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opportunity. Their enemies whispered, that the States of Holland were weary of their company; but the reverfe was evident from the following occurrence, viz. the magiftrates of the city, when reproving the Walloons in open court, faid, "Thefe English have lived now ten years among us, and yet we never had any accufation against any of them, whereas your quarrels are continual."

The colony, deftined for America, failed from DelftJuly Haven for Southampton; and there met a fhip, having fome English friends on board, who proposed removing with them. Both veffels proceeded to fea; but returned twice into port, on account of defects in the one from Delft, which was difmiffed.. Part of the company returned to London, the remainder betook themfelves to the ship, and failed from Plymouth the 6th of September. After many delays, difficulties and dangers, they made Cape Cod at break of day on the 9th of November, and entered the harbour on the 10th. They offered up their devout and ardent acknowledgments to God for his protection, and had thoughts of landing; but remarking, that they were out of the limits of their patent, and in a fort reduced to a ftate of nature; and hearing fome, who came from London, hint, there is now no authority over us; they, while on board, formed themselves into a Civil Body Politic under the crown of England, for the purpose of framing “ just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, conftitutions and offices," to which they promised "all due fubmiffion and obedience." This contract was fubfcribed by forty-one per

Nov. fons, on Saturday the 11th of November. The whole

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company of fettlers, men, women, children and fervants, amounted to no more than one hundred and one,

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the exact number that left England-for one had died, but another was born, upon the paffage.

Enfeebled and fickly, we now behold them at the diftance of 3000 miles, not only from their native country, but the hofpitable land where they lately refided for years, when unfeeling perfecution drove them into a voluntary banishment. They have a long and dreary winter before them, and are upon the ftrange coaft of an uncultivated wilderness, without a relation or friend to welcome their arrival, or an houfe to fhelter them; without even a kind inhabitant to comfort them by tender acts of humanity, much lefs a civilized town or city, from which fuccour may be obtained on an emergency. Thus circumftanced, they are employed in making difcoveries, till the 20th of December, when they conclude upon a place for immediate fettlement, which they afterward name New-Plymouth, in grateful remembrance of the last town they left in their native country.

The winter proved remarkably mild for the Ameri can climate, though exceffively fevere to an English conftitution; and, what with diforders brought upon them through uncommon labors and fatigues, and their being expofed to the rigours of the feafon; and what with the fcurvy and other difeafes occafioned by a tedious voyage, and the want of proper accommodations while making it, they buried by the end of March 1621, forty-four of their little fociety, of whom one and 1621. twenty were fubfcribers to the contract. The num

ber of their dead increased to fifty by the beginning of November, when, to their great joy, a veffel arrived

*Wood's New England's Profpect. Ed, 1764. p. 5.

with thirty five fettlers from London. It was years before their plantation amounted to three hundred people : when nearly fo, the Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering 1630. and governing of New England in America, granted them a Patent, by which their lands were fecured against all English claims.-Be it noted, that they early agreed with, and fatisfied the Indian proprietors.

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It would have been aftonishing, had not thefe planters brought with them opinions favorable to liberty. The arbitrary proceedings of Elizabeth and James produced a fpirit of inquiry; and induced the fufferers and others to canvass the equity of thofe powers, which were so improperly exercifed. When the film of prejudice was removed, it was eafy to difcern that tyranny, whether in church or ftate, could not be vindicated by reafon or revelation; and that Heaven's permitting it, was no more a countenance to that, than any other wickedness. Befide, the Plymouthians had lived for years among a people, who had been engaged in a bloody war, with a cruel unrelenting tyrant, whofe fovereignty they had renounced. The frequent converfation that must have paffed between the Dutch and English refugees, muft have improved the attachment of the laft to the cause of freedom. It might alfo have been hinted to them, that it began to be the fentiment of fome English nobles and principal commoners, that in cafe of a removal to America, perfons, without any charter from the crown, were at liberty to eftablifh what form of government they pleased; and to fet up a new ftate, as fully to all intents and purposes, as though they were making their firft entrance into civil fociety.

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No wonder then, efpecially confidering the general equality prevailing among them, that the Plymouthians, by their contract before landing, formed themfelves into a proper Democracy; and that it was entered in the Plymouth records of 1636, " Finding, that as free born 1636. fubjects of the State of ENGLAND, we hither came with all and fingular the privileges belonging to fuch; in the first place we think good, that it be established for an alt, that, according to the [rights fuppofed to be wanting] and due privileges of the fubjects aforefaid, no impofition, law or ordinance be made or impofed upon them at present or ta come; but such as fhall be made and impofed by confent, according to the free liberties of free born fubjects of the state and kingdom of ENGLAND, and no otherwife." They meant to continue their allegiance to the crown; to retain their connection with the mother country; to adopt the general laws of England for the rule of government, wherein they fuited; and to be governed by their own particular acts in other inftances.

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Perfons, devoted to church authority and particular national establishments, may exclaim against the Plymouthians for their religious fentiments: but a fair and brief statement of them, it is apprehended, will be thought the best defence that can be offered, by those who candidly examine the New Teftament, and are properly im-· preffed with the words of our Saviour-My kingdom is not of this world.

When Mr. Robinson and his affociates feparated from the church of England, they were rigid Brownifts. After his removal to Holland, and there converfing with learned divines, he, being a gentleman of a liberal mind and good difpofition, became moderate, as did

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his people; fo that they who continued rigid Brownists would hardly hold communion with them. Mr. RobinJon and his fociety did not require of thofe who joined them, a renunciation of the church of England. They alfo acknowledged the other reformed churches for true and genuine; allowed their own members occafional communion with them, in the word preached, and in the prayers conceived by the preacher before and after fermon, but not in the facraments and difcipline; and admitted their members, known to them to be pious, to occafional communion with themselves in the facraments. Still it is to be remarked, that they were not admitted, because of their being members of fuch churches, but on account of their known piety: their belonging to and continuing in fuch churches, was not an argument for rejecting them; nor was it the argument for their reception. Mr. Robinson, however, by his converfation and writings, proved a principal in ruining Brownism; and, in the opinion of fome was the father, of others the reftorer, of the independent or congregational churches. Congregational is the term used in New England, the other is discarded, as feeming to imply too great a feparation from fifter churches.

The Plymouthians held, that the Bible was the fole religious code of proteftants; and that every man had a right to judge for himself, and to try all doctrines by it, and to worship according to what he apprehended that directed. In doctrinal tenets they agreed with the articles of the church of England. The main difference between them and other reformed churches, was about hierarchy. They maintained, that no particular church ought to confift of more perfons than

could

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