EARLY AMERICAN WRITERS 1607-1800 EDITED BY WILLIAM B. CAIRNS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF AMERICAN LITERATURE New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1920 All rights reserved PREFACE THIS volume contains selections from the works of representative American writers before Washington Irving. It is intended for use in the class-room by students who are making a fairly detailed study of American literature, and for reference and assigned reading by those whose work is more elementary or more cursory. A book of extracts always offers a poor substitute for access to complete works; but since a fairly good library of early American writings can be found in only a few cities of the country, a collection like that which follows seems to have some reason for existence. Teachers of American literary history are coming pretty generally to recognize that some knowledge of the temper and the manner of Colonial and Revolutionary writers is necessary to the full understanding of their successors. There is less general agreement, however, as to the authors and works that best repay study. In deciding what to include in this volume I have been guided to a great extent by my own experience with college classes, though I have given much weight to suggestions kindly offered by the publishers and by other teachers. My aim has been to make the collection representative and useful for its purpose, not necessarily to give the best writings of the time. Thus, Cotton and Shepard have proved in my experience well adapted to stand as representatives of the early New England divines; but I am not rash enough to say with certainty that either of these men was greater than Hooker, Eliot, or others of their contemporaries. In some cases it will be obvious that I have chosen passages to show a writer's weakness, as well as his excellences. I cannot hope that the collection will suit any one person, but I trust that it may contain enough acceptable material to make it useful. Although it is unlikely that a book of selections will be made the basis of any scholarly research, I have felt bound to make the text as accurate as possible. It has not always been practicable to make extracts from the latest edition revised by the author, or from original manuscripts of works not printed in the author's lifetime. I have tried, however, in every case to follow an edition sufficiently accurate to serve most of the purposes of a student engaged in careful investigation. The texts chosen I have endeavored, with a few exceptions, to reproduce as closely as ordinary typographical devices would allow. The use of the long "s," the interchange of "u" and "v," "i" and "j," and such manuscript abbreviations as "ye" for "the" and "comon" for "common," have not seemed worth perpetuating. In all other respects the original spelling, capitalization, punctuation, etc., have been followed. Corrections of obvious typographical errors have usually been enclosed in brackets, as have emended readings, whether suggested by myself or by an earlier editor. Footnotes not by the author are also enclosed in brackets. The titles of most selections have, necessarily, been given by the editor; titles in the words of the author are enclosed in quotation marks in the Table of Contents. As the book may be used in mixed classes in secondary schools two brief and unimportant passages have been omitted on the ground of impropriety. These omissions are indicated in the proper places. For kind permission to follow copyrighted reprints I am indebted to G. P. Putnam's Sons, publishers of Conway's edition of the writings of Thomas Paine, Ford's edition of the works of Jefferson, and Lodge's edition of the works of Hamilton; to Doubleday, Page & Co., publishers of Bassett's edition of the writings of William Byrd; to the Library of Princeton University, publishers of Pattee's edition of Freneau; to Mr. Charles Francis Adams, editor, and the Prince Society, publisher, of writings of Thomas Morton and John Cotton; and to Mr. Sidney S. Rider, editor and publisher of Peter Folger's "A Looking Glass for the Times," in the Rhode Island Historical Tracts. I also wish to express my thanks to the Library of Harvard University for the privilege of using, in Wisconsin, three or four rare and much needed volumes. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, January, 1909. W. B. C. First acquaintance with the Indians ✔The settlement at Merry Mount The destruction of the Pequods A half year in Massachusetts Bay Letters to Mrs. Winthrop 62 44 "Of a great monster supposed to be at Ma-re-Mount; and the preparation made to destroy it" "How the 9. worthies put mine host of Ma-re-Mount into the in- chaunted castle at Plimmouth, and terrified him with the mon- 71 |