162 LIFE. OF RICHARD BAXTER. him real to us in this business from first to last ; yet did Bedding- field, by the friendship of the attorney-general and some others, so delay the business, as, bringing it to a suit in chancery, he kept Mr. Ashurst in a twelve-month's trouble before he could recover the lands ; but when it came to judgment, the lord chancellorspake very much against him, and granted a decree for the new corpora- tion. For I had procured of him before, the king'sgrant of a new corporation ; and Mr. Ashurst and myself had the naming of the members. We desired +. Robert Boyle, a worthy person of learning and a public spirit, and brother to the earl of Cork, tobe president; and I got Mr. Ashurst to be treasurer again; and some of the old members, and many other godly able citizens, made up the rest. Only we left the nomination of some lords to his majes- ty, as not presuming to nominate such; and the lord chancellor, lord chamberlain, and six or seven more, were added. But it was Mr. Boyle and Mr. Ashurst, with the citizens, that did the work; but especially the care and trouble of all was on Mr. Ashurst. And thus t at business was happily restored. "As a fruit of this his majesty's favor, Mr. Elliot sent the king, first the New Testament;and then the whole Bible, translated and printed in the Indians' language;such a work and fruit of a plan- tation as was never before presented to a king. And he sent word that next he would print my ' Call to the Unconverted,' and then The Practice of Piety.' But Mr. Boyle sent him word that it would bebetter taken here, if' The Practice of Piety ''were print- ed before any thing of mine. At the present, the revenue of the land goeth most to the maintainingof the press. Upon the occa- sion of this work, I had letters of thanks from the court and governor in New England, and from Mr. Norton and Mr. Elliot."* These letters are given at length in Baxter's Narrative; but they are more important in connection with the historyof New England than as a part pf hispersonal history. The.first is dated "Boston, in New England, this 7th of August, 1661," and issigned "Jo. En- decott, Governor; with the consent and by order of the General Court." It was written ón the presumption that " one of his ma- jesty's chaplains in ordinary," who had been instrumental in reor- ganizing the corporation for the benefit of the Indians, must have some influence at court ; and while it beautifully expresses the thanks of the Massachusetts colony for what he had already done, it solicits his continual good offices in their behalf. " What ad- vantage," say they, " God bath put into your hands, and reserved your weak body unto, by access unto persons of honor and trust, " Narrative, Part II, pp. 2917, 201
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=