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CHAPTER ently printed in London—the first published history of the planting of Massachusetts. Adorned with rhymed apos1650. trophes to the principal personages mentioned in it, this history is composed in a very rhapsodical style, and in a tone of confident and self-complacent laudation, a little too much imitated by some subsequent New England historians. It throws, however, a good deal of light on the material as well as the spiritual condition of the colony. "The Lord had been pleased," the captain tells us, "to turn all the wigwams, huts, and hovels the English dwelt in at their first coming, into orderly, fair, and well-built houses, well furnished, many of them, with orchards filled with goodly fruit trees and garden flowers." There were estimated to be, in gardens and orchards, about one thousand acres, and fifteen thousand acres in tillage. The cattle were reckoned at twelve thousand, and the sheep at three thousand. Many laboring men, who had not enough to bring them over, were now "worth scores, and some, hundreds of pounds." Many had feared that Massachusetts "would be no place of continued habitation for want of a staple commodity; but in a very short time every thing in the country proved a staple commodity, wheat, rye, oats, pease, barley, beef, pork, fish, butter, cheese, timber, masts, tar, soap, plank, boards, frames of houses, clapboards, and pipe-staves; and those who were formerly forced to fetch most of the bread they ate and the beer they drank a thousand leagues by sea, are, through the blessing of the Lord, so increased, that they have not only fed their elder sisters, Virginia, Barbadoes, and the Summer Islands, that were preferred before her for fruitfulness, but also the grandmother of us all, even the fertile isle of Great Britain, besides Portugal, that hath had many a mouthful of bread and fish from us in exchange for their Madeira liquors, and also Spain."

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"Good white and wheaten bread is no dainty, but ev- CHAPTER ery ordinary man hath his choice, if gay clothing and a liquorish tooth after sack, sugar, and plums lick not away 1650. his bread too fast, all which are but ordinary among those that were not able to bring their own persons over at their first coming. There are not many towns in the country but the poorest person in them hath a house and land of his own, and bread of his own growing, if not some cattle. Flesh is now no rare food, beef, pork, and mutton being frequent in many houses, so that this poor wilderness hath not only equalized England in food, but goes beyond it in some places for the great plenty of wine and sugar which is ordinarily used, and apples, pears, and quince tarts instead of their former pumpkin pies. Poultry they have plenty." The use of wine, freely imported from Madeira, seems, indeed, to have gradually superseded that habit of beer-drinking which the colonists had brought with them from England. Johnson enumerates not less than thirty-two trades carried on in the colony-among the most successful, those of coopers, tanners, and shoemakers; "it being naturalized" to these two latter occupations "to have a higher reach in managing their manufactures than other men in New England." Already shoes were manufactured for exportation.

"Many a fair ship had her framing and finishing here, besides lesser vessels, barques and ketches; many a master, besides common seamen, had their first learning in this colony. Our maritime towns, Ipswich, Salem, and Boston, begin to increase roundly, especially Boston; the which, of a poor country village, in twice seven years is become like unto a small city." "The form of this town is like a heart, naturally situated for fortifications, having two hills on the frontice part next the sea, the one well fortified on the superficies with store of great artil

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CHAPTER lery, the other having on its descent a very strong battery, built of whole timber and filled with earth, betwixt 1650. which two strong arms lies a large cove or bay, on which the chiefest part of the town is built, overtopped with a third hill, furnished with a beacon and loud babbling guns, to give notice, by their redoubled echo, to all their sister towns. The chief edifice of this city-like town is crowded on the sea banks, and wharfed out with great industry and cost; the buildings, beautiful and large, some fairly set out with brick, tile, stone, and slate, and orderly placed, with comely streets, whose continual enlargement presageth some sumptuous city."

Besides the fort and battery in Boston, and another in Charlestown commanding the inner harbor, was the Castle, on an island of eight acres, three miles below the town, in the track of vessels approaching from the sea, very advantageously situated "to make many shots at such ships as shall offer to enter the harbor without their good leave and liking." As there was no lime in the colony except that made of sea-shells, this fortress, built at first of earth, had fallen to decay, but had lately been rebuilt by a contribution of the six neighboring towns, and was now held by a small garrison in the colony pay. "The forts are well contrived," says Johnson, "and batteries strong and in good repair, the great artillery well mounted and cleanly kept, half cannon, culverins, and sackers," twenty-four, eighteen, and six pounders, "and also field-pieces of brass, very ready for service."

"Good store of shipping is here yearly built, and some very fair ones. This town is the very mart of the land; French, Portugals, and Dutch come hither for traffic." The "popularity" of the town had become so great that the inhabitants were too many to meet in one assembly, and the northeast part being separated from the other

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"by a narrow stream cut through a neck of land by in- CHAPTER dustry, whereby that part is become an island," it was thought meet that the inhabitants there should gather 1650. into church body and build a meeting-house, which was accordingly done, but no one as yet was called to office This second church in Boston was the thir

as pastor.

teenth in the colony.

The militia, consisting of twenty-six companies of foot, besides a "very gallant horse troop," was drilled to the use of arms eight days in the year. "None are exempt," says our gallant captain, "except a few timorous persons, that are apt to plead infirmity if the church choose them not as deacons, or they can not get to serve some magistrate or minister; but assuredly the generality of this people are very forward for feats of war, and many, to further this work, have spent their time and estates." Each soldier was required to keep constantly by him "powder, bullets, and match." Besides the town magazines of powder and military stores, there was also a general magazine for the colony, all under the charge of an inspector, who had a sharp eye to keep them well supplied. "There are none chosen to office in any of these bands, but such as are freemen, supposed to be men endued with faith in Christ Jesus;" whereupon our captain adds this weighty caution: "Let all people know that desire the downfall of New England, they are not to war against a people only exercised in feats of arms, but men, also, who are experienced in the deliverances of the Lord from the mouth of the lion and the paw of the bear. And now woe be to you; when the same God that directed the stone to the forehead of the Philistine guides every bullet that is shot at you, it matters not for the whole rabble of anti-Christ on your side, the God of armies is for us, a refuge high; Selah!"

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Quite a number of these formidable soldiers offered their services to the "godly Parliament." Besides Cap1650. tain Cook, already mentioned, who obtained a colonel's commission, Stoughton, the commander of the Massachusetts forces in the Pequod war, and Bourne, a Boston ship-earpenter, became lieutenant colonel and major 1644. in Rainsborow's regiment. Leverett, son of the ruling elder of the Boston Church, obtained the command of a company of foot. Hudson, his ensign, was also a Massachusetts man. Liol, another of these adventurers, became surgeon to the Earl of Manchester's life guard. "These did good service," Winthrop tells us, " and were well approved; but Mr. Stoughton falling sick and dying at Lincoln, the rest all returned to their wives and families."