I haue recaiued your letter sent by my Cozen Burt in Answer wher vnto I would not haue yow troubled how to write vnto me, seeing at this distance we knowe not how other wayes to confer to geather. Many loueing letters haue passed betweene vs at a fare greater distance of place then nowe we bee at. possibely yow may conceiue of things deeper or other wayes then ther is cause for. I doe intend to answer for my selfe (by neighbours) I doe not knowe howe yow doe meane, vnlesse it be the brethren that did remoue with me. It may be they are better able to answer for themselues then I am. I was sick when the measinger2 yow mention came to the Iland, who said they had onely one Question to put to me, which wos whither I did hould my selfe to stand a member of the Church of Boston or not. I answered to my best rememberance to this effecte that the Question wos very considerable, and needed my best health to answer to it, but for these grounds I did scruple it, viz: after serous debate at 2 solomon meeting in which very few of the members wos wanting (to my best rememberance, and so others afferme allso) which meeting wos first accationed by the motion of one of the members nowe resident with yow, and as I toucke it in the name of others, my selfe and Mr. John Coggshall being to geather at my howse, with some other brethren, that wee two, and some others he mentioned, would remoue, for their peace and settelement, etc. I did Inquire how that might be without offence. he said he would procuer vs a Church meeting, in which it should be transacted. At the Later our teacher being out of the towne when the former wos, it wos with the generall advice and consent of all (as I take it) we were commended to the grace of God in christ Jesus in our remouall, and it wos the substance of mr. Cottons sermone the next Lords Day, wher ther wos not Churches to commend their brethren two, ther they might commend them two the grace of god in Christ Jesus, which I have related to some Elders and brethren of other 246Churchs amongest your selus, as else wher, some by word, others by writing, and though they differ as I haue to show, “1 Elder sayth it wos a dumbe dismishon. 2 Elder sayth it wos because most of them wos departed in their spirits then from the sents here. the 3d Elder sayeth directly that it wos a dismishon,3 and that your church had not further to doe” etc. And trewely I would seriously moue this Question, that if the Church Covenant did reche me being remoued vpon what grounds they did first advise and motion my departuer, which must of nessetye cutt of that relation.

for that place aleged by yow Mathew 18, it doth remayne yet to be proued by scriptuer that any Church did ever clame power over their brethren, remoued by their consent, more then over those that wos never in fellowshipe with them. It wos tendered by Mr. Hibings and accepted by me, that some thing should be donn in this kind, but I haue hard no thing of it as yet. I could therfore wish my brethren knewe it, and that I wos not thus charged.

2ly I may to your selfe answer my dismishon out of the Commonwealth, and when I wos departed the feare that the Cuntrie expressed, which stands vpon recourde in your Court booke, that my selfe and others of vs wos gone out of the way (when wee went to seeke out a place for our abod, and though I haue it to shew vnder your selfe and the Governors hand that nowe is, that I had a yeares libertye for my remoueall) to escape onely the Censer of the Courte for the present, and therfore it wos inacted that vnlesse we were departed by such a tyme we were to appeare at the Courte.4 for my owne part, I wos not willing to liue in the fyer of contention with your selfe (and others whome I honered in the Lord), haueing liued 7 yeares in place of Goverment with yow. But chose rayther to liue in exsile, and to put my selfe vpon a sudayne remouall, vpon 14 dayes tyme, to a place with out howseing, chuseing rather to fall in to the hand of god, which what my selfe and wife and famelye did induer in that remoueall, I wish nether yow nor yours may ever bee put vnto. if after all this vnder taken of my part for peace, we must Clash, and make it appeare in the Christan world, we that are as a Citty set of hill: (the will of our god be donn) I could wish for the good of both plantations that it wos other wayes, and muteall Loue and helpefullnes continued.

For the letters you mention, they haueing said before that they had onely one thing to propound to me, and not profering me any leters, I might not possibely attend being sicke to what passed aboute them; as indeed I do not remember now, would they that wos aboute me haue bene willing, if 247they had profered me them, that I should then haue read them, feareing it would doe me hurte, sence my recovery I haue desired a copy of them, and haue bene promised one. The other thing yow mention conserning our vncurteous entertayment of your Churchs measingers I haue enquired into it and cannot vnderstand but that they were recaiued with respect and curteousely entertayned at both plantations.

For the Indeans I could wish all lenety towards them, which vnderstand not possibely the natuer of a promise. they saye it was that if any iniueryed the English they would not protecte them but deliuer them vp to make satisefaction ether in their persons or estates. Ther is a lude Felowe, one Tho. Saverye, whom I heare is now in durance with yow, who haueing stolne a paire of showes from my howse of the lords day, and heareing it wos discovered fled from the Iland to the 7 myles riuer, and ther being afflicted in consence (as he pretended) for what he had donn, came to acknowledge the evill of it, and giue satesefaction. I susspected though he seemed to Crye, he did but dissemble therfore searched him and found of him a silver storn marked 1639 which he said he had had 6 yeare which wos aboue 4 yeare before it wos mayd allso a bugle purce and a gould ringe (which he said he found as theefes use to fynd their goods) but wanting a prison he mayd an escape from vs before punishmentt, aboute 5 weekes sence; Lately I wos informed, that at a place caled Puncataset vpon the Mayne Land wher he keept the last sumer and wos much freequent in folowing etc. he hath had a child by an Indean womon, which is a boy and is not black-haired lick the Indean children, but yelow haired as the English, and the womon being laitely deliuered doth say English man got it, and some of them name him, and when he ranne away from vs, he would at Titecute haue lyne with knowe Gods mother, which doth speake of it in detestation and that those that professe them selus to be Christians, should be more barberous and wyld then Indeans, to the proproch of our nation, and the dishoner of god seing God hath deliuered him into your hands I thought meet to informe yow, that yow might se Justice donn of him.5 thus with my due respect to the Governor, your selfe, the Debty Governor, Mr. Endecote, Mr. Humfreyes, Mr. Nowell, and Mr. Bradstreete etc. I sease from writeing but not from remayneing Your loueing frind till death