In January, 1636, he was cited by Boston, but declining to appear, Captain John Underhill was despatched to Salem with a sloop to arrest him and put him aboard ship for England. Receiving a hint from Winthrop “to arise and flee into the Narrohiganset’s country, free from English Pattents,” with a few companions he “steered his course for the land of the Narragansett Indians, being sorely tossed for one fourteen weeks in a bitter winter season, not knowing what bread or bed did mean.” In 1639 he became an Anabaptist, was duly immersed, and founded the first Baptist church in Providence—the mother of 18,000 Baptist churches in America. In a few months he completely separated from the Baptists, and became a “Seeker.” His whole life and journeys to and from the old country cannot be followed here. He lived till 1683, “preaching the Gospel of Christ, not only to his own people, but to the Children of the Forest, who received the Missionary, and loved the Man.” Some of his chief published works were:—
“A key into the Language of America, or an Help to the Language of the Natives in that Part of America called New England; together with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners and Worships of the aforesaid Natives in Peace and Warre, in Life and Death, London, Gregory Dexler, 1643.”
“The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience, discussed in a Conference ... 1644.”
“Experiments of Spiritual Life and Health and their Preservatives. London 1652.”
“George Fox digg’d out of his Burrowes, or an Offer of Disputation on fourteen Proposals made this last Summer, 1672, (so call’d) unto G. Fox, then present on Rode Island, in New England. Boston. Printed by John Foster 1676.”
John Winthrop, born on January 12th, 1588, at Edwardston in Suffolk, was one of the twelve signatories at Cambridge on August 26th, 1629, to the document which practically made Massachusetts self-governing. Those who signed undertook to set sail with their families to inhabit and continue in New England, provided that the whole government, together with the patent for the plantation, be first by an order of court legally transferred and established, to remain with us and others which shall inhabit upon the said plantation. Shortly John Winthrop was elected to be governor, and in March of the next year sailed from England. His literary character was in evidence even throughout the voyage, as the famous diary was then begun, and also in his journey across the seas he wrote a little manual, the manuscript of which now belongs to the New York Historical Society, and is called Christian Charitie. A Modell hereof.
Now we come to talk of a man who is perhaps the most interesting figure in early American authorship. John Eliot, the Indian apostle, born in Herefordshire in 1604, took his degree at Cambridge in 1622, and afterwards entered Holy Orders. He landed at Boston, New England, in 1631. On November 5th, 1632, he was made a “teacher of the Church at Roxbury, and held this post until his death at Roxbury on May 20th, 1690.” In the meanwhile, between 1632 and 1690, John Eliot had, amongst other vast labours, translated the whole Bible into native Indian; but to be more precise: First came the New Testament in 1661, and a second edition in 1680. In 1663 the whole Bible, first edition, and in 1685 the second edition. These wonderful works were published at Cambridge, in New England. He also helped in the preparation of the English Metrical version of the Psalms, the first book printed in New England. This was known as the Bay Psalm-book, and was printed by Stephen Daye in 1640. Everett declared of him: “Since the death of the Apostle Paul, a nobler, truer, and warmer spirit than John Eliot never lived.”
Again, Mather wrote of him: “He that would write of Eliot, must write of Charity, or say nothing.”
Richard Baxter, another contemporary, recorded: “There was no man on earth whom I honour’d above him.”
The credit for the first really original work published in America seems to belong to Anne Bradstreet, whose maiden name was Anne Dudley, her father, Thomas Dudley, becoming Governor of Massachusetts. She was born in Northamptonshire, and at the early age of sixteen married Simon Bradstreet, and in 1630 went with him to America. Her husband became Governor of Massachusetts in 1680.