" petitioned July 23, 1689, for twenty footmen for a month "to
scout about the towne while wee get our hay." Otherwise, they say, they
must be forced to leave.[48:2] Still more indicative of this temper is
the petition of Lancaster, March 11, 1675-6, to the Governor and
Council: "As God has made you father over us so you will have a father's
pity to us." They asked a guard of men and aid, without which they must
leave.[48:3] Deerfield pled in 1678 to the General Court, "unlest you
will be pleased to take us (out of your fatherlike pitty) and Cherish us
in yo{r} Bosomes we are like Suddainly to breathe out o{r} Last
Breath."[48:4]

The perils of the time, the hardships of the frontier towns and
readiness of this particular frontier to ask appropriations for losses
and wounds,[48:5] are abundantly illustrated in similar petitions from
other towns. One is tempted at times to attribute the very frank
self-pity and dependent attitude to a minister's phrasing, and to the
desire to secure remission of taxes, the latter a frontier trait more
often associated with riot than with religion in other regions.

As an example of various petitions the following from Groton in 1704 is
suggestive. Here the minister's hand is probably absent:

1 That wharas by the all dessposing hand of god who orders all
things in infinit wisdom it is our portion to liue In such a
part of the land which by reson of the enemy Is becom vary
dangras as by wofull experiants we haue falt both formarly and
of late to our grat damidg & discoridgment and espashaly this
last yere hauing lost so many parsons som killed som
captauated and som remoued and allso much corn & cattell and
horses & hay wharby wee ar gratly Impouerrished and brought
uary low & in a uary pore capasity to subsist any longer As
the barers her of can inform your honors

2 And more then all this our paster mr hobard is & hath been
for aboue a yere uncapable of desspansing the ordinances of
god amongst us & we haue advised with th Raurant Elders of our
nayboring churches and they aduise to hyare another minister
and to saport mr hobard and to make our adras to your honours
we haue but litel laft to pay our deus with being so pore and
few In numbr ather to town or cuntrey & we being a frantere
town & lyable to dangor there being no safty in going out nor
coming in but for a long time we haue got ou