nterference, as he could bring
forward the positive command of his sovereign, that no arms of any kind
should be given or sold to the natives.

He resolved, however, before he had recourse to harsher measures, to
try and bring Morton and his wild crew to a better mode of life, by
friendly and persuasive messages. But these only excited the contempt
and derision of the ruffian; and the doughty warrior, Miles Standish,
was therefore dispatched, with a band of his veteran followers, to
seize on the desperadoes. They came upon them when they were in the
midst of their drunken revelry, and, after a fierce struggle, succeeded
in making them all prisoners, and conveying them safely to Plymouth.
From thence Morton was sent, by the first opportunity, to England, to
be tried by the High Council, who, however, did not take any active
measures against him or his followers. Many of the latter escaped, and
continued their disorderly life, until they were checked by the
vigorous proceedings of Endicott, who severely reprimanded them, and
cut down the may-pole which had given rise to so much offence, and he
named the hill on which the notorious plantation was situated, 'Mount
Dagon,' in memory of the profane doings of its inhabitants.

The coast of Massachusetts Bay was now studded with plantations, and
with rising towns and villages. The stream of emigration continued to
increase; and the wealth and prosperity of the colonies in general kept
pace with the addition to their numbers, and with their extended trade
with foreign colonies and with the mother-country. Boston had become a
place of some note, and seemed to be regarded as the seat of commerce
for the Massachusetts district, as well as the center of the civil
government. Most of the families of the neighboring plantations,
especially of Charlestown, removed to Boston; and ere long it was
deemed expedient to found a regular church there, and the building of a
house of God was commenced. Winthrop, the governor, also exerted
himself in the erection of a fortress, to repel the dreaded attacks of
the Indians; but he soon perceived that this was a needless precaution,
for all the neighboring tribes readily offered their friendship, and
even their submission; and, as the strength of the colony daily
increased, he found that he had less and less to fear from the Indians.
The Sagamore of Sawgus, in the vicinity of Boston, remained the steady
friend of the English until his death; and C