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Page 31
Being thus arived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell
upon their knees & blessed y^e God of heaven, who had brought them
over y^e vast & furious ocean, and delivered them from all y^e periles
& miseries thereof, againe to set their feete on y^e firme and stable
earth, their proper elemente. And no marvell if they were thus
joyefull, seeing wise Seneca was so affected with sailing a few miles
on y^e coast of his owne Italy; as he affirmed, that he had rather
remaine twentie years on his way by land, then pass by sea to any
place in a short time; so tedious & dreadfull was y^e same unto
him....
But hear I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amased at
this poore peoples presente condition; and so I thinke will the reader
too, when he well considers yo same. Being thus passed y^e vast ocean,
and a sea of troubles before in their preparation (as may be remembred
by y^t which wente before), they had now no friends to well come them,
nor inns to entertaine or refresh their weatherbeaten bodys, no houses
or much less townes to repaire too, to seeke for succoure. It is
recorded in scripture as a mercie to y^e apostle & his shipwraked
company, y^t the barbarians shewed them no smale kindnes in refreshing
them, but these savage barbarians, when they mette with them (as after
will appeare) were readier to fill their sids full of arrows then
otherwise. And for y^e season it was winter, and they that know y^e
winters of y^t cuntrie know them to be sharp & violent, & subjecte to
cruell & feirce stormes, deangerous to travill to known places, much
more to serch an unknown coast. Besids, what could they see but a
hidious & desolate wildernes, full of wild beasts & willd men? and
what multituds ther might be of them they knew not. Nether could they,
as it were, goe up to y^e tope of Pisgah, to vew from this willdernes
a more goodly cuntrie to feed their hops; for which way soever they
turnd their eys (save upward to y^e heavens) they could have little
solace or content in respecte of any outward objects.
For sumer being done, all things stand upon them with a wetherbeaten
face; and y^e whole countrie, full of woods & thickets, represented a
wild & savage view. If they looked behind them, ther was y^e mighty
ocean which they had passed, and was now as a maine barr & goulfe to
seperate them from all y^e civil parts of y^e world. If it be said
they had a ship to sucour them, it is trew; but what heard they daly
from y^e m^r. & company? but y^e with speede they should looke out a
place with their shallop, wher they would be at some near distance;
for y^e season was shuch as he would not stirr from thence till a safe
harbor was discovered by them wher they would be, and he might goe
without danger; and that victells consumed apace, but he must & would
keepe sufficient for them selves & their returne. Yea, it was muttered
by some, that if they gott not a place in time, they would turne them
& their goods ashore & leave them.
Let it also be considred what weake hopes of supply & succoure they
left behinde them, y^e might bear up their minds in this sade
condition and trialls they were under; and they could not but be very
smale. It is true, indeed, y^e affections & love of their brethren at
Leyden was cordiall & entire towards them, but they had litle power to
help them, or them selves; and how y^e case stode between them & y^e
marchants at their coming away, hath allready been declared. What
could now sustaine them but y^e spirite of God & his grace?...
Being thus arrived at Cape-Codd y^e 11. of November, and necessitie
calling them to looke out a place for habitation, (as well as the
maisters & mariners importunitie,) they having brought a large shalop
with them out of England, stowed in quarters in y^e ship, they now
gott her out & sett their carpenters to worke to trime her up; but
being much brused & shatered in y^e shipe w^th foule weather, they saw
she would be longe in mending. Whereupon a few of them tendered them
selves to goe by land and discovere those nearest places, whilst y^e
shallop was in mending; and y^e rather because as they wente into y^t
harbor ther seemed to be an opening some 2. or 3. leagues of, which
y^e maister judged to be a river. It was conceived ther might be some
danger in y^e attempte yet seeing them resolute, they were permited to
goe, being 16. of them well armed, under y^e conduct of Captain
Standish, having shuch instructions given them as was thought meete.
They sett forth y^e 15. of Nove^br: and when they had marched aboute
y^e space of a mile by y^e sea side, they espied 5. or 6. persons with
a dogg coming towards them, who were salvages; but they fled from
them, & rane up into y^e woods, and y^e English followed them, partly
to see if they could speake with them, and partly to discover if ther
might not be more of them lying in ambush. But y^e Indeans seeing them
selyes thus followed, they again forsooke the woods, & rane away on
y^e sands as hard as they could, so as they could not come near them,
but followed them by y^e tracte of their feet sundrie miles, and saw
that they had come the same way. So, night coming on, they made their
randevous & set out ther sentinels, and rested in quiete y^e night,
and the next morning followed their tracte till they had headed a
great creeke, & so left the sands, & turned an other way into y^e
woods. But they still followed them by guess, hopeing to find their
dwellings; but they soone lost both them & them selves, falling into
shuch thickets as were ready to tear their cloaths & armore in peeces,
but were most distressed for wante of drinke.
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