Lord's doing and ought to be marvellous in our eyes. The tyrannous bishops are ejected, their courts dissolved, their canons forceless, their service cashiered, their ceremonies useless and despised. Their proud and profane supporters and oruel defenders (the bloody papists and wicked atheists and their malignant consorts) are marvellously overthrown. But who has done it? Even He who sitteth on the White Horse who is called faithful and true, and judgeth and fighteth righteously. Hallelujah!"

The passage is characteristic of the Separatists, who could only see in their opponents the enemies of the Lord, "bloody" and "wicked." Had Bradford lived until the Restoration he would presumably have been less satisfied with the ways of Providence.

But we must return to our Pilgrims. It would be wearisome to relate in detail the various obstacles of one sort and another which had to be overcome. They were not men to be easily daunted, and at length in August 1620 they set sail in the Mayflower, a vessel of 180 tons, which was accompanied by a smaller vessel, the Speedwell. But disappointment awaited them. The Speedwell sprung a leak and eventually had to be left behind at Plymouth; the Mayflower pursued her solitary way.

Of the voyage we have a vivid and interesting account

in Bradford's 'History.' Everywhere one is impressed by his profound sense of divine guidanee, though unfortunately it is accompanied by a too eager readiness to see the hand of God in the misfortunes which happen to his enemies, or those of whom he disapproves. He is never afraid to reveal the secrets of the Most High. Thus he gives as a special example of God's Providence the death on board of a "very violent and profane young man" who abused the Pilgrims. As it happened, another young man, "servant to Samuel Foller," also died; but this is not regarded as “a special example of God's Providence." He also notices. elsewhere that a certain Mr Blackwell, who had received the Archbishop's blessing, died soon afterwards, and concludes that "if such events follow the Archbishop's blessing, happy are they who miss it." The death of his own wife, who fell overboard and was drowned, was accompanied by no similar reflections.

It was a stormy and tempestuous passage; but at length, on November 9th-nine weeks after leaving Plymouth

they caught sight of land, the low shere of Cape Cod, not seventy miles from the place where they had hoped to settle. Accordingly the ship was headed round in a southerly direction, and they made for the mouth of the Hudson. Here, however, off Sandy Point, the rough water made it necessary to return north

wards and put into Cape Cod harbour. But they at once found themselves face to face with a difficulty. They were outside the limits of the Virginian Company, and their patent was useless. It was impossible at the time to communicate with the Northern Company, in whose territories they now were, and, in the circumstances, they determined to form themselves inte a civil body politic, and chose John Carver as their Governor. Immediately afterwards a small party was set on shore to explore the country, and succeeded in finding and bringing back some Indian corn. Meanwhile a shallop which they had brought with them was being got ready, and in her another exploring party set forth, and reported in favour of a spot near the mouth of the Parret river. The Pilgrims, however, were not satisfied; and on December 6th the shallop, manned by "a few principal men and some sailors," made a third expedition, which, after encounters with Indians and much suffering from the cold, ended in the famous "landing on Plymouth Rock" on December 11th. "On Monday," says Bradford, "they sounded the harbour and found it fit for shipping; and marching inland they found several cornfields and little running brooks, a place as they supposed fit for settlement." With this news they returned to their chief, and on December 16th the Mayflower oast anchor in Plymouth Bay.

But their troubles were not over. They had landed in winter; and though it was a comparatively mild one, their sufferings were great, and many of their number died. There were difficulties with the London merchants who had financed the expedition, while certain

"False brethren "

severely tried the patience of Governor Bradford and his colleagues. Then there were also the Indians, who naturally regarded the newcomers with a certain amount of suspicion ; and though on the whole the colonists dealt fairly and tactfully with them, they occasionally adopted measures which drew a protest from John Robinson at Leyden. "Conoerning the killing of these poor Indians, of which we heard at first by rumour and since by more definite report, oh! how happy a thing it had been if you had converted some before you killed any.

.. Necessity of killing so many I cannot see." Some years later, in 1637, the differences with the Pequot Indians and the settlers in Connecticut led to & war which is vividly described by Bradford. The enemy were mostly in a fort, which the colonists and the friendly Indians surrounded. The fort was set on fire. "It burnt their bowstrings, and made their weapons useless, and they that escaped the fire were slain by the sword, some hewn to pieces, others run through with rapiers, so that they were quickly despatched, and very

It is interesting to notice the system of industry adopted by the colonists. At first it was a pure communism, but this was a failure, and, in Bradford's opinion, "proves the emptiness of the theory of Plato." Then each household was allotted a patch of cornland; the grass-land was divided into common fields, where all had right of pasturage, and a second portion, where individuals had a temporary right of occupanoy-a system almost identical with that which prevailed in England in the Middle Ages. The industry of the colonists assured success, and their material property rapidly inereased. In a few years, in addition to the original settlement, two new townships had been established, and a representative assembly was formed of delegates from the three towns. There were religious disputes and dissensions which Bradford laments, fearing that "they will be the ruin of New England, at least of the churches of God there"; but when he died in 1657 the

colony for which he had done so much was firmly established.

While the Pilgrim settlement was still struggling against adverse circumstances, in the year 1629, six prominent English Puritans, who had already formed a fishing station in Massachusetts Bay, obtained a grant of land from the New England Company, and a royal charter incorporating the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay, and a fleet was sent out with 350 emigrants, including three ministers of religion. This movement appears to have owed its original impulse to John White, the Puritan Vicar of Dorchester; among the partners was Roger Endicott; and the first Governor of the new colony was Suffolk squire, John Winthrop.

These men, it must be understood, were Puritans, but not Separatists. They regarded themselves as members of the Church of England, and indeed its only true members, anxious to purge away superstitious ceremonies, and to bring her to what they regarded as a purer condition. Loudly professing to be the victims of persecution, they soon proved that in temper and spirit they and their "persecutors" were at one. Among the members of the Council were two, John and Samuel Browne, "men of estates, and men of parts in the place," who were dissatisfied at the disuse of the Prayer Book by the ministers whom they had brought out,

wards and put into Cape Cod harbour. But they at once found themselves face to face with a difficulty. They were outside the limits of the Virginian Company, and their patent was useless. It was impossible at the time to communicate with the Northern Company, in whose territories they now were, and, in the circumstances, they determined to form themselves inte a civil body politic, and chose John Carver as their Governor. Immediately afterwards a small party was set on shore to explore the country, and succeeded in finding and bringing back some Indian corn. Meanwhile a shallop which they had brought with them was being got ready, and in her another exploring party set forth, and reported in favour of a spot near the mouth of the Parret river. The Pilgrims, however, were not satisfied; and on December 6th the shallop, manned by "a few principal men and some sailors," made a third expedition, which, after encounters with Indians and much suffering from the cold, ended in the famous "landing on Plymouth Rock" on December 11th. "On Monday," says Bradford, "they sounded the harbour and found it fit

for shipping; and marching inland they found several cornfields and little running brooks, a place as they supposed fit for settlement." With this news they returned to their ohief,

on December 16th the Mayflower cast anchor in Plymouth Bay.

But their troubles were not over. They had landed in winter; and though it was a comparatively mild one, their sufferings were great, and many of their number died. There were difficulties with the London merchants who had financed the expedition, while certain

"False brethren " severely tried the patience of Governor Bradford and his colleagues. Then there were also the Indians, who naturally regarded the newcomers with a certain amount of suspicion; and though on the whole the colonists dealt fairly and tactfully with them, they occasionally adopted measures which drew a protest from John Robinson at Leyden. "Concerning the killing of these poor Indians, of which we heard at first by rumour and since by more definite report, oh! how happy & thing it had been if you had converted some before you killed any. . . . Necessity of killing so many I cannot see." Some years later, in 1637, the differences with the Pequot Indians and the settlers in Connecticut led to a war which is vividly described by Bradford. The enemy were mostly in a fort, which the colonists and the friendly Indians surrounded. The fort was set on fire. "It burnt their bowstrings, and made their weapons useless, and they that escaped the fire were slain by the sword, some hewn to pieces, others run through with rapiers, so that they were quickly despatched, and very