TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
The original manuscript of this history was written between 1630 and 1655, but was not published and was lost for many years. It was rediscovered and an edition was published in 1856, and another edition published in 1901. Both were printed closely following the mediaeval English of the manuscript.
This book is a rework of that 1901 edition into modern English by Harold Paget. His Introduction gives an account of the loss and eventual return of the manuscript to Massachusetts.
In this etext footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have been placed at the end of the book.
Some minor changes to the text are noted at the [end of the book.] These are indicated by a dashed blue underline.
BRADFORD’S HISTORY
OF THE
PLYMOUTH SETTLEMENT
BRADFORD’S HISTORY
OF THE
PLYMOUTH SETTLEMENT
1608-1650
Rendered into Modern English by
HAROLD PAGET
NEW YORK
E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY
681 FIFTH AVENUE
Copyright, 1909
By THE JOHN McBRIDE CO.
Copyright, 1920
By E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Some Dates in the History of England, Holland, Spain, and America, which bear upon the Contents of this Book
| Discovery of America | 1492 |
| Henry VIII of England | 1509-1547 |
| Act of Supremacy (Secession of England from Rome) | 1534 |
| Edward VI of England | 1547-1553 |
| Mary I of England | 1553-1558 |
| Philip, son of Charles V of Spain, marries Mary I of England | 1554 |
| Charles V of Spain hands over sovereignty of the Netherlands to his son Philip | 1555 |
| Charles V of Spain resigns his crowns to his son, Philip II | 1556 |
| Elizabeth of England | 1558-1603 |
| Philip II returns from Netherlands to Spain | 1559 |
| Spanish Oppression of Netherlands reformers | 1565 |
| Netherlands rebel against Spain | 1566 |
| Netherlands form Republic (Union of Utrecht) | 1579 |
| William I of Orange accepts sovereignty of Holland: murdered: his son Maurice elected Captain-General | 1584 |
| England joins Holland against Spain | 1586 |
| Defeat of Spanish Armada by England | 1588 |
| Philip II of Spain dies: Philip III succeeds | 1598 |
| James I of England | 1603-1625 |
| Pilgrim Fathers fly from England to Holland | 1608 |
| Truce of 12 years between Holland and Spain | 1609 |
| Landing of Pilgrim Fathers in New England | 1620 |
| Philip IV of Spain: truce with Holland expires | 1621 |
| Prince Maurice of Orange dies: his half-brother, Frederick Henry, succeeds | 1625 |
| Charles I of England | 1625-1649 |
| Charter granted to Massachusetts | 1629 |
| Puritan Emigration to New England increases | 1630 |
| Archbishop Laud attacks English Puritans | 1633 |
| Writs for ship-money issued to English maritime towns | 1634 |
| Marriage of William, son of Prince of Orange, to Mary, daughter of Charles I of England | 1641 |
| William II of Orange succeeds Frederick Henry | 1647 |
| Treaty between Holland and Spain | 1648 |
| Commonwealth of England | 1649-1660 |
| English Navigation Acts lead to war with Holland | 1651 |
| Blake defeats Van Tromp | 1653 |
| Charles II of England | 1660-1687 |
| The Dutch lose New Amsterdam to England: renamed New York | 1664 |
| James II of England | 1685-1689 |
| William (of Orange) III and Mary II of England | 1689-1702 |