Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2

John Winthrop to Margaret Winthrop1

Winthrop, John Winthrop, Margaret

1629-05-01

My good wife,

I wrote to thee by my sonne, and therefore will take libertye to be briefe now, hauinge many other Letters to write, and verye litle leisure. Blessed be the Lorde our good God that in this tyme of our absence from each other we may yet heare of one anothers welfare, and haue comfort in our mutuall loue, which through his grace is so setled, as neither tyme nor absence can alter or deminishe: our freindes heere are in reasonable health (I prayse God) and desire to be kindly remembered to thee: my sister Downinge will expect Mary Morten this next weeke, she may come vp by 87Colchester wagon verye well. I will take a tyme to conferre with my sister Downing about thy clothes she weares no mourninge apparrell but I and my man are in it. I praye thee send to Cambridge so soone as may be. Comende my loue and blessinge to my sonne and daughter: I thanke thee for thy readynesse to entertaine them, but I would not haue thee to make them ouer great a charge, tell him that mr. Gurdon desires to commende a man to him, for his plantation, whom I would haue him to entertaine, for it seemes he is honest and trustye, and fitt to doe seruice, and such he shall haue neede of: let him speake with mr. Gurdon about him.

Let John Sanford speake with Milburne, and tell him that he hath a brother, who should hire a mill of Sir Hen: Mildmay at 56 li. per annum, who offers Sir Henry, that his brother of our towne shalbe bounde with him for his rent, knowe of Milburne if he be willinge to be bound for his brother and lett me knowe his Answeare by thy next Lettre, that I may certifye Sir Henrye of it.

There is a boxe to come downe by the carrier with some thinges for my sonne and daughter.

Sende these Lettres inclosed, as they are directed, speedylye.

Heere is litle newes, that which is, my neighbour Newton will acquainte you with. Comende my loue to all our freinds, mr. Leigh and his wife, brother and sister Gostlinge and2 all the rest, so with my heartiest salutations to thy sweet selfe, my loue and blessinge to all our children, I comende thee and them to the gratious protection and blessinge of our heauenly father, so I kisse thee and wish thee Fare well. Thy faithfull husband

Jo: Winthrop. May 1: 1629

If Mary come vp by the wagon she may haue a porter to carrye her thinges and to direct her to my brother Downinges.

W. 1. 48; L. and L. , I. 291–292.

Thomas and Jane (Winthrop) Gostlin, often mentioned in Vol. I.

Henry Jacie to John Winthrop1

Jacie, Henry Winthrop, John

1629-05-05

To the Right Worshipfull Mr. Winthrop in London these be dd.

Worthy Sir,

Mr. Gurdon2 riding towards Dedham this morning (not to return this day) cald at the house of our honest Neighbour goodman 88Kingsbury:3 and there perceiving how ill he was being in bed then, he wished them there to send for me to come thither to see, and here how it was with him, that I might write to your Worship to certify you thereof; for he had writ to you, but knew not so well how this party was.

Now these are therfore to enforme your Worship, according to his and his wives Relation to me (of whose Trueth I dare not doubt:) that he is in great weakenes, and more within this fortnight then of late, in so much that One Physition tels him he is in danger of his life, another saith he is so dangerously sick that he dare not advice him to purge, it would kill him, nor to let him blood he is so weak, and that he is in danger of a Consumption, the state of his body being changed to worse. So that now he is not able to go about his ordinary work; He endeavoured of late to have done somwhat, easily, but hath been the worse ever since, so that he hath been glad to keep his bed til noon or therabout every day this sennight: Altogether unable to travell.

Whereas he had a warrant of your Worship to attach the Bodies of his Assaulters to appear at the Assize, One that was the Constables Deputy (as he said) left word at his house as from Sir Robert,4 that they were brought before him, and he had bound one of them over to the Sessions. Now he fearing least things should not be rightly caried, (being not able to go thither, if he live so long,) desires your Worships direction what course might be thought best to be taken, and your furtherance therin, for having the cause brought to the Size, if it may be, and you think good.

As for himselfe he is nowayes able to go to London for My Lords assistance to take his oath etc. But if need be his Brother would be willing to go for him. I need not use any Motives to One that so knows the Cause, and whose heart the Lord hath sett, for him, and his, and to be with the Lord to help against the mighty.

The Lord enable your Worship still to proceed in so doing: Yea while you are for him, he will be for you, he wil not leave you nor forsake you. To whose Grace which is sufficient I desire humbly to commend you, and so I take my leave, resting Your Worships to be commaunded in him

Henrie Jacie. From his house in Asington May 5 1629.

Since the writing of the rest, Mr. Brampton Gurdon5 newly returned from Dedham, from his father further certifies me that it is his mind I should write to your Worship in behalfe of this our neighbour: but now I perceive not that himselfe hath written to you: wherby I fear least they mistook part of his words. But I know he purposed to certify you of it, to further the procurement of the Lord Cheef Justice's6 help, to bring the matter to the Assizes, notwithstanding his binding over to the Sessions,7 which his Worship thought might possibly be procured by the coming up of this our neighbours brother for him, if himself were not able, if you sent down word accordingly, that he may be directed what to do. May it please you therfore, to write down to Mr. Gurdon about it.

W. Au. 49; 4 Collections , VI. 452–54. Henry Jacie (1601–63), Puritan divine, commenced M. A., Cambridge, 1626; vicar of Aughton, co. York, 1633; ejected in 1634 “for not using the ceremonies.” He became chaplain to Sir Matthew Boynton of Barmston, and for a time thought of emigrating to New England (see 4 Collections , VI. 460). In 1637 he undertook the pastoral charge of the oldest Independent congregation in England, gathered in Southwark by Henry Jacob in 1616 and after his removal to Virginia ministered to by John Lathrop, who, in turn, emigrated to Plymouth Colony in 1634. About 1645 Jacie became a Baptist and from that time to 1660 preached at St. George's, Southwark. Many of his writings have appeared in print. He was much interested in calendars and in that class of events which Increase Mather termed “remarkables”; while so intimate was his knowledge of the Scriptures that he was termed “a living concordance.” “The original languages of the Old and New Testament were as familiar to him as his mother tongue.” Several of his letters have been printed in 3 Collections , I, 4 Collections , VI, and 1 Proceedings , XVII, and will appear in succeeding volumes of this series. D. N. B. ; Thomas Crosby, History of the English Baptists (London, 1738–40), I. 307–323; Daniel Neal, History of the Puritans, new ed. by Joshua Toulmin (London, 1793–97), IV. frontispiece (portrait), 410–413; 2 Collections , I. 165.

Brampton Gurdon of Assington, high sheriff of Suffolk in 1628 and long associated with Winthrop as a county magistrate. Jacie was a chaplain in his family at the time this letter was written. Muskett, 286, 287, 288; and passages in Vol. I.

This may be the “H. Kingsburie” mentioned by Jacie in a letter to John Winthrop, Jr., of January, 1634–35, as desiring certain devotional treatises. 1 Proceedings , XVIII. 300 (1881). Robert Charles Winthrop, Jr., suggests that Henry Kingsbury, who came over with Governor Winthrop in 1630 and was long in his service, was probably son or nephew of this “goodman Kingsbury.” Ibid., XXXIII. 60 (1899).

Sir Robert Crane, several times mentioned in Vol. I.

Son of Brampton Gurdon, the elder, by his second wife, Muriel (Sedley). He was colonel of the Suffolk Horse during the Civil War, and represented Sudbury in the Long Parliament after the death of Sir Robert Crane. The death of his half-brother of the same name, son of Brampton and Elizabeth (Barrett) Gurdon, is recorded in Vol. I. 260.

Sir Nicholas Hyde.

At this point “HK his marke” is written in the margin.