ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES. 



179 



Sliot (J.) — Continued. 



squared for the building of a meeting house 

 and fort. In a letter dated October 21st Mr. 

 Eliot writes: "Our work in civilizing them 

 will go on the more slowly for want of tools ; 

 for though I have bought a few for them, we 

 can do but little, for alas a few will set but a 

 few on work, and they be very dear too." He 

 remarks in another place: "In prosecution of 

 this work in the year 1650 we begun by the 

 Lords assistance our first Towne at Natick, 

 where we built a Fort, and one dwelling- 

 house." The name is said to signify "a place 

 of hills." See Mr. Eliot's letters in Whitfield's 

 tract entitled, The Light appearing more and 

 more towards the perfect Day, or, A farther Dis- 

 covery of the present state of the Indians in 

 New-England, London, 1651. 



Mr. Eliot had been without an assistant in 

 the ministry of the church in Roxbury since 

 1641 ; but the increase in his missionary labors 

 now made some help necessary. The Rev. 

 Thomas Danforth was therefore ordained, on 

 the 24th of September, 1650, to be his colleague 

 in that church, which office he filled for twenty- 

 four years. 



In 1651, some of the tools and other necessa- 

 ries having arrived from England, the "pray- 

 ing Indians" were removed from Nonantum to 

 If atick, where the work of laying out the town 

 was completed. On the 28th of April, Mr. 

 Eliot wrote : ' ' Besides those works which con- 

 cerne Religion and liearning, we are also a 

 doing (according to the measure of our day of 

 small things) in the civill part of this work, we 

 have set out some part of the Town in several 

 streets, measuring out and dividing of Lots, 

 which I set them to doe, and teach them how 

 to doe it : many have planted Apple-Trees, and 

 they have begun divers Orchards, it's now 

 planting-time, and they be full of businesse. 

 . . . We also have begun a Pallizadoe Fort, 

 in the midst whereof we intend a meeting- 

 house and a Schoole-house, but we are in great 

 want of Tooles,and many necessaries, and when 

 we cannot goe we must be content to creep: 

 this present week I am going to Pawtucket, 

 the great Fishing place upon Merimek, where 

 I he;ir sundry doe expect my coming, with a 

 purpose to submit themselves unto the Lords 

 hand." Another letter, written towards the end 

 of the year, continues the relation: " Therefore 

 upon the sixt day of the sixt Moneth of this pres- 

 ent year [August 6lh, 1651], (their Pallizadoe 

 Fort being finished) they had a great meeting, 

 and many came together from diverse parts, 

 . . . and finally they did solemnly choose 

 two Rulers among themselves, they first chose 

 a Ruler of an Hundred, then they chose two 

 Rulers of Fifties, then they chose Ten or 

 Tithing Men. . . . And lastly, for that 

 dayes work every man chose who should be 

 his Ruler of ten, the Rulers standing in order, 

 and every man going to the man he chose. 

 . . . After this work was ended, they did 

 enter into Covenant w^ith God, and each other, 



Eliot (J.) — Continued, 



to be the Lords people, and to be governed by 

 the word of the Lord in all things." In Octo- 

 ber, Governor Endicott and about thirty of the 

 chief men of Boston, visited Mr. Eliot's lec- 

 ture "at Natick, the new Indian Towne." 



In the same year, Mr. "Winthrop advised Mr. 

 Eliot, "to send two discreet men to the great- 

 est and most potent Sachem among the Nara- 

 gansets, to answer such Questions as they 

 might propound, and to stirre them up to call 

 on God." He therefore writes: "I did ac- 

 cordingly, and sent him a Present by them ; 

 but the proud Sachem did little lesse than des- 

 pise the ofier, though he tooke the present ; So 

 they thought they should have returned with- 

 out successe; but when they came among 

 the people, especially such as were a little 

 more remote from the great and proud ones, 

 they received them with great gladnesse. 

 . . . There is a great Countrey lying be- 

 tween Conectacott and the Massachusets, 

 called Nipnet, where there be many Indians 

 dispersed, many of which have sent to our In- 

 dians, desiring that some may be sent unto 

 them to teach them to pray unto God. And 

 sometimes some of our best men doe goe to 

 severall places for a little while, and returne 

 againe, and not without successe." On the 20th 

 of October there came to the general court of 

 Massachusetts, " one Pummakummin Sachem 

 of Quinnubbagge, dwelling amongst or neer to 

 the ITarragansets, who offered himselfe and his 

 Men to worship God, and desired that some 

 English may be sent from the Massachusets 

 Government to plant his River, that thereby 

 he may be pertaker of Government, and may 

 be instructed by the English to know God." 

 Mr. Eliot's letters descri ing the events of this 

 year were printed in the tract entitled. Strength 

 out of Weaknesse; Or a Glorious Manifestation 

 Of the further Frogresse of the Gospel among the 

 Indians in Neto-England, London, 1652. 



The Indians of Natick being now, as Mr. 

 Eliot remarks, "come under Civil Order, and 

 fixing themselves in Habitations, and bending 

 themselves to labor, as doth appear by their 

 works of Fencings, Buildings &c. and espec- 

 ially in building without any English Work- 

 mans help, or direction a very sufficient Meet- 

 ing-House, of fifty foot long twenty five foot 

 broad, neer twelve fool high betwixt the joints, 

 wel sawen and framed (which is a specimen, 

 not only of their singular ingenuity, and dex- 

 terity, but also of some industry) I say this be- 

 ing so, now my argument of delaying them 

 from entering into Church-Estate, was taken 

 away. Therefore in way of preparation of 

 them thereunto, I did this Summer [1652] call 

 forth sundry of them in the dayes of our pub- 

 lick Assemblies in Gods Worship; somtimes 

 on the Sabbath when I could be with them, and 

 sometimes on Lecture dales, to make confession 

 before the Lord of their former sins, and of 

 their present knowledg of Christ, and experi- 

 ence of his Grace which they solemnly doing, 



