Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2

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Forth Winthrop to John Winthrop, Jr.

26 March 1630

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Edward Howes to John Winthrop, Jr.

31 March 1630

John Winthrop to Margaret Winthrop1

Winthrop, John Winthrop, Margaret

1630-03-28

To M. W. the Elder at groton.2

my faithfull and deare wife,

It pleaseth God that thou shouldest once againe heare from me before our departure, and I hope this shall come safe to thy hands, I knowe it wilbe a great refreshinge to thee: And blessed be his mercye, that I can write thee so good newes, that we are all in verye good health, and hauinge tryed our shipps entertainment now more then a weeke, we finde it agree very well with vs, our boyes are well and cheerfull, and haue no minde of home, they lye both with me, and sleepe as soundly in a rugge (for we vse no sheets heer) as euer they did at Groton, and so I doe my selfe (I prayse God). the winde hath been against vs this weeke and more, but this day it is come faire to the North, so as we are preparinge (by Godes assistance) to sett sayle in the morninge: we haue onely 4: shippes ready, and some 2: or 3: hollandes goe alonge with vs: the rest of our fleet 225(beinge 7: shippes) will not be ready this senight. we haue spent now 2: sabbaths on shipp board, very comfortably (God be praysed) and are daylye more and more incouraged to looke for the Lords presence to goe alonge with vs: Hen: Kingesburye hath a childe or 2: in the Talbott sicke of the measells, but like to doe well: one of my men had them at Hampton, but he was soone well againe. we are in all our 11: shippes, about 700: persons passengers; and 240 Cowes, and about 60: horses. the shippe which went from Plimouth carried about 140: persons, and the shippe which goes from Bristowe, carrieth about 80: persons.3 And now (my sweet soule) I must once againe take my last farewell of thee in old England, it goeth verye neere to my heart to leaue thee, but I know to whom I haue committed thee, euen to him, who loues thee much better than4 any husband can, who hath taken account of the haires of thy head, and putts all thy teares in his bottle, who can, and (if it be for his glorye) will bringe vs togither againe with peace and comfort. oh how it refresheth my heart to thinke that I shall yet againe see thy sweet face in the lande of the liuinge: that louely countenance, that I haue so much delighted in, and beheld with so 226great contente! I haue hetherto been so taken vp with businesse, as I could seldome looke backe to my former happinesse, but now when I shalbe at some leysure, I shall not auoid the remembrance of thee, nor the greife for thy absence: thou hast thy share with me, but I hope, the course we haue agreed vpon wilbe some ease to vs both, mundayes and frydayes at 5: of the clocke at night, we shall meet in spiritt till we meet in person. yet if all these hopes should faile, blessed be our God, that we are assured, we shall meet one day, if not as husband and wife, yet in a better condition, let that staye and comfort thy heart, neither can the sea drowne thy husband, nor enemyes destroye, nor any adversity depriue thee of thy husband or children. therefore I will onely take thee now and my sweet children in mine armes, and kisse and embrace you all, and so leaue you with my God. farewell farewell. I blesse you all in the name of the Lord Jesus; I salute my daughter Winth: Matt, Nan and the rest, and all my good neighbors and freindes pray all for vs. farewell.

Comende my blessinge to my sonne John. I cannot now write to him, but tell him I haue committed thee and thine to him, labour to drawe him yet nearer to God, and he wilbe the surer staffe of comfort to thee. I cannot name the rest of my good freinds, but thou canst supply it. I wrote a weeke since to thee and mr. Leigh and diuerse others. Thine wheresoever

Jo: Winthrop. From Aboard the Arbella rydinge at the Cowes march 28. 1630.

I would haue written to my brother and sister Gostlinge, but it is neer midnight, let this excuse and commende my love to them and all theirs.

W. 1. 79; Savage (1825), I. 368–369; (1853), I. 441–443, with facsimile of the last page; L. and L. , I. 388–389; Twichell, Puritan Love-Letters , 150–154.

See supra, page 208, note 3 209, note 2 .

The four ships ready for the voyage were the Arbella of 350 tons, admiral, Talbot, vice-admiral, Ambrose, rear-admiral, and Jewell, captain. The Mayflower, Whale, Hopewell, William and Francis, Tryal, Charles, and Success sailed from Southampton in May. “The shippe which went from Plimouth” on March 20 was the Mary and John, of 400 tons. The Bristol ship, the Lion, William Peirce, master, had sailed in February and arrived at Salem in May. Four other ships arrived in Massachusetts or Plymouth this year, among them the Gift, called by Winthrop “the French shippe,” the William and Thomas (see Journal for August 20 and October 29, 1630, and notes), and the Handmaid, for the Plymouth Colony. See the list of ships, with dates of sailings and arrivals, in Thomas Prince, Chronological History of New-England (1826), 329; in Young, Chronicles of Massachusetts, 311, and in Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, XII. 202–203 (1908). This list does not name the William and Thomas. On the Winthrop fleet and voyage, see, above all, Winthrop's Journal; also 1 Collections , VIII. 36–47 (Thomas Dudley, “Letter to the Countess of Lincoln”); 1 Proceedings , v. 93–96 (1860), and J. G. Bartlett, “Leaders in the Winthrop Fleet,” in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, LXXV. 236–237 (1921), both based on a “Note of the names of the principall undertakers for the plantation of the Mattachusetts bay in Newe England that are themselves gonne over with their wives and children,” preserved among the Colonial Office Papers in the Public Record Office at London; Horace E. Ware, “Winthrop's Course across the Atlantic,” Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, XII. 191–203 (1908), with a sketch map, and an additional note and revised sketch, ibid., XX. 278 (1919); C. E. Banks, The Winthrop Fleet (Boston, 1930); and, for the impression which the fleet and voyage made upon the English public at the time, John Stow, Annales, continued by Edmund Howes (London, 1631), 1045: “At the end of this moneth of February 1629–30. here was a Fleet of 14. sayle, furnished with men, women, and children, and all necessaries, and men of Handicrafts, and others of good condition, wealth, and quality, to make a firme Plantation in the parts of America, called New England, . . . but they staid at Southampton, and there-abouts, vntill May, to take 260. Kine, and other liue Cattell, for their vse at their arriuall; since which Fleete, there haue gone at sundry times, diuers Shipps and people, for the same Plantation.” See also S. E. Morison, “Winthrop's Course across the Gulf of Maine,” Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, XXVII. for a description of the latter part of the voyage.

MS. “that.”