Massachusetts, with all her steadfast virtues and her sterling qualities, had, as we have seen, many sins of oppression and intolerance to answer for; Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson were not the only victims, even before her more wholesale persecution began. Samuel Gorton, who seems to have been an early transcendentalist, was banished from Plymouth, like the other two apostles of liberty, in the winter season, in the midst of a snow-storm, with his wife and sick child. Like all other heretics, he took refuge at Providence, whence, after much trouble, he and his adherents, having purchased a tract of land called Shawomet from Miantonomoh, commenced a settlement. Whether really Miantonomoh sold land which was not his, or whatever the cause might be, two sachems appeared at Boston complaining that they were wrongfully dispossessed of their land. Massachusetts took the matter up warmly; the sachems submitted themselves and their territory to her power, and promised obedience to the ten commandments. The disputed land having thus come into the possession of Massachusetts, Gorton was summoned to Boston to answer to the charge brought against him by the sachems; he refused to obey, and an armed force was then sent to compel him. In terror the women and children fled to the woods, and Gorton and his men prepared to resist force by force. The people of Providence mediated, and in the end, Gorton and his friends agreed to go to Boston, provided they were treated “as free men and neighbours.” But though the promise was given, it was not kept; as prisoners of war they were marched between soldiers to the governor. By him they were treated as criminals, and condemned to the common prison, great rejoicing being held in Boston that “the Lord had delivered them into their hands.” After a month’s imprisonment, they were tried on the charge of blasphemy and as enemies of civil and religious government, and Gorton and seven others were found guilty. Many advocated putting Gorton to death, but finally the seven culprits were banished to seven different towns, there to be kept to hard labour, in irons, under pain of death if they attempted to broach “their abominable and blasphemous heresies.” Their cattle were seized to pay expenses. Spite of the threat of death, it was soon found that they made many converts, and they were then banished, on pain of death, from Massachusetts or Shawomet. Gorton now sailed from Manhattan to London, where the “mystic eloquence” of his preaching won for him many friends among the Independents, and his complaints obtained a hearing.