§ 4. And what successor had he? Methinks of the two last words in the wonderful prediction of the succession, oracled unto King Henry VII., LEO, NULLUS,* the first would have well suited the valiant Winslow of Plymouth; and the last were to have been wished for him that followed.

CHAPTER III.

PATRES CONSCRIPTI; OR, ASSISTENTS.

THE GOVERNOURS of New-England have still had "righteousness the girdle of their loins, and faithfulness the girdle of their reins"-that is to say, righteous and faithful men about them, in the assistance of such magistrates as were called by the votes of the freemen unto the administration of the government, (according to their charters) and made the judges of the land. These persons have been such members of the churches, and such patrons to the churches, and generally been such examples of courage, wisdom, justice, goodness and religion, that it is fit our Church-History should remember them. The blessed Apollonius, who in a set oration generously and eloquently pleaded the cause of Christianity before the Roman Senate, was not only a learned person, but also (if Jerom say right) a Senator of Rome. The Senators of New-England also have pleaded the cause of Christianity, not so much by orations, as by practising of it, and by suffering for it. Nevertheless, as the Sicyonians would have no other epitaphs written on the tombs of their Kings, but only their names, that they might have no honour but what the remembrance of their actions and merits in the minds of the people should procure for them; so I shall entent my self with only reciting the names of these worthy persons, and the times when I find them first chosen unto their magistracy.

MAGISTRATES IN THE COLONY OF NEW-PLYMOUTH.

The good people, soon after their first coming over, chose Mr. William Bradford for their governour, and added five assistents, whose names, I suppose, will be found in the catalogue of them whom I find sitting on the seat of judgment among them, in the year 1633.

by setting up the "gifts of private brethren" in opposition thereunt
The good people being in extream distress from the prospect which t
matter gave to them, saw no way so likely and ready to save the churc
from ruin, as by the election of Mr. Prince to the place of govern
and this point being by the gracious and marvellous providence of
Lord Jesus Christ gained at the next election, the adverse party from
very time sunk into confusion. He had sojourned for awhile at East
where a church was by his means gathered; but after this time he ret
unto his former scituation at Plymouth, where he resided until he
which was March 29, 1673, when he was about seventy-three years
Among the many excellent qualities which adorned him as govern
the colony, there was much notice taken of that integrity, wherewith
he was most exemplarily qualified: whence it was that as he eve

PATRES

ERNOURS O

refuse any thing that looked like a bribe; so if any person havin loins, an

and faithfu called by

ment, (accor

persons hav churches, goodness

er them.

eloquent

was not of

to be heard at Court, had sent a present unto his family in his
he would presently send back the value thereof in money unto th
But had he been only a private Christian, there would yet have
upon him those ornaments of prayerfulness, and peaceableness, and
resignation to the conduct of the Word of God, and a strict
God, which might justly have been made an example to a whole
§ 3. Reader, if thou wouldest have seen the true picture of wi
age, and generosity, the successor of Mr. Thomas Prince in the
of Plymouth would have represented it. It was the truly
Josiah Winslow, Esq., the first governour that was born in Ne
and one well worthy to be an example to all that should come
a true English gentleman, and (that I may say all at once) the
His education and his disposition was that of a gentleman; alve
that gentleman whom we parted withal no more than two paran on the
services to his country in the field, as well as on the bench, the minds
to be buried in oblivion. All that Homer desired in a ruler Wf with onl
of this gentleman expressed unto the life; to be, Fortes in I find the

ome. The tianity,

no

rit. Neve

no ho

Bonus in Cives.* Though he hath left an off-spring, yet I1
one daughter to be remembred above the rest. As of old, GISTRATES

being upbraided with want of issue, boasted that he left bebeople, soon
daughter, namely, the battel of Leuctra, which would render their gover
so our general Winslow hath left behind him his battel at the found i
Narragansets, to immortalize him: there did he with his owngment am
and shape a pen to write his history. But so large a field of
before me, that I dare not give my self the liberty to range ip Gov.
my self. He died on Dec. 18, 1680.

Jam Cinis est, et de tam magno restat Achille

Nescio quid; parvam quod non bene compleat urnam.t

• Brave against the enemy-kind t

+ Behold Achilles' dust! the issue learn

Of that heroic will:

Miles

John

AFTERW

OR, THE HISTORY OF NEW-ENGLAND.

4. And what successor had he? Methinks of the two last words in wonderful prediction of the succession, oracled unto King Henry VII., NULLUS, the first would have well suited the valiant Winslow of 117 mouth; and the last were to have been wished for him that followed.

CHAPTER III.

PATRES CONSCRIPTI; OR, ASSISTENTS.

GOVERNOURS of New-England have still had "righteousness the
their loins, and faithfulness the girdle of their reins"-that is to
ous and faithful men about them, in the assistance of such magis-
ere called by the votes of the freemen unto the administration
ernment, (according to their charters) and made the judges of the
ese persons have been such members of the churches, and such
the churches, and generally been such examples of courage,
tice, goodness and religion, that it is fit our Church-History
mber them. The blessed Apollonius, who in a set oration
and eloquently pleaded the cause of Christianity before the
e, was not only a learned person, but also (if Jerom say right)
Come. The Senators of New-England also have pleaded the
tianity, not so much by orations, as by practising of it, and
it. Nevertheless, as the Sicyonians would have no other
n on the tombs of their Kings, but only their names, that
e no honour but what the remembrance of their actions
e minds of the people should procure for them; so I shall
with only reciting the names of these worthy persons, and
find them first chosen unto their magistracy.

TRATES IN THE COLONY OF NEW-PLYMOUTH.
ole, soon after their first coming over, chose Mr. William
r governour, and added five assistents, whose names, I
Found in the catalogue of them whom I find sitting on
ent among them, in the year 1633.

AFT

Miles Standish,
John Howland.

John Alden.
John Done.

Stephen Hopkins.
William Gilson.

MES WERE ADDED, 1640.

Jesus

William Bradford, F.

1558.

Thomas Hinkley,

1658.

James Brown,

1665.

John Freeman,

1666,

Nathanael Bacon,

1667.

Thus far we find in a book entituled, New-England's Memorial which was published by Mr. Nathanael Morton, the Secretary of Plymouth colony, in the year 1669. Since then there have been added at several times,

THE LIFE OF JOHN WINTHROP, ESQ., GOVERNOR OF THE MASSACHUSET COLONY.

Quicunque Venti erunt, Ars nostra certe non aberit.-CICERO.t

§ 1. LET Greece boast of her patient Lycurgus, the lawgiver, by whom diligence, temperance, fortitude and wit were made the fashions of a therefore long-lasting and renowned commonwealth: let Rome tell of her devout Numa, the lawgiver, by whom the most famous commonwealth saw peace triumphing over extinguished war and cruel plunders; and murders giving place to the more mollifying exercises of his religion. Our New-England shall tell and boast of her WINTHROP, a lawgiver as patient as Lycurgus, but not admitting any of his criminal disorders; as devout as Numa, but not liable to any of his heathenish madnesses; a gov. ernour in whom the excellencies of Christianity made a most improving addition unto the virtues, wherein even without those he would have made a parallel for the great men of Greece, or of Rome, which the pen of a Plutarch has eternized.

§ 2. A stock of heroes by right should afford nothing but what is heroical; and nothing but an extream degeneracy would make any thing less to be expected from a stock of Winthrops. Mr. Adam Winthrop, the son of a worthy gentleman wearing the same name, was himself a worthy, a discreet, and a learned gentleman, particularly eminent for skill in the law, nor without remark for love to the gospel, under the reign of King Henry VIII., and brother to a memorable favourer of the reformed religion in the days of Queen Mary, into whose hands the famous martyr Philpot committed his papers, which afterwards made no inconsiderable part of our martyr-books. This Mr. Adam Winthrop had a son of the same name also, and of the same endowments and imployments with his father; and this third Adam Winthrop was the father of that renowned John Winthrop, who was the father of New-England, and the founder of a colony, which, upon many accounts, like him that founded it, may challenge the first place among the English glories of America. Our JOHN

The American Nehemiah.

+ Whatever winds may blow, this art of ours can never be lost.

WINTHROP, thus born at the mansion-house of his ancestors, at Groton in Suffolk, on June 12, 1587, enjoyed afterwards an agreeable education. But though he would rather have devoted himself unto the study of Mr. John Calvin, than of Sir Edward Cook; nevertheless, the accomplishments of a lawyer were those wherewith Heaven made his chief opportunities to be serviceable.

§ 3. Being made, at the unusually early age of eighteen, a justice of peace, his virtues began to fall under a more general observation; and he not only so bound himself to the behaviour of a Christian, as to become exemplary for a conformity to the laws of Christianity in his own conversation, but also discovered a more than ordinary measure of those qualities which adorn an officer of humane society. His justice was impartial, and used the ballance to weigh not the cash, but the case of those who were before him: prosopolatria* he reckoned as bad as idolatriat his wisdom did exquisitely temper things according to the art of governing, which is a business of more contrivance than the seven arts of the schools; oyer still went before terminer in all his administrations: his courage made him dure to do right, and fitted him to stand among the lions that have sometimes been the supporters of the throne: all which virtues he rendred the more illustrious, by emblazoning them with the constant liberality and hospitality of a gentleman. This made him the terror of the wicked, and the delight of the sober, the envy of the many, but the hope of those who had any hopeful design in hand for the common good of the nation and the interests of religion.

§ 4. Accordingly when the noble design of carrying a colony of chosen people into an American wilderness, was by some eminent persons undertaken, this eminent person was, by the consent of all, chosen for the Moses, who must be the leader of so great an undertaking: and indeed nothing but a Mosaic spirit could have carried him through the temptations, to which either his farewel to his own land, or his travel in a strange land, must needs expose a gentleman of his education. Wherefore having sold a fair estate of six or seven hundred a year, he transported himself with the effects of it into New-England in the year 1630, where he spent it upon the service of a famous plantation, founded and formed for the seat of the most reformed Christianity: and continued. there, conflicting with temptations of all sorts, as many years as the nodes of the moon take to dispatch a revolution. Those persons were never concerned in a new plantation, who know not that the unavoidable difficulties of such a thing will call for all the prudence and patience of a mortal man to encounter therewithal; and they must be very insensible of the influence, which the just wrath of Heaven has permitted the devils to have upon this world, if they do not think that the difficulties of a new plantation, devoted unto the evangelical worship of our Lord Jesus

• Face-worship, or respect of persons.

+ Idol-worship.