Eames to lay down his place, but he denied it, and in some sort put the lie upon them that had so reported it; whereupon he was the next Lord's day called to answer it before the church, when he stood to maintain what he had said. Five witnesses were produced to convince him; some of them affirmed the words, the others explained their meaning to be, that one magistrate had so advised him; but he denied both. Upon which the pastor (Mr. Peter Hobart, brother to three principal persons in the faction) was very forward to have excommunicated the lieutenant presently; but upon some opposition it was put off to another day.

The pastor was reported to be of a Presbyterial spirit, and managed all affairs without advice of the brethren, which divers of the congregation not liking, they were divided into two parts; and the lieutenant having complained of the injury done him, to the magistrates, they would the more eagerly have cast him out, pretending he had told a lie. Afterwards some motion was made to the elders of other churches, (both by some of the magistrates and some of Eames his friends,) by whose intercession their proceedings were stayed awhile. But he, and about twelve more, perceiving the pastor was resolved to proceed to censure, and that there was no way of reconciliation, they withdrew from the church, and openly declared it in the congregation. This course was not approved of by the elders of the neighbour churches; and therefore, (during the adjournment of the court, where the case was depending,) upon the desire of the pastor, (fearing the case was likely to go against him and his party in the church,) the said elders were called to Hingham, who readily accepted the motion, and spent three or four days in hearing the case; but though they found the pastor and his party in great fault, yet could not bring them to any acknowledgment, and therefore were forced to return home, re infecta. At the last, the pastor, and the prevailing part of the church, proceeded to pass the sentence of excommunication on the lieutenant and two or three more. But upon further advice

with the elders of the other churches, it was concluded, that seeing neither clavis litigans, nor errans, ligat, those that were without just cause cast out at Hingham were received into the church of Weymouth, in the town next adjoining; and the matter so continued, through the stiffness of their minds, and their self willed resolution; by which it is to be feared that many who are called unto liberty use it for an occasion to the flesh, and forget that golden rule of our Saviour, and the precept of the apostle, by love to serve one another.

CHAP. XLIX.

Memorable accidents in New England from 1641 to 1646. MARCH, 1641, one Swain, of Agamenticus, fell into despair, and being often heard to utter dreadful speeches against himself, and cry out that he was all on fire under the wrath of God, but would never discover any other heinous sin but that having gotten about forty pounds by his labour, &c. he went over into England and spent it in wicked company. After he had so continued awhile he hanged himself. One of his neighbours, J. Baker, a member of the church of Boston, having gone away from the church in a disorderly manner, and fallen into drunkenness, was so awakened by this sight, that of his own accord he returned to the church, and made open confession of his sin, and manifested repentance to the satisfaction of the church; yet not taking heed to himself, fell into gross distempers soon after, and at last died by the hand of justice, in London, upon a worse

account.

Winthrop

1.20.

In April, on a Lord's day, the same year, two children were left at home alone, in the town of Concord, one in the cradle; the other having burned a cloth, and for fear his mother should see it, went to hide it in the hay stack near the house, the fire not being quite out, whereby the hay, house, and child in the cradle were burnt up.

About the same time, a woman at Boston, counted religious, some time a citizen of London, having brought

with her a parcel of fine linen, of great value, which she set her heart too much upon, was at charge to have it washed, and curiously folded and pressed; but the very next night after, a negro maid, going late into the room where it stood, cast the snuff of her candle accidentally upon some of the linen, whereby it was all burnt to tinder before the morning, yet the house not burnt. It pleased God, by the loss of this, to take off her heart from all worldly comforts, and fit her for a greater affliction that soon after befell her, by the untimely death of her husband, slain at the isle of Providence, as was intimated before.

June 21, 1641, a young man at Boston, going to wash himself in a creek, said, jestingly, I will go and drown myself now, which fell out accordingly; for his feet sliding from under him, by the slipperiness of the earth, he fell in past his depth, and having no skill to swim was drowned, though company were at hand, and one in the water with him. It is bad jesting about matters of life and death.

About this time, three boys that had stole away from the Summer islands, above two hundred leagues off, in a skiff, and having been eight weeks at sea, their boat was cast away, upon a point of saud lying out at Long island, and the persons saved by the Indians.

In November, 1641, one Archibald Thompson, of Marblehead, carrying dung on the Lord's day to his land, in a canoe, it sunk down under him, in the harbour, the weather being fair, and he was never heard of again.

November 19, 1641, the Charles, of Dartmouth, a ship of 400 tons, lying in the harbour, was wrecked in a storm, being forced from ber anchors. They had unrigged their ship on the Lord's day, to be new masted, though they were admonished not so to do.

This year, Mr. Stephen Batchelour, pastor of the church at Hampton, (having suffered much from the hands of the bishops, about the ceremonies,) when he was eighty years of age, was complained of for soliciting

the chastity of his neighbour's wife, though he had at that time a comely grave woman for his own wife. Being dealt withal for his offence, he denied it, (as he told the woman he would,) and complained to authority of the man and the woman, for slandering him; yet was forced soon after, by the terrour of his conscience, to confess it openly in the church, and for the scandal of the same, notwithstanding his confession, he was cast out of the church, and two years after, upon his repentance, he was released of his sentence. In this time his house, and near all his substance, was consumed by fire.

January, 1641, a shallop, with eight men, would go from Pascataqua, (though advised to the contrary,) on the Lord's day, towards Pemaquid, but were by the northwest wind driven to sea, for fourteen days; at the length they recovered Monhegin, and four of them in this time perished with the cold. The bay before Boston was that year frozen over, from the 18th of January to February 21, so as they passed over with horse and cart. About which time one Ward of Salem, an honest young man, going to shew a traveller the safest way over the ice, fell in himself, though he had a pitchfork in his hand, and was presently carried with the tide under the ice and drowned. The traveller, going to help him, fell in with one leg, and so escaped. He brought all the letters that used to come by the fishing ships in those times to Pascataqua, which by that means were kept safe.

One Turner of Charlestown, being fifty years of age, having led a loose and disordered life, his conscience being terrified by a sermon of Mr. Shepard's, he went and drowned himself on a Lord's day night, in a pit where there was not two feet water. He neither revealed the distress of his mind, nor carefully attended the ministry for comfort, by which he had been wounded.

About the same time, in the southern colony, a beast brought forth a creature in an human shape, which was observed to have a blemish in one eye, like as a loose fellow in the town had, on which account being suspected, he confessed, upon examination, and was executed.

April 14, 1642, eight or nine persons were cast away in a vessel and drowned; they were noted to be loose fellows, that lived by trucking with the Indians.

This is one of 1642. One Huet's wife, of Hingham, having been long the few instan in a sad melancholy distemper, near to frenzy, and haves, in which ing formerly in the year 1637 attempted to drown her Yubband has child, did now again take her child of three years old,

mproved on

throp, con and stripping it of its clothes, threw it into the creek, but ensing Three it scrambling out of the water and mud, came to the moeparate pa ther, who took it another time and threw it so far into graphs from the creek, that it could not possibly get out, yet by good at foredecesso, 1.236 providence a young man that accidentally passed by took 1.650/29 it up. The mother conceived she had sinned the sin

against the Holy Ghost. She was afterwards proceeded with by church council, and by that means was brought off from those satanical delusions, and after the manifestations of repentance, was received into the church again, being brought to a sound mind.

June 8, 1642, one Nathaniel Briscoe, of Boston, counted sober and religious, yet carried out too much after the world, being asked over night to help his father in his necessity, (being poor, though very godly,) refused, but went early in the morning to help another man for wages, and was drowned before night out of a boat which he was loading with wood.

June 22, 1642, a windmill of Boston was smitten in a tempest of thunder and lightning. The upper sail yard shattered in many pieces, whereof some were carried a bowshot off. It struck into the mill, and wrung the axletree in pieces. The main standard, bound about with a great iron hoop, fastened with many spikes, was broken in pieces, the iron being thrown off; one one of the main spars riven to the ground in three pieces; the boards rived off the sides, the sacks fired; the miller at work beneath the mill was smitten down, but came to himself the next day; but knew nothing of what had befallen him; within two hours after he was smitten he began to stir with such force that six men could hardly hold him; it was the next day before he came perfectly to his senses again.