History of the War with Indian Savages, Title page 1 – Dedication
Decennium Luctuoſum.
AN HISTORY OF Remarkable Occurrences, In the Long WAR, WHICH NEW-ENGLAND hath had with the Indian Salvages,
From the Year, 1688.
To the Year, 1698.
Faithfully Compoſed and Improved.
Infandum, . . . .Jubes Renovare Dolorem.
BOSTON in New-England.
Printed by B. Green, and J. Allen, for Samuel Phillips, at the Brick Shop near the Old-Meeting-Houſe. 1699.
The Dedication. TO THE PEOPLE OF NEW-ENGLAND.
SIRS,
YOU are Welcome unto the Hiſtory of a Tedious War, and unto a Period of that War ſo far in proſpect, as to render its Hiſtory Seaſonable.
Every Reaſonable man will readily allow, that …t is a Duty to God, and a Service to the World, …or to preſerve, the Memory of ſuch matters, as …ave been the more Memorable Occurrences in the War, that ha's for Ten Years together, been multiplying Changes and Sorrows upon us. And the Author, in whoſe Hiſtorical Writings, the moſt Inquiſitive Envy, ha's never to this Hour detected, ſo much as one Voluntary and Material Miſtake, or one farthing paid unto the Readers in the Coin of Candia, ha's now choſen to preſerve the Memory of theſe matters, while they are Freſh & New, and one hath not Fifty years, which is the Channel of the River of Oblivion, to paſs over unto them. This Expedition is uſed in the publication of our Decennium Luctuoſum, in hope that if any miſtake, worth Noting, do appear in theſe Writing…, it may, Like and perhaps With, a Second Edition, be Corrected and Amended.
He Expects no Thanks for his Eſſayes to Do Good, in this way, or any other, unto any part of his Country, to whom he would gladly devote all his Talents, if he were a Thouſand Times better Talented than he is; and though the moſt Ungrateful Trea…s Imaginable (which are too well known by the Name of Country-pay) ſhould be given him, he would ſtill be of that Opinion, Recte feciſſe Merces est, If a man may Do Good, it is enough.
All the Favour he deſires of you, is, That you would not Enquire after him; or ask, who he is? but that, as he is at beſt, but an Obſcure Perſon, he may continue in yet more Obſcurity: which will be a greater pleaſure to him than to be placed among the Great men of Achaia.
For indeed, He hath often thought on a paſſage written by Holy Mr. Row, to his Excellent Son, I pray, That God would make uſe of my ſelf and you, in ſuch a way, as that God only may be ſeen, and we not be taken notice of at all; that He may have the Glory, and we may not be ſeen.
Could he have invited His EXCELLENCY unto ſuch a glorious Table, as that in a certain Cabinet at Florence, which is furniſhed with Birds and Flow…rs, all conſiſting of Nea…ly poliſhed Jewels it laid into it; a Work Fifteen years in making, and worth an Hundred Thouſand Crowns: or could he have written a Book, worthy to be laid up in the Cabinet of Darius: the Author might have been under a Temptation to have had his Name Engraved upon his Work. But a little Boild Indian Corn in a Tray, is as much as our Beſt Hiſtory of an Indian War, compos'd perhaps in fewer Dayes, than there were Years in the War, may preſume to be compar'd unto And ſince our Hiſtory will not afford ſuch a Diverſion unto His Excellency, under the Indiſpoſitions of His Health, as thoſe of Livy & Curtius did unto the Princes that Recovered their loſt Health by Reading them; nor can any any paſſage here be ſo happy, as That which cured Laurentius Medices of a Malady, by having it Read unto him it wi…l require no more than a Nameleſs Writer, to Aſſure that Great Perſon on this Occaſion, That all the Good People of New-England, make their Fervent Vows unto the Almighty, For His Excellencies Proſperity, and the Welfare of His Excellent Lady, and of His Noble and Hopeful Offspring.
And the Naming of the Author, is as little Neceſſary to Qualify him, that he may pay publick Acknowledgments unto the Honorable, the Lieutenant Governour; not only for his Cares about the Publick, while it was Tempestuated, with the Indian War, which now makes an History; but chiefly for his more than ordinary Tenderneſs of that Society, which ha's been the very, Decus ac Tutamen, of New England. The Nameleſs Writer of this Hiſtory, may Report, that with a Greater Expence, than that of the Firſt-Founder, this Honorable Perſon proves, that he Loves our Nation, by Building us another Edifice, for the Supply of all our Synagogues, and STOUGHTON-HALL, out ſhines HARVARD-COLLEDGE: and he ſpeaks Kinder Language, as well as Better Latin, than that Eminent States-man in Flanders, whoſe Anſwer to a Petition for the priviledges of an Univerſity there to be reſtored, was, Non curamus voſtros privilegios. This Report may he give, without being obliged for to Confeſs any other Name than this, which he Readily Confeſſes; One that was once a Member of Harvard-Colledge.
I pray, Sirs, Ask no further; Let this Writing be, like that on the Wall to Belſhazzar, where the Hand only was to be ſeen, and not who's it was. The History is compiled with Incontestable Veracity; and ſince there is no Ingenuity in it, but leſs than what many Pens in the Land might Command, he knows not why his Writing Anonymouſly may not Shelter him, from the Inconveniencies of having any Notice, one way or other, taken of him. Though among his other ſmall Furniture, he hath not left himſelf unfurniſhed with skill in the Spaniſh Language, yet he never could bring himſelf to the Belief of the Spaniſh Proverb, Quien no parece, perece; i. e. He that appears not, periſhes; He that Shows not himſelf to the world, is undone. At Milain, there is an Academy of Senſible Perſons, called The Naſcoſti, or, Hidden men; At Venice, there is one of ſuch perſons, called, The Incogniti; and at Parma, there is one of them, called, The Innominati. If there were nothing elſe Diſagreeable in them, the Author of this History, would be glad of an Admiſſion into ſuch an Academy.
The Hiſtory is indeed of no very Fine Thred; and the Readers, who every where Fiſh for nothing but Carps, and who Love, like Augustus to Tax all the World, may find Fault enough with it. Nevertheleſs, while the Fault of an Untruth can't be found in it, the Author pretends, that the famous Hiſtory of the Trojan War it ſelf, comes behind our little Hiſtory of the Indian War; For the beſt An…iquaries, have now confuted Homer; the Walls of Troy were it ſeems, all made of Poets Paper; and the Siege of the Town with the Tragedies of the Wooden Horſe, were all but a piece of Poetry.
And if a War between Us, and an Handful of Indians, do appear no more than a Batrachomyomachie, to the World abroad yet unto us at home, it hath been conſiderable-enough, to make an Hiſtory. Nor is the Author afraid of promiſing, that of all the Thirty Articles which make up this Hiſtory, there ſhall not be One, without ſomething in it, that may by our ſelves be juſtly thought Conſiderable.
Should any Petit Monſieur complain (as the Captain, that found not himſelf in the Tapeſtry Hangings, which Exhibited the Story of the Spaniſh Invaſion in 1588.) that he don't find himſelf mentioned in this Hiſtory, the Author has his Apology. He has done as well and as much as he could, that whatever was worthy of a mention, might have it; and if this Collection of Matters be not compleat, yet he ſuppoſes it may be more compleat, than any one elſe hath made; and now he hath done, he hath not pull'd up the Ladder after him; others may go on, as they pleaſe, with a compleater Compoſure.
If the Author hath taken Delight, in this Hiſtory, and at all Times, to Celebrate the Merits, of ſuch as have Deſerved well of his Country, [which he has here done it may be, for ſome that never could afford him a good word!] Eſpecially, if he do Erect Statues for Dead Worthies, when there is no Room Left for Flattery, [for who will beſtow paint upon a Dead Face!] And if he do all this, with all poſſible concern, to avoid caſting Aſperſions upon others: Why ſhould any betray ſuch Ili Nature, as to be angry at it? My Good Country, forgive him this Injury!
Huic Uni forſan poteram Succumbere culpae.
But, whatever this Hiſtory be, it aims at the Doing of Good, as well as the Telling of Truth; and if its Aim ſhall be attained, That will be a ſufficient Reward for all the Trouble of Writing it. When he Deſires any more, he'l give you his Name; In the mean Time, as a far greater man once was called, Ludovicus Nihili, which you may make, Lewis of Nothingham; ſo the Author will count himſelf not a little favoured, if he may paſs for one of no more Account, than a, No body; which would certainly make a very Blameleſs perſon of him.
However, that the Hiſtory may not altogether want a Subſcription; the Author, finding it a Cuſtome among the Chriſtian Writers of the Orient, when they have written a Treatiſe, to Subſcribe it after this manner; Scriptum per Servum vilem pauperem, omnibus Juſtitiis privatum, peccatorem magis quam omnis Caro; Or, Scripſit hoc pauper N. N. Or, Eſt Scriptura ſervi pauperis, et qui Benevolentia Dei indiget, et miſerationibus; he will accordingly Subſcribe himſelf, The Chief of Sinners. Nevertheleſs, he will humbly Lay claim to the Words, uſed by the Nameleſs Author of a Treatiſe, Entituled, The Faithful Steward: Tho' I am worſe then they ſpeak of me, who caſt Diſgrace upon me, and I can Eſpy Ten Faults in my ſelf, where they can diſcern One, yet I can, thro' Grace, Appeal to Thee, O Lord, with ſome Comfort, that I am Diſpleaſed with my ſelf for my Sins, and would fain pleaſe Thee, in all Things, at all Times, in all places, and in every Condition.
Decennium Luctuoſum. OR, The Remarkables of a long WAR WITH Indian-Salvages.
INTRODUCTION.
TWenty Three Years have Rolled away ſince the Nations of Indians within the Confines of New England, generally began a Fierce War, upon the Engliſh Inhabitants of that Country. The Flame of War then Raged thro' a great part of the Country, whereby many whole Towns were L…id in Aſhes, and many Lives were Sacrificed. Bu… in li…tle more than one years Time, the United-Colonies of Plymouth, Maſſachuſet, and Conne…ticut, with the…r United Endeavours, bravely C…quered the Salvages. The Evident Hand of Heaven appearing on the Side of a people whoſe Hope and Help was alone in the Almighty Lord of Hosts, Extinguiſhed whole Nations of the Salvages at ſuch a rate, that there can hardly any of them, now be found under any Diſtinction upon the face of the Earth. OnelyOnly, the Eare of our Northern and Eaſtern Regions in that War, wa… ve…y different …om that of the reſt. The Deſol…ions of the War had overwhelm…d all the Settlements to the North-Eaſt of Weſts. And when the Time arrived, that all hands were weary of the War, a ſort of a Peace was patched up, which Left a Body of Indians, not only with Horrible Murders Unrevenged, but alſo, in the poſſeſſion of no little part of the Countrey, with circumſtances which the Engliſh might think, not very Honourable. Upon this Peace, the Engliſh returned unto their Plantations; their Number increaſed; they Stock'd their Farms, and Sow'd their Fields; they found the Air as Healthful; as the Earth was Fru…tful; their Lumber and their Fiſhery became a conſiderable Merchandize; continual Acceſſions were made unto them, until Ten or a Dozen Towns, in the Province of Main, and the County of Cornwall, were ſuddenly Started up into ſomething of Obſervation.
But in the Year, 1688. the Indians which dwelt after the Indian manner among them, Commenced another War upon theſe Plantations, which hath broke them up, and ſtrangely held us in play for Ten Years together. In theſe Ten Years, there hath been a variety of Remarkable Occurrences; and becauſe I have ſuppoſed that a Relation of thoſe Occurrences may be Acceptable and Profitable to ſome of my Country men, I ſhall now with all Faithfulneſs Endeavour it. With all Faithfulneſs, I ſay; becauſe tho' there ſhould happen any Circumſtantial Mistake in our Story, (for 'tis a rare thing for any Two men, concern'd in the ſame Action, to give the Story of it, without ſome Circumſtantial Difference,) yet even thi… alſo, I ſhall be willing to Retract and Correct, if there be found any juſt occaſion: But for any one Material Error, in the whole Compoſure, I challenge the moſt Sagacious Malica, upon Earth to detect it, while matters are y… ſo freſh, as to allow the Detection of it. I diſdain to make the Apology, once made by the Roman Hiſtorian; Nemo Hiſtoricus non aliquid mentitus, et habiturus ſum mendaciorum Comites, quos Hiſtoriae et eloquentiae miramur Authores. No, I will write with an Irreproachable and Inconteſtable Veracity; and I will write not one Thihg, but what I am furniſhed with ſo good Authority for, that any Reaſonable man, who will pleaſe to Examine it, ſhall ſay, I do well to inſert it as I do: And I will hope, that my Reader hath not been Studying of Godefridus de Valle's Book, De Arte nihil Credendi; About, The Art of Believing nothing. Wherefore, having at the very Beginning thus given ſuch a Knock upon thy Head, O malice; that thou canſt never with Reaſon Hiſs at our Hiſtory, we will proceed unto the ſeveral Articles of it.