102 



FREE school; and in 1671, under Jokn Men-ton as teaclier, and Thomas 

 Hinckley as steward of the fund, such a school was opened in the 

 colony. This is a most interesting incident: the Cape which afforded 

 the first shelter to the fathers, supported the first public seminary for 

 the education of the children! 



Morton, who was a nephew of the secretary of the colony, proposed 

 merely to teach the youth of one town "to read, write, and to cast ac- 

 counts." But a gramnnar-school was soon established in Plymouth; 

 and several were actually in operation in other places as early as the 

 year 1680. 



The fisheries, I conclude, were considered public property, and were 

 generally leased to individuals for the benefit of the colony, or of par- 

 ticular towns. The subject of " rents" and of " profits" is continually 

 referred to in the records, and orders to grant leases to petitioners, or 

 to protect lessees in the enjoyment of the privileges stipulated in the 

 covenants with them, are of frequent occurrence. An ordinance of the 

 latter description of exti-eme severity was passed in 1678^the court 

 directing that all fishing vessels not belonging to the colony should be 

 seized for public use by warrant from the governor, or one of his as- 

 sistants, and that the lessees of the colony fisheries should be entitled 

 to damages, to be paid them out of the proceeds of the vessels seized 

 and confiscated. The people of Massachusetts were alone exempted 

 firom the penalties of this extreme measure. 



Randolph, the first collector of the customs of Boston, gave a general 

 account of the different New England colonies at this period, and said 

 of "New Plymouth" that the people were principally "farmers, gra- 

 ziers, and fishermen ;" that there were "very few merchants, they being 

 supplied with all foreign commodoties from Boston;" and that "they 

 have no ships of burden, but only small ketches and barkes, to trade 

 along the coast, and take fish." 



The colony of Plymouth was united with Massachusetts by the 

 charter of William and Mary in 1692, and a separate notice of its fish- 

 eries accordingly ceases at tiiat date. 



John Alden, the last of the Pilgrim band, died only five years pre- 

 viously. He lived in America sixty-seven years ; and in every admin- 

 isti'ation during the whole time he participated in public affairs. 



To regard his connexion with our subject as merely official, bis re- 

 lations commenced with the first, and terminated only with the last, of 

 the incidents that I have here recorded. But we know, besides, that 

 his private interest in the " wealth of seas " and in general trade was 

 often extensive. 



Sufficient has now been said to show the general course of affan-s 

 among our fathers, and to connect the branch of industry under notice 

 with some of the most hallowed names in our annals. Mark Antony,* 



* The Romans, like the Egyptians, earned the art of rearing i5sh to great perfection ; anS 

 almoBt every rich citizen bad a fish-pond. At some of their feasts a thoasand of the choicest 

 fidies were set upon their tables ; and at a supper given to Vitellius by his brother, there was 

 double that number provided for the guests. It was a custom, at one time, to carry the dol- 

 phin to their eating-rooms aKre, in order to glut their eyes with the changes of its eolor whem 

 dying. They were, perhaps, the most sensual and luxurious people who have ever lived. 

 Their gormandizing habits may be seen from the circumstance of Julius Caesar's haviiig tal^ea 



