Volume 1 — NOTES.

(1.) “She understands and speaks English perfectly well.”—Page 24, 25.

We would take the liberty to refer those who may think we have here violated probability, to Winthrop, who speaks of a Pequod maiden who attended Miantunnomoh as interpreter, and “spoke English perfectly.”

(2.) “Monoca, the mother of these children, was noted for the singular dignity and modesty of her demeanour.”—Page 25.

For those who disbelieve the existence in savage life of the virtues which we have ascribed to this Indian woman, we quote our authority:

“Among the Pequod captives were the wife and children of Mononotto. She was particularly noticed by the English for her great modesty, humanity, and good sense. She made it as her only request that she might not be injured either as to her offspring or personal honour. As a requital for her kindness to the captivated maids, her life and the lives of her children were not only spared, but they were particularly recommended to the care of Governor Winthrop. He gave charge for their protection and kind treatment.”—Trumbull’s Hist. of Connecticut. See also Hubbard’s Indian Wars, p. 47.

(3.) “They told him they would spare his life if he would guide them to our strongholds; he refused.”—Page 71.

“But, finding that the sachems, whom they had spared, would give them no information, they beheaded them on their march, at a place called Mekunkatuck, since Guilford.”—Ibid.

(4.) “You English tell us, Everell, that the book of your law is better than that written on our hearts,” &c.—Pages 71, 72.

The language of the Indians, as reported by Heckewelder, verifies so strongly the sentiment in our text, and is so powerful an admonition to Christians, that we here quote it for those who may not have met with the interesting work of this excellent Moravian missionary. “And yet,” say those injured people, “these white men would always be telling us of their great Book which God had given to them. They would persuade us that every man was good who believed in what the book said, and every man was bad who did not believe in it. They told us a great many things which they said were written in the good Book, and wanted us to believe it all. We would probably have done so if we had seen them practise what they pretended to believe, and act according to the good words which they told us. But no! while they held their big book in one hand, in the other they had murderous weapons, guns and swords, wherewith to kill us poor Indians. Ah! and they did so too!”

(5.) “The Indians remained standing,” &c.—Page 214.

The characteristic conduct of the Narragansett chief is transferred to our pages from Winthrop, who thus describes it: “When we should go to dinner, there was a table provided for the Indians to dine by themselves, and Miantunnomoh was left to sit with them. This he was discontented at, and would eat nothing till the governor sent him meat from his table. So at night, and all the time he stayed, he sat at the lower end of the magistrate’s table.”

(6.) “She entered the enclosure, now the churchyard of the stone chapel.”—Page 249.

This was the first burial-place in Boston; and as early as the year 1630, consecrated by the interment of Mr. Johnson, who died of grief for the loss of his wife, the Lady Arbella, “the pride of the colony.” “He was,” says Winthrop, “a holy man and wise, and died in sweet peace.” And another contemporary historian says, that he was so beloved that many persons requested their bodies might be interred near his.