176 



BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE 



Eliot (J.) — Continued. 



theEnglishin 1637. The territory subject to the 

 sachem of the Narragansetts, the second great 

 nati n, "extended about thirty or forty miles 

 from Sekunk river and Narragansitt bay, in- 

 cluding Rhode Island and other islands in that 

 bay, being their east and north bounds or bor- 

 der, and so running westerly and southerly 

 uutoa place called Wekapage, four or five miles 

 to the eastward of Pawcutuk river, which was 

 reckoned for their south and west border, and 

 the easternmost limits of the Pequots. This sa- 

 chem held dominion over divers petty govern- 

 ours; as part of Long Island, Block Island, Ca- 

 wesitt. IsTiantick, and others ; and had tribute 

 from someof the Nipmuck Indians, that lived re- 

 mote from the sea. The chief seat of this sachem 

 was about IsTairagansitt bay and Cannonicut is- 

 land . . . . Thejurisdiction of Rhode Island and 

 Providence plantations, and part of Connecticut 

 people, possess their country." The third na- 

 tion, called Wampanoags or Pawkunnawkatts 

 (Pokanokets), "lived to the east and northeast 

 of the Narragansitts ; and their chief sachem 

 held dominion over divers other petty saga- 

 mores; as the sagamores upon the island of 

 Nantuckett, and Nope, or Martha's Vineyard, 

 of Nawsett, of Mannamoyk, of Sawkattukett, 

 Ifobsquasitt, Matakees, and several others, and 

 some of the Nipmucks. Their country, for the 

 most part, falls within the jurisdiction of New 

 Plymouth colony." The Massachusetts, "be- 

 ing the next great people northward, inhabited 

 principally about that place in Massachusetts 

 bay, where the body of the English now dwell. 

 These were a numerous and great people. 

 Their chief sachem held dominion over 

 many other pretty governours ; as those of 

 Weechagaskas Neponsitt, Punkapaog, Nonan- 

 tum, Nashaway, some of the Nipmuck people, 

 as far as Pokomtakuke, as the old men of Mas- 

 sachusetts affirmed .... They were in hostility 

 very often with the Narragansitts ; but held 

 amity, for the most part, with the Pawkunnaw- 

 kutts. who lived on the south border, and with 

 the Pawtucketts, who inhabited on their north 

 and northeast limits .... Pawtuckett is the 

 fifth and last great sacheraship of Indians. Their 

 country lieth north and northeast from the 

 Massachusetts, whose dominion reachetli so 

 far as the English jurisdiction, or colony of the 

 Massachusetts, doth now extend, and had un- 

 der them several other smaller sagamores; as 

 the Penuakooks, Agawomes, ISTaamkeeks, Pas- 

 catawayes, Accomintas, and others." 



An account of the earliest attempts to civil- 

 ize and convert these tiibes was printed at 

 London in 1643, in the tract entitled New Eng- 

 lands First Fruits, in which an appeal was also 

 made for help to continue the work. Am(mg 

 the difficulties of the undertaking, enumerated 

 in that publication, was "the diversity of their 

 owne Language to it selfe ; every part of that 

 Countrey having its own Dialect, differing 

 mucli frojpa the other." 



It was among the Massachusetts Indians 



Eliot (J.) — Continued. 



that Mr. Eliot began his missionary labors. 

 He commenced the study of their language 

 probably abon t the year 1643, or perhaps earlier. 

 In a letter dated Eebruary 2d, 1649 (2. of the 

 12. 1648), he wrote: "There is an Indian living 

 with Mr, Richard Calicott of Dorchester, wha 

 was taken in the Pequott Warres, though be- 

 longing to Long Island ; this Indian is ingenious ; 

 can read ; and I taught him to write, which h& 

 quickly learnt, though I know not what use he 

 now maketh of it : He was the first that I made 

 use of to teach me words, and to be my Interpre- 

 ter." At the end of his Indian grammar (Cam- 

 bridge, 1666), Mr. Eliot gives the following 

 account of his method of learning the lan- 

 guage : " I have now finished what I shall do at 

 present: And in a word or two to satisfie the 

 prudent Enquirer how I found out these new 

 wayes of Grammar, which no other Learned 

 Language (so farre as I know) useth ; I thus- 

 inform him : God first put into my heart a com- 

 passion over their poor Souls, and a desire ta 

 teach them to know Christ, and to bring them 

 into his Kingdome. Then presently I found 

 out (by Gods wise providence) a pregnant 

 witted young man, who had been a Servant in 

 an English house, who pretty well understood 

 our Language, better then he could speak it,. 

 and well understood his own Language, and 

 hath a clear pronunciation: Him I made my 

 Interpreter. By his help I translated the 

 Commandments, the Lords Prayer, and many 

 Texts of Scripture : also I compiled both Ex- 

 hortations and Prayers by his help. I dili- 

 gently marked the difi'erence of their Grammar 

 from ours: When I found the way of them, L 

 would pursue a Word, a Noun, a Verb, through 

 all variations I could think of. And thus L 

 came at it. We must not sit still, and look for 

 Miracles: Up, and be doing, and the Lord 

 will be with thee. Piayer and Pains, througK 

 Eaith in Christ Jesus, will do any thing." 



In 1646 Mr. Eliot began to preach to the In- 

 dians in their own tongue. About the middle 

 of September he addressed a company of the 

 natives in the wigwam of Cutshamoquin, the 

 sachem of Neponset, within the limits of Dor- 

 chester. His next attempt was made among: 

 the Indians of another place, "those of Dor- 

 chester mill not regarding any such thing." 

 On the 28th of October he delivered a sermon, 

 before a large number assembled in the prin- 

 cipal wigwam of a chief named Waban, situated 

 four or five miles from Roxbury, on the soutk 

 side of the Charles river near Watertowui 

 mill, now in the township of Newton. The. 

 services were commenced with prayer, which,, 

 as Mr. Shepard relates, "now was in English,, 

 being not so farre acquainted with the Indiam 

 language as to expresse our hearts herein be- 

 fore God or them." After Mr. Eliot had fin- 

 ished his discourse, which was in the Indian- 

 language, he "asked them if they understood 

 all that which was already spoken, and whether- 

 all of them in the Wigwam did understand or 



