na-heagan enmity, & contentions with Woncas, & I dovpt with the English, (if optvnity wer not wanting), I say, in respect of this ocassione, I thought it good, & my dvty to send this Indian with these few lines, to acqvaint yo' worship of a passage or two which I have observed concerneing this their jorney lately, (viz:) first, concerneing their jorney to the Indians called Mock-qvaovgs, which live vp the River of Qvonecticott. I have by inqviry fovnd that these Nanheagansitts have sent their pressent to them to hire their help against Woncas. This is talked of among the Indians, very freqvently, & from this their arose svch a clamor that there wer thovsands of Mock-qvoags com to Nanheagansitt, &c., wch was nothig soe, for the Mockqvoags (for ovght I can gather by what I heare) will have noe hand in the bvssinesse. Butt it is strang to see the vehement shew of desire that the Nanheaganssitts have to reveng on Woncas. Insoemuch that although I told them (as yo' worship wrote to mee in yo' last letter) that yov world send to Qvonicticott in the spring, concerning the restoreing of y° goods & peage that Woncas had (as they say) taken, in pretence of redemtione of Miontonomy, yett they are not content to sitt downe vntill then, but now ar solliciting for leave to fight, & to that end (they tell mee) they ar now come to yo' worship to bvy yo' leave. Yett they have ben told that the English will not doe it, nor yett sell the peace & lives of svch as com for shelter to them, not for any wealth or bribes; & fvrther, I shall hvmbly acquaint yovr worship that I told these Indians that yo' worship wovld not doe any thing to efect their desires in their errand withovt advise of a Gen! Covrt, yett now they would goe, and three days agoe there was a covnseller sent from the sachems of Nanheagansett to mee, to give mee 2 dayes notice that I might lay aside all occassiones to com downe to the Bay with these messeengers, & to provoke mee to this jovrney, & to speake in their behalfe. They sent mee 4 fath. of peage (as a bribe or fee, or

what else it may be termed). I told the sayd covnsellevr, that I did detest to take their bribes in this or any other ocassiones betwene them & the English, & that he shovld carry home the beads againe; for, I told him, it was not the way to bvy warre & contentione by bribes, byt one good argvment wovld prevayle mor with the English gentlemen of Massachvsetts then a 1000 bribs ; & fvrther I told them it was weake frindship wch was bovght or sold for money, & they might well thinke, that if they made the English their freinds only by vertue of bribs, it would bee no other freindship bvt svch as if Woncas wovld bring a greater gift, wovld be frvstratted againe. Soe having had & vsed many passages to this efect to the sayd messinger, he then told mee that the peag was sent me as a token of love & freindship, & that he did ill in saying it was to make mee of their factione; & many other words he vsed with a great deale of svbtlety, to the same pvrpose, & that this was bvt as a peney, in respect of what they wovld give mee hereafter, if I wovld accept to be their freind; & fvrther, that it would bee a great discvrtesy offered on my part to send hom the pressett againe. Soe I consented, after mvch discovrse, that the beads shovld ly in my hovse, to be returned or kept, as I shovld see the events of things &c.; soe it is evident what great desires they have of reuenge, though they first began the qvarrell. Bvt I being loath to troble yo' worship with a longe discovrse, this I vnderstand, that the messag sent by captaine Harden* is not yett deliverd. Yett he was at Nanheagansitt the 17th of the 10th mo, & sent for me; & it being the last day of the weeke when I received his letter, I resolved to sett forward one the 2a day, becase I covld not reach throvgh in one day; & the weather being very cold, & likely to snow,

*Captain Robert Harding is supposed to have come over in the fleet with Winthrop in 1630. He was made a freeman May 18, 1631, and became a prominent man in Boston. At the time of the Antinomian controversy he was disarmed, with the other adherents of Mrs. Hutchinson; and the next year he removed to Rhode Island. In 1646 he returned to England, where he was living in 1651. See Savage's Genealogical Dictionary.— EDS.

wch fell ovt soe that it snowed the 2a day all day, & it was the bigest snow we had here this winter ; & soe I saw. It was a more then ordinary; frvsterating of the bvssnes that time. But now it is tollarable traveling, I shall humbly atend yo1 worships pleasvre & apointment in the worke, &c.

One thing more I shall make bold to acquaint yo' worship, that, as I was willed last yeare by the Covrt, I have dilligently inqvired for yo" Indian that brake prisson. I shall intreat yor worships fvrther mind (if yov pleas), abovt the takeing of him; for this bearer knows where he is, & will endevovr to take him & bring him to yo" worship; for which I have promisd him a coate, if yov please to shew yo' mind abovt his being taken. Soe with my hvmble service vnto yo' worship, I remaine

Yovre Worships hvmble & faithfvll

servantt to be comanded,

BENEDICT ARNOLD,

PROVIDENCE, this 14th: 12th: m (1643.) [Feb. 14, 1643-4.]

My father* & M Coates remembers their service vnto yor worship.

Indorsed, "Ben. Arnold. (12) 15—1643."

THOMAS COBBETT† TO JOHN WINTHROP.

To our honoured Gouernor & his much esteemd freind M Winthop, at his house in Boston, p'sent theise I pray you.

WORTHY SI vnderstand yt you are by M. Humphrey desired to take care of y dispose of his children, wherefore I thought meet to acquaint you wt a prouidence of

* William Arnold, who was at Hingham in 1635, and removed to Providence in 1636, with Roger Williams. He was one of the founders of the first Baptist Church. See Savage's Genealogical Dictionary.-EDs.

† See note, ante, p. 268.-EDS.

Now, S, if you please

God, offering an opportunity for y° comfortabl disposal of one of ym. M: Daulton of Hampton,* staying at one of our brethrens howses lately, inquired after M Humphreys children, offering to take one of ym & to bring it vp as his owne, hauing of his owne but one child. His reason he gaue hereof was in yt M: Humphrey had formerly aduentured himself for fr [illegible] him in England, w0 in yo High Comissio1 Court, & was a means of his liberty, & therefore he would gladly thus requite that his kindeness, & being told hear was none in this towne but Dorcas, formerly defiled, &c., he replied yt was indeed some blott vppon her, but yet he would be content to take her, if M: Humphreis freinds so pleased. & yt you judge it meet, we shall take some care to send to M: Dalton, y thear may be further order taken for the conueyance of her to him to Hampton. M: Ottley † is poore, & he cañot helpe her. M: Walton is for Long Iland shortly, there to sett downe wt my Lady Moody, § from vnder ciuill & church watch, among ye Dutch, & albeit Dorcas be wt him at p'sent, yet I suppose you will not assent to his carrying of her with him thither, if he should desire it, & wt whome else ye child should comfortably be, I knowe not, vnless some such like prouidence as this be attended to & improoued. Yr worshp may please to expresse y minde herein to some of our brethren, yt will be at Boston lecture, & by ym I shall vnderstand yr pleasure, & accordingly act in it; beeing willing to doe any freindly office yt way, out of old respts vnto her father & mother: & thus wt remembrãce of all due respects to

* Probably Rev. Timothy Dalton, who was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he was made A.B. in 1613. He was admitted a freeman Sept. 7, 1637, and in 1639 was called to be teacher in the Church at Hampton. He died Dec. 28, 1661, leaving no issue, though he had had one son. See Savage's Genealogical Dictionary. -EDS. † See note, ante, p. 327.-EDS.

Perhaps Rev. William Walton, of Marblehead, who is supposed to have resided at Lynn for a short time, and afterward went to Manchester. See Savage's Genealogical Dictionary.-EDS.

§ See note, ante, p. 93. - EDs.

y'self & M Winthrop y wife, comending you & yTM to y shadow of y° wings of y° Almighty, I rest

Yrs to comand in Him,

LYN this 13th of yo 1 m: 1643 [March 13, 1643-4].

THO: COBBETT.

If y' worship please, y' self may write to M: Daulton, & yt will much aduantage & furth ye worke propounded.

BENJAMIN HUBBARD* TO JOHN WINTHROP, JR.

To the Worshipfull Mr John Winthrop, Junior, p'sent this.

WORLL SE-I having received so great kindnesses from yo' selfe, as foremerly in other things, so lately in yo❜ good counsell & assistance, I could doe no lesse then signifie my humble & hearty thankefulnes to you in a few words. I delivered yo' letter to M2 Foster (who seemes to me tò be indeed an honest, humble hearted man & a very good artist.) Sr, he did kindly accept of yo' loving letter, and hath shewed much kindnes to me for yo' sake. I have heard him read lectures, & have had some conferences with him, and I desire to be thankful to yo' wo', & to him also for his kindnesse shewed to me.

M: Nie, M: Goodwin, M: Foster, my brother, & my selfe are shortly to meet, & vpon some covenants or promise to me made, I will declare to them what I can doe therein, and they are to shew what they thinke of it; after which time I hope to expresse my thankfulnes in more words vnto yo' wor, and deeds too, if the Lord enable me. Till then I humbly take my leave of yo! selfe. S, desiring still to enjoy the help of yo* pray", hoping to remember you in my poore petitions, I remaine yoTM to comaund.

LONDON, 25th 12th 1644 [February 25, 1644-5].

BENIAMIN HUBBARD.

* Benjamin Hubbard was at Charlestown in 1633, and was made a freeman Sept. 3, 1634. He subsequently returned to England. See a letter from him to Governor Winthrop in III. Mass. Hist. Coll. I. 20, written on the same day as the one here printed; and Savage's Genealogical Dictionary. - EDS.