My Faithful and Dear Wife,—It pleaseth God, that thou shouldst once
again hear from me before our departure, and I hope this shall come
safe to thy hands. I know it will be a great refreshing to thee. And
blessed be His mercy, that I can write thee so good news, that we are
all in very good health, and, having tried our ship’s entertainment
now more than a week, we find it agrees very well with us. Our boys
are well and cheerful, and have no mind of home. They lie both with
me, and sleep as soundly in a rug (for we use no sheets here) as ever
they did at Groton; and so I do myself (I praise God).
The wind hath been against us this week and more; but this day it is
come fair to the north, so as we are preparing (by God’s assistance)
to set sail in the morning. We have only four ships ready, and some
two or three Hollanders go along with us. The rest of our fleet (being
seven ships) will not be ready this sennight [_for a week_]. We have
spent now two Sabbaths on shipboard very comfortably (God be praised)
and are daily more and more encouraged to look for the Lord’s presence
to go along with us....
We are, in all our eleven ships, about seven hundred persons,
passengers, and two hundred and forty cows, and about sixty horses.
The ship, which went from Plymouth, carried about one hundred and
forty persons, and the ship, which goes from Bristol, carrieth about
eighty persons. And now (my sweet soul) I must once again take my last
farewell of thee in Old England. It goeth very near my heart to leave
thee; but I know to Whom I have committed thee, even to Him Who loves
thee much better than any husband can, Who hath taken account of the
hairs of thy head, and puts all thy tears in His bottle, Who can, and
(if it be for His glory) will bring us together again with peace and
comfort. Oh, how it refresheth my heart, to think, that I shall yet
again see thy sweet face in the land of the living!—that lovely
countenance that I have so much delighted in and beheld with so great
content!
I have hitherto been so taken up with business, as I could seldom look
back to my former happiness, but now when I shall be at some leisure,
I shall not avoid the remembrance of thee, nor the grief for thy
absence. Thou hast thy share with me, but I hope the course we have
agreed upon will be some ease to us both. Mondays and Fridays, at five
of the clock at night, we shall meet in spirit till we meet in person.
Yet if all these hopes should fail, blessed be our God, that we are
assured we shall meet one day, if not as husband and wife, yet in a
better condition. Let that stay and comfort thy heart. Neither can the
sea drown thy husband, nor enemies destroy, nor any adversity deprive
thee of thy husband or children.
Therefore I will only take thee now and my sweet children in mine
arms, and kiss and embrace you all, and so leave you with my God.
Farewell, farewell. I bless you all in the name of the Lord Jesus. I
salute my daughter Winth., Matt., Nan., and the rest, and all my good
neighbors and friends. Pray all for us. Farewell. Commend my blessing
to my son John. I cannot now write to him, but tell him I have
committed thee and thine to him. Labor to draw him yet nearer to God,
and he will be the surer staff of comfort to thee. I cannot name the
rest of my good friends, but thou canst supply it. I wrote a week
since to thee and Mr. Leigh and divers others.
Thine wheresoever,
Jo. Winthrop
From aboard the ARBELLA, riding at the COWES.
March 28, 1630