THE " QUONAHASSIT'' PJOXEERS. \ 15 



the company sent in another name, Bozoan Allen, in 

 his place. But the authorities would not concur in this 

 attempted punishment, and so sent home the opposite 

 parties, commanding them to keep the old officers until 

 the next meeting of the court. That meant the retaining 

 of Eames as drillmaster. But the majority of the town 

 naturally sided with their brothers and fathers in the 

 ranks, whom Eames had offended by his angry rebuke. If 

 the matter had gone no further than a neighborly squabble 

 among the sixty or more families of Hingham, the major- 

 ity might have got their revenge upon Eames without 

 themselves falling into a worse error than his ; but alas 

 for the " might-have-beens " ! Their anger against Eames 

 tempted them to defy the command of the colonial court. 

 Worse than that, their pastor, Peter Hobart, sided with his 

 brothers, the Hobarts, and attempted to excommunicate 

 Eames upon an unproved charge of lying about the 

 matter; and he furthermore encouraged the men in their 

 defiance. When two thirds of the company refused to 

 drill with Eames, word was sent to the magistrates in Bos- 

 ton, who immediately ordered the arrest of the principal 

 offenders, three of the Hobart family and two others. 

 These were bound over to appear at the next Court of 

 Assistants for defying the military authority as constituted 

 by the Massachusetts Bay government. 



Others were arrested for alleged untruths spoken 

 against the magistrates. These refused to give bonds for 

 their appearance at court. The deputy governor, Win- 

 throp, patiently labored with these men, warning them of 

 the outcome of their defiance of law, but in vain ; for they 

 insisted upon a larger range of individual independence 

 and of town independence. 



Two of these the deputy governor saw one day in Bos- 

 ton and committed them to jail to await the Court of 

 the Assistants. But before this court met the General 

 Court convened, and to this highest court about ninetv 



