after no town in the plantation that hath not ten freemen resident in it shall send any Deputy to the General Court; those that have above ten and under twenty, not above one; betwixt twenty and forty, not above two; and those that have above forty, three if they will, but not above"; and the towns were directed to "take care to order and dispose of all single persons within their town to service, or otherwise," subject to a right of parties aggrieved by their action "to appeal to the Governor and Council, or the Court."1

Dec. 13.

Oct. 6.

1631

Nov. 2.

Winthrop

In the autumn which followed the election of 1635. Haynes to be Governor, three persons of special note arrived in Massachusetts. A previous visit of John Winthrop the younger to this country has been mentioned. When he first came over, in the year after his father, with others of the family who had been left behind, he was twenty-five or twenty-six the younger. years old. After an exemplary and studious youth, passed partly at Trinity College in the University of Dublin, he had accomplished himself by travelling on the continent of Europe. He was chosen an Assistant at the election next following his first arrival, and continued to be annually rechosen to that place, even when he had gone back to Europe, as he did after more than two years' residence, in which time he had begun a plantation at March. Ipswich. During his absence, he had now "passed into Scotland, and so through the North of England; and all the way he met with persons of quality, whose thoughts were towards New England, who observed his coming among them as a special providence of God."3

1633.

One of Winthrop's companions was a person destined for a short time to exercise an important agency in the affairs of New England, and subsequently to act a scarcely secondary part on a much more conspicuous theatre. This was the young Henry Vane. His

1 Mass. Col. Rec., I. 178, 186.

2 See above, p. 355.

3 Winthrop, I. 173.

Henry Vane.

father, the representative of an ancient line, and himself experienced in high public employments in the present and the late reign, was at this period a Privy Counsellor and one of the Secretaries of State. The son, now twentythree years old, "being a young gentleman of excellent parts, had been employed by his father, when he was ambassador, in foreign affairs, yet, being called to the obedience of the Gospel, forsook the honors and preferments of the court, to enjoy the ordinances of Christ in their purity here. His father, being averse to this way (as no way savoring the power of religion), would hardly have consented to his coming hither, but that, acquainting the king with his son's disposition and desire, he commanded him to send him hither, and gave him license for three years' stay here."

Hugh Peter.

1

The third personage in this distinguished trio was the minister, Hugh Peter. He had been educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and had subsequently been lecturer at St. Sepulchre's church, in London, whence he had been driven, by the persecution under Laud, to Holland. After six years' service as pastor of a church in Rotterdam, he was induced by annoyances from the English ambassador to resolve to join the Colony in Massachusetts, with which he was the better acquainted from having been a member of the Company before leaving England, and a liberal contributor to its stock. He was soon inducted into the place lately vacated by Williams in the church at Salem. He was a man of great talents, and of restless and various activity. He saw at once the commercial capacities of the country, and set himself to work to develop them.2

An incident presently occurred which illustrates the

1 Winthrop, I. 170.

2 He went from place to place, laboring both publicly and privately to raise up men to a public frame of spirit, and so prevailed as he procured a good

sum of money to be raised to set on foot the fishing business, and wrote into England to raise as much more." (Winthrop, I. 173, 176; comp. 185.)

ers.

Jan. 18.

characters of a group of important men. Vane and Peter had scarcely been three months in the Conference country, before they undertook to revise the ad- of the leadministration of the government. "Finding some 1636. distraction in the commonwealth, arising from some difference in judgment, and withal some alienation of affection, among the Magistrates and some other persons of quality, and that hereby factions began to grow among the people, some adhering more to the old Governor, Mr. Winthrop, and others to the late Governor, Mr. Dudley, the former carrying matters with more lenity, and the latter with more severity, they procured a meeting, at Boston, of the Governor, Deputy, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Hooker, Mr. Wilson, and there was present Mr. Winthrop, Mr. Dudley, and themselves; where, after the Lord had been sought, Mr. Vane declared the occasion of this meeting." And he "desired all present to take up a resolution to deal freely and openly with the parties, and they with each other, that nothing might be left in their breasts which might break out to any jar or difference hereafter; which they promised to do."

Winthrop was self-possessed and at the same time conciliating, as usual. He said, “that when it pleased Mr. Vane to acquaint him with what he had observed, of the dispositions of men's minds inclining to the said faction, &c., it was very strange to him, professing solemnly that he knew not of any breach between his brother Dudley and himself, since they were reconciled long since." He knew of no alienation from him, "save that, of late, he had observed that some new-comers had estranged themselves from him, since they went to dwell at Newtown, and so desired all the company, that, if they had seen anything amiss in his government or otherwise, they would deal freely and faithfully with him; and, for his part, he promised to take it in good part, and would endeavor, by God's grace, to amend it." Dudley said, "that,

for his part, he came thither a mere patient, not with any intent to charge his brother Winthrop with anything; for though there had been formerly some differences and breaches between them, yet they had been healed, and for his part he was not willing to renew them again, and so he left it to others to utter their own complaints."

Haynes professed his unwillingness to give offence to Winthrop; "and he hoped that, considering what the end of this meeting was, he would take it in good part, if he did deal openly and freely, as his manner ever was. Then he spake of one or two passages, wherein he conceived that he dealt too remissly in point of justice. To which Mr. Winthrop answered, that his speeches and carriage had been in part mistaken; but withal professed that it was his judgment, that, in the infancy of plantation, justice should be administered with more lenity than in a settled state, because then people were more apt to transgress, partly of ignorance of new laws and orders, partly through oppression of business and other straits; but, if it might be made clear to him that it was an error, he would be ready to take up a stricter course. Then the ministers were desired to consider of the question by the next morning, and to set down a rule in the case."

Their judg

The ministers differed from Winthrop. ment, delivered the next morning, was, "that strict discipline, both in criminal offences and in martial affairs, was more needful in plantations than in a settled state, as tending to the honor and safety of the Gospel. Whereupon Mr. Winthrop acknowledged that he was convinced that he had failed in overmuch lenity and remissness, and would endeavor, by God's assistance, to take a more strict course hereafter. Whereupon there was a renewal of love amongst them, and articles drawn" to regulate the future course of administration. It was resolved, "that there should be more strictness used in civil government and military discipline; that the Magistrates should, as far as

might be, ripen their consultations beforehand, that their vote in public might bear as the voice of God; that, in meetings out of court, the Magistrates should not discuss the business of parties in their presence, nor deliver their opinions, &c.; that trivial things should be ended in towns";1 that certain rules of order should be observed in public meetings; that the Magistrates should cultivate a frank, friendly, and familiar intercourse with each other; that a more distinct precedency should be given to the Governor in the conduct of the public business; that Assistants should refrain from embarrassing each other's proceedings; that the Magistrates should "grace and strengthen their under officers in their places"; and finally, that "all contempts against the Court, or any of the Magistrates, should be speedily noted and punished, and that Magistrates should appear more solemnly in public, with attendance, apparel, and open notice of their entrance into the Court." 2

Vane chosen

May 25.

At the first election after his arrival, Vane was chosen Governor, with Winthrop for his Deputy. It is likely that the resentment of the freemen Governor. against Cotton's doctrine of a vested estate in the highest offices was not yet exhausted. It may have been believed that Haynes intended to leave Massachusetts.. And the remarkable personal qualities of Vane, set off by his eminent social position, required no long time to make themselves felt.3 The Assistants now chosen were

1 There was one good fruit, at least, of this conference, if it led to the law respecting towns, which was passed at the next General Court, six weeks afterward (see above, p. 434).

2 Winthrop, I. 177-179.

3 In Boston, indeed, he had been welcomed with expressions of a confidence which, considering his youth, seems almost like infatuation. "November 30, 1635, [at which time Vane

had been here less than two months,] at a general meeting upon public notice, it is agreed. . . . . that none of the members of this congregation or inhabitants amongst us shall sue one another at the law before that Mr. Henry Vane and the two elders, Mr. Thomas Oliver and Thomas Leverett, have had the hearing and deciding of the cause, if they can." (Town Records of Boston.)