336 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. any town. The women, children, and goods, were sent to the place in a small barque; the men travelled by land; but the barque arriving a day before the ship, the sea being rough, and the women very sick, the seamen put into a small creek. The next morning the ship came, but the barque was aground. That no time might be lost, the captain sent his boat to receive some of the men who were on shore. As the boat was returning for more, the captain saw a great company of horse and foot coming armed from the country ; at which he weighed anchor, hoisted sail, and having a fair wind, was soon out of sight. The men on board were thus separated from their wives and children, without a change of garments, or money in their pockets. Tears flowed from their eyes, but tears were in vain. They were soon after tossed in a most terrible storm, and driven on the coast of Norway. They sawneither sun, moon, nor stars, for seven 'days. The mariners despaired of obtaining relief, and once they supposed the ship actually going down ; when, with shrieks and cries, they exclaimed, We sink, we sink. The puritan passengers, in this scene of horror and desperation, without any great distraction, cried, 44 Yet, Lord, thou canst save : yet, Lord, thou canst save;" with similar expressions. The ship soon after recovered herself; the fury of the storm presently abated ; and they safely arrived in Holland. Mr. Robinson and some others of them, having, like valiant generals, remained to see the feeblest safe on board, were left on shore. The men escaped, excepting those who voluntarily stayed to assist the women and children. Here was a scene of distress : husbands and fathefs torn from their wives and children, and carried intoa foreign country ; children crying with fear, and shivering with cold ! What could sustain the mother's breaking heart ? -Charity or humanity would have pitied and cheered the weeping throng ! But charity and humanity were not there. Perse- cution raised her cruel voice, terrible as death ; and hurried them from one place to another, from one officer to another, till their enemies were tired of their victory. To imprison so many innocent women and children, would have excited public odium. Homes they had none ; for they had dis- posed of their property. Their unfeeling oppressors were, at length, glad to get rid of them.. From these multiplied sufferings the whole company Morse and Parish's New England, p. 7, 8.-Evangelical Magazine, vol. vi. p. S12, S13.
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