punish any for disobedience, or contempt of authority, this man is a
fit instrument to make a president of, for he is rich, and this yeare
will gaine the best part of 500 pounds by that Countrie, and he hath
nether wife nor childe, for whose sakes he should be spared.
And if he goe free, as hee has domineered over vs, to whom your
Lordships gaue authority, but no power to put it in execution, so
will he grow unmannerly too with your Lordships, as hee hath already
begunne.
And it will discourage men hereafter to take any authority upon
them, or to goe about to reforme any abuses in those parts, and also
it will hinder Planters for going over, if Fishermen be suffered
not onely to take away their truck, but also to animate the Sauages
against them, for this is the way to cause all Planters to haue their
throats cut.
But I leaue these things to your Lo. consideration, who haue as well
power as authority to punish such rebellious persons.
Thus hauing acquainted you with what I haue done, seen and heard;
now giue me leaue to tell you what I thinke of the Savages, the
inhabitants of that country: as also to iustifie the innocent, I
meane the Countrie of _New-England_, against the slanderous reports
of this man, and some others which I haue heard, and likewise to
deliver my opinion, what courses I conceiue to be most convenient to
be taken, for bringing most glorie to God, comfort, honor and benefit
to our King, and our owne Natiue Nation.
[Illustration: (Decorative separator)]
The nature and disposition of the Savages, and of their severall
Gods, Squanto and Tanto.
I HAUE had much conference with the Savages, about our only true God,
and haue done my best to bring them to know and acknowledge him, but
I feare me all the labour that way, will be lost, and no good will be
done, except it be among the younger sort.
I find they haue two Gods, on they love: and the other they hate: the
god they loue, they call _Squanto_, and to him they ascribe all their
good fortunes.
The god they hate they call _Tanto_, and to him they ascribe all
their euill fortunes, as thus, when any is killed, hurt or sicke, or
when it is evill wether, then they say _Tanto_ is _hoggry_, that is
angry. When any dyes, they say _Tanto_ carries them to his _wigwam_,
that is his house, and they never see them more.
I haue asked them where _Squanto_ dwells, they say they cannot tell
but up on high, and will poynt upwards. And for _Tanto_, they say
farre west, but they know not where.
I haue asked them if at any time they haue seene _Squanto_, or
_Tanto_, they say no, there is none sees them, but their _Pawwawes_,
nor they neither, but when they dreame.
Their _Pawwawes_ are their Phisitians and Surgions, and as I verely
beleeue they are all Witches, for they foretell of ill wether, and
many strange things, every _Sagamore_ hath one of them belongs to his
company, and they are altogether directed by them.
On a time I was at a _Sagamores_ house and saw a _Martins_ skin, and
asked if he would trucke it, the _Sagamore_ told me no, the _Pawwawe_
used to lay that under his head when he dreamed, and if he wanted
that, he could doe nothing, thus we may perceiue how the devill
deludes those poore people and keep them in blindnesse.
I find them generally to be marvellous quicke of apprehension, and
full of subteltie, they will quickely find any man’s disposition, and
flatter & humour him strangely, if they hope to get anything of him.
And yet will they count him a foole if he doe not shew a dislike of
it, and will say on to another, that such a man is a _Mechecome_.
They are slow of speech, and if they heare a man speake much they
will laugh at him, and say he is a _Mechecum_, that is a foole.
If men of place be to familiar with them, they will not respect them:
therefore it is to be wished that all such persons should be wise in
their Carriage.
The _Sagamores_ will scarce speake to an ordinary man, but will
point to their men, and say _Sanops_, must speake to _Sanops_, and
_Sagamors_ to _Sagamors_.
They are very bloudy minded and full of Tracherie amongst themselues,
one will kill another for their wiues, and he that hath the most
wiues is the brauest fellow: therefore I would wish no man to trust
them, what euer they say or doe; but alwaies to keepe a strickt hand
ouer them, and yet to vse them kindly, and deale vprightly with them;
so shall they please God, keepe their reputation amongst them, and be
free from danger.
Their _Sagamors_ are no Kings, as I verilie beleeue, for I can see
no Government or Law amongst them but Club Law: and they call all
Masters of Shippes _Sagamore_, or any other man, that they see have a
commaund of men.
Their wiues are their slaves, and doe all their worke the men will
doe nothing but kill Beasts, Fish, &c.
On a time reasoning with one of their _Sagamors_ about their hauing
so many wiues, I tould him it was no good fashion, he then asked mee
how many wiues King _James_ had, I told him he neuer had but one,
and shee was dead, at which he wondred, and asked mee who then did
all the Kings worke. You may Imagin he thought their fashion was
vniuersal and that no King had any to worke for them but their wiufs.
They haue no apparrell but skinnes, except they haue it from the
_English_, or _French_, in winter they weare the haire side inwards,
in summer outwards. They haue a peece of a skinne about their loines
like a girdle and between their legges goes another, made fast to the
girdles before and behind, which serues to couer their nakednesse,
they are all thus apparrelled, going bare headed with long haire,
sometimes you shall not know the men from women but by their breasts,
the men having no haire on their faces.
When their Children are borne they bind them on a peece of board, and
sets it vpright, either against a tree or any other place. They keep
them thus bound vntill they be three months old, and after they are
continuall naked vntill they be about fiue or sixe yeares.
Yee shall haue them many times take their Children & bury them in
the snow all but their faces for a time, to make them the better to
endure cold, and when they are not aboue 2. yeares old, they will
take them and cast them into the Sea, like a little dogge or Cat, to
learne them to swimme.
Their weapons are bowes and arrowes, I never saw more then two
fowling peeces, one pistall, about foure Halfe-pikes, and three
Curtlaces ♦_Cutlasses_♦ amongst them, so that we neede not to feare
them much, if wee auoid their Treacherie.
Their houses are built in halfe an houres space being onely a few
powles or boughes stucke in the ground and couered with the barkes of
trees.
Their Language differs as _English & Welch_. On a time the Gouernour
was at my house, and brought with him a _Salvage_, who liued not
aboue 70. miles from the place which I haue made choise of, who
talking with another Sauage, they were glad to vse broken _English_
to expresse their mind each to other, not being able to vnderstand
one another in their Language.
And to say something of the Countrey: I will not doe therein as
some haue done, to my knowledge speak more then is true: I will
not tell you that you may smell the corne fields before you see
the Land, neither must men thinke that corne doth growe naturally
(or on trees,) nor will the _Deare_ come when they are called, or
stand still and looke one a man, untill he shute him, not knowing
a man from a beast, nor the fish leape into the kettle, nor on the
drie Land, neither are they so plentifull, that you may dipp them
up in baskets, nor take _Codd_ in netts to make a voyage, which is
no truer: then that the fowles will present themselues, to you with
spitts through them.
But certainely there is fowle, _Deare_, and Fish enough for the
taking if men be diligent, there be also Vines, Plume trees, Cherry
trees, Strawberies, Gooseberies, and Raspes, Walnutts, chesnut,
and small nuts, of each great plenty; there is also great store
of parsley, and divers other holesome Earbes, both for profit
and pleasure, with great store of Saxifrage, Cersa-perilla, and
Anni-seeds.
And for the ground there is large & goodly Marsh to make meddow,
higher land for pasture and corne.
There be these severall sorts of earth, which I haue seene, as,
_Clay_, _Sand_, _Grauill_, yea and as blacke fatt earth, as ever I
sawe in _England_ in all my life.
There are likewise these helpes for ground, as Seasand, _Oreworth_ or
_Wracke_, _Marle_ blew and white, and some men say there is _Lime_,
but I must confesse I neuer saw any _Lime-stone_: but I haue tried
the Shels of Fish, and I find them to be good _Lime_.
Now let any husbandman tell mee, whither there be any feare of hauing
any kind of Corne, hauing these seuerall kinds of Earth with these
helpes, the Climat being full as good if not better than _England_.
I dare be bold to say also, there may be Shippes as conueniently
built there as in any place of the world, where, I haue beene, and
better cheape. As for Plancke, crooked Timber, and all other sorts
what so euer can be desired for such purpose, the world cannot afford
better. Masts and Yeards of all sises, there be allso Trees growing,
whereof Pitch and Tarre is made.
And for Sailes and all sorts of Cordish you neede not to want, if
you will but sowe Hempe and Flaxseede, and after worke it. Now there
wants nothing but Iron, and truely I thinke I haue seene Iron-stones
there, but I must acknowledge I haue no great iudgement in Mineralls,
yet I haue seene the Iron-workes in _England_, and this Stone is like
ours. But howsoever if the Countrie will not afford Iron, yet it may
be easilie brought, for it is good Ballast for Shippes.
There is also much excellent Timber for Ioyners and Coopers:
howsoeuer a worthy Noble man hath beene abused, who sent ouer some
to make Pippe-staues, who either for want of skill or industrie,
did no good. Yet I dare say no place in _England_ can afford better
Timber for Pippe-staues, then foure seuerall places which I haue
seene in that Countrey.
Thus haue I relaited vnto you what I haue seene, and doe know may
be had in those parts of _New-England_ where I haue beene, yet
was I neuer at the Mesachusett, which is counted the Paradise of
_New-England_, nor at _Cape Ann_. But I feare there hath been
too faire a glosse set on _Cape Ann_. I am told there is a good
Harbour which makes a faire Inuitation, but when they are in, their
entertainement is not answerable, for there is little good ground,
and the Shippes which fished there this yeare, their boats went
twenty miles to take their Fish, and yet they were in great feare of
making their Voyages, as one of the Masters confessed vnto me who was
at my house.
Neither was I at _New-Plimoth_, but I feare that place is not so
good as many other, for if it were in my conceite they would content
themselues with it and not seeke for any other hauing ten times so
much ground as would serue ten times so many people as they haue now
amongst them. But it seemes they haue no Fish to make benifit of, for
this yeare they had one Shippe Fisht at _Pemoquid_, and an other at
_Cape Ann_, where they haue begun a new Plantation, but how long it
will continew I know not.
Neither was I ever farther to the West then the Iles of _Shoulds_.
Thus have I done with my commendations of the Countrie. I will now
speake the worst I know by it.
About the middle of May you shall haue little Flies, called
_Musketoes_, which are like Gnatts, they continue as I am told,
vntill the last of July. These are very troublesome for the time, for
they sting exceedingly both night and day. But I found by experience
that bootes or thicke stockings would saue the legges, gloues the
hands, and tiffeney or some such things which will not much hinder
the sight will saue the face, and at night any smoake will secure a
man.
The reason of the aboundance of these creatures, I take to be the
woods which hinders the aire, for I haue obserued allwaies when the
winde did blow but a little, we were not much troubled with them.
And I verily thinke that if there were a good number of people
planted together, and that the woods were cut downe, the earth were
tilled, and the rubbish which lieth on the ground wherein they breed
were burnt, and that there were many chimneyes smoaking, such small
creatures would doe but little hurt.
Another euill or inconuenience I see there, the snow in winter did
lie very long vpon the ground.
But I understand that all the parts of Christendome, were troubled
with a cold winter so well as wee. Yet would I aske any man what
hurt snow doeth? The husbandman will say that Corne is the better
for it. And I hope Cattell may bee as well fed in the house there as
in _England_, _Scotland_, and other Countries, and he is but an ill
husband that cannot find imployments for his seruants within doores
for that time. As for Wiues and Children if they bee wise they will
keepe themselues close by a good fire, and for men they will haue no
occasion to ride to Faires or Markets, _Sysses_ or Sessions, only
Hawkes and Hounds will not then be vsefull.
Yet let me tell you that it is still almost Christmas before there be
any winter there, so that the cold time doth not continue long.
And by all reason that Countrey should be hotter then England, being
many Degrees farther from the North Pole.
And thus according to my poore understanding I haue given you the
best information I can of the people and Country, commodities and
discommodities. Now giue mee leaue to oppose myselfe against the man
beforementioned, and others, who speaks against the Country, and
plantations in those parts, and to set down such obiections as I haue
heard them make, and my answers, and afterward let wisedome iudge:
for my desire is, that the saddle may be set on the right horse, and
the Asse may be rid, and the knaue punished, either for discouraging
or incouraging too much, whosoeuer he be.
[Illustration: (ship at sea)]