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
fathers rightly say: _Our faithers were Englishmen which came over this
great ocean, and were ready to perish in this willdernes;[AI] but they
cried unto y^e Lord, and he heard their voyce, and looked on their
adversitie, &c. Let them therfore praise y^e Lord, because he is good, &
his mercies endure for ever._[AJ] _Yea, let them which have been
redeemed of y^e Lord, shew how he hath delivered them from y^e hand of
y^e oppressour. When they wandered in y^e deserte willdernes out of y^e
way, and found no citie to dwell in, both hungrie, & thirstie, their
sowle was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before y^e Lord his
loving kindnes, and his wonderfull works before y^e sons of men._
The 10. Chap.
_Showing how they sought out a place of habitation, and what befell them
theraboute._
[48] Being thus arrived at Cap-Cod y^e 11. of November, and necessitie
calling them to looke out a place for habitation, (as well as the
maisters & mariners importunitie,) they having brought a large shalop
with them out of England, stowed in quarters in y^e ship, they now gott
her out & sett their carpenters to worke to trime her up; but being much
brused & shatered in y^e shipe w^th foule weather, they saw she would be
longe in mending. Wherupon a few of them tendered them selves to goe by
land and discovere those nearest places, whilst y^e shallop was in
mending; and y^e rather because as they wente into y^t harbor ther
seemed to be an opening some 2. or 3 leagues of, which y^e maister
judged to be a river. It was conceived ther might be some danger in y^e
attempte, yet seeing them resolute, they were permited to goe, being 16.
of them well armed, under y^e conduct of Captain Standish, having shuch
instructions given them as was thought meete. They sett forth y^e 15. of
Nove^br: and when they had marched aboute the space of a mile by y^e sea
side, they espied 5. or 6. persons with a dogg coming towards them, who
were salvages; but they fled from them, & ra[=n]e up into y^e woods, and
y^e English followed them, partly to see if they could speake with them,
and partly to discover if ther might not be more of them lying in
ambush. But y^e Indeans seeing them selves thus followed, they againe
forsooke the woods, & rane away on y^e sands as hard as they could, so
as they could not come near them, but followed them by y^e tracte of
their feet sundrie miles, and saw that they had come the same way. So,
night coming on, they made their randevous & set out their sentinels,
and rested in quiete _y^t night_, and the next morning followed their
tracte till they had headed a great creake, & so left the sands, &
turned an other way into y^e woods. But they still followed them by
geuss, hopeing to find their dwellings; but they soone lost both them &
them selves, falling into shuch thickets as were ready to tear their
cloaths & armore in peeces, but were most distresed for wante of
drinke. But at length they found water & refreshed them selves, being
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