"At our first coming hither _John Sagamore_ was the chiefest _Sachim_ in these parts. He falling sick, our Pastor Mr. _Wilson_ hearing of it (and being of some acquaintance with him) went to visit him, taking one of the deacons of our Church with him, and withall, a little Mithridate and strong water. When he came to his lodging, (which they call a _Wigwam_) hearing a noyse within, hee looked over the mat of the door, to discerne what it meant, and saw many _Indians_ gathered together, and some _Powwaws_ amongst them, who are their Priests, Physitians, and Witches. They by course spake earnestly to the sick _Sagamore,_ and to his disease, (in a way of charming of it and him) and one to another in a kind of Antiphonies. When they had done, all kept silence, our Pastour went in with the Deacon, and found the man farre spent, his eyes set in his bead, his speech leaving him, his mother (old _Squaw-Sachim_) sitting weeping at his bed's head. Well (saith our Pastour) our God save _Sagamore John, Powwaw Cram_ (that is, kill) _Sagamore John;_ and thereupon hee fell to prayer with his Deacon, and after prayer forced into the sick man's mouth with a spoon, a little Mithridate dissolved in the strong water; soon after the Sagamore looked up, and three dayes after went abroad on hunting. This providence so farre prevailed with the Sagamore, that he promised to look after the _English_ man's God, to heare their sermons, to weare _English_ apparell, &c. But his neighbor _Indians, Sagamores,_ and _Powwaws,_ hearing of this, threatened to _Cram_ him (that is, to kill him) if he did so degenerate from his Country Gods, and Religion, he thereupon fell off, and took up his Indian course of life again. Whatsoever facility may seeme to offer itself of the conversion of the Indians, it is not so easie a matter for them to hold out, no not in a semblance of profession of the true Religion. Afterwards God struck _John Sagamore_ againe, (and as I remember with the Small Pox) but then when they desired like succour from our Pastour as before, he told them now the Lord was angry with _Sagamore John,_ and it was doubtful hee would not so easily be intreated. The _Sagamore_ blamed himself and justified God, and confessed, he should not have been discouraged by their threats from seeking our God: for those _Sagamores_ and _Powwaws_ who did most terrifie him, hee had seene God sweeping them away by death, before himself, in a short time after. And therefore, when hee saw hee must die (for he died of that sickness) he left his sonne to the education of our Pastour, that he might keep closer to the English, and to their God, than himself had done. But his sonne also died of the same disease soon after." [FN] * * * * * [FN] The Way of Congregational Churches Cleared: London, 1648.