him. If it be not a satisfactory confession, they shew him his defect, they admonish and exhort him to a more full confession; and so he is left to some other time. This finished, he blesseth the church, and

so dismisseth the assembly.

Moreover, Major Gookin hath dedicated his eldest son, Mr. Daniel Gookin, unto this service of Christ; he is a pious and learned young man, about thirty-three years old, hath been eight years a fellow of the college; he hath taught and trained up two classes of our young scholars unto their commencement; he is a man, whose abilities are above exception, though not above envy. His father, with his inclination, advised him to Sherburne, a small village near Natick, whose meetinghouse is about three miles, more or less, from Natick meeting-house. Mr. Gookin holdeth a lecture in Natick meeting-house once a month; which lecture, many English, especially of Sherburne, do frequent. He first preacheth in English, to the English audience, and then the same matter is delivered to the Indians, by an interpreter, whom, with much pains, Mr. Gookin hath fore-prepared. We apprehend, that this will (by God's blessing) be a means to enable the Indians to understand religion preached in the English tongue, and will much further Mr. Gookin in learning the Indian tongue. Likewise Major Gookin holdeth and manageth his courts in the English tongue; which doth greatly further the Indians in learning law and government in the English tongue; which is a point of wisdom in civilizing them, that your honours have manifested your desires, that it might be attended.

The places, where the Indians meet to worship God, and sanctify the sabbath, are many; the most are stated places, others are occasional. The stated places, in the Massachusetts, since the wars, are contracted into four, Natick, Ponkipog, Wameset, and Chachaubunkkakowok* The occasional meetings are at places of fishing, hunting, gathering chesnuts, in their seasons. Also since the wars, the Mauquaoys, making incursions upon the praying Indians, did cause them to make divers forts, to live safely in, and then they did there meet to worship God, and keep the sabbath.

In Plymouth Patent, there are about ten places, where they meet to worship God.

An intelligent person, of Martyn's Vineyard, reckoned up unto me ten places, where God is worshipped every Lord's day in that island. At Nantucket there be about five places of prayer and keeping

sabbaths.

The reason of this dispersion of places of publick meeting to worship God, is this; there is but here and there a spot of good land, fit for planting corn, with accommodation of fishing; these spots of good land lie at a great distance from each other; some four or five miles, some eight or nine miles: some ten or twelve miles, so that it is impossible for them, especially with women and children, to meet at one place;

* Or Chabanakongkomun. See Coll. of Hist. Soc. vol. 1. p. 199. VOL. III.

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therefore all, that live together at one place, meet to worship God on the sabbath day.

Thus I have briefly represented before you, right honourable, at your command, the present estate of the praying Indians, in respect of their religion. And what I have here expressed, for the substance of the things, I know them to be true, and I have often so practised among them.

By this it appeareth, that they are, in some good measure, able (by the light of the scriptures, and by the example of the churches of Christ, and by such instruction as they have had) to practise and manage the whole instituted publick worship of God among themselves, without the presence or inspection of any English among them, which is no small addition and advancement to the kingdom of Christ; and I doubt not but it shall add much comfort and joy to your souls here, and shall add much weight of glory to your souls hereafter, who have been so diligent, liberal, and constant in your supplies for the encouragement of this work of Christ.

And it is no small comfort to me, whom divine providence and grace hath made one of the poor instruments, to instruct and manage them unto this estate in Christ Jesus, whereunto they have attained.

As for the sending any numbers of Moses's Pentateuch, I beseech your honours to spare us in that; because so many as we send, so many bibles are maimed, and made incomplete, because they want the five books of Moses. We present your honours with one book, so far as we have gone in the work, and humbly beseech, that it may be acceptable, until the whole be finished; and then the whole impression (which is two thousand) is at your honours command. Our slow progress needeth an apology. We have been much hindered by the sickness this year. Our workmen have been all sick, and we have but few hands, one Englishman, and a boy, and one Indian; and many interruptions and diversions do befal us; and we could do but little this very hard winter. But I shall give your honours no further trouble at this time, only requesting the continuance of your prayers and protection. So I remain,

Your bonour's to serve you

in our Lord Jesus,

JOHN ELIOT.

POSTSCRIPT.

The people of Natick have procured some friend of Sherburne, to draw up a letter to me, which I make bold to present to your honours view, being here enclosed. If I have been over bold herein, I beseech your honours to pardon me.

VIII.

I

Roxbury, August 29, 1686. in the third month of our overthrow.

Right honourable, unweariable, nursing father,

HAVE nothing new to write but lamentations, and I am loath to grieve your loving and noble soul.

Our Indian work yet liveth, praised be God; the bible is come forth, many hundreds bound up, and dispersed to the Indians, whose thankfulness I intimate and testify to your honour. The Practice of Piety is also finished, and beginneth to be bound up. And my humble request to your honour is, that we may again reimpose the primer and catechism; for though the last impression be not quite spent, yet quickly they will; and I am old, ready to be gone, and desire to leave as many books as I I know not what to add in this distressing day of our overthrow; so I commit your honour to the Lord, and rest,

can.

Your honour's to serve you,

in Jesus Christ,

JOHN ELIOT.

IX.

Roxbury, July 7, 1688.

Right honourable, deep learned, abundantly charitable, and constant nursing father,

Sir,

I of your home, and thankfulness. Dir, many years since you

AM drawing home, and am glad of an opportunity to take my leave

pleased to commit 30/. into my hand, upon a design for the promoting Christ his kingdom among the Indians; which gift of yours I have religiously kept, waiting for an opportunity so to improve it; but God hath not pleased yet to open such a door. I am old, and desire to finish that matter, and take the boldness to request your honour, that it may be thus disposed of. It being in the hand of Major Gookin's relict widow, and he died poor, though full of good works, and greatly beneficent to the Indians, and bewailed by them to this day; therefore let his widow have 107. his eldest son, who holds up a lecture among the Indians and English 101. and the third 107. give it to Mr. John Cotton, who helped me much in the second edition of the bible. And also I must commit to him the care and labour of the revisal of two other small treatises, viz. Mr. Shepherd's Sincere Convert and Sound Believer, which I translated into the Indian language many years since; and now I hope, that the honourable corporation will be

at the charge to print them, by your honour's favour and countenance. But I cannot commit them to the press without a careful revisal, which none but Mr. Cotton is able to help me to perform.

The work in general seemeth to my soul to be in and well toward a reviving. Many churches of confessors of Christ are in motions to gather into church estate, who do carefully keep the sabbath. And out of these professors of religion, we do gather up and call in such as are willing to confess Jesus Christ, and seek salvation by him. Touching other matters, what our losses and changes be, and how trading, &c. are spoiled, I am silent; but my prayer to God is, Isaiah i. 25, 26. And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin, and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning, &c. So do, O Lord.

Sir, the Lord prolong your days, and fill you with all grace, until you arrive at the fulness of glory, where I leave you, and rest,

Your honour's

to serve you in Jesus Christ,

JOHN ELIOT.

BIOGRAPHICAL

AND TOPOGRAPHICAL ANECDOTES RESPECTING SANDWICH AND MARSHPEE, JAN. 1794. BY REV. GIDEON HAWLEY, A. M.

A

MONG the first emigrants from England, who settled at Sandwich, were Mr. Richard Bourne and Mr. Thomas Tupper, both of them persons of a religious turn, and the latter a little tinged with the fanaticism, so prevalent about that time in the country, from which they came. These men, as I learn by tradition, carried on at Sandwich the religious exercises, and officiated publickly on the Lord's day, each of them having his party but as they were in all a small congregation, they did not separate, but agreed, that the officer, who had the most adherents at meeting for the time being, should be the minister for the day. In process of time, the congregation settled Mr. Smith, in whom they united. This minister had for a time officiated at Barnstable; but Mr. Hinckley, who was afterwards governour, made uneasiness; and his party was so great, that Mr. Smith requested a dismission. He was asked to what church he would be dismissed? His answer is said to have been, "that he would be dismissed to the grace of God." When one of the disaffected party in a pet, said, " And what if the grace of God won't receive you?" After a dismission, and it is supposed a recommendation, Mr. Smith travelled southward, and for a time officiated on Long-Island, and then went into the Jersies, where he left some of his posterity: But finally returned and settled the pastor of the church at Sandwich. From this gentleman are descended the Smiths in the upper end of this county, and those of Pembroke and, it has been said, that the member of congress, by the name of Smith, from S. Carolina, is from this same family.

:

1

Religious matters being settled at Sandwich, Bourne and Tupper turned their attention to the business of gospelizing the Indians. The attention of Mr. Tupper was towards the Indians to the northward and westward of Sandwich, where he founded a church near Herring River, by which a meeting house stood in 1757, which had been supplied with a succession of ministers by the name of Tupper; and continued to be until the decease of the Rev. Elisha Tupper, (the greatgrandson of Thomas) who died 1787, aged four score years. The first missionary, went by the name of Capt. Tupper, being a military man as well as an evangelist. The family of Tupper have furnished the town of Sandwich and other places with some worthy characters; and some of them have been men of abilities. It may be observed, that the corpse of Elisha was brought ten* miles in severe winter weather, and deposited by his ancestors, in the Sandwich burying ground.

Richard Bourne turned his views to the Indians on the southward and eastward of him. But the time when he came to Marshpee, my chronology has not ascertained. The first account of him is in 1658, when he was present and assisted in the settlement of a boundary between the Indians here and the proprietors of † Barnstable. He was a noted man; and by his letters he appears to have been acquainted with orthography. He was also a man of some considerable property in cash, which he brought with him from his native land. And it appears from his location of land in several places, that he was acquainted with the affairs of the present, as well as of the future world; and he transmitted a good inheritance in real estate to his children. And his foresight and judgment, and also the goodness of his mind towards the Indians, appear from his procuring at his own expense, as it is said he did, this extensive patent for the South Sea Indians, as they are styled in the deeds. For there is no place I ever saw, so adapted to an Indian town as this. It is situated on the Sound, in sight of Martha's Vineyard, and cut into necks of land, and hath two inlets from the sea; being well watered by three fresh rivers, and three large fresh ponds, lying in the centre of the plantation. And in the two salt water bays are very great plenty of fish of every description; and in the rivers are trout, herring, &c. And in the woods till lately, have been a variety of wild game, consisting of deer, &c; and adjacent to the rivers and ponds, otters, minks, and other amphibious animals, whose furs have been sought for, and made a valuable remittance to Europe ever since my knowledge of these Indians.

Mr. Bourne obtained a deed of this territory from Quachatisset and others to these South Sea Indians, after the year 1660. He was a man of that discernment, that he considered it as vain to propagate christian knowledge among any people, without a territory, where they might remain in peace from generation to generation, and not be ousted.

* He died at Pokesset.

↑ See Plymouth Colony Records.