Several Of The Former And A Few Of The Latter Are
Known, But We Must (Except For Some Fortunate Discovery)
Rest content
with a very accurate knowledge of the passenger list of the MAY-FLOWER
when she left Plymouth (England)
, And of the changes which occurred in it
afterward; and a partial knowledge of the ship's own complement of
officers and men.
Goodwin says: "The returning ones were probably of those who joined in
England, and had not yet acquired the Pilgrim spirit." Unhappily this
view is not sustained by the relations of those of the number who are
known. Robert Cushman and his family (3 persons), Thomas Blossom and his
son (2 persons), and William Ring (1 person), a total of six, or just one
third of the putative eighteen who went back, all belonged to the Leyden
congregation, and were far from lacking "the Pilgrim spirit." Cushman
was both ill and heart-sore from fatigue, disappointment, and bad
treatment; Ring was very ill, according to Cushman's Dartmouth letter;
but the motives governing Blossom and his son do not appear, unless the
comparatively early death of the son - after which his father went to New
England - furnishes a clue thereto. Bradford says: "Those that went back
were, for the most part, such as were willing to do so, either out of
some discontent, or fear they conceived of the ill success of the Voyage,
seeing so many crosses befallen and the year time so far spent. But
others, in regard of their own weakness and the charge of many young
children, were thought [by the Managers] least useful and most unfit to
bear the brunt of this hard adventure." It is evident from the above
that, while the return of most was from choice, some were sent back by
those in authority, as unfit for the undertaking, and that of these some
had "many young chil dren." There are said to have been eighteen who
returned on the SPEEDWELL to London. We know who six of them were,
leaving twelve, or two thirds, unknown. Whether these twelve were in
part from Leyden, and were part English, we shall probably never know.
If any of them were from Holland, then the number of those who left
Delfshaven on the SPEEDWELL is increased by so many. If any were of the
English contingent, and probably the most were, - then the passenger list
of the MAY-FLOWER from London to Southampton was probably, by so many,
the larger. It is evident, from Bradford's remark, that, among the
twelve unknown, were some who, from "their own weakness and charge of
many young children, were thought least useful and most unfit," etc.
From this it is clear that at least one family was included which had a
number of young children, the parents' "own weakness" being recognized.
A father, mother, and four children (in view of the term "many") would
seem a reasonable surmise, and would make six, or another third of the
whole number.
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