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
But whether this letter of his ever came to their hands at Leyden I well
know not; I rather thinke it was staied by M^r. Carver & kept by him,
forgiving offence. But this which follows was ther received; both which
I thought pertenent to recite.
_Another of his to y^e aforesaid, June_ 11. 1620.[S]
Salutations, &c. I received your l[~e]r. yesterday, by John Turner,
with another y^e same day from Amsterdam by M^r. W. savouring of y^e
place whenc it came. And indeed the many discouragements I find her,
togeather with y^e demurrs and retirings ther, had made me to say, I
would give up my accounts to John Carver, & at his comeing aquainte
him fully with all courses, and so leave it quite, with only y^e pore
cloaths on my back. But gathering up my selfe by further
consideration, [34] I resolved yet to make one triall more, and to
aquainte M^r. Weston with y^e fainted state of our bussines; and
though he hath been much discontented at some thing amongst us of
late, which hath made him often say, that save for his promise, he
would not meadle at all with y^e bussines any more, yet considering
how farr we were plunged into maters, & how it stood both on our
credits & undoing, at y^e last he gathered up him selfe a litle more,
& coming to me 2. hours after, he tould me he would not yet leave it.
And so advising togeather we resolved to hire a ship, and have tooke
liking of one till Monday, about 60. laste, for a greater we cannot
gett, excepte it be tow great; but a fine ship it is. And seeing our
neer freinds ther are so streite lased, we hope to assure her without
troubling them any further; and if y^e ship fale too small, it fitteth
well y^t such as stumble at strawes allready, may rest them ther a
while, least worse blocks come in y^e way ere 7. years be ended. If
you had beaten this bussines so throuly a month agoe, and write to us
as now you doe, we could thus have done much more conveniently. But it
is as it is; I hope our freinds ther, if they be quitted of the ship
hire, will be indusced to venture y^e more. All y^t I now require is
y^t salt and netts may ther be boughte, and for all y^e rest we will
here provid it; yet if that will not be, let them but stand for it a
month or tow, and we will take order to pay it all. Let M^r.
_Reinholds_ tarie ther, and bring y^e ship to Southampton. We have
hired another pilote here, one M^r. _Clarke_, who went last year to
Virginia with a ship of kine.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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