Jews in America, Part 3 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. To the Planters, and touching the cauſe of their removall hence.
THis diſcourſe will be directed to the Engliſh planted there, and our ſelves at home; concerning the former, three or foure things may be minded.
1. Cauſe of their removall.
2. Hope of the Natives converſion.
3. Directions to it.
4. Cautions, and ſome other additions.
Deep conſiderations, without doubt, and mature, were in thoſe that hence tranſplanted themſelves into that other part of the world, but quo jure, by what right and title they could ſettle in a forraigne land was ſurely none of their laſt enquiries. Io. Bodin aMeth. Hiſt. p. 522.reckons five reaſons why Colonies may be planted in other Regions. 1. Expulſion from their own native Countrey. 2. Increaſe of inhabitants upon a land. 3. Want of neceſſaries at home, and unſeaſonable times. 4. Deſire to preſerve and enlarge their owne territories. 5. Favour to priſoners and captives. The ampliation of the Kingdome of Chriſt was expected here as a motive in vaine; but I finde it elſewhere among our Novangles, and it ſhall be mentioned in due place: for thoſe are cauſes why men goe out of their owne land, but for the jus and right of ſetling in another they ſay nothing.
When the Biſhop De las Caſas had ſet forth his tract of the Spaniſh cruelties committed in the Indies, ſome Caſas. p. 134. &c.guilty perſons he ſuppoſeth ſuborned Doctor Sepulveda, the Emperours Hiſtorian, to undertake their patronage, which he did in an elegant and rhetoricall diſcourſe, endeavouring to prove, that the Spaniſh wars againſt the Indians were juſt and lawfull, and that they were bound to ſubmit unto the Spaniards, as Ideots to the more prudent; but he could not obtaine leave to print a booke ſo irrationall and unchriſtian.
Their more plauſible plea is, that Columbus was firſt employed by them to diſcover ſome of thoſe parts; but the ſame offer was before tendred to this our Nation, and the King thereof; yea and the Engliſh were as early in that very deſigne as the Portingales, for our bStow ad An. 1501, & 1502.Chronicles ſhew that Sebaſtian Gabat or Cabot, borne at Briſtol, was employed by King Henry the ſeventh, and he with ſome London Merchants, adventured three or foure ſhips into thoſe New-found lands, Anno one thouſand foure hundred ninety eight; and it cannot be doubted, but they had made ſome former ſufficient experiments, before that their ſo confident engagement: Thence tis affirmed by others cPurchas. l. 4. c. 13., that the Engliſh were there before Columbus, and about the yeere dStow. Ibid.one thouſand five hundred and two, three of thoſe Natives were brought unto the King, they were cloathed in beaſts skinnes, did eate raw fleſh, ſpake a language none could underſtand, two of thoſe men were ſeen at the Court at Weſtminster two yeeres after, cloathed like Engliſhmen. But wee of this Nation have yet a more ancient claime, three hundred yeeres before Columbus, in the time of Henry the ſecond, Anno Dom. one thouſand one hundred and ſeventy; when Madoc ap Owen Gwineth did not onelyonly diſcover the Countrey, but planted in ſome part of Mexico, and left Monuments of the Brittiſh language, and other uſages, taken notice of by the Spaniands, ſince their arrivall thither. Mr. Herbert eL. 3. p. 360.in his travailes doth not onelyonly remember this, but ſheweth it to have bin mentioned by many worthy men of late, and ancient times, as Cynwic ap Greue, Meredith ap Rhice, Gul. Owen, Lloyd, Powell, Hackluit, Davis, Broughton. And Purchas. l. 4. c. 13. p. 807.
But yet more particularly, Dr Donne fSermon to Virginia Planters. An. 1622. p. 20. 26.allowes that as a juſtifiable reaſon of mens removall from one place to another, publique benefit; Intereſt Reipublicae ut re ſua quis bene utatur, every one muſt uſe his private for the common good: and if a State may take order that every man improve what he hath for the benefit of the Nation where he lives, then, intereſt mundo, all mankinde may every where, as farre as it is able, advance the good of mankinde in generall, which not being done by the Natives there, others are bound, at leaſt have liberty to interpoſe their endeavours, eſpecially, when by divine providence one land ſwells with inhabitants, and another is diſempeopled by mutuall broiles, infectious diſeaſes, or the cruelty of Invaders, all which have helped to ſweepe away the Americans, while the Engliſh in the meanetime did multiply in ſuch manner and meaſure, as they could ſcarcely dwell one by another; and becauſe man is commanded more than once to bring forth, multiply, and fill the earth, Gen. 1. 28. 9. 1. he may well therefore, and juſtly looke abroad, and if he finde convenient and quiet habitation, he may call the name of that land Rehoboth, becauſe the Lord hath made him roome, Gen. 22. 26. That is alſo a lawfull cauſe of ſetling in other lands, when a right therein is acquired by purchaſe, as Abraham bought of Ephron the field of Machpelah, Gen. 22. 17. And thus Paſpehai hDeclara. of Ʋirginia. p. 11▪one of the Indian Kings ſold unto the Engliſh in Virginia land to inhabit and inherit; and when Mr Williams of late iMr Cott. anſ. p. 27, &c.called upon our Planters in New England to be humbled for making uſe of the Kings Patents, for removing hence, and reſiding there, he is well anſwered among other things, that they had thoſe lands from the Natives by way of purchaſe and free conſent. Againe, the Territories of ſtrangers may be poſſeſſed upon the donation and fore-gift of the naturall Inhabitants, as Abimelech ſaid to Abraham, behold the land is before thee, dwell where it pleaſeth thee, Gen. 20. 15. and Pharaoh ſaid to Ioſeph, in the land of Goſhen let thy father and brethren dwell, Gen. 47. 5, 6. So in Virginia King kDeclara. of Virgin. Ʋbi ſupra.Powhatan deſired the Engliſh to come from Iames Town, a place unwholſome, and take poſſeſſion of another whole Kingdome, which he gave them; thus the ſurviving lMr Cot. Ibid.Indians were glad of the comming of the Engliſh to preſerve them from the oppreſſion of the next borderers; and ſurely divine providence making way, the care of emprovement, the purchaſe from the Natives, their invitation and gift, ſome, or all theſe, may ſatisfie the moſt ſcrupulous in their undertaking, or elſe what will ſuch our inquiſitors ſay to maintaine the right of their owne inheritances? The Engliſh invaded the Britons the ancient inhabitants of this Iſland, and crowded them into the nooke of Wales, themſelves in the meane time taking poſſeſſion of the fat of this Land, by what right, or by what wrong I diſpute not, ſaith mMetrop. 129.Crantzius; but ſuch in thoſe daies were the frequent emigrations of people to ſeeke out new habitations.
To theſe that other expreſſion of the eloquent Deane nIbid.may be added, accepiſtis potestatem, you have your Commiſſions, your Patents, your Charters, your Seale from that ſoveraigne power upon whoſe acts any private ſubject in civill matters may rely; and though our forenamed Country-man ſeemeth to ſlight the Pattent of New-England, as containing matter of falſehood and injuſtice, that oIb. Mr Cott.imputation alſo is ſufficiently removed by Mr Cotton in that his anſwer before mentioned. And yet further, the deſire and endeavour to plant Chriſtianity there, will fortifie the former reaſons, and ſufficiently vindicate the tranſplantation of people, this pIbid.ſeales the great ſeale ſaith that Doctor, authorizeth authority, and juſtifies juſtice it ſelfe, and Chriſtians may have learned this from our deare Maſter Chriſt, who coaſted the Countrey, and croſſed the ſeas qSer. 16. initſaith Chryſologus, not to ſatisfie humane curioſity, but to promote mans ſalvation; not to ſee diverſities of places, but to ſeeke, and finde, and ſave loſt mankinde. And if ſuch be the aime of our Nation there, we may with more comfort expect and enjoy the externalls of the Indians, when wee pay them our ſpiritualls, for their temporalls, an eaſie and yet moſt glorious exchange, the ſalvation of the ſalvages, to the hope of the one, the like ſound of the other may give encouragement; but that is the next conſideration.