My dear freind & brother, whom with yours I alwaise remember in my best affection, and whose wellfare I shall never cease to co[=m]end to God by my best & most earnest praires. You doe throwly understand by our generall letters y^e estate of things hear, which indeed is very pitifull; espetialy by wante of shiping, and not seeing means lickly, much less certaine, of having it provided; though withall ther be great want of money & means to doe needfull things. M^r. Pickering, you know before this, will not defray a peny hear; though Robart Cushman presumed of I know not how many 100^li. from him, & I know not whom. Yet it seems strange y^t we should be put to him to receive both his & his partners adventer, and yet M^r. Weston write unto him, y^t in regard of it, he hath drawne upon him a 100^li. more. But ther is in this some misterie, as indeed it seems ther is in y^e whole course. Besids, wheras diverse are to pay in some parts of their moneys yet behinde, they refuse to doe it, till they see shiping provided, or a course taken for it. Neither doe I thinke is ther a man hear would pay any thing, if he had againe his money in his purse. You know right well we depended on M^r. Weston alone, and upon such means as he would procure for this commone bussines; and when we had in hand another course with y^e Dutchmen, broke it of at his motion, and upon y^e conditions by him shortly after propounded. He did this in his love I know, but things appeare not answerable from him hitherto. That he should have first have put in his moneys, is thought by many to have been but fitt, but y^t I can well excuse, he being a marchante and haveing use of it to his benefite; wheras others, if it had been in their hands, would have consumed it. [30] But y^t he should not but have had either shipping ready before this time, or at least certaine means, and course, and y^e same knowne to us for it, or have taken other order otherwise, cannot in my conscience be excused. I have heard y^t when he hath been moved in the bussines, he hath put it of from him selfe, and referred it to y^e others;[P] and would come to Georg Morton, & enquire news of him aboute things, as if he had scarce been some accessarie unto it. Wether he hath failed of some helps from others which he expected, and so be not well able to goe through with things, or whether he hath feared least you should be ready too soone & so encrease y^e charge of shiping above y^t is meete, or whether he have thought by withhoulding to put us upon straits, thinking y^t therby M^r. Brewer and M^r. Pickering would be drawne by importunitie to doe more, or what other misterie is in it, we know not; but sure we are y^t things are not answerable to such an occasion. M^r. Weston maks himselfe mery with our endeavors about buying a ship, but we have done nothing in this but with good reason, as I am perswaded, nor yet