y^e rest were glad to come to them; for after
midnight y^e wind shifted to the [53] north-west, & it frose hard. But
though this had been a day & night of much trouble & danger unto them,
yet God gave them a _morning_ of comforte & refreshing (as usually he
doth to his children), for y^e next day was a faire sunshin[=i]g day,
and they found them sellvs to be on an iland secure from y^e Indeans,
wher they might drie their stufe, fixe their peeces, & rest them selves,
and gave God thanks for his mercies, in their manifould deliverances.
And this being the _last day of y^e weeke_, they prepared ther to keepe
y^e _Sabath_. On _Munday_ they sounded y^e harbor, and founde it fitt
for shipping; and marched into y^e land, & found diverse cornfeilds, &
litle runing brooks, a place (as they supposed) fitt for situation; at
least it was y^e best they could find, and y^e season, & their presente
necessitie, made them glad to accepte of it. So they returned to their
shipp againe with this news to y^e rest of their people, which did much
comforte their harts.
On y^e 15. _of Desem^r_: they wayed anchor to goe to y^e place they had
discovered, & came within 2. leagues of it, but were faine to bear up
againe; but y^e 16. _day_ y^e winde came faire, and they arrived safe in
this harbor. And after wards tooke better view of y^e place, and
resolved wher to pitch their dwelling; and y^e 25. _day_ begane to
erecte y^e first house for co[=m]one use to receive them and their
goods.
The 2. Booke.
The rest of this History (if God give me life, & opportunitie) I shall,
for brevitis sake, handle by way of _annalls_, noteing only the heads of
principall things, and passages as they fell in order of time, and may
seeme to be profitable to know, or to make use of. And this may be as
y^e 2. Booke.
_The remainder of An^o:_ 1620.
I shall a litle returne backe and begine with a combination made by them
before they came ashore, being y^e first foundation of their govermente
in this place; occasioned partly by y^e discontented & mutinous speeches
that some of the strangers amongst them had let fall from them in y^e
ship--That when they came a shore they would use their owne libertie;
for none had power to co[=m]and them, the patente they had being for
Virginia, and not for New-england, which belonged to an other Goverment,
with which y^e Virginia Company had nothing to doe. And partly that
shuch an [54] acte by them done (this their con
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