By these several Colonies sent so thick one after another, both a full Discovery of the Countrey came to be made, and a large gap open’d to the free possession thereof; yet in regard of the many disappointments and misfortunes the several Companies sent over met with, and counting the vast Charges their setting forth cost the Undertakers, which would have been still increas’d by the need of continu’d Supplies, in all probability New England would have been but thinly peopled to this day, had not a great Tide of People, possess’d with an aversion to the Church-Government of England, and fled into Holland for Liberty of Conscience, eagerly taken hold of this opportunity to make themselves Masters of their own Opinions, and of a Place where they might erect a Government suitable thereunto: and though at first there were some Exceptions taken, as if this Countrey was to be made a Receptacle of Sectaries, and such as condemn’d the Ecclesiastical Government of the Nation, insomuch that Sir Ferdinando Gorges, to whom they apply’d themselves, desiring him to mediate for them to the Council of New Englands Affairs, when they perceiv’d the Authority they had from the Virginia Company, could not warrant their abode there, had enough to do (notwithstanding his Apology, That these things hapned contrary to his expectation) to wipe away the jealousie which was entertain’d of him, it being Order’d, that no more should be suffer’d to pass into New England, but such as should take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy: yet at last there was little notice taken who went, perhaps upon consideration, that the vast resort of People thither would be of greater advantage to the Plantations, than their different Opinions, at so remote a distance, could be prejudicial, so long as they acknowledg’d Obedience to the King and Civil Power: However, Sir Ferdinando, to clear himself the better, mov’d those Lords that were the chief Actors in the Business, to resign their Grand Patent to the King, and pass particular Patents to themselves of such part of the Countrey along the Sea-Coast, as might be sufficient for them: To this Motion there being a general Assent given by the Lords, and a Day appointed for the conclusion thereof, an Act was made for the Resignation of the Patent, alloting to each Man their several Bounds. From the uttermost parts began the Limits of the Lord Mougrave, and ended at Hudson’s River. To the Eastward of which River, for the space of sixty Miles in length, was placed the Duke of Richmond’s Assignment: Next to him was setled the Earl of Carlile: Next him the Lord Edward Gorges: Next the Marquess of Hamilton: Then Captain John Mason: And lastly his own, which extended to the great River Sagadehoc, being sixty Miles, and so up into the Main Land a hundred and twenty Miles, which he was pleas’d to call by the Name of The Province of Main.
The Landing of the English in Plymouth Plantation was very much facilitated by the great Mortality that hapned amongst the Indians about that time, amongst the Pecods, Narragansets, Nianticks, Tarantines, Wippanaps, and those of Abargini, Agissawang, and Pockanekie, their Powwows, or Doctors, seeing with amazement their Wigwams, or Streets, lie full of dead Bodies, and in vain expecting help from Squantam their good, or Abbamoch their bad God. Not long before, that blazing Comet, so much talk’d of in Europe, apppear’d after Sun-setting in their Horizon South-West for the space of thirty Sleeps, (for so they reckon their Days). They Landed at first with little or no resistance, a handful of Men onely being sent before to keep possession for their Companions, who arriv’d eight days after; when the Natives appearing with their Bowes and Arrows, let flie their long Shafts amongst them; whereupon one Captain Miles Standish with his Fowling-piece shot the stoutest Sachem amongst the Indians, as he was reaching an Arrow from his Quiver; which the rest seeing, fled into the Woods and Thickets.
The same Year the Merchant-Adventurers in England sent forth store of Servants to provide against the Wants of that place; amongst whom came over a mix’d Multitude, who setled themselves in the Bosom of the Cape now call’d Gloucester.
About the Year 1631. there fled to the English at Water-town the Indians that dwelt thereabouts, for protection against the Tarratines, a sort of cruel and salvage Cannibals, by whom near the Town of Saugust, in the very dead time of the Night, one Lieutenant Walker being on a sudden alarm’d, was shot through his Coat and Buff Jacket with two Indian Arrows. That Night the English stood upon their Guard, and the next Morning sent word to other parts; who gather’d together, and taking counsel how to quit themselves of these Indians, agreed to discharge their great Guns; whose redoubled noise, ratling in the Rocks, struck terror into the Indians, and caus’d them to betake themselves to flight. The Autumn following, others of the Indians, who till then had held a good correspondence with the Planters, began to quarrel about the Bounds of their Land; but a great Mortality, by the raging of the Small-Pox, breaking out amongst them, put an end to that Controversie: There died amongst the rest one of the chief of the Sagamores of the Mattachusets, call’d Sagamore John, who before his Death had been instructed in the Christian Faith, and took care that his two Sons should be nurtured therein.
In the Year 1635. there arrived several Ships with great plenty of Provisions, and many Persons of good Quality, and amongst the rest Sir Henry Vane.
The same Year the People of Cambridge, otherwise call’d New-town, hearing of a fertile place upon the River Canectico, remov’d thither, and erected a new Corporation by the Name of Banectico, being encourag’d thereunto by the Lord Say and the Lord Brooks, and planting a Forrest at the mouth of the River, call’d it Saybrook Forrest.
About the Year 1638. the Pequods, a stout and Warlike Nation, lying to the South-West of the Mattachusets, were discover’d upon their March within some few Miles of Hartford: Their coming very much terrifi’d all that inhabited thereabouts; but they took onely three Women and return’d; one of whom making a violent resistance, had her Brains beaten out; the other two they carried away with them, without abusing their Persons, as it was suppos’d they would, for they esteem’d their own Shaws, being black, beyond our Women. Their chief Design was to learn to make Gunpowder; which seeing they could not effect, they look’d upon their Prize as nothing so precious as they imagin’d.
A little after another Indian War threatning the English, they resolv’d together to send an Ambassador to Cannonicus, chief Sachem of the Naragansits, endeavoring to prevent him from confederating with the Pequods, who (as they had Intelligence) were about sending to him to joyn with them: Cannonicus being grown old, had resign’d the Government to his Nephew Mantinemo, a stern Man, and of a cruel Nature. The Ambassadors arriving at his Court, which was about eighty Miles from Boston, the Indian Prince assembled his chief Councellors, and having Entertain’d the Ambassadors Magnificently, and Feasted them Royally, gave them Audience in his State-house; where the Sachem, to manifest his greater State, lay along upon the Ground, with all his Nobility sitting about him, with their Legs doubled up, and their Knees touching their Chin: The English Interpreter having made his Speech in the Name of the rest, both Cannonicus and the young King gave discreet Answers, signifying their Resolutions to keep a fair Correspondence with the English, and yet not to fall out with the Pequods: Who a little after making also their Addresses to the same King, he disswaded them by many Reasons from making War with the English, and to deliver into their hands those Persons that had murther’d any of them. The Pequods nevertheless, though they seem’d inclinable to his Counsel, yet they acted as Enemies; for when the English sent a Company of Soldiers into their Countrey to treat with them about delivering up the Murtherers, they made shew of willingness, but spying their advantage, betook themselves to their Heels; and whomsoever they took stragling by surprise, they revil’d and insulted over in a most cruel manner, vilifying the Christian Religion, and uttering all the Blasphemies they could invent. Whereupon they rais’d fresh Souldiers for the War, to the number of fourscore, out of the several Towns in the Mattachusets, and with some Indian Guides came to their Fort, within which they had pitch’d their Wigwams, the Entrance being on two sides, with intricate Meanders to enter; at which were plac’d Indian Bowe-men, who shot the foremost of the English; yet they had little to boast of in the end, for the English rushing in through the winding Ways, and placing themselves round the Wigwams, made a very prosperous Shot, by directing the Muzzles of their Musquets against the Indians which lay sleeping on the Ground: In the midst of which rouzing terror and confusion they were defeated with little ado, most of them being either wounded, kill’d, or taken. The English thus animated with the first Victory, send their Prisoners to the Pinnaces, and prosecute the War in Hand, marching against the next Body of the Indians, which lay Encamp’d on a Hill about two Miles distant, where they gave them a second Overthrow, slaying many more than in the first Engagement; the rest flying to a very thick inaccessible Swamp or Bog, were there besieg’d by the English; and skulking up and down, as they saw their opportunity they would Shoot at them with their Arrows, and then suddenly fall flat along in the Water; at last the English finding out a Passage into the Swamp, utterly defeated them, and put an end to the War with the loss of few Mens Lives, and not many wounded.
In the Year 1640. there came over a fresh Supply of People into New England, and finding no place to settle in within any of the former erected Colonies, they repair’d to a place call’d Long Island, sever’d from the Continent of New-Haven, about sixty Miles off the Sea.
The Year following the four Colonies, namely the Massachusets, Plymouth, Canectico, and New-Haven, taking into consideration the many Nations that were on all sides of them, as the French, Dutch, Jews, and native Indians; as also how the three first went to lay claim to Lands they never had any right to, and the last to be continually quarrelling and contending, where they saw any hopes of prevailing, by Commissioners chosen from the respective Colonies, concluded a firm Confederation to assist each other in all just and lawful Wars; upon which there came in certain Indian Sachems, as Pomham, Miantonemo, Soccanocoh, and Uncas, who not onely submitted to the English Government, but also, if occasion were, in matters of Controversie submitted to their Arbitration: But the Contest between Miantonemo and Uncas was too hot to be appeas’d, (though the English were not wanting to interpose) unless by the Blood of one of them, as will appear by the Consequence: Uncas was a Prince of For, whose Life Miantonemo, though a much more potent Prince, sought to take away by treachery, hiring a young Man of the Pequod Nation to murther him, as the following Story renders suspected; for one dark Evening this Sachem passing from one Wigwam to another, was Shot through the Arm with an Arrow; but recovering the Palace, had the Arrow pull’d out, and his Arm cur’d: the young Man that was suspected being examin’d, how he came by that great store of Wampompeage which was found about him, and being able to give no good account, it increas’d the suspicion, and induc’d Uncas to complain to the English at a General Court held at Boston: Whereupon the young Man was Examin’d in the presence of Miantonemo, who came thither with his Attendants; but the young Man tutor’d, as suppos’d, by Miantonemo, pretended that Uncas had enjoyn’d him to feign that he was hir’d by Miantonemo to kill him: To which Tale of his little belief being given, it was concluded upon farther Examination of him in private that he had done the Fact: nevertheless they let him depart with Miantonemo, advising him to send him home to Uncas; but he in stead of returning him cut off his Head, and forthwith gather’d an Army of a thousand Men to fight with Uncas; who met him with half the Men: the Battel being joyn’d, the Narragansets, though the far greater multitude, were beaten by the Wawhiggins, through the Valour of Uncas their Prince; who perfected his Victory by possessing himself of the Person of Miantonemo, whom, having put his Life-guard to flight, he carried away with him in triumph to the Town of Hartford, desiring to have the advice of the United Colonies what to do with his Prisoner: Whereupon the Commissioners having had sufficient proof of Miantonemo’s treachery towards this Prince, advis’d Uncas to put him to death, but not to exercise that barbarous kind of cruelty which is usual amongst them in these Cases. The Sachem, upon this advice, not long after pretended to remove him to a safer place, but by the Way caus’d him to be Executed: His Subjects and Kindred were troubled at his Death, but the little Princes his Neighbors, over whom he had tyranniz’d, rather rejoyc’d.