New Englands Plantation, Part 1 – Part 3
Of the waters of New-England with the things belonging to the same.
NEw-England hath Water enough both salt and fresh, the greatest Sea in the World, the Atlanticke Sea runs all along the Coast thereof. There are abundance of Ilands along the Shore, some full of Wood and Mast to feed Swine; and others cleere of Wood, and fruitfull to beare Corne. Also we hauehave store of excellent harbours for Ships, as at Cape Anne, and at Masathulets Bay, and at Salem, and at many other places: and they are the better because for Strangers there is a verie difficult and dangerous passage into them, but vntounto such as are well acquainted with them, they are easie and safe enough. The aboundance of Sea. Fish are almost beyond beleeuing, and sure I should scarce hauehave beleeued it except I had seene it with mine owne Eyes. I saw great store of Whales, and Crampusse, and such aboundance of Makerils that it would astonish one to behold, likewise Cod-Fish aboundance on the Coast, and in their season are plentifully taken. There is a Fish called a Basse, a most sweet & wholesome Fish as euer I did eat, it is altogether as good as our fresh Sammon; and the season of their comming was begun when wee came first to New-England in Iune, and so continued about three … space. Of this Fish our Fishers take many hundreds together, which I hauehave seene lying on the shore to my admiration; yea their N…ts ordinarily take more then they are able to …ale to Land, and for want of Boats and Men they are constrained to let a many goe after they hauehave taken them, and yet sometimes they fill two Boats at a time with them. And besides Basse wee take plentie of Sca…e and Thornbacke, and abundance of Lobsters, and the least Boy in the Plantation may both catch and eat what he will of them. For my owne part I was soone cloyed with them, they were so great, and far, and lussious. I hauehave seene some my selfe that hauehave weighed 16 pound, but others hauehave had diuers times so great Lobsters as hauehave weighed 25 pound, as they assure me. Also here is abundance of Herring, Turbut, Sturgion, Cuskes, Hadocks, Mullets, Eeles, Crabs, Muskles and Oysters. Beside there is probability that the Countrey is of an excellent temper for the making of Sa… for since our comming our Fishermen hauehave brought home verie good Salt which they found candied by the standing of the Sea water and the heat of the Sunne, vponupon a Rock by the Sea shore: and in diuers Salt Marishes that some hauehave gone through, they hauehave found some Salt in some places crushing vnderunder their Feet and cleauing to their Shooes.
And as for fresh Water the Countrey is full of daintie Springs, and some great Riuers, and some lesser Brookes; and at Masathulets Bay they digged Wels and found Water at three Foot deepe in most places: and neere Salem they hauehave as fine cleare Water as wee can desire, and we may digge Wels and finde Water where we list.
Thus wee see both Land and Sea abound with store of blessings for the comfortable sustenance of Mans life in New-England.
Of the Aire of New-England with the Temper and Creatures in it.
THe Temper of the Aire of New-England is one speciall thing that commends this place. Experience doth manifest that there is hardly a more healthfull place to be found in the World that agreeth better with our English Bodyes. Many that hauehave beene weake and sickly in old England, by comming hither hauehave beene thoroughly healed and growne healthfull and strong. For here is an extraordinarie cleere and dry Aire that is of a most healing nature to all such as are of a Cold, Melancholy, Flegmatick, Reumaticke temper of body. None can more truly speake hereof by their owne experience then my selfe. My Friends that knew me can well tell how verie sickly I hauehave been and continually in Physick, being much troubled with a tormenting paine through an extraordinarie weaknesse of my Stomacke, and aboundance of Melancholike humors; but since I came hither on this Voyage, I thanke God I hauehave had perfect health, and freed from paine and vomitings, hauing a Stomacke to digest the hardest and coursest fare, who before could not eat finest meat; and whereas my Stomacke could onelyonly digest and did require such drinke as was both strong and stale, now I can and doe often times drink New-England water verie well, and I that hauehave not gone without a Cap for many yeeres together, neither durst leaue off the same, hauehave now cast away my Cap, and doe weare none at all in the day time: and whereas beforetime I cloathed my selfe with double cloathes and thicke Wastcoats to keepe me warme, euen in the Summer time, I doe now goe as thin clad as any, onelyonly wearing a light Stuffe Cassocke vponupon my Shirt and Stuffe Breeches of one thicknesse without Linings. Besides, I hauehave one of my Children that was formerly most lamentably handled with sore breaking out of both his hands and feet of the Kings-Euill, but since he came hither he is verie well ouer he was, and there is hope of perfect recouerie shortly, euen by the verie wholesomnesse of the Aire, altering, digesting and drying vp the cold and crude humors of the Body: and therefore I thinke it is a wise course for all cold complections to come to take Physicke in New-England: for a sup of New-Englands Aire is better then a whole draught of old Englands Ale.
In the Summer time in the midst of Iuly and August, it is a good deale hotter then in old England: and in Winter, Ianuary and February are much colder as they say: but the Spring and Autumne are of a middle temper.
Fowles of the Aire are plentifull here, and of all sorts as we hauehave in England as farre as I can learne, and a great many of strange Fowles which we know not. Whilst I was writing these things, one of our Men brought home an Eagle which he had killed in the Wood: they say they are good meat. Also here are many kinds of excellent Hawkes, both Sea Hawkes and Land Hawkes: and my selfe walking in the Woods with another in company, sprung a Partridge so bigge that through the heauinesse of his Body could fly but a little way: they that hauehave killed them, say they are as bigge as our Hens. Here are likewise aboundance of Turkies often killed in the Woods, farre greater than our English Turkies, and exceeding fat, sweet and fleshy, for here they hauehave aboundance of feeding all the yeere long, as Strawberries, in Summer all places are full of them, and all manner of Berries and Fruits. In the Winter time I hauehave seene Flockes of Pidgeons, and hauehave eaten of them: they doe flye from Tree to Tree as other Birds doe, which our Pidgeons will not do in England: they are of all colours as ours are: but their wings and tayles are farr longer, and therefore it is likely they fly swifter to escape the terrible Hawkes in this Countrey. In Winter time this Countrey doth abound with wilde Geese, wild Ducks, and other Sea Fowle, that a great part of winter the Planters hauehave eaten nothing but roastmeat of diuers Fowles which they hauehave killed.
Thus you hauehave heard of the Earth, Water and Aire of New-England, now it may bee you expect something to bee said of the Fire proportionable to the rest of the Elements.
Indeed I thinke New-England may boast of this Element more then of all the rest: for though it bee heresomewhat cold in the winter, yet here we hauehave plenty of Fire to warme vsus, and that a great deale cheaper then they sel Billets and Faggots in London: nay, all Europe is not able to afford to make so great Fire as New-England. A poore Seruant here that is to possesse but 50 Acres of Land, may afford to giuegive more wood for Timber & Fire as good as the world yeelds, then many Noble men in England can afford to do. Here is good liuing for those that louelove good Fires. And although New-England hauehave no Tallow to make Candles of, yet by the abundance of the Fish thereof, it can afford Oyle for Lampes. Yea our Pine-Trees that are the most plentifull of all wood, doth allow vsus plenty of Candles, which are very vsefull in a House: and they are such Candles as the Indians commonly vse, hauing no other, and they are nothing else but the wood of the Pine Tree clouen in two little slices something thin, which are so full of the moysture of Turpentine and Pitch, that they burne as cleere as a Torch. I hauehave sent you some of them that you may see the experience of them.
Thus of New-Englands commodities, now I will tell you of some discommodities that are here to be found.
First, in the Summer season for these three months, Iune, Iuly, and August, we are troubled much with little Flyes called Musketoes, being the same they are troubled with in Lincolneshiere and the Fens: and they are nothing but Gnats, which except they bee smoked out of their houses are troublesome in the night season.
Secondly, in the Winter season for two months space, the earth is commonly couered with Snow, which is accompanied with sharp biting Frosts, something more sharpe then is in old England, and therefore are forced to make great Fires.
Thirdly, this Countrey being very full of Woods, and Wildernesses, doth also much abound with Snakes and Serpents of strange colours, and huge greatnesse: yea there are some Serpents called Rattle-snakes, that hauehave Rattles in their Tayles, that will not flye from a man as others will, but will flye vponupon him and sting him so mortally, that hee will dye within a quarter of an houre after, except the partie stinged hauehave about him some of the root of an Hearbe called Snake weed to bite on, and then hee shall receiue no harme: but yet seldome fals it out that any hurt is done by these. About three yeeres since, an Indian was stung to death by one of them, but wee heard of none since that time.
Fourthly and lastly, Here wants as yet the good company of honest Christians to bring with them Horses, Kine and Sheepe to make vse of this fruitfull Land: great pitty it is to see so much good ground for Corne and for Grasse as any is vnderunder the Heauens, to lye altogether vnoccupied, when so many honest Men and their Families in old England through the populousnesse thereof, do make very hard shift to liue one by the other.
Now, thus you know what New-England is, as also with the commodities and discommodities thereof: now I will shew you a little of the Inhabitants thereof, and their gouernment.
For their Gouernours they hauehave Kings, which they call Saggamores, some greater, and some lesser, according to the number of their Subiects.
The greatest Saggamores about vsus can not make aboue three hundred Men, and other lesse Saggamores hauehave not aboue fifteene Subiects, and others neere about vsus but two.
Their Subiects aboue twelue yeeres since were swept away by a great & grieuous Plague that was amongst them, so that there are verie few left to inhabite the Countrey.
The Indians are not able to make vse of the one fourth part of the Land, neither hauehave they any setled places, as Townes to dwell in, nor any ground as they challenge for their owne possession, but change their habitation from place to place.
For their Statures, they are a tall and strong limmed People, their colours are tawny, they goe naked, saue onelyonly they are in part couered with Beasts Skins on one of their Shoulders, and weare something before their Priuities: their Haire is generally blacke, and cut before like our Gentlewomen, and one locke longer then the rest, much like to our Gentlemen, which fashion I thinke came from hence into England.
For their weapons, they hauehave Bowes and Arrowes, some of them headed with Bone, and some with Brasse: I hauehave sent you some of them for an example.
The Men for the most part liue idlely, they doe nothing but hunt and fish: their wiues set their Corne and doe all their other worke. They hauehave little Houshold stuffe, as a Kettle, and some other Vessels like Trayes, Spoones, Dishes and Baskets.
Their Houses are verie little and homely, being made with small Poles pricked into the ground, and so bended and fastned at the tops, and on the sides they are matted with Boughes, and couered on the Roofe with Sedge and old Mats▪ and for their beds that they take their rest on, they hauehave a Mat.
They doe generally professe to like well of our comming and planting here; partly because there is abundance of ground that they cannot possesse nor make vse of, and partly because our being heere will bee a meanes both of reliefe to them when they want, and also a defence from their Enemies, wherewith (I said) before this Plantation begun, they were often indangered.
For their Religion, they doe worship two Gods, a good God and an euill God: the good God they call Tantum and their euill God whom they feare will doe them hurt, they call Squantum.
For their dealing with vsus, we neither feare them nor trust them, for fourtie of our Musketeeres will driue fiue hundred of them out of the Field. We vse them kindly, they will come into our Horses sometimes by halfe a douzen or halfe a score at a time when we are at victuals, but will aske or take nothing but what we giuegive them.
We purpose to learne their language as soone as we can, which will be a meanes to do them good.
Of the present condition of the Plantation, and what it is.
WHen we came first to Nethum kek, we found about halfe a score Houses, and a faire House newly built for the Gouerners, we found also aboundance of Corne planted by them, verie good and well liking. And we brought with vsus about two hundred Passengers and Planters more, which by common consent of the old Planters were all combined together into one Body Pol…icke, vnderunder the same Gouernour.
There are in all of vsus both old and new Planters about three hundred, whereof two hundred of them are setled at Nehum-kek, now called Salem: and the rest hauehave Planted themselues at Masathulets Bay, beginning to build a Towne there which we doe call Cherton, or Charles Towne.
We that are setled at Salem make what haste we can to build Houses, so that within a short time we shall hauehave a faire Towne.
We hauehave great Ordnance, wherewith we doubt not but we shall fortifie our selues in a short time to keepe out a potent Aduersarie. But that which is our greatest comfort, and meanes of defence aboue all other, is, that we hauehave here the true Religion and holy Ordinances of Almightie God taught amongst vsus: Thankes be to God, we hauehave here plentie of Preaching, and diligent Catechizing, with strickt and carefull exercise, and good and commendable orders to bring our People into a Christian conuersation with whome we hauehave to doe withall. And thus we doubt not but God will be with vsus, and if God be with vsus, who can be against vsus?
Here ends Master Higgesons Relation of New-England.