John Winthrop (1588-1649).

Among the company of English Puritans who, in 1630, settled on the shore of Massachusetts Bay, the foremost figure was that of John Winthrop, already appointed Governor of the colony. During his voyage to America, he had busied himself in the composition of a little treatise which was characteristic of this broad-minded man. “A Model of Christian Charity” is the title of his essay; and in it he presents a plea for the exercise of an unselfish spirit on the part of all the members of this devoted band, now standing on the threshold of an experience which could not but be trying in the extreme on the nerves and temper of all. "We must be knit together in this work as one man!" was his cry.

John Winthrop’s “History of New England” is the contemporaneous record preserved in his journal of occurrences in the colony observed by him, or reported to him. The busy governor made a brave effort to keep up with the march of events. Notwithstanding the press of official duties, which more than filled his days, he persevered with his journal, which commences with the beginning of the voyage and comes down to a date only some few weeks previous to his death, in 1649. There are gaps in the chronicle and a significant brevity in the records of particular incidents, some of these records passing from the trivial to the pathetic with ludicrous conciseness. There are momentous records in the annals, and Winthrop's history shares with that of Bradford in interest and importance.

Early Descriptive Writers.

There were not wanting in the colony those who found delight in studying and describing the natural wonders of this new land. The impressive grandeur of the forest, the fertility of the virgin soil, nature's luxuriant abundance redeemed from the wilderness, the strange picturesqueness of the savage natives, the wild things of the woods -- so much that was new and wonderful in their environment -- all this made its appeal to the imagination of some among these hard-headed, practical pioneers. Such an one was Rev. Francis Higginson (1567-1630), a gifted and eloquent man, who came from England in 1629 to serve as minister. He had written a narrative of his voyage, and now he began a description of the country itself. His little book of observations is a bright and genial picture, poetically framed. Under the title “New England's Plantation” it was published in London in 1630.

William Wood.

Something of a naturalist was William Wood, who published in 1634 his “New England's Prospect”, an interesting description of the country in which he had made his home. A little of a poet, also, he enlivened his account by putting some of his observations into verse.

THE NEW ENGLAND CLERGY: THOMAS HOOKER, THOMAS SHEPARD, JOHN COTTON, NATHANIEL WARD, ROGER WILLIAMS, JOHN ELIOT, THE MATHERS.

The Clergy.

There was in New England one class of men who by natural aptitude and by training were well fitted to be heard from on religious topics. These were the ministers. As the village church, or meeting-house, was the centre geographically, morally, and socially, of every New England community, so the minister was, usually, the dominating force among his townspeople, maintaining the high dignity of the sacred calling with a manner which commanded a deference amounting to awe. He gave counsel in town affairs; he directed the political policy of his people. In cases of disagreement, the minister was usually the mediator and the final court of appeal. The greater part of the New England ministry were educated men of noteworthy gifts. The majority were graduates of the English universities; many of them had been distinguished for their eloquence and piety.

Three strong thinkers and eloquent preachers are usually mentioned as conspicuous among these early colonial ministers: Thomas Hooker, Thomas Shepard, and John Cotton.

Thomas Hooker, 1586-1647.

Until his death, in 1647, Hooker wrote and preached and moulded the life of his parish. His power in the pulpit is said to have been wonderful. Many of his sermons were published; he wrote numerous treatises on theological and spiritual themes.

Thomas Shepard, 1605-49.

Rev. Thomas Shepard arrived in America in 1635, succeeding Hooker in Cambridge, where he preached until his death in 1649. Unlike the stalwart Hooker, whose physical strength and bodily energy matched his intellectual stature, Shepard was an invalid. He was, however, a profound scholar, and a "soul-melting preacher." His writings are not voluminous, but they exercised a strong influence even after his death. His diction is imaginative and forceful, with the rugged force of Puritan vigor.

John Cotton, 1585-1652.

On the same ship which brought Thomas Hooker to America came John Cotton, most noted of these three men. For nearly twenty years, he had served the parish and was known far and wide for his aggressive spirituality. In 1633 John Cotton became the foremost minister in New England, -- "a most universal scholar, a living system of the liberal arts, and a walking library," as his grandson, Cotton Mather, described him. John Cotton wrote many theological treatises, and engaged in bitter controversies. He was a laborious student. Near him as he studied stood a sand-glass which would run four hours. This glass, thrice turned, was the measure of his day's work. This he called "a scholar's day." His writings lack the picturesque imagery of Hooker and Shepard. His style is lifeless now, but he carried prodigious weight among his contemporaries and was the foremost champion in the theological battles of his age.

Among the more noteworthy publications of these scholastic writers was a singular book which appeared in London in 1647. Its author was Nathaniel Ward, a Cambridge graduate and retired minister. His work is quaintly addressed under the title of “The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America”. This picturesque book, full of pungent wit, directs its satire at what its author deemed the follies and perversions of his day.