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XXVIII.

THE DEATHS AMONG THE COLONISTS.

CHAP. Could be mended with lamenting, could not sufficiently be bewailed; but we must go unto them, and they 1621. shall not return unto us. And how many even of us

God hath taken away here and in England, since your departure, you may elsewhere take knowledge. But the same God has tempered judgment with mercy, as otherwise, so in sparing the rest, especially those by whose godly and wise government you may be and (I know) are so much helped.' In a battle it is not looked for but that divers should die; it is thought well for a side if it get the victory, though with the loss of divers, if not too many or too great. God, I hope, hath given you the victory, after many difficulties, for yourselves and others; though I doubt not but many do and will remain for you and us all to strive with.

Brethren, I hope I need not exhort you to obedience unto those whom God hath set over you in church and commonwealth, and to the Lord in them. It is a Christian's honor to give honor according to men's places; and his liberty to serve God in faith, and his brethren in love, orderly and with a willing and free heart. God forbid I should need to exhort you to peace, which is the bond of perfection, and by which all good is tied together, and without which it is scattered. Have peace with God first, by faith in his promises, good conscience kept in all things, and oft renewed by repentance; and so one with another, for his sake who is, though three, one; and for Christ's sake, who is one, and as you are called by one spirit to one hope.

It was certainly a remarkable providence, that out of the 21 men who died the first winter, so few were among the leaders of the expedition. With the exception of

Carver, most of the prominent men were spared. How different might have been the fate of the Colony had Bradford, Winslow, Standish and Allerton been cut off.

ROBINSON'S DESIRE TO COME TO AMERICA.

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XXVIII.

And the God of peace and grace and all goodness be CHAP. with in all the fruits thereof plenteously upon your heads, now and forever.

you

All your brethren here remember you with great love, a general token whereof they have sent you. Yours ever in the Lord,

Leyden, (Holland,) June 30, anno 1621.

JOHN ROBINSON.

1621.

ROBINSON TO ELDER BREWSTER.

LOVING AND DEAR FRIEND and Brother,1

That which I most desired of God in regard of you, namely, the continuance of your life and health, and the safe coming of those sent unto you, that I most gladly hear of, and praise God for the same. And I hope mistress Brewster's weak and decayed state of body will have some repairing by the coming of her daughters, and the provisions in this and other ships sent, which I hear is made for you; which makes us with the more patience bear our languishing state and the deferring of our desired transportation, (which I call desired rather than hoped for,) whatsoever you are borne in hand with by others. For first, there is no hope at all, that I know nor can conceive of, of any new stock to be raised for that end, so that all must depend upon returns from you; in which are so many uncertainties, as that nothing with any certainty can thence be concluded. Besides, howsoever, for the

This letter is copied from the the daughters of the Elder, arrived records of Plymouth Church, book in the Ann, in 1623. See note on i. folio 27. page 352.

2 Patience and Fear Brewster,

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XXVIII.

THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS.

CHAP present, the adventurers allege nothing but want of money, which is an invincible difficulty; yet if that 1623. be taken away by you, others without doubt will be found. For the better clearing of this, we must dispose the adventurers into three parts; and of them some five or six (as I conceive) are absolutely bent for us above others. Other five or six are our bitter professed adversaries. The rest, being the body, I conceive to be honestly minded, and lovingly also towards us; yet such as have others, namely, the forward preachers,' nearer unto them than us, and whose course, so far as there is any difference, they would advance rather than ours. Now what a hank2 these men have over the professors you know; and I persuade myself that for me they of all others are unwilling I should be transported; especially such as have an eye that way themselves, as thinking if I come there, their market will be marred in many regards. And for these adversaries, if they have but half their will to their malice, they will stop my course when they see it intended, for which this delaying serveth them very opportunely; 3 and as one rusty jade can hinder by hanging back

4

1 John Lyford, who came over in the spring of 1624, was probably one of those "forward preachers,' and John Pemberton, his correspondent, was another. Robert Cushman, in a letter dated Jan. 24, 1624, says we send a preacher, though not the most eminent, for whose going Mr. Winslow and I gave way to give content to some at London." Bradford speaks of "the minister, Mr. John Lyford, whom a faction of the adventurers send, to hinder Mr. Robinson." See Morton's Memorial, pp. 111, 114, and Prince's Annals, pp. 226, 228.

2 Hank, influence.

3 Lyford wrote home to the adverse part of the adventurers, in 1624, counselling them that "the Leyden Company, Mr. Robinson and the rest, must still be kept back, or else all will be spoiled; and lest any of them should be taken in privately on the coast of England, (as it was feared might be done,) they must change the master of the ship, Mr. William Peirce, and put another also in Mr. Winslow's room for merchant, or otherwise it would not be prevented." MS. Records of Plymouth Church, b. i. folio 30.

4 Rusty, dull, lazy.

HOSTILITY OF SOME OF THEM.

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XXVIII.

more than two or three can or will (at least if they be CHAP. not very free) draw forward, so will it be in this case. A notable experiment of this they gave in your mes- 1623. senger's presence,' constraining the company to promise that none of the money now gathered should be expended or employed to the help of any of us towards you.

Now touching the question propounded by you, I judge it not lawful for you, being a ruling elder, as Rom. xii. 7, 8, and 1 Tim. v. 17, opposed to the elders that teach and exhort and labor in the word and doctrine, to which the sacraments are annexed, to administer them, nor convenient if it were lawful.

Be you heartily saluted, and your wife with you, both from me and mine. Your God and ours, and the God of all his, bring us together, if it be his will, and keep us in the mean while and always to his glory, and make us serviceable to his majesty, and faithful to the end. Amen.

Your very loving brother,

Leyden, December 20, 1623.

JOHN ROBINSON.3

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England, although he so much
longed to be with his flock, and his
flock with him; a worthy pattern
unto all churches and their minis-
ters to be imitated."- Bradford's
or Morton's Note.

Morton, in his Memorial, p. 126,
says, that "his and their adversa-
ries had been long and continually
plotting how they might hinder his
coming into New England;" and
Hutchinson, ii. 454, says, that "he
was prevented by disappointments
from those in England who under-
took to provide for the passage of
him and his congregation." It
appears that "Sir Ferdinando Gor-
ges and others were at this time

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THE DEATH OF JOHN ROBINSON.

CHAP. XXVIII.

1625.

ROGER WHITE TO GOVERNOR BRADFORD.

To his loving friend, Mr. William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth, in New England, these be, &c.1 LOVING AND KIND FRIENDS, &c.

I know not whether ever this will come to your hands, or miscarry, as other of my letters have done; yet in regard of the Lord's dealing with us here, I have had a great desire to write unto you, knowing your desire to bear a part with us, both in our joys and sorrows, as we do with you.

These therefore are to give you to understand, that it hath pleased the Lord to take out of this vale of tears your and our loving and faithful pastor, and my dear and reverend brother, Mr. John Robinson, who was sick some eight days, beginning first to be sick on a Saturday morning; yet the next day, being the Lord's day, he taught us twice, and the week after grew every day weaker than other, yet felt no pain but weakness, all the time of his sickness. The physic he took wrought kindly, in man's judgment, yet he grew every day weaker than other, feeling little or no

determined that New England
should be settled under episcopacy;
and though they would allow and
encourage people to settle here,
they were unwilling that any Pu-
ritan ministers should accompany
them. The bishops had prevented
the crown from granting liberty to
the petitioners from Leyden; and
it was accounted a great matter, in
1621, to obtain a cautious allow
ance of indulgence under the au-
thority of the President and Council
for the Affairs of New England.
But they took great care to obstruct
the coming over of so important a

man as Mr. Robinson." Sherley, one of the merchant adventurers, incurred the ill-will of his associates, by being in favor of his removal. "The sole cause, he observed, in letter to the Plymouth people, why the greater part of the adventurers malign me, was that I would not side with them against you and the coming over of the Leyden people." See Holmes's Annals, i. 192, 575.

From the records of Plymouth Church, book i. folio 31, and Gov. Bradford's Letter Book.

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