255 



and rounded to a perfect fulness the history, character and man. 

 Mathew Cradock would have been presented to us on a canvass, 

 and by artists which would have left nothing doubtful as to his 

 proportions, name and history. 



We could then have seen and known what manner of man he 

 was ; where and when he was born ; with whom he served his 

 apprenticeship in Broad street, whether it was with a merchant, 

 skinner or leather dresser ; what was the amount of his wealth, 

 and how he acquired it ; whether he served in the Parliament 

 of 1640, or died before taking his seat ; what family he left 

 behind him and their history to this day ; how much he risked 

 and lost to serve the Plantation ; what he gained by fishing or 

 lost by ship-building ; who served him at Medford, Ipswich and 

 Marblehead, and with what sjiccess ; why the General Court 

 paid him £55 in 1635, and left £679 6 4, unpaid, to be 

 claimed by his widow; why his rates were forborne "till the 

 next ship arrives ;" what, up to 1640, he did in England ; how 

 much he admired or abhorred the government of the Stewarts, 

 under Buckingham, Strafibrd and Laud's administration; 

 whether or not with John Hampden, he resisted payment of 

 ship money, and opposed the tonnage and poundage tax ; what 

 he said and how he bore himself before the privy council ; 

 whether he ever contemplated a visit to New England or cast 

 carelessly his bread upon the waters, never intending to follow, 

 but leave the seed planted by Endicott and Winthrop, under 

 the Charter, to fructify and germinate as it might in this 

 goodly heritage of thrift and freedom. 



These and many other things might, I say, have been made 

 matter of history and not left to conjecture, had Governor 

 Cradock visited our shores. Fortunate will it be, if this or 

 other publications, shall arrest the attention of investigators of 

 biographical or historical truth, and turn their minds and 

 thoughts to making further explorations, so that valuable 

 researches may yet be made and desirable results attained. 



ESSEX INST. PROCEED. 33. 



