Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2Note: you've followed an index reference to a note that, due to changes between the print and digital editions, may no longer be on page 178. Please look at all notes at the end of the document or documents on page 178.

Isaac Johnson to John Winthrop1

Johnson, Isaac Winthrop, John

1629-12-17

To the Right Worshipfull my much esteemed kinde Frend John Winthrop esqr. att Groton in Suffolke giue these.

Good Sir,

I received your letter by your neighbour, whom I wellcomed into our Society. Wee haue much cause to bee thanckfull for Gods presence still with us. I was with Mr. Downinge this afternoone and agreed uppon the Peticion; Mr. Edsbury2 wee mett withall, who hopes to gett us 20 peece of ordinance and the Charles.3 Touching buyinge of Ordinance ourselves, wee conferred with the master Gunner4 with Capt: Waller5 and Cap: Venn:6 And uppon agitacion wee finde, that the new mettle will quickly heate and reverse, so that we are quite off them, saue only for a Drake or 2; what is determined about them I refer to mr. Pinchions7 narracion, who 178hath beene imployed in the worke since. Touching Mr. Hooker,8 we are not yet resolved what to doe, saue only to write to him, or goe to him, to see whether hee entends to goe or write that wee may doe accordingly. Dr. Ames9 would haue the like respect as mr. Cotton well remembers us off. If others may accompany him, my brother Samuel10 would bee one, who hath beene in those parts with Dr. Ames before. Your sonn would doe very well to bee one but I feare we cannott spare him because he is to studdy fortificacion and Gunnery heere, for after imployment obliterated exctorn that journy would helpe forwards that: should your torn take uppon us to dispose both of you and yours atttorn leasures for the publique. Hee is a very ingenious Gentleman and I am perswaded will be of speciall use to the Plantation. Wee haue writt a lettre to Sir N: Rich11 to gett a lettre from him to Capt: Gosnall,12 that your sonn may by his meanes take a veiw and plott of Harwich fort for us;13 for which I pray you lett him haue Tyme, and the Company will bee thanckfull; and lett him come up agayne as soone as may bee; I received notice from Leicester that diverse Christians are thinckinge to come from thence, and about Manchester one mr. Roote14 a Godly minister and able (if hee had a Call) and 40 with him; Leicester men desire him for their minister. I haue wrote word that if those 2 places can make a Congregacion they may haue him. They sent up a dozen or 13 Queres which haue beene answered.

Touching mr. Peters15 your caution is good, but I hope wee shall give you content, that his place will not be unsupplyed, nor his coming over offensive, nor dangerous. I shall (God willing) speake to mr. Goffe16 about the cowes, and mr. Wright17 about the caske and provisions to supply vs 179etc. For my modesty (as you call it) it is such as I finde needfull to write oft, that you may pray for mee the more, and expect the less; yet what I am I am Yours

Isa: Johnson.

Wee had a Court on Tuesday18 att which was 3 or 4 howres debated whither those that added to their subscriptions before should haue it now fully ended, and after 3 or 4 houres strong debate it was concluded against them, so as now wee shall I hope goe securely on with the marchantes. Mee thincks I ended too abruptly with my Paper without expression of loue and affection answerable to the receipt of yours. But I am weary and not very well, therefore entreat you to supply it out of the abundance of yours. I haue sent Sir Nath: Rich his lettre for your sonne which I hope is sufficient. I hope hee will sufficiently informe himself of the dimensions of the fort and all things about it, as likewise of what severall matterialls what kinde of Earths or wood the severall parts are framed off. It is likely he may inquire of some thereabouts, labourers—artificers or artists that helped to make it. Lett him take speciall notice of the thicknes of the walls where the ordinance is layd forth, and how long our ordinance had need to bee in that regard, and send what speedy word may bee with conveniency.

17. Dec: 1629.

For that wee are advized by some to haue all our ordinance 8t foote and a half from the base hoope to the muzzell; others and the most to haue none vnder 9 foote to bee so measured, In regard that otherwise they will bee in danger to throw downe the walls of the Fort. But heres the difficulty heere are some, I thinck enough: of 8t foote and of 8t and a half uppon the Tower hill, but those of 9 will hardly or not att all bee gott for the first vioage, so that wee are att a great loss; For some thinck better carry but a few now that are fitt and reserve the other for the last ships, then to carry vnserviceable ones and others thinck better to carry our number, for the feare and noyse of them may doe us good; and they may hereafter serve for some use. Thus you see how hardly I was drawne on this side my paper, and yet now how prolix I am. Pray send us your opinion of this, for it much stumbles us. etc.

W. 2. 13; 4 Collections , VI. 30–32.

Kenrick Edisbury of Chatham, co. Kent, surveyor of the navy. His sister, Grace, married Joshua Downing of Chatham, one of the commissioners of the navy and brother of Emmanuel Downing. Muskett, 99.

The Charles, a royal ship of 150 tons, was lent to the Adventurers for the Northwest Passage in the spring of 1630, but her provisions could not be made ready in time. Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1629–1631, 5, 51, 135, 300, 470.

John Reynolds, master gunner of England. Ibid., 124.

“The worshipful Captain Henry Waller, the worthy commander of the renowned martial band of the honorable city of London, exercising arms in the Artillery,” and an early member of the Massachusetts Bay Company. He died in October, 1631. See Haven's prefatory chapter to the first year of the Records of Massachusetts. Transactions and Collections, The American Antiquarian Society, III. (Worcester, 1857), lxxxiv–lxxxv.

John Venn, captain, afterwards colonel, of the London trainbands, one of the patentees named in the Massachusetts Charter, did not come to New England. He was a member of the Long Parliament and one of the judges at the trial of Charles I. Ibid., lv–lvi.

William Pynchon, an early member and assistant of the Company, founder of Springfield, Massachusetts. See Proceedings , LXIV; also Journal, October 23–25, 1630, notes.

Thomas Hooker (1586–1647), famous Puritan divine, first pastor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a founder of Connecticut.

See his letter of December 29, 1629, infra, page 180.

10.

Supra, page 51, note 2 56, note 6 .

11.

Sir Nathaniel Rich, M. P., an organizer of the Puritan colony of Old Providence in the Caribbean. D. N. B. ; A. P. Newton, Colonizing Activities of the English Puritans (New Haven, 1914), 80–81.

12.

Captain Robert Gosnold, commander of the forts at Landguard and Harwich. Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1628–1629, 191–192; 1629–1631, 494.

13.

The drawings made by Winthrop's son are possibly those to be found at the rear of the first manuscript volume of the Journal. See The Victoria History of the County of Essex, II. (London, 1907), 272, and illustration, 294.

14.

Henry Roote (1590–1669), curate or preacher at Gorton, co. Lancaster, 1623–34. He did not come to New England.

15.

Hugh Peter.

16.

Thomas Goffe of London, merchant, named deputy governor of the Company in the Charter. Haven, Transactions, American Antiquarian Society, lxxii–lxxiii. See Journal, April 10, and October 29, 1630, also Ford, Ed., History of Plymouth, II. 32, note 5.

17.

Nathaniel Wright, merchant, active in the early affairs of the Company. Haven, Transactions, American Antiquarian Society, lxix–lxx.

18.

December 15. Records of Massachusetts, I. 66–67.