Hypocrisy Unmasked, Title page – Dedication
Hypocriſie Ʋnmasked: BY A true Relation of the Proceedings of the Governour and Company of the Maſſachuſets againſt SAMVEL GORTON (and his Accomplices) a notorious diſturber of the Peace and quiet of the ſeverall Governments wherein he lived: With the grounds and reaſons thereof, examined and allowed by their Generall Court holden at Boſton in New-England in November laſt, 1646.
Together with a particular Anſwer to the manifold ſlanders, and abominable falſhoods which are contained in a Book written by the ſaid GORTON, and entituled, Simplicities defence againſt Seven-headed Policy, &c.
DISCOVERING To the view of all whoſe eyes are open, his manifold Blaſphemies; As alſo the dangerous agreement which he and his Accomplices made with ambitious and treacherous Indians, who at the ſame time were deeply engaged in a deſperate Conſpiracy to cut off all the reſt of the Engliſh in the other Plantations.
VVhereunto is added a briefe Narration (occaſioned by certain aſperſions) of the true grounds or cauſe of the firſt Planting of New-England; the Preſident of their Churches in the way and Worſhip of God; their Communion with the Reformed Churches; and their practiſe towards thoſe that diſſent from them in matters of Religion and Church-Government.
By Edw. Winſlow.
Pſal. 120. 3. What ſhall be given unto thee, or what ſhall be done unto thee thou falſe tongue?
Verſ. 4. Sharpe arrows of the Mighty, with coales of Juniper.
Publiſhed by Authority.
London, Printed by Rich. Cotes for John Bellamy at the three Golden Lions in Cornhill, neare the Royall Exchange, 1646.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE ROBERT Earl of Warwick, Governour in Chiefe, and Lord High Admirall of all thoſe Iſlands and other Plantations of the Engliſh in AMERICA; Together with the reſt of thoſe truly Honorable Members of both Houſes of Parliament joyned in Commiſſion with him for ordering the affaires of the ſaid Plantations.
Right Honourable,
WEre not your Wiſdome and experience in the great and weighty affaires of State ſo well known, and were yee not ſo much accuſtomed to the unjuſt complaints of clamorous perſons▪ I might be diſcouraged to appeare in the righteous cauſe of the United Colonies of New-England, and more eſpecially in the behalf of the Governour and Company of the Maſſachuſets, to render a reaſon of their juſt and righteous proceedings againſt Samuel Gorton and his Companions, who however (where they are unknown) they goe here under the garbe of a peaceable people; yet if your Honours, and the reſt …f the Honourable Committee ſhall be pleaſed (when more weighty employments ſhall give way) to peruſe our juſt defence againſt his clamorous complaints, and ſcandalous Treatiſe, called, Simplicities defence againſt Seven-headed Policy, &c. I make no queſtion but yee will receive full ſatisfaction in what we have done, and be ready to juſtifie our proceedings againſt them as godly and righteous.
The reaſon wherefore I am forced to appeare in Print before I give a particular anſwer to your Honou…s, and the reſt of the Honourable Committee, is, becauſe I find a more groſſe deformatory aſperſion caſt upon the Countrey to the publick view of our Nation: which as it is deare in our eyes (witneſſe our frequent publick ſolemn dayes of prayer to the Throne of grace for it, together with our private ſupplications, which the Searcher of the heart beſt knows, ſympathizing with it in every condition, to the loſſe of Ships, Goods, &c. to the great weakening of our eſtates) ſo wee deſire to remove whatſoever may ſadden the thoughts of our Nation againſt us; eſpecially your Honours, and all that are godly in Chriſt Jeſus.
What greater wrong can bee done a poore perſecuted people that went into the wilderneſſe to avoid the tyrannicall Government of the late Hierarchy, and to enjoy the Liberties Chriſt Jeſus hath left unto his Churches (which theſe blaſphemous Adverſaries of ours, ſo much ſleight and caſt off) then to be accounted perſecutors of Chriſt in his Saints, yea, to go thither to that end, to become outragiouſly cruell, barbarouſly inhumane, uniting together to ſuck the blood of our Country-men, &c. And yet Right Honorable, it will and doth appear in the following Treatiſe, that Samuel Gorton was proſecuted againſt, Firſt, at Plymouth as a groſſe diſturber of the Civill peace and quiet of that Government, in an open factious and ſeditious manner. Secondly, hee was no leſſe troubleſome, but much more at Roade Iſland, having gotten a ſtrong party to adhere unto him, affronting that Government (as Plymouth) in their publique adminiſtration of Juſtice ſo foully and groſſely, as mine eares never heard the like of any; to which Relation in the following Diſcourſe I referre your Honours, being compiled as briefly as may bee▪ Gorton being there whipt in his perſon, and thence baniſhed with ſome of his principall adherents, they went next to Providence, where Mr. Williams, and ſome others have built a ſmall Towne. This people receiving them with all humanity in a cold ſeaſon, when the former places could no longer beare his inſolencies; hee ſoone undermined their Government, gained a ſtrong party amongſt them to his owne, to the great diſtraction of Mr. Williams, and the better party there, contending againſt their Laws, and the execution of Juſtice, to the effuſion of bloud, which made Mr. Williams and the reſt ſadly complaine to the Government of the Maſſachuſets, and divers of them take the protection of that Government, to defend their perſons and eſtates. But when they ſaw Mr. Williams reſolve rather to loſe the benefit of his labours, then to live with ſuch ill-affected people, and the neighbour Governments become affected with Gortons miſ-rule there alſo, hee (and his Companions in evill) began then to thinke of buying a place of a great aſp…ring Sachim, or Indian Prince, to the wrong of the proper Owners, (two infer…ur Sachims) who alſo, as well as divers Engliſh of Providence, ſubmitted their perſons and lands to the Government of the Maſſachuſets, and deſired their protection not onelyonly againſt the oppreſsing tyranny of Myantonimo the foreſaid Great Sachim, but againſt Gorton and his Companions, who intr…ded into their proper right, by unwarrantable meanes, &c. Now the Government of the Maſsachuſets having uſed all due meanes and none prevailing, but their gentleneſſe anſwered with the greateſt contempt that might bee: At the next Meeting of the Commiſsioners for the United Colonies they complained of Gorton and his irregular Companions, which the ſaid Commiſſioners tooke into ſerious conſideration, and the more becauſe of Gortons, &c. extraordinary familiarity with Myantonimo, and the reſt of the Nanohigganſet Sachims, who were knowne to bee in a deepe Conſpiracy againſt all the Engliſh in the Land at the ſame time. And therefore by a ſolemne Act gave liberty to the Government of the Maſſachuſets to call them to account, and proceed with them ſo farre as might ſtand with righteouſneſſe and juſtice, which they accordingly did.
Now theſe Right Honourable, &c. are the true cauſes of all the Cenſures and puniſhments that befell Gorton in the Countrey; onelyonly needleſly in his and their contemptuous anſwers to the modest and well-ordered Writings of the ſaid Government of the Maſſachuſets, they b…lched forth ſuch horrid blaſphemies, not onelyonly againſt them in particular, and Civill Government in the generall, but againſt the received Chriſtian Religion of all the Reformed Churches in Europe, as well as our ſelves; Inſomuch as many tender Conſciences, both Miniſters and others, thought the Government did not well in giving him ſuch liberty, whereby hee may and doth (as is reported) poyſon other perſons and places with his corrupt opinions, to the great diſhonour of God, and ruine of the ſoules of his followers, who reject the meanes of grace Go… hath ſanctified to ſtrengh…hen and build up his people in faith and holineſſe.
But that I may not bee tedious, I ſhall preſume to preferre theſe following requeſts to your Honours and the reſt of the honoured Committee this Renowned Parliament hath betruſted with the affaires of the Forraigne Plantatio…s of our Nation: The firſt is to ſtrengthen the Ceaſure of the Maſſachuſets by your favourable approbation, ſo farre as it ſhall appeare to bee juſt and righteous▪ and then ſhall the Cou…trey bee the more preſerved from their feares of the Go…tonians deſperate cloſe with ſo dangerous enemies as their malignant neighbours the Nanohigganſets; which I perſwade my ſelfe, if you leiſures will ſuffer you to read the following Diſcourſe, you will eaſily condeſcend unto▪ there being nothing (I thanke God in it) affirmed by mee, but as it is affirmed hereunto I may ſafely depoſe. A ſecond thing is, that yee will never ſuffer Samuel Gorton this peſtilent diſturber of our Societies, any more to goe to New-England to diſquiet the peace thereof. My third requeſt is, that yee will be pleaſed to ſuffer New-Plymouth, to enjoy their former liberty in the line of their Government, which includeth their very ſeat, even Shawamet it ſelfe, where Gorton and his Company dwelt. My fourth requeſt is, to take into your ſerious conſideration, how deſtructive it will prove to the well-being of our Plantations and proceedings there, (who by Gods bleſſing are growing up into a Nation) here to anſwer to the complaints of ſuch malignant ſpirits as ſhall there bee cenſured by Authority, It being three thouſand miles diſtant, ſo far as will undoe any to come for Juſtice, utterly diſabling them to prove the equity of their cauſe, unleſſe their eſtate bee very great. My fifth and laſt requeſt is, that your Honours, and the reſt of the Honoured Committee will be pleaſed to patronize the weake labours of your humble ſervant, in the juſt defence hee hath made for New-England, and the ſeverall Governments of it (eſpecially the Maſſachuſets) againſt the groſſe calumnies of the fore-mentioned ſcandalous Treatiſe publiſhed by the ſaid Gorton: And herein yee ſhall not onelyonly oblige our Plantations of New-England to continue their daily requeſt to the God of all mercies for a bleſsing upon this Renowned Parliament, and your Honours, and the reſt of this Honoured Committee in eſpeciall, but to engage with, and for them and you, againſt all oppoſers of the State, to the laſt drop of bloud in our veines; yea, hereby ſhall you ſweeten the tedious travels, great charges and labours of me their unworthy Agent, who doe and ſhall daily pray to God to recompenſe your vaſt hazzards, expenſes, ſtudies, and cares, (to advance the Weale Publike of this diſtreſſed Kingdome, and the ſeverall limbs thereof) with all the bleſsings of Heaven and earth to you and yours to ſucceeding Generations.
Yours Honours humble devoted ſervant, EDVV. WINSLOVV.