Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	find_v	read_v	word_n	3,143	5	3.9137	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03330	Nevv-Englands plantation. Or, A short and true description of the commodities and discommodities of that countrey. Written by Mr. Higgeson, a reuerend diuine now there resident. Whereunto is added a letter, sent by Mr. Graues an enginere, out of New-England	Higginson, Francis, 1587-1630.; Graves, Thomas, enginere.	1630 (1630)	STC 13450; ESTC S106176	10,251	28

NEW-ENGLANDS PLANTATION OR A SHORT AND TRVE DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMODITIES AND DISCOMMODITIES of that Countrey Written by Mr. Higgeson a reuerend Diuine now there resident Whereunto is added a Letter sent by Mr. Graues an Enginere out of New-England The second Edition enlarged LONDON Printed by T. R. Cotes for Michael Sparke dwelling at the Signe of the Blew Bible in Greene Arbor in the little Old Bailey 1630. To the Reader REader do not disdaine to reade this Relation and looke not here to haue a large Gate and no building within a full-stuffed Title with no matter in the Booke But here reade the truth and that thou shalt find without any frothy bumbasted words or any quaint new-deuised additions onely as it was written not intended for the Presse by a reuerend Diuine now there liuing who onely sent it to some Friends here who were desirous of his Relations which is an Epitomy of their proceedings in the Plantation And for thy part if thou meanest to be no Planter nor Venturer doe but lend thy good Prayers for the furthrance of it And so I rest a well-wisher to all the good designes both of them which are gone and of them that are to goe M. S. NEW-ENGLANDS PLANTATION LEtting passe our Voyage by Sea we will now begin our discourse on the shore of New-England And because the life and wel-fare of euerie Creature here below and the commodiousnesse of the Countrey whereas such Creatures liue doth by the most wise ordering of Gods prouidence depend next vnto himselfe vpon the temperature and disposition of the foure Elements Earth Water Aire and Fire For as of the mixture of all these all sublunarie thin●● are composed so by the more or lesse inioyment of the wholesome temper and conuenient vse of these consisteth the onely well-being both of Man and Beast in a more or lesse comfortable measure in all Countreys vnder the Heauens Therefore I will indeauour to shew you what New-England is by the consideration of each of these apart and truly endeauour by Gods helpe to report nothing but the naked truth and that both to tell you of the discommodities as well as of the commodities though as the idle Prouerbe is● Tra●ellers may lye by authoritie and so may take too much sinfull libertie that way Yet I may say of my selfe as once Nehemiah did in another case Shall such a Man as I lye No verily It becommeth not a Preacher of Truth to bee a Writer of Falshod in any degree and therefore I haue beene carefull to report nothing of New-England but what I haue partly seene with mine owne Eyes and partly heard and inquired from the mouths of verie honest and religious persons who by liuing in the Countrey a good space of time haue had experience and knowledge of the state thereof whose testimonies I doe beleeue as my selfe First therefore of the Earth of New-England and all the appertenances thereof It is a Land of diuers and sundry sorts all about Masathulets Bay and at Charles Riuer is as fat blacke Earth as can be seene any where and in other places you haue a clay soyle in other grauell in other sand●●●s it is all about our Plantation at Salem for so our Towne is now named Psal. 76.2 The forme of the Earth here in the superficies of it is neither too flat in the plainnesse nor too high in Hils but partakes of both in a mediocritie and fit for Pasture or for Plow or Meddow ground as Men please to employ it though all the Countrey bee as it were a thicke Wood for the generall yet in diuers places there is much ground cleared by the Indians and especially about the Plantation and I am told that about three miles from vs a Man may stand on a little hilly place and see diuers thousands of acres of ground as good as need to be and not a Tree in the same It is thought here is good Clay to make Bricke and Tyles and Earthen-Pots as needs to bee At this instant we are setting a Bricke-Kill on worke to make Brickes and Tiles for the building of our Houses For Stone here is plentie of Slates at the I le of Slate in Masathulets Bay and Lime-stone Free-stone and Smooth-stone and Iron-stone and Marble-stone also in such store that we haue great Rockes of it and a Harbour hard by Our Plantation is from thence called Marble-harbour Of Minerals there hath yet beene but little triall made yet we are not without great hope of being furnished in that Soyle The fertilitie of the Soyle is to be admired at as appeareth in the aboundance of Grasse that groweth euerie where both verie thicke verie long and verie high in diuers places but it groweth verie wildly with a great stalke and a broad and ranker blade because it neuer had been eaten with Cattle nor mowed with a Sythe and seldome trampled on by foot It is scarce to be beleeued how our Kine and Goats Horses and Hogges doe thriue and prosper here and like well of this Countrey In our Plantation we haue already a quart of Milke for a penny but the aboundant encrease of Corne proues this Countrey to bee a wonderment Thirtie fortie fiftie sixtie are ordinarie here yea Iosephs encrease in Aegypt is out-stript here with vs. Our planters hope to haue more then a hundred fould this yere and all this while I am within compasse what will you say of two hundred fould and vpwards It is almost incredible what great gaine some of our English Planters haue had by our Indian Corne. Credible persons haue assured me and the partie himselfe auouched the truth of it to me that of the setting of 13 Gallons of Corne hee hath had encrease of it 52 Hogsheads euery Hogshead holding seuen Bushels of London measure and euery Bushell was by him sold and trusted to the Indians for so much Beauer as was worth 18 shillings and so of this 13 Gallons of Corne which was worth 6 shillings pence he made about 327 pounds of it the yeere following as by reckoning will appeare where you may see how God blessed husbandry in this Land There is not such great and plentifull eares of Corne I suppose any where else to bee found but in this Countrey being also of varietie of colours as red blew and yellow c. and of one Corne there springeth foure or fiue hundred I haue sent you many Eares of diuers colours that you might see the truth of it Little Children here by setting of Corne may earne much more then their owne maintenance They haue tryed our English Corne at new Plimouth Plantation so that all our seuerall Graines will grow here verie well and haue a fitting Soyle for their nature Our Gouernour hath store of greene Pease growing in his Garden as good as euer I eat in England This Countrey aboundeth naturally with store of Roots of great varietie and good to eat Our Turnips Parsnips and Carrots are here both bigger