Spain was then a powerful and dreaded nation-pre-eminent in bigotry and fierce intolerance.

The deliberation ended in favor of the Northern parts of what was then called Virginia. Trusty men were sent over to England to see if their enterprise might find favor with the king; and if liberty of conscience might be allowed.

"To enlarge my dominions," said King James, "is a good and honest motion. But whence may profits accrue to yourselves and to the crown?" "From the fisheries at least," replied the envoys. "So God have my soul," said the king, with his customary profaneness, "'tis an honest trade. It was the Apostles' own calling." But King James would give them no further answer than to refer them to the Bishops of Canterbury and London. The envoys chose rather to rest upon his majesty's first indefinite and informal approbation. The Virginia Company were desirous to have them go, and willing to grant them an ample charter; but no persuasions could wring a consent from the king that they might be allowed liberty of religion, and have it secured under the great seal. The king allowed them to gather from his discourse, that he would not molest them in the exercise of their religion, but he would grant nothing further. The more sagacious concluded it best to act upon the king's implied promise that he would not molest them; for, said they, if the king should hereafter take it into his head to trouble us, it would be no security if we had his seal "as broad as the barn-floor. He would make pretexts; he would devise ways enough to re-call or reverse it." "We must rest on God's providence."

"At the very time that this negotiation was pending, the king issued his declaration requiring the Bishop of Lancashire to constrain all the Puritans within his diocese to conform or leave the country."*

After many delays and discouragements, which tried the patience of the Pilgrims, and shook off many uncertain friends, a patent was obtained of the Virginia Company; which, though it cost much, was afterwards of no use. Many of the Church at Leyden were too poor to defray the expenses of the voyage; and the means of all united were inadequate to obtain ships and procure the necessary outfit. They were compelled to form a sort of partnership with a company of merchant adventurers for a term of seven years; each one having a share according to the stock which he was able to contribute; and the person of each emigrant above 16 years to be rated at £10.

The patent, and the conditions of this agreement, being sent over to the people for their consideration, the Church now

* Prince.

held a solemn meeting, and observed a day of fasting and prayer. Under their trying circumstances, Mr. Robinson preached from the text, " And David's men said unto him, see, we be afraid here in Judah; how much more if we come to Keilah against the host of the Philistines? Then David asked counsel of the Lord." Strengthened and encouraged by their pastor's words, they decided to go. It was concluded that part of the church should go first; and that such of the youngest part should go as might freely offer themselves. If the majority should go, the pastor was to go with them; if not, then the elder only. If the Lord should frown upon the enterprise, "then those that went [were] to return, and the brethren that remained still here to assist and be helpful to them; but if God should be pleased to favor them that went, then they also should endeavor to help such as were here, poor and ancient, and willing to come.' "Those who go," says Bradford, "to be an absolute Church by themselves; as well as those who should stay; with this proviso, that as any go over and return, they should be reputed as members without further dismission or testimonial; and those who tarry, to follow the rest as soon as they can."

Two trusty men were now sent-Mr. Cushman, to London, and Mr. Carver, to Southampton-to make arrangements. "Those who were to go first, prepare with all speed; sell their estates; put their money into the common stock to furnish the supplies for the company; they cease from their ordinary business; they employ themselves with diligence in making the preparations for so great a work." When all is nearly ready on their part, some on whom they relied in England disappoint them. Some would do nothing unless they would go to Virginia. Others were dissatisfied that they went not to Guiana. Some of the merchants, who had proffered to adventure their money, "withdrew and pretended many excuses." "In the midst of these difficulties," says Bradford, "they of Leyden were drawn to great straits." The season had advanced to June. On the 4th, Mr. Robinson wrote to Mr. Carver, complaining of the neglect of Mr. Weston, the merchant adventurer, in not getting shipping as he had engaged. In another week the Leyden people were encouraged by the coming of their pilot. Mr. Cushman writes that he is getting a ship, and hopes all will be ready in fourteen days. The Pilgrims hasten their preparation. A small ship of sixty tons (in size like one of our coasting packet sloops) is provided in Holland. Another of 180 tons is hired in London, and in these the Pilgrim Church with their children, and all their supplies, and means of defence for founding a colony in a wilderness remote from all human aid, are to cross the ocean!

* Winslow.

"So being ready to depart," says Bradford, "they had a day of solemn humiliation; their pastor taking his text from Ezra, viii. 21. Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for our substance.' The rest of the time was spent in pouring out prayers to the Lord with great fervency, mixed with abundance of tears."*

Their pastor gave them his farewell advice. "We are now ere long," said he, "to part asunder, and the Lord knoweth whether we shall ever live to see each other's faces again. I charge you before God and his blessed angels, to follow me no further than I have followed Christ. If God shall reveal anything to you by any other instrument, be as ready to receive it as ever you were to receive any truth by my ministry. I am very confident that the Lord has more truth and light to break forth out of his holy Word." "He took occasion," says Winslow, "to bewail the state and condition of the Reformed Churches, who were come to a period in religion, and would go no further than the instruments of their Reformation;

the Lutherans could not be drawn to go beyond what Luther said the Calvinists stick where he left them: a misery much to be lamented; for though these men were precious and shining lights in their times, yet God hath not revealed his whole will to them; and were they now living they would be as ready to embrace further light as that which they had received." He put the Pilgrims in mind of their covenant, "to receive whatsoever light or truth shall be made known from his written Word; but exhorted us to take heed what we received for truth, and well to examine and compare it, and weigh it with other Scriptures of truth before we received it. For, saith he, it is not possible that the Christian world should come so lately out of such thick antichristian darkness, and that full perfection of knowledge should break forth at once." "Words," says Prince, "almost astonishing in that age of low and universal bigotry which then prevailed in the English nation; wherein this truly great and learned man, seems to be the only divine who was capable of rising into a noble freedom of thinking and practising in religious matters, and even of urging such an equal liberty on his own people."+

In Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrims, p. 87.

†This has ever been the great principle of Puritanism: that God's Word is the sole and sufficient standard of faith and duty. Nearly a century after the landing of the Pilgrims, an assembly of Connecticut ministers, in setting forth their general assent to the Savoy Confession of Faith, as containing the system of doctrine which they embraced,-deemed it important to preface that act and confession with these words, worthy to be written in broad letters of living light. "We do not assume to ourselves that anything is to be taken upon trust from us, but commend to our people the following counsels: 1. That you be immoveably and unchangeably

The advice of the pastor being given, and their clothing and effects being packed and in readiness, they turn their thoughts to their departure. "And when the ship was ready to carry us away," says Winslow (the future governor of the colony, but now a young man of 26 years), "the brethren that stayed having again solemnly sought the Lord with us and for us, and we further engaging ourselves mutually as before; they that stayed at Leyden feasted us that were to go, at our pastor's house, being large; where 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."

*

"And now," says Bradford, "the time being come that they must depart, they were accompanied with the most of their brethren out of the city unto a town sundry miles off, called DELFT-HAVEN [24 miles south of Leyden], "where the ship lay ready to receive them. So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting-place nearly twelve years; BUT THEY KNEW THEY WERE PILGRIMS, and looked not much on these things, but lifted up their eyes to Heaven, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits." * "When they came to the place they found the ship and all things ready; and such of their friends as could not come with them followed after them; and sundry came also from Amsterdam to see them shipped, and to take their leave of them. That night was spent with little sleep by the most, but with friendly entertainment and Christian discourse." "The next day [July 22, 1620], the wind being fair, they went on board, and their friends with them; when truly doleful was the sight of that sad and mournful parting; to see what sighs, and sobs, and prayers, did sound amongst them; what tears did gush from every eye; and pithy speeches pierced each other's heart; that sundry of the Dutch strangers could not refrain from tears. Yet comfortable and sweet it was to see such lively and true expressions of dear and unfeigned love. But the tide which stays for no man, calling them away that were loth to depart, their reverend pastor falling down on his knees, and they all with him, with watery cheeks commended them with most fervent prayer to the Lord for his blessing; and then with mutual embraces and many tears, they took their leave of one another."

*

*

agreed in the only sufficient and invariable rule of religion, which is THE HOLY SCRIPTURE, the fixed canon, incapable of addition or diminution. You ought to account nothing ancient that will not stand by this rule; and nothing new that will. 2. That you be determined by this rule in the whole of religion. That your faith be right and divine, the Word of God must be the foundation of it, and the authority of the Word the reason of it."

I avow it; there is no other scene in the history of man, in which mere human beings and uninspired men were the actors, on which my eyes would gaze with so much interest-could any past scene be recalled:-"That memorable parting at Delft-Haven!" What men and women, with their children, the hope of their future country, were there! For what principles were they exiles from their native land! What principles, what institutions are they about to carry into the New World! It is one of the great epochs in the course of time. What changes are to come over the face of the whole world! what revolutions in the principles of human government, and in the prevalent views of human rights! How auspicious that day for the divine light and freedom of God's Holy Word, and for the freedom and happiness of mankind! Strike from the pages of history the achievements of an Alexander or a Cæsar, or blot out the very existence of empires that have swayed the world for centuries in their turn-and comparatively little is lost. But blot out of existence that band of Pilgrims at Delft-Haven, with the principles for which they have suffered, and what they are going to plant in the American wilderness, and alas! what desolation, what darkness broods over the destinies of man!

The youthful Winslow adds some touches which the more ancient Bradford saw not fit to add to the picture. The prayer being over, "A flood of tears was poured out, but we were not able to speak one to another for the abundance of sorrow." * "The ship ready to sail, the wind being fair, we 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 to the Lord our God, we departed."

A prosperous wind carries them to Southampton, where they find "the bigger ship come from London, lying ready with all the rest of their company."

And now all things being prepared, the company is called together to hear a letter which Mr. Robinson had sent after them. Then they ordered and distributed their company for either ship; chose a governor and two or three assistants for each ship to order the people by the way, and to see to the disposing of their provisions, and such like affairs." Which being done, on the 5th of August they set sail.

Unexpected delays had already protracted the time of their departure until it was too late for the comfortable beginning of a settlement on a wilderness shore. Now further delays awaited them. The master of the Speedwell (the smaller vessel) complained that his ship was so leaky that he durst not put further Both ships were forced to return; and on the eighth day after leaving port they put into Dartmouth, when the Speedwell

to sea.