Virginia

the oldest

of the English

colonies.

helping to establish the English title to the country; .but they did harm by telling everybody, after their return, that New England was too cold to be inhabited, This so discouraged the people who had thought of emigrating, that it was more than twelve years before another colony came to New England. Thus Virginia was the oldest of the English colonies; but I shall tell their story in geographical order, beginning with the New-England States, because this arrangement will be easier to remember, and less confusing, than to regard only the order of time.

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CHAPTER VIII.

THE MASSACHUSETTS COLONIES.

THE PLYMOUTH COLONY.

intolerance in England.

Holland.

ORE than two centuries and a half ago, there Religious was a time of great religious persecution in England. People had not then learned to leave each. other free to worship, or to abstain from worship, in their own way. If a man did not attend the services of the Established Church of England, he was liable to be severely punished; and, if he attended any other religious service, it might lead to exile or death. So The Pila great many of the persecuted people went to live grims in in Holland, where there was more religious freedom. There they dwelt in peace, and won the respect of all. The Dutch magistrates said, "These English have lived among us now these twelve years, and yet we never had any suit or accusation against any of them." But when children began to grow up around them, Their rea these exiles thought that they would rather teach their leaving boys and girls the English language and give them an Holland. English education. Besides, war between the Dutch. and Spaniards was just beginning again, after ten years of peace; and this caused the English emigrants much anxiety. They had to work very hard, too, and

sons for

Prepara tions for leaving.

began to wish that they could be laboring to found a settlement of their own, where they could feel at home. Above all, they wished to do something, as they said, "for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world." So they decided to leave Holland for the unexplored continent of America, where there was as yet no English settlement but in Virginia. Even before they had resolved on this, they had been called familiarly by the name of "Pilgrims;" because they were wandering from place to place on the way "to heaven, their dearest country," as they said.

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So, out of several hundred English Pilgrims in Holland, about a hundred were selected to go to America, "such of the youngest and strongest as freely offered themselves." They procured two small vessels, the Speedwell," of sixty tons, and the "Mayflower," of one hundred and eighty tons; this last being intended to sail from Southampton, England. In July, 1620, the "Speedwell" sailed from Delft-Haven. The Pilgrims had religious services before sailing; and their old minister, John Robinson, said in his address to them, "I charge you, before God and his blessed angels, that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has more truth yet to break out of his holy word." Then they were feasted at the pastor's house; and one of them wrote, “We refreshed ourselves, after tears, with singing of psalms, making joyful melody in our hearts, as well as with the voice; there being many of the congregation very expert in music; and indeed it was the sweetest melody that mine ears ever heard."

grims leave

"After this," he adds, "they accompanied us to Delft- The PilHaven, to the ship, but were not able to speak, one to England. another, for the abundance of sorrow to part. But we only, going aboard, gave them a volley of small-shot, and three pieces of ordnance; and so, lifting up our hands to each other, and our hearts for each other and the Lord our God, we departed."

to America.

Thus the Pilgrims set sail without aid from govern- The voyage ment, and without any royal charter, for the New World. After touching at three English ports, they still had a long passage of sixty-three days. The "Speedwell" proved unseaworthy, and put back; while the "Mayflower" went on alone. Instead of reaching the Hudson River, where they had meant to go, they were driven by storms to the Massachusetts shore. For a

for a good haroor.

The search month they sailed up and down, looking for a favorable. harbor along the coast. It was a barren region; but it seemed pleasant to them after the sea. They saw pines, junipers, sassafras, " and other sweet woods," growing on the shore. They found, their narrative says, “ the greatest store of fowl that ever we saw." They saw whales; and, when they fired at one, the gun exploded, when "the whale gave a snuff, and away." When they first went ashore, sixteen men landed, "with every man his musket, sword, and corselet," headed by Capt. Miles Standish. They saw "five or six people, with a dogge, who were savages." These all ran away, and "whistled the dogge after them." At last, in a valley, the Pilgrims saw a deer, and found springs of fresh water; "of which we were heartily glad," the narrative says, "and set us downe, and drunke our first New England water with as much delight as ever we drunke drink in all our lives." Then they found a grave, with mats and bowls, and the skeleton of a man and that of a little child buried together. Perhaps it was pleasant to them to see that parents and children loved each other, even among wild Indians. Then they found a great basket of Indian corn, buried in the ground. This they took, and afterwards, finding the owners, paid for it. They killed three fat geese and six ducks, which they ate "with soldier stomachs," their story says.

The landing at

At last they came into a harbor to which an earlier Plymouth. explorer, Capt. John Smith, had given the name of "Plymouth." They fixed on this as a good place for their settlement; and on the 21st of December, 1620, they landed. A young girl named Mary Chilton is said