affairs of the rising colony, "and would, we think," says Judge Davis, "have made him a respectable character in a far more considerable community."

Among the good deeds of Governor Prince, we should not omit to mention his exertion for a fixed and competent support of an able and learned ministry. In many of the scattered settlements, a disposition prevailed to neglect this important branch of public instruction, or to employ incompetent lay exhorters, practices which he uniformly discountenanced.

Governor Prince left seven daughters, all of whom were married before his decease. His son, Thomas, went to England, where he married, and died young.

The Plymouth church records, in expressing Mr. Prince's character and his amiable and pleasant conversation, depart from their usual course, by an indication of his personal appearance, from which it may be supposed that it was peculiarly dignified and striking. He was excellently qualified for the office of governor. He had a countenance full of majesty, and therein, as well as otherwise, was a terror to evil-doers. The foregoing is an abstract from the ample memoir by Judge Davis, in the Memorial.

At the court in June of this year, Josias Winslow, the eldest son of the late governor Edward Winslow, was elected as the successor of Governor Prince. John Alden remained the first assistant.

At a town-meeting, April 22d, Captain William Bradford was appointed and requested to officiate as moderator at all town-meetings, and ordered that the principal things to be proposed at the meetings be drawn up in writing, and openly read. It was ordered, that every man in the town shall procure twelve black-birds' heads, on pain of paying a fine of 2s. for every default, or 2d. apiece for so many as shall be wanting of the dozen. It was also ordered, that all such persons as refuse to pay their rates shall be denied all the town privileges, and that none be permitted to be inhabitants in the town before they engage to bear their proportion of all town charges.

1674. This year an Indian, named John Saussaman, deserted the service of King Philip, and informed the governor of the Indian combination for the extermination of the English. While the government were concerting measures of defence, Saussaman was murdered, and his body concealed under the ice in Assawamset pond, in Middleborough. The murderers, three of Philip's men, being detected, were tried by a court holden in June, six grave Indians being on the jury. See

Appendix. They were condemned to suffer death and were executed. The sanguinary war that followed menaced all New England with destruction. A wide spreading desolation and slaughter of the defenceless men, women and children ensued. 1675.-It was ordered by the court, that during the time of public danger every man that comes to meeting on the Lord's day, bring his arms with him, with at least five charges of powder and shot, under a penalty of two shillings for every default. That whoever shall shoot off a gun on any unnecessary occasion, or at any game except at an Indian or a wolf, shall forfeit five shillings for every such shot, until further liberty shall be given. This year William Macumber, for calling on an Indian for a debt on Sunday, and a man for fighting on Sunday, were fined forty shillings each, or to be publicly whipped. The general court ordered that four halberts should attend the governor and assistants on election days, and two during the continuance of the court.

In town-meeting, May 24th, it was unanimously agreed that the house and land on which Mr. John Cotton, their present minister now lives, shall be given to him and to his heirs and assigns forever, in case the said Mr. Cotton liveth and dieth in this place in the work of the ministry. In consideration of which, the said Mr. Cotton and his wife do fully and freely quit and discharge the said town of the fifty pounds which they had promised to Mistress Cotton formerly, in case of her husband's death in this place. Moreover, it is agreed, that the said house shall now be viewed by four men, mutually chosen by the said town, and Mr. Cotton to set a just value upon it, and if God by his Providence shall call Mr. Cotton from his work in this place during his life time, then the said house shall be again valued by four men mutually chosen as above, and the town will pay to Mr. Cotton the amount of the sum so determined.

October 4th.-At the General Court of his majesty, held at Plymouth, Major James Cudworth was unanimously chosen and re-established in the office of General or Commander-inchief, to take the charge of our forces that are or may be sent forth in the behalf of the colony against the enemies, as occasion may require.-See Appendix. Captain John Gorham to be captain of a company. In reference to such emergent charges that have fallen on our honored governor the summer past, the court have settled and conferred on him the price of ten Indians, of those savages lately transported out of the government. One hundred and seventy-eight had recently been shipped on board of Captain Sprague for Cadiz.

1676.-January 7th.-The town having received by their Constables two warrants, the one requiring the town to presseleven able men to go forth as soldiers against the Indians, the other requiring a rate of eleven pounds to be raised towards the charge of the soldiers, the town appointed a council of war and raters to levy the said rate, that the aforesaid requirements may be speedily complied with.

February 19th.-A fortification was ordered to be erected on Fort Hill, one hundred feet square, with palisadoes ten and a half feet high, and three pieces of ordnance planted within it; on which occasion all the males of sixteen years and upwards assisted in its erection. At the same time the town agreed with Nathaniel Southworth to build a watch-house," which is to be 16 feet in length, 12 feet in breadth, and & feet stud, to be walled with boards and to have two floors, the upper floor to be 6 feet above the lower, to batten the walls and make a small pair of stairs in it, the roof to be covered with shingles, and a chimney to be built in it. For the said work he is to have eight pounds, either in money or other pay equivalent.

This was the distressing period of Philip's war, and it was in the depth of winter when these preparations were imperiously demanded against a savage insidious foe. These palisadoes were undoubtedly resorted to occasionally as a safeguard for the helpless women and children. The fort was so located as to have a spring of water at hand, and to command an extensive landscape around. This cruel war between Philip and the English settlers was attended by inexpressible calamities, each party making every possible effort for the total overthrow of its antagonist. After its continuance of about two years it terminated in the death of Philip and the extinction of his tribe, while on the part of the colonies was suffered a loss of about six hundred men in the flower of their strength, twelve or thirteen towns were destroyed, and six hundred dwelling houses consumed, and more than two thousand pounds sterling expended.* During the continuance of this war all the inhabitants of Middleborough were compelled to take refuge in the town of Plymouth. A brief history of Philip's war will be

*It does not appear that, during the war with the savages, the colonies received any assistance from the parent country. They were treated as voluntary exiles and left to their own defence.But when the country had increased in population and in commerce, the English government discovered an anxious desire to draw a revenue from the descendants of those who had been thus despised and neglected.

found recorded in the appendix to this volume. When the times no longer required defence against the Indians, the fort mentioned above was demolished, and the huge timber sold to William Harlow, who converted it into a dwelling house. The lines of the fort are still visible and may be traced with exactness, and in the year 1834 an Elm tree was planted in the centre by the author. The cannons employed in the fort were removed to Cole's Hill, for the defence of the town, not against savages, but the assaults of a civilized and kindred people during the revolutionary war. After that event the cannons were sold as refuse iron, and wrought up in a forge at Bridgewater. The antiquarian will regret that these relicts of ancient warfare, these protectors of our ancestors when in a helpless condition, were not transmitted to later generations.

It is a consoling fact, says Dr. Holmes's Annals, that our ancestors purchased of the natives their land for an equivalent consideration, as appears by a letter from the pious governor Winslow, dated at Marshfield, May 1st, 1676, as follows: 'I think I can clearly say, that before these present troubles broke out, the English did not possess one foot of land in this colony but what was fairly obtained by honest purchase of the Indian proprietors. We first made a law that none should purchase or receive by gift any land of the Indians, without the knowledge of our court. And lest they should be straitened, we ordered that Mount Hope, Pocasset, and several other necks of the best land in the colony, because most suitable and convenient for them, should never be bought out of their hands.'

The

1678. The General Court, well aware that it is upon the pastoral office that particular churches must depend for religious instruction and edification, ordered, that proper provision should be made for the support of public worship; and, in 1678, it was enacted that in each town and village within the jurisdiction, there should be a house of public worship erected. provision made in the foregoing law is believed to have been the first where coercive collection of taxes, for the maintenance of ministers, was authorized. Orders had been passed which recommended to the people to provide a liberal support for their pastors, but no authority had been given to enforce its coercive payment. In the same year provision was made also for the support of public schools.

In November of this year, two more courts were authorized to be holden by the selectmen of towns, in December and May. The laws respecting the sales of strong liquors and wines were renewed, and the penalties increased, and the sale was forbid

den to all except strangers, and not allowed to them without a license.

The court, conceiving that the public safety required that all persons in the government should abide and continue in each town respectively, ordered that no one should depart on the penalty of forfeiting his whole personal estate, except by allowance of the governor, or two magistrates; and it shall be lawful to seize their persons and estates, boats, and carts, that shall be found employed in carrying them away.

I cite from the Old Colony Record Book of Court Orders, the following proceeding: This may certify, that certain Indians near Sandwich, whose names are Canootus and Symon and Joell, being apprehended on their confession, convicted of feloniously breaking open a house and stealing from a chest of Zechariah Allen, of Sandwich, twenty-five pounds in money, they having lost or embezzled said money, and no other way appearing how he should be satisfied for his loss, the colony have sentenced the above named Indians to be perpetual slaves, and empower said Allen to make sale of them in New England, or elsewhere, as his lawful slaves for the term of their lives.'

Edward Gray hired Clark's Island for seven years, at £3 9s. per annum, to keep 16 neat cattle free of rate, townsmen to have liberty to bring wood for building, fencing and firing. Agawam lands were leased for seven years.

1679.-August 4th. Nathaniel Morton was chosen and sworn Clerk of the town, and it was ordered and voted, that all acts, orders, and grants of land, and all other particulars entered in our town book heretofore, shall be authentic and good in law as if they had been entered by a Clerk under oath.

1680.-Josiah Winslow, governor of Plymouth Colony died December 18th, 1680, in the fifty-second year of his age. He was the son of governor Edward Winslow, born at Marshfield, 1629, and the first governor born in New England. He enjoyed the benefit of his father's care and attention in his early education, and his whole life evidenced that he copied that eminent man's bright example of steady virtue, public spirit, and disinterested energetic action.

His discretion as a civil magistrate, and his bravery as a military commander, procured him great respect, and the fullest confidence of the people. One of the first steps in his administration, was to correct a rash proceeding that had made unfavorable impressions on the minds of many of the best men in the colony. Mr. Cudworth was not only left out of the magistracy, as has been before observed, on account of his opposition to the proceedings against the quakers, but his letter to Mr. Brown,