ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES 



397 



Pierson (A.) — Continued. 



in Tranalateing a Catichisme." The original 

 title-page of the little book, printed in 1658-59, 

 accordingly contains the words: "Examined, 

 and approved by Thomas Stanton Interpreter- 

 General to the United Colonies for the Indian 

 Language, and by some others of the most able 

 Interp[r]eters amofnlgst us." In 1657, the 

 Commissioners "wrote to the Corporation in 

 England as follows: "wee heare that Thomas 

 Stanton is taken notice of and possibly recorded 

 as a very able Interpretor for the Indian lan- 

 guage which is certainly true, and that a sal- 

 larie of 50 lb. per annum is appointed for him 

 in England which hee may take vp heer and 

 charge vpon you this may bee a mistake but if 

 true wee maruill att it ; the Comi.'^sioners doe 

 Imploy him as Interpretor betwixt themsehies 

 and the Indians in ciuill occations of the Colo- 

 nies and doe afford him conuenient recompence 

 for the same." At their meeting in September^ 

 1660, it was recorded that, " forasmuch as some 

 of the Tribute is now seased ; and the Ilest 

 brought in by the Indians themselues as it hath 

 been for some yeares past the Comissioners 

 thought a lesse sallary might bee a suflB.cient 

 Recompense [to Mr. Stanton] for the yeare past 

 and soe for the time to come; and therefore 

 tendered him the sume of ten pounds for this 

 yeare Intimateing to doe the like heerafter 

 onely for his attending the Comissioners meet- 

 inges; and for other Services to allow him pro- 

 portionable as hee shalbee Imploy ed which hee 

 not accepting The Comissioners payed him his 

 former sallary of thirty pounds; but declared 

 they were not willing to bee att the like charge 

 for the time to come; and therfore left it to 

 him to doe as hee should see cause." For this 

 reason, probably, his name does not appear in 

 the records of the Commissioners for 1661 ; but 

 in 1662 and 1663 he was again employed by them 

 on several occasions. 



About the year 1658 he removed to Stoning- 

 ton, where he resided until his death in 1678. 

 Of this town he was elected representative in 

 1666. In 1667, and again in 1671, he was at 

 Southampton on Long Island, where he was 

 employed as Indian interpreter. In 1674 he 

 was one of the founders of the first church in 

 t'^tonington, over which the Hev. James Noyes 

 was ordained as minister. Mr. Stanton had 

 nine children, of whom the two eldest, Thomas 

 and John, were educated in early life for the 

 Indian work. The latter is mentioned as com- 

 mander of the New England Indians in the 

 expedition under Major-General "Winthrop 

 towards Canada in 1690, and again as an Indian 

 interpreter at New London in 1699 and 1700. 



The only other copy of this edition known to 

 be extant has a different title, as follows : 



Some Helps for the | Indians ; | 



Shewing them how to | Improve their 

 Natural Reason, | to know the true God, 

 and the | Christian Religion. | 1 By 

 leading themto see the Divine | Author- 



Pierson (A.) — Continued, 

 ity of the Scriptures. | 2. By the Script- 

 ures, the Divine | truths necessary to 

 Eternal sal- | vation. | By | Abraham 

 Peirson | Pastor of the Church at Bran- 

 ford. I Examined and approved by that 

 I Experienced Gentleman (in the In- | 

 dian Language) Captain | John Scot. | 

 Cambridge : | Printed for Samuel 

 Green, 1658. 



Title within a border of fleur-de-lis-shaped 

 ornaments verso blank 1 1. "To the Reader" 

 (signed "A. P.") p. 3, title in Indian with inter- 

 linear English translation (being a repetition of 

 the above as far as the word" Salvation") p. 4, 

 text in Indian with interlinear English trans- 

 lation pp. 5- 67, verso blank, sm. 8°. See the fac- 

 simile of the title-page. 



Copies seen: British Museum. 



This copy differs from the other only in the 

 title leaf, which has been inserted in place of 

 the original (cancelled) title. In other respects 

 the two copies are of the same edition. The cir- 

 cumstances under which Pierson's catechism 

 was prepared, "At the Motion, and published 

 by the Order of the Commissioners of the 

 United Colonies," and the fact that it was 

 translated with the help of their official inter- 

 preter, Thomas Stanton, and was "examined 

 and approved" by him, as also "by some 

 others of the most able Inter, reters amongst 

 us," are fully and explicitly set forth in tlie 

 records and on the original title-page. With 

 this certain knowledge the new title is at vari- 

 ance. Not only does it not mention the com- 

 missioners, who promoted and published the 

 work, but it omits the name of Thomas Stan- 

 ton, together with the reference to the other 

 interpreters, and in their stead represents 

 Captain John Scott as the sole examiner and 

 approver of the book. It also characterises 

 • him as "that Experienced Gentleman (in the 

 Indian Language)" — a statement which appears 

 to have no confirmation, or even mention, in the 

 records or elsewhere. Indeed, so little is known 

 to the credit of ' ' that mischievous adventurer, ' ' 

 as he is termed by Dr. Trumbull, that it seems 

 "highly probable that this title page was sub- 

 stituted by himself, or at his motion, and, prob- 

 ably, after the restoration." The alteration of 

 the imprint from "Printed by " to " Printed 

 for " Samuel Green, was more likely to be made 

 in England than in Ameiica. 



But little is known with certaintj' of John 

 Scott's early career. According to one'account, 

 he was born of "very meane parentage" at a 

 place called Ashford in Kent, probably about 

 the year 1632, and "whilst a boy was brought 

 over by his mother into New England." From 

 his own statements it appears that he was "an 

 unlucky boy," who "would cntt ye souldiers 

 girts of ther saddles yt were against ye King , 

 and such like tricks, soe yt some of them gott 

 him transported toforraign parts, wher he was 



