ter-towne there. Yet that ground is not comparable to other parts of New England, as Salem, Ipswich, Newberry, &c. In a word, they have built fair towns of the land's own materials, and fair ships too, some whereof are here to be seen on the Thames; they have overcome cold and hunger, are dispersed securely in their plantations sixty miles along the coast, and within the land also, along some small creeks and rivers, and are assured of their peace, by killing the barbarians, better than our English Virginians were by being killed by them. For having once terrified them, by severe execution of just revenge, they shall never hear of more harm from them, except, perhaps, the killing of a man or two at his work, upon advantage, which their sentinels and corps-du-guards may easily prevent. Nay, they shall have those brutes their servants, their slaves, either willingly or of necessity, and docible enough, if not obsequious. The numbers of the English amount to above thirty thousand, which, (though none did augment them out of England), shall every day be, doubtless, increased, by a faculty that God hath given the British islanders, to beget and bring forth more children than any other nation of the world. I could justify what I say from the mouths of the Hollanders, and adjoining provinces, where they confess, (though good breeders of themselves), that never woman bore two children, nor yet had so many by one man, till the English and Scots frequented their wars, and married with them. I could give a good reason hereof from nature, as a philosopher, (with modesty be it spoken), but there is no need. The air of New England, and the diet, equal, if not excelling that of Old England: besides, their honor of marriage, and careful preventing and punishing of furtive congression, giveth them and us no small hope of their future puissance and multitude of subjects. Herein, saith the wise man, consisteth the strength of a king, and likewise of a nation, or kingdom.

But the desire of more gain, the slavery of mankind, was not the only cause of our English endeavors for a plantation there. The propagation of religion was that precious jewel for which these merchant venturers compassed both sea and land, and went into a far country to search and seat themselves. This I am sure they pretended, and I hope intended. Only this blessing from my heart I sincerely wish them,

and shall ever beseech the Almighty to bestow upon them, devout piety towards God, faithful loyalty towards their sovereign, fervent charity among themselves, and discretion and sobriety in themselves, according to the saying of that blessed Apostle, Rom. xii. 3. Not to be wise (in spiritual things) above what w

be wise unto wise sobriety.
Doubtless there was no
chastise the insolency of th
cides, than a sharp war pursu
and speed. Virginia our mother
for her precedent a rule, hath taught
do in these difficulties, forewarn
They were endangered by their
peace, secured by their enmity and
the natives. From these experimen
now inhabitants of those two sister
out unto themselves an armor of
lay a sure foundation to their future

-FINIS.

A

BRIEFE NARRATION

OF THE

Originall Undertakings

OF THE

ADVANCEMENT

OF

PLANTATIONS

Into the parts of

AMERICA.

Especially,

Shewing the beginning, progress and continuance

of that of

New-England.

Written by the right Worshipfull, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Knight and Governour of the Fort and Island of Plymouth in DEVONSHIRE.

LONDON:

Printed by E. Brudenell, for Nath. Brook at the
Angell in Corn-hill. 1658.

[Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the author of the following Tract, was President of "The Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering and governing of New England, in America." A very full account of his life is contained in the first volume of Belknap's American Biography.

The Preface, on the next page, unquestionably belonging to this Tract, was, by some strange blunder, transposed and prefixed to Johnson's "Wonder-Working Providence," which work, as well as this, makes a part of Ferdinando Gorges, Esqr's. "America Painted to the Life," and is by him, with singular ignorance or consummate fraud, ascribed to his grandfather, Sir Ferdinando. Prince, in the Preface to his Annals, says, "In the genuine title-page no author is named. Some of the books were faced with a false title-page, wherein the work is wrongly ascribed to Sir F. Gorges. But the true author was Mr. [Edward] Johnson, of Woburn, in New-England, as the late Judge Sewall assured me, as of a thing familiarly known among the fathers of the Massachusetts Colony." The remark of H. Ternaux, in his Bibliothèque Américaine, Paris, 1837, respecting the above mentioned volume, entitled "America Painted to the Life," is strictly true-"Une grande partie de ce livre n'est que la réimpression d'ouvrages que l'auteur s'est appropriés avec une rare impudence." The first Tract in that volume, as Mr. Savage observes, is "only a meagre abstract of Johnson." Publishing Committee.]