forty and fifty communicants. The second praying town was Pakemit, or Punkapaog, now Stoughton; their first teacher was of their own number, William Ahawton, " a pious man, of good parts." The second church of Indians was at Hassanamessit, now Grafton; the teacher's name was Tackuppa-willin, "a pious and able man, apt to teach.” They had a meetinghouse built after the English manner; their communicants were sixteen, their baptized persons, thirty.

At Okommakumesit, or Marlborough, was a society, with a teacher. Wamesit, or Tewksbury, was the fifth praying society; their teacher was called Samuel, who could read and write. Annually a judicial court was held there. Here Mr. Eliot used to go and preach at that season on occount of the strangers who resorted there. In 1674, after he had been preaching from Matt. xxii. concerning the marriage of the king's son, at the wigwam of Wannalancet, near the falls, this man, who was the oldest son the sachem, or king, and who had always been friendly to the English, but openly rejected the gospel, after sermon, rose and said, "Sirs, you have been pleased for four years, in your abundant love, to apply yourselves particularly to me and my people, to exhort, press, and persuade us to pray to God. I am very thankful to you for your pains. I must ackdowledge, I have all my days used to pass in an old canoe, and you exhort me to change and leave my old canoe, and embark in a new canoe, which I have always opposed; but now I yield myself up to your advice, and enter into a new canoe, and do engage to pray to God hereafter." He ever after persevered in a Christian course, though on this account, several of his people deserted him. The sixth society gathered from the Indians, was at Nashobah, now Littleton; their teacher was called John Thomas. In this place, and at Marlborough, the Indians had orchards, set out by themselves. Mungunkook, or Hopkinton, was the next place where a Christian society was gathered; the families were twelve; their teacher was Job.

Several years after, seven other societies of praying Indians, with Indian teachers, were formed further west. One in Oxford, one in Dudley, three in different parts of Woodstock, which then was claimed by Massachusetts, one in Worcester, and one in Uxbridge. Several other places, about the same time received Christian preachers. The places mentioned, received teachers selected from the natives, who had been instructed by Mr. Eliot. The whole number of those, called praying Indians, in these places, was about eleven hundred.

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But the gospel was preached with still greater effect in Plymouth colony. The Rev. Mr. Bourne had under his care, on Cape Cod and its vicinity, about five hundred souls; of whom about two hundred could read, and more than seventy could write. One church he had formed of twenty-seven communicants, ninety had been baptized. Beside these, Mr. Cotton, of Plymouth preached occasionally to about half a hundred on Buzzard's Bay. Mr. Mayhew and son began to instruct the Indians of Martha's Vineyard, in 1648 or 1649. They were remarkably successful. The greatest part of them were soon considered as praying Indians. On this island and Chappaquidgick, were three hundred families; on the latter sixty, of whom fifty-nine were praying families. On Nantucket was a church and many praying families. In 1694 there were on this island three churches and five assemblies of praying Indians. In 1685 the praying Indians in Plymouth colony were one thousand, four hundred, and thirty-nine, beside chil dren under twelve years of age. At one time, in different parts were twenty-four congregations. In Connecticut and Rhode Island, but little success attended the gospel among the Indians. The sachems of Narraganset and Mohegan violently opposed the people's hearing the gospel. The Rev. Mr. Fitch, of Norwich, took great pains, gave to some of the Mohegans lands of his own, that they who were disposed to hear the gospel might be nearer him, and also freed from the revilings of their companions: at one time he had about thirty under his care.

The legislatures of the several colonies enacted salutary laws for restraining the evil conduct of the natives; means were also furnished for their receiving presents or rewards for distinguishing themselves in what was laudable. In Connec ticut the legislature, in 1655, having appointed a governor over the Pequots, gave him the following laws, to which the people were to subject themselves: They shall not blaspheme the name of God, nor profane the sabbath. They shall not commit murder, nor practise witchcraft, on pain of death. They shall not commit adultery, on pain of severe punishment. Whosoever is drunk shall pay ten shillings, or receive ten stripes. He that steals shall pay double the damage.

Quakers persecuted-Apology for our Forefathers-Synod— Character of Capt. Standish.

THE persecution of the Quakers commenced in 1656, and continued till September, 1661, when an order was received from the king, requiring that neither capital nor corporal punishment should be inflicted on the Quakers, but that offenders should be sent to England. During this persecution several were executed. On the subject of the New England persecutions, the author of The European Settlements in North America judiciously remarks, "Such is the manner of proceeding of religious parties toward each other; and in this respect the people of New England were not worse than the rest of mankind; nor was their severity any just matter of reflection upon that inode of religion which they profess. No religion, however, true or false, can excuse its own members, or accuse those of any other, on the score of persecution.' Religious intolerance is now very generally reprobated; and it is hoped the time has already arrived, when no people can be found who think that, " by killing men for their religion, they do God good service."

But the history of opinions in that age demonstrates that what has been considered the contracted spirit of New England, was the spirit of the world. Those Puritans were as liberal as the most liberal in the world. It is true, their history proves they were men, imperfect like others; but it does not prove they had any peculiar bigotry or intolerance. We have called their conduct persecution; but if the subject be understood, the Quakers were not persecuted entirely for their religion or religious opinions, but for disturbing society. For these disturbances, in a few instances, they were treated too severely; severity being a common appendage of a weak government. The government which trembles for its own existence is always alarmed at opposition, and the exertion of its power corresponds with the degree of its alarm. These fathers of New England, to use their own words, for liberty to walk in the faith of the gospel, had transported themselves, with their wives, their little ones, and their substance, from the pleasant land over the Atlantic, into this remote wilderness, among the heathen, preferring the pure Scripture worship to

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the pleasures of England; but the Quakers, being open seducers from the glorious trinity, and from the holy Scriptures as a rule of life, and open enemies to the government itself, as established in the hands of any, except men of their own principles; therefore the magistrate, at last, in conscience, both to God and man, judged himself called for the defence of all, to keep the passage with the point of the sword held towards them. This could do no harm to him who would be warned; their rushing themselves on the sword was their own act, and brings their blood on their own head."

That they were enemies to government, unless administered by Quakers, had become evident, both by their conduct and writings. George Fox, who came to Rhode Island, had published that "The magistrate is of Christ, he is in the light and power of Christ, and he is to subject all under the power of Christ." None could mistake this language; for it was well known that he viewed none as having the light of Christ but those of his own party; they were to subject all into his light, else they could not be "faithful magistrates." Roger Williams declared, "Such magistrates, such laws, such power, and light, and subjection, is George Fox for, and no other." Eve ry other government but their own, they said, was a tree that must be cut down. The government and people saw and felt this; they saw their posterity and themselves exposed to evils as great as those from which they had fled. The fruit of all their labours, the reward of all their miseries, was ready to be snatched from them. Conscious of their own weakness, still agonizing in view of their past sufferings, shocked at the daring frenzy of their opposers, they rose, and in the first moment of their indignation, they seized a weapon too sharp; they banished several on pain of death. They were banished for a species of madness, and in madness they soou came back, rushing on the point which ought to have been turned aside from such raving fanatics. One of these, W. Robinson, gave to the court the following paper, containing the reasons of his conduct. "On the 8th day of the 8th month, 1659, in the after part of the day, in travelling between Newport and Daniel Gould's house, the word of the Lord came expressly to me, which did fill me immediately with life, and power, and heavenly love, by which he constrained me, and commanded me to pass to the town of Boston, my life to lay down in his will, for the accomplishing of his service, that he had there to perform, at the day appointed. To which heavenly voice I

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The Quakers unfriendly to Government.

presently yielded obedience, not questioning the Lord how he would bring the thing to pass. For the Lord had said unto me, my soul shall rest in everlasting peace, and my life shall enter into rest, for being obedient to the God of my life."

Marmaduke Stephenson gave in another paper, informing the court how he heard a voice, as he was ploughing in Yorkshire, saying, "I have ordained thee a prophet to the nations." After he came to Rhode Island, he says, "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, "Go to Boston."

So did the Quakers revolt from the laws of all societies, outrage decency, and seek their own ruin. The general court of Massachusetts, among many other things, urged these considerations- -If a stranger break in upon the house of another, when absolutely forbid, if the intruder be slain, his blood must be on his own head; and have not the guardians of the commonwealth equal right to take away the lives of those who intrude upon the government? If a stranger, covered with the plague, break in upon a family of children, will not their good father withstand such intrusion, and, if there be no other possible way of defending himself and beloved family from the deadly contagion, may he not, from the principle of self-preservation, slay the intruding person?

By order of the general court, a synod of the New England churches conveyed at Boston, September, 1662. The people were at this time much divided in opinion on the two following questions, which were submitted to the synod for their decision, viz. 1st." Who are the subjects of baptism?" 2d. “Whether, according to the word of God, there ought to be a consociation of churches, and what should be the manner of it?" The general court ordered the result of this synod, which was not unanimous, to be printed, and it may be seen at large in Dr. Mather's Magnalia, and in Neal's History of the Puritans. In 1656, at a very advanced age, died Capt. Standish, the military commander, the Washington of Plymouth colony. A man so conspicuous and celebratu in his life, ought not to be forgotten when dead. It is impossible to have any adequate view of the rise and establishment of Plymouth colony without entering familiarly into the character of this hero of that little band of pilgrims. He descended from a family of distinction, and was heir apparent to a great estate, which was unjustly detained from him, and he was compelled to depend on himself for support. He was small in stature, but of an active spirit, a sanguine temper, and strong constitution.