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Winthrop Family Papers

Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2

Lordes day may 2:

2 May 1630

Teusday 4.

4 May 1630
mundaye 3.
Winthrop, John

1630-05-03

In the night the winde abated, and by morninge the sea was well aswaged, so as we bare our foresayle againe, and stood w: S: w: but all the tyme of the tempest, we could make no waye, but were driven to the Leewarde, and the Ambrose struck all her sayles but her missen, and laye a hull. she brake her maine yarde.1

mundaye 3. This daye we made observation and fonde we were in 43: ½ n: lat.2 we sett 2: fighters in the boltes till night, with their handes bonde behind them. A maid servant in the Shippe, beinge stomack sicke, dranke so muche stronge water, that she was sencelesse, and had neere killed her selfe: we observed it a Common fault in our yonge people, that they gave themselues to drinke hott waters verye imoderately.

 1.

Of these storms Captain John Smith wrote: “It is true that Master Iohn Wynthrop, their now Governour, a worthy Gentleman both in estate and esteeme, went so well provided (for six or seven hundred people went with him) as could be devised; but at Sea such an extraordinarie storme encountred his Fleet, continuing ten daies, that of two hundred Cattell which were so tossed and brused, threescore and ten died, many of their people fell sicke, and in this perplexed estate, after ten weekes, they arrived in New-England at severall times: where they found threescore of their people dead, the rest sicke, nothing done; but all complaining, and all things so contrary to their expectation, that now every monstrous humor began to shew it selfe.” Advertisements for the unexperienced Planters of New-England (London, 1631) in Edward Arber, Ed., Capt. John Smith . . . Works: 1608–1631 (Birmingham, 1884), 954.

 2.

Latitude of Cape Sable.