And I will give the glory to thy name.
The baby cap and bib worked for her little daughter Lorea by Barbara Standish has lately been added to the collection. The sword of Myles Standish is one of the most valuable articles in Pilgrim Hall. General Grant on his visit to Plymouth, October 14, 1880, was much interested in this ancient weapon, and handled it with evident satisfaction. The Arabic inscriptions on the blade have always been a puzzle, and, notwithstanding many attempts, remained undeciphered until the visit to the town, June 7, 1881, of Prof. James Rosedale, of Jerusalem, with a troupe of Arabs from Palestine. Mr. Rosedale being an excellent linguist, was shown the sword, and pronounced the inscriptions to be of different dates; one of them in Cufic, very old, and the other in mediæval Arabic of a later period, but still very ancient. To the last he readily gave the following translation:—
“With peace God ruled His slaves (creatures) and with the judgment of His arm He troubled the mighty of the wicked.”
He had no doubt that the weapon dated back two or three centuries before the Christian era, and might be much older. It was captured from the Persians at Jerusalem in 637 by the Saracens, and it is probable that this famous blade came down to Capt. Standish from the Crusaders, and possessed an interesting history in his day.
The next case contains numerous valuable books and literary works of ancient date, the most precious being a copy of John Eliot’s Indian bible 1685, of which but four copies are now known to be extant. A Dutch bible and a “Breeches” bible 1599, an Indian vocabulary by Josiah Cotton, New England’s Memorial by Nathaniel Morton, and the original records of the Old Colony Club from 1769 to 1773, are also interesting.
The Winslow Case at the right of the Library entrance displays many belongings of that illustrious family, notably, a part of a chest, a mortar and pewter plate, brought by Edward Winslow in the Mayflower, a gold ring and ancient trencher which belonged to Governor Edward Winslow, General John Winslow’s sword, a dressing case once owned by Penelope, wife of Governor Josiah Winslow, and bead purse wrought by that gentle lady, a pair of stiff little shoes worn by Governor Josiah Winslow when an infant, a slipper and cape once owned by Mrs. Susannah White, widow of William White, and second wife of Governor Edward Winslow, and other articles which the catalogues will identify.
WINSLOW RELICS, PILGRIM HALL.
The case at the left of the Library contains many papers and documents of much interest, but of especial note are swords of Gov. John Carver, Elder William Brewster and Capt. Myles Standish, loaned by the Massachusetts Historical Society. A novel reminder of the days of slavery in Massachusetts is a bill of sale of a negro boy in Plymouth in 1753.
The next case has valuable autographs, note books, and a service of ancient silver tankards and goblets not now in use, but belonging to the First Church of Christ in Plymouth. There are also the first volume of the ancient records of the First Church in Plymouth, and the works of Pastor John Robinson, of Leyden.