New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-03

land as present to the King and this wouu SUI"
To indicate that even at the last wnen nc was
hunted like wild beast, he was something noro
than the soualid savage, whose palace was s'y'
described by Palfrey.
Among the moot questions discussed IN 'n'' W.
ume. and which, however indetermlnapie' to'''n
their interest for the student is that OF the treason
90 Jones the master of the Mayfower. Did this
mariner make bargain with the Dutch or win
certain Dutch merchants, to take the Pilgrims
~ north of Manhattan where they wished TO
sa,,,o and was this the reason OF the making Oh
Care Codp There is but one witness Tor the
theory of Jones's treason, namely, Morton tne
SECRETARY of Plymouth Colony, who, IN MS
momorial II 669) wrote But some OF the Dutch
having notice of their intention, and having
tbougbts about the same time Of erecting plan
tation there likewise, they fraudulently hired
the said Jones, by delays while they were IN
England. and now under pretence Of the shoals
TO disappoint them in their going thither'" lie
adds: "Of this plot between the Dutch ana MI
Jones have had late and certain intelligence
bue he does not give the source OF his fniormatloh
Mr.. Goodwins conjecture upon the sub]ect is
as follows Bradford and Wlnslow say notmhg
of Jones's fraud the directors therefore assume
that they did not know Of it, and that II 1t had
existed they would have known of it far better
than their successor Morton. But in 1868 the
English. having subjugated the Dutch at New
York established as the first Mayor OF that place
Thomas Willett, prominent officer OF Plymouth
From boyhood to manhood he had lived among the
Dutch at Leyden, and was selected because In
taste, sympathy and language he was nearly as
much Dutch as English, and so especially ac-
ceptable to the conquered people. He now came
into possession Of the secret letters, records ana
accounts of the Dutch founders and rulers lie
was just the one to ferret out anything in these
archives which concerned his fellows at Plymouth
and to transmit it to his old associate the 20
lonial Secretary. Thus Morton could get intel
ligence inaccessible at an early date, and which,
moreover, was certain because late" This Is
certainly ingenious and plausible, but after all
it is merely speculation, not history There is
no evidence that Willett conveyed any informa-
ton to Morton about Jones, and the consideration
that he might have done so cannot be seriously
accepted as the foundation of theory impeacnlng
a mans character so gravely. Ignorance of nav
ication a fault very common IN the seventeenth
century, would explain the making Of cape
Cod effectually enough without any surmiSe OF
treachery Mr.. Goodwin is quite convinced that
the captain was traitor, and tries to prove that
he had been a pirate, rendering the later
accusation more probable. But the boundary
line between piracy and legitimate maritime
adventure was very loosely drawn in those days,
and better men than Captain Jones dld worse
deeds upon the high seas than he seems charge
able with. Perhaps the fairest verdict that can
be rendered in this case is the Scotch one OF
not proven"
The first fifty chapters of this history present
connected and orderly narrative. The remaining
TWENTY-FIVE chapters continue the annals of the
colony mainly through individual biographies IL
can hardly be said that this arrangement detracts
from the interest for the biographical sketches are
in themselves full of attraction Nor is it perhaps
possible to piece out complete record of Plymouth
in any other way without having recourse 10
imagination in an unwarrantable measure. When
Bradford and Winsow stop the historian is left N
the lurch and must do the best he can with second
airy authorities and scattered data. In the present
case, however some unnecessary confusion is intro
duced by recapitulations which are not so carefully
distinguished probably they would have been
had the author lived to see his work through the
press 1t must, however, not be supposed that he
has failed at all in his main purpose winch was 10
clear up popular errors, TO reconstruct some hstof
cal views with the aid OF new material, ana eSpe-
ciay to vindicate the Pilgrim Fathers from the
reproach of a bigoted Purianism which even other
wise careful American writers and Individually
true patriots have continued to echo down 10 the
present day. What the Pilgrim Fathers really
were Is summed up IN these sentences Inc III
grim Fathers, the founders Of our Plymouth, the
pioneer colony of New-England, were not Purltans
They never were called by that name, either by
themselves or their contemporaries. They were
Separatists, slightingly called Brownists, and in
time became known as Independents OF Congrega-
tionalists. AS Separatsts they were oppressed and
maligned by the Purltans. They did not restrict
voting OF ofice-holding to their church members:
They heartily welcomed to their little State all
men Of other sects, OF no sects, who adhered 10
the essentials of Christianity and were ready to
conform to the LEGAL laws and customs"
Naturally they did not welcome zealOtS who
came for the avowcd purpose of overthrowing their
Church, and when such intruders became trouble
some they did not hesitate to drive them out. But
they treated fanaticism and religious anarchism
with gentleness in comparison to the practice OF
their neighbors, and they succeeded in retaining
their tolerance until the Plymouth colony was
merged by consolidation. 1t is much TO have made
this clear and the work is we'll and honestly done
Mr.. Goodwin's history, moreover, abounds with
details Of family history, contains careful lists of
the Pilgrims. has in an appendix much interesting
local tradition, and is completed by an excellent
index It is written in easy and agreeable
style, is never dull, and impresseS the reader with
the authors scrupulous candor and earefulness.