30 WILLIAM BARTRAM 



O may I be permitted to approach the throne of merq^! May these 

 my humble and penitent supphcations, amidst the universal shouts of 

 homage from thy creatures, meet with thy acceptance ! 



And although I am sensible, that my service cannot increase or 

 diminish thy glory, yet it is pleasing to thy servant to be permitted to 

 sound thy praise ; for, O sovereign Lord ! we know that thou alone art 

 perfect, and worthy to be worshipped . . . (pp. 100-101). 



The mood of night and loneliness, so different from the 

 exaltation engendered by the sun, finds him no less pious: 



At midnight I awake, when I find myself alone in the wilderness of 

 Florida, on the shores of Lake George. Alone indeed, but under the 

 care of the Almighty . . . (p. 158). 



Bartram's piety, modesty, and simplicity cannot be well under- 

 stood without a consideration of his Quakerism. Brought up in 

 an atmosphere which emphasized the humble virtues of char- 

 acter, Bartram was a man of peace, of few needs, and of tem- 

 perate habits. His unobtrusive geniality inspires the pages of 

 his work. He records his meetings with planters and traders — 

 Mr. M'Intosh, James Spalding, James Bailey, Mr. Marshall, 

 Mr. M'Latche, Mr. Rumsey — and has a kind word for every- 

 one. Everywhere he found, he tells us, " sincerity in union with 

 all the virtues, under the influence of religion" (p. 15). What 

 they found can best be gleaned from such a characteristic letter 

 as that of his uncle, William Bartram, written from Cape Fear 

 as early as June 11, 1762, to John Bartram: 



Dear Brother 



The parting with your Son Bill this day felt harder to me than the 

 Parting with my own son, his Behaviour to me & my family has been 

 so agreeable as well as to others. . . .^°* 



and from the attitude of the Indians, who were generally hostile 

 to the white traders that came among them. They called him 

 "Puc-Puggy" or Flower Hunter and their chiefs generally re- 

 ceived him " with complaisance," giving him unlimited permis- 

 sion to travel over the country, and recommending him to the 

 friendship and protection of th^ir people (Travels, p. 185). 

 One Indian king complimented him to the extent of including 



"* Bartram Papers, I. 



