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.’ [ Winthrop ’s History, 2 : 15 — Ed.]
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 Pequot captives was 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 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. Ele gave charge for their protection and kind treatment.” — Trumbull’s Hist. Connecticut [1 :82 — Ed.]. See also, Hubbard’s Indian Wars, p. 47.
“But Ending 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. [Trumbull’s History, 1:83 — Ed.]
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!’” [Heckewelder’s Account of the History, Manners, and Customs of the Indian Nations, 178— 179 — Ed.]
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 staid, he sat at the lower end of the magistrate’s table.” [Winthrop’s History, 2 178 — Ed.] '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 Arabella, ”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. [Winthrop’s History, 1 : 32 — Ed.]
We believe we have anticipated by three or four years, this title, so well earned and generally bestowed. We cannot pass the hallowed name of Eliot, without pausing earnestly to beseech our youthful readers to study his history, in which they will find exemplified, from youth to extreme old age, the divine precepts of his master. He was the first protestant missionary to the Indians; for nearly half a century their instructor, friend, and father; and when, during the war with the terrific Philip of Mount Hope, fear had turned every hand and heart against them, and their utter extinction was regarded by most, as necessary to the salvation of the English colonies, Eliot was still their indefatigable and fearless advocate. The Christian philanthropist will delight to follow this good man through his diocess of Indian churches; to see him surrounded by his simple catechumens, dealing out the bread of life to them; to go with him to his “prophet’s chamber” at Natick — that apartment prepared by the love of his Indian disciples, and consecrated by his prayers; and finally, to stand by his bedside when, in extreme old age, like his prototype “the beloved apostle,” all other affections having melted into a flame of love. “Alas!” he said, “I have lost every thing. My understanding leaves me. My memory — my utterance fails me; but I thank God my charity holds out still. I find that grows rather than fails.”
His name has been appropriately given to a flourishing missionary station, where the principle on which he at all times insisted is acted upon, viz: “that the Indians must be civilized, as well as, if not in order to their being christianized.” This principle has no opposers in our age, and we cannot but hope, that the present enlightened labours of the followers of Eliot, will be rewarded with such success, as shall convert the faint-hearted, the cold, and the skeptical, into ardent promoters of missions to the Indian race. This reply of Magawisca, we have somewhere seen given as the genuine answer of an Indian, to the solicitation of a missionary, but are not able now to refer to our authority.
Among the various conjectures respecting the etymology of the word Massachusetts, the following communicated by Neal, appears the most satisfactory. “The sachem who governed this part of the country, had his seat on a hill, about two leagues to the southward of Boston. It lies in the shape of an Indian arrow-head, which is called in their language, ‘Mos,’ or ‘Mons.’ A hill in their language is, ‘Wetusett,’ pronounced in their language Wechusett; hence the Great Sachem’s seat was called ‘Moscutusett,’ from whence, with a small variation, the province received the name of Massachusetts .” — History of Boston. [Neal’s History, 1 : y8o — Ed.]
This hill is in the town of Quincy, and now known by the name of “Sachem’s hill.”