againe humbly beseech yo", for y° Lo Jesus Xt his sake, help me to a coppy of that my letter. Oh, deare S, the consideratio" that I was called out of my natiue country, &c, and led into ye wildernesse to be tempted, is not my sorrow; but that I haue sinned in yo wildernes, and tempted my God in yo desarts, is yo greife of my heart, my sorrow &c; my shame it is, that I, who pfesse loue to Xt & to yo brethren, should pearce him & his members by that my sinne, the roote of wch sinne was ye relicts of yt curssed enmity in my heart against ye Lo: Xt & His people; for certainly had not y° devill (yt old accuser of the brethren) fyered his temptatio" vpon y° tinder of yt corruptio", he could not (I thinke) haue caused my wretched heart to conceaue, nurrish & bring forth such a monstrous imp, soe like himselfe (to witt) an accusatio" of y° brethren. This woefull expience of yo vanity of myne owne heart I haue gained at a deare rate. Y good Lord sanctifye it to mee, & cause mee more narrowly to examine ye sines of my nature & practice, & to looke diligently least any root of bitternesse spring vp, that I may gett ye blood of Xt applyed therevnto for ye mortificatio thereof. Loving S, since I writt to yo" it pleased of Gou'no' to send ye Marshall for mee at yo gen all Court; being sett, ye first day of yo 11th moneth, and I appearing, was questioned about yt my letter, &c. I answerred yt I had not a coppy of it, but wt I had received from yo' wor?; wherevpõ I voluntarily shewed the Court yo' letter, wherein yo" related sundry passages of yt my letter, wch being read publiqely amongst them, after some considerations, the Court pleased to enioyne mee, to answere the said matter, when I shall be therevnto called by y° Court. I told them I had written diûs letters to yo1 wor! about yt matter, & by my last letter to yo' wor? had desired a conduct frõ y° Honb. State, to yo end I might come & manifest my vnfained repentance wth my pence, as I had done in writing. The Court replyed, that in as much as the matter did not depend in yo' Court, they might wthout any wrong to yor State, or to my selfe, cause mee to answere it here. I answered yt I doubted it would not giue them soe good satisfactio (as I thought I stood bound in conscience to doe) because they were none of them here p'sent. The Court replyed againe that they would write forthwth to yo" Hon! State, that they had taken notice of such a thing, & had questioned mee for itt, & y° cause should depend in their Court, and if soe bee they had not received satisfactio about it, they might if they pleased send their deputies hither, & here receaue such satisfactio from mee as the word of God required, according to their best light, in y° hearing of such a cause. And whall or Gou'no' charged mee (in yo p'sence of yo· Court) not to goe into y° Bay, nor write any more about this cause, wthout the consent of of Court, or at least of o Gou❜no! & assistants, because now it depended in this Court. I humbly beseeched them for leaue to speake, wch given, I told them sadly it was much trouble to my conscience, that I should be hindred from seeking reconciliatio (by any lawfull meanes I might) wth those whom I had iustly offended; & to be deferred or delayed therein was a sore trouble to mee, telling them, that it lay heauy vpõ my soule eury tyme I came into y° p'sence of God, either in publiqẽ or private, when I remembred that my brethren had such a thing against mee, & I was not reconciled to them, wherewth some of y° Court then p'sent was touched wth bowels of brotherly compassion toward mee, and vpõ my humble request, the Court pmissed mee to write forthwith to yo State, but engaged mee as before not to goe or write wthout their consents; wherevpõ I forbore to write (though wth much trouble) till now that I received yo1 letter, wherevpo I went to ye Gou'no' & assistants, & desired leaue to write, & haue read vnto them this my letter before I sent it to yo", according to myne engagement. Wherefore I doe humbly beseech yo' wors to compassionate & commiserate my afflicted conditio (not that I would make hast out of afflictio, for I beleeue God hath & will doe mee good thereby), but that I would not lye vnder sinne. Wherefore when you receiue yo letter wch or Gou'no' sends concerning mee, I earnestly entreat you to vse all lawfull meanes yo' wor? shall think meet to putt an end to my expectatio of reconciliatio wth you all, whome I haue offended; & so forced in strates of tyme to breake of abruptly, humbly desiring yo' prayers for mee, & a speedy answere to o Gou'no" & myselfe concerning mee, wth a conduct, wch I much desire, I take leaue; praying for yo1 worps increase of honor & happines, I rest on God's m'cy. Yo' poore afflicted & vnworthy friend in yo Lo: HNSRD KNOLLYS. DOVER, 11m 21, -39. [Jan. 21, 1639-40.] Indorsed by Governor Winthrop, "Mr. Knollis." GEORGE ROSE TO JOHN WINTHROP. To the worshipfull and his honorable worthy freinde, a publick freinde, the Church and Cuntreyes freinde M Winthope Gouerner of Matetuset Beay at Boston, I wish theise. My humble dutie and seruis, with beste affection. May it please your worshipe to conceaiue that I haue cause to simpothise with you in your extroardinarie damage, as allsoe your worships soe longe forebearance, not in callinge to acount your vniuste stewarde, beffore such extreame out runinge. This giues mee to vnderstand, you did conceaiue the man to bee honeste, allthough I knewe to the contrarie in some parte, and that from the comou out crie of the cuntrie as thus, hee and they that make no acount what wages the giue to mean and insóficient parties * George Rose was one of the founders of the church at Braintree, and afterward removed to Concord. He was made a freeman May 13, 1640, and died May 20, 1649. See Savage's Genealogical Dictionary. — EDS. are not to bee trusted; but hee gaue 20: wages for driueinge beasts from Duxburie to your farme; ergoe, not to be trusted. I bewaiele frome my verrie hart the passages of my knowledge in some perteculers; but I steay heare: and take it for truth through the good hand of our God. Your worship is now soe provided as you maie reste well satisfied, as brother Wright giueth mee to vnderstand; yet I besseech you, trie beffore you truste, and I hope you will. For my owne part, vnworthey I ame to make cleane your shooes; and soe reste, intreatinge the Lord to vphold yo worship vnder soe greate and vnacusstomed triall, for whome manie doe implore the Throne of Grace: and I, vnworthey wretch amongst manie, fare the better for your wo'shipe euerrie daie I doe arise, in that our God hath giuen you a hart and a hand, a sworde to mayntaine the ordinances of ye Lord, in puritie, peace, with power. Manie maie your daies bee, with much inlargment, to be more refined with partinge with drosse, and in conclusion to be a greate gainer by soe bad a bargain: and soe all shall worcke together for the beste to them that loue and longe for the apeareinge of our Lord Jesus Christe, to yours and our imortalitie. Euen soe be your part, from the bottom of my poore hart. Amen. Yours to command: hart, purss, and hand. GEORGE ROSE. MOUNT WOLLISTON this 21th of this last month, 1639. [Feb. 21, 1639–40.] Reuerend Ser, yf teares would haue sealed, wax mighte haue ben spared: yours and you be blessed together and a part, manie are they that wish soe in hart. * EDWARD PAYNE TO JOHN WINTHROP. To the Right Wo'full John Winthrope Esquir. Ddd in Boston. New England; p Mr. John Cutting, whom God pserue. From LONDON, this 26th of Feberuary, 1639 [-40.] RIGHT WO AND MY MOST LOV FRIND, -M: Winthrop, my love and best respects remembred vnto you, S, and allso vnto Mistres Winthrope, wth all the rest of you❜ family, wishing & praying for you' healthes and weallfar, ass for my owne. St, I give you much thankes for your love & for your leater, butt for the otter which you seant, she was lost in coming hom, for the which I ame very sory, yett S your love I do seatt much by, & desir to serue you in whatt I can to my power. St, I haue seant you by M: Cutten a small token of my love, 6 gares of Zant oyle. S, my request vnto you is that you wold be pleased to healp me in that busnes betwen M: Eatton & me, for the bill which I had of him for three hundreth pownds vnto M: Adames & M: Gough is protested, & theay will not pay itt, and I vnderstand that M: Eatton is flead,† so that I fear I shall loos my monie which I haue ben long geeting, wth much labor & paynes. I did part wth my monie for the good of the cuntry & my frinds therin, which ar many. I shall not ned to inlarg much, your wo knowes what I said. S, M Valentin Hill hath all my bills att Boston. I shall not see you this yeer. I do determyn to build a new ship against the next yeer. And so, God willing, to see you, which I long to doe. I wold fayn se what this parlament will efect. St, I haue treated with your brother about some land of yours. He is in very good health, I mean your brother M Dean Tindall, he hath paid me the 50 pownds, * Captain Edward Payne was a shipmaster, and was early engaged in the transportation of passengers to New England. See III. Mass. Hist. Coll. VIII. 258, 260, 263.-Eds. † Nathaniel Eaton, a brother of Governor Theophilus Eaton, and first head of Harvard College. His misconduct having brought on him the censure of the government, he fled to Virginia; and afterward went back to England, where he died. See Savage's Genealogical Dictionary; Winthrop's History of New England, I. 308–313. Eds. |
