"At a Court, held May 1, 1660.
"Jacob M Murline and Sarah Tuttle being called, appeared, concerning
whom the governor declared, that the business for which they were warned
to this Court, he had heard in private at his house, which he related
thus:--On the day that John Potter was married, Sarah Tuttle went to
Mistress Murline's house for some thredd; Mistress Murline bid her go to
her daughters in the other roome, where she felle into speeche of John
Potter and his wife, that they were both lame; upon which Sarah Tuttle
said, how very awkward it would be. Whereupon Jacob came in, and tooke
up, or tooke away her gloves. Sarah desired him to give her the gloves,
to which he answered, he would do so if she would give him a kysse; upon
which they sat down together, his arme being about her waiste, and her
arme upon his shoulder, or about his neck, and _he_ kissed her, and
_she_ kissed him, or they kissed one another, continuing in this posture
about half an hour, as Marian and Susan testified, which Marian, now in
Court, affirmed to be so.
"Mistress Murline, now in Court, said that she heard Sarah say, how very
awkward it would be; but it was matter of sorrow and shame unto her.
"Jacob was asked what he had to say to these things; to which he
answered, that he was in the other roome, and when he heard Sarah speak
those words, he went in, when shee having let fall her gloves, he tooke
them up, and she asked him for them; he told her he would, if she would
kisse him. Further said, hee took her by the hand, and they both sat
down upon a chest, but whether his arme were about her waiste, and her
arme upon his shoulder, or about his neck, he knows not, for he never
thought of it since, till Mr Raymond told him of it at Mannatos, for
which he was blamed, and told he had not layde it to heart as he ought.
But Sarah Tuttle replied, that shee did not kysse him. Mr Tuttle
replied, that Marian hath denied it, and he doth not looke upon her as a
competent witness. Thomas Tuttle said, that he asked Marian if his
sister kyssed Jacob, and she said not. Moses Mansfield testified, that
he told Jacob Murline that he heard Sarah kyssed him, but he denied it.
But Jacob graunted not what Moses testified.
"Mr Tuttle pleaded that Jacob had endeavoured to steal away his
daughter's affections. But Sarah being asked, if Jacob had inveigled
her, she said no. Thomas Tuttle said, that he came to their house two
or three times before he went to Holland, and they two were together,
and to what end he came he knows not, unless it were to inveigle her:
and their mother warned Sarah not to keep company with him: and to the
same purpose spake Jonathan Tuttle. But Jacob denied that he came to
their house with any such intendment, nor did it appear so to the Court.
"The governor told Sarah that her miscarriage is the greatest, that a
virgin should be so bold in the presence of others, to carry it as she
had done, and to speake suche corrupt words; most of the things charged
against her being acknowledged by herself, though that about kyssing is
denied, yet the _thing_ is proved.
"Sarah professed that she was sorry that she had carried it so sinfully
and foolishly, which she saw to be hateful: she hoped God would help her
to carry it better for time to come.
"The governor also told Jacob that his carriage hath been very evil and
sinful, so to carry it towards her, and to make such a light matter of
it as not to think of it, (as he exprest) doth greatly aggravate; and
for Marian, who was a married woman, to suffer her brother and a man's
daughter to sit almost half an hour in such a way as they have related,
was a very great evil. She was told that she should have showed her
indignation against it, and have told her mother, that Sarah might have
been shut out of doors. Mrs Murline was told, that she, hearing such
words, should not have suffered it. Mrs Tuttle and Mrs Murline being
asked if they had any more to say, they said, no.
"Whereupon the Court declared, that we have heard in the publique
ministry, that it is a thing to be lamented, that young people should
have their meetings, to the corrupting of themselves and one another.
As for Sarah Tuttle, her miscarriages are very great, that she should
utter so corrupt a speeche as she did, concerning the persons to be
married; and that she should carry it in such a wanton, uncivil,
immodest, and lacivious manner as hath been proved. And for Jacob, his
carriage hath been very corrupt and sinful, such as brings reproach upon
the family and place.
"The sentence, therefore, concerning them is, that they shall pay either
of them as a fine, twenty shillings to the treasurer."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Isaiah, Captain Turner's man, fined 5 pounds for being drunk on the
Lord's-day.
"William Broomfield, Mr Malbon's man, was set in the stocks, for
profaning the Lord's-day, and stealing wine from his master, which he
drunk and gave to others.
"John Fenner, accused for being drunke with strong waters, was
acquitted, it appearing to be of infirmity, and occasioned by the
extremity of the cold.
"Mr Moulend, accused of being drunke, but not clearly proved, was
respited."
Here comes a very disorderly reprobate, called Will Harding.
"1st of 1st month, 1643.
"John Lawrence and Valentine, servants to Mr Malbon, for imbezilling
their master's goods, and keeping disorderly night meetings with Will
Harding, a lewd and disorderly person, plotting with him to carry their
master's daughters to the farmes in the night, concealing divers
dalliances; all which they confessed, and were whipped.
"Ruth Acie, a covenant-servant to Mr Malbon, for stubornes, lyeing,
stealing from her mistress, and yielding to dalliance with Will Harding,
was _whipped_.
"Martha Malbon, for consenting to goe in the night to the farmes, with
Will Harding, to a venison feast; for stealing things from her parents,
and dalliance with the said Harding, was _whipped_.
"Goodman Hunt and his wife, for keeping the councells of the said Will
Harding, _bakeing him a pastry and plum cakes_, and keeping company with
him on the Lord's-day; and she suffering Harding to kisse her, they
being only admitted to sojourn in this plantation upon their good
behaviour, was ordered to be sent out of this towne within one month
after the date hereof."
Will Harding, however, appears to have met with his deserts.
"Dec. 3rd, 1651.
"Will Harding, being convicted of a great deal of base carriage with
divers yonge girls, together with enticing and corrupting divers
men-servants in this plantation, haunting with them at night meetings
and junketings, etcetera, was sentenced to be _severely_ whipped, and
fined 5 pounds to Mr Malbon, and 5 pounds to Will Andrews, whose
famylyes and daughters he hath so much wronged; and presently to depart
the plantation."
Thus winds up the _disgraceful_ end of our Colonial Don Juan of 1643.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The articles of the Blue laws, which I have extracted, are from a
portion which appears to have been drawn up more in detail; but,
generally, they are much more pithy and concise, as the following
examples will show:--
"No. 13. No food and lodgings shall be allowed a Quaker, Adamite, or
other heretic.
"No. 14. If any person turns Quaker, he shall be banished, and not
suffered to return, on pain of death."
I was walking in Philadelphia, when I perceived the name of Buffum,
Hatter. Wishing to ascertain whether it was an English name or not, I
went in, and entered into conversation with Mr Buffum, who was dressed
as what is termed a wet Quaker. He told me that his was an English
name, and that his ancestor had been banished from Salem for a heinous
crime--which was, as the sentence worded it, for being a damned Quaker.
The reason why Quakers were banished by the Puritans, was because they
would not; go out to _shoot the Indians_! To continue:--
"No. 17. No one shall _run_ of a Sabbath-day, or walk in his garden or
elsewhere, except reverently to and from church.
"No. 18. No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, sweep houses,
cut hair or shave on Sabbath-day.
"No. 19. No husband shall kiss his wife, and no mother shall kiss her
child upon the Sabbath day.
"No. 31. No one shall read Common Prayer, keep Christmas or
saints'-day, make mince-pies, dance, or play on any instrument of music,
except the drum, the trumpet, and the jews-harp."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do not know any thing that disgusts me so much as _cant_. Even now we
continually hear, in the American public orations, about the _stern
virtues_ of the pilgrim fathers. _Stern_, indeed! The fact is, that
these pilgrim fathers were fanatics and bigots, without charity or
mercy, wanting in the very _essence_ of Christianity. Witness their
conduct to the Indians when they thirsted for their territory. After
the death (murder, we may well call it) of Alexander, the brother of the
celebrated Philip, the latter prepared for war. "And now," says a
reverend historian of the times, "war was begun by a fierce nation of
Indians upon an _honest, harmless_ Christian generation of English, who
might very truly have said to the aggressors, as it was said of old unto
the Ammonites, `I have not sinned against thee; but thou doest me wrong
to war against me.'" Fanaticism alone--deep, incurable fanaticism--
could have induced such a remark. Well may it be said, "We deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
And when the war was brought to a close by the death of the
noble-minded, high-spirited Philip; when the _Christians_ had slaked
their revenge in his blood, exposed his head in triumph on a pike, and
captured his helpless innocent child of nine years old; would it be
credited, that there was council held to put this child to death, and
that the clergy were summoned to give their opinion? And the clergy
_quoted Scripture_, that the _child must die_! Dr Increase Mather
compared it with the child of Hadid, and recommended, with his brother
apostles, that it be murdered. But these pious men were overruled; and,
with many others, it was sent to the Bermudas, and sold as a slave.
_Stern virtues_!! Call them rather diabolical vices. God of Heaven!
when shall we learn to call things by their right names? The next time
Governor Everett is called up for an oration at Bloody Brook, let him
not talk quite so much of the virtues of the pilgrim fathers.
This reminds me of a _duty_ towards this gentleman, which I have great
pleasure in performing. Every one who is acquainted with him must
acknowledge his amiable manners, and his high classical attainments and
power of eloquence. His orations and speeches are printed, and are
among the best specimens of American talent. Miss Martineau, in her
work upon America, states that she went up to hear the orator at Bloody
Brook; and, in two pages of very coarse, unmeasured language, states
"that all her _sympathies_ were baffled, and that she was deeply
disgusted;" that the orator "offered them shreds of tawdry sentiment,
without the intermixture of one sound thought or simple and natural
feeling, simply and naturally expressed." I have the Address of
Governor Everett before me. To insert the whole of it would be
inconvenient; but I do most unequivocally deny this, as I must, I am
afraid, to many of Miss Martineau's assertions. To prove, in this one
instance alone, the very contrary to what she states, I will merely
quote the peroration of Governor Everett's Address:--
"Yon simple monument shall rise a renewed memorial of their names on
this sacred spot, where the young, the brave, the patriotic, poured out
their life-blood in defence of that heritage which has descended to us.
We this day solemnly bring our tribute of gratitude. Ages shall pass
away; the majestic tree which overshadows us shall wither and sink
before the blast, and we who are now gathered beneath it shall mingle
with the honoured dust we eulogise; but the `Flowers of Essex' shall
bloom in undying remembrance; and, with every century, these rites of
commemoration shall be repeated, as the lapse of time shall continually
develope, in rich abundance, the fruits of what was done and suffered by
our forefathers!"
I can, however, give the reader a key to Miss Martineau's praise or
condemnation of every person mentioned in her two works: you have but to
ask the question, "Is he, or is he not, an abolitionist?"
Governor Everett is _not_.