CHAPTER XXVI.

Mr. Williams' writings-Key-Bloody Tenet-liberty of conscience -Mr. Cotton's Reply-Mr. Williams' Rejoinder.

OUR examination of the writings of Mr. Williams must be brief. Sufficient specimens of his style have been given in the preceding pages. We shall, therefore, present no extracts from his books, except such as may be necessary to explain their character, or to illustrate his principles.

His first printed book was his Key. The title page is in these words: "A Key into the Language of America, or a Help to the Language of the Natives, in that part of America called New-England; together with brief Observations of the Customs, Manners and Worships, &c. of the aforesaid Natives, in Peace and War, in Life and Death. On all which are added, Spiritual Observations, general and particular, by the Author, of chief and special use (upon all occasions) to all the English inhabiting those Parts; yet pleasant and profitable to the View of all Men. By Roger Williams, of Providence, in New-England. London. Printed by Gregory Dexter, 1643."

It was dedicated "to my dear and well-beloved friends and countrymen in Old and New-England." In this dedication, he says, "This Key respects the native language of it, and happily may unlock some rarities concerning the natives themselves, not yet discovered. A little key may open a box, where lies a bunch of keys." He professes his hope, that his book may contribute to the spread of Christianity among the natives, "being comfortably persuaded, that that Father of spirits, who was graciously pleased to persuade Japhet (the Gentile) to dwell in the tents of Shem (the Jews) will, in his holy season, (I hope approaching) persuade these Gentiles of America to partake of the mercies of Europe; and then shall be fulfilled what is written by the prophet Malachi, from the rising of the sun (in Europe) to the going down of the same (in America) my name shall be great among the Gentiles."

The book is divided into thirty-two chapters, the titles

of which are, Of Salutation. Of Eating and Entertainment. Of Sleep. Of their Numbers. Of Relations and Consanguinity, &c. Of Houses, Family, &c. Of Parts of Body. Of Discourse and News. Of Time of Day. Of Seasons of the Year. Of Travel. Of the Heavenly Lights. Of the Weather. Of the Winds. Of Fowl. Of the Earth and Fruits thereof. Of Beasts and Cattle. Of the Sea. Of Fish and Fishing. Of their Nakedness and Clothing. Of their

Religion, Soul, &c. Of their Government. Of their Marriages. Of their Coin. Of their Trading. Of their Debts and Trusting. Of their Hunting. Of their Sports and Gaming. Of their Wars. Of their Paintings. Of their Sickness. Of their Death and Burial.

The work is ingeniously constructed in such a manner, as to present à vocabulary of Indian words, with their significations, while valuable information is given concerning the various topics enumerated in the titles of the chapters. Appended to each chapter are some pious reflections, and a few lines of rude poetry.

An extract from the twenty-first chapter, "Of Religion, the Soul, &c." will furnish a specimen of the work.

"Manit Manittowock, God, Gods.

"Obs. He that questions whether God made the world, the Indians will teach him. I must acknowledge, I have received, in my converse with them, many confirmations of those two great points, Heb. 11: 6. viz:

"1. That God is.

"2. That he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him.

They will generally confess that God made all; but then, in special, although they deny not that Englishman's God made English men, and the heavens and earth there; yet their Gods made them, and the heaven and the earth where they dwell.

me.

"Nummus quauna-muckqun manit. God is angry with

"Obs. I heard a poor Indian lamenting the loss of a child, at break of day, call up his wife and children, and all about him, to lamentation, and with abundance of tears, cry out, O, God, thou hast taken away my child! thou art

angry with me: O, turn thine the rest of my children.

"If they receive any good in hunting, fishing, harvest, &c. they acknowledge God in it.

"Yea, if it be but an ordinary accident, a fall, &c. they will say, God was angry and did it.

Musquantum manit. God is angry.

"But herein is their misery:

"First. They branch their godhead into many gods. Secondly. Attribute it to creatures.

"First. Many gods: they have given me the names of thirty-seven, which I have, all which, in their solemn worships, they invocate: as,

"Kautantowwit. The great south-west god, to whose house all souls go, and from whom came their corn and beans, as they say.

Wompanand.
Chekesuwand.

Wunnanameanit.

Sowwanand.

Wetuomanit.

The eastern god.

The western god.

The northern god.

The southern god.
The house god.

"Even as the papists have their he and she saint protectors, as St. George, St. Patrick, St. Dennis, Virgin Mary,

&c.

Squauanit.
Muckquachuckquand.

The woman's god.
The children's god.

"Secondly. As they have many of these feigned deities, so worship they the creatures in whom they conceive doth rest some deity:

Keesuckquand.
Nanepaushat.

Paumpagussit.

Yotaanit.

The sun god.

The moon god.

The sea.

The fire god.

"Supposing that deities be in these, &c."

"The general Observation of Religion, &c.

"The wandering generations of Adam's lost posterity, having lost the true and living God, their Maker, have created, out of the nothing of their own inventions, many false and feigned gods and creators.

"More particular,

"Two sorts of men shall naked stand,
Before the burning ire

Of him, that shortly shall appear,
In dreadful flaming fire.

First, millions know not God, nor for
His knowledge care to seek ;
Millions have knowledge store, but, in
Obedience, are not meek.

If woe to Indians, where shall Turk,
Where shall appear the Jew?

O, where shall stand the Christian false ?
O, blessed then the true."

The work displays genius, industry and benevolence. It was very valuable when it was written, and it is still one of the best works on the subject. It breathes, throughout, a spirit of piety, and it closes in the following devout strain:

"Now, to the Most High and Most Holy, Immortal, Invisible, and only wise God, who alone is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, who was, and is, and is to come; from whom, by whom, and to whom are all things; by whose gracious assistance and wonderful supportment in so many varieties of hardship and outward miseries, I have had such converse with barbarous nations, and have been mercifully assisted, to frame this poor Key, which may (through his blessing, in his own holy season,) open a door, yea, doors of unknown mercies to us and them, be honor, glory, power, riches, wisdom, goodness and dominion ascribed by all his in Jesus Christ to eternity. Amen.”

Of the original edition, the copy in the library of the Massachusetts Historical Society is probably the only one in this country. In the third and fifth volumes of the Society's Collections, first series, a large part of the work was republished. The first volume of the Collections of the Rhode-Island Historical Society contains a handsome edition of the Key, with a well written preface, and a brief memoir of the author.

His next publication was entitled "The Bloody Tenet of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience, discussed, in a Conference between Truth and Peace, who, in all tender affection, present to the High Court of Parliament (as the

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result of their Discourse) these, (amongst other passages) of highest consideration. Printed in the year 1644." was published without the name of the author. The origin of this work was this: A person, who was confined in Newgate, on account of his religious opinions, wrote a paper against persecution. Having not the use of pen and ink, he wrote these arguments in milk, in sheets of paper, brought to him by the woman, his keeper, from a friend in London, as the stopples of his milk bottle. In such paper, written with milk, nothing will appear; but the way of reading it by fire being known to this friend, who received the papers, he transcribed and kept together the papers.'

This essay was sent to Mr. Cotton, of Boston. He wrote a reply, of which Mr. Williams' book is an examination. Its title, "The Bloody Tenet," is a fanciful reference to the circumstance, that the original paper of the prisoner was written with milk. "These arguments against such persecution, and the answer pleading for it, written (as love hopes) from godly intentions, hearts and hands, yet in a marvellous different style and manner-the arguments against persecution in milk, the answer for it (as I may say) in blood."

The book is dedicated "To the Right Honorable, both Houses of the High Court of Parliament." After an address "To every courteous reader," and a minute table of contents, the essay of the prisoner and Mr. Cotton's reply are inserted. Then follows the main work, divided into one hundred and thirty-eight short chapters, eighty-one of which are employed in discussing Mr. Cotton's reply, and the remainder in examining "A Model of Church and Civil Power, composed by Mr. Cotton and the Ministers of New-England, and sent to the Church at Salem, as a further Confirmation of the Bloody Doctrine of Persecution for Cause of Conscience." The whole work forms a small quarto, of two hundred and forty-seven pages. A few copies exist, in the large libraries in this country.

* Bloody Tenet, p. 18.

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+ The copy now before me belongs to the library of Harvard College, having been borrowed in accordance with the very liberal regulations of that noble collection of books. This copy was presented