are wearied with drinking, taking ashore two or three Hogsheads of Wine and Rhum to drink off when the Merchant is gone. If a man of quality chance to come where they are roystering and gulling in Wine with a dear felicity, he must be sociable and Rolypoly with them, taking off [p. 212.] their liberal cups as freely, or else be gone, which is best for him, for when Wine in their guts is at full Tide, they quarrel, fight and do one another mischief, which is the conclusion of their drunken compotations. When the day of payment comes, they may justly complain of their costly sin of drunkenness, for their shares will do no more than pay the reckoning; if they save a Kental or two to buy shooes and stockins, shirts and wastcoats with, 'tis well, other-wayes they must enter into the Merchants books for such things as they stand in need off, becoming thereby the Merchants slaves, & when it riseth to a big sum are constrained to mortgage their plantation if they have any, the Merchant when the time is expired is sure to seize upon their plantation and stock of Cattle, turning them out of house and home, poor Creatures, to look out for a new habitation in some remote place where they begin the world again. The lavish planters have the same fate, partaking with them in the like bad husbandry, of these the Merchant buys Beef, Pork, Pease, Wheat and Indian Corn, and sells it again many times to the fishermen. Of the same nature are the people in the Dukes province, who not long before I left the Countrey petitioned the Governour and Magistrates in [p. 213.] the Massachusets to take them into their Government, Birds of a feather will ralley together. Anno Dom. 1671. The year being now well spent, and the Government of the province turned topsiturvy, being heartily weary and expecting the approach of winter, I took my leave of my friends at Black-point. And on the 28 of August being Mon day I shipt myself and my goods aboard of a shallop bound for Boston: towards Sun set, the wind being contrary, we put into Gibbons his Island, a small Island in Winter-harbour about two leagues from Black-point West-ward, here we stayed till the 30. day being Wednesday, about nine of the clock we set sail, and towards Sun-set came up with Gorgiana, the 31 day being Thursday we put into CapeAnn-harbour about Sun-set. September the 1 being Saturday in the morning before day we set sail and came to Boston about three of the clock in the afternoon, where I found the Inhabitants exceedingly afflicted with griping of the guts, and Feaver, and Ague, and bloudy Flux. The Eight day of October being Wednesday, I boarded the new Supply of Boston 190 Tun, a Ship of better sail than defence, her Guns being small, and for salutation only, the Master Capt. Fairweather, her [p. 214.] sailers 16. and as many passengers. Towards night I returned to Boston again, the next day being Thanksgiving day, on Fryday the Tenth day we weighed Anchor and fell down to Hull. The 12 and 13 day about 20 leagues from CapeSable a bitter storm took us, beginning at seven of the clock at night, which put us in terrible fear of being driven upon the Cape, or the Island of Sables where many a tall ship hath been wrackt. November the One and twenty about two of the clock afternoon we saw within kenning before us thick clouds, which put us in hope of land, the Boson brings out his purse, into which the passengers put their good will, then presently he nails it to the main-mast, up go the boyes to the main-mast-top sitting there like so many Crowes, when after a while one of them cryes out land, which was glad tidings to the wearied passengers, the boyes descend, and the purse being taken from the mast was distributed amongst them, the lad that first descryed land having a double share about three of the clock Scilly was three leagues off. The Four and twentieth day we came to Deal, from thence the 25. to Lee, the 26. being Sunday we steemed the Tide to Gravesend, about two of the clock [p. 215.] afternoon. The 27 we came up with Wollich where I landed and refresht my self for that night, next day I footed it four or five miles to Bexley in Kent to visit a near kinsman, the next day proved rainie, the 30 day being Fryday my kinsman accommodated me with a Horse and his man to Greenwich, where I took a pair of Oars and went aboard our Ship then lying before Radcliff, here I lay that night. Next day being Saturday, and the first of December I cleared my goods, shot the bridge and landed at the Temple about seven of the clock at night, which makes my voyage homeward 7 weeks and four days, and from my first setting out from London to my returning to London again Eight years Six moneths and odd days. Now by the merciful providence of the Almighty,` having perform'd Two voyages to the North-east parts of the Western-world, I am safely arrived in my Native Countrey; having in part made good the French proverb, Travail where thou canst, but dye where thou oughtest, that is, in thine own Countrey. FINIS. [Between pages 216 and 227, in the copy from which this is reprinted, the numbering of the pages is confused. Page 216 is blank. This is followed by the title-leaf of the "Chronological Observations," the back of which is blank. The "Preface "occupies four pages, the first numbered 223, and the others not numbered. The first leaf of the Chronology itself is paged 223, 224; and the second leaf, without any break in the sense, is paged 227, 228.] OBSERVATIONS OF AMERICA, From the year of the World 1673. LONDON: Printed for Giles Widdowes, at the Green- [p. 223.] The Preface. HE Terrestrial World is by our learned Geog Traphers divided into four parts, Europe, Asia, Africa and America so named from Americus Vespucius the Florentine, Seven years after Columbus ; although Columbus and Cabota deserved rather the honour of being Godfathers to it: notwithstanding by this name it is now known to us, but was utterly unknown to the Ancient Europeans before their times, I will not say to the Africans and Asians, for Plato in his Timeus relateth of a great Island, called Atlantis, and Philo the Jew in his book De mundo, that it was over-flown with water, by reason of a mighty Earthquake; The like happened to it 600 years before Plato: thus was the Atlantick Ócean, caused to be a Sea, if you will believe the same Philosopher, who flourished 366 years before the Birth of our Sa viour. America is bounded on the South with the streight of Magellan, where there are many Islands distinguished by an interflowing Bay; the West with the pacifique Sea, or mare-del-zur, which Sea runs towards the North, separateing it from the East parts of Asia; on the East with the Atlantick, or our Western Ocean called mare-del-Nort; and on the North with the Sea that separateth it from Groveland, thorow which Seas the supposed passage to China lye!h; these North parts, as yet are but barely discovered by our voyagers. The length of this new World between the streights of Anian and Magellan is 2400 German miles, in breadth between Cabo de fortuna near the Anian streights is 1300 German miles. About 18 leagues from Nombre de dios, on the South-Sea lyeth Panama (a City having three fair Monasteries in it) where the narrowest part of the Countrey is, it is much less than Asia, and far bigger than Europe, and as the rest of the world divided into Islands and Continent, the Continent supposed to contain about 1152400000 Acres. The Native people I have spoken of already: The discoverers and Planters of Colonies, especially in the North-east parts; together with a continuation of the proceedings of the English in New-England, from the first year of their selling there to purpose, to this present year of our Lord 1673. with many other things by the way inserted and worth the observing I present unto your view in this ensuing Table. |