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
him selfe in to these mens high esteeme hear, so as they were faine to
let him goe on till all men saw his vanity. For he could not doe any
thing but boyle salt in pans, & yet would make them y^t were joynd with
him beleeve ther was so grat a misterie in it as was not easie to be
attained, and made them doe many unnecessary things to blind their eys,
till they discerned his sutltie. The next yere he was sente to Cap-Anne,
and y^e pans were set up ther wher the fishing was; but before so[=m]er
was out, he bu[=r]te the house, and the fire was so vehemente as it
spoyld the pans, at least some of them, and this was the end of that
chargable bussines.
The 3^d. eminente person (which y^e letters before mention) was y^e
minister which they sent over, by name M^r. John Lyford, of whom & whose
doing I must be more large, though I shall abridg things as much as I
can. When this man first came a shore, he saluted them with that
reverence & humilitie as is seldome to be seen, and indeed made them
ashamed, he so bowed and cringed unto them, and would have kissed their
hands if they would have [118] suffered him;[BR] yea, he wept & shed
many tears, blessing God that had brought him to see their faces; and
admiring y^e things they had done in their wants, &c. as if he had been
made all of love, and y^e humblest person in the world. And all the
while (if we may judg by his after cariags) he was but like him
mentioned in Psa: 10. 10. That croucheth & boweth, that heaps of poore
may fall by his might. Or like to that dissembling Ishmaell,[BS] who,
when he had slaine Gedelia, went out weeping and mette them y^t were
coming to offer incence in y^e house of y^e Lord; saing, Come to
Gedelia, when he ment to slay them. They gave him y^e best entertainment
y^ey could, (in all simplisitie,) and a larger alowans of food out of
y^e store then any other had, and as the Gov^r had used in all waightie
affairs to consulte with their Elder, M^r. Brewster, (togeither with his
assistants,) so now he caled M^r. Liford also to counsell with them in
their waightiest bussineses. Ater some short time he desired to joyne
himselfe a member to y^e church hear, and was accordingly received. He
made a large confession of his faith, and an acknowledgemente of his
former disorderly walking, and his being intangled with many
corruptions, which had been a burthen to his conscience, and blessed God
for this opportunitie of freedom & libertie to injoye y^e ordinances of
God in puritie among his people, with many more such like expressions.
I must hear speake a word also of M^r. John Oldom, who was a copartner
with him in his after courses. He had bene a cheefe sticler in y^e
former faction among y^e perticulers, and an intelligencer to those in
England. But now, since the coming of this ship and he saw the supply
that came, he tooke occasion to open his minde to some of y^e cheefe
amongst them heere, and confessed he had done them wrong both by word &
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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