Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-11-05
JOHNALDEN'S DINNER
FRUGAL REPAST OF A THANKSGIVING
LONG AGO.

This yeare it pleased God of his rich
grace to transport over into ye bay of Mas
sachusetts divers honorable personages
and manye worthy Christians wherebye
the Lord began in n manifest manner and
way to make known We create thoughts
which he had of planting We gospel in this
remote and barbarous wilderness and hon
oring his own way instituted worship
causing such and so many to adhere there
unto and fall upon We practice thereof
Among ye rest, chief one among Them
was that faymous pattern of pietie and
justice, Mr.. John Winthrop, ye first gov
ernOr of ye jurisdiction, accompanied
with divers other persons, sons of Sion
whych mighte be compared to We most
tyne gold, amongst whom 1 might also
name that reverend and worthie man,
John Wilson, eminent for love and zeal
1t pleased ye Lord to exercise them with
much sickness, and being destitute of
housing and shelter, and lying up and
down in booths, some of them languishcd
and died. A pestilent fever swept away
many of We Indians.
Last spring there was numerous com
| panic of flies, which were alike for bigness
unto wasps or humblebccs. They came
out of little holes in We ground, and did
eat up ye green things, and made such Il
constant yelling noiso rs made yG woods
ring of them and ready to dcafcn We hear
! erS. had never seen their like, but We
| Indians said sickness would follow, and so
| it did. Our excellent governor did well to
appoint Il day when We goode people can
after moro special manner rejoice to-
! gethCr And although yo weather is very
! hot, much more so than we ever knew IN
| Olde England in ye month of June, and ye
! harvest is not yet gathered we can be
| thankful to ye Lord that we have escaped
! ye prosecutions Of ye olde world and have
been miraCulOusly preserved to each other.
And there have been divers and sundry
! special providenCcs. Indeed our being here
| instead of landing at ye Hudson river, as
we intended, is of itself u providence.
! Then mUsto especially do we give thanks
that a part Of our crop has been saved
| from the mildcw, ard that, while many of
our goodlio cOmpanio have been taken
away, through Gods mercy many Of our
| lives have been graCiOuSly spared. And
| We last providence was but yesterday, when
| the four fOwlCrS whom our excellent gov
| eInor sent out for provisions were spared
in miraculous way. They had gone deep
into We woods in search for game, and
hearing Stcalthy footsteps knew that there
were unfrendly Savagcs near. They could
see no one, but, hearing II sharp twang,
an arrow sped through We cOatc of William
White. This was followed by IA shower of
arrows coming from every side, some of
which went through ye coats and hats of
We fowlers, but none was killed, and they
returned with much game
This afternoon we gathered at We home
of Mystrcssc Priscilla Alden, where were
all We guOde ncighbors.
Captain Miles Standish was there, great
ly humured for We service he has done, but
We hand of We Lord is upon him. and his
health is breaking. l told him 50, and he
became angry, for his weakness is his
vanitie, as it was when he WAS the suitor
for We hand Of Mystresse Priscilla Alden
while she was yet IL maydrn FQrsooth,
the manner of We house bestirred olde
memories, for she is model housewife,
comclic and God fearing. John and Mys-
tressc Alden have been diligcnt in spirit
and in action Each log that went into
We building Of thciI house is neatly hewn
and fastened in its place with clay. No
y
ing but "a picture, which was brought from
oldc England that they persuaded yc min
lister to allow them to kccpc, nOtwith-
standing that it might be accounted VAIL
lite
Then there are We fowling pieces and
powder horns above yc doorc, and | am
tolde that Mystr, sse Alden puts new
creased paper in ye windows every day
that it may always be clear. We oak logs
of which We floorc is made, are scrubbed
and sanded every morning, We andirons
are always bright. John has made benches
of hickory that all who visit him may be
seated, and We spinning wheel shows that
it is not often idle
But today We Cumpanie was too many to
be in We house, and We tables were set out
under We four big elm trees and yc two
oaks that are between yG house and ye
garden There were but some parched corn
and We game We fowlers brought, but 1t
was plentic and when our excellent gov
ernor, Mr.. John Winthrop, and those godly
men who were governor, MIR. William
Bradford and Mr.. Edward Winslow, called
upon God to bless us and set forth ye
manifolde mrrcics that we had enjoyed,
we were humbled in We sight of God and
felt our create unworthincss, for we had
often repined, and many of us had even
murmurcd at cure portions
There was one unrcgenerate yOunge
mayden present who had wore "a bleu rib
bon which she had hidden when she came
over in We good ship Mayflower. To her,
our excellent governor gave rebuke and
wisely taught her humilitie and meeknCss.
l trust that it will crush ye rebcllious
spirit within her that can come only of
satan and she will be willing to appeare
like unto other maydens, without adorn-
ment as God intended. Her features are
very comelie, which must be create trial
to her father and mother, who are God
fearing, for beautie of face cOmeth from
sataE to bring about temptation to vanitie.
| had never before seen how comedy she is,
and | think that am called to know her
better, that l may correct her and guard
her from We temptation of wOrldlie affairs.
She has much brain, but talks in IA man.
ner unbecoming to woman, who should
be meek and silent, especially in we pres
ence of men in authorize. She even spoke
without honor of Ann Hutchinson, who
has so far forgot her womanly MODESTO
and We injunctions of holy writ as to speak
in publick upon matters pertaining to ye
salvation of souls. 1t is clear that l have
q call to know her better and point out ye
ungodliness and We future punishment
| that awaits her Observation-Disclosures En-