ROGER WILLIAMS IN SALEM. 85 



fifteen in num])er, twelve of whom were certainly there, 

 nine of them were graduates of Cambridge, and nine of 

 them had held rectorships in the " fatherland." He closes 

 with the followins: words: "Altonjether it was a distin- 

 guished company ; and it may well be doubted whether 

 the Massachusetts of to-day, even under the classic shades 

 of that great university which marks the spot where this 

 Court was held, now almost as well known to the learned 

 world as is that ancient shrine of knowledge whose schol- 

 astic robes so many of them were entitled to wear, could 

 call together out of its hundreds of pulpits twelve pastors 

 and teachers who should be their equals in intellect and 

 worth, and in all those imperial qualities which fit men to 

 be the founders of states." 



In Salem the whole community was in an uproar. The 

 time had been extended till spring, but his presence was 

 soon considered dangerous, many of the people resorting 

 to his house to listen to his teachings ; the fathers of the 

 colony therefore determined to send him to England. 

 They sent for him to come to Boston but he refused (m 

 account of ill health. Nothing daunted they sent a small 

 sloop to Salem with a warrant to Captain Underhill to 

 apprehend him and carry him on board a ship which was 

 to sail immediately for England. When, however, the offi- 

 cers went to his house they found he had gone three days 

 before. It was in January, 1636, that Roger Williams left 

 his home in Salem (still standing) for the wilderness; 

 thirty-five years afterwards he says in a letter, " I was 

 sorely tossed for fourteen weeks in a bitter winter season, 

 not knowing what bread or bed did mean." 



Here closes the Salem life of Roger Williams. Never 

 again, in the fifty-odd years more of his busy, useful life 

 was he allowed to visit the peo])le whom he loved so 

 well ; once only vi^as he allowed to land in Boston on his 



