A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; Mourt's Relation: A Relation or Journal of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, by Certain English adventurers both merchants and others
History
A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; Mourt's Relation: A Relation or Journal of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, by Certain English adventurers both merchants and others
Massachusetts -- History -- New Plymouth, 1620-1691; Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony) -- Early works to 1800
The Pilgrims were familiar with Capt. John Smith’s account of a voyage
in which he had surveyed the coast from Cape Cod to Penobscot Bay in
1614. He had even offered his services as guide and military captain,
but Myles Standish got the job. Undoubtedly they did bring with them his
_Description of New England_ (London, 1616), in which the following map
was published.
Capt. Smith, who had already gained some fame and fortune in Virginia,
dedicated to Prince Charles this effort in which the term “New England”
first appeared: “... it being my chance to range some other parts of
America, whereof I here present your highness the description in a map,
my humble suit [in original, “sure”] is you would please to change their
barbarous names for such English, as posterity may say Prince Charles
was their godfather.” Several English place-names were incorporated in
the map, but posterity disregarded most of them, a noteworthy exception
being “Plimouth.” Smith notes that the Indians called the site “...
Accomack, an excellent good harbor, good land, and no want of any thing
but industrious people,” recalling that “After much kindness, upon a
small occasion we fought also with 40 or 50 of those [Indians]; though
some were hurt and some slain, yet within an hour after, they became
friends.”
The map was subsequently reissued in several other works by Smith,
additions being made on the engraved copper plate from time to time, to
indicate more recent discoveries and settlements. The copy reproduced
here is from a first edition, now in possession of the John Carter Brown
Library; obviously the representations of European-style buildings were
as inappropriate as were the illustrations of monsters, introduced by
imaginatively artistic cartographers. (The note concerning Smith’s death
was written in ink by a previous owner of this copy.)
[Illustration: map]
[Illustration: facsimile of title page]
A
RELATION OR
Journal of the beginning and proceedings
of the English Plantation settled at _Plymouth_ in New England, by
certain English adventurers both merchants and others.
With their difficult passage, their safe arrival, their joyful building
of, and comfortable planting themselves in the now well defended town of
New Plymouth
AS ALSO A RELATION OF FOUR
several discoveries since made by some of the same English Planters
there resident.
I. _In a journey to _Pokanoket_, the habitation of the Indians’ greatest
King _Massasoit_: as also their message, the answer and entertainment
they had of him._
II. _In a voyage made by ten of them to the Kingdom of _Nauset_, to seek
a boy that had lost himself in the wood: with such accidents as befell
them in that voyage._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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