ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES. 



181 



:ijliot (.J- ) — Contiuued. 



year 1660 was also the date of the organization 

 at Natick, after nine years of probation, of the 

 first Indian cliurcli in Massacliuaetts colony. 

 Oue Indian church had already been formed 

 on Maltha's Vineyard in the preceding year, 

 under the care of Mr. Thomas Mayhew. 



In 1661, the printing of the Indian new testa- 

 ment -was finished, and in the following year 

 a, second edition of the primer or catechism 

 ■was issued. The old testament and metrical 

 psalms 1'ollowed in 1663. The Indian transla- 

 tions of Baxter's Call to the Unconverted and of 

 Bayly's Practice of Piety y^eve printed in 166-t 

 and 1665. In the latter year, Mr. Eliot's trea- 

 tise in English, entitledComnunion of Churches, 

 was printed by Marmaduke Johnson at Cam- 

 bridge. It is supposed to be the "first pri- 

 vately printed American book." The Indian 

 Orammar was published in 1666. In 1668, Mr. 

 Eliot's eldest son John, who had learned the 

 Indian language and helped his father in 

 preaching to the Indians, died on the 13th of 

 October, aged about thirty-two years. The 

 Indian Primer was printed in 1669. In the 

 following year Mr. Eliot and Mr. John Cot- 

 ton of Plymouth, visited Martha's Vineyard, 

 and assisted Mr. Mayhew in the ordination of 

 the convert Hiacoomes as pastor of the Indian 

 church there. 



Mr. Eliot's Brief 'Narrative of the Progress of 

 the Gospel amongst the Indians in New-Eng- 

 land, in the Tear 1670, was written on the 24th 

 of September of that year, and printed at Lon- 

 don in 1671. It contains the following particu- 

 lars of the state of the mission, atid a list of 

 the praying towns. " Upon the 17th day of the 

 €th month [August] 1670," he writes, "there 

 was a Meeting at Maktepog [Marshpee] near 

 Sandwich in Plimouth-Pattent, to gather a 

 church amongst the Indians." This place was 

 about sixty miles southeast of Natick. The 

 converts there," being of kin to our Massachu- 

 aet- Indians who first prayed unto God," had 

 been taught by Mr. William Leveredge as early 

 as 1652. After Mr. Leveredge removed to 

 Long Island, Mr. Eichard Bourne was en- 

 couraged by Mr. Eliot to undertake the charge 

 of these Indians, and on this occasion he was 

 ordained to be their pastor. Mr. Eliot then 

 continues his relation : "From them we passed 

 over to the Vinyard, where many were added 

 to the Church both men and women, and were 

 baptized all of them. . . . Foundation is laid 

 for two Churches more. . . . Also tiie Teacher 

 of the Praying Indians of Nantuket, with a 

 Brother of his were received here . . . and be- 

 ing asked, did make report unto us that there 

 be about ninety Families who pray unto God in 

 that Island." 



The towns of "praying Indians" in Ma.ssa- 

 chusetts colony are described in the Brief 

 Narrative in the following order : " Natick is 

 our chief Town, where most and chief of our 



Rulers, and most of the Church dwells 



It is (by Divine Providence) seated we'll near 



Eliot (J.) — Continued. 



in the center of all our praying Indians, though 

 Westward the Cords of Christ's Tents are more 

 enlarged. . . . We have betwixt forty and fifty 

 Communicants at the Lord's Table." The next 

 in ordei', "Ponkipog, or Pakeunit [Pakemit] is 

 our second Town, where the Sachems of the 

 Bloud (as they term their Chief R>yal-Line) had 

 their Residence and Rights, which are mostly 

 Alienated to the English Towns." It was sita- 

 ated about fourteen miles south of Boston. Has- 

 sunnimesut or Hassauamesitt was the third 

 town "in order, dignity, and antiquity." It 

 was about thirty-eight miles " west southerly" 

 from Boston, and about two miles east of Xich- 

 muke or Nip muck river. The fourth town, 

 Ogquonikongquamesut or Okommakamesit , was 

 about twelve miles north northeast from ilassa- 

 namesitt and thirty miles west from Boston. ' ' I 

 was very lately among them," Mr. Eliot writes, 

 and "they desired me to settle a stated Lecture 

 amongst them, as it is in sundry other Praying 

 Towns." Nashope or Nashobah was the fifth 

 praying town. It was situated about twenty - 

 five miles west northwest of Boston. "This 

 place lying in the Road-way which the Mau- 

 quaogs haunted, was much molested by them, 

 and was one year n^holly deserted ; but this 

 year the People have taken courage and dwell 

 upon it again." Wamesut or Pawtuckett was 

 the sixth town. It was about twenty miles from 

 Boston, north northwest, " at the bottom of the 

 great Falls, or the great River Merymak, and 

 at the falling-in of Concord River." This place 

 was much resorted to by other Indians during 

 the fishing season. Mr. Eliot visited it "bat 

 once in a year." The seventh town, Panatuket, 

 "is the upper part of Merlmak-Falls ; so called, 

 because of the noise which the "Waters make. 

 Thither the Penagwog-Indians are come, and 

 have built a great Fort. Their Sachems re- 

 fused to pray to God . . . .But now since the 

 Penagwog-Sachems are cut off, the People (sun- 

 dry of them) d w elling at Panatuket-For fc do bo w 

 the Ear to hear, and submit to pray unto God." 

 Magunkukquok or Magunkaquog, the eighth 

 town, was situated "at the remotest Westerly 

 borders of Natick," about midway between 

 that place and Hassanamesitt. This town was 

 a "gathering together of some of the IN'ipmuk 

 Indians who left their own places, and sit to- 

 gether in this place, and have given up them- 

 selves to pray unto God." The ninth place, 

 Quauatusset, ' ' is the last of our Praying-Towns, 

 whose beginnings have received too much dis- 

 couragement ; but yet tlae Seed is alive : they 

 are frequently with me." 



Mr. Eliot's little book entitled Indian Dia- 

 logues was printed at Cambridge in 1671. It is 

 entirely in English, but was intended for the 

 use of the native Indian teachers and ministers, 

 " for their Instruction in that great Service of 

 Christ, in] calling home their Country-men to 

 the Knowledge of God, and of themselves, and 

 of Jesus Christ." In the introductory address 

 to the Commissioners of the United Colonies, 



