Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	earth_n	element_n	water_n	14,601	5	6.8196	4	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

Cap and doe weare none at all in the day time and whereas before-time I cloathed my selfe with double cloathes and thicke Wastcoats to keepe me warme euen in the Summer time I doe now goe as thin clad as any onely wearing a light Stuffe Cassocke vpon my Shirt and Stuffe Breeches of one thicknesse without Linings Besides I haue one of my Children that was formerly most lamentably handled with sore breaking out of both his hands and feet of the Kings-Euill but since he came hither he is verie well ouer he was and there is hope of perfect recouerie shortly euen by the verie wholesomnesse of the Aire altering digesting and drying vp the cold and crude humors of the Body and therefore I thinke it is a wise course for all cold complections to come to take Physicke in New-England for a sup of New-Englands Aire is better then a whole draught of old Englands Ale In the Summer time in the midst of Iuly and August it is a good deale hotter then in old England and in Winter Ianuary and February are much colder as they say but the Spring and Autumne are of a middle temper Fowles of the Aire are plentifull here and of all sorts as we haue in England as farre as I can learne and a great many of strange Fowles which we know not Whilst I was writing these things one of our Men brought home an Eagle which he had killed in the Wood they say they are good meat Also here are many kinds of excellent Hawkes both Sea Hawkes and Land Hawkes and my selfe walking in the Woods with another in company sprung a Partridge so bigge that through the heauinesse of his Body could fly but a little way they that haue killed them say they are as bigge as our Hens Here are likewise aboundance of Turkies often killed in the Woods farre greater than our English Turkies and exceeding fat sweet and fleshy for here they haue aboundance of feeding all the yeere long as Strawberries in Summer all places are full of them and all manner of Berries and Fruits In the Winter time I haue seene Flockes of Pidgeons and haue eaten of them they doe flye from Tree to Tree as other Birds doe which our Pidgeons will not do in England they are of all colours as ours are but their wings and tayles are farr longer and therefore it is likely they fly swifter to escape the terrible Hawkes in this Countrey In Winter time this Countrey doth abound with wilde Geese wild Ducks and other Sea Fowle that a great part of winter the Planters haue eaten nothing but roastmeat of diuers Fowles which they haue killed Thus you haue heard of the Earth Water and Aire of New-England now it may bee you expect something to bee said of the Fire proportionable to the rest of the Elements Indeed I thinke New-England may boast of this Element more then of all the rest for though it bee heresomewhat cold in the winter yet here we haue plenty of Fire to warme vs and that a great deale cheaper then they sel Billets and Faggots in London nay all Europe is not able to afford to make so great Fire as New-England A poore Seruant here that is to possesse but 50 Acres of Land may afford to giue more wood for Timber Fire as good as the world yeelds then many Noble men in England can afford to do Here is good liuing for those that loue good Fires And although New-England haue no Tallow to make Candles of yet by the abundance of the Fish thereof it can afford Oyle for Lampes Yea our Pine-Trees that are the most plentifull of all wood doth allow vs plenty of Candles which are very vsefull in a House and they are such Candles as the Indians commonly vse hauing no other and they are nothing else but the wood of the Pine Tree clouen in two little slices something thin which are so full of the moysture of Turpentine and Pitch that they burne as cleere as a Torch I haue sent you some of them that you may see the experience of them Thus of New-Englands commodities now I will tell you of some discommodities that are here to be found First in the Summer season for these three months Iune Iuly and August we are troubled much with little Flyes called Musketoes being the same they are troubled with in Lincolneshiere and the Fens and they are nothing but Gnats which except they bee smoked out of their houses are troublesome in the night season Secondly in the Winter season for two months space the earth is commonly couered with Snow which is accompanied with sharp biting Frosts something more sharpe then is in old England and therefore are forced to make great Fires Thirdly this Countrey being very full of Woods and Wildernesses doth also much abound with Snakes and Serpents of strange colours and huge greatnesse yea there are some Serpents called Rattle-snakes that haue Rattles in their Tayles that will not flye from a man as others will but will flye vpon him and sting him so mortally that hee will dye within a quarter of an houre after except the partie stinged haue about him some of the root of an Hearbe called Snake weed to bite on and then hee shall receiue no harme but yet seldome fals it out that any hurt is done by these About three yeeres since an Indian was stung to death by one of them but wee heard of none since that time Fourthly and lastly Here wants as yet the good company of honest Christians to bring with them Horses Kine and Sheepe to make vse of this fruitfull Land great pitty it is to see so much good ground for Corne and for Grasse as any is vnder the Heauens to lye altogether vnoccupied when so many honest Men and their Families in old England through the populousnesse thereof do make very hard shift to liue one by the other Now thus you know what New-England is as also with the commodities and discommodities thereof now I will shew you a little of the Inhabitants thereof and their gouernment For their Gouernours they haue Kings which they call Saggamores some greater and some lesser according to the number of their Subiects The greatest Saggamores about vs can not make aboue three hundred Men and other lesse Saggamores haue not aboue fifteene Subiects and others neere about vs but two Their Subiects aboue twelue yeeres since were swept away by a great grieuous Plague that was amongst them so that there are verie few left to inhabite the Countrey The Indians are not able to make vse of the one fourth part of the Land neither haue they any setled places as Townes to dwell in nor any ground as they challenge for their owne possession but change their habitation from place to place For their Statures they are a tall and strong limmed People their colours are tawny they goe naked saue onely they are in part couered with Beasts Skins on one of their Shoulders and