Loving friend, when I write my last leter, I hope to have received one from you well-nigh by this time.  But when I write in Des:  I little thought to have seen Mr. John Pierce till he had brought some good tidings from you.  But it pleased God, he brought us ye wofull tidings of his returne when he was half-way over, by extraime tempest, werin ye goodnes & mercie of God appeared in sparing their lives, being 109. souls.  The loss is so great to Mr. Pierce &c., and ye companie put upon so great charge, as veryly, &c.  Now with great trouble & loss, we have got Mr. John Pierce to assigne over ye grand patente to ye companie, which he had taken in his owne name, and made quite voyd our former grante.  I am sorie to writ how many hear thinke yt the hand of God was justly against him, both ye first and 2. time of his returne; in regard he, whom you and we so confidently trusted, but only to use his name for ye company, should aspire to be lord over us all, and so make you & us tenants at his will and pleasure, our assurance or patente being quite voyd & disanuled by his means.  I desire to judg charitably of him.  But his unwillingness to part with his royall lordship, and ye high rate he set it at, which was 500li. which cost him but 50li., maks many speake and judg hardly of him.  The company are out for goods in his ship, with charge aboute ye passengers, 640li., &c.

We have agreed with 2 merchants for a ship of 140 tunes, caled ye Anne, which is to be ready ye last of this month, to bring 60 passengers & 60 tune of goods, &c—­[Bradford, Historie, Mass. ed. p. 167.]

ADDENDA

Governor Winslow, in his “Hypocrisie Unmasked” (pp. 89,90), indicates that the representatives of the Leyden congregation (Cushman and Carver) sought the First (or London) Virginia Company as early as 1613.  It is beyond doubt that preliminary steps toward securing the favor, both of the King and others, were taken as early as 1617, and that the Wincob Patent was granted in their interest, June 9/19, 1619.  But the Leyden people were but little advanced by the issue of this Patent.  They became discouraged, and began early in 1620 (perhaps earlier) negotiations with the Dutch, which were in progress when, at the instance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Thomas Weston undertook (February 2/12, April 1/11, 1620) to secure the Leyden party, avowedly for the London Virginia Company, but really for its rival, the Second Virginia Company, soon to be merged in the “Council of Affairs for New England.”  It was then, and under these influences, that the Leyden leaders “broke off,” as Bradford puts it, their negotiations with the Dutch authorities, who, however, apparently about the same time, determined to reject their propositions.  While the renewal of the Leyden leaders’ negotiations, through Weston, were, “on their face” (and so far as the Pilgrims were concerned), with the First Virginia Company, with whom, through Sir Edwin