Of Sir Christopher Gardiner Knight, and how hee spedd amongst the Seperatists.
Sir Christopher Gardiner,[563] (a Knight, that had bin a traveller both by Sea and Land; a good judicious gentleman in the Mathematticke and other Sciences usefull for Plantations, Kimistry, &c. and also being a practicall Enginer,) came into those parts, intending discovery.
But the Seperatists love not those good parts, when they proceede from a carnall man, (as they call every good Protestant); in shorte time [they] had found the meanes to pick a quarrell with him. The meanes is that they pursue to obtaine what they aime at: the word is there, the meanes.
So that, when they finde any man like to proove an enemy to their Church and state, then straight [{183}] the meanes must be used for defence. The first precept in their Politiques is to defame the man at whom they aime, and then hee is a holy Israelite in their opinions who can spread that same brodest, like butter upon a loafe: no matter how thin, it will serve for a vaile: and then this man, (who they have thus depraved,) is a spotted uncleane leaper: hee must out, least hee pollute the Land, and them that are cleane.
If this be one of their guifts, then Machevill[564] had as good gifts as they. Let them raise a scandall on any, though never so innocent, yet they know it is never wiped cleane out: the staind marks remaines; which hath bin well observed by one in these words of his,
Stick Candles gainst a Virgin walls white back;
If they’l not burne yet, at the least, they’l black.
And thus they dealt with Sir Christopher: and plotted by all the wayes and meanes they could, to overthrow his undertakings in those parts.
And therefore I cannot chuse but conclude that these Seperatists have speciall gifts: for they are given to envy and mallice extremely.
The knowledge of their defamacion could not please the gentleman well, when it came to his eare; which would cause him to make some reply, as they supposed, to take exceptions at, as they did against Faire cloath:[565] and this would be a meanes, they thought, to blow the coale, and so to kindle a brand that might fire him out of the Country too, and send him after mine Host of Ma-re-Mount.