Morton speculates as to the origin of the Indians, deriving them from the Trojans; and with a lively imagination describes their customs. Among other things he asserts that Indian children are born white, and then stained brown with walnut juice. The last part of the book is a sarcastic description of the expedition against him. Standish he calls Captain Shrimp; and other names he applies to the Pilgrims are: Mr. Inncense Faircloth, Mr. Charter Party, Master Subtilety, and Captain Littleworth; which remind us strongly of the style of Bunyan, utterly contrasted as the spirit of Morton's book is to the spirit of the "Pilgrim's Progress." Another important historical work was the journal of John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachu- John setts. It was published in 1825, under the title "The Journal. History of New England from 1630 to 1649." Winthrop's Williams, Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, was Roger probably the first white man to clearly teach the 1599-1683. folly and wrong of persecution for conscience' sake. The book which fully brings out this great thought is entitled "The Bloody Tenent of Persecution for "The Bloody Cause of Conscience." It is written for the most part 1644. in the form of a dialogue between Peace and Truth. The following sentence gives the gist of the argument: Sir I must be Humbly bold to say that tis impossible for any man or men to maintain their Christ by the sword and worship a true Christ; to fight against all consciences opposite to theirs and not to fight against God in some of them, and to hunt after the precious life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Tenent," John Eliot, 1604-1690. Eliot's Bible, 1661-1663. Nathaniel John Eliot, called the "Apostle to the Indians,” devoted his life to endeavors to bring the natives of New England to the belief and practice of Christianity. As a part of his work he translated the Bible into the Algonquin language; and this Indian Bible has become one of the most precious of the "rare" books sought after by collectors. The New Testament was printed at Cambridge in 1661, and the Old Testament in 1663. Eliot's missionary labors resulted in the conversion of a large number; and a town of "Praying Indians" was established at Natick, Massachusetts. The fact that these tribes have disappeared, and there remains no visible evidence of Eliot's work, does not really detract from its value. Neither does the fact that no one remains alive who can read his Bible prove that the labor spent upon it was wasted. Eliot was also connected with the preparation of "The Bay Psalm Book," the first book printed in this country. He published the "Christian Commonwealth," "The Communion of the Churches," and "The Harmony of the Gospels," besides assisting in the preparation of a number of tracts in regard to the conversion of the Indians. Nathaniel Ward was deemed worthy of mention in Ward, 1578- Fuller's "Worthies of England." He was a man of 1652. Being extraordinary talents and wide scholarship. Cobbler of Agawam," "The Simple Cobbler of Agawam." Its style is "The Simple sententious and epigrammatic. If it were a little less artificial and strained, it would be very strong; and 1647. as it is he says a good many things in a very biting fashion. Here are a sentence or two from this book: It is a more common than convenient saying, that nine tailors make a man: it were well if nineteen could make a woman to her mind. It is a most unworthy thing for men that have bones in them, to spend their lives in making fiddle cases for futilous women's fancies; which are the very pettitoes of infirmity, the giblets of perquisquilian toys. Sometimes Ward dropped into poetry, as, for example: Poetry's a gift wherin but few excel, He doth very ill, that doth not passing well. Bradstreet, In Ward's congregation at Ipswich for a time worshipped Mrs. Anne Bradstreet. She was a daughter Anne of Governor Thomas Dudley. The literary spirit was 1612-1672. strong in her; and she doubtless transmitted the tendency to her descendants, as among them are William E. Channing, R. H. Dana, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Wendell Phillips. She was a busy wife and mother, but she took time from her many cares to put her thoughts as to life and nature into verse. some of these verses a true sympathy with nature and a certain delicacy of expression are revealed, and they all show a refined spirit and a sensitive instinct. for poetic form. Her pastor, Ward, makes some In amends for his cynical words about women in some sents Apollo as saying: It half revives my chill frost-bitten blood, To see a woman once do aught that's good; Poems, 1650. Her volume of poems was published first in London in 1650. The second edition was issued in Boston, printed by John Foster, 1678. This is a very precious little book, as the first volume of original American verse and one of the first literary publications in our history. The gentle modesty of her thought about herself appears in these lines: My muse unto a child I may compare But that she could tell in sweet and musical lan- CONTEMPLATION While musing thus with contemplations fed, And wished me wings with her awhile to take my flight. O merry bird, said I, that fears no snares, That neither toyles nor hoardes up in the barn, To gain more good or shun what might thee harm ; Reminds not what is past nor what's to come dost fear. Thy dawning morn with songs thou dost prevent, And warbling out the old begins anew, And thus they pass their youth in summer season, Then follow thee into a better region, Where winter's never felt by that sweet airy legion. An event of this period, of the greatest importance College for American Literature, was the founding of Har- Harvard vard College. On October 28, 1636, the colonists founded, resolved "to give 400 Pounds towards a schoole or 1636. College." In 1638 Rev. John Harvard bequeathed 700 pounds and his library to the proposed college, and it was established at Cambridge and his name given to it. One of the first results of this action was the establishment of a printing press at Cam- Printing bridge, the first on this continent; and here in the year 1640 was published the first book ever printed in America. This was "The Bay Psalm Book," a very Book, 1640. Press. Bay Psalm |