But that I may come more near my intendmente; when as by the travell & diligence of some godly & zealous preachers, & Gods blessing on their labours, as in other places of y land, so in y° North parts, many became inlightened by y word of God, and had their ignorance & sins discovered unto them, and begane by his grace to reforme their lives, and make conscience of their wayes, the worke of God was no sooner manifest in them, but presently they were both scoffed and scorned by y prophane multitude, and yo minsters urged with yo yoak of subscription, or els must be silenced; and y poore people were so vexed with apparators, & pursuants, & y comissarie courts, as truly their affliction was not smale; which, notwithstanding, they bore sundrie years with much patience, till they were occasioned (by y' continuance & encrease of these troubls, and other means which y Lord raised up in those days) to see further into things by the light of y' word of God. How not only these base and beggerly ceremonies were unlawfull, but also that y lordly & tiranous power of y prelats ought not to be submitted unto; which thus, contrary to the freedome of the gospell, would load & burden mens consciences, and by their compulsive power make a prophane mixture of persons & things in y worship of God. And that their offices & calings, courts & cannons, &c. were unlawfull and antichristian; being such as have no warrante in y word of God; but the same y' were used in poperie, & still retained. Of which a famous author thus writeth

in his Dutch comtaries. At y coming of king James † into England; The new king (saith he) found their established y reformed religion, according to y reformed religion of king Edward y 6. Retaining, or keeping still y' spirituall state of y' Bishops, &c. after yo ould maner, much varying & differing from y reformed churches in Scotland, France, &y Neatherlands, Embden, Geneva, &c. whose reformation is cut, or shapen much nerer y' first Christian churches, as it was used in y Apostles times.‡

[6] So many therfore of these proffessors as saw y' evill of these things, in thes parts, and whose harts y Lord had touched with heavenly zeale for his trueth, they shooke of this yoake of antichristian bondage, and as y Lords free people, joyned them selves (by a covenant of the Lord) into a church estate, in ye felowship of yo gospell, to walke in all his wayes, made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeaours, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them. And that it cost them something this ensewing historie will declare.

These people became 2. distincte bodys or churches, & in regarde of distance of place did congregate severally; for they were of sundrie townes & vilages, some in Notingamshire, some of Lincollinshire, and some of Yorkshire, wher they border nearest togeather. In one of these churches (besids others of note) was Mr. John Smith, a man of able gifts, & a good preacher, who after

66

Em: Meter: lib: 25. col. 119. [Emanuel Van Meteren, the author of a History of the Low Countries.-ED.] + In February, 1604-5, King James, in council, bitterly inveighed against the Puritans, declaring that the revolt in the Low Countries, which had lasted ever since he was borne, and whereof he never expected to see an end, began first by petition for matters of Religion; and so did all the troubles in Scotland. That his mother and he, from their cradles, had been haunted

with a Puritan Devil, which he feared would not leave him to his grave. And that he would hazard his crowne, but he would suppress those malicious Spirits."-Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, Lib. V. p. 44.-ED.

The reformed churches shapen much neerer ye primitive patterne then England, for they cashered ye Bishops wth al their courts, cannons, and ceremoneis, at the first; and left them amongst ye popish tr.. to wch they pertained.

wards was chosen their pastor. But these afterwards falling into some errours in y Low Countries, ther (for y most part) buried them selves, & their names.

But in this other church† (wch must be y subjecte of our discourse) besids other worthy men, was Mr. Richard Clifton, a grave & revered preacher, who by his paines and dilligens had done much good, and under God had ben a means of y conversion of many. And also that famous and worthy man M'. John Robinson, who afterwards was their pastor for many years, till y Lord tooke him away by death. Also M'. William Brewster a reverent man, who afterwards was chosen an elder of y church and lived with them till old age.

But after these things they could not long continue in any peaceable condition, but were hunted & persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of these which now came upon them. For some were taken & clapt up in prison, others had their houses besett & watcht night and day, & hardly escaped their hands; and ye most were faine to flie & leave their howses & habitations, and the means of their livelehood. Yet these & many other sharper things which affterward befell them, were no other then they looked for, and therfore were y better prepared to bear them by y assistance of Gods grace & spirite. Yet seeing them selves thus molested, [7] and that ther was no hope of their continuance ther, by a joynte consente they resolved to goe into y Low-Countries, wher they heard was freedome of Religion for all men; as also how sundrie from London, & other parts of ye land, had been exiled and persecuted for y same cause, & were gone thither, and lived at Amsterdam, & in other places of y land. So affter they had continued togeither aboute a

year, and kept their meetings every Saboth in one place or other, exercising the worship of God amongst them selves, notwithstanding all ye dilligence & malice of their adverssaries, they seeing they could no longer continue in y' condition, they resolved to get over into Hollad as they could; which was in y° year 1607. & 1608.; of which more at large in y° next chap.

2. Chap.

Of their departure into Holland and their troubls ther aboute, with some of y' many difficulties they found and mete withall,

Ano. 1608.

BEING thus constrained to leave their native soyle and countrie, their lands & livings, and all their freinds & famillier acquaintance, it was much, and thought marvelous by many. But to goe into a countrie they knew not (but by hearsay), wher they must learne a new language, and get their livings they knew not how, it being a dear place, & subjecte to y misseries of warr, it was by many thought an adventure almost desperate, a case intolerable, & a misserie worse then death. Espetially seeing they were not aquainted with trads nor traffique, (by which y' countrie doth subsiste,) but had only been used to a plaine countrie life, & y inocente trade of husbandrey. But these things did not dismay them (though they did some times trouble them) for their desires were sett on y ways of God, & to injoye his ordinances; but they rested on his providence, & knew whom they had beleeved. Yet [8] this was not all, for though they could not stay, yet were y not suffered to goe, but y ports & havens were shut against them, so as they were faine to

seeke secrete means of conveance, & to bribe & fee y! mariners, & give exterordinarie rates for their passages. And yet were they often times betrayed (many of them), and both they & their goods intercepted & surprised, and therby put to great trouble & charge, of which I will give an instance or tow, & omitte the rest.

Ther was a large companie of them purposed to get passage at Boston in Lincolin-shire, and for that end had hired a shipe wholy to them selves, & made agreement with the maister to be ready at a certaine day, and take them and their goods in, at a conveniente place, wher they accordingly would all attende in readines. So after long waiting, & large expences, though he kepte not day with them, yet he came at length & tooke them in, in y° night. But when he had them & their goods abord, he betrayed them, haveing before hand complotted with y° serchers & other officers so to doe; who tooke them, and put them into open boats, & ther rifled & ransaked them, searching them to their shirts for money, yea even y women furder then became modestie; and then caried them back into y towne, & made them a spectackle & wonder to y' multitude, which came flocking on all sids to behould them. Being thus first, by the chatchpoule officers, rifled, & stripte of their money, books, and much other goods, they were presented to y magestrates, and messengers sente to informe y lords of y Counsell of them; and so they were comited to ward. Indeed y magestrats used them courteously, and shewed them what favour they could; but could not deliver them, till order came from y° Counselltable. But y' issue was that after a months imprisonmente, y greatest parte were dismiste, & sent to ye places from whence they came; but 7. of y° principall* were still kept in prison, and bound over to y° Assises.†

Elder Brewster was one of these. See notice of him under the year 1643. - Ed. This first attempt "to get over into Holland," though related under

the year 1608, must be understood as having been made before the close of the preceding year. See concluding part of last chapter.-ED.

The nexte spring after, ther was another attempte made by some of these & others, to get over at an other place. And it so fell out, that they light of a Dutchman at Hull, having a ship of his owne belonging to Zealand; they made agreemente with him, and acquainted [9] him with their condition, hoping to find more faithfullnes in him, then in ye former of their owne nation. He bad them not fear, for he would doe well enough. He was by appointment to take them in betweene Grimsbe & Hull, wher was a large comone a good way distante from any towne. Now aganst the prefixed time, the women & children, with y goods, were sent to y' place in a small barke, which they had hired for y' end; and y men were to meete them by land. But it so fell out, that they were ther a day before y shipe came, & y sea being rough, and y women very sicke, prevailed with y° seamen to put into a creeke hardby, wher they lay on ground at lowwater. The nexte morning y shipe came, but they were fast, & could not stir till aboute noone. In ye mean time, ye shipe maister, perceiveing how ye matter was, sente his boate to be getting y men abord whom he saw ready, walking aboute ye shore. But after y° first boat full was gott abord, & she was ready to goe for more, the m' espied a greate company, both horse & foote, with bills, & gunes, & other weapons; for y countrie was raised to take them. Y⚫ Dutch-man seeing y', swore his countries oath, "sacremente," and having y wind faire, waiged his Ancor, hoysed sayles, & away. But ye poore men which were gott abord, were in great distress for their wives and children, which they saw thus to be taken, and were left destitute of their helps; and them selves also, not having a cloath to shifte them with, more then they had on their baks, & some scarce a peney aboute them, all they had being abord y' barke. It drew tears from their eyes, and any thing they had they would have given to have been a shore againe; but all in vaine, ther was no remedy, they must thus