Worcester daily spy., 1859-08-06
00lurtestrr Qallp Spg,
THE PURITANs AND HOLLAND.

Pilgrim Monument celebration at Plymouth.
They will be found to contain many facts of
interest relative to the Pilgrims, and much that
will probably be new to most of our readers.
After a toast to Holland, the President alluded
to the researches of Mr.. Summer upon the
Pilgrims in Leyden, and called upon that gen
tleman to reply, which he did, as follows
"After the glowing eIoquence to which we
have listened to-day, from so many orators, l
should shrink from utterng word, were it
not in order to bring to this brilliant feast that
homely New England commodity, a few facts
facts, heretofore, if | am not mistaken, hid
den, and which throw some little additional
light upon that truly good man, the early pas
tor of the Pilgrims, John Robinson,
You have alluded, sir, in flattering terms, to
researches made by me at Leyden. Since the
publication of my first memoir, it has been my
ot to make two other pilgrimages to that tenn
porary home of the Pilgrims, each time CLEAN
Ing some little information trivial perhaps to
the stranger, but interesting, l believe, to all
their sons.
And, first, of the family of Robinson
icarce anything has been told us of them by
bradford, or the early chroniclers. We know
hat one son, Isaac, came from Leyden to Ply
pouth in 1929, and it has been supposed that
is mother accompanied him. We know also
hat Miles Standish, by his will, in 1866, pre-
erved in yonder Court House, left bequest to
he daughter of Isaac, "Marcye Robenson,
whom," he says, 81 tenderly love for her
grandfather'S sake" Good, generous, brave
old Captain! Could Priscilla, thirty-five
years before, have divined the heart that was
in you!
This is all we have of Robinson's family.
But in the year 1922 census Of Leyden was
taken, the registry of which is still preserved
in fhn Sto1t
found inscribed the inmates of the house of
Robinson-hmself, his wife, six children, and
one maid servant. Thus stands the record
Jan Robberson, preacher.
Brugetta Bridget Robertson, his wife.
John, Bridget, Isaac, Mercy, Favor, Jacob
Robertson, his children
Maria Hardy his maid servant.
From this we learn that Robinson was bless
ed with other children than Isaac; but OF
their subsequent home, or lot in life, we know
nothing.
Another fact has interest, as it leaves room
b suppose that Robinson's worldly position
vas more comfortable than othes facts may
live led us to infer. In the yeaT 1911, he,
With some friends, bought house tn Leyden,
ad this house was no doubt the place where
tese faithful Pilgrims met three times week,
I listen to Robinsons teachings stnd where
ley assembled at that sorrowfl# feast the
light before their departure from IEyden. In
le record Of Robinson's interment the place
{ his residence is given; and the deed copy
which hold in my hand, shows that the
buse purchased by him corresponds in locali-
with that in which he died.
BY this deed, which | found recdrded in the
legistry at the Leyden Stadt House, it APP
pars that on the 9th May, 1911 yan RoJints
peacher of the Divine Word of fhe English
Communion in that city, together with Will
ian jackson, Henry Wood and Reynulph
lschickens, bought for 5000 fiorins, Or 5000
our money, house and garden situated
opposite and to the south of the Belfy of the
Peters Church. This land was bounded on
one side by land owned by William Symons
"a good Old Colony name) and on the south
ly the cloister of the Falyde Bagyn Church.
That church now contains the library of the
University, and any future American travel
Ter, visiting that library, may, by looking
tiom the window Of the second lefthand al
cove, see, at the same time, the garden in
which John Robinson walked, and the Peters
Church, under the pavement of which he was
buried
| know not, Mr. President, what impression
might be made upon others, but confess that,
after having by these early records identified
the home of Robinson, and entered the garden
now overrun with weeds, in which that pious,
devoted Christian teacher-so heroic and so
humbe-so learned and so modest-walked
with Brewster and with Bradford, felt rev.
erental thrill, greater than when within the
walls of Wittenberg, almost as great as when
entering the gates of Jerusalem.
The position in Leyden of that little body
of hard-toing fugitives from persecution who,
by devotion to principle, were destined to be-
come the founders of mighty nation, was not
as brilliant or as happy as we could have wish
ed. They had, however, III Holland, the in
estimabe privilege of uttering their opinions
and OF following unmoleSted the dictates of
their conscience.
1t was fortunate, too, that, above all Others
places, they were attracted to Leyden, which
was then called the Athens of the West,
which had institutions of learning superior to
any in England-common schools which car
ried education home to the humble-and a
population whose generous self-sacrifce, and
whose love of knowledge must have appealed
to all that was noblest in the Pilgrim charac-
ter. On the same benches where Hugo Gro
thus sat, Elder Brewster and Bradford and
Robinson and Winslow, listened to lessons OF
sound political philosophy, of tolerance, OF
charity.
Bradford tells of theological discussions at
Leyden, i'll which Robinson took part against
Episcopius one of the Professors OF the Uni
yersty. He does not tell us, however, that
Episcopius was, at that very moment, like El-
der Brewster, the object of the persecution of
IA Tue DTlUlSH ALlDdsSauOr at Jne hague. rev
of the sons of the Pilgrims will find any
pleasure in the memory of these controver-
sizes, and nearly all will, believe be glad to
think that if Robinson appeared in them, it
was not to add fuel to the flame of religious
strife, but rather to allay it by the benign in
1uence of Christian learning and charity.
The writings of Robinson show that his TEN.
per would have dictated such a course
Governor Arnold of Rhode Island, in his in
teresting history of that State, has observed
that "the Pilgrims of Plymouth were more lib
eral in feeling and more tolerant in practice
than the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay and
as they were more liberal towards those who
differed from them in point Of religious doc
trine, so they were more free in their political
constitution" The factor ofthe Dutch colony
of New Amsterdam, de Razieres, who came to
Plymouth in 1927, speaks in dispatch which
Mr. Brodhead has brought to light from the
Hague, of the freedom enjoyed in the old col
ony.
AS an evidence of the different characteris-
tics of the two colonies, may be cited the at
tempts made at Boston, or rather at Charles
town. in 1880, to interfere with the liberty OF
transactions by compelling all mechanics to
labor for fixed salary of two shillings a day,
ana by imposing heavy fines on all who gave
pr received more. These absurd regulations
were tho source of endless difficulties at Bos.
ION. Fortunately for Plymouth, no such non.
sense was tolerated here
Another evidence is to be found in the differ
ece concerning rights of citizenship, which AT
Boston were made dependent upon relipious
ests-premiums upon hypocrsy-tests 10
which persecution was added, that finally