Should fuch be the cafe I fhould deeply and fincerely lament—not my misfortune in giving offence— but the wrong-headed perverfenefs of an ill-natured generation, in taking offence at any thing I say. That their ancestors did ufe my ancestors ill, is true, and I am very forry for it. I would, with all my heart the fact were otherwife; but as I am recording the facred events of history, I'd not bate one nail's breadth of the honest truth, though I were fure the whole edition of my work should be bought up and burnt by the common hangman of Connecticut. And in footh, now that these tefty gentlemen have drawr. me out, I will make-bold to go further and obferve, that this is one of the grand purposes for which we impartial historians are fent into the world—to redress wrongs and render justice on the heads of the guilty. So that though a powerful nation may wrong its neighbours with temporary impunity, yet fooner or later an hiftorian fprings up, who wreaks ample chastisement on it in return. Thus these mofs troopers of the east, little thought, I'll warrant it, while they were harraffing the inoffenfive province of Nieuw-Nederlandts, and driving its unhappy governor to his wits end, that an historian should ever arise, and give them their own, with intereft. Since then I am but performing my bounden duty as an hiftorian, in avenging the wrongs of our revered ancestors, I fhall make no further apology; and indeed, when it is confidered that I have all these ancient borderers of the east in my power, and at the mercy of my pen, I trust that it will be admitted I conduct myself with great humanity and moderation. To resume then the courfe of my hiftory-Appearances to the eastward began now to affume a more formidable afpect than ever-for I would have you note that hitherto the province had been chiefly molested by its immediate neighbours, the people of Connecticut, particularly of Hartford; which, if we may judge from ancient chronicles, was the ftrong hold of these sturdy mofs troopers, from whence they fallied forth, on their daring incurfions, carrying terror and devaftation into the barns, the hen-roofts and pig-styes of our revered ancestors. Albeit about the year 1643, the people of the east country, inhabiting the colonies of Maffachusetts, Connecticut, New-Plymouth, and New-Haven, gathered together into a mighty conclave, and after buzzing and debating for many days, like a political hive of bees in fwarming time, at length fettled themfelves into a formidable confederation, under the title of the United Colonies of New-England. By this union they pledged themselves to ftand by one another in all perils and affaults, and to co-operate in all meafures, offenfive and defenfive, against the surrounding favages, among which were doubtlesfly included our honoured ancestors of the Manhattoes; and to give more ftrength and system to this confederation, a general affembly or grand council was to be annually held, compofed of reprefentatives from each of the provinces. On receiving accounts of this puiffant combination, the fiery Wilhelmus was struck with vast consternation, and, for the first time in his whole life, forgot to bounce, at hearing an unwelcome piece of intelligence which a venerable hiftorian of the times obferves, was especially noticed among the fage politicians of New-Amfterdam. The truth was, on turning over in his mind all that he had read at the Hague, about leagues and combinations, he found that this was an exact imitation of the famous Amphyctionic council, by which the states of Greece were enabled to attain to fuch power and fupremacy, and the very idea made his heart to quake for the safety of his empire at the Manhattoes. He ftrenuously infifted, that the whole object of this confederation was to drive the Nederlanders out of their fair domains; and always flew into a great rage if any one prefumed to doubt the probability of his conjecture. Nor was he wholly unwarranted in fuch a fufpicion; for at the very first annual meeting of the grand council, held at Boston, (which governor Kieft denominated the Delphos of this truly claffic league) ftrong representations were made against the Nederlanders, for as much as that in their dealings with the Indians they carried on a traffic in " guns, powther and fhott-a trade damnable and injurious to the colonists."* Not but what certain of the Conneeticut traders did likewise dabble a little in this " damnable traffic'-but then they always fold the Indians fuch scurvy guns, that they burft at the first discharge and confequently hurt no one but these pagan favages. His The rife of this potent confederacy was a death blow to the glory of William the Tefty, for from that day forward, it was remarked by many, he never held up his head, but appeared quite crest fallen. fubfequent reign, therefore, affords but fcanty food for the hiftoric pen-we find the grand council continually augmenting in power, and threatening to overwhelm the mighty but defenceless province of Nieuw-Nederlandts; while Wilhelmus Kieft kept constantly firing off his proclamations and pròtefts, like a fhrewd fea captain, firing off fo many carronades and fwivels, in order to break and difperfe a water fpout—but alas! they had no more effect than if they had been fo many blank cartridges. The last document on record of this learned, philofophic, but unfortunate little man, is a long letter to the council of the Amphyctions, wherein, in the bitterness of his heart, he rails at the people of NewHaven, or Red Hills, for their uncourteous contempt of his proteft, levelled at them for fquatting within the province of their high mightineffes. From this *Haz. Col. S. Papers. letter, which is a model of epistolary writing, abounding with pithy apophthegms and claffic figures, my limits will barely allow me to extract the following recondite paffage :* Certainly when we heare the Inhabitants of New Hartford complayninge of us, we seem to heare Esop's wolfe complayninge of the lamb, or the admonition of the younge man, who cryed out to his mother, chideing with her neighboures, Oh Mother revile her, left fhe first take up that practice against you.' But being taught by precedent passages, we received fuch an answer to our protest from the inhabitants of New-Haven as we expected: the Eagle always despiseth the Beetle fly; yet notwithstanding we doe undauntedly continue on our purpose of pursuing our own right, by just arms and righteous means, and doe hope without fcruple to execute the express commands of our fuperiours." To fhow that this last sentence was not a mere empty menace, he concluded his letter, by intrepidly protesting against the whole council, as a horde of squatters and interlopers, inasmuch as they held their meeting at New-Haven, or the Red Hills, which he claimed as being within the province of the New-Netherlands. Thus end the authenticated chronicles of the reign of William the Tefty-for henceforth, in the troubles, the perplexities and the confufion of the times, he feems to have been totally overlooked and to have VOL. I. *Vide Haz. Col. State Papers. 25 |