essor Arber's untenable allegations as to the Pilgrim
leaders' responsibility for any error made in the "overmasting" of the
SPEEDWELL, although he destroys his case by saying of the "overmasting:"
"Whether it was done in England or Holland is not certain." He says,
unhappily chiming in with Arber's indictment: "In their eagerness to get
away promptly, they [the Leyden men] made the mistake of ordering for the
SPEEDWELL heavier and taller masts and larger spars than her hull had
been built to receive, thus altering most unwisely and disastrously her
trim." He adds still more unhappily: "We do not hear of these inveterate
landsmen and townsfolk [of whom he says, 'possibly there was not one man
familiar with ships or sea life'] who were about to venture on the
Atlantic, taking counsel of Dutch builders or mariners as to the
proportion of their craft." Why so discredit the capacity and
intelligence of these nation-builders? Was their sagacity ever found
unequal to the problems they met? Were the men who commanded confidence
and respect in every avenue of affairs they entered; who talked with
kings and dealt with statesmen; these diplomats, merchants, students,
artisans, and manufacturers; these men who learned law, politics, state
craft, town building, navigation, husbandry, boat-building, and medicine,
likely to deal negligently or presumptuously with matters upon which they
were not informed? Their first act, after buying the SPEEDWELL, was to
send to England for an "expert" to take charge of all technical matters
of her "outfitting," which was done, beyond all question, in Holland.
What need had they, having done this (very probably upon the advice of
those experienced ship-merchants, their own "Adventurers" and townsmen,
Edward Pickering and William Greene), to consult Dutch ship-builders or
mariners? She was to be an English ship, under the English flag, with
English owners, and an English captain; why: should they defer to Dutch
seamen or put other than an English "expert" in charge of her
alterations, especially when England rightfully boasted the best? But
not only were these Leyden leaders not guilty of any laches as indicted
by Arber and too readily convicted by Griffis, but the "overmasting" was
of small account as compared with the deliberate rascality of captain and
crew, in the disabling of the consort, as expressly certified by
Bradford, who certainly, as an eye-witness, knew whereof he affirmed.

Havi