The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-23
History OF the purjtaus.

They say they came to This country for free
dom of conscience--frcedom 10 worship God.
They repeat that story every anniversary
of the Landing of the Pilgrims, in every abo-
lition newspaper, and in every Puritan school
book, Sunday school, and church. They have
repeated it so often, that they believe it them
selves.
Since the fragrant faIsehood invented by Sa-
tan in the Garden Of Eden. there has not been
as monstrous fabrication. The plain, his
torlcal facts are these
Sir WILLIAM DrGDALE, quoted by DR.. Corr,
in his admirable History of the Puritans) in
his work upon "the late troubles in England"
published in 1851, advances the opinion that the
Puritans were first imported into England
from the Continent, in the reign of King ED
WARD VI, and were oren then snch disturb
eTs Of public peace that CALVIN would have
had SOMERSET, the Protector during EDWARDS
minority, restrain them ''by the avenging
sword" The leayen of Purit lnism was work
ing in England before the days of Queen
ELIZABETH pr. Con- tells us that the very
emblem of it "a round head was we'll known
in Germany, long before its appearance on
English shores. The fanatics of Germany were
the first fathers of English Puritanism. From
the first, their prominent characteristic was an
intense greed for place and pelf gded over by
affectation of peculiar purity. They always
had their hands clasped and their eyes up
turned in an attitude OF devotion. but the in
sides of the palms were itching for The fat
sees of the Bishops, and their eyes We're al WAYS
rowing for golden prospects. Many of the
most sagacious men of England saw at a
glance what they We're after. Old ISAAC WAL
Ton calls them ''prctenders to tenderness of
conscience" and trying To bring such odum
upon the bishops as 10 procure the alienation
of their lands, and Il large proportion for
themselves and their tools. The same spirit,
says DIR. LoLME (which had made an attack
on the established faith, notc directed itself 10
politics" Said an eminent and fiir-seeing
English prrlate. in 1873 These men do but
begin with the Church, that they might after
hare the fFeer access 10 the Mate." PIERCE.
their own advocate, admits that il was
not liberation they wanted of England but
the power to persecute others. But fear,
he says, - could they have obtained their de-
sire of the Parliament. the pla tfcnn they pro-
posed must have been established by some
prosecuting laws" They had a terrible sort
OF consprator's oath, as early a. 1873 which
was the egg that Matched all the mischief
which they worked in Church and State
They We're the most patient and persis tent OF
ceremonies Of the Church, which they in
tended should terminate and which did ter
inmate, III the overthrow OF thecroWn. They
root and branch men: their tavorte
text was, mot Il hoof shall be left behind
That is what they mean still in their war upon
slavery. There We're three grades of Puri-
Ians the most rabid and violent OF which was
called the Brownists, and it is from these
Brownists that the New England Puritans
are descended. These men, with all the out
cry of persecution which they have raised,
carried it 10 greater extremes, when they had
the power, than their enemies ever did. Il is
remarkable fact, too, that the Puritans are
the only English who proved faithless to their
country when England was threatend by the
Spanish Armada.
They Say now they left England and came
TO the United States for freedom OF conscience.
They left England because they could not
lord II over others; they left England, call
ing tho Church Of England, by whom they
now pretend they were prosecuted 10 death,
their dear mother" is Judge STORY, Of Pu-
r1tan descent proved in his address before the
Essex Historical Society, Sept Is, 1873
they left England because their principle al
ways was Aut Cdsdr, AIT auituS, ana they
went-not 10 America, but to Holland lhere
they lived eleven years, the Hollanders, VINO
were Presbyterians according to them per
feet liberty OF conscience. There they might
have lived forever, unmolested and comforta-
BILE But they could not live i'll peace and
content even with Dutchmen. And why did
they leave HollandY In another number we
shall answer that ques ton and show that their
freedom TO worship G OBJ simply meant free
dom to make more money and to prosecute
other people.