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

1637-03-15

To my honored and much respected Freind John Winthrop th’elder Esqr. Boston in Newe England By our goodfreynd Mr. Wm. Peirse whome God preserue
Laus Deo. In London 15 March 1636/37, Stilo Angliæ Worthei Sir,

All deue respects premised. The afore written are Coppyes of my former2 theise to accompanie our good freynd mr. William Peirse by 378whome I had a full purpose to haue sent you an Antimoniall Cupp3 which I make doubt whether I shall gett to send by him. Yf I bee not missinformed the vsse thereof (I feare immoderat) was an occasion of shortening Sir Nathaniell Riches dayes who hath made exchange of this liffe For a better; For the pretence of the Dorchester men I knowe not what to saie. I thincke if the trueth were knowen they rather should bee Indebted to us. I ame shure by sending the Company’s shippe Lyons Whelp4 for there occasions, the Company lost much money, besides the burden euer commonley was layd on the Londoners; For my partyculer I protest vnfeynedley to my best knowledge I ame out of purse for the generall Company twixt 3 and 400li and haue bene so For maney yeeres. what Recompence I shall haue I know not and It is not fytt aney pryuat man should beare a burden the generall bodey of the Company ought to beare I will indeuour to bee further Informed of this buiseynes of theres if I Cane, but I perswade my selffe if aney such thinge were by order of Court the Court bookes there will shewe it and to my best Remembrance they willingley gaue what they had there to goe vppon accoumpt of there Stock Intended: For my buiseynes with Thomas Mayhewe I Referre you to what Is aboue written and what this bearer mr. Peirse will showe and accquaynte you with and what I haue written to our Gouernor to whome Indeede I haue beene larger therein then I Intended. I desyre your his and the Fauour of the Court so farr as my Cause shall appeare honest and just, and I harteley pray you aduize and Furder my seruant Jno. Jolliffe whereby hee may bee in possession of all my estate there and that it may bee publiqueley knowen mr. Mayhewe neither had nor hath power or order to deale Fore me sethence the tyme of John Jolliffs arryuall there otherwisse then what Is done with the knowledge aduize and Consent of the sayd Jno. Jolliffe. It would bee to long to Relate to you my wrongs, and Tho: Mayhewes vniust and Indirect dealings by me in a most high nature, manner and measure if truley knowen and vnderstoode which I doubt not but mr. Peirse will at lardge accquaynte you with and I desyre he may bee imployed in helping to perffeckt my accowmpts with him. I hope by the Next shippe to Intreate a Freynd that Is mynded that way if he do come thether to helpe settell my account and some Course also about my meanes I haue there before all bee Consumed, For insteede of benefitt by N. E. I suffer to extremley in my estate 379as you will soone perseyue when you vnderstand the trueth of all things. Excuse me I pray you in beeing to troblesome to you heerein. I may not omitt to accquaynt you with one passage touching the generall nameley of one mr. Cleve and mr. Tucker who this last yeere were with me and pretended great good to our plantacion and great Fauour they could haue at Court and desired my approbacion of somewhat they Intended whereto I could say nothing till I sawe what It was, wherevppon they browght me a writing which hauing seeyne I vtterley dislyked and disavowed for hauing owght to doe therein, but taking it to pervsse before I would geeue my answere Caused a Coppy to bee taken which I send you heerewith sence Mooreton5 from them Came to me on the exchange and mr. Peirse beeing there I hauing noe desire to speake with Mooreton alone putt him of a turne or 2 on the exchange till I Found Mr. Pierse and then Caled him to me and in his presence disavowed to haue aney thing to doe therein, for Moreton would haue had me pay the Chardge or promiss some such matter in taking out somewhat vnder the seale this beeing done one or about the 9 January last vppon the exchange as Mr. Pierse Cane Relate vnto you.

There Is 4 or 5 sommes of 25li a peece owing to pryveat men borrowed on the Companies seale whereof there were maney more but It seemes all paid saue theise and theise I wish were paid, the not doing whereof by Ill mouthes Reflects to much to the disparagment of the Companie. take it to hart I pray you For you would and the Companie would if they knewe and heard that I doe and must heare to my greyffe and disdayne of there base languadge of vs. For my partyculer though I beare alreddy euen by that the generall Company owes me as touched before more then to much, Yeet were I not ouerpressed by my heauey burdens there laded on me by Thomas Mayhew I would stop some of there mouthes if not all though I paid it out of my owne purse, but I ame Forsed otherwise god forgeeue him that Is the Cause of It. I will heere conclude, beseeching the Allmightey to bless with good suckcess all your Indeuours. I doe thinke mr. Gouernor shall doe himselffe a great deale of Right to Come for England as soone as his yeere is exspired, and I ame to confident if he negleckt it It will exceedingley preiudice him in his outward Estate. I knowe you wish him Realley well Consider seriouslei of it I pray you and aduize him For his good, wherevnto the Lord direct you and him and so I euer Rest Your Worships assured to be Comanded

Mathewe Cradock 380

I thinke I shalbee forsed to bee a suytor for some land at Shaweshynne the best of myne as I am Informed neere my house beeing allotted to mr. Wilson and mr. Nowell, therefore pray your furderance wherein shalbee needfull.

Yours, Mathewe Cradock

I pray you be plesed to lett mr. Peirse amongst others shewe you mr. Palmers letter of barnstable whereby you will find a strang passadge of Tho. Mayhewes by me. I maruell mr. Hayne would drawe him into such a buiseynes, but mr. Haynes I ame perswaded thought mr. Mayhewes delings to bee others then they will appeare when they are vnmasked.

1.

W. 2. 64; 4 Collections , VI. 125–128.

2.

I.e., his letters of September 13, 1636, January 13, 1636/37, and February 21, 1636/37.

3.

See John W. Farlow, “The Antimonial Cup of the Seventeenth Century,” Proceedings , LX. 150–160.

4.

The Lion’s Whelp, sent out by the Massachusetts Bay Company, sailed from Gravesend on April 25, 1629, “with above forty planters out of the Gountyes of Dorset and Somerset,” arriving in Salem in mid-July. Charles E. Banks, The Planters of the Commonwealth (Boston, 1930), 61.

5.

Thomas Morton of Merrymount.