"Page 243 missing when ye Book came into my Hands at 1st."
Just above the inscription by Prince there is a line or two of writing,
marked over in ink so carefully as to be wholly undecipherable. On the
reverse page of this leaf and on the first page of the next are written
Hebrew words, with definitions. These are all in Governor Bradford's
handwriting. On the next page appears the following:--
_Though I am growne aged, yet I have had a long-
ing desire, to see with my own eyes, something of
that most ancient language, and holy tongue,
in which the Law, and oracles of God were
write; and in which God, and angels, spake to
the holy patriarks, of old time; and what
names were given to things, from the
creation. And though I canot attaine
to much herein, yet I am refreshed,
to have seen some glimpse here-
of; (as Moses saw the Land
of canan afarr of) my aime
and desire is, to see how
the words, and phrases
lye in the holy texte;
and to dicerne some-
what of the same
for my owne
contente._
-------
-----
---
J
Then begins the history proper, the first page of which is produced in
facsimile in this volume, slightly reduced. The ruled margins end with
page thirteen. From that page to the end of the book the writing varies
considerably, sometimes being quite coarse and in other places very
fine, some pages containing nearly a thousand words each. As a rule, the
writing is upon one side of the sheet only, but in entering notes and
subsequent thoughts the reverse is sometimes used. The last page number
is 270, as appears from the facsimile reproduction in this volume of
that page. Page 270 is followed by two blank leaves; then on the second
page of the next leaf appears the list of names of those who came over
in the "Mayflower," covering four pages and one column on the fifth
page. The arrangement of this matter is shown by the facsimile
reproduction in this volume of the first page of these names. Last of
all there is a leaf of heavy double paper, like the one in the front of
the book containing the verses on the death of Mrs. Bradford, and on
this last leaf is written an index to a few portions of the history.
For copy, there was used the edition printed in 1856 by the
Massachusetts Historical Society. The proof was carefully compared, word
for word, with the photographic _facsimile_ issued in 1896 in both
London and Boston. The value of this comparison is evident in that a
total of sixteen lines of the original, omitted in the original first
copy, is supplied in this edition. As the work of the Historical Society
could not be compared, easily, with the original manuscript in London,
these omissions, with sundry minor errors in word and numeral, are not
unreasonable. The curious will be pleased to learn that the supplied
lines are from the following pages of the manuscript, viz.: page 122,
eight lines; page 129, two lines; the obverse of page 201, found on the
last page of Appendix A, two lines; page 219, two lines; pages 239 and
258, one line each. The pages of the manuscript are indicated in these
printed pages by numerals in parentheses.
There are several errors in the paging of the original manuscript. Pages
105 and 106 are marked 145 and 146, and pages 219 and 220 are marked 119
and 120, respectively. Page 243 is missing.
Such as it is, the book is put forth that the public may know what
manner of men the Pilgrims were, through what perils and vicissitudes
they passed, and how much we of to-day owe to their devotion and
determination.