but two, and those servants, which had the scurvy in all the country. At Plimouth not one had it, nor out of those who came this year (whereof there were above sixty). Whereas at their first planting time near half of their people died of it.

Of those which went back in the ships this summer, for fear of death or famine, &c. many died by the way and after they were landed, and others fell very sick and lean, &c.

The provision which came to us this year, came at excessive rates, in regard of the dearness of corn in England, so as every bushel of wheat meal stood us in fourteen shillings, pease eleven and six pence, &c.

March 23. Chickatabot came with his sannops and squaws, and presented the Governor with a bushel of Indian corn. After they had all dined and had each a small cup of sacke and beer, and the men tobacco, he sent away all his men and women, tho the Governor would have stayed them, in regard to the rain and thunder; himself and one squaw and one sannop stayed all night, and being in English clothes, the Gov. set them at his own table, where he behaved himself as soberly, &c. as an Englishman. The next day after dinner he returned here, the Governor giving him cheese and pease and a mug and some other small things.

March 29. About 10 of the clock Mr. Coddington and Mr. Wilson and divers of the congregation met at the Governor's, and there Mr. Wilson praying and exhorting the congregation to love &c. commended to them the exercise of prophecy in his absence and designed those whom he thought most fit for it (viz) the Governor, Mr. Dudley, and Mr. Newell the elder; then he desired the Governor to commit himself and the rest to God by prayer, which being done, they accompanied him to the boat, and so they went over to Charleston to go by land to the ship.

April 12. At a court holden at Boston (upon information to the Governor that they of Salem had called Mr. Williams to the office of a teacher) a letter was written from the court to Mr. Endicott to this effect; that whereas Mr. Williams had refused to join with the churches at Boston, because they would not make a public declaration of their repentance for having communion with the churches of England while they tarried there; and besides had declared his opinion that the magistrate might not punish the breach of the sabbath nor any other offence that was a breach of the first table; and therefore they marvelled they would chose him without advising with the council, and withal desiring him that he would forbear to proceed until they had considered about it.

April 13. Chickatabot came to the governor, and desired to buy some English cloths for himself. The Governor told him that English Sagamores did not use to truck, but he called his taylor and gave him order to make him a suit of clothes, whereupon he gave the governor two large skins of coat beaver, and after he and his men had dined he departed, and said he would come again three days after for his suit.

April 15. Chickatabot came to the governor again, and he put him into a very good new suit from head to foot, and after he sat meat before him, but he would not eat till the Governor had given thanks, and after meat he desired him to do the like, and so departed.

June 14. At a court Jo. Sagamore and Chickatabot being told at last court of some injuries that their men did to our cattle, and giving consent to make satisfaction &c. now one of their men was complained of for shooting a pig, for which Chickatabot was ordered to pay a small skin of beaver, which he presently paid.

At this court one Philip Ratlif a servant of Mr. Cradock, being convict ore tenus of most foul scandalous invectives against our churches and government, was censured to be whipped, lose his ears, and be banished the plantation, which was presently executed.

July 13. Canonicus, son to the great Sachem of Naraganset, came to the Governor's house with Jo. Sagamore, after they had dined he gave the Governor a skin, and the Governor requited him with a fair pewter pot, which he took very thankfully and stayed all night.

July 30. Mr. Ludlow in digging the foundation of his house at Dorchester, found two pieces of French money, one was coined in 1596, they were in several places above a foot within the firm ground.

Sept. 27. At a court one Josias Playstone and two of his servants were censured for stealing corn from Chickatabot and his men, who were present, the master to restore two fold, and to be degraded from the title of a gentleman, and fined five pounds, and his men to be whippod.

Oct. 11. The Governor being at his farm house at Mistick, walked out after supper and took a piece in his hand, supposing he might see a wolf (for they came daily about the house, and killed swine and calves, &c.) and being about half a mile off, it grew suddenly dark, so as in coming home he mistook his path, and went till he came to a little house of Sagamore John, which stood empty; there he stayed, and having a piece of match in his pocket (for he always carried about his match and compass, and in the former there spake need) he made a good fire and warmed the house, and lay down upon some old matts which he found there, and so spent the night, sometimes walking by the fire, sometimes singing psalms, and sometimes getting wood, but could not sleep. It was (thro God's mercy) a weary night, but a little before day it began to rain, and having no cloak, he made shift by a long pole to climb up into the house. In the morning there came thither an Indian squaw, but perceiving her before she had opened the door, he barred her out, yet she stayed there a great while essaying to get in, and at last she went away, and he returned safe home, his servant having been much perplexed for him, and having walked about, and shot off pieces and halloed in the night, but he heard them

not.

Oct. 25. The Governor, with Capt. Underhill and other of the officers went on foot to Sagus, and next day to Salem, where they were bountifully entertained by Capt. Endicott, &c. and the 28th

they returned to Boston by the fort at Sagus river, and so over to Mistick.

Nov. 2. The ship Lyon Wm. Pierce, master, arrived at Natascot there came in her the Governor's wife, and other of his children, and Mr. Eliot, a minister, and other families, being in all about 60 persons, who all arrived in good health, having been ten weeks at sea, and lost none of their company but two children, whereof one was the Governor's daughter Anne, about one year and half old, who died about a week after they came to sea.

Nov. 4. The Governor, his wife and children went on shore with Mr. Pierce in his ship boat, the ship gave them six or seven pieces. At their landing the Captains with their companies in arms entertained them with a guard and divers vollies of shot, and three drakes ;—and divers of the assistants and most of the people of the near plantations, came to welcome them, and brought and sent, for divers days, great store of provisions, as fat hogs, kids, venison, poultry, geese, partridges, &c. so as the like joy and manifestation of love had never been seen in New England: it was a great marvel that so much people and store of provisions could be gathered together at so few hours warning.

Feb. 17, 1632. The Governor and assistants called before them at Boston divers of Watertown; the pastors and elder by letter, and the others by warrant. The occasion was for that a warrant being sent to Watertown for levying of 81. part of a rate of 601. ordered for the fortifying the new town; the pastor and elder, &c. assembled the people and deliver'd their opinion, that it was not safe to pay money after that sort, for fear of bringing themselves into bondage, being come before the governor and council, after much debate they acknowledged their fault, confessing freely that they were in an error, and made a retraction and submission under their hands, and were injoyned to read it in the assembly the next Lord's day. The ground of their error was, for that they took this government to be no other but as of a mayor and aldermen, who have not power to make laws or raise taxations without the people; but understanding that this government was rather in the nature of a Parliament, and that no assistant could be chosen but by the freemen, who had power likewise to remove the assistants and put in others, and therefore at every general court (which was to be holden once every year) they had free liberty to consider and propound any thing concerning the same. and to declare their grievances without being subject to question. &c. they were fully satisfied, and so their submission was accepted and their offence pardoned.

May 1. The Governor and assistants met at Boston to consider of the Deputy his deserting his place. The points discussed were two. The first, upon what grounds he did it. 2d, whether it were good or void. For the 1st, his main reason was for public peace, for he must needs discharge his conscience in speaking freely, and he saw that bred disturbance. For the 2d, it was maintained by all that he could not to leave his place, except by the same power which put him in; yet he could not be put from his contrary opinion, nor

would be persuaded to continue till the general court, which was to be the 8th of this month.

Another question fell out with him about some bargains he had made with some poor men, members of the same congregation, to whom he had sold 7 bushels and an half of corn to receive ten for it after harvest, which the Governor and some others held to be oppressive usury, and within the compass of the statute, but he persisted to maintain it to be lawful, and there arose hot words about it, he telling the Governor that if he had thought he had sent for him to his house to give him such usage, he would not have come there, and that he never knew any man of understanding, of other opinion, and that if the Governor thought otherwise of it, it was his weakness. The Governor took notice of these speeches and bore them with more patience than he had done upon a like occasion at another time. Upon this there arose another question about his house. The Governor having freely told him that he did not well to bestow so much cost about wainscoting and adorning his house in the beginning of a plantation, both in regard of the necessity of public charges, and for example. His answer now was, that it was for the warmth of his house, and the charge was little, being but clapboards nailed to the walls in form of wainscot. These and other speeches passed before dinner. After dinner the Governor told him he had heard that the people intended at the next general court to desire that the assistants might be chosen anew every year, and that the Governor might be chosen by the whole court and not by the assistants only. Upon this Mr. Dudley grew into passion, and said that then we should have no government, but there would be an interim wherein every man might do what he pleased. This was answered and cleared in the judgment of the rest of the assistants, but he continued stiff in his opinion, and protested he would then return back into England.

May 8. A proposition was made by the people that every company of train-men might choose their own Captain and officers, but the Governor giving them reasons to the contrary, they were satisfied with it.

Every town may choose two men to be at the next court to advise with the Governor and assistants about the raising of a public stock, so as what they should agree upon should bind all, &c. The Governor among other things used this speech to the people after he had taken his oath, That he had received gratuities from divers towns, which he received with much comfort and content; he had also received many kindnesses from particular persons, which he would not refuse, least he should be accounted uncourteous, &c. but he expressed that he received them with a trembling heart, in regard of God's rule, and the consciousness of his own inconformity, and therefore desired them that hereafter they would not take it ill if he did refuse presents from particular persons except they were from the assistants, or from special friends, &c. to which no answer was made, but he was told after that many good people were much grieved at it, for that he never had any allowance towards the charge of his place.

Jan. 17, 1633. A maid servant of Mr. Skelton of Salem, going towards Sagus, was lost seven days, and at length came home to Salem. All that time she was in the woods, having no kind of food, the snow being very deep, and as cold as at any time that winter. She was so frozen into the snow some mornings as she was one hour before she could get up, yet she soon recovered and did well through the Lord's wonderful providence.

:

July 12. Mr. Edward Winslow, Governor of Plimouth, and Mr. Bradford came into the bay, and went away the 18th. They came partly to confer about joining in a trade to Connecticut, for beaver and hemp there was a motion to set up a trading house there, to prevent the Dutch who were about to build one, but in regard the place was not fit for plantation, there being three or four thousand warlike Indians, and the river not to be gone into but by small pinnaces, having a bar affording but six feet at high water, and for that no vessels can get in for 7 months in the year, partly by reason of the ice, and then the violent stream, &c. we thought not fit to meddle with it.

Nov. The scarcity of workmen had caused them to raise their wages to an excessive rate, so as a carpenter would have three shillings the day, a laborer two shillings and six-pence, &c. and accordingly those who had commodities to sell, advanced their prices sometimes double to that they cost in England, so as it grew to a general complaint, which the court taking knowledge of, as also of some further evils which were springing out of the excessive rate of wages, they made an order that carpenters, masters, &c. should take but 2s. the day, and laborers but 18d.,—and that no commodity should be sold at above four pence in the shilling more than it cost for ready money in England, oil, wine, &c. and cheese in regard of the hazard of bringing, &c. The evils which were springing, were, 1. Many spent much time idly, because they could get as much in four days. as would keep them a week. 2. They spent much in tobacco and strong waters, which was a great waste to the Commonwealth, which by reason of so many scarce commodities expended could not have subsisted to this time, but that it was supplied by the cattle and corn which were sold to new comers at very dear rates, viz. corn at 6s. the bushel; a cow at 201.-yea some at 241. some 261. a mare at 351. an ewe goat at 3 or 41. and yet many cattle were every year brought out of England, and some from Virginia. Soon after an order was taken for prices of commodities, viz. not to exceed the rate of four pence in the shilling above the price in England, except cheese and liquors, &c.

Dec. 5. John Sagamore died of the small pox and almost all his people, about 30 buried by Mr. Maverick of Winesemett in one day. The towns in the bay took away many of the children, but most of them died soon after. James Sagamore of Sagus died also and most of his folks. John Sagamore desired to be brought among the English, so he agreed and promised, if he recovered. to live with the

*Rum or spirits.