And now leaving England, we must attach ourselves to the history of our puritan exiles, thus commencing their momentous pilgrimage; and wherever it is possible so to do, we will take the worthy old Thomas Prince as our guide, who, like the chronicler of a second Acts of the Apostles, puts down all in good faith, even to the contentions in the church itself. “This spring” (1608), says he, “more of Mr. Robinson’s church, through great difficulties from their pursuers, got over to Holland; and afterwards the rest, with Mr. Robinson and Mr. Brewster, who are of the last, having tarried to help the weakest over before them. They first settle at Amsterdam, and stay there a year, where Mr. Smith (another minister from England) and his church had gotten before them. “1609. Mr. Robinson’s church having staid at Amsterdam about a year, and seeing that Mr. Smith and his church was fallen into contention, and that the flames there were likely to break out in that ancient church itself, they think it best to remove in time, before they were any way engaged with the same; and valuing peace and spiritual comfort above other riches, they, with Mr. Robinson, remove to Leyden, choose Mr. Brewster assistant to him, and live in great love and harmony both among themselves and their neighbours for above eleven years.” In 1617 the church in Leyden began to think of removing to America, for several weighty reasons; the principal of which were “the licentiousness and temptations of the place; many of their children having left their parents to become soldiers, others taking to foreign voyages, and others to courses leading to the danger of their souls, to the great grief of their parents, and the fear that religion might die among them; and also from an inward zeal and great hope of laying some foundation for the kingdom of Christ in the remote ends of the earth, though they should be but as stepping-stones to others.” The Dutch, hearing of their intention, made them large offers to emigrate to their colonies; but they, preferring to go under the English government, after humble prayers to God, decided on so doing, and to settle in a distinct body under the general government in Virginia.