th sundrie of y^e sagest members begane both deeply to
apprehend their present dangers, & wisely to foresee y^e future, &
thinke of timly remedy. In y^e agitation of their thoughts, and much
discours of things hear aboute, at length they began to incline to this
conclusion, of remoovall to some other place. Not out of any
newfanglednes, or other such like giddie humor, by which men are
oftentimes transported to their great hurt & danger, but for sundrie
weightie & solid reasons; some of y^e cheefe of which I will hear
breefly touch. And first, they saw & found by experience the hardnes of
y^e place & countrie to be such, as few in comparison would come to
them, and fewer that would bide it out, and continew with them. For many
y^t came to them, and many more y^t desired to be with them, could not
endure y^t great labor and hard fare, with other inconveniences which
they underwent & were contented with. But though they loved their
persons, approved their cause, and honoured their sufferings, yet they
left them as it weer weeping, as Orpah did her mother in law Naomie, or
as those Romans did Cato in Utica, who desired to be excused & borne
with, though they could not all be Catoes. For many, though they desired
to injoye y^e ordinances of God in their puritie, and y^e libertie of
the gospell with them, yet, alass, they admitted of bondage, with danger
of conscience, rather then to indure these hardships; yea, some
preferred & chose y^e prisons in England, rather then this libertie in
Holland, with these afflictions. But it was thought that if a better and
easier place of living could be had, it would draw many, & take away
these discouragments. Yea, their pastor would often say, that many of
those w^o both wrate & preached now against them, if they were in a
place wher they might have libertie and live comfortably, they would
then practise as they did.

2^ly. They saw that though y^e people generally bore all these
difficulties very cherfully, & with a resolute courage, being in y^e
best & strength of their years, yet old age began to steale on many of
them, (and their great & continuall labours, with other crosses and
sorrows, hastened it before y^e time,) so as it was not only probably
thought, but apparently seen, that within a few years more they would be
in danger to scatter, by necessities pressing them, or sinke under their
burdens, or both. And therfore according to y^e devine proverb, y^t a
wise man seeth y^e pla