Thus much of this letter; it was dated March 19th, 1629; but the fact of the matter was (as came out later), it was Mr. Allerton’s object to have an opportunity to be sent over again for purposes of his own; and with that idea he requested them to write thus. The extension of the patent might easily have been finished, omitting the clause about the customs (which was Mr. Allerton’s and Mr. Sherley’s device), it having passed the king’s hand. But covetousness never brings anything home, as the proverb says; and this opportunity being lost, it was never accomplished, though a great deal of money was vainly and lavishly expended on it. But of this more in its place.
I almost omitted to mention that this year Mr. Allerton gave them great and just offence by bringing over the unworthy Morton, who had been sent home only the year before for his misdemeanours. He not only brought him over, but into the very town (as if to beard them), and lodged him at his own house, employing him as his secretary till he was forced to send him away. So he returned to his old nest in Massachusetts, where it was not long before his misconduct gave them proper cause to apprehend him, and he was again sent by them a prisoner to England, where he lay a good time in Exeter Gaol. For, besides his misdeeds here, he was strongly suspected of the murder of a man who had ventured money with him, when he first came to New England. A warrant had been sent from the Lord Chief Justice to apprehend him, by virtue of which the Governor of Massachusetts sent him to England; and as punishment for his misdemeanours there, they demolished his house, so that it might no longer be a roost for such unclean birds to nestle in. But he got free again, and wrote an infamous and scurrilous book full of lies and slanders against many godly men of the country in high position, and of profane calumnies against their names and persons, and the ways of God. After several years, when the war was at its height in England, he returned to the country, and was imprisoned at Boston, for the book and other things, having grown old in wickedness.
As for the rest of Mr. Allerton’s instructions, enjoining him not to exceed the £50 worth of goods before mentioned, nor to bring any but trading commodities, he ignored them, and brought over many other kinds of retail goods, selling what he could by the way on his own account, and delivering them the rest, which he said were theirs. Of trading goods he brought scarcely any, making excuses that they had expended so much on the Leyden people, the patent, etc. As regards exceeding his instructions, he laid the responsibility on Mr. Sherley, etc. He promised that next year they should have whatever trading goods they sent for. In this way he put them off, and though Mr. Sherley had written somewhat bearing out his statements, he was probably over-ruled by Mr. Allerton to do so.
The following is a still further extract from his former letter, bearing on this:
I see what you write in your letters concerning the paying of our debts, which I confess are great, and need to be carefully watched. But let us not fulfill the proverb; to spend a shilling on a purse and put sixpence in it; nor think by the expenditure of £50 a year to raise means to pay our debts; you need to be well supplied and fully provided,—and, chiefly, lovingly to agree.
This shows that there was a kind of concurrence between Mr. Allerton and the adventurers in England about these things, and that they had more regard for his opinion than for the advice sent from here. This troubled them greatly here, not knowing how to help it, and being loth to make any breach. Another more private difficulty was that Mr. Allerton had married the daughter of their reverend elder, Mr. Brewster, who was beloved and honoured by them, taking great pains in dispensing and teaching the word of God to them, and whom they were loth to grieve in any way; so they bore with much for that reason.
Again, Mr. Allerton procured such letters from Mr. Sherley, with such applause of his wisdom, care, and faithfulness, that as things stood, none seemed so fit to send as he. Besides, though private gain, I feel sure, was one cause of Mr. Allerton’s doings, I think, or at least charity leads me to hope, that he intended to deal faithfully with his partners here in the main. But things fell out otherwise and missed their aim, and the settlement in general suffered considerably in consequence, as will appear.
Along the same lines was another plan of Mr. Allerton’s and his friends, unknown to the other partners here, until it was so far proceeded with that they felt obliged to sanction it and join with them, though they did not like it and mistrusted the outcome. It is explained in another extract from Mr. Sherley’s letter, as follows: