Thursday, February 21, 2008

Winthrop's Journal

Today I am reading the abridged version of John Winthrop's journal for my 17th century seminar. Page 123 is mostly footnotes, so here's page 124:
At the general court at Boston, upon the complaint of a kinsman of the said Hockin, John Alden, one of the said magistrates of Plymouth, who was present when Hockin was slain, being then at Boston, was called and bound with sureties not to depart out of our jurisdiction without leave had; and withal we wrote to Plymouth to certify them what we had done, and to know whether they would do justice in the cause, (as belonging to their jurisdiction) and to have a speedy answer, etc. [What a sentence!] This we did, that notice might be taken, that we did disavow the said action, which was much condemned of all men, and which was feared would give occasion to the king to send a general governor over; and besides had brought us all and the gospel under a common reproach of cutting one another's throats for beaver. By this time the fort at Boston was in defence, and divers pieces of ordnance mounted in it.

After that sample, perhaps you can understand why my reading group opted for the abridged version rather than all 800 pages.

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