A trip to New-England with a character of the country and people, both English and Indians. Ward, Edward, 1667-1731. 1699 Approx. 51 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2003-07 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A67528 Wing W764 ESTC R3226 12630786 ocm 12630786 64752 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A67528) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 64752) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 678:15) A trip to New-England with a character of the country and people, both English and Indians. Ward, Edward, 1667-1731. 16 p. [s.n.], London : 1699. First edition. Attributed to Edward Ward. Cf. Halkett & Laing (2nd ed.). A scurrilous tract written by a London tavern keeper and pamphleteer. Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng New England -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Anecdotes 2003-02 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2003-03 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2003-04 Jennifer Kietzman Sampled and proofread 2003-04 Jennifer Kietzman Text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-06 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A TRIP TO NEW-ENGLAND . WITH A CHARACTER OF THE Country and People , BOTH English and Indians . LONDON , Printed in the Year , 1699. A TRIP TO New-England , &c. BISHOPS , Bailiffs , and Bastards , were the three Terrible Persecutions which chiefly drove our unhappy Brethren to seek their Fortunes in our Forreign Colonies . One of these Bug-bears , I confess , frighted me from the Blessings of my own dear Native Country ; and forc'd me to the Fatigue of a long Voyage , to escape a Scouring . But whether Zeal , Debt , or the sweet Sin of Procreation , begot in my Conscience those Fears , which hurried me a great many Leages beyond my Senses , I am as unwilling to declare to the World , as a Romish Damsel that has lost her Maiden-head , is to confess her Frailty to the Priest. For many Years my Mind sat as Easie in my Breast , as an Alderman in an Elbow-Chair , till the Devil envying my Felicity , flung so many Crosses and Losses in my way , that every Step I took in my Occupation , I was timorous of Tumbling . I thought it then high time to seek for Balm , but finding none in Gilead , I was mov'd by the Spirit of Necessity , to forsake Ungodly London , for Religious Boston in New-England ; hoping to Purifie my self by the way in an Ocean of Brine , That when I got thither , I might find my Condition , as well as my Conscience , in a tollerable Pickle , fitted for the Conversation of the Saints in so Holy a Land. I pack'd up my Auls in order for my Voyage ; and Embarked the Ship the Prudent Sarah , at Gravesend , who was weighing Anchor , with a fair Wind for the Downs , That I had no leasure to step back to London to satisfie my Creditors ; but , like a Girl that 's Ravish'd , was forc'd , with a very good will , to do that which I intended . To entertain this Merry Town , with an exact Iournal in Tarpaulin Arabick , is like reading the Revelations to an establish'd Atheist , or repeating a Welsh Commedy to a Highlander . I shall therefore omit all such accustomary Fustian , and divert you with some Thoughts of my own in the time of my Passage . When I first came on Board , I fancy'd a Ship to be like a Country Village with two or three May-poles in 't ; and the Fellows running about Deck in Red and White-wastcoats , to be the Young Men of the Town engaged in a match at Foot-ball . Sometimes I consider'd them as a Pack of Hounds , and the Pilot to be the Hunts-man : For , like Dogs upon a Scent , they keep a heavy Yelping at their Business ; but in every interval , were as silent as a Beagle at a Loss . At other times , I have fancy'd a Ship to be a floating Hive , instead of Bees , posses'd by Drones , who make more T — d than Honey . A Vessel , whilst the Pilot is on Board , is an Emblem of Feeble Monarchy ; where the King has a States-man in his Dominions Greater than himself , That the Prince only bears the Title , but the other the Command . A Man on Board cannot but be thoughtful on two Destinies , viz. Hanging and Drowning : For withinside you have Rope , and without Water enough to effect either . So that it often put me in mind of the old Proverb , The Sea and the Gallows refuses none . A Commander when at Sea , is a Marine Deity ; his Will is his Law , and the Power of Punishing soly in his own hands . He has a Wooden World at his Mercy , wherein there is no way to be Happy , but by due Obedience : For he that knoweth his Masters Will , and doth it not , shall be beaten with many Stripes . When out at Sea , I thought the World was Drown'd , because no Land was to be seen . The Captain and his Mess , I compar'd to Noah and his Family ; but as for the rest , they were the Beasts of the Ark. We were very good Christians when we 'd nothing else to do : All Hands in a Calme to Pray or Pick Okum ; but to work in a Storm , serve God serve Devil . Brandy and Tobacco are the Soul of a Seaman ; he that wants either , is but half himself ; and he that has neither , wants every thing that 's needful ; and must , in his own defence , turn Thief or Beggar . Mariners , like Parsons , are much given to look Upwards ; but never consult Heaven beyond the Pole , or the Pointers . At Sea they are a kind of Persians , trusting to the Sun , Moon and Stars for Bodily Salvation . They seldom take notice but of one Miracle since Adam , and that is of Noah's guiding the Ark to a safe Harbour , without the help of a Sail , or the use of a Rudder : Which ( forgetting Providence ) they urge to be Impossible . A foul Wind makes scanty Messes ; for it 's a chearful saying among Seamen , Large Wind , Large Allowance : Starving and Drowning being to them equally terrible . Facetious Ignorance is an excellent Tallent to win the Captains Favour . Reason at Sea , without the Rules of Navigation , is as dangerous to be talk'd as Treason : For nothing galls the Ambition of a Commander more , Than to hear any Body on Board seem Wiser than himself . They generally bestow their Favours , as Fortune does her Benefits , as if both their Heads were in a Bag ; and for want of Sense or Sight , choose Dunces for their Minions , and Fools for their Companions : Dreading Ingenuity , and slighting Merit . Being possitive in Errors , hateful to Instruction , proud of their Ignorance , and Wise in their own conceits . A Violent Storm at Sea , to me , seem'd the Minute resemblance of a general Conflagration : When Jarring Elements for Power contended ; and angry Heavens belch'd out flakes of its consuming Fire on the reflecting Ocean ; follow'd with dreadful Claps of rending Thunder , rattling from Cloud to Cloud , thro' Rains and Hurricanes , till the Conquering Wind had blown his Sable Enemies beneath our Horizon , and clear'd the Skies of his affrightening Rivals . A Calm to me was an Effeminate acquiescence of the Elements ; and unpleasant to a manly disposition : The World look'd as if Nature was a Sleep ; and , careless of her charge , had suffer'd ( thro' Neglect ) the whole Universe to be Idle ▪ I could compare our Ship to nothing in so smooth a Sea , but to an Egg upon a Looking-glass . Idleness at Sea is the worst of Slavery ; and he that has nothing to do , is Buried Alive in a Cabbin instead of a Coffin . With these sort of Cogitations I past away my Time , being tost about by the Waves like a Dog in a Blanket , till we got Sight of the Promis'd Land , and Arriv'd at our desir'd Port , Boston . Of which I shall first proceed to give you an Account , free from Prejudice or Partiality . Of Boston , and the Inhabitants . On the South-west side of Massachusets-Bay , is Boston ; whose Name is taken from a Town in Lincoln-shire : And is the Metropolis of all New-England . The Houses in some parts joyn as in London . The Buildings , like their Women , being Neat and Handsome . And their Streets , like the Hearts of the Male Inhabitants , are Paved with Pebble . In the Chief , or high Street , there are stately Edifices , some of which have cost the owners two or three Thousand Pounds the raising ; which , I think , plainly proves Two old Adages true , viz. That a Fool and his Money is soon parted ; and , set a Beggar on Horse-back he 'll Ride to the Devil , for the Fathers of these Men were Tinkers and Peddlers . To the Glory of Religion , and the Credit of the Town , there are four Churches , Built with Clap-boards and Shingles , after the Fashion of our Meeting-houses ; which are supply'd by four Ministers , to whom some , very justly , have apply'd these Epithites , one a Scholar , the Second a Gentleman , the Third a Dunce , and the Fourth a Clown . Their Churches are Independent , every Congregation , or Assembly , in Eclesiastical Affairs , being distinctly Govern'd by their own Elders and Deacons , who in their Turns set the Psalmes ; and the former are as busie on Sundays , to excite the People to a Liberal Contribution , as our Church-Wardens at Easter and Christimas , are with their Dishes , to make a Collection for the Poor . Every Stranger is unavoidably forc'd to take this Notice , That in Boston , there are more Religious Zealots than Honest-men , more Parsons than Churches , and more Churches than Parishes : For the Town , unlike the People , is subject to no Division . The Inhabitants seem very Religious , showing many outward and visible Signs of an inward and Spiritual Grace : But tho' they wear in their Faces the Innocence of Doves , you will find them in their Dealings , as Subtile as Serpents . Interest is their Faith , Money their God , and Large Possessions the only Heaven they covet . Election , Commencement , and Training-days , are their only Holy-days ; they keep no Saints-Days , nor will they allow the Apostles to be Saints , yet they assume that Sacred Dignity to themselves ; and say , in the Title Page of their Psalm-Book , Printed for the Edification of the Saints in Old and New-England . They have been very severe against Adultery , which they Punish'd with Death ; yet , notwithstanding the Harshness of their Law , the Women are of such noble Souls , and undaunted Resolutions , that they will run the hazard of being Hang'd , rather than not be reveng'd on Matrimony , or forbear to discover the Corruption of their own Natures . If you Kiss a Woman in Publick , tho' offer'd as a Curteous Salutation , if any Information is given to the Select Members , both shall be Whip'd or Fin'd . It 's an excellent Law to make Lovers in Privat make much of their time , since open Lip-Lechery is so dearly purchas'd . But the good humor'd Lasses , to make you amends , will Kiss the kinder in a Corner . Publick Kissing , and single Fornication are both of a Price ; for which Reason the Women wisely consider ▪ the latter may be done with more safty than the former ; and if they chance to be Detected , and are forc'd to pay the Fine , they are sure before-hand of something for their Money . A Captain of a Ship who had been a long Voyage , happen'd to meet his Wife , and kist her in the Street ; for which he was fin'd Ten Shillings , and forc'd to pay the Money . What a Happiness , thought I , do we enjoy in Old-England , that can not only Kiss our own Wives , but other Mens too without the danger of such a penalty . Another Inhabitant of the Town was fin'd Ten Shillings for Kissing his own wife in his Garden ; and obstinatly refusing to pay the Money , endured Twenty Lashes at the Gun : Who , in Revenge of his Punishment , Swore he would never Kiss her again , either in Publick or Private . And at this rate , one of the delightfulest Customs in the World , will in time be quit thrown out of Fashion , to the Old Folks satisfaction , but to the Young ones Lamentation , who love it as well in New-England , as we do in the Old. A Man and Woman , were sentenc'd to be Whip'd for the like offence ▪ he being order'd Thirty Lashes , and she Twenty ; but he having extorted the Kiss from her , was so Generous to Sollicit the Select , that he might have the Fifty , and the Woman to be excus'd ; which was consented to accordingly . Every Tenth Man is chose as one of the Select , who have Power , together , to Regulate and Punish all disorders that happen in their several Neighbour-hoods . The Penalty for Drunkenness , is whiping or a Crown ; Cursing or Swearing , the same Fine , or to be bor'd thro' the Tongue with a hot Iron : But get your Select Member into your Company and Treat him , and you may do either without offence ; and be as safe as a Parishoner here in a Tavern in the Church-Wardens Company in Sermon-time . A couple of Deacons Marching along the Street , espied a Woman in a corner relieving Nature from the uneasiness of a Burthen she could keep no longer , one of them cryed out to tother , pointing to the Stooping object , Brother , Brother , what a Shameful thing , what a Beastly thing is this ? I Vow , Brother , this is a thing that ought to be Peep'd into . The other being a more sensible Man , Prithee Brother ( said he ) do thou Peep into 't then , for I care not to run such a hazard of my Eye-sight . Besides ( said he ) the thing 's to Deep for our inspection ; and therefore we shall only be laugh'd at for meddling with the matter . They are very busie in detecting one anothers failings ; and he is accounted , by their Church Governers , a Meritorious Christian , that betrays his Neighbour to a Whipping-Post . A good Cudgel apply'd in the Dark , is an excellent Medicine for a Malignant Spirit . I knew it once Experienced at Boston , with very good success , upon an Old rigged Precisian , one of their Select , who used to be more then ordinary vigilant in discovering every little Irregularity in the Neighbour-hood ; I happening one Night to be pritty Merry with a Friend , opposite to the Zealots dwelling , who got out of his Bed in his Wast-coat and Drawers , to listen at our Window . My Friend having oft been serv'd so , had left unbolted his Cellar Trap-door , as a Pitfall for Mr. Busie-Body , who stepping upon it , sunk down with an Out-cry like a distressed Mariner in a sinking Pinnace . My Friend having planted a Cudgel ready , run down Stairs , crying Thieves , and belabour'd Old Troublesome very sevearly before he would know him . He crying out I am your Neighbour . You Lye , you Lye , you Rogue , says my Friend , my Neighbours are Honest Men , you are some Thief come to Rob my House . By this time I went down with a Candle , my Friend seeming wonderfully surpriz'd to see 't was his Neighbour , and one of the Select too , put on a Counterfeit Countenance , and heartily beg'd his Pardon . Away troop'd the Old Fox , Grumbling and Shruging up his Shoulders ; and became afterwards the most Moderate Man in Authority in the whole Town of Boston . A little Pains sometimes do good To such Cross Knotty Sticks of Wood. Correction is the best Recept , To set a Crooked Temper Streight . If such Old Stubborn Boughs can Bend , And from a just Chastisment mend , Fond Parents pray asign a Reason , Why Youth should want it in due Season ? The Women here , are not at all inferiour in Beauty to the Ladies of London , having rather the Advantage of a better Complexion ; but as for the Men , they are generally Meagre ; and have got the Hypocritical knack , like our English Iews , of screwing their Faces , into such Puritanical postures that you would think they were always Praying to them selves , or running melancholy Mad about some Mistery in the Revelations : So that 't is rare to see a handsome Man in the Country , for they have all one Cast , but of what Tribe I know not . A Woman that has lost her Reputation , hath lost her Portion , her Virginity is all her Treasure : And yet the Merry Lasses esteem it but a Trifle , for they had rather , by far , loose that then their Teeming-time . The Gravity and Piety of their looks , are of great Service to these American Christians ▪ It makes strangers that come amongst them , give Credit to their Words . And it is a Proverb with those that know them , Whosoever believes a New-England Saint , shall be sure to be Cheated : And he that knows how to deal with their Traders , may Deal with the Devil and fear no Craft . I was mightily pleas'd one Morning with a Contention between two Boys at a Pump in Boston , about who should draw their Water first . One Jostled the other from the Handle , and he would fill his Bucket first , because his Master said Prayers and sung Psalms twice a Day in his Family , and the others Master did not . To which the Witty Knave made this reply , Our House stands backward in a Court : if my Master had a Room next the Street , as your Master has ▪ he 'd Pray twice to your Masters once , that he wou'd , and therefore I 'll fill any Pail first , Marry will I ; and did accordingly . Some Years Ago , when the Factors at Boston were Credited with large Stocks by our English Merchants , and being backward in their Returns , and more in their Books then they were willing to satisfie , contriv'd this Stratagem to out-wit their Correspondents . As 't is said , They set Fire to their Ware-houses , after the disposal of their Goods , and Burnt them down to the Ground , pretending in their Letters , they were all undone , their Cargos and Books all destroy'd ; and so at once Ballanc'd their Accounts , with England . One of their Factors , who had three or four Thousand Pounds worth of an English Merchants Goods in his Hands , sends him an Account of this Lamentable Mischance , to the purpose he was quite Ruin'd , and had lost all but a small Cheese of four Pound Weight , which he sent him for a present . The Merchant having had some Intelligence of the Roguery of his Factor , invites several Eminent Merchants ( that dealt to New-England ) to Dinner with him , who came accordingly , he having prepar'd an Extraordinary Feast to entertain them . They mightily condol'd his great Loss , ( he making slight of it ) and blam'd him for the Extravagancy of his Treat , after he had sustain'd so considerable a Misfortune . Ah! Gentlemen , says he , this is nothing to what I have provided you : I have one Dish still to come up , which cost me between three and four Thousand Pounds ; and , notwithstanding its costliness , I think it not Good enough for such worthy Company . The Gentlemen look'd one upon another , and thought he was Frenzical . In the interim , up came his New-England Present , under a cover . That 's the Dish , says the Master of the Feast , that stood me in so many Thousands . 'T is but a small Morsel , considering the Price . The Company all wondering of what delicates the Cook must have compos'd this Extravagant Kickshaw , lifted up the Cover , and finding nothing but a Cheese , laugh'd as heartily at their Disapointment , as the Mob in the Fable at the Mountain-mouse . Then he continued their Mirth by unfolding the Riddle : And Swore , if ever he trusted a New-England Saint again for three Pence , the Devil shou'd have a Title to him and his Heirs for half the Money . The Ground upon which Boston ( the Metropolis of New-England ) stands , was purchas'd from the Natives , by the first English Proprietors , for a Bushel of Wampum-peag and a Bottle of Rum , being of an inconsiderable Value . Therefore the Converted Indians , ( who have the use of the Scriptures ) cannot blame Esau for selling his Birth-right for a mess of Porrage . The Latitude of Boston is accounted 42 deg . 30 Min. North. Its Longitude 315 deg . And is very commodiously Seated upon a Bay , large enough for the Anchorage of 500 Sail of Ships . Of the Country in General . New-England is computed to begin at 40 , and end at 46 North Latitude ; Running from De-la-Ware-Bay to New-found-Land . The Country is for the most part Wilderness , being generaly Rocky , Woody and Mountainous , very rarely Beautified with Valleys , but those Large and Rich , wherein are Lakes thirty or forty Miles in compass , from whence their great Rivers have their beginnings , and are chiefly Succour'd . There are many Plantations by the Sea-side , Situate for the advantage of the East and South Winds , which coming from Sea produceth , warm Weather . The Nor-west blowing over Land , causeth extremity of Cold ; and very often strikes both Indian and English Inhabitants with that terrible Distemper , called , the Plague in the Back . The Country , by its Climate , is always troubled with an Ague and Fever ; As soon as ever the Cold fit 's over , t is attended with a Hot : And the Natives themselves , whose Bodys are Habituated to the suddain changes , from one Extream to another , cannot but confess , They Freez in Winter and Fry in Summer . A Ridg of White Mountains run almost thro' the Country , whereon lies a remembrance of the past Winter , in the warmest of their weather , An Indian at the sight of the Snow , lodg'd upon the Shoulders of these Hills , will Quake at Midsummer : For they love Cold like a Cricket . At the Top there is a large Plain , ten or twelve Leages over , yielding nothing but Moss , where a Man may walk with his Mistress , in the height of his Juvenality , and not entertain one Thought of attempting her Chastity , it being fatally Cold , and above the Clouds ; and would have been a rare place , for the presumptious Babilonians to have Built their Tower on . Plymouth Plantation was the first English Colony that settled in New-England , in the Year 1618. Their Habitations , at their going on Shore , being empty Hogs-heads , which they whelm'd over their Heads to defend themselves from the cold Damps and falling Mischiefs of the Night . Each House having but one Window , and that 's the Bung-hole , requiring a Cooper instead of a Carpenter to keep their Houses in repair . Their Provision ( till better acquainted with the Country ) being only Pumkin , which they Cook'd as many several ways , as you may Dress Venison : And is continued to this Day as a great dish amongst the English. Pumpkin Porrage being as much in esteem with New-England Saints , as Ielly Broth with Old-England Sinners . Ten Years expired , before any other Colonies were Planted ; since which time the Possessions of the English are so greatly improv'd , That in all their Colonies , they have above a Hundred and Twenty Towns , And is at this Time one of the most Flourishing Plantations belonging to the English Empire . There is a large Mountain , of a Stupendious height , in an Uninhabitable part of the Country , which is call'd the Shining Mountain , from an amaizing Light appearing on the Top , visible at many Leages distance , but only in the Night . The English have been very curious in examining the Reason of it ; and have , in Bodies , with great Pains and Danger , attempted a rational Discovery of this Prodigy to no purpose : For they could not observe any thing upon it to occasion this unusual brightness . It is very terrible to the Indians , who are of a blind Opinion that it contains great Riches , and the Devil lives there ; and do assert , That when any of them ascend this place , they are met by something in the figure of an Old Indian , that commands them to return , or if they proceed further they shall Die , which several have found true , by presuming to climb higher , heedless of the caution . Of the Native English in General . The Women ( like the Men ) are excessive Smokers ; and have contracted so many ill habits from the Indians , that 't is difficult to find a Woman cleanly enough for a Cook to a Squemish Lady , or a Man neat enough for a Vallet to Sir Courtly Nice . I am sure a Covent-Garden Beau , or a Bell-fa would appear to them much stranger Monsters , then ever yet were seen in America . They Smoke in Bed , Smoke as they Nead their Bread , Smoke whilst they 'r Cooking their Victuals , Smoke at Prayers , Work , and Exonoration , that their Mouths stink as bad as the Bowl of a Sailers Pipe , which he has funk'd in , without Burning , a whole Voyage to the Indias . Eating , Drinking , Smoking and Sleeping , takes up four parts in five of their Time ; and you may divide the remainder into Religious Excercise , Day Labour , and Evacuation . Four Meals a Day , and a good Knap after Dinner , being the Custom of the Country . Rum , alias Kill Devil , is as much ador'd by the American English , as a dram of Brandy is by an old Billingsgate . T is held as the Comforter of their Souls , the Preserver of their Bodys , the Remover of their Cares , and Promoter of their Mirth ; and is a Soveraign Remedy against the Grumbling of the Guts , a Kibe-heel , or a Wounded Conscience , which are three Epidemical Distempers that afflict the Country . Their Industry , as well as their Honesty , deserves equal Observation ; for it is practicable amongst them , to go two miles to catch a Horse , and run three Hours after him , to Ride Half a Mile to Work , or a Quarter of a Mile to an Ale-house . One Husband-man in England , will do more Labour in a Day , then a New-England Planter will be at the pains to do in a Week : For to every Hour he spends in his Grounds , he will be two at an Ordinary . They have wonderful Appetites , and will Eat like Plough-men ; tho very Lazy , and Plough like Gentlemen : It being no rarity there , to see a Man Eat till he Sweats , and Work till he Freezes . The Women are very Fruitful , which shows the Men are Industrious in Bed , tho' Idle up . Children and Servants are there very Plenty ; but Honest-men and Virgins as scarce as in other places . Provisions being Plenty , their Marriage-Feasts are very Sumptious . They are sure not to want Company to Celebrate their Nuptials ; for its Customary in every Town , for all the Inhabitants to Dine at a Wedding without Invitation : For they value their Pleasure at such a rate , and bear such an affection to Idleness , that they would run the hazard of Death or Ruin , rather then let slip so Merry a Holy-day . The Women , like Early Fruits , are soon Ripe and soon Rotten . A Girl there at Thirteen , thinks herself as well Quallified for a Husband , as a forward Miss at a Boarding-School , does here at Fifteen for a Gallant . He that Marrys a New-England Lass at Sixteen , if she prove a Snappish Gentlewoman , her Husband need not fear she will bite his Nose off ; for its ten to one but she hath shed her Teeth , and has done Eating of Crust , before she arrives to that Maturity . It is usual for the Men to be Grey at Thirty ; and look as Shrivel'd in the Face , as an old Parchment Indenture pasted upon a Barbers Block . And are such lovers of Idleness , That they are desirous of being thought Old , to have a better pretence to be Lazy . The Women have done bearing of Children by that time they are Four and Twenty : And she that lives un-Married till she 's Twenty Five , may let all the Young Sports-men in the Town give her Maiden-head chase without the Danger of a Timpany . Notwithstanding their Sanctity , they are very Prophane in their common Dialect . They can neither drive a Bargain , nor make a Iest , without a Text of Scripture at the end on 't . An English Inhabitant having sold a Bottle of Rum to an Indian ( contrary to the Laws of the Country ) was detected in it ; and order'd to be Lash'd . The Fellow brib'd the Whipster to use him tenderly ; but the Flog-master resolving ( being a Conscientious Man ) to do his Duty Honestly , rather punish'd the Offender with the greater severity , who casting a sorrowful look over his Shoulder , Cry'd out , the Scripture sayeth , Blessed is the Merciful Man. The Scourgineer replying , and it also says , Cursed is he that doeth the work of the Lord Negligently : And for fear of coming under the Anathema , laid him on like an unmerciful Dog , till he had given him a thorough Fellow-feeling of his Cat of Nine-tailes . Their Lecture-Days are call'd by some amongst them , Whore Fair , from the Levity and Wanton Frollicks of the Young People , who when their Devotion 's over , have recourse to the Ordinaries , where they plentifully wash away the remembrance of their Old Sins , and drink down the fear of a Fine , or the dread of a Whipping-post . Then Vptails-all and the Devils as busie under the Petticoat , as a Iuggler at a Fair , or a Whore at a Carnival . Husking of Indian-Corn , is as good sport for the Amorous Wag-tailes in New-England , as Maying amongst us is for our forward Youths and Wenches . For 't is observ'd , there are more Bastards got in that Season , than in all the Year beside ; which Occasions some of the looser Saints to call it Rutting Time. Many of the Leading Puritans may ( without Injustice ) be thus Characteris'd . They are Saints without Religion , Traders without Honesty , Christians without Charity , Magistrates without Mercy , Subjects without Loyalty , Neighbours without Amity , Faithless Friends , Implacable Enemys , and Rich Men without Money . They all pretend to be driven over by Persecution , which their Teachers Roar out against in their Assemblies , with as much bitterness , as a double refin'd Protestant can belch forth against the Whore of Babylon : Yet have they us'd the Quakers with such severity , by Whipping , Hanging , and other Punishments , forcing them to put to Sea in Vessels without Provision , they flying with Gladness to the Merciless Ocean , as their only Refuge under Heaven , left to escape the Savage Fury of their Vnchristian Enemies , till drove by Providence upon Rhoad-Island ( so call'd from their accidental discovery of it in their Stroling Adventure ) which they found full of Fruits and Flowers , a Fertile Soil , and extreamly Pleasant , being the Garden of America ; where they happily Planted themselves , making great improvements : There Live and Flourish , as the Righteous , like a Bay-Tree under the Noses of their Enemies . The Clergy , tho' they Live upon the Bounty of their Hearers , are as rediculously Proud , as their Communicants are shamefully Ignorant . For tho' they will not suffer their Unmannerly Flock to worship their Creator with that Reverence and Humility as they ought to do , but tell them 't is Popery to uncover their Heads in the House and Presence of the Deity ; yet they Oblige every Member to pay an humble respect to the Parsons Box , when they make their offerings every Sunday , and fling their Mites into their Teacher●s Treasury . So that the Haughty Prelate exacts more Homage , as due to his own Transcendency , than he will allow to be paid to Heaven or its place of Worship . If you are not a Member in full Communion with one of their Assemblies , your Progeny is deny'd Baptism , for which reason , there are Hundreds amongst them , at Mans Estate , that were never Christened . All Handicrafts-Men may live here very well , except a Pick-pocket ; of all Artificers he would find the least Encouragement ; for the scarcity of Money would baulk his Tallent . An Eminent Planter came to me for an Ounce of Venice-treacle , which I would have sold him for a Shilling ; he protested he had liv'd there Fifty Years , and never see in the whole Term , Ten Pounds in Silver-Money of his own ; and yet was Rated at a Thousand Pounds , and thought the Assessors us'd him kindly ▪ But gave me for my Medicine a Bushel of Indian-Corn , vallued at half a Crown , and Vow'd if a Shilling would save his Family from distruction , he knew not how to raise it . They have a Charter for a Fair at Salem , but it Begins , like Ingerstone Market , half an Hour after Eleven a Clock , and Ends half an Hour before Twelve : For I never see any thing in it but by great Accident , and those were Pumkins , which were the chief Fruit that supported the English at their first settling in these parts . But now they enjoy plenty of good Provisions , Fish , Flesh and Fowl , and are become as great Epicures , as ever Din'd at Pontack's Ordinary . Lobsters and Cod-fish are held in such disdain , by reason of their Plenty , 't is as Scandalous for a poor Man in Boston to carry one through the streets , as 't is for an Alderman in the City of London , to be seen walking with a Groatsworth of Fresh-Herrings , from Billings-gate to his own House . There were formerly amongst them ( as they themselves Report ) abundance of Witches , and indeed I know not , but there may be as many now , for the Men look still as if they were Hag-ridden ; and every Stranger ; that comes into the Country , shall find they will Deal by him to this Day , as if the Devil were in ' em . Witchcraft they Punish'd with Death , till they had Hang'd the best People in the Country , and Convicted the Culprit upon a single Evidence : So that any prejudic'd person , who bore Malice against a Neighbour , had an easie method of removing their Adversary . But since , upon better consideration , they have Mitigated the severity of that unreasonable Law , there has not been one accused of Witchcraft , in the whole Country . Many are the Bug-bear storys reported of these suppos'd Negromancers , but few Believ'd , tho' I presume none True , yet all Collected and already Printed , I shall therefore omit the relating of any . They have one very wholesome Law , which would do mighty well to be in force in Old-England ; which is a Peculiar method they have of Punishing Scolds . If any Turbulent Woman be Troubled with an unruly Member , and uses it to the Defamation of any Body , or disquiet of her Neighbours , upon Complaint , she is order'd to be Gag'd and set at her own Door as many Hours as the Magistrates shall think fit , there to be gaiz'd at by all Passengers till the time 's expired . Which , to me ▪ seems the most Equitable Law imaginable to Punish more particularly that Member which committed the Offence . Whipping is a Punishment so Practicable in this Country , upon every slight Offence , that at a Town upon the Sound , call'd New-Haven , the People do confess , that all the Inhabitants of that Place , above the Age of Fourteen , had been Whip'd for some Misdemeanour or other ( except two ) the Minister and the Iustice. Of the Beasts . They have most sort of Four-footed Beasts that we have here , only something different in either Sise or Colour , but of the same Species . I shall only mention those which are Natives of that Country , and to us uncommon ; for to Treat of Creatures dayly to be seen , or heard of in our own Climate , will afford the Reader but little Satisfaction . First of the Moos-Deer . Of all the Creatures that inhabit these parts of America , the Moos-deer makes the most Noble figure : He is shap'd like an English Deer , only round Footed ; but of a stately Stature , seldom so low as the biggest of our Oxen. His Head fortified with Horns proportionable , whose Palms are very broad , full of indented branches , and are commonly two Fathom distance from Tip to Tip. His Flesh is not dry , like Venison , but moist and Lushious ; extreamly palatable , and very wholesome . The flesh of their Fawns , is also delicious Food ; highly commended by all such who are more than ordinary Nice in obliging their Voluptuous Appetites . There is much said by the Phisicians of that Country concerning the Excellent Virtues of the Horn of this Creature : Being look'd upon as an incomparable Restorative against all inward weaknesses ; and in all Cases where Harts-honn is prescrib'd , the Moos-horn they look upon to be a far better Medicine ; half the Quantity being more powerful in effect . Of the Bear. The Bears that Inhabit this part of America , are generally of a blackish Colour during the Winter season , which is much colder than in England . They defend themselves from the hardship of the weather , by retiring into Caves , where they continue for about four Months ; in which time their Snows are pretty well dissolv'd , and the severity of their Frost over . They are commonly very Fat in the fall of the Leaf , by feeding upon Acorns , at which time the Indians destroy a great many ; looking upon 'em then to be incomparable Venison : But the Head , I believe , is but a sorry dish , because they hold the Brains to be Venomous . They are very fierce in Rutting-time ; and then walk the Country round , thirty or forty in a Company , making a hedious roaring , which may be heard a Mile or two before they come near enough to endanger a Traveller . They will never injure a Man at any other time of the Year , except you attempt to hurt them first ; But if you Shoot at one , and miss him , he will certainly destroy you ; which makes the Indians sure of their Mark before ever they discharge their Piece . Their Skins they sell to the English , but the Flesh they Cook sundry ways , Salting and Drying some , of which they make extraordinary Bacon , no Hogs-flesh in the world being more pleasant to the Eye , grateful to the Tast , or agreeable to the Appetite . Of the Raccoon . It is a Creature about the bigness of a Cat , but of a different Species . It s Furr is of a dark colour , and in good esteem , tho' something course . He is of an Owlish disposition ; and chooses for his Mansion-house a Hollow-Tree . They are meer Gluttons at Indian-Corn ; and feed themselves in Autumn very fat . Their flesh is dark , like Venison ; and accounted good Food Roasted . Of the Wild-Cat , Which the Indians call the Ounce . T is as tall as an English Bull-dog ; and as fierce . Their manner of Preying , is to climb a Tree , and drop from the Branches upon the Back of Horse , Cow , Deer , or any Creature that is feeding under it ; clinging close with their Tallons , knawing a great hole between the Shoulders of the Beast , who runs full speed till he drops down Dead , and becomes a prey to his subtile Enemy . Their Flesh Roasted , is as good as Lamb , and as white . Of the Porcupine . This is a very peevish , also a dangerous Creature ; being the height of an ordinary Mungril , but in shape like an Hedge-hog , arm'd all over with mischievous Darts , as a Hemp-dressers Comb with Teeth ; which he exercises with as much Art as an old Soldier does his Pike , charging them according as you Attack him , to the Right , Left , Front , or Rear , which they will Shoot at their Enemies a considerable distance ; and wherever they Stick in the Flesh , if you pluck them not out presently , they will work thro' . The Indians use these Quills to adorn their Birchen Dishes . The Flesh they do not Eat . Of the Beaver . This is an Amphibeous Creature , rather larger than an Otter , Hairy all over but his Tail , which is Scaly like a Fish ; and is of an admirable Instinct , as is observ'd by their artificial Dam-heads , by which , in dry Seasons , they raise the Water to their Houses , when the Pond , upon whose brinks they dwell , is sunk from it's usual Edges . Their Nests or Burrow which they make , are three Stories high , that in case excessive Rains should over-flow their first and second Floor , they may mount into their Garrets , there Sleep in a dry Skin till the Floods abated . They have two pair of Testacles , one soft and Oily ; and the other pair hard or solid . The Women dry the latter , and grate them into Wine , to further Generation , remove the causes of Barrenness , prevent Miscarriages , and to strengthen Nature against , and also moderate the Pains of Delivery . They Eat no part of this Creature but the Tail , which they flea and boil , accounting it rare Victuals . It 's very Fat , and Eats like Marrow , being an excellent Supper for a Bride-groom , or good Food for that unhappy Man who has Marry'd a Wife much Younger than himself : Of their Furr , mix'd with Coney-wooll , they make your Beaver-hats . Of the Jackall . These are very numerous in New-England . They are the colour of a Grey Rabbit ; something less than a Fox , having much the same Scent , but not so strong . This is the Creature reported to hunt the Lyons prey , which make some suspect there are Lyons , but there never was but one seen as we have any account of ; and that was shot by an Indian , with Bow and Arrow , Sixty Years ago , as he lay Dormant upon the Body of an Oak , by a Hurricane blown up by the Roots . The Iackall is sometimes Eaten by the Indians . Wolves there are abundance , of two sorts , one like a Mungril , which kills Goats , Sheep , &c. And the other shap'd like a Grey-hound , which preys upon Deer . They are very shy and difficult to be Shot or Trap'd . Their manner of distroying them , being by four Maycril-hooks , which they bind together , with their Beards revers'd , then hide them with a Ball of Tallow , and tie it to the Carkass of any thing they have just kill'd , from which you have scar'd them , and when he comes to make up his Meale , being a lover of Fat , he certainly takes your Bait , and becomes your Prisoner . Besides what I have above mentioned , they have a great deal of good Provisions , as Beef , Mutton , Kid , Swines-Flesh , &c. Also great Plenty both of Fish and Fowl ; the Particulars being too large to Treat of in so Brief an Account . Of the Indians , and first of the Men. They are generally of a comely Stature , grave Disposition , deliberate in their Talk , and courteous in their Carriage , quick of Apprehension , very Ingenious , Subtile , Proud and Lazy . There is nothing they Value so much as Liberty and Ease . They will not become Servil upon any Terms whatsoever , or abridge their Native Freedom , with either Work or Confinement , to gain the Universe : For they neither covet Riches , or dread Poverty : But all seem Content with their own Conditions , which are in a manner Equal . For these four Virtues they are very Eminent , viz. Loyal to their Kings , Constant to their Wives , Indulgent to their Children , and Faithful to their Trust. For nothing will tempt them to offer Violence to their Sagamore , to abuse their Squawes , use Soverity with their Papooses , or betray a Secret ; rather chusing to die then do either . They call themselves Hunters ; and are very dexterous at the use of either Gun or Bow , by the excercise of which ; they maintain themselves and Families . They acknowledge a God , whom they Worship for his Benefits . They believe a Devil , whom they Adore thro' Fear . And have a Blind Notion of Futurity , which appears by their manner of Interring their Dead , with whom they bury his Bow , Gun , with Provisions for his Journy into a better Country ; but where or what it is they know not . Upon the breaking out of a War , or such extraordinary Occasions , as the old Romans consulted their Oracles , so do the Indians their Pawaws , which are a kind of Wizards : And at a General Pawawing , the Country a Hundred Miles round assemble themselves in a Body ; and when they are thus met , they kindle a large Fire , round which the Pawaw walks , and beats himself upon his Breast , muttering out a strange sort of intricate Jargon , till he has Elivated himself into so great an Agony , that he falls down by the Fire in a Trance ; during which time , the Sagamores ask him what they have a mind to know : After which , he is convey'd thro' the Fire , in the same posture that he lies , by a Power invisible , in the sight of the Spectators ; then awakes , and Answers the several Questions ask'd by their Kings or Sachems . The chiefest Vice amongst them is Drunkenness , which ( to the Reputation of Christianity ) they learn'd of the English : And are so greedy of being Drunk , when they have purchas'd any Rum , that if they have not enough to Fuddle their whole Society , they draw Cuts who shall Drink , till it falls into the hands of so few , they may be sure to have their Bellies full . When they get Drunk they are very Mischievous one to another : But are never known to offer any Indignity to their Kings , who are Hail Fellow well met with his Subjects . Their Garments are Mantles , about the bigness of a Cradle-Rug , made of course English Cloth , which they call a Coat . They also have a piece of the same Cloth , about six Inches wide , between their Legs , tuck'd under a Deer's-Skin Belt , to hide their Privities , by them call'd Breeches . Adorning themselves with Beads of several Colours , of their own making . Their Heads , Breast , Legs and Thighs being bare . Sometimes , for their Children , they Weave Coates of Turky Feathers . Their Houses they call Wigwams ; and are built with bended Poles , after the fashion of our Arbours , cover'd with Bark of Trees , and lin'd with Mats they make of Rushes , leaving a hole at top for a Smoke-vent , kindling their Fires in the middle of their Wigwams . Their Lodging is upon Hurdles , rais'd from the Ground with Wooden Stumps . Of their Women . Their Squaws when Young , are generally round Visage'd , well Feitur'd , Plump , and Handsome ; black-Eyed , with Alabaster Teeth , a Satin Skin , and of excellent proportion ; with tolerable Complections , which they injure much with Red-lead and Bears-grease , being so silly to believe it gives an advantage to their Beauty . They are extreamly Modest when Virgins ; very Continent when Wives , Obedient to their Husbands , and tender Mothers to their Children . From whom our English Ladies might learn those Virtues , which would heighthen their Charms , and Illusterate their Perfection beyound the Advantages of gaudy Dresses . They are much in the Condition of our first Parents ; having a little more than a Fig-leaf to hide their Nakedness : Yet the modestty of their deportment , makes it not look like Impudence but Necessity . They carry their Children at their Backs , lac'd to a Board in the form of a Boot-jack : which is said to be the reason their Children are never Rickety , or shall you ever see a Bandy-leg'd or Crooked Indian . Of their Food . Their Diet is Fish , Fowl , Bear , Wild-cat , Raccoon , Deer , Oysters , Lobsters roasted or dry'd in Smoke , Lampres , Moot-tongues dry'd , which they esteem a dish for a Sagamore . With hard Eggs Pulveriz'd , they thicken their Broth ; Indian-Corn and Kidney-Beans boil'd , Earth-Nuts , Chest-Nuts , Lilly-Roots , Pumpkins , Milions , and divers sorts of Berries ; Cook'd after various manners . Their Distempers are , Quinsies , Pleurisies , Sciatica , Head-Ach , Palsey , Dropsie , Worms , Cancer , Pestilent Fever and Scurvy ; For all which Diseases , the Indians are Incomparable Physicians : Being well skill'd in the Nature of Herbs and Plants of that Country . But the English will not make use of them , because their Ministers have infus'd this Notion into 'em , That what they do , is by the Power of the Devil . FINIS .