'' Planters' Plea, a pamphlet published in London in 1630," 

 why this colony was established at Cape Ann. He states that 

 " about the year 1623, some western merchants, who had con- 

 tinued a trade of fishing for cod and bartering for furs in those 

 parts, for divers years before, conceiving that a colony planted 

 on the coast might further them in their employments, be- 

 thought themselves how they might bring that project to effect ; 

 and communicating their purpose to others, alleging the con- 

 veniency of compassing their project with a small charge, by 

 the opportunity of their fishing trade in which they were 

 accustomed to double-man their ships, that, by the help of 

 many hands, they might despatch their voyage and lade their 

 ship with fish while the fishing season lasted, which could not 

 be done with a bare sailing company. Now, it was conceived, 

 that the fishing being ended, the spare men that were above 

 their necessary sailors might be left behind with provisions for 

 a year ; and when the ship returned the next year, they might 

 assist them in fishing, as they had done the former year ; and, 

 in the meantime, might employ themselves in building, and 

 planting corn, which, with the provisions of fish, fowl, and 

 venison that the land yielded, would afford them the chief of 

 their food. This proposition of theirs took so well that it 

 drew on divers persons to join with them in this work ; the 

 rather, because it was conceived that not only their own fisher- 

 men', but the rest of our nation that went thither on the same 

 errand, might be much advantaged, not only by fresh victual, 

 which that Colony might spare them in time, but withal, and 

 more, by the benefit of their minister's labors which they might 

 enjoy during the fishing season ; whereas, otherwise being 

 usually upon those voyages nine or ten months in the year, 

 they were left all the while without any means of instruction 



