September 7th, 1671
Team Members:
Rishab Nair and Ryan Feriancek
Description: This letter is dated to September 7, 1671, four years before the outbreak of King Philip’s war. An unidentified settler writes to two men named Winthrop and Willis about the local Indians, who are allegedly acting disrespectfully. He also mentions a request for supplies and a meeting being denied to him.
Honered gentleman
Since I had knowledge of your being at Boston tho I doe not under-stand you are there as co˜misser for your colony, I am willing to take this opportunity to present my respects to your [illegible], and to apollogise for our selves that we have not given your Collony an acount of our late troubles with our Indians whose carage hath bine very high insolent and provoaking; The particulars wherof would bee too great a troble to you to receiv’ by letter; We should have bine ambitious to have reaped the bennifit of your good advice in refference there unto but that your distance from us, and this many mutations and alterations of occurrences between them and us have denyed us the opportunity [crossed out word] there of; wee know not yet how it will please God to determin it: I could have bine very glad of the oportunity to have wayted upon you [crossed out letter] at Boston, but I finde my self of late much more unable to travell than formerly: I was in good hope that we should have seen you here about this time in order to the reestablishment of the confederation, which undoubtedly whilst well observed was beneficiall to the Collonys moer then was redily perceived by all men; and indeed [crossed out word] however any may endeavor to cast the blame upon us that there is not a meeting this year, wee can truly plead our inocency, both as to the breath of that ancient sollem covenant called perpetuall, and our freeness to reunite according to propositions where commissioners last sate at Boston, which propositions although since altered by the generll courte of the Massachusetts wee accepted of with these amendations [as they were pleased to term it] excepting only against one particular, where in we have since understood that you agreed with us; (viz) that there might have bine anew account of the number of men in each colony brought in for the better settlement of just and trew proportions of men and charge in case of a warr; wee not im̃agening that it would have bine denyed, and beeing very sensable that wee are greatly opressed by the proportion as first settled, caused a list of our men to bee brought in, chose co˜missioners, and ordered provision to bee made for a meeting, but the generll court of the Massachusttes ordered that there’s should not attend the meeting on such terms, as wee are informed; soo that wee have bine at much uncertaynty, wee move not willing beyond modesty to press for a meeting lest any should have thought our present trobles had bine a spur to such ernest desires, nor will we say that any are the moer ould and slow to trye the first againe before the storm is blown over; but can assure you wee had noe designe nor desire to impeed or hinder it; thus with my harty respects, craving pardon for uncomposed lines beeing moer than ordinarily straytned for time
I remayn gentleman
your humble gentleman servant
To: Mr. Winthrop
and Mr. Willis
September 7-71
No. 80
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