ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES. 



131 



Xiliot (J.) —Continued. 



[The six principles of religion, by 



the Eev. William Perkins, translated 

 into the Massachusetts Indian lan- 

 guage.] C) 



According to Dr. Trumbull, "One of the 

 catecliisms translated by Eliot — probably much 

 abridged — was the Kev. William Perkins's 

 Foundation of the Christian Religion, gathered 

 into Sixe Principles. Increase ]yiather, in his 

 letter to Dr. Leusden, in 1687, mentioned that 

 'many of the Indian children had learned by 

 beart the catechism, either of that famous di- 

 vine. William Perkins, or that put forth by the 

 Assembly of Divines at "Westminster.' Peir- 

 son borrowed much from the Six Principles for 

 his Quiripi catechism." In another place he 

 adds : "Experience Mayhew, in a notice of an 

 Indian convert who died at Martha's Vineyard, 

 in 1717, says: 'Mr. Perkins's Six Principles of 

 Religion, having been translated into the Indian 

 tongue, was what she took great delight in 

 reading.' {Indian Converts, p. 168.) ISTo copy 

 of this translation has been discovered, and it 

 is not certain, from Mayhew's mention of it, 

 that it was printed.'''' 



[The book of Genesis, translated into 



the Massachusetts Indian language. 



Cambridge : printed by Samuel Green. 

 1655?] {*) 



This was probably Eliot's second publication 

 in the Indian language. No copy has been 

 found. In a letter to Thomas Thorowgood, 

 dated June 18, 1653, he thus refers to the prog- 

 ress of his work in translating the bible: "I 

 have had a great longing desire (if it were the 

 will of God) that our Indian Language might 

 be sanctified by the Translation of the holy 

 Scriptures into it . . . but I fear it will not be 

 obtained in ray dayes. I cannot stick to the 

 work, because of my necessary attendance to 

 my ministerie in Roxbury, and among the In- 

 dians, at sundry places, and the multiplied 

 work, which in that kind ariseth upon me, 

 and yet through the blessing of the Lord, I 

 have this Winter translated the whole book of 

 the P.salms . . . While I live, if God please to 

 assist me, I resolve to follow the work of trans- 

 lating the Scriptures." In 1654, he mentions 

 his interpreter, "whom I have used in Trans- 

 lating a good part of the Holy Scriptures." 

 One year later, in a letter dated August 16, 

 1C55, he wrote of the Indians: "That which I 

 now most follow, is, first the spreading of the 

 Gospel into more remote places . . . The second 

 thing attended, is the Civilizing of tbem . . . 

 The third thing is the Printing of the Bible in 

 their Language, Genesis is Printed, and we are 

 upon Matthew, but our progresse is slow, and 

 hands short." The Commissioners of the 

 United Colonies replied to a letter of Mr. Eliot's, 

 dated August 29, 1655, as follows: "the Com- 

 issioners never forbade you to Translate the 

 Scriptures for preachJng or for any other vse 



Eliot (J. ) — Continued. 



either of youer owne or of youer hearers but 

 advised that what you ment to print or sett 

 forth vpon the Corporation Charge might be 

 donn with such Consideration of the Language 

 and Improueraentof the best healpes to be had 

 therein that as much as may bee the Indians in 

 all ptes of New England might share in the 

 benifltt; which wee feare they can not soe well 

 doe by what you haue alreddy printed." 



For other references to this edition, see the 

 note to the following title. 



[The gospel of Matthew, translated 



into the Massachusetts Indian lan- 

 guage. 



Cambridge : printed by Samuel Green. 

 1655.] * (^) 



Eliot's letter dated August 16, 1655, already 

 referred to under the preceding title, contains 

 the earliest mention of this book: " Genesis is 

 Printed, and we are upon Matthew, but our 

 progresse is slow, and hands short." It is also 

 mentioned in his letter to Mr. Richard Floyd, 

 dated from Roxbury, December 28, 1658, as fol- 

 lows : " Yet those pieces that were printed, viz. 

 Genesis and Matthew, I had sent to such as I 

 thought had best skill in the language, and in- 

 treated their animadversions, but I heard not 

 of any faults they found," And in a postscript 

 to the same letter: "They have none of the 

 Scriptures printed in their own Language, save 

 Genesis, and Matthew, and a few Psalmea in 

 Meeter." No copy is known to be extant. 



[A few psalms in metre, translated 



into the Massachusetts Indian lan- 

 guage. 



Cambridge : printed by Samuel Green. 

 1658?] " (*) 



Of this little book no copy has been found. 

 It was mentioned as one of the three portions of 

 Scripture which had been printed — "Genesis, 

 and JIatthew, and a few Psalmes in Meeter " — 

 in Eliot's postscript to his letter of December 

 28, 1858, quoted in the note to the preceding 

 title. In the treasurer's account presented to 

 ■ the Commissioners at Hartford in September, 



1659, was a charge of 40Z., "To Mr. Green for 

 printing the Psalmes and Mr. Pierson's Cati- 

 chisme." At the next meeting in September, 



1660, it was resolved that "The Comissioners 

 for the Massachusetts are desired and Impow- 

 ered to accoumpt with Mr. Green for the forty 

 pounds payed him for printing Mr. Peirson's 

 Cattachisme and the Psalmes." 



Mr. Eliot had made a translation of some of 

 the psalms into Indian metre as early as 1651. 

 In a letter written by the Rev. John Wilson, 

 October 27, 1651, is an account of one of the In- 

 dian meetings, in which it is related that " the 

 Indian School-Master read out of his Book one 

 of the Psalmes in meeter, line by line, trans 

 lated by Mr. Eliot into Indian, all the men and 

 women, &c. singing the same together in one of 

 our ordinary English tunes melodiously." 



