Beloved S^r: I hartily salute you, with trust of your health, and many thanks for your love. By Gods providence we got well home y^e 17. _of Feb_. Being robbed by y^e French-men by y^e way, and carried by them into France, and were kepte ther 15. days, and lost all y^t we had that was worth taking; but thanks be to God, we escaped with our lives & ship. I see not y^t it worketh any discouragment hear. I purpose by Gods grace _to see you_ shortly, _I hope in June nexte, or before_. In y^e mean space know these things, and I pray you be advertised a litle. M^r. Weston hath quite broken of from our company, through some discontents y^t arose betwext him and some of our adventurers, & hath sould all his adventurs, & _hath now sent 3. smale ships for his perticuler plantation_. The _greatest_ wherof, _being 100. tune_, M^r. Reynolds goeth m^r. and he with y^e rest purposeth to come him selfe; for what end I know not. The people which they cary are no men for us, wherfore I pray you entertaine them not, neither exchainge man for man with them, excepte it be some of your worst. He hath taken a patente for him selfe. If they offerr to buy any thing of you, let it be shuch as you can spare, and let them give y^e worth of it. If they borrow any thing of you, let them leave a good pawne, &c. It is like he [78[AV]] will plant to y^e southward of y^e Cape, for William Trevore hath lavishly tould but what he knew or imagined of Capewack, Mohiggen, & y^e Narigansets. I fear these people will hardly deale so well with y^e savages as they should. I pray you therfore signifie to Squanto, that they are a distincte body from us, and we have nothing to doe with them, neither must be blamed for their falts, much less can warrente their fidelitie. We are aboute to recover our losses in France. Our freinds at Leyden are well, and will come to you as many as can _this time_. I hope all will turne to y^e best, wherfore I pray you be not discouraged, but gather up your selfe to goe thorow these dificulties cherfully & with courage in y^t place wherin God hath sett you, untill y^e day of refreshing come. And y^e Lord God of sea & land bring us comfortably togeather againe, if it may stand with his glorie. Yours, ROBART CUSHMAN. On y^e other sid of y^e leafe, in y^e same leter, came these few lines from M^r. John Peirce, in whose name the patente was taken, and of whom more will follow, to be spoken in its place.