New-England-man boastingly say could not live amongst them They are watchful of all advantages over them they deal with and when they have a Man within their Clutches gripe him unmercifully In their Treats they are very lavish and expensive where they cohceive a prejudice they are revengeful and very Religiously pray for destruction on their Enemies Hence some that knew them very well have given this caution to their Children Above all Persons take heed of a Professor This I say for the generality of them not but that there are many worthy charitable and Religious people among them who as I am fully perswaded serve God with a perfect heart and love their Neighbour with love unfeigned But as in all other places so among the Massachusetts Vice greatly abounds and there is no sin in Old England but what is practiced in the New However some Sins speed worse among them than others Swearing Cursing and Blaspheming are justly discountenanc'd but they who scruple an Oath will make no conscience to Lye or Cheat for advantage The Capital Vices are Sloth and Idleness Cheating and Censoriousness prone they are also to a Sin of Frailty as they term it and Lasciviousness which appears too much in their Common Conversation The Trade of the Countrey is well known and for the most part unlawful Of all the Colonies this has been most prejudicial to the Kings Customes and the Trade of England which hath been sufficiently proved against them Of themselves they bring no considerable Ravenue to the Crown of which more in the Remarks as also of their famous Colledge and great works of Evangelizing Indians The Laws of England are of no Credit among them and when pleaded in their Courts are little regarded but they have Composed a body of Laws for themselves which are Printed together in a thin Folio The Book is scarce to be had here in England and therefore not at all taken notice of otherwise it would move the Publick Indignation to see how the Fortunes and Lives of their Majesties Subjects are disposed of by a Combination of Men that think themselves Wiser than the Parliament of this Kingdom The Government was first by way of Charter which was chiefly Managed by the Teachers These by their power with the people made all the Magistrates and kept them so entirely under Obedience that they durst not act without them So that whenever any thing strange or unusual was brought before them they would not determine the matter without consulting the Teacher For should any be so sturdy as to presume to act of himself without taking their advice and direction he might be sure of it his Magistracy ended with the Year The World justly condemns the Usurped Power of the Popish Clergy over the Laity yet the Priests even in Italy have not a greater Ascendant over the People than the Teachers in new-New-England And that they might perpetuate the Government to themselves they so brought things about as indeed they might do what they listed that it was past into a Law that none should have any thing to do with the Government that was not a Freeman of the Country and none should be made a Freeman who was not in full Communion with their Churches that is who should not in all points be of the Preachers Opinion The way of making Freeman was after this manner He that desired the Freedom of the Country came and made known his request to the Court whom thô never so sober in Life and Conversation if he favoured not the Independent persuasion he was certainly rejected either as an Enemy to the Church or State But whoever came with such powerful Credentials as these The Bearer is a godly Man and in Communion with such a Church Given under my hand N. N. or under the hands of his Deacons Such a Man needed not to seek for other Arguments to gain the favour of the Magistrates for without any other formality he might be sure to have the grant of his Freedom For this reason many formal Hypocrites who were ambitious of Honour and Preferment would work themselves into the favour of the Teachers To this end besides many costly Treats and Presents they would in the Meeting-Houses frame Stories of their Conversion and enter into Church-Covenant as the Phrase is and make a long Cant how the Work of Grace was wrought on their hearts by the Sermon or Pains of one of the Leading Teachers Whereupon such were admitted into the Fraternity and made Church-Members and there they were in a fair way to the highest Preferment It was pleasant to behold poor Coblers and pitiful Mechanicks which had neither House nor Land struting and making no mean Figure at their Elections and some of the richest Merchants and wealthiest People stand by as insignificant Cyphers or in the words of one of their own who thought he charactariz'd them ingeniously as so many Asses to bear the Loads that should be laid upon them In the late Rising there were many Divisions among the People what Government to erect Many of the Council as they term'd themselves were for declaring themselves a Free-State But Mr. Stoughton well knowing their weakness would not Subscribe the Summons sent to the Governour unless dependance on the Crown of England should be inserted into the Declaration Some were for a Court-Martial and Military-Government because what they got by the Sword they ought to keep by the Sword Others were for Election of Governour and Magistrates by all the People But the Teachers who all along were the Chief in the Councils and carried the Ballance in their hands dislik'd such Proposals for then they should lose their Power and therefore they moved that the old Goyernour and Magistrates formerly of their own making might be restored with the Addition of some confiding Men whom they had proved and found Faithful to supply the Vacancies of those Magistrates which were dead to whom all bowed and paid Obedience So that now the Government is safely lodged in the hands of the Teachers again 'T is hard to give an acccount of the Religion of the Colony where so many know not what Religion they are of and when demanded a reason of their Faith can say little more than that they are Hearers of Mr. Mather or Members of the Old Church or under the watch of the South Meeting-House But having promised an account of the Country it is necessary that I should give some account of their Religion because it is a large Topick of their discourse makes the great noise among the People The first Setlers were a good serious sort of People who had the fear of God before their eyes and firm assurance of his providence otherwise they never had undertaken that hazardous design I cannot say what persuasion they were of but this I know they stil'd themselves Children of the Church of England and counted it their glory to be called after her Name and at their departure from hence in all
A Short Account OF THE Present STATE OF new-New-England Anno Domini 1690. SIR THAT large tract of Land which lies between the Degrees of Forty and Forty-five is known by the general Name of new-New-England but divided into many Provinces and Colonies must of which had in times past distinct Governments and made such Laws as seem'd best and most agreeable to their particular Frames and Constitutions which interfering with the Interests of their Neighbours and indeed being framed for some private Interest more than for the Publick Good they lived not in that Peace and Quiet which was necessary for the Preservation and good Establishment of those Young Settlements but had continual petts differences among themselves till in the Year 1686 they were all united and cast into one Government which was committed to the care of Sir Edmond Andross The Names of the several Colonies and Provinces are these that follow Road Island Plymouth Narraganset Country Connecticot New-Hampshire Province of Maine the Massachusett's-Colony Road-Island is of a considerable bigness and justly called the Garden of New-England for its Fertility and Pleasantness It abounds with all things necessary for the life of Man is excellent for Sheep Kine and Horses and being environed by the Sea it is free'd from the dangers of Bears Wolves and Foxes which much molest and damnisse those that live on the Continent The People for some tract of time had a Charter to themselves lived under a Governour of their own choosing and Laws of their own making But in Year 1686 upon serving the Quo Warranto they freely resigned up their Charter to His Majesty and continue so well satissied with the surrender that they do not so much as petition for their Charter again Here is a medley of most Perswasions but neither Church nor Meeting-house except one built for the use of the Quakers who are here very numerous and have annually a General Meeting from all Quarters Many of the others regard neither Time nor Place nor Worship and even some very sober men have lived so long without it that they think all instituted Religion useless The People live in great plenty send Horses and Provisions to Barbadoes and the Leeward-Islands and sell great numbers of fat Oxen and Sheep to the Butchers of Boston The settlement of this Colony was in this manner The People of Boston who always had a perfect hatred against all those who differed in Opinion from them had some Quakers in the Land and how to rid themselves fairly of these they had many Consultations which at last ended in this result They would banish them to some place or other from whence they might be sure to be never troubled with them again So they banish'd the Quakers to this Island where in all probability they must have perish'd with hunger or else been destroyed by the Heathens hither these poor people being come dig themselves Caves in the earth and by the kindness of the Indians outlive the severity of a long and sharp Winter The Spring coming on they obtain'd leave from the Sachem to manure the ground and in a little time wrought themselves into good Estates which some even of the first setlers enjoy to this day Being thus happily settled they Petitioned King Charles II. that they might have a Charter to themselves fearing least they should fell under the lash of the Bostoners again who had been so Inhumane and Barbarous to them in their banishment Plymouth compared with the former is but a mean and poor Country yet the ground well compensates the Husbandman's labour with good crops of Corn and being wash'd by the Sea they make great benefit by Fishery as also their Bay of late years is much inrich'd by great numbers of Whales which come into it and even the Rocky Mountains yield them considerable prosit for on them grow plenty of Pine-trees out of which they make abundance of Tar for their Ships The Religion of the Country is exactly after the model of Boston and the Massachusetts from whom they receive Directions and Ministers This People being without Law and without Government from England chose Governours and made Laws for themselves of all which Hinckleys is the most Famous whereby they stript the poor Quakers of all that many of them had for not coming to their Meetings In this Estate they continued without any Charter till King James ordered them to be under the Governmene of Sir Edmond Andross The late Address they made to Their Majesties acknowledges as much in which they petition for Their Majesties Grant to be a distinct Government The Narragansett Countrey is a large tract of Ground little inhabited but the greatest part of the Country is taken up by several Persons Some of the Bostoners claim a propriety for several miles together but never take care to make the least Improvement Churches here are none and but a few Houses I cannot say there is one English Town in the whole Province What is most considerable in the Narragansett Country is the settlement of the French Protestants who on the violence of the Persecution left their Country came over to New-England and took up their habitation in this Wilderness where they have made good improvement live comfortably and have planted great numbers of Vines which they say thrive well and it is hoped will be very beneficial to them This Wilderness leads to a very fertile and pleasant Country called Connecticott which may be truly styled the glory of the Maine for richness of Soil and product of the Ground there being great plenty of Wheat Barley and Grain with abundance of Sheep Kine and Horses It may well be called as many will have it the Aegypt of America from its wonderful fertility and that from the overflowing of the great Riven Connecticott which like Nilus annually overfloweth the banks and thereby inricheth the Soil This Country hath many inhabitants who live in great plenty and communicate largely towards the support of Boston whether they send annually great quantity of Wheat and other grain with many Head of fed Cattle As New-England in General is Healthy so this Countrey shares in that great Blessing However after great Glutts of Rain the Feavey and Ague make some unwelcome Visits among them Here are many Towns and Villages the greatest of all is called Hartford where they have their general Meetings and keep Courts of Judicature and transact publick Affairs In this Town are two Meeting-Houses for publick Worship which shews it is large and well Peopled In Religion they generally follow the Model of the Massachusetts Independents by whom they are managed and governed in all things This People lived for some time under a Charter-Governmet but in the Year 1687 resigning their Charter they desired to be put under Sir Edmond Andross's Government and at his Arrival among them they received him with great joy and lived very quiet under him till the grand rising at Boston whose Example they followed
humble duty they desired the Prayers of the Bishop of London and his Clergy for them who came out of their own bosoms and who should continually offer up their Prayers to the Throne of Grace for the Prosperity of the Church All which with a great deal more to the same effect was written in a Letter sent to the Bishop of London from on board the Arabella and subscribed by Governour Magistrates and Ministers But they had not been long in the New World before all forts of People flock'd over unto them of as different Principles as places which caused no small trouble to the Inhabltants for one was for this Model another for that Platform so that they were like to be scattered and destroyed by Religion which should have united and preserved them It was therefore thought necessary something should be Esta blished that they might not be always a confused Babel Whereupon after much Strife and Contention they setled on Independency which hath indeed a shew of much Purity and Holiness but hath in truth that which is highly Superstitious as Mr. Willard one of their own declared in a Publick Convocation and as another Non-Conformist Minister term'd it Paganizing Independency For three fourths of the Country never participate of the Lords Supper and if any should beg it as for the Salvation of his Soul yet he could not obtain his request without coming up to their Terms and telling Stories of the time of this Conversion and when the Work of Grace was wrought upon his heart Even in the space of little more than one Generation near one half of the People are Vn-baptized and let Parents do what they can for their Children let them give never so good account of their Faith and live never so uprightly towards God and Man yet their Children shall not be admitted to Baptism unless one of the Parents be of their Communion and promises to walk after the Church Covenant so that in a few Ages by their Independent Practice Paganism will a second time overcome the Land and there will be as much need of Evangelizing the English as there is now of the Indians This overtoping Persuasion would have none to grow under it if continual droping could prevent it yet it s natural Issue Anabaptism sprouts out amain However the Independants have treated the Anabaptists very unkindly fined them for not coming to the Independent Assemblies nailed up the Doors of their Meeting-Houses and turned them into the Streets Besides these there is another Sect arrived to great Perfection who were for none but King Jesus Also there are Quakers notwithstanding the Severities that they have suffered among them all these having suffered Banishment formerly and some of them having been put to Death for their Religion For these and many other Usurpations and Stretches of Government a Scire facias was issued out of the High Court of Chancery and timely notice given them for their appearance But they well knowing their own Guiltiness never took care that any should appear and defend the Suit but sent their Agents with a Power to lavish out four or five thousand pounds to corrupt Justice Whereupon after these delays had continued for some years at last Judgement was entred against them and the then King Charles II. resumed their Charter-Grant that their hands might be tyed up from persecuting their Brethren and doing more Mischief Afterward in the Year 1686. Sir Edmond Andross came over with a Commission to Govern the Countrey and during the time that he was in the Government as it will certainly appear when the matter comes to be examined by indifferent Judges he carried himself courteously and obligingly to all gave an excellent Patern of Sobriety and Temperance and in all things perform'd the Duty of a good Governour But because he would not let the Teachers have their Wills in all things and follow their directions in every matter therefore they raised false Accusations against him lessened his good Actions and misrepresented his Government to the People as Illegal and Arbitrary and not contented herewith the Heads of the Party came over hither into England and charged him with Injustice Oppression and Violence made Addresses to King James promising to do whatsoever he would have them and to be instrumental with their Party in England to pull down the Fence against Popery and Repeal the Penal Laws Particularly they Courted William Pen and made their Humble Applications to Father Petre to have the Governour recall'd and their Old Charter restored But when all these accused Methods proved ineffectual what the Quaker could not do and what the Popish Priest would not impatient of any delays they attempted themselves on the 18th of April in a Tumultuous manner they wrested the Government out of Sir Edmond's hand made him Prisoner and so they did all others of the Church of England as by Law Established who were in any Office Civil or Military committing him and some other Gentlemen to the Fort others to the Castle and more to the Common Goal The particulars of this Transaction may in convenient time be made publick In the mean while I beg of you and of all other Gentlemen to whom you shall think fit to communicate this Paper that you would be pleased to suspend your Judgements concerning the Case of the Complainants till the Matter in Question comes to be heard before its proper Judges I am Yours N. N. FINIS