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1. The MAYFLOWER MIRACLE

attacks and they had the great good fortune to be befriended by civilized lndians such Samoset and Squanto, who taught them the ways Of the New WorId and how tO survive. There were of course bad eggs ⅲ the Pilgrim basket, such John Billington and lsaac Allerton who were the first betrayers of the common cause, but ⅲ general, standards 0f the PiIgrims were very high. The events of this story happened a long time ago. Lots of dates and names went missing long ago. This b00k does not claim tO tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. lt does however attempt to portray the truth closely possible and although the line is blurred from time tO time it is more fact than fiction. ln this b00k the onginal dates given by the PiIgrims have been used the chronology. However it should be remembered that the calendar year ⅲ the seventeenth century was different from the modern calen- d . Today we start the New Year on 1 January. Then, the Pilgrims started the New Year on 25 March. However, in this book I have taken the liberty 0f starting the year on 1 January, even though I have used the old dates the basis for the chronolog•r. ⅲ most cases the direct quotes are taken from Bradford's JournaI, 0 工 刊 0 刊佖れ阨 0 ル The accounts given by WinsIow which are not ⅲ direct quotes, are generally from his Relation, or Journal, published by George Mourt, and which are Often referred t0 . MO れ ' s 究 e 厄 0 ル The intention has been tO let the PiIgrims tell their own story much possible, SO I have attempted tO minimize comment. At the same time the ancient EngIish is explained t0 the reader ⅲ a popular style that makes it intelligible. As Bradford's manuscript was lost for so many years, it is lmportant now tO bring his writings tO the notic e 0f the American public. lf, ⅲ some cases, a word is totally unintelligible, it has been altered for convenience. These changes include 'the' for ye' and 'that' for '. lt should also be noted that there are many inconsistencies ⅲ spelling throughout the journal, and that historically, there are alSO many incon- sistencies in the factS presented 仕 0n1 various sources. The bOOk has been written for the man on the street, as this is where the story should be tOld. There are many excellent scholarly references on the PiIgrims and this is by no means an attempt t0 supercede any Of these b00ks that have gone before. But in order tO understand their story, we have tO IOOk at whO the Pilgrims were, what principles they held dear, why they chartered the .4 佖 / 催 and, ⅲ essence, what it was tO be a Pilgrim.

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Dutch and EngIish fought over colonial possessions claiming dlfferent parts 0f America. Explorers like Sir Walter Ralegh were ⅲ favor one moment and then beheaded the next. The English King Henry ⅥⅡ had broken with the Roman Cath01ic Church, creating the Church Of England t0 facilitate his divorce and the seeds 0f bitter religious strife began tO take root. The EngIand that the Pilgrims left was an England undergoing great change and upheaval. During the first quarter 0f the seventeenth century James I authorized the new Bible; Shakespeare was writing provocative plays like 佖 portraying the problems 0f kings and princes. Ben Jonson was irritating people with his satirical essays; MiIton was elevating people's thoughts with such poetic works 佖佖 d e ん os J0hn Donne was seducing his ladies with love poems and Francis Bacon was startling society with his scientific essays and lectures. The Pilgrims were not the first t0 sail the Atlantic Ocean for America. Christopher C01umbus had achieved this honor ⅲ 1492 but they were among the first tO settle the continent for the English. Others like Captain J0hn Smith and the settlers 0f Virginia had explored the east coast from the early seventeenth century. There was plenty Of information on the new world. Commercial interests had settled Virgima ⅲ 1607 at Jamestown and b00ks had been published extolling the virtues of America a new world for the brave. Nevertheless it was still a long way and a very risky undertaking. Escaping from the oppressive English authorities and seeking a land where they could practise their religion in peace, the Pilgrims estab- lished the importance 0f personal principles from the start By fighting SO hard for their religious freedom, they created documents like the 1620 Mayflower Compact and the 1 3 New England Confederation and established the important principles Of freedom Of conscience, freedom 0f religion, the right t0 life, liberty 田 the pursuit 0f happiness, enshrin- ing the basic concepts and rights 0f the First Amendment 0f the Con- stitution of the United States. The Pilgrims brought with them t0 the new land such concepts freedom Of opinion, right tO dissent, the prmciple Of fair and open debate, the practise Of electing governments democratically and the idea 0f having a written document establishing the rules and regu- lations Of government. The Mayflower Compact ⅲ time mfluenced the Constitution of the United States. The Pilgrims also created a new code 0f morality and behavior. They asserted the rights 0f people against the British Crown, established the concept 0f the common good, 0f the general will 0f the people, 0f the greatest happiness 0f the greatest number and, through their dlsciplined leadership, laid the basis for government by the people, for the people and Of the people. Despite the religious ideals the Pilgrim settlement was established on a commercial footing 朝 om the s ねれ . The Plymouth Plantation was an

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14 June 1620 1 July 1620 The Pilgrim Contract Some 0f the Pilgrims were angered by the amount 0f money which the investors demanded om the first financial returns of the intended settlement at Plymouth and argued that the new world they were building was one 0f equality being created for the community not the selfish individual. 'AII men are not 0f one condition' and 'he that is not contente his neighbour shall have good a house, fare, means, &c. him selfe, is not 0f a good qualitie'. The Pilgrims did not want selfish people either: 'Such retired persons, have an eie only tO them selves, are fitter tO come wher catching is, then closing; and are fitter tO live alone, then in any societie, either CiVill or religious . They agitated for a better deal than the investors ⅲ the contract. ・ 0 hazard is greater then theirs'. Although they d0 not urge or egg us on 'the motion & resolution has been always our selves' the Pilgrims still hoped for 'equall termes & conditions' claiming that they were men Of discretion & conscience, and SO fitte tO be trusted 供 selves with that'. ln this last minute soul-searching those few doubting PiIgrims were disappointed with those wh0 parted ways with them ⅲ H011and: 'As for them 0f Amsterdam I had thought they would soone have gone to Rome with us; for our libertie is tO them ratts bane, and their riggour bad t0 us the Spanish lnquision. Time continued t0 pass but still the ship had not sailed for EngIand. Robinson became angry with Weston complaining about 'the estate of thmgs hear, which indeed is very pitifull; espetialy by wante Of shiping'. The delays caused by Weston and others was now considered a scandal 'But that he should not but have had either shipping ready before this time, or at least certaine means, and course, and the same known to us for it, or have taken Other order otherwise, cannot in my conscience be excused'. At last the PiIgrims finalized their contract with the investors, based 0 Ⅱ their assumed future activities predicting 'that the greatest part Of the CoIIonie is like tO be imployed constantly, not upon dressing ther perticuler land & building houses, but upon fishing, trading'. This docu- ment was the basis Of the relationship between the EngIish investors (who they referre d t0 adventurers) and the Pilgrims (who were referred t0 the planters). The final contract was very much a commercial document demanding that the Pilgrims pay a high price for their New World. 1. The adventurers & planters doe agree, that every person that goeth being aged 16. years & upward, be rated at & 10 , and ten pounds tO be accounted a single share. 2. That he that goeth ⅲ person, and furnisheth him self out with & 10. either ⅲ money or Other provissions, be accounted haveing & 20 ⅲ stock, and ⅲ the deussion shall receive a double share. 41

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drink and dance and make love to lndian wenches. This debauched behavior, which peaked some years later at the Merry Mount Mayp01e affair, eventually had t0 be suppressed by a punitive raid under C aptain Standish ⅲ order t0 re-establish the origl- nal discipline 0f the Pilgrims. The Merry Mount affair started, Bradford tells us, when Thomas Morton, a well educated but unscrupulous ad- venturer, arrived and tOOk control Of a nearby plantation at Mount Wallarton. The pleasure-loving Morton immediately changed the name of the location tO Merry Mount and began t0 plan some fun. Bradford claimed that 'after this they all fell to a great licientious- ness, and om then on led a most dissolute life'. Before long, Morton had become 'lord 0f misrule, and maintained ( it were) a school 0f sin. They set up a may-pole with much drinking, dancing and consorting with the lndian women'. Then tO make matters worse the pleasure seekers were forced tO trade their guns, powder and shOt ⅲ return for food om the lndians ⅲ order t0 maintain their abandoned lifestyle. At this point the PiIgrims lost patience not only was this pleasure camp undermining their puritan values but with arms and ammunition the lndians would become more 0f a threat. Having tried ⅲ vain t0 persuade MO れ on tO reform his ways, the Pilgrims eventually decided t0 storm the pleasure camp and take Morton and his revellers by force. Sending Captain Standish and a raiding party fully armed into the camp, the PiIgrims caught Morton and his men unawares, disarmed them, tied them up and dispatched MO れ on back tO England on the next ship. Although it was a victow for the way 0f life advocated by the PiIgrims it was not without some price. Once back in England, Morton published a bOOk attacking the Pilgrims for their dictatorial methods. By the end Of the first decade, however, Pilgrim publications like Mo ' S e 厄 0 れ and Winslow's G00d News 工川 New E れ 0 厄れ d had mspired Other religious groups t0 cross the Atlantic and t0 share in the re source s Of the New World. BY 1630 large shiploads 0f puritans under the leadership of Governor J0hn Winthrop established other settle- ments ⅲ the Massachusetts Bay area which came under the auspices Of the powerful Massachusetts Bay Company. Before long the different settlements were forced tO create a Feder- ation ⅲ order tO work together and tO defeat the common lndian enemy by then, with Squanto and Samoset long dead, the lndians opposed such massive numbers invading their country. Then ⅲ 1643 the New EngIand Confederation was created out 0f the fO colonies Of Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, New Haven and PIymouth basically for defence against lndians, French and Dutch rivals ⅲ New EngIand. TWe New England Confederation was the first union 0f independent colonies and was a model for the later Articles 0f Con- federation, which led ⅲ turn to the Union of the United States. lndeed Bradford said himself was t0 the admiration 0f many, and allmost wonder Of the world; that Of SO small beginnings SO great 'SO the light here kindled hath shone tO many . things should insue 0 nce the settlement ん ad become established the Pilgrims e 尾 able build s リ bs 厩 I houses これ P mo 砒ん 130

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administrative knowle dge t0 good use when he was appointed the foreign affairs representative and, when ⅲ England on PiIgrim business, began his own business a merchant engaged ⅲ extensive trading ⅲ New EngIand. His first wife Mary gave birth to a still-born son on board the M 佖 0 ⅲ Plymouth Harbor ⅲ March 1621. She herself died one month later. But Allerton already had other children by her, including Barth010mew, Remember and Mary. He then married a daughter of Elder William Brewster. Emotions ran high when the Pilgrims found out he was using their business nussion tO England tO develop his own trading organization, and he became most unpopular because he had gone agamst some Of the basic principles they believed ⅲ . The latter part 0f his life was difficult the Pilgims lost faith ⅲ him and he fell out with them. He finally moved t0 another district. He died ⅲ shame ⅲ New Haven ⅲ 1659. 0 血 n BiIIington om the start BiIlington was the black sheep of the Pilgrim family. Bradford claims he came from 'the profanest family' 0f the lot. om the start he was a villain and, time went on and the strains Of building a new world increased, he went 仕 om bad t0 worse. He came from London and was possibly 、 trained t0 husbandry' He married an English woman, Helen, and they had two children, J0hn and Francis. J0hn Billmgton was thmty when he and his family sailed ⅲ the M 佖 IO e Bradford claims 'they were an ill-conditioned IOt and unfit for the company Of the planters' and 'I know not by what friend shuffled intO their Company . Having committed the first punishable offence ⅲ 1621 by challenging the authority 0f his Plymouth Plantation le aders , Billington c ontinued to rebel until he finally murdered a fellow Pilgrim, following an argu- ment, and was executed about September 1630. Pris cilla Mullins The pretty Priscilla was the darling 0f the Pilgrim colony. The daughter of William MuIIins and his second wife, AIice, she was about sixteen years 0f age when the M 佖 10 sailed. She alone survived when her parents were struck down by diseases soon after arrival. An attractive catch and just the right age for breeding, she was sought after by all the single men ⅲ the group. EventuaIIy ー following an introduction by Captain MYles Standish she married the shy Southampton cooper J0hn Alden with whom she had eleven children before dying at Duxbury ⅲ 1650. PrisciIIa was the most romantic figure in the colony and the heroine 0f Longfellow's poem, 肥 CO s ん切可 MYles S 阨れ市 s ん , MYles Standish and J0hn Alden were both involved ⅲ attracting the attention of the most sought-after bride ⅲ the colony. 10

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his skills were wider well. Havmg enjoyed a good education his talents were many and varied. Through his own vast experience he also acquired a useful knowledge 0f the ways 0f the world and was a great help t0 the Pilgrims in their business dealings. If it had not been for WinsIow, we would not have known what any of the PiIgrims looked like, because he is the only Pilgrim whose 畝ま第 portrait has survived. This portrait shows his kind and friendly face and reveals that he was a gentleman 0f some dignity. Like Bradford, WinsIow was a good writer and collaborated with Bradford ⅲ the writing of the 1622 book, Mo ' s e 厄 0 れ , the first book published on the colony. His writing style is professional and he had an excellent eye for detail Often noting and recording events missed by Bradford. Together they provide a first class record. WinsIow was baptized on 18 October 1595 at Worcester. He was a de- scendant Of the WinsIow family Of Kempsey, Worcestershire, where the estate was called 'Kerswell'; so he later called his estate ⅲ Plymouth ℃ areswell'. His early occupation was recorded a printer but in 1624 at the age 0f thirty, he described himself a yeoman. ln 1614 , when he was nineteen, he was betrothed ⅲ Leyden tO Elizabeth Barker. His wife died on 24 March 1621. On 12 May 1621 , Edward Winslow married Susanna White, the widow of William White, which Bradford described the 'first marriage ⅲ this place'. WinsIow was elected Governor three times, sharing the position with WiIIiam Bradford. He performed well ⅲ office and the colony pro- gressed under his le adership. Winslow also played a critical role ⅲ all the negotiations with the lndians, participating ⅲ many meetings, especially those held t0 establish peace with the great lndian chief, Massasoit. FoIIowing h1S periOd Of service ⅲ the colony, WinsIow returned tO England where he served the new commonwealth government 0f the Puritan revolutionary Oliver Cromwell, a foreign ambassador negotiating new treaties inspired by Cromwell's religious policies ⅲ such far-flung outposts the West lndies. He died ⅲ the West lndies 0f a tropical disease. Captain Myles Standish Standish was the heroic soldier ⅲ the colony. He was also one 0f the more colorful figures ⅲ the Pilgrim group and, if there was a f01k hero among their number, it was MYles Standish, wh0 was affectionately known by those he protected ℃ aptain Shrimp . Standish was a brave and enterprising soldier wh0 initiated and led many Of the exploring parties ⅲ the new colony, fearlessly penetrating virgin tracts 0f untamed land, leading the Pilgrims from one day t0 the next. lt was Standish wh0 defended the Pilgrims against the lndians, repulsing attack and personally killing the worst Of the lndian leaders. lt was Standish wh0 trained them ⅲ the art Of self-protection The Pilgrim leader Edward Winslow. He リ bl d 0 〃 ん experænces ーれ ん 0 〃 do encouraging future settlers travel the New World. 6

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owners 0f the New WorId t0 go and live there and this confirmed the choice Of America over Guiana once and for all. A. merica it was. ln this patent they had tO accept propossitions between them & such marchants & freinds should either goe or adventure with them, and espetially' a certain Mr. Thomas Weston 'on whom they did cheefly depend for shipping and means, whose proffers had been large'. The PiIgrims were happy about these details not knowing too much about Weston. Having accepted these requirements in principles the Pilgrims were requested t0 fitt and prepare them selves with all speed'. The moment had come tO chose who was to go to America and who was t0 stay in H011and. Bradford reported: 'After which they concluded both what number and what persons should prepare them selves to goe with the first; for all that were willing t0 have gone could not gett ready for their other affairs ⅲ so shorte a time . There were approxmately 300 PiIgrims to choose from now. Those whO were selecte d tO go were tO be le d by E lder WiIIiam Brewster, while the group remaming would continue to be led by Reverend John Robinson. Given the risks 0f the expedition evidenced by BIackweII's dis- aster, the two church groups would be associated but independent: 'lt was alSO agreed on by mutuall consente and covenante, that those that went should be an absolute church of them selves, well those that stald; seing ⅲ such a dangrous vioage, and a removall tO such a distance, it might come tO pass they should (for the body Of them) never meete agame ⅲ this world'. Robinson's group was by no means disadvantaged by staymg at home 'lt was allso promised t0 those that wente first, by the body of the rest, that if the Lord gave them life, & means, & opportunitie, they would come tO them soone they could'. Next came the task 0f getting transport om HoIIand to England where their commercial sponsors awaited them. They began 'making inquirey about the hiring & buying 0f shipping for their vioage' and some Dutchmen made them faire Offers about goeing with them'. But then their new organizer stepped ⅲ to take control of the opera- tion: 'Thomas Weston, a merchant Of London, came to Leyden about the same time, (wh0 was well aquainted with some Of them, and a furtherer Of them ⅲ their former proseedings)' and he perswaded them to goe on ( it seems) & not tO medle with the Dutch, or t00 much tO depend on the Virginia Company; for if that failed, if they came t0 resolution, he and such marchants were his freinds (together with their owne means) would sett them forth; and they should make ready, and neither feare wante Of shipping nor money; for what they wanted should be provided'. Weston convinced the eager PiIgrims t0 dO what he wanted them tO do: 'Upon which (after the formere conclusion) articles were drawne & agreed untO, and were showne unt0 him and approved by him; and afterwards by their messenger (Mr. J0hn Carver) sent int0 England, 38

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DAV ー D & - 第 CHARLES 「 MAYFLOWER MIRACLE The voyage of the Pilgrim Fathers t0 America in the 外イ 4 ッ〃 03e is the greatest story Of . yet, up until nOW' mrgratlon ever tOld it has never been told by the pilgrims themselves. ln this VOlume, Jonathan Klng aside' to let the Pilgrim Fathers speak for them- selves, especially through William Bradford's own Journal that had been lost for so many years. The Virgrmans under Captain J0hn Smith had settled Jamestown in 1607 as a commer- cial venture, motivated by the fast-growmg tobacco industry. However' the 1620 pil- were a group Of religious who, inspired by the promise 0f a heaven on earth, set out tO make their homes a new world. There were pilgrims like Governor William Bradford, clan EIder William Brewster, the heroic Captain (Shrimp) Miles Standish' the unlucky John carver, the long-survwing Ed- ward Winslow, and the darling of the plan- . 102 of them. They tation PrisciIIa MuIIins escaped from the religious persecutlons ln EngIand with a daring race across the Atlantic tO freedom. Their escape voyage in the brave little 財ー 03e alone tOOk tWO months. she was only 90 feet long and 160 tons and' though the appalling weather and storms cracked her maln beam and ripped her sailS' she landed them safely at Plymouth Rock on 1 1 November 1620. She was, for the New World, a Noah's Ark. We hear in the Pilgrim Fathers' own words hOW their EngliSh persecutors burnt them at the stake ; how Dutch zealots attacked and ostracised them; hOW punished and betrayed them at sea before they found their Noah's Ark in the M ア 03 げ ; how dis- ease and exposure and hunger struck half 0f them down in the first bitter New England winter; how they fought for their lives agamst hOStile indians; hOW fire destroyed their first shelters ; and how the dreams nearly became nightmares When theft' corruptlon and adultery threatened the very fiber of their high ideals. lt was the news of the Pilgrim Fathers' con- tlnurng survival that prompted Other Euro- pean men and women tO sail tO a life the new world. Through their courage' Amenca は S truly born. Jonathan King brings that heroic adventure to life in this keepsake album. The Pilgrims' Own Sto of the Founding of America 工 S B N ロー ? 15 ヨー 5 ロ 1 ヨー月 JONATHAN KING 9 7 8 0 71 5 590159 Jonathan King and the Ma ) ア 03 げ replica. Histor1an and author Jonathan King first be- came lnterested in the Mayflower story on a COllege VIS1t tO Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he obtained first-hand experlence as a temporary deckhand on board the trusty Ma ) ア 03 げ replica ship. He also tried his hand working with the modern-day Pilgrims ln Plymouth l)lantauon and absorbed what he could from the venerable Pilgrim Hall, May- flower SOCiety Of Descendants and Other in- Stltut10ns Of this h1StorlC seaport. ln turn, PIymouth supplied him with mountams of background reading that led him further down the excltlng research trail towards the foun- dations Of America. He iS the author Of several m 明 or bOOkS on marltlme expeditlons and exploratlon (in- cluding アん r 立月 e and The 乃ハこ立な / ← 〃〃の , is a documentary film maker whose work has been bought by Chicago's Central Education Network and he has taught history at such tertlary colleges as Oregon's LewiS and Clark College, Portland, and the Uni- versity Of Hawali's East 」 West Center. HiS love Of Amencan history has taken him, his wife Jane and their four daughters, Lowanna, Bryony, M011Y and Char10tte around the United States by car VlSlting almost every state in the Union. He and his family no , live on a farm outS1de Of 、1. elbourne, Austraha. JONATHAN KING JACKET ・ The SaiIing of the Mayflower 1620 ' ( 緲覊の . 0i1 by A. Forestier. 火孕加化 d りんイ 2 げ襯 zo れ 0 / The 乃 / k れ襯 5 C ルみ , 町あ 4 。〃 0 り C04 〃 4 れ dJ. スれあ召 4 4 な . ISBN 0-7153-9013-9 Printed in Hong Kong DåC 2 .95 DAVID & CHARLES NEWTON ABBOT NET

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to them, and fewer that would bide it out, and continew with them'. Even inspired Pilgrims 'could not endure that great labor and hard fare, with Other inconveniences which they underwent & were contented with'. Some of the Pilgrims were also growing t00 01d for such an arduous life: 'old age began t0 steale on many 0f them, (and their great & continuall labours, with Other crosses and sorrows, hastened it before the time) so it was not only probably thought, but apparently seen, that within a few years more they would be ⅲ danger tO scatter, by necessities pre ssing them, or sinke under their burdens , or b Oth' ln addition, the Pilgrims feared that the hard life ⅲ H011and was distracting their children away from the straight and narrow path 0f the PiIgrim way: many 0f their children, that were 0f best dispositions and gracious inclinations, haveing lernde t0 bear the yoake ⅲ their youth, and willing t0 bear parte Of their parents burden, were, 0ften times, SO oppressed with their hevie labours, that though their minds were free and willing, yet their bodies bowed under the weight 0f the same, and became decreped ⅲ their early youth; the vigor Of nature being con- sumed ⅲ the very budd it were. But that which was more lamen- table, and Of all sorowes most heavie tO be borne, was that many 0f their children, by these occasions, and the great licentiousnes Of youth ⅲ that countrie, and the manifold temptations Of the place, were drawne away by evill examples intO extravagante & dangerous courses, getting the raines Off their neks, & departing from their parents. Some became souldiers, Others t00ke upon them tO farr viages by sea, and Other some worse courses, tending tO dissolutnes & the danger Of their soules, t0 the great greefe 0f their parents and dishonour 0f G0d. SO that they saw their posteritie would be ⅲ danger tO degenerate & be corrupte d' MOSt of the PiIgrims wanted tO be missionanes and spread the word of God abroad, 'a great hope & inward zeall they had 0f laying some good foundation, or at least t0 make some way therunto, for the propagating & advancing the gospell 0f the kingdom 0f Christ ⅲ those remote p 0f the world'. The question the Pilgrims had to answer was where they should go next. They could not go back t0 England. There were not many sym- pathetic countries ⅲ Europe, itself on the brink 0f the Thirty Years War ( 1618 ー 1648 ) and they were terrified that the Spanish troops would invade H011and before they could escape. Their selection Of new home soon became a choice between America and Guiana. lnitially, 'the place they had thoughts on was some Of those vast & unpeopled countries Of America, which are frutfull & fitt for habitation, being devoyd 0f all civill inhabitants, wher ther are only salvage & brutish men, which range up and downe, litle otherwise then the wild beasts 0f the same . AIthough some 0f the Pilgrim leaders advocated transferring the 31

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September 1608 Lying Low in Leyden 08 ー円 'Yet seeing 市夜れ selves s 襯 0 s d , 0 d 市砒 0 ん 0 e e 加 CO れれ佖 ce こん e わ 4 佖 0 れ consente ey resolved 00e 加 the ん OW CO こ es , ん e ey ん e 佖佖 s freedome 可 el 加れ f0 佖〃襯夜 William Bradford By September 1608 the last of the Pilgrim refugee group had arrived ⅲ Amsterdam. They were relieved tO be out 0f oppressive EngIand and at first it seemed they had come t0 the right place. This was after all the GoIden Age 0f the Dutch Republic, whose power and influence was increasing, putting the country ⅲ the forefront Of European nations. As HoIIand was the most solvent state ⅲ Europe, enjoying solid economic prosperity, religious tolerance and freedom 0f the press ー including the right t0 publish religious tracts it was initially a perfect haven for religious refugees like the Pilgrims Even so, the PiIgrims had problems assimilating ⅲ their new home: 'Being now come into the LOW Countries, they saw many goodly & fortified cities, strongly walled and garded with troopes of armed men. AISO they heard a strange & uncouth language, and beheld the dif- ferente manners & customes Of the people, with their strange fashons and attires; all so farre differing from that 0f their plaine countrie villages (wherin they were bred, & had so longe lived) it seemed they were come intO a new world'. NevertheIess, Bradford conjectured that it was not to be the strange- ness Of their new home which would be their main concern, but simply finding the means tO escape poverty and starvation: 'But these were not the things they much looked on, or long t00ke up their thoughts; for they had Other work ⅲ hand, & an other kind 0f warr t0 wage & maintaine. For though they saw faire & bewtiful cities, flowing with abundance 0f all sorts 0f welth & riches, yet it was not longe before they saw the grimme & grisly face 0f povertie commg upon them like 27