up into the Heavens he begg'd me that I would not improve his confession as if made on the behalf of all his Friends And another of them as I hear publickly Held Forth by one of his late Stercorations That the Husks of the Swine on which the Prodigal fed in the Parable were The Bread and Wine in that which People call The Sacrament But what will become of those Forlorn Villages that shall Resign themselves to the conduct of that Light within which our Sacred Scriptures indeed never expresly mention but once or twice and then call it Real Darkness and which may lead men to all this wickedness There was among the Mahometans in the Eastern parts of the World a Sect called Batenists from the Arabic Baten which signifies within who were Enthusiasts that followed The Light within like our Quakers and on this principle they did such Numberless Villanies that the World was not able to bear them None of all their Diabolical Raveries which I know I am now pulling on my self and which I value no more than if they came from the Pouliats of Malabar shall frighten me from solliciting your Christian Cares Prayers That you be not over-run with English Batenists And I must sollicitously make the Observation That although such a Number of Quakers in our Nation be a dreadful Judgment of God upon men smiting them with Spiritual Plagues for their Unfruitfulness and Unthankfulness under the Gospel nevertheless of a special Favour of God that the Number of Quakers is no Greater for if they should multiply not only would Christianity be utterly Extinguished â—ut Humanity it self Exterminated It is well known That when a Quaker had Stollen an Hour-glass their Mahomet George Fox of whom Sol. Eccles in a Sheet call'd The Quakers Challenge pag. 6. saies He was the Christ thus vindicated it Great Myst pag. 77. As for any being moved of the Lord to take away your Hour-glass from you by the Eternal Power it is owned Reader Dost not thou even Tremble to think what a Dark Land we should have if it should ever be fill'd with these pretended followers of the Light who wear the Name of Tremblers In Truth I know not unto what better one might compare them than unto the Macheveliers growing upon St. Lucia Trees which bear Apples of such an Odour and Colour as invites people to Eat thereof but it is horribly Dangerous to do so for there is no Antidote that can secure a man from speedy Death who hath once tasted of them The Leaf of the Trees makes an Ulcer on any place touched with it the Dew that falls from them fetches off the Skin the very Shadow swells a man so as to kill him if he be not speedily helped ARTICLE XXX Things to Come FRom Relating of Things past it would no doubt be very Acceptable to the Reader if we could pass to Foretelling of Things to come Our Curiosity in this point may easily come to a Degree Culpable and Criminal We must be Humbly content with what the God in whose Hands are our Times hath Reveal'd unto us Two Things we will venture to Insert First For our selves at home Let us Remember an awful Saying of our Goodwin quoted by my Reverend Friend Mr. Noyes in his late Excellent Sermon at our Anniversary Election As you Look for Storms in Autumn and Frosts in Winter so Expect Judgments where the Gospel hath been Preached for the Quarrel of the Covenant must be Avenged Secondly For the Church abroad I am far from deserting what was Asserted in the Sermon Preached at our Anniversary Election in the year 1696. The Tidings which I bring unto you are That there is a Revolution and a Reformation at the very Door which will be vastly more wonderful than any of the Deliverances yet seen by the Church of God from the Beginning of the World I do not say That the Next year will bring on this Happy Period but this I do say The Bigger part of this Assembly may in the course of Nature Live to see it These Things will come on with horrible Commotions and Concussions and Confusions The mighty Angels of the Lord Jesus Christ will make their Descent and set the World a Trembling at the Approaches of their Almighty Lord They will Shake Nations and Shake Churches and Shake mighty Kingdoms and Shake once more not Earth only but Heaven also Unto these Two Things my Reader will not misimprove it I hope if I add a Third lately fallen into my Hands and never yet so Exposed unto the Publick A Wonderful Matter Incontestably Demonstrated and much Desired by some Good men to be in this place Communicated MR. John Sadler a very Learned and a very Pious man and a most Exemplary Christian Lay Sick in his Bed at his Mannor of Warmwell in Dorset-Shire In the year 1663. In the Time of his Illness he was visited by Mr. Cuthbert bound the Minister of Warmwell Mr. Sadler then desired his man one Thomas Gray to see that there should be no body else in the Room and Lock the Door and give him the Key He then Sat up in his Bed and asked Mr. Bound and the Attendent Gray Whether theâ— Saw no body and whether they did noâ— hear what a person said that stood at the corner of the Chamber They Replied No. Hâ— wondred at it and said The man spake so loud that the whole Parish might hear him Hereupon calling for a Pen and Ink hâ— wrote what was told him and made Them leâ— their Hands to it For he told them the maâ— would not be gone till he had seen that done The Articles written down were I. That there would after so many months be a Plague in London whereof so many woulâ— Dye Naming the Number II. That the greatest part of the City woulâ— be Burnt and Pauls he particularly show'â— him Tumbled down into Ruines as if Beateâ— down with Great Guns III. That there would be Three Soâ— Hightâ— between the English and the Dutch IV. That there would appear Three Blaziâ—â— Stars the Last of which would be terrible tâ— behold He said the man show'd him thâ— Star V. That afterwards there would come Thrâ—â— small Ships to Land in the West of Weymoutâ— which would put all England in an uproar bâ—â— it would come to nothing VI. That in the year 1688. there would come to pass such a Thing in the Kingdom as all the world would take notice of VII That after this and after some further Disturbance there would be Happy Times And a Wonderful Thing would come to pass which he was not now to Declare VIII That he and his man Gray should Dye before the Accomplishment of these things but Mr. Bound should Live to see it IX For the confirmation of the whole the man thus appearing told him That he should be well the next Day and there would come There men to visit him One from Ireland One from Guernsey and his Brother Bingham Accordingly
long We will finish it when we have Remark'd That albeit there were too much Feebleness discovered by my Countreymen in some of their Actions during this War at Sea as well as on Shore yet several of their Actions especially at Sea deserve to be Remembred And I cannot but particularly bespeak a Remembrance for the Exploit performed by some of my Neighbours in a Vessel going into Barbadoes They were in sight of Barbadoes assaulted by a French Vessel which had a good number of Guns and between Sixty and Seventy Hands Our Vessel had Four Guns and Eight Fighting Men. Truly such with two Tawny Servants The Names of these Men were Barret Sunderland Knoles Nash Morgan Fosdyke and Two more that I now forget A desperate Engagement ensued wherein our Eight Marriners managed the matter with such Bravery that by the Help of Heaven they killed between Thirty and Forty of the French Assailants without loosing one of their own little Number And they sank the French Vessel which lay by their side out of which they took Twenty Seven prisoners whereof some were wounded and all crying for Quarter In the Fight the French Pennant being by the wind fastned about the Top Mast of the English Vessel it was torn off by the sinking of the French Vessel and left pleasently flying there So they Sail'd into Barbadoes where the Assembly voted them one Publick Acknowledgement of their Courage and Conduct in this Brave Action and our History now gives them Another ARTICLE XVII The Fort at Pemmaquid HIs Excellency Sir William Phipps being arrived now the Governour of New England applyed himself with all possible Vigour to carry on the War and the Advice of a New Slaughter some time in July made by the Indians on certain poor Husband-men in their Meadows at the North Side of Merrimack River put an Accent upon the Zeal of the Designs which he was now vigorously prosecuting He Raised about Four hundred and Fifty Men and in pursuance of his Instructions from Whitehall he laid the Foundations of a Fort at Pemmaquid which was the Finest Thing that had been seen in these parts of America Captain Wing assisted with Captain Bancroft went thro' the former part of the Work and the latter part of it was Finished by Captain March His Excellency attended in this matter with these worthy Captains did in a few Months dispatch a Service for the King with a Prudence Industry and Thirftiness Greater than any Reward they ever had for it The Fort called The William Henry was built of Stone in a Quadrangular Figure being about Seven hundred and thirty seven Foot in Compass without the Outer Walls and an Hundred and Eight Foot Square within the Inner ones Twenty Eight Ports it had and Fourteen if not Eighteen Guns mounted whereof Six were Eighteen-Pounders The Wall on the South Line fronting to the Sea was Twenty Two Foot High and more than Six Foot Thick at the Ports which were Eight Foot from the Ground The Great Flanker or Round Tower at the Western End of this Line was Twenty Nine Foot High The Wall on the East line was Twelve Foot High on the North it was Ten on the West it was Eighteen It was Computed That in the whole there were laid above Two Thousand Cart-Loads of Stone It stood about a Score of Rods from High Water Mark and it had generally at least Sixty men posted in it for its Defence which if they were Men might easily have maintained it against more than Twice Six Hundred Assailants Yea we were almost Ready to flatter our selves that we might have writ on the Gates of this Fort as the French did over that of Namur yet afterwards taken by K. William Reddi non Vinci potest Now as the Architect that built the Strong Fortress at Narne in Poland had for his Recompence his Eyes put out lest he should build such another Sir William Phipps was almost as hardly Recompenced for the Building of This at Pemmaquid Although this Fort thus Erected in the Heart of the Enemies Country did so Break the Heart of the Enemy that indeed they might have call'd it as the French did theirs upon the River of the Illinois The Fort of Crevecoeur and the Tranquillity After Enjoy'd by the Country which was very much more than Before was under God much owing thereunto yet the Expence of maintaining it when we were so much impoverished otherwise made it continually complained of as one of the Countryes Grievances The Murmurings about this Fort were so Epidemical that if we may speak in the Foolish cant of Astrology and Prognosticate from the Aspect of Saturn upon Mars at its Nativity Fort William-Henry Thou hast not long to Live Before the year Ninety Six Expire thou shalt be demolished In the mean Time let us accompany Major Church going with a Company to Penobscot where he took Five Indians and afterwards to Taconet where the Indians discovering his Approach set their own Fort on fire themselves and flying from it left only their Corn to be destroy'd by him And so we come to the End of 1692. Only we are stopt a little with a very strange Parenthesis ARTICLE XVIII A Surprising Thing laid before the Reader for him to Judge if he can what to make of it REader I must now address thee with the Words of a Poet Dicam Insigne Recens adhuc Indictum ore alio Horat. But with Truths more confirmed than what uses to come from the Pen of a Poet. The Story of the Prodigious War made by the Spirits of the Invisible World upon the People of New England in the year 1692. hath Entertain'd a great part of the English World with a just Astonishment and I have met with some Strange Things not here to be mentioned which have made me often think that this inexplicable War might have some of its Original among the Indians whose chief Sagamores are well known unto some of our Captives to have been horrid Sorcerers and hellish Conjurers and such as Conversed with Daemons The Sum of that Story is Written in The Life of Sir William Phipps with such Irreproachable Truth as to Defy the utmost Malice and Cunning of all our Sadducees to Confute it in so much as one Material Article And that the Balant and Latrant Noises of that sort of People may be forever Silenced the Story will be abundantly Justifyed when the further Account written of it by Mr. John Hale shall be published For none can suspect a Gentleman so full of Dissatisfaction at the proceedings then used against the Supposed Witchcraft as Now that Reverend Person is to be a Superstitious Writer upon that Subject Now in the Time of that matchless War there fell out a Thing at Glocester which falls in here most properly to be related a Town so Scituated Surrounded and Neighboured in the County of Essex that no man in his Witts will imagine that a Dozen French men and Indians would come and
in it that may by our selves be justly thought Considerable Should any Petit Monsieur complain as the Captain that found not himself in the Tapestry Hangings which Exhibited the Story of the Spanish Invasion in 1588. that he don't find himself mentioned in this History the Author has his Apology He has done as well and as much as he could that whatever was worthy of a mention might have it and if this Collection of Matters be not compleat yet he supposes it may be more compleat than any one else hath made and now he hath done he hath not pull'd up the Ladder after him others may go on as they please with a compleater Composure If the Author hath taken Delight in this History and at all Times to Celebrate the Merits of such as have Deserved well of his Country which he has here done it may be for some that never could afford him a good word Especially if he do Erect Statues for Dead Worthies when there is no Room Left for Flattery for who will bestow paint upon a Dead Face And if he do all this with all possible concern to avoid casting Aspersions upon others Why should any betray such Ili Nature as to be angry at it My Good Country forgive him this Injury Huic Uni forsan poteram Succumbere culpae But whatever this History be it aims at the Doing of Good as well as the Telling of Truth and if its Aim shall be attained That will be a sufficient Reward for all the Trouble of Writing it When he Desires any more he 'l give you his Name In the mean Time as a far greater man once was called Ludovicus Nihili which you may make Lewis of Nothingham so the Author will count himself not a little favoured if he may pass for one of no more Account than a No body which would certainly make a very Blameless person of him However that the History may not altogether want a Subscription the Author finding it a Custome among the Christian Writers of the Orient when they have written a Treatise to Subscribe it after this manner Scriptum per Servum vilem pauperem omnibus Justitiis privatum peccatorem magis quam omnis Caro Or Scripsit hoc pauper N. N. Or Est Scriptura servi pauperis et qui Benevolentia Dei indiget et miserationibus he will accordingly Subscribe himself The Chief of Sinners Nevertheless he will humbly Lay claim to the Words used by the Nameless Author of a Treatise Entituled The Faithful Steward Tho' I am worse then they speak of me who cast Disgrace upon me and I can Espy Ten Faults in my self where they can discern One yet I can thro' Grace Appeal to Thee O Lord with some Comfort that I am Displeased with my self for my Sins and would fain please Thee in all Things at all Times in all places and in every Condition Decennium Luctuosum OR The Remarkables of a long WAR WITH Indian-Salvages INTRODUCTION TWenty Three Years have Rolled away since the Nations of Indians within the Confines of New England generally began a Fierce War upon the English Inhabitants of that Country The Flame of War then Raged thro' a great part of the Country whereby many whole Towns were Lâ—id in Ashes and many Lives were Sacrificed Buâ— in liâ—tle more than one years Time the United-Colonies of Plymouth Massachuset and Conneâ—ticut with theâ—r United Endeavours bravely Câ—â—quered the Salvages The Evident Hand of Heaven appearing on the Side of a people whose Hope and Help was alone in the Almighty Lord of Hosts Extinguished whole Nations of the Salvages at such a rate that there can hardly any of them now be found under any Distinction upon the face of the Earth Onely the Eare of our Northern and Eastern Regions in that War waâ— veâ—y different â—â—om that of the rest The Desolâ—â—ions of the War had overwhelmâ—d all the Settlements to the North-East of Wests And when the Time arrived that all hands were weary of the War a sort of a Peace was patched up which Left a Body of Indians not only with Horrible Murders Unrevenged but also in the possession of no little part of the Countrey with circumstances which the English might think not very Honourable Upon this Peace the English returned unto their Plantations their Number increased they Stock'd their Farms and Sow'd their Fields they found the Air as Healthful as the Earth was Fruâ—tful their Lumber and their Fishery became a considerable Merchandize continual Accessions were made unto them until Ten or a Dozen Towns in the Province of Main and the County of Cornwall were suddenly Started up into something of Observation But in the Year 1688. the Indians which dwelt after the Indian manner among them Commenced another War upon these Plantations which hath broke them up and strangely held us in play for Ten Years together In these Ten Years there hath been a variety of Remarkable Occurrences and because I have supposed that a Relation of those Occurrences may be Acceptable and Profitable to some of my Country men I shall now with all Faithfulness Endeavour it With all Faithfulness I say because tho' there should happen any Circumstantial Mistake in our Story for 't is a rare thing for any Two men concern'd in the same Action to give the Story of it without some Circumstantial Difference yet even thiâ— also I shall be willing to Retract and Correct if there be found any just occasion But for any one Material Error in the whole Composure I challenge the most Sagacious Malica upon Earth to detect it while matters are yâ—â— so fresh as to allow the Detection of it I disdain to make the Apology once made by the Roman Historian Nemo Historicus non aliquid mentitus et habiturus sum mendaciorum Comites quos Historiae et eloquentiae miramur Authores No I will write with an Irreproachable and Incontestable Veracity and I will write not one Thihg but what I am furnished with so good Authority for that any Reasonable man who will please to Examine it shall say I do well to insert it as I do And I will hope that my Reader hath not been Studying of Godefridus de Valle's Book De Arte nihil Credendi About The Art of Believing nothing Wherefore having at the very Beginning thus given such a Knock upon thy Head O malice that thou canst never with Reason Hiss at our History we will proceed unto the several Articles of it ARTICLE I. The Occasion and Beginning of the WAR IF Diodorus Siculus had never given it as a great Rule of History Historiae primum Studium primariaque consideratio esse videtur insoliti gravisque Casus principio causas investigare Yet my Reader would have expected that I should Begin the History of our War with an History of the Occurrences and Occasions which did Begin the War Now Reader I am at the very first fallen upon a Difficult Point and I am in danger of pulling
September 1689. Such were the Obscure Measures taken at that Time of Day that the Rise of this War hath been as dark as that of the River Nilus only the Generality of Thinking People through the Country can Remember When and Why every one did foretel A War If any Wild English for there are such as well as of another Nation did then Begin to Provoke and Affront the Indians yet those Indians had a fairer way to come by Right than that of Blood shed nothing worthy of or calling for any Such Revenge was done unto them The most Injured of them all if there were any Such were afterwards dismissed by the English with Favours that were then Admirable even to Our selves and These too instead of Surrendring the Persons did increase the Numbers of the Murderers But upon the REVOLUTION of the Government April 1689. the State of the War became wholly New and we are more arrived unto Righteousness as the Light and Justice as the Noon day A great Sachim of the East we then immediately Applied our selves unto and with no small Expences to our selves we Engaged Him to Employ his Interest for a Good Understanding between us the party of Indians then in Hostility against us This was the Likely the Only way of coming at those Wandring Salvages But That very Sachim now treacherously of an Embassador became a Traitor and annexed himself with his People to the Heard of our Enemies which have since been Ravaging Pillaging and Murdering at a rate which we ought to count Intolerable The Penacook Indians of whom we were Jealous we likewise Treated with and while we were by our Kindnesses and Courtesies Endeavouring to render them utterly Inexcusable if ever they sought our Harm Even Then did These also by some Evil Instigation the Devils no doubt quickly Surprize a Plantation where they had been Civilly treated a Day or Two before Commit at once more Plunder and Murder than can be heard with any patience Reader Having so placed these Three Accounts as to defend my Teeth I think I may safely proceed with our Story But because Tacitus teaches us to distinguish between the meer Occasions and the real Causes of a War it may be some will go a little Higher up in their Enquiries They will Enquire whether no body Seized a parcel of Wines that were Landed at a French Plantation to the East ward Whether an Order were not obtained from the King of England at the Instance of the French Embassador to Restore these Wines Whether upon the Vexation of this Order we none of us ran a New Line for the Bounds of the Province Whether we did not contrive our New Line so as to take in the Country of Monsieur St. Casteen Whether Monsieur St. Casteen flying from our Encroachments we did not Seize upon his Arms and Goods and bring them away to Pemmaquid And Who were the We which did these things And whether the Indians who were Extremely under the Influence of St. Casteen that had Married a Sagamores Daughter among them did not from this very Moment begin to be obstreperous And whether all the Sober English in the Country did not from this very Moment foretel a War But for any Answer to all these Enquiries I will be my self a Tacitus ARTICLE II. The first Acts of Hostility between the Indians and the English WHen one Capt. Sargeant had Seized some of the principal Indians about Saco by order of Justice Blackman presently the Indians fell to Seizing as many of the English as they could catch Capt. Rowden with many more in one place and Capt. Gendal with sundry more in another place particularly fell into the Hands of these desperate Man catchers Rowden with many of his Folks never got out of their Cruel Hands but Gendal with his got a Release one can scarce tell How upon the Return of those which had been detain'd in Boston Hitherto there was no Spilling of Blood But some Time in September following this Capt. Gendal went up with Souldiers and others to a place above Casco called North Yarmouth having Orders to build Stockado's on both sides the River for Defence of the place in case of any Sudden Invasion While they were at work an English Captive came to 'em with Information that Seventy or Eighty of the Enemy were just coming upon 'em and he advised 'em To yeeld quietly that they might Save their Lives The Souldiers that went thither from the Southward being terrifyed at this Report Ran with an Hasty Terror to get over the River but with more Hast than Good Speed for they ran directly into the Hands of the Indians The Indians dragging along these their Prisoners with 'em came up towards the Casconians who having but a very Little Time to Consult yet in this Time Resolved First That they would not be Seized by the Salvages Next That they would free their Friends out of the Hands of the Salvages if it were possible Thirdly That if it were possible they would use all other Force upon the Salvages without coming to down right Fight Accordingly They laid hold on their Neighbours whom the Salvages had Seized and this with so much Dexterity that they cleared them all Except one or Two whereof the whole Number was about a Dozen But in the Scuffle one Sturdy and Surly Indian held his prey so fast that one Benedict Pulcifer gave the Mastiff a Blow with the Edge of his Broad Ax upon the Shoulder upon which they fell to 't with a Vengeance and Fired their Guns on both sides till some on both sides were Slain These were as one may call them The Scower-pit of a long War to follow At last the English Victoriously chased away the Salvageâ— and Returned safely unto the other side of the River And Thus was the Vein of New England first opened that afterwards Bled for Ten years together The Skirmish being over Capt. Gendal in the Evening passed over the River in a Canoo with none but a Servant but Landing where the Enemy lay hid in the Bushes they were both Slain immediately And the same Evening one Ryal with another man fell unawares into the Hands of the Enemy Ryal was afterwards Ransomed by Monsieur St. Casteen but the other man was barbarously Butchered Soon after this the Enemy went Eastward unto a place call'd Merry-Meeting from the Concourse of diverse Rivers there where several English had a Sad Meeting with them for they were killed several of them even in Cold Blood after the Indians had Seized upon their Houses their Persons And about this Time the Town call'd Sheepscote was entred by these Rapacious Wolves who burnt all the Houses of the Town save Two or Three The People saved themselves by getting into the Fort all but one Man who going out of the Fort for to Treat with 'em was Treacherously Assassinated Thus the place which was counted The Garden of the East was infested by Serpents and a Sword Expell'd the
though the First Attempt miscarried the Second prospered The Story of it makes a Chapter in Father Hennepins Account of the Vast Country lately discovered betwixt Canada and Mexico and this is the Sum of it While a Colony was forming it self at Canada an English Fleet was Equipp'd in the year 1628. under the Command of Admiral Kirk with a Design to take Possession of that Country In their Vogage having taken a French Ship at the Isle Percee they Sailed up the River as far as Tadousac where they found a Bark in which they set ashore some Souldiers to Seize on Cape Tourment And here a Couple of Salvages discovering them ran away to advise the people of Quebeck that the English were approaching When the Fleet arrived the Admiral Summoned the Town to Surrender by a Letter to Monsieur Champelin the Governour But the Governour notwithstanding his being so Surprised with the Invasion made such a Resolute Answer that the English though as the Historian says they are a People that will sooner Dy than quit what they once undertake did conclude the Fort Quebeck was in a much better Condition for Defence than it really was and therefore desisting from any further Attempt at this Time they returned into England with Resolution further to pursue their Design at a more favourable Opportunity Accordingly on July 19. 1629. in the Morning the English Fleet appear'd again over against the Great Bay of Quebeck at the point of the Isle of Orleans which Fleet Consisted of Three men of War and Six other Vessels Admiral Kirk sending a Summons form'd in very Civil Expressions for the Surrender of the Place the miserable State of the Country which had been by the English Interceptions hindred of Supplies from France for Two years together oblig'd the Sieur Champelin to make a softer Answer than he did before He sent Father Joseph Le Caron aboard the Admiral to treat about the Surrender and none of his Demands for Fifteen Dayes and then for Five Dayes Time to Consider on 't could obtain any longer Time than till the Evening to prepare their Articles Upon the Delivery of this Message a Council was held wherein some urged that the English had no more than Two Hundred men of Regular Troops aboard and some others which had not much of the Air of Souldiers and that the Courage of the Inhabitants was much to be relied upon and therefore it was best for to run the risk of a Siege But Monsieur Champelin apprehending the Bravery of the English remonstrated unto the Council that it was better to make a Surrender on Good Terms than be all out in pieces by an unreasonable Endeavour to Defend themselves Upon this the Articles regulating all matters were got ready and Father Joseph had his Commission to carry them aboard the English Admiral where the Signing of them was defeâ—r'd until To Morrow On July 20. the Articles of Capitulation were Signed on both sides and the English being Landed were put in possession of Canada by the Governour of it The French Inhabitants who were then in the Country had twenty Crowns a piece given them the rest of their Effects remained unto the Conquerers but those who were willing to stay were favoured by the English with great Advantages The Fleet set Sail again for England Sept. 14. and arrived at Plymouth Octo. 18. in that year ARTICLE IX Casco Lost WHen the Indians at last perceived that the New Englanders were upon a Likely Design to Swallow up the French Territories the Prospect of it began to have the same Operation upon them that the Success of the Design would have made Perpetual that is to Dispirit them for giving the New Englanders any further Molestations Nevertheless Before and Until they were thoroughly Advised of what was a doing and likely to be done they did molest the Country with some Tragical Efforts of their Fury Captain James Convers was Marching through the vast Wilderness to Albany with some Forces which the Massachusets Colony were willing to send by Land besides what they did send by Sea unto Quebeck for the Assistence of the Army in the West that was to go from thence over the Lake and there fall upon Mount Real but unhappy Tidings out of the East required the Diversion of those Forces thither About the Beginning of May the French and Indians between Four and Five Hundred were seen at Casco in a great Fleet of Canoo's passing over the Bay but not Seeing or Hearing any more of them for Two or Three Weeks together the Casconians flattered themselves with Hopes That they were gone another way But about May 16 those Hopes were over For one Gresson a Scotchman then going out Early sell into the mouths of these Hungry Salvages It proved no kindness to Casco tho' it proved a great one to himself that a Commander so qualified as Captain Willard was called off Two or Three Dayes before But The Officers of the place now concluding that the whole Army of the Enemy were watching for an Advantage to Surprize the Town Resolved that they would keep a Strict watch for Two or Three dayes to make some further Discovery before they Salley'd forth Notwithstanding this one Lieut. Clark with near Thirty of their Stoutest young men would venture out as far as the Top of an Hill in the Entrance of the Wood half a mile distant from the Town The out-let from the Town to the Wood was thro' a Lane that had a Fence on each side which had a certain Block-house at one End of it and the English were Suspicious when they came to Enter the Lane that the Indians were lying behind the Fence because the Cattel stood staring that way and would not pass into the Wood as they use to do This mettlesome Company then ran up to the Fence with an Huzzab thinking thereby to discourage the Enemy if they should be lurking there but the Enemy were so well prepared for them that they answered them with an horrible Vengeance which kill'd the Lieutenant with Thirteen more upon the Spot and the rest escaped with much ado unto one of the Garrisons The Enemy then coming into Town beset all the Garrisons at once Except the Fort which were manfully Defended so long as their Ammunition lasted but That being spent without a prospect of a Recruit they quitted all the Four Garrisons and by the Advantage of the Night got into the Fort. Upon this the Enemy Setting the Town on Fire bent their whole Force against the Fort which had hard by it a deep Gully that contributed not a little unto the Ruin of it For the Besiegers getting into that Gully lay below the Danger of our Guns Here the Enemy began their Mine which was carried so near the Walls that the English who by Fighting Five Dayes and Four Nights had the greatest part of their men killed and wounded Captain Lawrence mortally among the rest began a parley with them Articles were Agreed That they
Connecticut but Advice being dispatch'd unto the Towns upon Connecticut-River a party immediately Salley'd out after the Spoilers and leaving their Horses at the Entrance of a Swamp whither by their Track they had followed them they come upon the Secure Adversary and kill'd the most of them and Recovered the Captives with their Plunder and Returning home had some Reward for so brisk an Action But now the Indians in the East probably Disheartened by the Forts Erecting that were like to prove a sore Annoyance to them in their Enterprizes and by the Fear of wanting Ammunition with other Provisions which the French were not so Able just now to dispence unto them and by a presumption that an Arrâ—y of Maqua's part of those Terrible Cannibals to the West-ward whereof 't is affirm'd by those who have published the Stories of their Travels among them That they have destroy'd no less than Two Million Salvages of other Nations about them through their being Supplyed with Fire-Arms before Hundreds of other Nations lying between them the River Meschasippi was come into their Country because they found some of their Squa's killed upon a Whortle berry Plain and all the Charms of the French Fryar then Resident among them could not hinder them from Suing to the English for Peace And the English being so involved in Debts that they Scarce knew how to prosecute the War any further took some Notice of their Suit Accordingly a Peace was made upon the Ensuing Articles Province of the Massachusetts Bay in new-New-England The Submission and Agreement of the Eastern Indians at Fort William Henry in Pemmaquid the 11th day of August in the Fifth year of the Reign of our Soveraign Lord and Lady William and Mary by the Grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King and Queen Defenders of the Faith c. 1693. WHereas a Bloody War ha's for some years now past been made and carryed on by the Indians within the Eastern parts of the said Province against Their Majesties Subjects the English through the Instigation and Influences of the French and being sensible of the Miseries which we and our People are reduced unto by adhearing to their ill Council We whose names are hereunto Subscribed being Sagamores and Chief Captains of all the Indians belonging to the several Rivers of Penobscote and Kennebeck Amanascogin and Saco parts of the said Province of the Massachusetts Bay within Their said Majesties Soveraignty Having made Application unto his Excellency Sir William Phipps Captain General Governour in Chief in and over the said Province that the War may be put to an end Do lay down our Arms and cast our selves upon Their said Majesties Grace and Favour And each of us respectively for our selves and in the Name with the free consent of all the Indians belonging unto the several Rivers aforesaid and of all other Indians within the said Province of and from Merrimack River unto the most Easterly Bounds of the said Province hereby acknowledging our hearty Subjection and Obedience unto the Crown of England and do solemnly Covenant Pâ—omise and Agree to and wiâ—h the said Sir William Phipps and his Successors in the place of Captain General and Governour in Chief of the aforesaid Province or Territory on Their said Majesties behalf in manner following viz. That at all time and times for ever from and after the date of these Presents we will cease and forbear all acts of Hostility towards the Subjects of the Crown of England and not offer the least hurt or violence to them or any of them in their Persons or Estate But will henceforward hold and maintain a firm and constant Amity and Friendship with all the English Item We abandon and forsake the French Interest will not in any wise adhere to joyn with aid or assist them in their Wars or Designs against the English nor countenance succour or conceal any of the Enemy Indians of Canada or other places that shall happen to come to any of our Plantations within the English Territory but secure them if in our power and deliver them up unto the English That all English Captives in the hands or power of any of the Indians within the Limits aforesaid shall with all possible speed be set at liberty and returned home without any Ransome or Payment to be made or given for them or any of them That Their Majesties Subjects the English shall and may peaceably and quietly enter upon improve and for ever enjoy all and singular their Rights of Lands and former Settlements and possessions within the Eastern parts of the said Province of the Massachusetts-Bay without any pretentions or claims by us or any other Indianâ— and be in no wise molested interrupted or disturbed therein That all Trade and Commerce which hereafter may be allowed between the English and Indians shall be under such Management and Regulation as may be stated by an Act of the General Assembly or as the Governour of the said Province for the time being with the Advice and Consent of the Council shall see cause to Direct and Limit If any controversy or difference at any time hereafter happen to arise between any of the English and Indians for any â—eal or supposed wrong or injury done on one side or the other no private Revenge shall be taken by the Indians for the same but proper Application be made to Their Majesties Government upon the place for Remedy thereof in a due course of Justice we hereby submitting our selves to be ruled and governed by Their Majesties Laws and desire to have the benefit of the same For the more full manifestation of our sincerity and integrity in all that which we have herein before Covenanted and Promised we do deliver unto Sir William Phipps Their Majesties Governour as aforesaid Ahassombamett Brother to Edgeremett Wenong ahewitt Cousin to Madockawando and Edgeremett and Bagatawawongon also Sheepscoat John to abide and remain in the Custody of the English where the Governour shall direct as Hostages or Pledges for our Fidelity and true performance of all and every the foregoing Articles reserving Liberty to exchange them in some reasonable time for a like number to the acceptance of the Governour and Council of the said Province so they be persons of as good account and esteem amongst the Indians as those which are to be exchanged In Testimony whereof we have hereunto set our several Marks and Seals the Day and Year first above written The above written Instrument was deliberately read over and the several Articles and Clauses thereof Interpreted unto the Indians who said they well understood and consented thereto and was then Signed Sealed Delivered in the Presence of us John Wing Nicholas Manning Benjamin Jackson Egeremeâ—t Madockawando Wessambomett of Navidgwock Wenohson of Teconnet in behalf of Moxis Ketterramogis of Narridgwock Ahanquit of Penobscot Bomaseen Nitamemet Webenes Awansomeck Robin Doney Madaumbis Paquaharet alias Nathaniel Inrerpreters John Hornybrook John
more had been Siez'd at Saco Fort a little before Bommaseen was Convey'd unto Boston that he might in a close Imprisonment there have Time to consider of his Treacheries and his Cruelties for which the Justice of Heaven had thus Delivered him up When he was going to Pemmaquid he left his Company with a Strange Reluctancy and Formality as if he had presaged the Event and when at Pemmaquid he found the Event of his coming he discovered a more than ordinary Disturbance of mind his Passions foam'd and boyl'd like the very Waters at the Fall of Niagara But being thus fallen upon the mention of that Vengeance wherewith Heaven pursued the chief of the Salvage Murderers it may give some Diversion unto the Reader in the midst of a long and a sad Story to insert a Relation of an Accident that fell out a little after this Time The Indians as the Captives inform us being hungry and hardly bestead passed through deserted Casco where they spied several Horses in Captain Brackets Orchard Their famished Squa's beg'd them to Shoot the Horses that they might be revived with a little Roast meat but the young men were for having a little Sport before their Supper Driving the Horses into a Pound they took one of them and furnished him with an Halter suddenly made of the Main and the Tail of the Animal which they cut off A Son of the famous Hegon was ambitious to mount this Pegasaean Steed but being a pittiful Horseman he ordered them for fear of his Falling to Ty his Legs fast under the Horses Belly No sooner was this Beggar Set on Horse back and the Spark in his own opinion throughly Equipt but the Mettlesome Horse furiously and presently ran with him out of Sight Neither Horse nor Man were ever seen any more the astonish'd Tawnies howl'd after one of their Nobility disappearing by such an unexpected Accident A few Dayes after they found one of his Legs and that was All which they buried in Captain Brackets Cellar with abundance of Lamentation ARTICLE XXII A Conference with an Indian-Sagamore BUt now Bommaseen is fallen into our Hands let us have a little Discourse with him Behold Reader the Troubles and the Troublers of new-New-England That thou mayst a little more Exactly Behold the Spirit of the matter I 'l Recite certain passages occurring in a Discourse that pass'd between this Bommaseen who was one of the Indian Princes or Chieftanes and a Minister of the Gospel in the year 1696. Bommaseen was with some other Indians now a Prisoner in Boston He desired a Conference with a Minister of Boston which was granted him Bommaseen with the other Indians assenting and asserting to it then told the Minister That he pray'd his Instruction in the Christian Religion inasmuch as he was afraid that the French in the Christian Religion which they taught the Indians had Abused them The Minister Enquired of him What of the Things taught 'em by the French appear'd most Suspicious to ' em He said The French taught 'em That the Lord JESUS CHRIST was of the French Nation That His Mother the Virgin Mary was a French Lady That they were the English who had Murdered him and That whereas He Rose from the Dead went up to the Heavens all that would Recommend themselves unto His Favour must Revenge His Quarrel upon the English as far as they can He ask'd the Minister whether these Things were so and pray'd the Minister to Instruct him in the True Christian Religion The Minister considering that the Humour and Manner of the Indians was to have their Discourses managed with much of Similitude in them Look'd about for some Agreeable object from whence he might with apt Resemblances Convey the Idae's of Truth unto the minds of Salvages and he thought none would be more Agreeable to them than a Tankard of Drink which happened then to be standing on the Table So he proceeded in this Method with ' em He told â—hem still with proper Actions painting and pointing out the Signs unto them That our Lord JESUS CHRIST had given us a Good Religion which might be Resembled unto the Good Drink in the Cup upon the Table That if we Take this Good Religion even that Good Drink into our Hearts it will do us Good and preserve us from Death That Gods Book the Bible is the Cup wherein that Good Drink of Religion is offered unto us That the French having the Cup of Good Drink in their Hands had put Poison into it and then made the Indians to Drink that Poisoned Liquor whereupon they Run mad and fell to killing of the English though they could not but know it must unavoidably issue in their own Destruction at the Last That it was plain the English had put no Poison into the Good Drink for they set the Cup wide open and invited all men to Come See before they Tast even the very Indians themselves for we Translated the Bible into Indian That they might gather from hence that the French had put Poison into the Good Drink inasmuch as the French kept the Cup fast Shut the Bible in an Unknown Tongue and kept their Hands upon the Eyes of the Indians when they put it unto their mouths The Indians Expressing themselves to be well-Satisfied with what the Minister had hitherto said pray'd him to go on with showing 'em what was the Good Drink and what was the Poison which the French had put into it He then set before them distinctly the chief Articles of the Christian Religion with all the Simplicity and Sincerity of a Protestant Adding upon each This is the Good Drink in the Lords Cup of Life And they still professed That they liked it all Whereupon he demonstrated unto them how the Papists had in their Idolatrous Popery some way or other Depraved and Altered every one of these Articles with Scandalous Ingredients of their own Invention Adding upon each This is the Poison which the French have put into the Cup. At last he mentioned this Article To obtain the Pardon of your Sins you must confess your Sins to God pray to God That He would Pardon your Sins for the sake of Jesus Christ who dyed for the Sins of His People God Loves Jesus Christ infinitely and if you place your Eye on Jesus Christ only when you beg the Pardon of your Sins God will Pardon them You need confess your Sins to none but God Except in cases where men have known your Sins or have been Hurt by your Sins then those men should know that you confess your Sins but after all none but God can Pardon them He then added The French have put Poison into this Good Drink They tell you that you must confess your Sins to a Priest and carry skins to a Priest and Submit unto a Penance enjoyned by a Priest and this Priest is to give you a Pardon There is no need of all This 'T is nothing but French Poison all
while that Lieutenant Fletcher with his Two Sons that should have Guarded them went a Fowling and by doing so they likewise sell into the Snare The Indians carrying these Three Captives down the River in one of their Canoes Lieutenant Larabe that was abroad with a Scout way-laid them and Firing on the Foremost of the Canooes that had Three men in it they all Three fell and sank in the River of Death Several were kill'd aboard the other Canooes and the rest ran their Canooes ashore and Escaped on the other side of the River and one of the Fâ—etchers when all the Indians with him were killed was Delivered out of the Hands which had made a prisoner of him tho his poor Father afterwards Dyed among them Hereupon Major March with his Army took a Voyage farther Eastward having several Transport Vessels to accommodate them Arriving at Casco-Bay they did upon the Ninth of September come as occult as they could further East among the Islands near a place called Corbins Sounds and Landed before Day at a place called Damascotta River where before Half of them were well got ashore and drawn up the scarce-yet-expected Enemy Entertained them with a Volley and an Huzza None of ours were Hurt but Major March Repaid 'em in their own Leaden Coin and it was no sooner Light but a Considerable Battel Ensued The Commanders of the Transport-Vessels were persons of such a mettle that they could not with any patience forbear going ashore to take a part of their Neighbours Fare but the Enemy seeing things operate this way fled into their Fleet of Canooes which hitherto Lay out of sight and got off as fast and as well as they could leaving some of their Dead behind them which they never do but when under extream Disadvantages Our Army thus beat 'em off with the Loss of about a Dozen men whereof One was the worthy Captain Dymmock of Barnstable and about as many Wounded whereof one was Captain Phillips of Charlstown and in this Action Captain Whiting a young Gentleman of much Worth and Hope Courageously acting his part as Commander of the Forces the Helpers of the War which the Colony of Connecticut had Charitably lent unto this Expedition had his Life remarkably rescued from a Bullet grazing the Top of his Head But there was a Singular Providence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the whole of this matter For by the seasonable Arrival and Encounter of our Army an horrible Descent of Indians which probably might have laid whole Plantations Desolate was most happily Defeated And at the same Time the Signal Hand of Heaven gave a Defeat unto the purposes of the French Squadrons at Sea so that they had something else to do than to Visit the Coast of new-New-England ARTICLE XXVII The End of the Year and we hope of the War O Thou Sword of the Wilderness When wilt thou be quiet On Sept. 11. A party of the Enemy came upon the Town of Lancaster then prepared for Mischief by a wonderful Security and they did no little Mischief unto it Near Twenty were killed and among the rest Mr. John Whiting the Pastor of the Church there Five were carryed Captive Two or Three Houses were burnt and several Old People in them Captain Brown with Fifty men pursued them till the Night Stop't their pursuit but it seems a Strange Dog or two unknown to the Company did by their Barking alarm the Enemy to Rise in the Night and Strip and Scalp an English Captive-Woman and fly so far into the Woods that after Two Dayes Bootless Labour our men Returned November arrived before any farther Blood shed and then t' was only of one man in the Woods at Oyster-River December arrived with the welcome Tidings of a Peace concluded between England and France which made us Hope that there would be little more of any Blood shed at all The Winter was the Severest that ever was in the memory of man And yet February must not pass without a Stroke upon Pemmaquid Chub whom the Government had mercifully permitted after his Examination to Retire unâ—o his Habitation in Andover As much out of the way as to Andover there came above Thirty Indians about the middle of February as if their Errand had been for a Vengeance upon Chub whom with his Wife they now Massâ—cred there They Took Two or Three House and Slew Three or Four Persons and Mr. Thomas Barnard the worthy Minister of the place very narrowly Escaped their Fury But in the midst of their Fury there was one piece of Mercy the like whereof had never been seen before For they had got Colonel Dudley Bradstreet with his Family into their Hands but perceiving the Town Mustering to follow them their Hearts were so changed that they dismissed their Captives without any further Damage unto their Persons Returning back by Haverhil they kill'd a couple and a couple they Took with some Remarkable circumstances worthy to be made a distinct History But Reader we are now in Hast for to have our present History come unto an End and though the end of this Year did not altogether prove the end of the War for on May 9. 1698. the Indians Murdered an old man at Spruce-Creek and carryed away Three Sons of that old man and wounded a man at York yet we were not without prospect of our Troubles growing towards a period and even in that very Murder at Spruce-creek there fell out one thing that might a little encourage our Hopes concerning it The Murderer was a famous kind of a Giant among the Indians a Fellow Reputed Seven Foot High This Fellow kill'd the poor old man in cold Blood after he had Surrendred himself a Prisoner But behold Before many Hours were out this famous and bloody Fellow accidently Shot himself to Death by his Gun going off when he was foolishly pulling a Canoo to the Shore with it The last Bloody Action that can have a Room in our Story is This The Indians though sometimes it hath been much doubted What Indians have in this War made several Descents upon some of the upper Towns that were our most Northerly Settlements upon Connecticut River But the Pious and Honest People in those Towns have always given them a brave Repulse and had a notable Experience of the Divine Favour to them in their preservations Deerfield ha's been an Extraordinary Instance of Courage in keeping their Station though they have lived all this while in a very Pihahiroth and their worthy Pastor Mr. John Williams deserves the Thanks of all this Province for his Encouraging them all the ways Imaginable to Stand their ground Once the Enemy was like to have Surprised them into a grievous Desolation but he with his Praying and Valiant little Flock mâ—st happily Repelled them And now about the middle of July 1698. a little before Sun set Four Indians killed a Man and a Boy in Hatfield Meadows and carried away Two Boys into Captivity The Advice coming to
and Slain and almost Vanquished by the Hungarian Amurath in his Anguish took out of his Bosome the written League that Vladi slaus had made with him and holding it up in his Hands with his Eyes to Heaven he Cryed out Behold O Crucified Christ the League which thy Christians in thy Name have made with me and now without cause do Violate If thou be a God Revenge the Wrong that is now done unto thy Name and shew thy power upon a Perjurious People who in their Deeds Deny their God! Immediately the Course of the Battel turn'd and Perjurious King was kill'd and the Turks wâ—n a most unexpected Victory Truly we may in like manner now take the Instrument of the Submission and Agreement of the Eastern Indians which Thirteen of their Chief Commanders did Sign more than Five years ago and Holding it up to Heaven we may Cry out Ah Lord God of Truth wilt thou not be Revenged upon the False Wretches that have broken this League Doubtless our God will Execute a dreadful Vengeance upon them if we Humbly make our Suit unto Him for it and He ha's wayes for His Vengeance to come at them which We cannot Imagine 'T is affirmed That several Times in this War our Enemies have in the Woods met with Parties of Indians which were their own Friends but by a mistake apprehending each to be Enemies unto each other they have hotly fallen upon one another and many have been kill'd oh both Sides before the mistake was discovered Yea 'T is affirmed that not a few of the Chief Murderers among our Enemies have accidentally killed themselves the most Murderous Indians have in a little while been their own Executioners Who can tell what Strange Wayes the God unto whom Vengeance belongeth hath to inflict it on a Generation of His Curse Only Let us Remember to plead the Sacrifice of our Lord JESUS CHRIST in our Prayer with our Faith for the Perfection of our Deliverance Our Lord JESUS CHRIST hath been a Sin-Offering for the Congregation and a Sacrifice pleadeable not only for Persons but also for Peoples that belong unto Him We read in 1 Sam. 7.9 10. Samuel Offered a Burnt-Offering wholly unto the Lord and Samuel Cryed unto the Lord of Israel and the Lord heard him and the Lord Thundred with a Great Thunder on that Day upon the Philistines and discomfited them When we Cry to the Lord Let us plead the Burnt-Offering of the Lord Jesus Christ plead That God ha's more Glorifyed His Justice in the Sufferings of our Lord JESUS CHRIST than if our Houses were all Fill'd with the Cryes of our People Massacred by Indian Salvages Then will our God Thunder with a Great Thunder of His Consuming Wrath upon our Indian Philistines That Note which the Great Calvin ha's above an Hundred Times over in his Commentaries on the Psalms Nunquam Irritas fore preces Or Prayers will never be lost Prayers will never he lost It will much oftner be Repeated in our Blessed Experience if our Prayers do present before God that Blessed Sacrifice of which He sayes 'T is a Sweet odour to Me X. In the WAR that hath been upon us Whoso is Wise may Observe those Loud Calls to a Reformation of our Miscarriages which 't is a Dangerous and a Desperate thing to neglect any longer It was the Voice of the Blessed God in Psal 81.13 14. O That my People had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my wayes I should soon have Subdued their Enemies and turned my Hand against their Adversaries Ah new-New-England Thy God hath not soon Subdued thine Enemies nor soon turned His Hand against thine Adversaries but let 'em Vex thee for Ten years together Surely Thou hast not hearkened unto Him nor Walked in His Wayes In that which was called The Holy War the Embassadors of a Saracen Prince demanded of a Famous Christian General How he came to have Manus tam Doctas ad Praeliandum Hands that were so Able to Fight The Christian General replied Quia Manus Semper habui puras Because I never defiled my Hands with any Notorious Wickedness Alas our Hands have made but poor work at Fighting 'T is Time for us then to Reform all the Notorious Wickedness in our Hands Do we Dream that the Almighty hath spent all His Arrows No after all that for Ten years together have been spent upon us there are yet more Arrows and Judgments left in the Quiver of God And Except we Turn unto Him who can say What Arrows He may next ordain against us The Roman Emperour Upbraided his General Terentius for Loosing a Battel but the General having too much occasion to say so much replyed Sir I must tell you that it is you that Lost the Day for us by your open Fighting against the God of Heaven as you do If it be asked How 't is come to pass that we have Sped so Ill in many a Battel since this War began Some will blame one and some will blame another but I will take Leave to tell all them that Lead an Ungodly Life Syrs 'T is to you that we owe all our Ill Success I need not quote one of the Ancients namely Ambrose for that Observation Graviores Inimici sunt mores pravi quam Hostes Infensi We have had enough in our own Experiments to convince us That our worst Enemies are our Vices which provoke Heaven to Chastise us with all our other Enemies And indeed If our Wayes did please the Lord our Enemies would be at peace with us Observe wisely and you cannot but Observe the Language of Heaven in the Circumstances thro' which we have passed for a whole Decad of years together to be That in Lev. 26.23 24. If ye will not be Reformed by me by these things but will walk contrary unto me Then will I also walk contrary unto you and I will punish you yet seven Times for your Sins And that the Demand of REFORMATION may be Loud enough it arrives to us now with a more than Ordinary Accent of Authority upon it We have seen and Blessed be God that we have seen the Greatest Monarch that ever Sat upon the British Throne Issuing Out His Royal Proclamation upon the Pious Address of the Commons of England assemble in Parliament a Proclamation wherein that Illustrious Prince declares His Royal Resolution to Discountenance all Vice whatsoever and requires all Officers whatsoever to be vigilant in the Discovery Prosecution and Punishment thereof We have seen a most Excellent GOVERNOUR who is the Greatest Person that ever set Foot on the English Continent of America beginning His Government with proclaiming for the Suppression of all Vice in One of His Provinces That Noble Person has therein done Like a Vicegerent of GOD His very Honourable Lieutenant hath worthily done His part with the Advice of His Council in another of His Provinces If these things prove but meer Formalities among a people Hating to be Reformed after all