if need were. The which, though we know it was with an eye to their own profit, yet we had reason both kindly to accept it and make use of it: So after this sundry of them came often to us, and many letters passed between us, the which I will pass by, as being about particular dealings, and would not be here very pertinent; only upon this passage we wrote one to their Lords and masters; as followeth,]

Right Honourable and Worthy Lords, &c.

WE

E understand by your agent, Mr. Isaac Razier, who is at this present with us (and hath demeaned himself to your Honours' and his own credit) of your honourable and respective good intentions towards us, which we humbly acknowledge with all thankfulness, and shall ever be ready in the performance of all offices of good and christian neighbourhood, towards your colony and plantation here, and in all satisfactory correspondence to your Honours, so far as in us lieth, and may stand with our allegiance to the King's most excellent Majesty, our sovereign lord, the King of Great-Britain; acknowledging ourselves tied in a strict obligation unto your country and state, for the good entertainment and free liberty which we had, and our brethren and countrymen yet there have and do enjoy, under our most honourable lords the States; and so shall be ready to accommodate ourselves to your good satisfaction: For the propositions of your agent concerning the matter of trade and commerce, we will have due and respective consideration, wishing it had been sooner propounded at the beginning of the year, before we sent our factor into England and Holland about our trade and supplies; for, till his return, we can determine of nothing, not yet knowing certainly what issue there will be of the business between the merchants our partners, and ourselves; and therefore desire suspension of our determination and resolution herein till the next year, we being not yet altogether free in respect of our engagements unto them: In the mean time we will digest it in our best cogitations ; only we desire your Honours, that ye would take into your wise and honourable considerations, that which we conceive may be a hindrance to this accordation, and may be a means of much future evil, if it be not prevented, namely, that you clear the title of your planting in these parts, which his Majesty hath, by patent, granted to divers Lis nobles and subjects of quality; least it be a bone of division in these stirring evil times, which God forbid : We persuade ourselves, that now may be easily and seasonably done, which will be harder and with more difficulty obtained hereafter, and perhaps not without blows; so there may be assured peace and good correspondence on all parts, and ourselves more free and able to contract with your Honours. Thus conmending our best service to our most noble Lords, praying for the prosperous success of your worthy designs, we rest your Lordships' Most sincerely affected and bounden,

Plymouth, Oct. 1, Anno 1627.

WILLIAM BRADFORD,
Governour, &c.

[WE well knew likewise, that this dealing and friendship with the Dutch (though it was wholly sought of themselves) yet it would procure us envy from others in the land, and that at one time or other, our enemies would take occasion to raise slanders and frame accusations against us for it; therefore, to prevent their malice, as also to shew the sincerity of our dealing and our loyal and dutiful respect to his Majesty and the Honourable Council for New England; we sent their first letter (with their answer thereto and their reply to the same) unto the Council, as may appear more particularly by our letters following.]

A letter to the Council of New England.

Right Honourable,

WE

*

E held it our bounden duty to inform and acquaint your Lordships and Honours, with all such occurrences and matters of note as do here befal, and may any way concern the estate of this country, in either the good or hurt thereof, which, next his Majesty, stands under your honourable governments and protection; or which may, in any sort, be worthy your wise and prudent considerations. May it please your Honours and Lordships to understand, that of late we received letters from the Dutch plantation, who using to trade near unto us, had order to stay for an answer from us; and the effect of their letters being friendly and congratulatory, we answered them in like sort; since which time, we received another from them, but have had as yet no opportunity to give answer thereto. Their first letters were two, but both one in effect and verbatim, so far as the proprieties of the tongues will bear; the French, with the copies both of our answer and their reply, we have here enclosed sent unto your Honours' view, that according to your honourable directions therein, we may govern ourselves, in our dealings with them. We further understand that for strength of men and fortification, they far exceed us, and all in this land. We cannot likewise forbear to complain unto your Lordships, of the irregular living of many in this land, who without either patent or licence, order or government, live, trade, and truck, not with any intent to plant, but rather to forage the country, and get what they can, whether by right or wrong, and then be gone : So as such, as have been and are at great charge to settle plantations, will not be able to subsist, if some remedy be not provided, both with these and the inordinate course of fishermen, who begin to leave fishing, and fall wholly to trading, to the great detriment of both the small beginning here, and the state of England, by the unprofitable consuming of the victuals of the land upon these salvages: Whereas plantations, might here better raise the same in the land, and so be enabled both to subsist and to return the profit thereof into England for other necessaries, which would be beneficial to the commonwealth. Our humble suits therefore to

*The one in French and the other in Dutch.

your good Lordships is, that you would take some such order for redress herein, as shall seem best to your honourable wisdoms, for the relief of all the plantations in the land. So in all humbleness we commit ourselves to your honourable direction, and you to the protection of the Almighty, resting

Yours ever at commandment,

WILLIAM BRADFORD,
Governour, &c.

New-Plymouth, June 15, Anno 1627.

Another to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, touching the same subject.

Honourable Sir,

MY

Y humble duty remembered; we have of late received letters from the Dutch plantation, and have had speech with some of them; I hold it my duty to acquaint your Worship and the rest of the Honourable Council therewith, unto whom we have likewise writ and sent the copies of their letters, that, together with their and your honourable directions, we may know how to order ourselves herein: They have used trading there this six or seven and twenty years, but have begun to plant of later time, and now have reduced their trade to some order, and confined it only to their company, which heretofore was spoiled by their seamen and interlopers, as ours is this year most notoriously, of whom we have made some complaint in our letters to the Council, not doubting but we shall find worshipful furtherance therein. We are now upon concluding with our adventurers,and shall be put upon hard straits by great payments, which we are enforced to make, for sundry years, or else to leave all, which will be to us very difficult; and, to say the truth, if these disorders of fishermen and interlopers be not remedied, no plantations are able to stand, but will decay, whereas otherwise they may subsist and flourish : Thus in all humbleness I take leave, and rest,

At your service,

Plymouth, June 15, Anno 1627.

WILLIAM BRADFORD.

P. S. Besides the spoiling of the trade this last year, our boat and men had like to have been cut off by the Indians, after the fishermen were gone, for the wrongs which they did them, in stealing their skins and other abuses offered them, both the last year and this; and besides they still continue to truck pieces, powder, and shot with them, which will be the overthrow of all, if it be not looked unto.

[BUT I will now return to prosecute other letters out of England, touching our business and success thereof.]

VOL. III.

H

A letter of Mr. Shirley's.

To his worthy and loving friend, Mr. William Bradford, Governour of Plymouth, in New-England; these.

Thrice worthy and beloved Sir,

HAVE received your letter of the 26th of May, by Mr. Gibs and

I Goff, barrel of skins according the contents,

for which Mr. Beauchamp and I got a bill of store, and so took them up and sold them together at £78 12s. sterling, and since, Mr. Allerton hath received the money, as will appear by the account. It is true, as you write, your engagements are great, not only the purchase, but you are yet necessitated to take up the stock you work upon, and that not at 6 or 8 per cent. as it is here let out, but at 30, 40, yea and some 50 per cent. which were not your gains great, and God's blessing on your honest endeavours more than ordinary, it could not be that you should long * subsist, in the maintaining of and upholding of your worldly affairs: And this your honest, wise, and discreet agent, Mr. Allerton, hath seriously considered, and so deeply laid to mind how to ease you of it, as I know it hath much troubled him: He told me you were contented to accept of me and some few others, to join with you in the purchase, as partners; for which I kindly thank you and all the rest, and do willingly accept of it; and though absent, shall willingly and readily be at such charge as you and the rest shall think meet; and this year am contented to forbear my former £50 and two years' increase for the adventure, both which now makes £80, without any bargain or condition for the profit, you (I mean the generality) standing to the adventure outward and homeward: Now (not that I would seem to boast or seek for undeserved praise) I have persuaded Mr. Andrews and Mr. Beauchamp to do the like; so as you are eased of that high state you were at the other two years, I say we leave it freely to yourselves, allow us what you please, and as God shall bless : I purpose, God willing, to be at charge of sending over a man or two; and so doth Mr. Andrews and now Mr. Beauchamp; for what course I run he desireth to do the same; and though he have been or seemed somewhat harsh heretofore, yet now you shall find he is new moulded.

I also see, in your letter, your desire I should be your agent or factor here; truly, Mr. Bradford, and our worthy governour, far be it from me to flatter you (for I profess to hate it) I have ever esteemed and found you so faithful, honest, and upright men, as I have even resolved with myself (God assisting me) to do you all the good that lieth in my power; and therefore if you please to make choice of so weak a man, both for abilities and body, to perform your business, I promise, the Lord enabling me, to do the best I can, according to those abilities he hath given me, and wherein I fail, excuse me and blame yourselves, that you made no better choice; now, because I am sickly and we are all mortal, I have advised Mr. Allerton to join Mr. Beauchamp with

me in your deputation, which I conceive to be very necessary and good for you; your charge shall be no more, for it is not your salary makes me undertake your business: Sir, for your love and good counsel to my kinsman, I acknowledge myself much engaged unto you, I pray you be still the same, for I know he hath much need of it.

[The rest being news, and sundry passages about the Parliament, I omit as not pertinent to my purpose; it was concluded as followeth.] Thus fearing I have been troublesome in relating of things, I cease, heartily desiring the long continuance of your good health to the pleasure of the Lord, and commending you and yours, and all God's faithful people wheresoever, unto the guidance and safe protection of the Almighty, ever resting

London, Nov. 17, Anno 1628.

Your faithful loving friend,

JAMES SHIRLEY.

[BEING thus deeply engaged, and a few only of us being bound to make payment of all, yea in a double bond; for besides our formal bonds, it was our credits and honesty that made our friends rest and rely upon us, assuring themselves, that if we lived and it was possible, we would see them have their monies: Therefore we thought it our safest and best course to come to some agreement with the people, to have the whole trade consigned to us for some years; and so in the time to take upon us, to pay all the debts and set them free: Another reason which moved us to take this heavy burthen upon our shoulders was, our great desire to transport as many of our brethren of Leyden over unto us, as we could, but without this course we could never have done it, all here being (for peace and unity's sake) made joint purchasers with us, and every one thereby had as much interest as ourselves; and many were very opposite here against us in respect of the great charge Again we well knew, that, except we followed our trading roundly, we should never be able to do the one or the other; therefore we sought means to have our patent enlarged, and to have some good trading places included therein; that if we could not keep them thereby wholly to ourselves, yet that none should exclude or thrust us wholly out of them, as we well knew that some would have done, if we now had not laid hold of the opportunity: Therefore Mr. Allerton was sent over to prosecute these things, and to acquaint those few of our friends in England, whom the year before were joined purchasers with us, what agreements we had made and concluded with our people, and for what ends, and so to offer them to be our partners in trade and the whole business; writing our letters unto them for that end.]