432 



BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE 



Rawson (G.) — Continued. 



English title verso 1. 1 recto blank, Indian 

 title recto 1. 2 verso blank, the epistle dedica- 

 tory in English (signed G. Rawson, and dated. 

 Nov, 4, 1699) 6 11. half-title (A Confession of 

 Faith. "Wunuamptamoe sampooaonk) p. 1, text 

 (alternate pages English and. Massachusetts In- 

 dian) pp. 2-161, table of the chapters (in Eng- 

 lish and Indian) pp. [1621-[165] verso blank, 

 16°. Signatures a-l in eights, and M in four, 

 including a final blank leaf. See the fac-similes 

 of the title-pages. 



Copies seen : American Antiquarian Society, 

 Boston Public, British Museum, Lenox, Yale. 



At the Brinley sale, no. 784, a "dark blue le- 

 vant morocco, filleted and paneled sides, full 

 gilt back " copy was bought by Tale College 

 for $70. Another copy, no. 5688, sold for $85. 



See Eliot (J.) and Rawson (G.) 



See Indiane primer. 



Grindal Eawson, the translator of the two 

 books described above, was born in Boston, Jan- 

 uary 23, 1659, and died in Mendon, Eebruary 6, 

 1715. He was the youngest son of Mr. Edward 

 Rawson (born 1615, died 1693), secretary of the 

 colony of Massachusetts Bay from 1650 to 1686. 

 In 1678 he was graduated at Harvard College. 

 After studying theology for a while, he began 

 to preach at Mendon in 1680. Four years later 

 he was regularly ordained minister of the 

 church in that town, where he remained until 

 his death. 



He began to study the Indian language about 

 the year 1687, with the purpose of preaching 

 in it to the Indians of his neighborhood. In 

 1689 he revised and prepared for the press Mr. 

 Eliot's Indian translation of Cotton's Sincere 

 Convert ("Sampwutteahae quinnuppekompau- 

 aenin"); and in 1691 he published his own 

 translation of Cotton's Spiritual Milk for Babes 

 in Indian. In 1698 Mr. Rawson and Mr. Samuel 

 Danforth were directed by the commissioners 

 for the propagation of the gospel among the 

 Indians in New England to prepare a report on 

 the number and condition of the Indians in the 

 province of Massachusetts Bay. Their visita- 

 tion was begun on the 30th of May and com- 

 pleted on the 24th of June. The results were 

 embodied in a narrative which was printed in 

 the same year, at the end of Noyes's election 

 sermon, New-Englands Duty and Interest, pp. 

 80-99, and reprinted in the Collections of the 

 Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 10. 



About the same time, by order of the com- 

 missioners, Mr. Rawson commenced to trans- 

 late the "Confession of Faith" of 1680 into the 

 Indian language, "a work, "he remarks, "never 

 yet attempted by any." The version was com- 

 pleted in November, 1699, and was printed in 

 the same year. In the epistle dedicatory Mr. 

 Rawson says: "How I have discharged the 

 Trust you have committed to me, must be left 

 unto the judgment of those who are well skilled 

 in the language; all that I have to say for my 

 self is, that I have endeavoured to the utter- 



Rawson (G.) — Continued. 



most of my ability to render the whole as ex- 

 pressively as I could, so that I doubt not but 

 all amongst them though but of an ordinary 

 Capacity, will readily understand the Transla- 

 tion." 



At this period Mr. Rawson was receiving a 

 salary of 25L a year for preaching to the Indians. 

 Six other ministers were also in the pay of the 

 commissioners for like services ; but with the 

 exception perhaps of Mr. Samuel Danforth of 

 Taunton and Mr. Samuel Treat of Eastham, 

 they probably delivered their sermons through 

 interpreters. "Mr. Grindall Rawson," the 

 Earl of Bellomont writes, in a letter to tbe 

 Lords of Trade dated Oct. 17, 1700, "is the only 

 Minister in the list that speaks the Indian 

 tongue and preaches in it." 



After Mr. Rawson's death, Eev. Cotton 

 Mather delivered a eulogy on his life and 

 labors, which was printed in the tract entitled 

 Just Commemorations, Boston, 1715. "We 

 honoured him," he says, "for his doing the 

 Work of an Evangelist among our Indians, of 

 whose Language he was a Master that had scarce 

 an Equal, and for whose Welfare, his Projec- 

 tions and Performances, were Such as render 

 our loss therein hardly to be repaired." The 

 same book contains some "memorials" of Mr. 

 Rawson, furnished by his widow, from which 

 the following extract is made : 



"As for his Labours among the Indians, it 

 was Twenty Seven Years since he undertook 

 the Work. It was thought Two Tears was Time 

 little Enough to Learn their Language in. But 

 applying himself to the Business, with Gods 

 Blessing on his Extraordinary Pains, it was not 

 above Nine Months before he Preach'd to the 

 Indians, to their good Understanding. Within 

 Two Years, they removed their Habitations, to 

 be so near him, that for a whole Summer his 

 Custome was, when he came from his own 

 English Congregation on the Lords-day, about 

 five a Clock, to take about half an Hours 

 Repose, and then go to the Indians ; and Pray 

 with them, and Preach to them; so that he 

 performed Three Exercises every Lords-day, 

 while he had Strength to attend them." 



Mr. Rawson's other publications consist of 

 two election sermons, printed in 1703 and 1709. 

 He had eleven children, one of whom, also 

 named Grindal Rawson (born 1707, died 1777), 

 was a minister in South Hadley from 1733 to 

 1741, and in Hadlyme, Connecticut, from 1741 

 to 1745. 



For an account of two Indian bibles once 

 owned by Mr. Rawson, see pp. 158-159 and 164 

 of this bibliography. 



In preparing the above translation of the 

 "Confession of Faith " Mr. Rawson was per- 

 haps assisted by Rev. Samuel Treat, of East- 

 ham, who was minister of the church in that 

 town from 1675 until his death in 1717. In a 

 letter to Increase Mather, dated August 23, 

 1693, Mr. Treat writes: "There are five hun- 

 dred and five adult nersons of Indians within 



