If Book And Inscription Exist And The Latter Is
Genuine, It Would Be Indubitable Proof That Heale (Who Was Surely
Not a MAY-FLOWER passenger) was one of the ship's company, and if a
"chirurgeon," the surgeon of the ship,
For no other Englishmen,
except those of the colonists and the ship's company, could have
been at New Plymouth, at the date given, and New England was then
included in the term "Virginia." It is much to be hoped that Mr.
Bowman's belief may be established, and that in Giles Heale we shall
have another known officer, the surgeon, of the MAY-FLOWER.]
That she had no chaplain goes without saying. The Pilgrims had their
spiritual adviser with them in the person of Elder Brewster, and were not
likely to tolerate a priest of either the English or the Romish church on
a vessel carrying them. The officer referred to was the representative
of the business interests of the owner or chartering-party, on whose
account the ship made the voyage; and in that day was known as the
"ship's-merchant," later as the "purser," and in some relations as the
"supercargo." No mention of an officer thus designated, belonging to the
MAY-FLOWER, has ever been made by any writer, so far as known, and it
devolves upon the author to indicate his existence and to establish, so
far as possible, both this and his identity.
A certain "Master Williamson," whose name and presence, though but once
mentioned by Governor Bradford, have greatly puzzled Pilgrim historians,
seems to have filled this berth on board the MAY-FLOWER.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 153 of 340
Words from 43126 to 43393
of 94513
