While they were here a sad accident occurred. One desperate fellow amongst them started wrangling with some of his comrades. Captain Cromwell commanded him to be quiet and cease his quarreling; but he would not, and reviled him with bad language, and in the end half drew his rapier intending to run at him; but the captain closed with him and snatched the rapier from him and gave him a box on the ear; even then he would not give over, but continued to assault him. Whereupon the Captain gave him a blow with the hilt of the rapier, just as it was in the scabbard. It chanced to hit his head, and the small end of the bar of the rapier-hilt piercing his skull, he died a few days after. But the captain was exonerated by court martial, for it appeared that the fellow was so quarrelsome that he had several times been chained under hatches to prevent him from hurting his comrades, to which they testified.
This Captain Cromwell made another voyage to the West Indies from the Bay of Massachusetts, well manned and provisioned. He was out three years and took many prizes, and returned rich to Massachusetts. The same summer he had a fall from his horse; he fell on his rapier hilt, and bruised himself so badly that he died shortly after. It was remarked by some that this might show the hand of God, and that as one of his men had died of the blow he gave him with the rapier hilt, so his own death was caused by similar means.
This year Mr. Edward Winslow went to England. Some discontented persons in Massachusetts had endeavoured to disturb the peace, and to undermine if not upset their government, by uttering many slanders about them, and even intended to prosecute them in England by petitioning and complaining to Parliament. Samuel Gorton and his people also made complaints against them. So they chose Mr. Winslow, as their agent, to defend them, and gave him commission and instructions to that end. He managed things so well for them that he cleared them of all blame and dishonour, and disgraced their opponents. But owing to the great upheavals in the government there, he was detained longer than was expected, and later he met with other employments there, so that he has now been absent for four years, which has been much to the loss of this government.
The names of those who came over first in the Mayflower, in the year 1620 and were by the blessing of God the first beginners and founders of the Settlements and Colonies of New England, with their families: written down A. D. 1650.
JOHN CARVER; Katherine, his wife; DESIRE MINTER; two men-servants, JOHN HOWLAND and ROGER WILDER; a boy, WILLIAM LATHAM; a maid-servant; a child who was put under his charge, called JASPER MORE.
Mr. and Mrs. Carver, Wilder, and Jasper More all died here during the first general sickness. Desire Minter returned to England; Latham stayed twenty years and then returned; the maid-servant married here, and died a year or two after. Howland married Elizabeth Tillie. Both are living. They had ten children.
WILLIAM BREWSTER; Mary, his wife; two sons, Love and Wrestling; a boy in his charge called Richard More, and another of his brothers.
The rest of his children were left behind, and came over afterwards. Mr. Brewster lived here 23 or 24 years, being about 80 when he died. His wife died some time before. Wrestling died unmarried. Love had four children, and died in 1650. The eldest son, who came after, had nine children, and is still living; and the daughters, who came with him, married, and are dead. The brother of Richard More died the first winter. Richard married and has four or five children.
EDWARD WINSLOW; Elizabeth, his wife; two men-servants, GEORGE SOWLE and ELIAS STORY; a little girl in his charge, ELLEN, sister of Richard More.