But the missionaries did not find it plain sailing. Besides the incessant jealousy between the whites and the aborigines, they had to encounter the natural repugnance of the Indian to desert the blind faith of his fathers and accept the God and Saviour of the white men. Massasoit, spite of his friendship for the whites, lived and died a strict unbeliever. Philip, his son, was equally obstinate, saying on one occasion, after listening to an exhortation from Eliot, and placing his hand on a button on the Apostle’s coat: “I care no more for the gospel than I care for that button.” The Narragansetts went so far as to prohibit preaching within their borders. Yet still the missionaries went on, and, with God’s blessing, they harvested many souls, long before good Bishop Berkeley launched his noble but abortive scheme for the conversion of the red men. Those readers who are desirous of studying this subject in detail, are referred to Sparks’ Life of Eliot; Mayhew’s Indian experiences; Mansell’s recent reprint at Albany of tracts concerning Eliot’s Indian missions; R. Williams’ Key; Hubbard’s Hist.; Mather’s Magnalia; Gookin, in Mass. Hist. Col., etc., etc. [753] Ibid., p. 49. He came February 11, 1630. [754] Wood’s New England Prospect, p. 4. [755] J. Macpherson’s America Dissected, 1752. [756] Palfrey, vol. 1, p. 323. These were Salem, Charlestown, Watertown, Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mystic, and Saugus. [757] Bradford, p. 311. [758] Elliot, vol. 1, p. 1. [759] Prince, Bancroft, Hutchinson. [760] Bancroft, vol. 1, chap. 2. passim. [761] Brodhead’s Hist. of New York. Dunlap. [762] Chalmers, Hening. [763] Thatcher’s Plymouth. [764] Bradford, pp. 255-310. [765] Palfrey, vol. 1, p. 336. [766] Bradford, p. 301. [767] Chap. 21, p. 264. [768] Bradford, p. 263. [769] Elliot, vol. 1, p. 119. Young’s Chronicles, Morton’s Memorials, etc. [770] Bradford, p. 263. Morton. [771] The old form of expression for _exhort_ or _expound_. [772] Now called “North river,” near Scituate. Massachusetts Hist. Col. 4. [773] Winthrop, vol. 1, pp. 108-111. [774] Palfrey, vol. 1, p. 337. Hubbard, Prince. [775] Bradford, p. 294. [776] Ibid., p. 311. Winthrop, Hubbard, Thatcher. [777] Brodhead’s N. Y.; the Dutch claim to have discovered it. Brodhead. [778] Bradford, ut antea. [779] Trumbull’s Connecticut. [780] Winthrop, vol. 1, p. 52. [781] Bradford, p. 312. [782] Ibid. [783] Brodhead’s N. Y., Bradford, Hubbard. [784] Ibid., Palfrey. [785] Brodhead’s N. Y., Bradford, Hubbard, Palfrey. [786] Palfrey, vol. 1, p. 340. [787] Winthrop, vol. 1, pp. 105-113. Bradford, pp. 311-314. Brodhead, Hist. N. Y., vol. 1, pp. 235-242. [788] “The insect here described,” remarks Judge Davis, “is the _Cicada Septendecim_ of Linnæus, commonly called the _locust_. They have frequently appeared since, indicated by Linnæus’ specific name.” Davis’ edition of the Mem., p. 171. [789] Bradford, pp. 314, 315.