THEY FORM A SEPARATE CHURCH, I. 21 lished the reformed religion, according to the reformed CHAP. religion of King Edward the Sixth, retaining or keeping still the spiritual state of the bishops, &c. after the old manner, much varying and differing from the Reformed Churches of Scotland, France, and the Netherlands, Emden, Geneva, &c., whose Reformation is cut or shapen much nearer the first churches, as it was used in the Apostles' times." 1 So many therefore of these professors as saw the evil of these things, in these parts, and whose hearts the Lord had touched with heavenly zeal for his truth, they shook off this yoke of antichristian bondage, and, as the Lord's free people, joined themselves, (by a 1602. covenant of the Lord,) into a church estate, in the fellowship of the Gospel, to walk in all his ways, made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavours, whatsoever it should cost them.2 tans or Novelists was not to be suffered in any well governed commonwealth." In a private letter written about the same time, he said, "I had rather live like a hermit in the forest, than be king over such a people as the pack of Puritans that overrules the lower house." He had previously written to his son in the Basilicon Doron, "Take heed, my son, to such Puritans, very pests in the church and commonwealth. I protest before the great God, that ye shall never find with any Highland or Border thieves greater ingratitude and more lies and vile perjuries than with these fanatic spirits." Barlow's Sum and Substance, pp. 71, 83, 92; Calderwood, Hist. Ch. Scotland, p. 478; Hallam, i. 332. In conformity with these views, on the 5th of March, 1604, he issued a proclamation, that the same religion, with common prayer, and episcopal jurisdiction, shall fully and only be publicly exercised, in all respects, as in the reign of Queen The Reformed Churches shapen Prince says, "Governor Brad 22 JOHN ROBINSON'S CHURCH. CHAP. And that it cost them much pains, trouble, sorrow, I. affliction, and persecution, and expense of their estates, &c. this ensuing history will declare.' 1606. These people became two distinct bodies or churches, in regard of distance of place, and did congregate severally, for they were of several towns and villages, some in Nottinghamshire, some in Lincolnshire, and some of Yorkshire, where they bordered nearest together. In the one of these churches, besides others of note, was Mr. John Smith,3 a man of able gifts, and a good preacher, who afterwards was chosen their pastor. But these afterwards falling into some errors in the Low Countries, there for the most part buried themselves and their names. But in this other church, which must be the subject of our discourse, besides other worthy men, was Mr. Richard Clifton, a grave and reverend preacher, who by his pains and diligence had done much good, and ford's History takes no notice of 1 "These seem to be some of the 2 I have substituted Lincolnshire for Lancashire, on the authority of Prince. This is most likely to be the correct reading, as Lincolnshire borders both on Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, whilst Lancashire does not. Besides, Prince was remarkable for his accuracy, and is less likely to have made a mistake in deciphering and copying a word than Morton. He tells us, "In the passages relating to the Plymouth planters, I chiefly use Gov. Bradford's manuscript History of that Church and Colony, in folio; who was with them from their beginning to the end of his Narrative, which is now before me, and was never published." Annals, p. 99. 3 Some account of Smith, Clifton, and Robinson, is contained in Gov. Bradford's Dialogue, in a subsequent part of this volume; where will also be found a more extended memoir of Elder Brewster, also written by Gov. Bradford. THE PILGRIMS PERSECUTED. I. 23 under God had been a means of the conversion of CHAP. many; and also that famous and worthy man, Mr. John Robinson, who afterwards was their pastor for 1606. many years, until the Lord took him away by death; and also Mr. William Brewster, a reverend man, who afterwards was chosen an elder of the church, and lived with them until old age and death. But, after these things, they could not long continue in any peaceable manner, but were hunted and persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as molehills to mountains in comparison to these which now came upon them. For some were taken and clapped up in prisons, others had their houses beset and watched night and day, and hardly escaped their hands; and the most were fain to fly and leave their houses and habitations, and the means of their livelihood. Yet these, and many other sharper things which afterward befell them, were no other than they looked for, and therefore were the better prepared to bear them by the assistance of God's grace and spirit. Yet seeing themselves thus molested, and that there was no hope of their continuance there, by a joint consent they resolved to go into the Low Countries, where they heard was freedom of religion for all men,' as also how 1 After the introduction of the Reformed religion into the Low Countries in 1573, the utmost religious freedom was allowed, all sects were tolerated, and an asylum was opened for fugitives from persecution from every land. See Grotius, Annals, p. 41; Brandt, i. 308; Strada, i. 457. This honorable peculiarity has often been made an occasion of reproach against the country. Thus Bishop Hall, in his letter to Smith and Robinson, Decade iii. Epist. 1, speaks of Amsterdam as "a common harbour 24 THEY RESOLVE TO FLY INTO HOLLAND. CHAP. Sundry from London and other parts of the land, that I. had been exiled and persecuted for the same cause, 1607. were gone thither, and lived at Amsterdam,' and in other places of the land. So after they had continued together about a year, and kept their meetings every Sabbath in one place or another, exercising the worship of God amongst themselves, notwithstanding all the diligence and malice of their adversaries, they seeing they could no longer continue in that condition, they resolved to get over into Holland, as they could, which was in the year 1607 and 1608; of which more in that which followeth, standing at a stay like corn among "I am a schoolmaster, Sir, and would fain And Andrew Marvell, in his "Char- "Sure when religion did itself embark, And from the east would westward steer It struck; and splitting on this unknown Each one thence pillaged the first piece he Hence Amsterdam, Turk, Christian, Pa- Staple of sects, and mint of schism, grew; Opinion, but finds credit and exchange. The English church at Am- In 1596 they published a "Confession of Faith of certain English people living in exile in the Low Countries," which was reprinted in 1604, in "An Apology or Defence of such true Christians as are commonly, but unjustly, called Brownists." This work has sometimes been confounded with John Robinson's "Just and Necessary Apology of certain Christians not less contumeliously than commonly called Brownists or Barrowists," which was first published in 1619. Some account of Johnson and Ainsworth is contained in Bradford's Dialogue, in a subsequent part of this volume. See Brandt's History of the Reformation in the Low Countries, i. 479; Neal's Puritans, i. 363, 386; Prince, p. 303. In a memoir of Elder Brewster, written by Gov. Bradford, and copied by Morton into the records of the Plymouth Church, it is stated that "they ordinarily met at his (Brewster's) house on the Lord's Day, which was within a manor of the bishop's; and with great love he entertained them when they came, making provision for them to his great charge, and continued to do so while they could stay in England." CHAPTER II. OF THEIR DEPARTURE INTO HOLLAND, AND THEIR TROUBLES THEREABOUT, WITH SOME OF THE MANY II. BEING thus constrained to leave their native country, CHAP. their lands and livings, and all their friends and familiar acquaintance, it was much, and thought marvellous by many. But to go into a country they knew not, but by hearsay, where they must learn a new language, and get their livings they knew not how, it being a dear place, and subject to the miseries of war,' it was by many thought an adventure almost desperate, a case intolerable, and a misery worse than death; especially seeing they were not acquainted with trades nor traffic, (by which the country doth subsist) but had only been The Netherlands have, in every age, from the earliest times down to the last great conflict at Waterloo, been the battle-ground of Europe. Bishop Hall says in one of his epistles, "It were pity that your Holland should be still the amphitheatre of the world, on whose scaffolds all other nations should sit, and see variety of bloody shows, not without pity and horror." At this time Spain was waging that dreadful war with her revolted subjects of the United Provinces, which terminated in their inde pendence. The best account of this |