1643. Much difficulty, for several years, by an opinion which some of the people entertained, that the baptism of infants was sinful. William Witter was presented at the Salem Court for his conduct in this respect, & on February 28th, the following record was made: William Witter, Now coming in, answered humbly, & confessed his Ignorance, & his willingness to see Light, &, (upon Mr. Norris, our Elder, his speech,) seemed to be staggered, In as much as that he came in court meltinglie. Sentence, Have called our ordenonce of God, a badge of the whore, on some Lecture day, the next 5th day, being a public fast, To acknowledge his fait, And to ask Mr. Cobbett forgiveness, in saying he spok against his conscience. And enjoined to be heare next court att Salem. At the same court, Roger Scott was presented, a for common sleeping at the public exercise upon the Lords day, & for striking him that waked him. In December following, not having amended his conduct, he was sentenced by the court, to be severely whipped. It was the custom at this time, during the public service, for a person to go about the meeting to wake the sleepers. He bore a long wand, on one end of which was a ball, & on the other a fox tail. When he observed the men asleep, he rapped them on the head with the knob; & roused the slumbering sensibilities of the ladies by drawing the brush lightly across their faces. On Sunday morning, March, 5th there was an earthquake. (The 2nd earthquake in New England occurred March 5, 1643. At 7oclock in the morning, says Gov. Winthrop, being the Lords day, there was a great earthquake. It came with a rumbling noise, like the former, but, through the Lords mercy, it did no harm. The above is the only notice I can find of this earthquake. Gov. Winthrop seems to be the only one of our early historians who notices it, & that it is mentioned in neither Mallets or Van Hoffs catalogue.) [Henry Walton was presented at the court for saying he had as Leave to heare a dogg Barke as to heare mr Cobbett preach. He was acquitted, however, for want of proof.] A controversy was in agitation respecting the right of the Assistants to a negative vote upon the resolves of the Representatives. Mr. Cobbet wrote a treatise, in which he advocated the right of the Assistants, & the question was finally decided in their favor. On July 5th, says Governor Winthrop, there arose a sudden gust at NW. so violent for half an hour as it blew down multitudes of trees. It lifted up their meeting-house at Newbury, the people being in it. It darkened the air with dust, yet through Gods great mercy it did no hurt, but only killed 1 Indian. It was straight between Linne & Hampton. ( In fact, the 1st tornado ever recorded in the USA might have been that witnessed by the Governor of Massachusetts. Some believe, however, that this sudden gust actually came from a gust front or downburst-type storm.) In June, Mr. Edward Tomlins was appointed by the Court, a commissioner to treat with the Indians. He was also appointed clerk of the writs instead of Mr. Richard Sadler. [Mr. Lewis has placed his Indian mission a little too early, or else he was more than once detailed for such service. It was on May 30, 1644, that he was ordred & appoynted, by both howses of the Courte to goe vppon a messuage to ye Narragansett sachems, & dismissed from the howse for ye present to ppare himselfe for ye journey. (Col. Recs.) He went on his mission in company with Humphrey Atherton. And it is represented that one of their 1st acts was to catechise the. benighted Narragansetts on the 10 Commandments.] Joseph Armitage, who kept the tavern on the west of Saugus River, having become involved in pecuniary difficulty, in consequence of certain speculations beyond his means, his wife Jane presented a petition to the General Court, in June, that they would reconfirme the custody of the said ordinary to the petitioness. It was signed by the 2 ministers, & by 32 other principal inhabitants, & was granted on October 26th. Joseph Armitage is allowed to keep the ordinary, but not to draw wine. [It is probable that Mr. Armitage remained in straitened circumstances for some time, for at the June term of the court at Salem, in 1669, he presented a petition for the payment of a number of old demands for entertainment furnished to sundry dignitaries, which reads thus: To the Honered Court now sitting at Saftewi. The Humble petition of Joseph Armitage Humbly Sheweth that in the time that I kept Ordinary ther was sum expences at my Hows by some of the Honored magistrates & Depetys of this County as apears by ther bills charged oupon Auditor Generall, which I never Receaued. Therfor your Humbell petticioner doth humbly request this Court that they would give me an order to the County Treasurer for my pay & so your pour petitioner shall ever pray for your prosperity. Joseph Armitege. It was probably on account of the refusal of the Court to allow Mr. Armitage to sell spirit, that he procured the warrant mentioned in the Salem court files, December 27th, when Joseph Armitage was presented, for procuring a warrant for seaventy persons to appeare forthwithe before the Governor, which we conceive may be of dangerous consequence. [Mr. Armitage having been fined for not informing the constable of a person being drunk in his company, as the law required, petitioned to have the fine remitted. But the Court answer, May 13, 1651, that they see no cause to abate the petitioner any part of that fine. [Mr. Armitage died in 1680. His administrator was Henry Styche. Richard Haven & John Ballard appraised the estate which they rendered at £6.2.6.]
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 11:05:29 +0000
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