Life of William Phips, Biography · Section 10
SECT. 10.
SEVERAL Times, about, before and after this Time, did I hear him expreſs himſelf unto this purpoſe: I have no need at all, to look after any further Advantages for my ſelf in this World; I may ſit ſtill at home, if I will, and enjoy my Eaſe for the reſt of my Life; but I believe that I ſhould offend God in my doing ſo: For I am now in the prime of my Age and Strength, and, I thank God, I can undergo Hardſhip: He only knows how long I have to live; but I think 'tis my Duty to venture my Life in doing of Good, before an uſeleſs Old Age comes upon me: Wherefore I will now expoſe my ſelf, while I am able, and as far as I am able, for the Service of my Country: I was born for Others, as well as my ſelf. I ſay, many a time have I heard him ſo expreſs himſelf: And agreeable to this Generous Diſpoſition and Reſolution, was all the reſt of his Life. About this time New-England was miſerably Briar'd, in the Perplexities of an Indian War; and the Salvages, in the Eaſt part of the Country, Iſſuing out from their Inacceſſible Swamps, had for many Months made their cruel Depredations upon the poor Engliſh Planters, and Surprized many of the Plantations on the Frontiers, into Ruin. The New-Erglanders found, that while they continued only on the Defenſive part, their People were thinned, and their Treaſures waſted, without any hopes of ſeeing a Period put unto the Indian Tragedies; nor could an Army greater than Xerxes's have eaſily come at the ſeemingly contemptible Handful of Tawnies, which made all this Diſturbance; Or, Tamerlain, the greateſt Conqueror that ever the World ſaw, have made it a Buſineſs of no Trouble to have Conquered them: They found; that they were like to make no Weapons reach their Enſwamped Adverſaries, except Mr. Milton could have ſhown them how
To have pluckt up the Hills with all their Load,
Rocks, Waters, Woods, and by their ſhaggy tops,
Ʋp-lifting, bore them in their hands, I herewith
The Rebel Hoſt to'v over-whelm'd—
So it was thought that the Engliſh Subjects, in theſe Regions of America, might very properly take this occaſion, to make an attempt upon the French, and by Reducing them under the Engliſh Government, put an Eternal Period at once, unto all their Troubles from the Frenchified Pagans. This was a Motion urged by Sir William Phips, unto the General Court of the Maſſachuſet-Colony; and he then made unto the Court a brave Offer of his own Perſon and Eſtate, for the Service of the Publick in their preſent Extremity, as far as they ſhould ſee cauſe to make uſe thereof. Whereupon they made a Firſt Eſſay againſt the French, by ſending a Naval Force, with about Seven Hundred Men, under the Conduct of Sir William Phips, againſt L'Acady and Nova Scotia; of which Action we ſhall give only this General and Summary Account; That Sir William Phips ſet Sail from Nantaſcot, April 28. 1690. Arriving at Port-Royal, May 11. and had the Fort quickly Surrender'd into his Hands by the French Enemy, who deſpaired of holding out againſt him. He then took Poſſeſſion of that Province for the Engliſh Crown, and having Demoliſhed the Fort, and ſent away the Garriſon, Adminiſtred unto the Planters an Oath of Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary, he left what Order he thought convenient for the Government of the Place, until further Order ſhould be taken by the Governour and Council of the Maſſachuſet-Colony, unto whom he returned May 30, with an acceptable Account of his Expedition, and accepted a Place among the Magiſtrates of that Colony, to which the Free-Men had choſen him, at their Anniverſary Election, two Days before,
Thus the Country, once given by King James the Firſt, unto Sir William Alexander, was now by another Sir William, recovered out of the Hands of the French, who had afterwards got the Poſſeſſion of it; and there was added unto the Engliſh Empire, a Territory, whereof no Man can Read Monſieur Denys's Deſcription Geographique & Hiſtorique des Coſtes de l' Amerique Septentrionale, but he muſt reckon the Conqueſt of a Region ſo Improvable, for Lumber, for Fiſhing, for Mines, and for Furrs, a very conſiderable Service. But if a ſmaller Service has, e'er-now, ever merited a Knighthood, Sir William was willing to Repeat his Merits, by Actions of the greateſt Service poſſible: Nil Actum credens, ſi quid ſupereſſet agendum.