Indeed, The
Leyden Party Proposed, If They Effected Satisfactory Arrangements With
The States General (As Stated By The Directors Of
The New Netherland
Company), "to plant there [at "Hudson's River"] a new commonwealth, all
under the order and command of
Your Princely Excellency and their High
Mightinesses the States General:" The Leyden Pilgrims were men who kept
their agreements.
The Dutch trading-companies, who were the only parties in the Low
Countries who could possibly have had any motive for such a conspiracy,
were at this time themselves without charters, and the overtures of the
principal company, made to the government in behalf of themselves and the
Leyden brethren, had recently, as we have seen, been twice rejected.
They had apparently, therefore, little to hope for in the near future;
certainly not enough to warrant expenditure and the risk of disgraceful
exposure, in negotiations with a stranger - an obscure ship-master - to
change his course and land his passengers in violation of the terms of
his charter-party; - negotiations, moreover, in which neither of the
parties could well have had any guaranty of the other's good faith.
But, as previously asserted, there was a party - to whom such knavery was
an ordinary affair - who had ample motive, and of whom Master Thomas Jones
was already the very willing and subservient ally and tool, and had been
such for years. Singularly enough, the motive governing this party was
exactly the reverse of that attributed - though illogically and without
reason - to the Dutch. In the case of the latter, the alleged animus was
a desire to keep the Pilgrim planters away from their "Hudson's River"
domain. In the case of the real conspirators, the purpose was to secure
these planters as colonists for, and bring them to, the more northern
territory owned by them. It is well known that Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
the leading spirit of the "Second Virginia Company," as he also became
(with the Earl of Warwick a close second) of "The Council for the Affairs
of New England," of which both men were made "Governors," in November of
1620, when the Council practically superseded the "Second Virginia
Company." The Great Charter for "The Council of Affairs of New England,"
commonly known as "The Council for New England," issued Tuesday, November
3/13, 1620, and it held in force till Sunday, June 7/17, 1635.
Although not its official head, and ranked at its board by dukes and
earls, Sir Ferdinando Gorges was - as he had been in the old Plymouth (or
Second) Virginia Company - the leading man. This was largely from his
superior acquaintance with, and long and varied experience in, New
England affairs. The "Council" was composed of forty patentees, and
Baxter truly states, that "Sir Ferdinando Gorges, at this time [1621]
stood at the head of the Council for New England, so far as influence
went; in fact, his hand shaped its affairs." This company, holding - by
the division of territory made under the original charter-grants - a strip
of territory one hundred miles wide, on the North American coast, between
the parallels of 41 deg.
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