He Had The "Holland Families"
Upon His Soil, And His Willing Imagination Converted Their Sober And
Deliberate Action Into The Eager Haste With Which He Had Planned That
They Should Fly To Him For The Patent, Which His Cunning Had - As He
Purposed - Rendered Necessary.
Of course their request "was performed,"
and so readily and delightedly that, recognizing John Pierce as their
mouthpiece and the plantation as "Mr. Pierces Plantation," Sir Ferdinando
and his associates - the "Council for New England," including his
joint-conspirator, the Earl of Warwick - gave Pierce unhesitatingly
whatever he asked.
The Hon. William T. Davis, who alone among Pilgrim
historians (except Dr. Neill, whom he follows) seems to have suspected
the hand of Gorges in the treachery of Captain Jones, here demonstrated,
has suggested that: "Whether Gorges might not have influenced Pierce, in
whose name the patent of the Pilgrims had been issued - and whether both
together might not have seduced Capt. Jones, are further considerations
to be weighed, in solving the problem of a deviation from the intended
voyage of the MAYFLOWER." Although not aware of these suggestions,
either of Mr. Davis or of Dr. Neill, till his own labors had satisfied
him of Gorges's guilt, and his conclusions were formed, the author
cheerfully recognizes the priority to his own demonstration, of the
suggestions of both these gentlemen. No thing appears of record,
however, to indicate that John Pierce was in any way a party to Gorges's
plot. On the contrary, as his interest was wholly allied to his patent,
which Gorges's scheme would render of little value to his associate
Adventurers and himself he would naturally have been, unless heavily
bribed to duplicity beyond his expectations from their intended venture,
the last man to whom to disclose such a conspiracy. Neither was he
necessary in any way to the success of the scheme. He did not hire
either the ship or her master; he does not appear to have had any
Pilgrim relations to Captain Jones, and certainly could have had no such
influence with him as Gorges could himself command, through Warwick and
his own ability - from his position at the head of the "New England
Council" - to reward the service he required. That Gorges was able
himself to exert all the influence requisite to secure Jones's
cooperation, without the aid of Pierce, who probably could have given
none, is evident. Mr. Davis's suggestion, while pertinent and potential
as to Gorges, is clearly wide of the mark as to Pierce. He represented
the Adventurers in the matter of patents only, but Weston was in
authority as to the pivotal matter of shipping. An evidently hasty
footnote of Dr. Neill, appended to the "Memorial" offered by him to the
Congress of the United States, in 1868, seems to have been the only
authority of Mr. William T. Davis for the foregoing suggestion as to the
complicity of Pierce in the treachery of Captain Jones, except the bare
suspicion, already alluded to, in the records of the London Company.
Neill says: "Captain Jones, the navigator of the MAY-FLOWER, and John
Pierce, probably had arranged as to destination without the knowledge of
the passengers." While of course this is not impossible, there is, as
stated, absolutely nothing to indicate any knowledge, participation, or
need of Pierce in the matter, and of course the fewer there were in the
secret the better.
Unobservant that John Pierce was acting upon the old adage, "second thief
best owner," when he asked, a little later, even so extraordinary a thing
as that the "Council for New England" would exchange the patent they had
so promptly granted him (as representing his associates, the Adventurers
and Planters) for a "deed-pole," or title in fee, to himself alone, they
instantly complied, and thus unwittingly enabled him also to steal the
colony, and its demesne beside. It is evident, from the very servile
letter of Robert Cushman to John Pierce (written while the former was at
New Plymouth, in November-December, 1621, on behalf of the MAY-FLOWER
Adventurers), that up to that time at least, the Pilgrims had no
suspicion of the trick which had been played upon them. For, while too
adroit recklessly to open a quarrel with those who could - if they chose
- destroy them, the Pilgrims were far too high-minded to stoop to flattery
and dissimulation (especially with any one known to have been guilty of
treachery toward them), or to permit any one to do so in their stead.
In the letter referred to, Cush man acknowledges in the name of the
colonists the "bounty and grace of the President and Council of the
Affairs of New England [Gorges, Warwick, et als.] for their allowance and
approbation" of the "free possession and enjoyment" of the territory and
rights so promptly granted Pierce by the Council, in the colonists'
interest, upon application. If the degree of promptness with which the
wily Gorges and his associates granted the petition of Pierce, in the
colony's behalf for authority to occupy the domain to which Gorges's
henchman Jones had so treacherously conveyed them, was at all
proportionate to the fulsome and lavish acknowledgments of Cushman,
there must have been such eagerness of compliance as to provoke general
suspicion at the Council table. Gorges and Warwick must have "grinned
horribly behind their hands" upon receipt of the honest thanks of these
honest planters and the pious benedictions of their scribe, knowing
themselves guilty of detestable conspiracy and fraud, which had
frustrated an honest purpose, filched the results of others' labors, and
had "done to death" good men and women not a few. Winslow, in
"Hypocrisie Unmasked," says: "We met with many dangers and the mariners'
put back into the harbor of the Cape." The original intent of the
Pilgrims to go to the neighborhood of the Hudson is unmistakable; that
this intention was still clear on the morning of November 10 (not 9th)
- after they had "made the land" - has been plainly shown; that there was
no need of so "standing in with the land" as to become entangled in the
"rips" and "shoals" off what is now known as Monomoy (in an effort to
pass around the Cape to the southward, when there was plenty of open
water to port), is clear and certain; that the dangers and difficulties
were magnified by Jones, and the abandonment of the effort was urged and
practically made by him, is also evident from Winslow's language above
noted, - "and the mariners put back," etc.
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