11 



US how the rustic may be known, for he will carry the fra- 

 grance of a posset made with wine, barley meal, grated cheese, 

 and honey, flavored with thyme, on his breath into the Ecclc- 

 sia! And we are told of one Cleon, a villainous Athenian 

 trader, who sold bad shoe leather to the country people, " so 

 that before they had worn the shoes a day they were too large 

 by a couple of spans." 



So far as there is any known written history of the transac- 

 tions of the human race on this earth, there has ahvays been 

 a country, and there has always been a town! God rhade 

 the country, and man made the town. And in the ancient 

 farm-houses of this county were cultivated and cherished 

 the divine graces of character. First of all, piety ; hum- 

 ble trust in God.* By patient, industrious labor, they 

 cleared the fields of their forests, they gathered the rocks and 



* Note. — 1646. " This year, about the end of the 5th month, we had 

 a very strong hand of God upon us, for upon a suddaine, innumerable 

 armys of caterpillars filled the country all over all the English plan- 

 tations, which devoured some whole meadows of grasse, and greatly )« 

 devoured barley, being the most growne, and tender corne, eating 

 off all the blades and beards, but left the corne, oxAy many ears they 

 quite eat off. by eating the green straw asunder below the eare, so 

 that barley was generall}'- half spoiled; likewise they much hurt 

 wheate, by eating the blades ofi", butt wheate had the lesse hurte, be- 

 cause it was a little forwarder than barley, or harder and dryer, and 

 they lesse meddled with it. As for rye, it was so hard and near ripe, 

 they touched it not. But above all grains they devoured oatss. And 

 in some places they fell upon Indian corne and quite devoured it, in 

 other places they touched it not. They would crosse highway's by 

 1000. 



Much prayer was made to God about it, and fasting in divers places, 

 and the Lord heard, and on a suddaine took them all away again in 

 all parts of the country, to the wonderment of all men. It was the 

 Lord, for it Avas done suddainely." 



1662. It pleased God this spring to exercise the country with a se- 

 vere drought, but some were so rash as to impute it to the sitting of 

 the Synod. But God Avas pleased to bear witness against their rash- 

 ness. For no sooner was the Synod met, June 10, but they agreed to 

 set the next day apart to ask God's favorable presence and to ask 

 rain ; and the day following, God sent raine from Heaven." — Ellis 

 History of lioxbury Town, pages 75, TC, 77. 



