The verses following were found in his pocket after his death, which may further illustrate his character, and give a taste of his poetical fancy; wherein, it is said he did excel.
My dissolution is in view;
Eleven times seven near lived have I,
And now God calls, I willing die:
My shuttle’s shot, my race is run,
My sun is set, my deed is done;
My span is measur’d, tale is told,
My flower is faded and grown old,
My dream is vanish’d, shadow’s fled,
My soul with Christ, my body dead;
Farewell dear wife, children and friends,
Hate heresy, make blessed ends;
Bear poverty, live with good men,
So shall we meet with joy again.
O’er such as do a toleration hatch;
Lest that ill egg bring forth a cockatrice,
To poison all with heresy and vice.
If men be left, and otherwise combine,
My epitaph’s, I died no libertine.3
This year Mr. John Laythrop did put off his earthly tabernacle. He was sometimes preacher of God’s word in Egerton in Kent, from whence he went to London, and was chosen pastor of a church there. He was greatly troubled, and imprisoned, for witnessing against the errors of the times. During the time of his imprisonment, his wife fell sick, of which sickness she died. He procured liberty of the bishop to visit his wife before her death, and commended her to God by prayer, who soon after gave up the ghost. At his return to prison, his poor children, being many, repaired to the bishop to Lambeth, and made known unto him their miserable condition by reason of their good father, his being continued in close durance; who commiserated their condition so far, as to grant him liberty, who soon after came over into New England, and settled for some time at the town of Scituate, and was chosen pastor of their church, and faithfully dispensed the word of God amongst them. And afterwards, the church dividing, a part whereof removed to Barnstable, he removed with them, and there remained until his death. He was a man of a humble and broken heart and spirit, lively in dispensation of the word of God, studious of peace, furnished with godly contentment, willing to spend, and to be spent, for the cause of the church of Christ. He fell asleep in the Lord, November 8, 1653.4
1654.
This year Mr. William Bradford was elected governor of the jurisdiction of New Plimouth. Mr. Thomas Prince, Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. William Collier, Mr. Timothy Hatherly, Mr. John Brown, Mr. John Alden, and Capt. Thomas Willet, were chosen assistants to him in government.
1655.
This year Mr. William Bradford was elected governor of the jurisdiction of New Plimouth; and Mr. Thomas Prince, Mr. William Collier, Mr. Timothy Hatherly, Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. John Brown, Mr. John Alden, and Capt. Thomas Willet, were chosen assistants to him in government.
This year that worthy and honourable gentleman, Mr. Edward Winslow, deceased; of whom I have had occasion to make honourable mention formerly in this discourse. He was the son of Edward Winslow, Esq., of the town of Draughtwich,5
in the county of Worcester. He, travelling into the low countries, in his journeys fell into acquaintance with the church of Leyden, in Holland, unto whom he joined, and with whom he continued until they parted to come into New England, he coming with that part that came first over, and became a very worthy and useful instrument amongst them, both in place of government and otherwise, until his last voyage for England, being sent on special employment for the government of the Massachusetts, as is aforementioned in this book; and afterwards was employed as one of the grand commissioners in that unhappy design against Domingo in Hispaniola, who taking grief for the ill success of that enterprise, on which, together with some other infirmities that were upon him, he fell sick at sea, betwixt Domingo and Jamaica, and died the eighth day of May, which was about the sixty- first year of his life, and his body was honourably committed to the sea, with the usual solemnity of the discharge of forty-two pieces of ordnance.| Previous chapter/page | Back | Home | Email this | Search | Discuss | Bookmark | Next chapter/page |