20

ORIGIN OF THE PILGRIMS.

CHAP. affliction was not small. Which, notwithstanding, I. they bare sundry years with much patience, until they

1603. April.

were occasioned, by the continuance and increase of these troubles, and other means which the Lord raised up in those days, to see further into these things by the light of the word of God; how that not only those base beggarly ceremonies were unlawful, but also that the lordly, tyrannous power of the prelates ought not to be submitted to, which those contrary to the freedom of the Gospel would load and burthen men's consciences with, and by their compulsive power make a profane mixture of persons and things in the worship of God; and that their offices and callings, courts and canons, &c. were unlawful and antichristian, being such as have no warrant in the word of God, but the same that were used in Popery, and still retained; of which a famous author thus writeth in his Dutch commentaries:

"At the coming of King James out of Scotland into England, the new king," saith he, "found there estab

suspected persons on their oaths,
and to punish the refractory by ex-
communication, fine, or imprison-
ment, according to their discretion.
They had full authority to com-
mand all sheriffs, justices, and other
officers to apprehend and bring be-
fore them all persons that they
should see fit. Pursuivants or mes-
sengers were sent to the houses of
suspected persons with a citation
for them to appear before the com-
missioners, when they were re-
quired to answer upon oath to a
series of interrogatories, which as
Lord Burleigh said, were "so curi-
ously penned, so full of branches
and circumstances, as he thought
the inquisitors of Spain used not so
many questions to trap their preys."
See Strype's Annals, iii. 180;

Neal's Puritans, i. 84, 274, 285;
Hallam, i. 271.

I have inserted the words these and that from Prince, who quotes this passage from Bradford's MS. See his Annals, p. 100.

2 At the famous Conference at Hampton Court, held Jan. 14, 1604, James declared, "I will none of that liberty as to ceremonies; I will have one doctrine and one discipline, one religion in substance and ceremony. I shall make them [the Puritans] conform themselves, or I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse. If any would not be quiet, and show his obedience, he were worthy to be hanged.' In his speech at the opening of his first parliament, March 19, 1604, he "professed that the sect of Puri

THEY FORM A SEPARATE CHURCH.

I.

21

lished the reformed religion, according to the reformed CHAP. religion of King Edward the Sixth, retaining or keeping still the spiritual state of the bishops, &c. after the old manner, much varying and differing from the Reformed Churches of Scotland, France, and the Netherlands, Emden, Geneva, &c., whose Reformation is cut or shapen much nearer the first churches, as it was used in the Apostles' times." 1

So many therefore of these professors as saw the evil of these things, in these parts, and whose hearts the Lord had touched with heavenly zeal for his truth, they shook off this yoke of antichristian bondage, and, as the Lord's free people, joined themselves, (by a 1602. covenant of the Lord,) into a church estate, in the fellowship of the Gospel, to walk in all his ways, made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavours, whatsoever it should cost them.2

tans or Novelists was not to be suffered in any well governed commonwealth." In a private letter written about the same time, he said, "I had rather live like a hermit in the forest, than be king over such a people as the pack of Puritans that overrules the lower house." He had previously written to his son in the Basilicon Doron, "Take heed, my son, to such Puritans, very pests in the church and commonwealth. I protest before the great God, that ye shall never find with any HighÍand or Border thieves greater ingratitude and more lies and vile perjuries than with these fanatic spirits. Barlow's Sum and Substance, pp. 71, 83, 92; Calderwood, Hist. Ch. Scotland, p. 478; Hallam, i. 419.

In conformity with these views, on the 5th of March, 1604, he issued a proclamation, that the same religion, with common prayer, and episcopal jurisdiction, shall fully and only be publicly exercised, in

all respects, as in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, without hope of tolera-
tion of any other; and on the 6th of
July he issued another proclamation
in which he ordered the Puritan
ministers either to conform before
the last of November, or dispose of
themselves and families some other
way; as being men unfit, for their
obstinacy and contempt, to occupy
such places. The consequence of
this was, that before November of
the next year more than three
hundred ministers were ejected,
silenced, or suspended, some of
whom were imprisoned, and others
driven into exile. Prince, pp. 107,
108, 110; Neal's Puritans, i. 432.

The Reformed Churches shapen
much nearer the primitive pattern
than England; for they cashiered
the bishops, with their courts, can-
ons and ceremonies at the first, and
left them amongst the Popish trash,
to which they appertain.-Morton's
Note.
"Governor Brad-

• Prince says,

22

I.

JOHN ROBINSON'S CHURCH.

CHAP. And that it cost them much pains, trouble, sorrow, affliction, and persecution, and expense of their estates, &c. this ensuing history will declare.1

1606.

These people became two distinct bodies or churches, in regard of distance of place, and did congregate severally, for they were of several towns and villages, some in Nottinghamshire, some in Lincolnshire, and some of Yorkshire, where they bordered nearest together. In the one of these churches, besides others of note, was Mr. John Smith,3 a man of able gifts, and a good preacher, who afterwards was chosen their pastor. But these afterwards falling into some errors in the Low Countries, there for the most part buried themselves and their names.

But in this other church, which must be the subject of our discourse, besides other worthy men, was Mr. Richard Clifton, a grave and reverend preacher, who by his pains and diligence had done much good, and

ford's History takes no notice of
the year of this federal incorpora-
tion; but Mr. Secretary Morton, in
his Memorial, places it in 1602.
And I suppose he had the account
either from some other writings of
Gov. Bradford, the Journals of Gov.
Winslow, or from oral conference
with them, or other of the first
planters; with some of whom
he was contemporary, and from
whence, he tells us, he received
his intelligence." Annals, p. 100.

"These seem to be some of the
first in England that were brave
enough to improve the liberty
wherewith the divine author of our
religion has made us free, and
observe his institutions as their only
rule in church order, discipline, and
worship." Prince, p. 100.

I have substituted Lincolnshire for Lancashire, on the authority of Prince. This is most likely to be

the correct reading, as Lincolnshire borders both on Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, whilst Lancashire. does not. Besides, Prince was remarkable for his accuracy, and is less likely to have made a mistake in deciphering and copying a word than Morton. He tells us, "In the passages relating to the Plymouth planters, I chiefly use Gov. Bradford's manuscript History of that Church and Colony, in folio; who was with them from their beginning to the end of his Narrative, which is now before me, and was never published." Annals, p. 99.

Some account of Smith, Clifton, and Robinson, is contained in Gov. Bradford's Dialogue, in a subsequent part of this volume; where will also be found a more extended memoir of Elder Brewster, also written by Gov. Bradford.

THE PILGRIMS PERSECUTED.

I.

23

under God had been a means of the conversion of CHAP. many; and also that famous and worthy man, Mr. John Robinson, who afterwards was their pastor for 1606. many years, until the Lord took him away by death; and also Mr. William Brewster, a reverend man, who afterwards was chosen an elder of the church, and lived with them until old age and death.

But, after these things, they could not long continue in any peaceable manner, but were hunted and persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as molehills to mountains in comparison to these which now came upon them. For some were taken and clapped up in prisons, others had their houses beset and watched night and day, and hardly escaped their hands; and the most were fain to fly and leave their houses and habitations, and the means of their livelihood. Yet these, and many other sharper things which afterward befell them, were no other than they looked for, and therefore were the better prepared to bear them by the assistance of God's grace and spirit. Yet sceing themselves thus molested, and that there was no hope of their continuance there, by a joint consent they resolved to go into the Low Countries, where they heard was freedom of religion for all men,' as also how

1 After the introduction of the Reformed religion into the Low Countries in 1573, the utmost religious freedom was allowed, all sects were tolerated, and an asylum was opened for fugitives from persecution from every land. See Grotius, Annals, p. 41; Brandt, i. 308; Strada, i. 457. This honorable peculiarity has often been made an occasion of reproach against the country. Thus Bishop Hall, in his letter to Smith and Robinson, Decade iii. Epist. 1, speaks of

Amsterdam as a common harbour
of all opinions, of all heresies."
Baylie, in his Dissuasive, p. 8, calls
Holland "a cage for unclean birds."
Owen Felltham, in his amusing
description of the Low Countries,
says that "all strange religions
flock thither." Johnson, in his
Wonderworking Providence, ch. 15,
exclaims, "Ye Dutch, come out
of your hodge-podge the great
mingle mangle of religion among
you hath caused the churches of
Christ to increase so little with you.

24

THEY RESOLVE TO FLY INTO HOLLAND.

CHAP. sundry from London and other parts of the land, that 1. had been exiled and persecuted for the same cause,

1607.

were gone thither, and lived at Amsterdam,' and in
other places of the land.

So after they had continued together about a year,
and kept their meetings every Sabbath in one place or
another, exercising the worship of God amongst them-
selves, notwithstanding all the diligence and malice
of their adversaries, they seeing they could no longer
continue in that condition, they resolved to get over
into Holland, as they could, which was in the year
1607 and 1608; of which more in that which fol-
loweth.

standing at a stay like corn among
weeds." Beaumont and Fletcher,
in their play, The Fair Maid of the
Inn, introduce one of their charac-
ters as saying,

"I am a schoolmaster, Sir, and would fain
Confer with you about erecting four
New sects of religion at Amsterdam."

And Andrew Marvell, in his " Char-
acter of Holland," writes.

"Sure when religion did itself embark,
And from the east would westward steer
It struck; and splitting on this unknown
ground,

its ark,

Each one thence pillaged the first piece ho
found.

Hence Amsterdam, Turk, Christian, Pa-
gan, Jew,

Staple of sects, and mint of schism, grew;
That bank of conscience, where not one so
strange

Opinion, but finds credit and exchange.
In vain for catholics ourselves we bear;
The universal church is only there."

The English church at Am-
sterdam was that of which Francis
Johnson was pastor and Henry
Ainsworth teacher, and which had
been originally set up at London,
in 1592, and soon afterwards re-
moved to Holland. It came very
near being torn in pieces at first by
intestine divisions, but afterwards

flourished under a succession of
pastors for more than a century.
In 1596 they published a "Confes-
sion of Faith of certain English
people living in exile in the Low
Countries," which was reprinted in
1604, in "An Apology or Defence
of such true Christians as are com-
monly, but unjustly, called Brown-
This work has sometimes
ists."
been confounded with John Robin-
son's "Just and Necessary Apology
of certain Christians not less con-
tumeliously than commonly called
Brownsits or Barrowists," which
was first published in 1619. Some
account of Johnson and Ainsworth
is contained in Bradford's Dialogue,
in a subsequent part of this volume.
See Brandt's History of the Refor-
mation in the Low Countries, i. 479;
Neal's Puritans, i. 363, 386; Prince,
p. 303. Baylie's Dissuasive, p. 15.

2 In Gov. Bradford's Memoir of Elder Brewster, it is stated that "they ordinarily met at his (Brewster's) house on the Lord's Day, which was within a manor of the bishop's; and with great love he entertained them when they came, making provision for them to his great charge, and continued to do so while they could stay in England.”