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Page 39
Our 4 shipps which sett out in April arrived here in June and July,
where wee found the colony in a sadd and unexpected condicon above 80
of them being dead the winter before and many of those alive weake and
sicke: all the corne & bread amongst them all hardly sufficient to
feed them a fortnight, insoemuch that the remainder of 180 servants
wee had the 2 years before sent over, comeinge to vs for victualls to
sustaine them wee found ourselves wholly unable to feed them by reason
that the p'visions [provisions] shipped for them were taken out of the
shipp they were put in, and they who were trusted to shipp them in
another failed us, and left them behind; whereupon necessity enforced
us to our extreme loss to giue them all libertie; who had cost us
about: 16 or 20 �s [sterling] a person furnishing and sending over.
But bearing theis things as wee might, wee beganne to consult of the
place of our sitting downe: ffor Salem where wee landed, pleased us
not. And to that purpose some were sent to the Bay[2] to search vpp
the rivers for a convenient place; who vppon their returne reported to
haue found a good place vppon Mistick; but some other of us seconding
theis to approoue [approve] or dislike of their judgment; we found a
place [that] liked vs better 3 leagues vp Charles river--And there
vppon vnshipped our goods into other vessels and with much cost and
labour brought them in July to Charles Towne; but there receiveing
advertisements by some of the late arived shipps from London and
Amsterdam of some Ffrench preparations against vs (many of our people
brought with vs beeing sick of ffeavers [fevers] & the scurvy and wee
thereby vnable to car[r]y vp our ordinance and baggage soe farr) wee
were forced to change counsaile and for our present shelter to plant
dispersedly, some at Charles Towne which standeth on the North Side of
the mouth of Charles River; some on the South Side thereof, which
place we named Boston (as wee intended to haue done the place wee
first resolved on) some of vs vppon Mistick, which wee named Meadford;
some of vs westward on Charles river, 4 miles from Charles Towne,
which place wee named Watertoune; others of vs 2 miles from Boston in
a place wee named Rocksbury, others vppon the river of Sawgus betweene
Salem and Charles Toune. And the westerne men 4 miles South from
Boston at a place wee named Dorchester.
This dispersion troubled some of vs, but helpe it wee could not,
wanting abillity to remove to any place fit to build a Toune vppon,
and the time too short to deliberate any longer least [lest] the
winter should surprize vs before wee had builded our houses.... of the
people who came over with vs from the time of their setting saile from
England in Aprill 1630. vntill December followinge there dyed by
estimacon about 200 at the least--Soe lowe hath the Lord brought vs!
Well, yet they who survived were not discouraged but bearing God's
corrections with humilitye and trusting in his mercies, and
considering how after a greater ebb hee had raised vpp our neighbours
at Plymouth we beganne againe in December to consult about a fitt
place to build a Toune [town] vppon, leavinge all thoughts of a fort,
because vppon any invasion wee were necessarily to loose our howses
when we should retire thereinto; soe after diverse meetings at Boston,
Rocksbury and Waterton on the 28th of December wee grew to this
resolution to bind all the Assistants Mr. Endicott & Mr. Sharpe
excepted, which last purposeth to returne by the next ships into
England to build howses at a place, a mile east from Waterton neere
Charles river,[3] the next Springe, and to winter there the next
yeare, that soe by our examples and by removeinge the ordinance and
munition thether, all who were able, might be drawne thether, and such
as shall come to vs hereafter to their advantage bee compelled soe to
doe; and soe if God would, a fortifyed Toune might there grow vpp, the
place fitting reasonably well thereto....
But now haueing some leasure to discourse of the motiues for other
mens comeinge to this place or their abstaining from it, after my
brief manner I say this--That if any come hether [hither] to plant for
worldly ends that canne live well at home hee co[m]mits an errour of
which hee will soon repent him. But if for spirittuall [ends] and that
noe particular obstacle hinder his removeall, he may finde here what
may well content him: vizt: materialls to build, fewell [fuel] to
burn, ground to plant, seas and rivers to ffish in, a pure ayer [air]
to breath[e] in, good water to drinke till wine or beare canne be
made, which togeather with the cowes, hoggs and goates brought hether
allready may suffice for food, for as for foule [fowl] and venison,
they are dainties here a well as in England. Ffor cloaths and beddinge
they must bring them with them till time and industry produce them
here. In a word, wee yett enioy [enjoy] little to bee envyed but
endure much to be pittyed in the sicknes & mortalitye of our people.
[1] From Dudley's letter to the Countess of London. Printed in
Hart's "Source Book of American History." Dudley came over with
Winthrop, and at one time was governor of the Colony.
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