They brought three or four skins; but we would not truck with them at all that day, but wished them to bring more, and we would truck for all; which they promised within a night or two, and would leave these behind them, though we were not willing they should; and they brought us all our tools again, which were taken in the woods, in our men’s absence. So, because of the day, we dismissed them as soon as we could. But Samoset, our first acquaintance, either was sick, or feigned himself so, and would not go with them, and staid with us till Wednesday morning. Then we sent him to them to know the reason they came not according to their words; and we gave him a hat, a pair of stockings and shoes, a shirt, and a piece of cloth to tie about his waist. Illustration: GOV. CARVER’S CHAIR. BOOK XV. THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY. (A.D. 1629‒1631.) The first of these extracts is from Rev. Francis Higginson’s “True Relation of the Last Voyage to New England, written from New England, July 24, 1629,” reprinted in Young’s “Chronicles of the First Planters of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay:” Boston, 1846 (pp. 235‒237). The second is from the same work: (Young, pp. 232‒235). The third is from “New England’s Plantation; or, A Short and True Description of the Commodities and Discommodities of that Country,” by Francis Higginson: London, 1630: (Young, pp. 242‒256). This pamphlet attracted so much attention, that three distinct editions of it were published in a year. The next two passages are from “Life and Letters of John Winthrop” (vol. ii. pp. 15‒16, 64‒65). The last passage is from the “Memoirs of Captain Roger Clap:” (Young, pp. 351‒354). THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY. I.――THE VOYAGE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS COLONISTS. [The first large colony of the Massachusetts Bay Company sailed from England in April, 1629, with two hundred people; Governor Endicott, with “a few men,” having preceded them the year before. The Reverend Francis Higginson was the leader of this larger party. These were the colonists properly called Puritans, as distinct from the Pilgrims, who settled Plymouth.] NOW in our passage divers things are remarkable. First, through God’s blessing, our passage was short and speedy; for whereas we had a thousand leagues, that is, three thousand miles English, to sail from Old to New England, we performed the same in six weeks and three days. Secondly, our passage was comfortable and easy, for the most part, having ordinarily fair and moderate wind, and being freed, for the most part, from rough and stormy seas, saving one night only, which we that were not used thought to be more terrible than indeed it was; and this was Wednesday at night, May 27. Illustration: FRANCIS HIGGINSON.