A website from the Massachusetts Historical Society; founded 1791.

Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 3

Matthew Cradock to John Winthrop1
Cradock, Matthew Wintrhop, John

1636-09-13

Honored and my worthei Freynd,

With tender of my best seruice I harteley Commend me to you: I haue received your letter of the 25 June by the ship Falcon by which as also by letter from Jno. Jolliff I take good nottice of your loue to me and reddyness to furder me in my occasyons there for which I yeeld you most hartye thankes and dessyre the contynuance thereof as occasyon shall bee. Were my discoragments but of small Consequence I should bee verry loath to bee troblesome. Errors I knowe I haue Comitted maney and great by reposing trust in maney not worthey to bee trusted. Theise 308errors I must suffer for and ame willing to beare, but would bee loath to haue that which is bad to bee made worsse and affliction added to affliction. Truley I will yeet hope mr. Mayhewe will geeue mee that satisfaction in all which may geeue resonable satisfaction to mee and in so doinge I ame confydent he will doe himselffe a great deale of right. It were to much for me to relate all passages vnto you and loth I ame to bee therein offensyue to you with longe discourses but if it bee so that my seruant Jno. Jolliffe doe not Recieyue satisfaction to Content lett me Crave that favour of you as to Read ouer my letters wrote mr. Mayhewe which I sent him by Jno. Jolliffe and which I nowe send him by this Convayance. I must Confesse in regard of the length of them it is to much troble I putt you vnto, and yeet without hearing them Read you can not my selffe beeing absent vnderstand wherein I fynd my selffe agreyued, or whether that I propound and desyre to haue done be resonable or not and I shall not desyre in aught to bee my owne Judge and because I would bee the less troblesome to you seeing Mr. Peirse had a great hand at his last beeing in England in my sending ouer so great an Estate thether as I ded last yeere and was not wanting to haue had me sent as much this yeere I wish that he also who Is an Intymate well wilier to mr. Mayhewe may seey what I propound and wherein I fynd my selffe agreyued, and if I Cane haue noe other accounts but by calculacion that the same may bee done with Judgment and vnderstanding and with your approbacion, and then I shall leaue you to Judge how I haue thryuen and doe at present thryue in Newe England, oneley bee pleased I pray you if occasion so Requyre to order Jno. Jolliff with Mr. Pearse to take some paynes to goe to the depth of my buiseyness, and what Can not appeare by accounts that to Estymat so as may be equall and Indifferent boeth for Income and expense, and where ought shall appeare difficult that you would bee pleased to geeue them your aduize for the better Cleering of it, and withall to cast your eye vppon the Chardges shalbee layd vppon me by Estymats that the same doe not exceede whereby my loss should bee made heauier then really it is or ought to bee. had I Receued that Correspondence from N. E. which I might Justley haue expected in the Course of my dealing thether the publique had beene partaker thereof ere this more sensybley but I haue not beene so happey, yeet what shall I say Mr. Mayhew Is approued of all and I desyre he may still contyneue so and I shalbee harteley glad thereof as realley wishing his good and welffare, but so as my welfare also may subsist with his; I knowe noe liberty he hath to trade in aught For himselfe but the Cleane Contrary by our Covenants which my seruant Jolliff cane shewe you and they exspire not till about June next, the Reading of those 2 letters afforemencioned will shewe you more then I cane 309heere express, and when your selffe shall haue heard and seeyne all, I ame perswaded you can not propound that For me to doe which I shall not bee Reddy to yeeld vnto. For yf Mr. Mayhewe doe realley approoue his Integrity I shall desyre to Contyneue him in my Imployment according to his owne offer by his Letters Receiued by this shippe, and as I knowe him abell for my buiseynes so I ame perswaded when euer wee parte he will not eseley fynd one so willing to doe him good as I haue beene and ame. I doe once more Intreate your Love Furderance and advize in this buiseynes of myne which doeth much Concerne me to haue my affayres there setteled in some good way and so as I may boeth Cleereley seey what Is become of my estate I haue or showld haue there as also howe for the tyme to come I may haue an equall and Fayre carriadg of my buiseynes. I ame harteley glad to heare of the good approbacion of our Newe Gouvernour there Mr. Vane, the sicknes heere weekeley Increasing wee haue noe relacion nowe to the Court beeing in this Respect as banished men from thence so as I make questyon whether it bee knowen there as yeet. howeuer I trust God will Raise vp freynds and meanes to furder and aduanse his owne worke, yea wee may bee Confident thereof, he will neuer forsake vs if wee forsake not him, and if god be with vs wee neyde not feare who Is agenst vs; I will heere Conclude with harty Commendations from me and myne to your selffe and yours and will Rest euer in owght I may Your assured louing Freynde to bee Commaunded

Mathewe Cradock London, 13 September 1636
Sir,

I haue a purpose to apply my selffe to tylledge and incresing my Stock of Cattell, and hauing had Recourse to a plase caled shaweshynn where I heare none comes but my selffe I desyre your Fauour when the Court shalbee moued in my behalfe that I may haue 2000 Acres there allotted to me where I shall Fynd It most Convenyent For mee. I know the orders made heere in Court allowe me maney thousand acres more then euer I Intend to demand or looke after. This my shuite I hope will geeue offence to none and when I shall sett vp a tenement and a teame as I haue heerewith geeuen order thereabout, I hope in a short tyme others will Followe if once a good mynister bee plased there, and I ame perswaded the more English Corne Is Cherished the better it wilbee For the whole plantacion. I once more take my Leaue and Rest Yours

Mathewe Cradock2
1.

W. 2. 63; 4 Collections , VI. 122–124. For Matthew Cradock, see D.N.B. Cradock did not actually send this letter to Winthrop until February of the following year, at which time he added a postscript dated February 21, which is printed below (pages 348–349).

2.

This postscript is canceled in the original for the reasons set forth in Cradock’s later postscript of February 21, 1636/37, printed separately below (pages 348–349).