Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 3

Edward Howes to John Winthrop, Jr.1

Howes, Edward Winthrop, John, Jr.

1631-11-09

To his louinge frind Mr. John Winthrop at his fathers house in the Machassetts Bay these deliver at Boston in New Engeland

Charissime J. W.,

Health to you and to all the Israell of God; as this doth testifie my life and health, soe let it my harte and minde. perswade yourselfe that all the water betweene vs shall not be able to wash away my former professed loue to you and the place where you are; and to the persons with you, to whome I am obliged in a neuer to be cancelled bond. The bookes Mr. Gurdon hath fetcht away, and the Luna is at your service; soe is both the books and Sol et quodcunque sub sole habet vel habebit me tuum.

I heare your mothers vnkle is dead, and hath left her an 100li in his will heare is a mutteringe of a too palpable seperation of your people from our church gouernement. allas, alas, it is not any outward will worship that god requires, but god being a spirit ought to be worshiped in spirit and truth. there are many guifts by one and the same spirite yet not all giuen to one man. let euery man, as the guift is giuen continue in his callinge, one to rule another to convince another to exhorte, one the guift of healing, another guift of tongues etc. the eyes cannot performe the office of the hand nor the eares of the tongue etc. hence you receiued your being; and best being; in striuinge soe sodainely to be better, may proue to be starke naught. thus in rude termes I haue exprest my mynde out of a tender regard of the weaknes of your infant state. Children suck the brests of theire mothers, stronge meate is for stronge men; I pray god account you and preserue you all as worthy stones in buyldinge his newe Jerusalem, and that ye may be conformable to 55the head stone Christ Jesus, whoe make ye wise to the salvation of your owne soules, your generations after you and the poore heathen with you; that ye become not a prey to the spoyler, and your children turne heathen, vnces-santly shall pray Your

E. Howse

I hope my interest in you may procure a shorte relation of your arivall, of your present beinge, and some direction for the disposinge of my selfe my estate and affaires here. Vale in Christo.

E. H. Peterborough Court 9° Nouember 1631

I haue sould all and meane to followe Deo iuvante.

W. 2. 163; 4 Collections , VI. 472–473. For Howes, see Winthrop Papers, II. 226n.

Francis Kirby to John Winthrop, Jr.1

Kirby, Francis Winthrop, John, Jr.

1631-12-26

To his very lovinge and much respected frend mr. John Winthrop Junior this deliver in noua Anglia in Charlton per a frend whom god preserue

Laus Deo in London 26° 10bris 1631 My very louinge and no lesse loued friend,

harty salutation to your selfe and second selfe with my respect to your good father and mother for whom as also for the rest of your company I do and shall daily implore the aid of the almighty; we haue taken notice of very boisterous winds we had immediately after your departure from our Coaste (res est soliciti plena timoris amor) We haue no hope to hear from you vntill the returne of mr. Peirce from Virginia whom we expecte siccis faucibus.

I desire to acquaint you with such occurrents as may be newes to you whether foreine or domesticall. I received a letter dated in August last from Newfound Land in the bay of Bulls aboord the William and Thomas rideinge there to take in fishe and is bound for Genoa. my frend writeth that the ships Company goeinge on shore to cut timber did accidentally set that woody Contry on fire which had then burnt 20 miles alonge and that they had no likelyhood to quenche it vntill rayny wether come.

Captain Bruton who was imployed by my Cozen Moris Thomson2 and 56company for the trade of beuer in the riuer of Canada is now ariued heere haueinge been since at St. Christophers for a freight of tobacco. he hath brought in heer about 3000li. weight of beuer, and they are now hasteninge to set forth a small ship only for that riuer hopeinge to be there before Captain Kerke whom (I hear) is to fetch his men from Quibeck and yeild vp the Castle againe to the Frenche this next somer.3 For German newes, you shall vnderstand that Swedens kinge hath been very successfull. the duke of Saxon who all this while hath been a neuter is now forced to take vp armes and craue the aid of Sweden, for Tilly did set vpon his cheife towne called Lypswicke and tooke it, but kept it not many daies before he with the helpe of the kinge regained it and gaue him battle about 2 english miles from Lipswicke, slew about 15000 of the imperialists tooke much munition and with the losse of about 6000 of their owne, since that he hath taken Noren-berghe and Frankford and lefte soldiers in them bothe. We hope that god will make Sweden an instrument for the fall of Antychrist. I find noted in the margin by the Geneua translaters Revel: 17. 16 that diuers nations as the Gothes, Vandals and Hungarians who were subiect to Rome shall rise vp to destroy the whore. Sweden is king of Gothes and Vandals. A little of Greenland newes because it may make some what for your encoragement who may sometime possibly aduenture vpon discouery where bread is not alwaies to be had, for therin you may see it is possible to liue without bread by gods blessinge vpon the fleshe of beares and foxes etc. 8 English men wintered there in the latitude of 77½ and are returned home all in good likeinge. they liued from August vntill June without bread or other prouisions then what they killed and the fritters or rather fragments of the whales out of which they had tried oile and cast them to the dunghill the somer before. they lost their passage by reason of misty wether while they were on shore to kill venison.4

Thus with my earnest praiers to the almighty for you all I rest Your euerlouing frend

Fra: Kirby

Endorsed by John Winthrop, Jr.: Mr. Kirby recd. Jun: 1632.

W. 1. 92; 3 Collections , IX. 237–239. For Kirby, see 4 Collections , VII. 13n.

Morris or Maurice Thompson was the son of Robert Thompson of Watton, Hertfordshire, and with his brothers, George, Paul, and William, lived for a time in Virginia. In 1639 Morris Thompson was engaged in the fishing trade at Cape Ann, and Governor Winthrop wrote that it was hoped he “would, ere long, come settle with us.” Journal, I. 310; also printed in D.J.W. in entry for June 1639.

On February 26, 1630/31, Sir William Alexander, David Kirke, and others, adventurers in the Company of Canada, represented to the Admiralty that about three years before, the King granted them a commission to plant colonies on the St. Lawrence, “to displant those who were enemies in those lands, and to trade with the natives.” Being informed that several ships were bound thither, particularly the Whale of London, Richard Brewerton and Wolston Goslyn, masters, “contrary to that commission and greatly to the petitioners’ prejudice,” they prayed that the vessels might be stayed or sufficient assurance given that they would prosecute no such voyage. The Admiralty directed Lord Dorchester, Secretary of State, to examine those against whom the complaint was made and to prohibit their going if it appeared they had any intention of so doing. Three days later a warrant was issued to stop the sailings in question. Calendar of State Papers, Colonial, 1574–1660, 128.

The story of these men is given in Gods Power and Providence: Shewed, in the Miracvlous Preservation and Deliverance of Eight Englishmen, Left by Mischance in Greenland Anno 1630. Nine Moneths and Twelve Dayes. . . . Faithfully Reported by Edvvard Pellham (London, 1631).