New Englands Prospect

A true, lively, and experimentall description of that part of America, commonly called New England: discovering the state of that Countrie, both as it stands to our new-come English Planters; and to the old Native Inhabitants

Though I will promise thee no such voluminous discourse, as many have made upon a scanter subject, (though they have travailed no further than the smoake of their owne native chimnies) yet dare I presume to present thee with the true, and faithfull relation of some few yeares travels and experience, wherein I would be loath to broach any thing which may puzzle thy beleefe, and so justly draw upon my selfe, that unjust aspersion commonly laid on travailers; of whom many say, They may lye by authority, because none can controule them; which Proverbe had surely his originall from the sleepy beleefe of many a home-bred Dormouse, who comprehends not either the raritie or possibility of those things he sees not, to whom the most classicke relations seeme riddles, and paradoxes: of whom it may be said as once of Diogenes, that because he circled himselfe in the circumference of a tubbe, he therefore contemned the Port and Pallace of Alexander, which he knew not. So there is many a tub-brain'd Cynicke, who because any thing stranger than ordinary, is too large for the straite hoopes of his apprehension, he peremptorily concludes it is a lye: But I decline this sort of thicke-witted readers, and dedicate the mite of my endeavours to my more credulous, ingenious, and lesse censorious Country-men, for whose sake I undertooke this worke; and I did it the rather, because there hath some relations heretofore past the Presse, which have beene very imperfect; as also because there hath beene many scandalous and false reports past upon the Country, even from the sulphurious breath of every base ballad-monger: wherefore to perfect the one, and take off the other, I have laid downe the nature of the Country, without any partiall respect unto it, as being my dwelling place where I have lived these foure yeares, and intend God willing to returne shortly againe; but my conscience is to me a thousand witnesses, that what I speake is the very truth, and this will informe thee almost as fully concerning it, as if thou wentest over to see it. Now whereas I have written the latter part of this relation concerning the Indians, in a more light and facetious stile, than the former; because their carriage and behaviour hath afforded more matter of mirth, and laughter, than gravity and wisedome; and therefore I have inserted many passages of mirth concerning them, to spice the rest of my more serious discourse, and to make it more pleasant. Thus thou mayest in two or three houres travaile over a few leaves, see and know that, which cost him that writ it, yeares and travaile, over Sea and Land before he knew it; and therefore I hope thou wilt accept it; which shall be my full reward, as it was my whole ambition, and so I rest,