Part 18

Subscribed, your loving freind, THO: WESTON.

Jan: 12. 1621.

Sundry other things I pass over, being tedious & impertinent.

All this was but could comfort to fill their hungrie bellies, and a slender performance of his former late promiss; and as litle did it either fill or warme them, as those y^e Apostle James spake of, by him before mentioned. And well might it make them remember what y^e psalmist saith, Psa. 118. 8. It is better to trust in the Lord, then to have confidence in man. And Psa. 146. Put not you trust in princes (much less in y^e marchants) nor in y^e sone of man, for ther is no help in them. v. 5. Blesed is he that hath y^e God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in y^e Lord his God. And as they were now fayled of suply by him and others in this their greatest neede and wants, which was caused by him and y^e rest, who put so great a company of men upon them, as y^e former company were, without any food, and came at shuch a time as they must live almost a whole year before any could be raised, excepte they had sente some; so, upon y^e pointe they never had any supply of vitales more afterwards (but what the Lord gave them otherwise); for all y^e company sent at any time was allways too short for those people y^t came with it.

Ther came allso by y^e same ship other leters, but of later date, one from M^r. Weston, an other from a parte of y^e adventurers, as foloweth.

M^r. Carver, since my last, to y^e end we might y^e more readily proceed to help y^e generall, at a meeting of some of y^e principall adventurers, a proposition was put forth, & alowed by all presente (save Pickering), to adventure each man y^e third parte of what he formerly had done. And ther are some other y^t folow his example, and will adventure no furder. In regard wherof y^e greater part of y^e adventurers being willing to uphold y^e bussines, finding it no reason that those y^t are willing should uphold y^e bussines of those that are unwilling, whose backwardnes doth discourage those that are forward, and hinder other new-adventurers from coming in, we having well considered therof, have resolved, according to an article in y^e agreemente, (that it may be lawfull by a generall consente of y^e adventurers & planters, upon just occasion, to breake of their joynte stock,) to breake it of; and doe pray you to ratifie, and confirme y^e same on your parts. Which being done, we shall y^e more willingly goe forward for y^e upholding of you with all things necesarie. But in any case you must agree to y^e artickls, and send it by y^e first under your hands & seals. So I end

Your loving freind, THO: WESTON.

Jan: 17. 1621.

Another leter was write from part of y^e company of y^e adventurers to the same purpose, and subscribed with 9. of their names, wherof M^r. Westons & M^r. Beachamphs were tow. Thes things seemed strang unto them, seeing this unconstancie & shufling; it made them to thinke ther was some misterie in y^e matter. And therfore y^e Gov^r concealed these letters from y^e publick, only imparted them to some trustie freinds for advice, who concluded with him, that this tended to disband & scater them (in regard of their straits); and if M^r. Weston & others, who seemed to rune in a perticuler way, should come over with shiping so provided as his letters did intimate, they most would fall to him, to y^e prejudice of them selves & y^e rest of the adventurers, their freinds, from whom as yet they heard nothing. And it was doubted whether he had not sente over shuch a company in y^e former ship, for shuch an end. Yet they tooke compassion of those 7. men which this ship, which fished to y^e eastward, had kept till planting time was over, and so could set no corne; and allso wanting vitals, (for y^ey turned them off w^{th}out any, and indeed wanted for them selves,) neither was their salt-pan come, so as y^ey could not performe any of those things which M^r. Weston had apointed, and might have starved if y^e plantation had not succoured them; who, in their wants, gave them as good as any of their owne. The ship wente to Virginia, wher they sould both ship & fish, of which (it was conceived) M^r. Weston had a very slender accounte.

After this came another of his ships, and brought letters dated y^e 10. of Aprill, from M^r. Weston, as followeth.

M^r. Bradford, these, &c. The Fortune is arived, of whose good news touching your estate & proce[=e]ings, I am very glad to hear. And how soever he was robed on y^e way by y^e Frenchmen, yet I hope your loss will not be great, for y^e conceite of so great a returne doth much animate y^e adventurers, so y^t I hope some matter of importance will be done by them, &c. As for my selfe, I have sould my adventure & debts unto them, so as I am quit of you, & you of me, for that matter, &c. Now though I have nothing to pretend as an adventurer amongst you, yet I will advise you a litle for your good, if you can apprehend it. I perceive & know as well as another, y^e dispositions of your adventurers, whom y^e hope of gaine hath drawne on to this they have done; and yet I fear y^t hope will not draw them much furder. Besids, most of them are against the sending of them of Leyden, for whose cause this bussines was first begune, and some of y^e most religious (as M^r. Greene by name) excepts against them. So y^t my advice is (you may follow it if you please) that you forthwith break of your joynte stock, which you have warente to doe, both in law & conscience, for y^e most parte of y^e adventurers have given way unto it by a former letter. And y^e means you have ther, which I hope will be to some purpose by y^e trade of this spring, may, with y^e help of some freinds hear, bear y^e charge of tr[=a]sporting those of Leyden; and when they are with you I make no question but by Gods help you will be able to subsist of your selves. But I shall leave you to your discretion.

I desired diverce of y^e adventurers, as M^r. Peirce, M^r. Greene, & others, if they had any thing to send you, either vitails or leters, to send them by these ships; and marvelling they sent not so much as a letter, I asked our passengers what leters they had, and with some dificultie one of them tould me he had one, which was delivered him with great charge of secrecie; and for more securitie, to buy a paire of new-shoes, & sow it betweene y^e soles for fear of intercepting. I, taking y^e leter, wondering what mistrie might be in it, broke it open, and found this treacherous letter subscribed by y^e hands of M^r. Pickering & M^r. Greene. Wich leter had it come to you^r hands without answer, might have caused y^e hurt, if not y^e ruine, of us all. For assuredly if you had followed their instructions, and shewed us that unkindness which they advise you unto, to hold us in distruste as enimise, &c., it might have been an occasion to have set us togeather by y^e eares, to y^e distruction of us all. For I doe beleeve that in shuch a case, they knowing what bussines hath been betweene us, not only my brother, but others also, would have been violent, and heady against you, &c. I mente to have setled y^e people I before and now send, with or near you, as well for their as your more securitie and defence, as help on all occasions. But I find y^e adventurers so jealous & suspitious, that I have altered my resolution, & given order to my brother & those with him, to doe as they and him selfe shall find fitte. Thus, &c.

Your loving friend, THO: WESTON.

Aprill 10. 1621.

Some part of Mr. Pickerings letter before mentioned.

To M^r. Bradford & M^r. Brewster, &c.

My dear love remembred unto you all, &c. The company hath bought out M^r. Weston, and are very glad they are freed of him, he being judged a man y^t thought him selfe above y^e generall, and not expresing so much y^e fear of God as was meete in a man to whom shuch trust should have been reposed in a matter of so great importance. I am sparing to be so plaine as indeed is clear against him; but a few words to y^e wise.

M^r. Weston will not permitte leters to be sent in his ships, nor any thing for your good or ours, of which ther is some reason in respecte of him selfe, &c. His brother Andrew, whom he doth send as principall in one of these ships, is a heady yong man, & violente, and set against you ther, & y^e company hear; ploting with M^r. Weston their owne ends, which tend to your & our undooing in respecte of our estates ther, and prevention of our good ends. For by credible testimoney we are informed his purpose is to come to your colonie, pretending he comes for and from y^e adventurers, and will seeke to gett what you have in readynes into his ships, as if they came from y^e company, & possessing all, will be so much profite to him selfe. And further to informe them selves what spetiall places or things you have discovered, to y^e end that they may supres & deprive you, &c.

The Lord, who is y^e watchman of Israll & slepeth not, preserve you & deliver you from unreasonable men. I am sorie that ther is cause to admonish you of these things concerning this man; so I leave you to God, who bless and multiply you into thousands, to the advancemente of y^e glorious gospell of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Fare well.

Your loving freinds, EDWARD PICKERING. WILLIAM GREENE.

I pray conceale both y^e writing & deliverie of this leter, but make the best use of it. We hope to sete forth a ship our selves with in this month.

The heads of his answer.

M^r. Bradford, this is y^e leter y^t I wrote unto you of, which to answer in every perticuler is needles & tedious. My owne conscience & all our people can and I thinke will testifie, y^t my end in sending y^e ship Sparrow was your good, &c. Now I will not deney but ther are many of our people rude fellows, as these men terme them; yet I presume they will be governed by such as I set over them. And I hope not only to be able to reclaime them from y^t profanenes that may scandalise y^e vioage, but by degrees to draw them to God, &c. I am so farr from sending rude fellows to deprive you either by fraude or violence of what is yours, as I have charged y^e m^r. of y^e ship Sparrow, not only to leave with you 2000. of bread, but also a good quantitie of fish, &c. But I will leave it to you to consider what evill this leter would or might have done, had it come to your hands & taken y^e effecte y^e other desired.

Now if you be of y^e mind y^t these men are, deale plainly with us, & we will seeke our residence els-wher. If you are as freindly as we have thought you to be, give us y^e entertainment of freinds, and we will take nothing from you, neither meat, drinke, nor lodging, but what we will, in one kind or other, pay you for, &c. I shall leave in y^e countrie a litle ship (if God send her safe thither) with mariners & fisher-men to stay ther, who shall coast, & trad with y^e savages, & y^e old plantation. It may be we shall be as helpfull to you, as you will be to us. I thinke I shall see you y^e next spring; and so I comend you to y^e protection of God, who ever keep you.

Your loving friend, THO: WESTON.

Thus all ther hops in regard of M^r. Weston were layed in y^e dust, and all his promised helpe turned into an empttie advice, which they apprehended was nether lawfull nor profitable for them to follow. And they were not only thus left destitute of help in their extreme wants, haveing neither vitails, nor any thing to trade with, but others prepared & ready to glean up what y^e cuntrie might have afforded for their releefe. As for those harsh censures & susspitions intimated in y^e former and following leters, they desired to judg as charitably and wisly of them as they could, waighing them in y^e ballance of love and reason; and though they (in parte) came from godly & loveing freinds, yet they conceived many things might arise from over deepe jealocie and fear, togeather with unmeete provocations, though they well saw M^r. Weston pursued his owne ends, and was imbittered in spirite. For after the receit of y^e former leters, the Gov^r received one from M^r. Cushman, who went home in y^e ship, and was allway intimate with M^r. Weston, (as former passages declare), and it was much marveled that nothing was heard from him, all this while. But it should seeme it was y^e difficulty of sending, for this leter was directed as y^e leter of a wife to her husband, who was here, and brought by him to y^e Gov^r. It was as followeth.

Beloved S^r: I hartily salute you, with trust of your health, and many thanks for your love. By Gods providence we got well home y^e 17. of Feb. Being robbed by y^e French-men by y^e way, and carried by them into France, and were kepte ther 15. days, and lost all y^t we had that was worth taking; but thanks be to God, we escaped with our lives & ship. I see not y^t it worketh any discouragment hear. I purpose by Gods grace to see you shortly, I hope in June nexte, or before. In y^e mean space know these things, and I pray you be advertised a litle. M^r. Weston hath quite broken of from our company, through some discontents y^t arose betwext him and some of our adventurers, & hath sould all his adventurs, & hath now sent 3. smale ships for his perticuler plantation. The greatest wherof, being 100. tune, M^r. Reynolds goeth m^r. and he with y^e rest purposeth to come him selfe; for what end I know not.

The people which they cary are no men for us, wherfore I pray you entertaine them not, neither exchainge man for man with them, excepte it be some of your worst. He hath taken a patente for him selfe. If they offerr to buy any thing of you, let it be shuch as you can spare, and let them give y^e worth of it. If they borrow any thing of you, let them leave a good pawne, &c. It is like he [78] will plant to y^e southward of y^e Cape, for William Trevore hath lavishly tould but what he knew or imagined of Capewack, Mohiggen, & y^e Narigansets. I fear these people will hardly deale so well with y^e savages as they should. I pray you therfore signifie to Squanto, that they are a distincte body from us, and we have nothing to doe with them, neither must be blamed for their falts, much less can warrente their fidelitie. We are aboute to recover our losses in France. Our freinds at Leyden are well, and will come to you as many as can this time. I hope all will turne to y^e best, wherfore I pray you be not discouraged, but gather up your selfe to goe thorow these dificulties cherfully & with courage in y^t place wherin God hath sett you, untill y^e day of refreshing come. And y^e Lord God of sea & land bring us comfortably togeather againe, if it may stand with his glorie.