while we met with abundance of Sea-weeds called Gulf-weed coming
out of the Bay of _Mexico_, and firr-trees floating on the Sea,
observed and found the Ship to be in 39 degrees and 49 minuts.
The Fifteenth day we took a young Sharke about three foot long,
which being drest and dished by a young Merchant a passenger
happened to be very good fish, having very white flesh in flakes
like Codd but delicately curl’d, the back-bone which is perfectly
round, joynted with short joynts, the space between not above a
quarter of an inch thick, separated they make fine Table-men, being
wrought on both sides with curious works.
The One and twentieth thick hasie weather.
The Five and twentieth we met with a [p. 41.] _Plimouth_ man come
from St. _Malloes_ in _France_, 10 weeks out, laden with cloath,
fruit, and honey, bound for _Boston_ in _New-England_.
The Six and twentieth we had sight of land.
The Seven and twentieth we Anchored at _Nantascot_, in the
afternoon I went aboard of a _Ketch_, with some other of our
passengers, in hope to get to _Boston_ that night; but the Master
of the _Ketch_ would not consent.
The Eight and twentieth being _Tuesday_, in the morning about 5
of the clock he lent us his _Shallop_ and three of his men, who
brought us to the western end of the town where we landed, and
having gratified the men, we repaired to an Ordinary (for so they
call their Taverns there) where we were provided with a liberal
cup of burnt Madera-wine, and store of plum-cake, about ten of the
clock I went about my Affairs.
Before I pursue my Voyage to an end, I shall give you to
understand what Countrie _New-England_ is. _New-England_ is
that part of _America_, which together with _Virginia_, _Mary
land_, and _Nova-scotia_ were by the _Indians_ called (by one
name) _Wingadacoa_, after the discovery by Sir _Walter_ [p. 42.]
_Rawleigh_ they were named _Virginia_, and so remained untill King
_James_ divided the Countrey into Provinces. _New-England_ then is
all that tract of land that lyes between the Northerly latitudes
of 40 and 46, that is from _De-la-ware-Bay_ to _New-found-land_,
some will have it to be in latitude from 41 to 45. in King _Jame’s_
Letters Patents to the Council of _Plimouth_ in _Devonshire_ from
40 to 48 of the same latitude, it is judged to be an Island,
surrounded on the North with the spacious River of _Canada_, on
the South with _Mahegan_ or _Hudsons_ River, having their rise, as
it is thought, from two great lakes not far off one another, the
Sea lyes East and South from the land, and is very deep, some say
that the depth of the Sea being measured with line and plummet,
seldom exceeds two or three miles, except in some places near the
_Swevian_-shores, and about _Pontus_, observed by _Pliny_. Sir
_Francis Drake_ threw out 7 Hogsheads of line near _Porto-bello_
and found no bottom, but whether this be true or no, or that they
were deceived by the Currants carrying away their lead and line,
this is certainly true, that there is more Sea in the Western than
the Eastern _Hemisphere_, on the shore in more places than one at
spring-tides, that is at the full or new of the moon, [p. 43.] the
Sea riseth 18 foot perpendicular, the reason of this great flow of
waters I refer to the learned, onely by the way I shall acquaint
you with two reasons for the ebbing and flowing of the Sea; the one
delivered in Common conference, the other in a Sermon at _Boston_
in the _Massachusets-Bay_ by an eminent man; The first was, _that
God and his spirit moving upon the waters caused the motion_; the
other, _that the spirit of the waters gathered the waters together;
as the spirit of Christ gathered souls_.
The shore is Rockie, with high cliffs, having a multitude of
considerable Harbours; many of which are capacious enough for a
Navy of 500 sail, one of a thousand, the Countrie within Rockie
and mountanious, full of tall wood, one stately mountain there
is surmounting the rest, about four score mile from the Sea: The
description of it you have in my rarities of _New-England_, between
the mountains are many ample rich and pregnant valleys as ever
eye beheld, beset on each side with variety of goodly Trees, the
grass man-high unmowed, uneaten and uselesly withering; within
these valleys are spacious lakes or ponds well stored with Fish
and Beavers; the original of all the great Rivers in the Countrie,
of which there are many with lesser [p. 44.] streams (wherein are
an infinite of fish) manifesting the goodness of the soil which
is black, red-clay, gravel, sand, loom, and very deep in some
places, as in the valleys and swamps, which are low grounds and
bottoms infinitely thick set with Trees and Bushes of all sorts for
the most part, others having no other shrub or Tree growing, but
spruse, under the shades whereof you may freely walk two or three
mile together; being goodly large Trees, and convenient for masts
and sail-yards. The whole Countrie produceth springs in abundance
replenished with excellent waters, having all the properties
ascribed to the best in the world.
_Swift is’t in pace, light poiz’d, to look in clear,
And quick in boiling (which esteemed were)
Such qualities, as rightly understood
Withouten these no water could be good._
_One Spring there is, at_ Black-point _in the Province of_ Main,
_coming out of muddy clay that will colour a spade, as if hatcht
with silver, it is purgative and cures scabs and Itch_, &c.
[Sidenote: Isa. 45. 3.]
The mountains and Rocky Hills are richly furnished with mines of
Lead, Silver, [p. 45.] Copper, Tin, and divers sorts of minerals,
branching out even to their summits, where in small Crannies you
may meet with threds of perfect silver; yet have the _English_
no maw to open any of them, whether out of ignorance or fear of
bringing a forraign Enemy upon them, or (like the dog in the
manger) to keep their Soveraign from partaking of the benefits, who
certainly may claim an interest in them as his due, being eminently
a gift proceeding from divine bounty to him; no person can pretend
interest in Gold, Silver, or Copper by the law of Nations, but
the Soveraign Prince; but the subjects of our King have a right to
mines discovered in their own Lands and inheritances; So as that
every tenth Tun of such Oar is to be paid to the proprietors of
such lands, and not to the state, if it be not a mine-Royal: if it
prove to be a mine-Royal, every fifth Tun of all such Oar as shall
hold Gold or Silver worth refining, is to be rendered to the King.
_The learned Judges of our Kingdom have long since concluded, that
although the Gold or Silver conteined in the base mettals of a mine
in the land of a Subject, be of less value than the baser mettal;
yet if the Gold or Silver do countervail the charge of refining it,
or be more worth than the base mettal spent_ [p. 46.] _in refining
it, that then it is a mine-Royal, and as well the base mettal as
the Gold and Silver in it belongs by prerogative to the Crown._
The stones in the Countrey are for the most _mettle_-stone,
free-stone, pebble, slate, none that will run to lime, of which
they have great want, of the slate you may make Tables easie to be
split to the thickness of an inch, or thicker if you please, and
long enough for a dozen men to sit at. Pretious stones there are
too, but if you desire to know further of them, see the Rarities of
_New-England_; onely let me add this observation by the way, that
Crystal set in the Sun taketh fire, and setteth dry Tow or brown
Paper on fire held to it. There is likewise a sort of glittering
sand, which is altogether as good as the glassie powder brought
from the _Indies_ to dry up Ink on paper newly written. The climate
is reasonably temperate, hotter in Summer, and colder in Winter
than with us, agrees with our Constitutions better than _hotter
Climates, these are limbecks to our bodies, forraign heat will
extract the inward and adventitious heat consume the natural,
so much more heat any man receives outwardly from the heat of
the Sun, so much more wants he the same inwardly_, which is one
reason why [p. 47.] they are able to receive more and larger
draughts of Brandy, & the like strong spirits than in _England_
without offence. _Cold is less tolerable than heat, this a friend
to nature, that an enemy. Many are of opinion that the greatest
enemies of life, consisting of heat and moisture, is cold and
dryness; the extremity of cold is more easie to be endured than
extremity of heat; the violent sharpness of winter, than the fiery
raging of Summer. To conclude, they are both bad, too much heat
brings a hot Feaver, too much cold diminisheth the flesh, withers
the face, hollowes the eyes, quencheth natural heat, peeleth the
hair, and procureth baldness._
Astronomers have taken special knowledge of the number of 1024 of
the principal apparent noted Stars of all the rest, besides the 7
Planets, and the 12 Signs, and it is agreed upon that there are
more Stars under the Northern-pole, than under the Southern, the
number of Stars under both poles are innumerable to us; but not
to the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, who calleth them all
by their names. _Isai._ 40. _Levate in excelsum oculos vestros &
videte quis creavit hæc? quis educit in numero militiam eorum &
omnia suis nominibus vocat?_ In _January_ 1668. two Suns appeared
and two Moons. The year before was published the Suns prerogative,
vindicated by [p. 48.] _Alexander Nowel_ a young studient at
_Harvard-Colledge_ in the _Massachusets_ Colony, which was as
followeth.
_Mathematicians have that priviledge, above other Philosophers,
that their foundations are so founded upon, and proved by
demonstration, that reason_ volens nolens _must approve of them,
when they are once viewed by the eye of the intellect_, ipso facto
_it grants a_ probatum est; _if upon those foundations he raises
famous Architectures, which are inseparably joynted in, and joyned
to their ground-works, yet are not their Elements of such vast
extensions, as to have their dimensions adequated with the machine
of the_ primum mobile, _and so include the Fabrick of created
beings; but there are sphears above the sphear of their Activity,
and Orbs placed above the reach of their Instruments, which will_
non-plus _the most acute inquisitors, at least in reference to
an accurate scrutiny: hence dissentions about Celestial bodies,
whether the planets have any natural light, has been a question,
proving that they borrow their light from the Sun: he being the
primitive, they derivatives; he the_ Augmentum primum, _they_
Orta, _who though they have light in_ se, _yet not_ ex se. _This
assertion is not expugned by_ Geocentricks _who produce sense
and Antiquity to support their suppositions; nor oppugned by_
Heliocentricks, [p. 49.] _who deduce their_ Hypothesis _from
reason, and new observations: for_, quicquid in ambitu alicujus
circuli actu diffusum, comprehenditur, id in centro ejusdem
continetur potentia collectum. _Should I put the question to the
vote, questionless the major part of modern Astronomers would carry
it affirmatively; but a testimony being_ Inartificialis Argumentum,
_I shall found my position upon a more Artificial_ Basis. _As for
the multiplication of Eclipses which some fear, it’s needless, for
the extent of the_ Cone _of the earths shaddow_ (à Centro terræ)
_being_ 250 Semidiameters, _it cannot reach_ Mars; Venus _and_
Mercury _never oppose the Sun. It has been observed by the help
of_ Optick Tubes, _that_ Venus _has divers faces, according to her
diverse position to the Sun. Some affirm the same of_ Mercury,
_but he’s not so liable to observation, being seldom clear of the
radiancy of the Sun. The superior Planets being above the Sun, turn
the same side to the Sun, as they do to us._ Venus _and_ Mars _are
more lucid in their_ Parhelion, _than in their_ Aphelion. _The_
Telescope _may convince us of this truth_; Evincit enim crassa,
opaca & dissimilium plane partium corpora, planctas esse. _Lastly
God made the Sun and Moon, the two greater lights (though not
the greater lucid bodies) that the Moons light is adventitious,
followes from her invisibilitie_ [p. 50.] _in a central Eclipse:
hence the other planets are destitute of native light_; nam à
majore ad minus valet consequentia negativé.
In the year 1664. a Star or Comet appeared in _New-England_ in
_December_ in the _South-East_, rising constantly about one of
the clock in the morning, carrying the tail lower and lower till
it came into the _West_, and then bare it directly before it; the
Star it self was of a duskish red, the tail of the colour of _via
lactea_, or the milkie way. A fortnight after it appeared again
rising higher near the _Nadir_ or point over our heads, of the same
form and colour; of which hear the former Scholar.
_Comets (say Naturalists) proceed from natural causes, but they
oft proceed preternatural effects. That they have been Antecedents
to strange consequents is an universal truth, and proved by
particulars_, viz. _That which hung over_ Hierusalem _before its
extirpation by_ Vespatian, _that vertical to_ Germany, _before
those bloudy Wars_ &c. _So that experience Attests, and reason
Assents, that they have served for sad Prologues to Tragical
Epilogues. For the future preludiums to what events they’l prove,
may be proved by consequence, if they han’t suffered a privation of
their powerful Energie. Dr._ Ward _to salve Contests, distinguishes
between Cometæidæ, which are_ [p. 51.] _Sublunary exhalations,
and Cometæ, which are heavenly bodies, coevous with the Stars;
the cause of the inequality of whose motion, is their Apoge and
Periges. Concerning the height of the late Comets Orb, because of
the deficiency of Instruments, here’s_ pars deficiens. _As for
its motion_ December 10. _’twas about the middle of_ Virgo. Jan.
24. 26 deg. Aries. _Some observe that Comets commonly follow a
Conjunction of the superiour planets. Astronomers attribute much to
the predominancy of that planet which rules it, which they judge
by the Colour; a dull leaden colour, claims_ Saturn _for his Lord;
bright_, Jupiter; _Red_, Mars; _Golden_, Sol; _Yellow_, Venus;
_variable_, Mercury; _pale_, Luna. _Also to the Aspects it receives
from other planets, the sign it is in, and the house of the Heavens
in which it first was. Hence some may judge a scheam of the Heavens
necessary, but unless Calculated for its certain rise (which is
uncertain) it’s adjudged by the judicious, superfluous. Some put
much trust or virtue in the tail, terming it the Ignomon_, &c. _But
that is probable of all, which has been observed of some, that it’s
alwayes opposite to the Sun; hence when the Sun is at the Meridian
of the Antipodes it turns_, &c. _Which_ Regiomont _observed of
that in_ 1475. _and_ Keckerman _of that in_ 1607. Longomontanus
_observes of that in_ 1618. _that its first_ [p. 52.] _appearance
was vertical to_ Germany _and went_ Northward, _so its effect
began there, and made the like progress: it’s rational, that as a
cause, it should operate most powerfully on those in whose Zenith
it is, as the meridional Altitude; nor is it irrational, that as
a sign, it should presage somewhat to all those, in whose Horizon
it appears; for in reason_, Relata se mutuo inferunt, _hence_
signum _infers_ signatum, _and the signifier implies a signified.
Diverse desire to be certified of the event; but he is wise that
knowes it. Some presume prophetically to specificate from generals
truths; others desperately deny generals and all; of all whom it’s
a truth_, Incidunt in Scyllam, &c. _Noble_ Ticho _concludes, (with
whom I conclude) that it’s not rational particularly to determine
the sequel; for should any, it would be only in a contingent Axiom,
and proceed from fancie; therefore of no necessary consequence, and
would produce only opinion._
A friend of mine shewed me a small Treatise written and printed
in the _Massachusets_-Bay by _B. D. Intituled An Astronomical
description of the late Comet, or Blazing-Star, as it appeared in_
New-England _in the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and the beginning of
the Twelfth moneth_, 1664. _printed at_ Cambridge _by_ Samuel Green
1665. An ingenious piece, but because I could not perswade [p.
53.] my friend to part with it, I took out some short notes being
straitned in time, which are as followes.
Comets are distinguished in respect of their figure, according
to the divers aspects of the Sun, into _Barbate_, _Caudate_, and
_Crinite_. 1. When the stream like a beard goes before the body. 2.
When the stream followes the body. 3. When the stream goes right up
into the Heavens.
A Comet is said to be Vertical to any people, when the body of the
Comet passeth over their heads.
The light of the Comet alters and varies according to the diverse
Aspects of the Sun enlightning it.
Some took notice of it in the beginning of _November_.
In _Anno Dom._ 1668. _July_ the Fifteenth happened an Eclipse of
the moon from 9 of the clock at night, till after 11, digits 9, and
35 minutes.
In _November_ following appeared a Star between the horns of the
Moon in the midst.
In _Anno Dom._ 1669. about the middle of _June_ at 4 of the clock
in the afternoon, appeared a Rain-bow reverst, and at night about
10 of the clock we had a _Lunar_ Rain-bow.
[p. 54.] The _Indians_ so far as I could perceive have but little
knowledge of the Stars and Planets, observing the Sun and Moon
only, the dividers of time into dayes and years: they being nearer
to the Equinoctial-line by 10 degrees, have their dayes and nights
more equally divided, being in Summer two hours shorter, in Winter
two hours longer than they are in _England_. The 11 of _June_ the
Sun riseth at 4 and 26 minutes, and setteth at 7 & 34 minutes: in
_December_, the 13 the shortest day, the Sun riseth at 7 and 35
minutes, and setteth at 4 and 27 minutes.
Mid-_March_ their Spring begins, in _April_ they have Rain and
Thunder; So again at _Michaelmas_, about which season they have
either before _Michaelmas_ or after outrageous storms of Wind and
Rain. It’s observable that there is no part of the World, which
hath not some certain times of out-rageous storms. We have upon
our Coast in _England_ a _Michaelmas_ flaw, that seldom fails:
in the _West-Indies_ in _August_ and _September_ the forcible
_North_-wind, which though some call _Tuffins_ or _Hurricanes_
we must distinguish, for a right _Hurricane_ is (as I have said
before) an impetuous wind that goes about the Compass in the
space of 24 hours, in such a storm the Lord _Willoughby_ [p. 55.]
of _Parham_ Governour of the _Barbadoes_ was cast away, going
with a fleet to recover St. _Christophers_ from the _French_,
_Anno Dom._ 1666. _July_. Cold weather begins with the middle of
_November_, the winter’s perpetually freezing, insomuch that their
Rivers and salt-Bayes are frozen over and passable for Men, Horse,
Oxen and Carts: _Æquore cum gelido zephyrus fere xenia Cymbo_.
The _North-west_ wind is the sharpest wind in the Countrie. In
_England_ most of the cold winds and weathers come from the Sea,
and those seats that are nearest the Sea-coasts in _England_ are
accounted unwholsome, but not so in _New-England_, for in the
extremity of winter the _North-East_ and _South_-wind coming from
the Sea produceth warm weather, only the _North-West_-wind coming
over land from the white mountains (which are alwayes (except
in _August_) covered with snow) is the cause of extream cold
weather, alwayes accompanied with deep snowes and bitter frosts,
the snow for the most part four and six foot deep, which melting
on the superficies with the heat of the Sun, (for the most part
shining out clearly every day) and freezing again in the night
makes a crust upon the snow sufficient to bear a man walking with
snow-shoos upon it. And at this [p. 56.] season the _Indians_ go
forth on hunting of Dear and Moose, twenty, thirty, forty miles up
into the Countrie. Their Summer is hot and dry proper for their
_Indian_ Wheat; which thrives best in a hot and dry season, the
skie for the most part Summer and Winter very clear and serene; if
they see a little black cloud in the _North-West_, no bigger than
a man may cover with his Hat, they expect a following storm, the
cloud in short time spreading round about the Horizon accompanied
with violent gusts of wind, rain, and many times lightning and
terrible thunder. In all Countries they have observations how the
weather will fall out, and these rules following are observable
in _New-England_. If the Moon look bright and fair, look for fair
weather, also the appearing of one Rainbow after a storm, is a
known sign of fair weather; if mists come down from the Hills, or
descend from the Heavens, and settle in the valleys, they promise
fair hot weather; mists in the Evening shew a fair hot day on
the morrow: the like when mists rise from waters in the Evening.
The obscuring of the smaller Stars is a certain sign of Tempests
approaching; the oft changing of the wind is also a fore-runner of
a storm; the resounding of the Sea from the shore, and murmuring
of [p. 57.] the winds in the woods without apparent wind, sheweth
wind to follow: shooting of the Stars (as they call it) is an usual
sign of wind from that quarter the Star came from. So look whether
the resounding of the Sea upon the shore be on the _East_ or _West_
side of the dwelling, out of that quarter will the wind proceed
the next day. The redness of the sky in the morning, is a token
of winds, or rain or both: if the Circles that appear about the
Sun be red and broken, they portend wind; if thick and dark, wind,
snow and rain; the like may be said of the Circles about the moon.
If two rain-bowes appear, they are a sign of rain; If the Sun or
Moon look pale, look for rain: if a dark cloud be at Sun-rising,
in which the Sun soon after is hid, it will dissolve it, and rain
will follow; _nebula ascendens indicat imbres, nebula descendens
serenitatem_. If the Sun seem greater in the _East_, than in the
_West_ about Sun-setting, and that there appears a black cloud, you
may expect rain that night, or the day following.
_Serò rubens Cælum cras indicat esse serenum,
Sed si manè rubet venturos indicat Imbres._
[p. 58.] To conclude; if the white hills look clear and
conspicuous, it is a sign of fair weather; if black and cloudy, of
rain; if yellow, it is a certain sign of snow shortly to ensue.
In _Anno Dom._ 1667. _March_, appeared a sign in the Heavens in
the form of a Sphear, pointing directly to the _West_: and in the
year following on the third day of _April_ being _Friday_, there
was a terrible Earthquake, before that a very great one in 1638.
and another in 58 and in 1662/3. _January_ 26, 27, & 28. (which
was the year before I came thither) there were Earthquakes 6 or 7
times in the space of three dayes. Earthquakes are frequent in the
Countrie; some suppose that the white mountains were first raised
by Earthquakes, they are hollow as may be guessed by the resounding
of the rain upon the level on the top. The _Indians_ told us of a
River whose course was not only stopt by an Earthquake in 1668.
(as near as I can remember) but the whole River swallowed up. And
I have heard it reported from credible persons, that (whilst I
was there in the Countrie) there happened a terrible Earthquake
amongst the _French_, rending a huge Rock asunder even to the
center, wherein was a vast hollow of an immeasurable depth, out of
which came many infernal Spirits. I shall [p. 59.] conclude this
discourse of Earthquakes, with that which came from the Pen of
our Royal Martyr King _Charles_ the First; _A storm at Sea wants
not its terrour, but an Earthquake, shaking the very foundation of
all, the World hath nothing more of horrour._ And now I come to the
plants of the Countrie.