Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 06.djvu/175

 daughter. His son William, by the second marriage (born on 17 June 1624, died on 20 Feb. 1703-4), was deputy-governor of the colony, and attained high distinction during the wars with the Indians.

Though not enjoying special educational advantages in early life, Bradford possessed more literary culture than was common among those of similar occupation to himself. He had some knowledge of Latin and Greek, and knew sufficient Hebrew to enable him to 'see with his own eyes the ancient oracles of God in their native beauty.' He was also well read in history and philosophy, and an adept in the theological discussion peculiar to the time. He employed much of his leisure in literary composition, but the only work of his which appeared in his lifetime was 'A Diary of Occurrences' during the first year of the colony, from their landing at Cape Cod on 9 Nov. 1620 to 18 Dec. 1621. This book, written in conjunction with Edward Winslow, was printed at London in 1622, with a preface signed by G. Mourt. The manuscripts he left behind him are thus referred to in a clause of his will: 'I commend unto your wisdom and discretion some small books written by my own hand, to be improved as you shall see meet. In special I commend to you a little book with a black cover, wherein there is a word to Plymouth, a word to Boston, and a word to New England.' These books are all written in verse, and in the Cabinet of the Historical Society of Massachusetts there is a transcript copy of these verses which bears date 1657. It contains (1) 'Some observations of God's merciful dealings with us in this wilderness,' published first in a fragmentary form in 1794 in vol. iii. 1st series, pp. 77-84, of the 'Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society,' by Belknap, among whose papers the fragment of the original manuscript was found, and in 1858 presented to the society; published in complete form in the 'Proceedings' of the society, 1869-70, pp. 465-78; (2) 'A Word to Plymouth,' first published in 'Proceedings,' 1869-70, pp. 478-82; (3) and (4) 'Of Boston in New England,' and 'A Word to New England,' published in 1838 in vol. vii., 3rd series of the 'Collections;' (5) 'Epitaphium Meum,' published in Morton's 'Memorial,' pp. 264-5 of Davis's edition; and (6) a long piece in verse on the religious sects of New England, which has never been published. In 1841 Alexander Young published 'Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers of the Colony of Plymouth from 1602 to 1625,' containing, in addition to other tracts, the following writings belonging to Bradford: (1) A fragment of his 'History of the Plymouth Plantation,' including the history of the community before its removal to Holland down to 1620, when it set sail for America, printed from a manuscript in the records of the First Church, Plymouth, in the handwriting of Secretary Morton, with the inscription, 'This was originally penned by Mr. Wm. Bradford, governor of New Plymouth;' (2) the 'Diary of Occurrences' referred to above, first printed 1622, again in an abridged form by Purchas 1625, in the fourth volume of his 'Pilgrims,' thus reprinted 1802 in vol. viii. of the Massachusetts Historical Society 'Collections,' and the portions omitted in the abridgment reprinted with a number of errors in vol. xix. of the 'Collections,' from a manuscript copy of the original made at Philadelphia; (3) 'A. Dialogue or the Sum of a Conference between some young men born in New England and sundry ancient men that came out of Holland and Old England,' 1648, printed from a complete copy in the records of the First Church, Plymouth, into which it was copied by Secretary Morton, but existing also in a fragmentary form in the handwriting of Bradford in the Cabinet of the Massachusetts Historical Society; (4) a 'Memoir of Elder Brewster,' also copied by Morton from the original manuscript into the church records; (5) a fragment of Bradford's letter-book, containing letters to him, rescued from a grocer's shop in Halifax, the earlier and more valuable part having been destroyed. Bradford was the author of two other dialogues or conferences, of which the second has apparently perished, but the third, 'concerning the church and government thereof,' having the date 1652, was found in 1826 among some old papers taken from the remains of Mr. Prince's collection, belonging to the old South Church of Boston, and published in the 'Proceedings' of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1869-70, pp. 406-64. Copies of several of his letters were published in the 'Collections' of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. iii. 1st series, pp. 27-77, and his letters to John Winthrop in vol.vi. 4th series, pp. 156-61. The manuscripts of Bradford were made use of by Morton, Prince, and Hutchinson for their historical works, and are the principal authorities for the early history of the colony. Besides the manuscripts already mentioned, they had access to a connected 'History of the Plymouth Plantation,' by Bradford, which at one time existed in Bradford's own handwriting in the New England Library, but was supposed to have been lost during the war with England. In Anderson's 'History of the Colonial Church,' published in 1848, the manuscript was referred to as 'now in the