into a faction as they could; were they never so vile and profane, they did nourish and abet them in all their doings, so they would but cleave to them, and speak against the church. So as there was nothing but private meetings and whisperings amongst them, they feeding themselves and others with what they should bring to pass in England, by the faction of their friends there;⁴

At length when the ship he came in was ready to return for England, and it was observed that Lyford was long in writing, and sent many letters, and could not forbear to communicate to his intimates such things as made them laugh in their sleeves, and thought he had done their errand sufficiently. The governor and some of his friends, knowing how things stood in reference to some known adversaries in England, and what hurt these things might do, took a boat, and went out with the ship a league or two, and called for all Lyford’s and Oldham’s letters. Mr. William Pierce being master of the ship, and knew well their evil dealings (both in England and here), afforded them all the assistance he could; he found about twenty of Lyford’s letters, many of them large and full of slanders and false accusations, tending not only to their prejudice, but ruin and utter subversion. Most of them they let pass, only took copies of them, but some of the most material they sent true copies of them and kept the originals, lest he should deny them, and that they might produce his own hand against him. Amongst these letters they found the copies of two letters which were sent in a letter of his to Mr. John Pemberton, a minister, and a great opposite to the plantation; these two letters, of which he took copies, were one of them written by a gentleman in England, to Mr. Brewster here, the other by Mr. Winslow to Mr. Robinson in Holland; at his coming away, as the ship lay at Gravesend, they lying sealed in the great cabin, while Mr. Winslow was busy about the affairs of the ship, this sly merchant opens them, takes copies of them, and seals them up again, and not only seals the copies of them thus, To his friend and their adversary, but adds thereto in the margin many scurrilous and flouting annotations. In the evening the governor returned, and they were something blank at it; but after some weeks, when they heard nothing, were then as brisk as ever thinking nothing had been known, but all was gone current, and that the governor went out but to despatch his own letters.

The reason why the governor and the rest concealed these things, was to let things ripen, that they might the better discover their intents, and see who were their adherents; because, amongst the rest, they found a letter of one of their confederates, in which was written, that Mr. Oldham and Mr. Lyford intended a reformation in church and commonwealth, and as soon as the ship was gone they intended to join together and have the sacrament; a few of Oldham’s letters were found in the aforesaid search, being so bad a scribe as his hand was scarce legible, yet he was as deep in the mischief as the other; and thinking they were now strong enough, they began to pick quarrels at every thing. Oldham being called to watch (according to order), refuseth to come, fell out with the captain, called him rascal, and beggarly rascal, and resisted him, and drew his knife at him, though he offered him no wrong, nor gave him any ill terms, but with all fairness required him to do his duty; the governor hearing the tumult, sent to quiet it; but he ranted with great fury, and called them all traitors; but being committed to prison, after a while he came to himself, and with some slight punishment was let go upon his behaviour, for further censure. But to cut things short, at length it grew to this issue, that Lyford, with his accomplices, without either speaking one word either to the governor, church, or elder, withdrew themselves, and set up a public meeting apart on the Lord’s day, with sundry such insolent carriages, too long here to relate, beginning more publicly to act that which they had been long plotting.

It was now thought high time, to prevent further mischief, to call them to account; so the governor called a court, and summoned the whole company together, and they charged Lyford and Oldham with such things as they were guilty of respecting the premises; but they were stiff, and stood resolutely upon the denial of most things, and required proof; they first alleged what was writ compared with their practices here; that it was evident they joined in plotting against them, and disturbed their peace in their civil and church state, which was most injurious, for both they and all the world knew they came hither to enjoy the liberty of their consciences in the free use of God’s ordinances, and for that end had ventured their lives, and passed through much hardship hitherto, and they and their friends had borne the charge of