorse for his foul
sins, obtained, by means of the elders, and others of the church
of Boston, a safe conduct under the hand of the governor and one
of the council to repair to the church. He came at the time of
the court of assistants, and upon the lecture day, after sermon,
the pastor called him forth and declared the occasion, and then
gave him leave to speak: and indeed it was a spectacle which
caused many weeping eyes, though it afforded matter of much
rejoicing to behold the power of the Lord Jesus in his own
ordinances, when they are dispensed in his own way, holding forth
the authority of his regal sceptre in the simplicity of the
gospel. He came in his worst clothes (being accustomed to take
great pride in his bravery and neatness) without a band, in a
foul linen cap pulled close to his eyes; and standing upon a
form, he did, with many deep sighs and abundance of tears, lay
open his wicked course, his adultery, his hypocrisy, his
persecution of God's people here, and especially his pride (as
the root of all, which caused God to give him over to his other
sinful courses) and contempt of the magistrates. He justified God
and the church and the court in all that had been inflicted on
him. He declared what power Satan had of him since the casting
out of the church; how his presumptuous laying hold of mercy and
pardon, before God gave it, did then fail him when the terrors of
God came upon him, so as he could have no rest, nor could see any
issue but utter despair, which had put him divers times upon
resolutions of destroying himself, had not the Lord in mercy
prevented him, even when his sword was ready to have done the
execution. Many fearful temptations he met with beside, and in
all these his heart shut up in hardness and impenitency as the
bond-slave of Satan, till the Lord, after a long time and great
afflictions, had broken his heart, and brought him to humble
himself before him night and day with prayers and tears till his
strength was wasted; and indeed he appeared as a man worn out
with sorrow, and yet he could find no peace, therefore he was now
come to seek it in this ordinance of God.
He spake well, save that his blubbering, etc., interrupted
him, and all along he discovered a broken and melting heart, and
gave good exhortations to take heed of such vanities and
beginnings of evil as had occasioned his fall; and in the end he
earnestly and humbly besought the church to have compassion of
him, and to deliver him out of the hands of Satanas . So accordingly
he was received into the church again; and after he came into the
court (for the general court began soon after) and made
confession of his sin against them, etc., and desired pardon,
which the court freely granted him, so far as concerned their
private judgment.
A Puritan Opinion of Literary Women
MR. HOPKINS, the governor of Hartford upon Connecticut, came
to Boston, and brought his wife with him (a godly young woman,
and of special parts), who was fallen into a sad infirmity, the
loss of her understanding and reason, which had been growing upon
her divers years, by occasion of her giving herself wholly to
reading and writing, and had written many books. Her husband,
being very loving and tender of her, was loath to grieve her; but
he saw his error, when it was too late. For if she had attended
her household affairs, and such things as belong to women, and
not gone out of her way and calling to meddle in such things as
are proper for men, whose minds are stronger, etc., she had kept
her wits, and might have improved them usefully and honorably in
the place God had set her.
He brought her to Boston, and left her with her brother, one
Mr. Yale, a merchant, to try what means might be had here for
her. But no help could be had.
A Punishment of Parental Love
GOD will be sanctified in them that come near him. Two
others were the children of one of the church of Boston. While
their parents were at the lecture, the boy (being about seven
years of age), having a small staff in his hand, ran down upon
the ice towards a boat he saw, and the ice breaking, he fell in,
but his staff kept him up, till his sister, about fourteen years
old, ran down to save her brother (though there were four men at
hand, and called to her not to go, being themselves hasting to
save him) and so drowned herself and him also, being past
recovery ere the men could come at them, and could easily reach
ground with their feet. The parents had no more sons, and con-
fessed they had been too indulgent towards him, and had set their
hearts overmuch upon him.
This puts me in mind of another child very strangely drowned
a little before winter. The parents were also members of the
church of Boston. The father had undertaken to maintain the mill-
dam, and being at work upon it (with some help he had hired), in
the afternoon of the last day of the week, night came upon them
before they had finished what they intended, and his conscience
began to put him in mind of the Lord's day, and he was troubled,
yet went on and wrought an hour within night. The next day, after
evening exercise, and after thev had supped, the mother put two
children to bed in the room where themselves did lie, and they
went out to visit a neighbor. When they returned, they continued
about an hour in the room, and missed not the child, but then the
mother going to the bed, and not finding her youngest child (a
daughter about five years of age), after much search she found it
drowned in a well in her cellar; which was very observable, as by
a special hand of God, that the child should go out of that room
into another in the dark, and then fall down at a trap-door, or
go down the stairs, and so into the well in the farther end of
the cellar, the top of the well and the water being even with,
the ground. But the father, freely in the open congregation, did
acknowledge it the righteous hand of God for his profaning his
holy day against the checks of his own conscience.
The Manner of Master Eliot's Teaching
MENTION was made before of some beginning to instruct the
Indians, etc., Mr. John Eliot, teacher of the church of Roxbury,
found such encouragement, as he took great pains to get their
language, and in a few months could speak of the things of God to
their understanding; and God prospered his endeavors, so as he
kept a constant lecture to them in two places, one week at the
wigwam of one Wabon, a new sachem near Watertown mill, and the
other the next week in the wigwam of Cutshamekin near Dorchester
mill. And for the furtherance of the work of God, divers of the
English resorted to his lecture, and the governor and other of
the magistrates and elders sometimes; and the Indians began to
repair thither from other parts.
His manner of proceeding was thus: he would persuade one of
the other elders or some magistrate to begin the exercise with
prayer in English; then he took a text, and read it first in the
Indian language, and after in English; then he preached to them
in Indian about an hour (but first I should have spoke of the
catechising their children, who were soon brought to answer him
some short questions, whereupon he gave each of them an apple or
a cake); then he demanded of some of the chiefs, if they
understood him; if they answered, yea, then he asked of them if
they had any questions to propound. And they had usually two or
three or more questions, which he did resolve.
At one time (when the governor was there and about two
hundred people, Indian and English, in one wigwam of
Cutshamekin's) an old man asked him, if God would receive such an
old man as he was; to whom he answered by opening the parable of
the workmen that were hired into the vineyard; and when he had
opened it, he asked the old man, if he did believe it, who
answered he did, and was ready to weep. A second question was,
what was the reason, that when all Englishmen did know God, yet
some of them were poor. His answer was, 1. that God knows it is
better for his children to be good than to be rich; he knows
withal, that if some of them had riches, they would abuse them,
and wax proud and wanton, etc., therefore he gives them no more
riches than may be needful for them, that they may be kept from
pride, etc., to depend upon him, 2. he would hereby have men
know, that he hath better blessings to bestow upon good men than
riches, etc., and that their best portion is in heaven, etc...
The Indians were usually very attentive, and kept their
children so quiet as caused no disturbance. Some of them began to
be seriously affected, and to understand the things of God, and
they were generally ready to reform whatsoever they were told to
be against the word of God, as their sorcery (which they call
powwowing), their whoredoms, etc., idleness, etc. The Indians
grew very inquisitive after knowledge both in things divine and
also human, so as one of them, meeting with an honest plain
Englishman, would needs know of him, what were the first
beginnings (which we call principles) of a commonwealth. The
Englishman, being far short in the knowledge of such matters, yet
ashamed that an Indian should find an Englishman ignorant of any
thing, bethought himself what answer to give him, at last
resolved upon this, viz., that the first principle of a
commonwealth was salt, for (saith he) by means of salt we can
keep our flesh and fish, to have it ready when we need it,
whereas you lose much for want of it, and are sometimes ready to
starve. A second principle is iron, for thereby we fell trees,
build houses, till our land, etc. A third is, ships, by which we
carry forth such commodities as we have to spare, and fetch in
such as we need, as cloth, wine, etc. Alas! (saith the Indian)
then I fear, we shall never be a commonwealth, for we can neither
make salt, nor iron, nor ships.
THE END
|
