Life of William Phips, Biography · Section 17
SECT. 17.
AS one of the firſt Actions done by Sir William, after he came to the Age of Doing, was to ſave the Lives of many poor People from the Rage of the Diabolical Indians in the Eaſtern Parts of the Country, ſo now he was come to the Government, his Mind was very vehemently ſet upon recovering of thoſe Parts, from the Miſeries, which a New and a Long War of the Indians had brought upon them. His Birth and Youth, in the Eaſt, had rendred him well known unto the Indians there; he had Hunted, and Fiſhed many a weary Day, in his Childhood with them; and when thoſe rude Savages had got the Story by the End, that he had found a Ship full of Money, and was know become all-one-a-King! They were mightily aſtoniſhed at it: But when they farther underſtood that he was become the Governour of New-England, it added a further Degree of Conſternation to their Aſtoniſhment. He likewiſe was better acquainted with the Scituation of thoſe Regions, than moſt other Men; and he conſider'd what vaſt Advantages might ariſe, to no leſs, than the whole Engliſh Nation, from the Lumber, and Fiſhery and Naval-ſtores, which thoſe Regions might ſoon ſupply the whole Nation withal, if once they were well ſettled with good Inhabitants.
Wherefore Governour Phips, took the firſt Opportunity, to raiſe an Army, with which he Travelled in Perſon, unto the Eaſt-Country to find out and cut off the Barbarous Enemy, which had continued for near four Years together, making horrible Havock on the Plantations, that lay all along the Northern Frontiers of New-England: And having purſued thoſe worſe than Scythian Wolves, till they could be no longer followed, he did, with a very laudable Skill, and unuſual Speed, and with leſs Coſt unto the Crown, than perhaps ever ſuch a Thing was done in the World, erect a ſtrong Fort, at Pemmaquid,
This Fort, he contrived ſo much in the very Heart of the Country now poſſeſſed by the Enemy, as very much to hinder the ſeveral Nations of the Tawnies from Clanning together, for the common Diſturbance; and his Deſign was, that a ſufficient Garriſon being here poſted, they might from thence, upon Advice, iſſue forth to ſurprize that ferocient Enemy. At the ſame time he would fain have gone in Perſon up the Bay of Funda, with a convenient Force, to have ſpoiled a Neaſt of Rebellious Frenchmen, who being Rendezvouzed at St. John's, had a yearly Supply of Aminunition from France, with which they ſtill ſupplied the Indians, unto the extream Detriment of the Engliſh, but his Friends for a long time, would not permit him to expoſe himſelf unto the Inconveniencies of that Expedition.
However, he took ſuch Methods, that the Indian Kings of the Eaſt, within a little while, had their Stomachs brought down, to ſue and beg for a Peace; And making their Appearance at the New-Fort, in Pemmaquid, Aug. 11. 1693. They did there Sign an Inſtrument, wherein, lamenting the Miſeries which their Adherence to the French Counſels, had brought them into, they did for themſelves and with the Conſent of all the Indians from the River of Merrimack, to the moſt Eaſterly Bounds of all the Province, acknowledge their Hearty Subjection and Obedience unto the Crown of England, and ſolemnly Covenant, Promiſe, and Agree, to and with Sir William Phips, Captain General and Governour in Chief over the Province, and his Succeſſors in that Place, That they would for ever ceaſe all Acts of Hoſtility towards the Subjects of the Crown of England, and hold a Conſtant Friendſhip with all the Engliſh. That they would utterly abandon the French Intereſts, and not ſuccour or conceal any Enemy Indians, from Canada or elſewhere, that ſhould come to any of their Plantations within the Engliſh Territories: That all Engliſh Captives, which they had among them, ſhould be returned with all poſſible ſpeed, and no Ranſom or Payment be given for any of them; That their Majeſties Subjects the Engliſh, now ſhould quietly enter upon, and for ever improve and enjoy all and ſingular their Rights of Lands, and former Poſſeſſions, within the Eaſtern Parts of the Province, without any claims from any Indians, or being ever diſturbed therein: That all Trade and Commerce, which hereafter might be allowed between the Engliſh and the Indians ſhould be under a Regulation ſtated by an Act of the General Aſſembly, or as limitted by the Governour of the Province, with the Conſent and Advice of his Council. And That, if any Controverſie hereafter happen between any of the Engliſh and the Indians, no Private Revenge was to be taken by the Indians, but proper Applications to be made unto His Majeſties Government, for the due Remedy thereof: Submitting themſelves herewithal to be Governed by His Majeſty's Laws.
And for the Manifeſtation of their Sincerity in the Submiſſion thus made, the Hypocritical Wretches delivered Hoſtages for their Fidelity; and then ſet their Marks and Seals, no leſs than thirteen Sagamores of them, (with Names of more than a Perſian length) unto this Inſtrument.
The firſt Riſe of this Indian War, had hitherto been almoſt as Dark as that of the River Nilus: 'Tis true, if any Wild Engliſh did raſhly begin to provoke and affront the Indians, yet the Indians had a fairer way to obtain Juſtice, than by Bloodſhed: However, upon the New-Engliſh Revolution, the State of the War became wholly New: The Government then employed all poſſible ways to procure a good Underſtanding with the Indians, but all the Engliſh Offers, Kindneſſes, Courteſies were barbarouſly requited by them, with New Acts of the moſt perfidious Hoſtility. Notwithſtanding all this, there were ſtill ſome Nice People, that had their ſcruples about the Juſtice of the War; but upon this New Submiſſion of the Indians, if ever thoſe Rattle-ſnakes (the only Rattle-ſnakes, which, they ſay, were ever ſeen to the Northward of Merimack-River) ſhould ſtir again, the moſt ſcrupulous Perſons in the World muſt own, That it muſt be the moſt unexceptionable piece of Juſtice in the World for to extinguiſh them.
Thus did the God of Heaven bleſs the unwearied Applications of Sir William Phips, for the reſtoring of Peace unto New-England, when the Country was quite out of Breath, in its Endeavours for its own Preſervation, from the continual out-rages of an inacceſſible Enemy, and by the Poverty coming in, ſo like an armed Man from the unſucceſsfulneſs of their former Armies, that it could not imagine, how to take one ſtep further in it's Wars. The moſt Happy Reſpite of Peace beyond Merimack-River being thus procured, the Governour immediately ſet himſelf to uſe all poſſible Methods, that it might be Peace, like a River, nothing ſhort of Everlaſting.
He therefore prevailed with Two or Three Gentlemen to join with him, in ſending a Supply of Neceſſaries for Life, unto the Indians, until the General Aſſembly could come together to ſettle the Indian-Trade for the Advantage of the Publick, that the Indians might not by Neceſſity be driven again, to become a French Propriety; although by this Action, as the Gentlemen themſelves were great Loſers in their Eſtates, thus He Himſelf declared unto the Members of the General Aſſembly, that he would upon Oath, give an Account unto them of all his own Gains, and count himſelf a Gainer, if in lieu of all, they would give him one Beaver-Hat. The ſame Generoſity alſo cauſed him to take many a tedious Voyage, accompanied ſometimes with his Fidus Achates and very Dear Friend, Kinſman and Neighbour, Colonel John Philips, between Boſton and Pemmaquid; and this in the bitter Weeks of the New-Engliſh, which is almoſt a Ruſſian Winter.
He was a ſort of Confeſſor under ſuch Torments of Cold, as once made the Martyrdom of Muria, and others commemorated in Orations of the Ancients; and the Snow and Ice which Pliny calls, The Puniſhment of Mountains, he chearfully endured, without any other Profit unto himſelf, but only the Pleaſure of thereby eſtabliſhing and centinuing unto the People the Liberty to Sleep quietly in their warm Neſts at home, while he was thus concerned for them abroad. Non mihi ſed Populo, the Motto of the Emperour Hadrian, was engraved on the Heart of Sir William: NOT FOR MY SELF, BUT FOR MY PEOPLE: Or that of Maximin, Quo major, hoc Laborioſior, the more Honourable, the more Laborious.
Indeed the Reſtleſneſs of his Travels to the Southern as well as the Eaſtern Parts of the Country, when the Publick Safety call'd for his Preſence, would have made one to think on the Tranſlation which the King of Portugal, on a very extraordinary occaſion, gave the Fourth Verſe in the Hundred and Twenty firſt Pſalm. He will not ſlumber, nor will he ſuffer to ſleep, the Keeper of Iſrael. Nor did he only try to Cicurate the Indians of the Eaſt, by other Prudent and Proper Treatments, but he alſo furniſhed himſelf with an Indian Preacher of the Goſpel, whom he carried unto the Eaſtward, with an Intention to teach them the Principles of the Proteſtant Religion, and unteach them the mixt Paganry and Popery which hitherto Diaboliz'd them. To unteach them, I ſay; for they had been Taught by the French Prieſts this among other things, That the Mother of our Bleſſed Saviour was a French Lady, and that they were Engliſhmen by whom our Saviour was murdered; and that it was therefore a meritorious Thing to deſtroy the Engliſh Nation. The Name of the Preacher whom the Governour carried with him, was Nahauton, one of the Natives; and becauſe the paſſing of ſuch Expreſſions from the Mouth of a Poor Indian may upon ſome Accounts be worthy of Remembrance, let it be Remembred, that when the Governour propounded unto him ſuch a Miſſion to the Eaſtern Indians, he replied, I know that I ſhall probably Endanger my Life by going to Preach the Goſpel among the Frenchified Indians, but I know that it will be a Service unto the Lord Jeſus Christ; and therefore I will venture to go.
God grant that his Behaviours may be in all things, at all times, according to theſe his Expreſſions! While theſe things were doing, having Intelligence of a French Man of War, expected at St. John's, he Diſpatched away the Non-ſuch-Frigat thither to intercept him; nevertheleſs by the groſs Negligence and perhaps Cowardiſe of the Captain, who had lately come from England, with Orders to take the Command of her, inſtead of one, who had been by Sir William a while before put in, and one who had ſignalized himſelf by doing of notable Service for the King and Country in it, the Frenchman arrived, unladed, and went away untouch'd. The Governour was extreamly offended at this notorious Defici…y; it caſt him into a great Impatience, to ſee the Nation ſo wretchedly ſerved; and he would himſelf have g… to Saint John's with a Reſolution to Spoil that Harbour of Spoilers, if he had not been taken off, by being ſent for home to Whitehall, in the very midſt of his Undertakings.
But the Treacherous Indians being poiſoned with the French Enchantments, and f…rniſhed with brave New-Coats, and New Arm… and all new Incentives to War, by the Man of War newly come in, they preſently, and perfidiouſly, fell upon two Engliſh Towns, and Butchered and Captived many of the Inhabitants, and made a New War, which the New-Englanders know not, whether it will End, until either Canada become an Engliſh Province, or that State arrive, wherein they ſhall beat Swords into Plough-ſhares and Spears into Pruning-books. And no doubt, the taking off Sir William Phips, was no ſmall Encouragement unto the Indians in this Relapſe, into the Villanies and Maſſacres of a New Invaſion upon the Country.