The Speedwell, however, soon sprang a leak, and the two vessels entered the harbor of Plymouth in Devonshire, where as many as possible of the Speedwell’s passengers were transferred to the Mayflower, those who could not be there accommodated being placed ashore. As the Mayflower glided out of the harbor on September 6, 1620, the one hundred and two devoted souls on board waved a sad farewell to their twenty disconsolate fellow Pilgrims who stood on the quay. As the dim outlines of ancient Cornwall faded from their view, the hearts of flesh cried out, but the steady voice of the Spirit gave them courage; for to the Puritan, in spite of his faults, which were many and great, duty was always first, and the planting of the wilderness with the choicest seed, as he modestly called himself, was a solemn duty laid upon him by God. [Illustration: Copr. 1906. A. S. Burbank, Plymouth, Mass. NATIONAL MONUMENT TO THE FOREFATHERS _Erected in remembrance of their sufferings for civil and religious liberty._] Driven from their course, lost on the vast oceans of an unknown world, the little company pressed bravely on, and on November 9 sighted Cape Cod, far to the north of their intended destination. Here their patent was useless, and as some of the company in “discontented and mutinous speeches” during the voyage had declared that “they would use their own liberty” after landing, it was thought wise to draw up a compact binding its signers to render “all due submission and obedience” to the government therein provided. This document has been called the first written constitution in the world’s history. It was not a constitution, however; but only a compact. PLYMOUTH ROCK