The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Robinson’s Farewell Address to the Pilgrims Upon Their Departure From Holland, 1620. The Account By Edward Winslow In His “hypocrisie Unmasked,” Printed In 1646.
• Robinson’s Disputes With the Arminians At Leyden. Bradford’s Account.
• Seven Articles Which the Church of Leyden Sent to the Council of England to Be Considered Of, In Respect of Their Judgments: Occasioned About Their Going to Virginia. [ Date Before Nov., 1617; Spelling Modernized. ]
• Letter to Sir Edwin Sandys.
• Letter to Sir John Wolstenholme.
• Robinson’s Sermon Upon the Conclusion of the Agreement to Remove to New England. Bradford’s Account.
• Robinson’s Sermon to the Pilgrims On Their Departure From Leyden, * and the Farewell At Delfthaven. Bradford’s Account.
• Farewell Letter to the Pilgrims.
• Letter to John Carver.
• To the Church of God, At Plymouth, In New England. — [ Spelling Modernized. ]
• Letter to Governor Bradford.
• Letter to Elder Brewster.
• Bradford’s Account of Robinson’s Death, With Letter From Roger White.
• Bradford’s Tributes to Robinson.

Letter to Governor Bradford.

My loving & much beloved freind, whom God hath hithertoo preserved, preserve and keepe you still to his glorie, and y^e good of many; that his blessing may make your godly and wise endeavours answerable to y^e valuation which they ther have, & set upon y^e same. Of your love too and care for us here, we never doubted; so are we glad to take knowledg of it in that fullnes we doe. Our love & care to and for you, is mutuall, though our hopes of coming unto you be small, and weaker then ever. But of this at large in M^r Brewsters letter, with whom you, and he with you, mutually, I know, communicate your letters, as I desire you may doe these, &c.

Concerning y^e killing of those poor Indeans,* of which we heard at first by reporte, and since by more certaine relation, oh! how happy a thing had it been, if you had converted some, before you had killed any; besids, wher bloud is onc begune to be shed, it is seldome stanched of a long time after. You will say they deserved it. I grant it; but upon what provocations and invitments by those heathenish Christians?† Besids, you, being no magistrats over them, were to consider, not what they deserved, but what you were by necessitie constrained to inflicte. Necessitie of this, espetially of killing so many, (and many more, it seems, they would, if they could,) I see not. Methinks on or tow principals should have been full enough, according to that approved rule, The punishmente to a few, and y^e fear to many. Upon this occasion let me be bould to exhorte you seriously to consider of y^e dispossition of your Captaine, whom I love, and am perswaded y^e Lord in great mercie and for much good hath sent you him, if you use him aright. He is a man humble and meek amongst you, and towards all in ordinarie course. But now if this be meerly from an humane spirite, ther is cause to fear that by occasion, espetially of provocation, ther may be wanting y^t tendernes of y^e life of man (made after Gods image) which is meete. It is also a thing more glorious in mens eyes, then pleasing in Gods, or conveniente for Christians, to be a terrour to poore barbarous people; and indeed I am afraid least, by these occasions, others should be drawne to affecte a kind of rufling course in the world. I doubt not but you will take in good part these things which I write, and as ther is cause make use of them. It were to us more comfortable and convenient, that we comunicated our mutuall helps in presence, but seeing that canot be done, we shall always long after you, and love you, and waite Gods apoynted time. The adventurers it seems have neither money nor any great mind of us, for y^e most parte. They deney it to be any part of y^e covenants betwixte us, that they should trāsporte us, neither doe I looke for any further help from them, till means come from you. We hear are strangers in effecte to y^e whole course, and so both we and you (save as your owne wisdoms and worths have intressed you further) of principals intended in this bussines, are scarce accessaries, &c. My wife, with me, resaluts you & yours. Unto him who is y^e same to his in all places, and nere to them which are farr from one an other, I comend you and all with you, resting,

[* ]At Wessaguscus, in March, 1622–3; it appears that the lives of seven Indians were taken in that encounter.

[† ]Mr. Weston’s men.