I had it in my thought before I came there, what kinde of Buildings would be fit for a Country, that was so much troubled with heat, as I have heard this was; & did expect to find thick walls, high roofes, and deep cellers; but found neither the one nor the other, but clean contrary; timber houses, with low roofes, so low, as for the most part of them, I could hardly stand upright with my hat on, and no cellars at all; besides, another course they took, which was more wonder to me than all that; which was, stopping, or barring out the winde, which should give them the greatest comfort, when they were neer stifled with heat. For, the winde blowing alwaies one way, which was Eastwardly, they should have made all the openings they could to the East, thereby to let in the cool breezes, to refresh them when the heat of the day came. But they, clean contrary, closed up all their houses to the East, and opened all to the West; so that in the afternoones, when the Sun came to the West, those little low roofed rooms were like Stoves, or heated Ovens. And truly, in a very hot day, it might raise a doubt, whether so much heat without, and so much tobacco and _kill-devill_ within, might not set the house a fire; for these three ingredients are strong motives to provoke it, and they were ever there. But at last I found by them, the reasons of this strange preposterous manner of building, which was grounded upon the weakest and silliest foundation that could be: For they alledged, that at the times of rain, which was very often, the wind drave the rain in at their windowes so fast, as the houses within were much annoyed with it; for having no glasse to keep it out, they could seldome sit or lie drie; and so being constrained to keep out the ayer on that side, for fear of letting in the water, would open the West ends of their houses so wide, (as was beyond the proportion of windows to repair that want) and so let in the fire; not considering at all, that there was such a thing as shutters for windowes, to keep out the rain that hurt them, and let in the winde to refresh them, and do them good at their pleasure. But this was a consideration laid aside by all, or the most part of the meaner sort of Planters. But at last I found the true reason, was their poverty and indigence, which wanted the means to make such conveniences; and so, being compelled by that, had rather suffer painfully, and patiently abide this inconvenience, than sell or part with any of their goods, to prevent so great a mischiefe: So loath poor people are to part with that, which is their next immediate help, to support them in their great want of sustenance. For, at that lock they often were, and some good Planters too, that far’d very hard, when we came first into the Iland. So that hard labour, and want of victualls, had so much deprest their spirits, as they were come to a declining and yielding condition. Nor can this