Opening the text

Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to MassachusettsBradford, William

History

Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts

Name: Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts
Author: Bradford, William

Bradford, William

Massachusetts -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775

And would have bene worse if they had been men
of another condition. Let none objecte this is men's corruption, and
nothing to y^e course it selfe. I answer, seeing all men have this
corruption in them, God in his wisdome saw another course fiter for
them.

But to returne. After this course setled, and by that their co[=r]e was
planted, all ther victails were spente, and they were only to rest on
Gods providence; at night not many times knowing wher to have a bitt of
any thing y^e next day. And so, as one well observed, had need to pray
that God would give them their dayly brade, above all people in y^e
world. Yet they bore these wants with great patience & allacritie of
spirite, and that for so long a time as for y^e most parte of 2. years;
which makes me remember what Peter Martire writs, (in magnifying y^e
Spaniards) in his 5. Decade, pag. 208. _They_ (saith he) _led a
miserable life for 5. days togeather, with y^e parched graine of maize
only, and that not to saturitie_; and then concluds, _that shuch pains,
shuch labours, and shuch hunger, he thought none living which is not a
Spaniard could have endured_. But alass! these, when they had maize (y^t
is, Indean corne) they thought it as good as a feast, and wanted not
only for 5. days togeather, but some time 2. or 3. months togeather, and
neither had bread nor any kind of corne. Indeed, in an other place, in
his 2. Decade, page 94. he mentions how others of them were worse put to
it, wher they were faine to eate doggs, toads, and dead men, and so dyed
almost all. From these extremities the[AY] Lord in his goodnes kept
these his people, and in their great wants preserved both their lives
and healthes; let his name have y^e praise. Yet let me hear make use of
his conclusion, which in some sorte may be applied to this people: _That
with their miseries they opened a way to these new-lands; and after
these stormes, with what ease other men came to inhabite in them, in
respecte of y^e calamities these men suffered; so as they seeme to goe
to a bride feaste wher all things are provided for them._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to MassachusettsBradford, William

History

Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts

Bradford, William

Massachusetts -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775

And would have bene worse if they had been men
of another condition. Let none objecte this is men's corruption, and
nothing to y^e course it selfe. I answer, seeing all men have this
corruption in them, God in his wisdome saw another course fiter for
them.

But to returne. After this course setled, and by that their co[=r]e was
planted, all ther victails were spente, and they were only to rest on
Gods providence; at night not many times knowing wher to have a bitt of
any thing y^e next day. And so, as one well observed, had need to pray
that God would give them their dayly brade, above all people in y^e
world. Yet they bore these wants with great patience & allacritie of
spirite, and that for so long a time as for y^e most parte of 2. years;
which makes me remember what Peter Martire writs, (in magnifying y^e
Spaniards) in his 5. Decade, pag. 208. _They_ (saith he) _led a
miserable life for 5. days togeather, with y^e parched graine of maize
only, and that not to saturitie_; and then concluds, _that shuch pains,
shuch labours, and shuch hunger, he thought none living which is not a
Spaniard could have endured_. But alass! these, when they had maize (y^t
is, Indean corne) they thought it as good as a feast, and wanted not
only for 5. days togeather, but some time 2. or 3. months togeather, and
neither had bread nor any kind of corne. Indeed, in an other place, in
his 2. Decade, page 94. he mentions how others of them were worse put to
it, wher they were faine to eate doggs, toads, and dead men, and so dyed
almost all. From these extremities the[AY] Lord in his goodnes kept
these his people, and in their great wants preserved both their lives
and healthes; let his name have y^e praise. Yet let me hear make use of
his conclusion, which in some sorte may be applied to this people: _That
with their miseries they opened a way to these new-lands; and after
these stormes, with what ease other men came to inhabite in them, in
respecte of y^e calamities these men suffered; so as they seeme to goe
to a bride feaste wher all things are provided for them._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts

Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts

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