Part 11

Yours much bounden in all duty, JOHN ROBINSON, WILLIAM BREWSTER.

Leyden, Desem: 15. An^o: 1617.

For further light in these proceedings see some other letters & notes as followeth.

The coppy of a letter sent to S^r. John Worssenham.

Right Wor^pll: with due acknowledgmente of our thankfullnse for your singular care & pains in the bussines of Virginia, for our, &, we hope, the co[=m]one good, we doe remember our humble dutys unto you, and have sent inclosed, as is required, a further explanation of our judgments in the 3. points specified by some of his majesties Hon^bl Privie Counsell; and though it be greevious unto us that such unjust insinuations are made against us, yet we are most glad of y^e occasion of making our just purgation unto so honourable personages. The declarations we have sent inclosed, the one more breefe & generall, which we thinke y^e fitter to be presented; the other something more large, and in which we express some smale accidentall differances, which if it seeme good unto you and other of our wor^pl freinds, you may send in stead of y^e former. Our prayers unto God is, y^t your Wor^pp may see the frute of your worthy endeaours, which on our parts we shall not faile to furder by all good means in us. And so praing y^t you would please with y^e convenientest speed y^t may be, to give us knowledge of y^e success of y^e bussines with his majesties Privie Counsell, and accordingly what your further pleasure is, either for our direction or furtherance in y^e same, so we rest

Your Wor^pp in all duty, JOHN ROBINSON, WILLIAM BREWSTER.

Leyden, Jan: 27. An^o: 1617. old stile.

The first breefe note was this.

Touching y^e Ecclesiasticall ministrie, namly of pastores for teaching, elders for ruling, & deacons for distributing y^e churches contribution, as allso for y^e too Sacrements, baptisme, and y^e Lords supper, we doe wholy and in all points agree with y^e French reformed churches, according to their publick confession of faith.

The oath of Supremacie we shall willingly take if it be required of us, and that conveniente satisfaction be not given by our taking y^e oath of Alleagence.

JOHN ROB: WILLIAM BREWSTER.

Y^e 2. was this.

Touching y^e Ecclesiasticall ministrie, &c. as in y^e former, we agree in all things with the French reformed churches, according to their publick confession of faith; though some small differences be to be found in our practises, not at all in y^e substance of the things, but only in some accidentall circumstances.

1. As first, their ministers doe pray with their heads covered; ours uncovered.

2. We chose none for Governing Elders but such as are able to teach; which abilitie they doe not require.

3. Their elders & deacons are an[=u]all, or at most for 2. or 3. years; ours perpetuall.

4. Our elders doe administer their office in admonitions & excommunications for publick scandals, publickly & before y^e congregation; theirs more privately, & in their consistories.

5. We doe administer baptisme only to such infants as wherof y^e one parente, at y^e least, is of some church, which some of ther churches doe not observe; though in it our practice accords with their publick confession and y^e judgmente of y^e most larned amongst them.

Other differences, worthy mentioning, we know none in these points. Then aboute y^e oath, as in y^e former.

Subscribed, JOHN R. W. B.

Part of another letter from him that delivered these.

London. Feb: 14. 1617.

Your letter to S^r. John Worstenholme I delivered allmost as soone as I had it, to his owne hands, and staid with him y^e opening & reading. Ther were 2. papers inclosed, he read them to him selfe, as also y^e letter, and in y^e reading he spake to me & said, Who shall make them? viz. y^e ministers; I answered his Wor^pp that y^e power of making was in y^e church, to be ordained by y^e imposition of hands, by y^e fittest instruments they had. It must either be in y^e church or from y^e pope, & y^e pope is Antichrist. Ho! said S^r. John, what y^e pope houlds good, (as in y^e Trinitie,) that we doe well to assente too; but, said he, we will not enter into dispute now. And as for your letters he would not show them at any hand, least he should spoyle all. He expected you should have been of y^e archb[~p] minde for y^e calling of ministers, but it seems you differed. I could have wished to have known y^e contents of your tow inclosed, at w^ch he stuck so much, espetially y^e larger. I asked his Wor^p what good news he had for me to write to morrow. He tould me very good news, for both the kings majestie and y^e bishops have consented. He said he would goe to M^r. Chancelor, S^r. Fulk Grivell, as this day, & nexte weeke I should know more. I mett S^r. Edw: Sands on Wedensday night; he wished me to be at the Virginia Courte y^e nexte Wedensday, wher I purpose to be. Thus loath to be troublsome at present, I hope to have somewhate nexte week of certentie concerning you. I co[=m]itte you to y^e Lord. Yours,

S. B.

These things being long in agitation, & messengers passing too and againe aboute them, after all their hopes they were long delayed by many rubs that fell in y^e way; for at y^e returne of these messengers into England they found things farr otherwise then they expected. For y^e Virginia Counsell was now so disturbed with factions and quarrels amongst them selves, as no bussines could well goe forward. The which may the better appear in one of the messengers letters as followeth.

To his loving freinds, &c.

I had thought long since to have write unto you, but could not effecte y^t which I aimed at, neither can yet sett things as I wished; yet, notwithstanding, I doubt not but M^r. B. hath writen to M^r. Robinson. But I thinke my selfe bound also to doe something, least I be thought to neglecte you. The maine hinderance of our proseedings in y^e Virginia bussines, is the dissentions and factions, as they terme it, amongs y^e Counsell & Company of Virginia; which are such, as that ever since we came up no busines could by them be dispatched. The occasion of this trouble amongst them is, for that a while since S^r. Thomas Smith, repining at his many offices & troubls, wished y^e Company of Virginia to ease him of his office in being Treasurer & Gover^r. of y^e Virginia Company. Wereupon y^e Company tooke occasion to dismisse him, and chose S^r. Edwin Sands Treasure^r & Gover^r of y^e Company. He having 60. voyces, S^r. John Worstenholme 16. voices, and Alderman Johnsone 24. But S^r. Thomas Smith, when he saw some parte of his honour lost, was very angrie, & raised a faction to cavill & contend aboute y^e election, and sought to taxe S^r. Edwin with many things that might both disgrace him, and allso put him by his office of Governour. In which contentions they yet stick, and are not fit nor readie to intermedle in any bussines; and what issue things will come to we are not yet certaine. It is most like S^r. Edwin will carrie it away, and if he doe, things will goe well in Virginia; if otherwise, they will goe ill enough allways. We hope in some 2. or 3. Court days things will setle. Mean space I thinke to goe downe into Kente, & come up againe aboute 14. days, or 3. weeks hence; except either by these afforesaid contentions, or by y^e ille tidings from Virginia, we be wholy discouraged, of which tidings I am now to speake.

Captaine Argoll is come home this weeke (he upon notice of y^e intente of y^e Counsell, came away before S^r. Georg Yeardley came ther, and so ther is no small dissention). But his tidings are ill, though his person be wellcome. He saith M^r. Blackwells shipe came not ther till March, but going towards winter, they had still norwest winds, which carried them to the southward beyond their course. And y^e m^r of y^e ship & some 6. of y^e mariners dieing, it seemed they could not find y^e bay, till after long seeking & beating aboute. M^r. Blackwell is dead, & M^r. Maggner, y^e Captain; yea, ther are dead, he saith, 130. persons, one & other in y^t ship; it is said ther was in all an 180. persons in y^e ship, so as they were packed togeather like herings. They had amongst them y^e fluxe, and allso wante of fresh water; so as it is hear rather wondred at y^t so many are alive, then that so many are dead. The marchants hear say it was M^r. Blackwells faulte to pack so many in y^e ship; yea, & ther were great mutterings & repinings amongst them, and upbraiding of M^r. Blackwell, for his dealing and dispossing of them, when they saw how he had dispossed of them, & how he insulted over them. Yea, y^e streets at Gravsend runge of their extreame quarrelings, crying out one of another, Thou hast brought me to this, and, I may thanke the for this. Heavie newes it is, and I would be glad to heare how farr it will discourage. I see none hear discouraged much, but rather desire to larne to beware by other mens harmes, and to amend that wherin they have failed. As we desire to serve one another in love, so take heed of being inthraled by any imperious persone, espetially if they be discerned to have an eye to them selves. It doth often trouble me to thinke that in this bussines we are all to learne and none to teach; but better so, then to depend upon such teachers as M^r. Blackwell was. Such a strategeme he once made for M^r. Johnson & his people at Emden, w^ch was their subversion. But though he ther clenlily (yet unhonstly) plucked his neck out of y^e collar, yet at last his foote is caught. Hear are no letters come, y^e ship captain Argole came in is yet in y^e west parts; all y^t we hear is but his report; it seemeth he came away secretly. The ship y^t M^r. Blackwell went in will be hear shortly. It is as M^r. Robinson once said; he thought we should hear no good of them.