Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 8.djvu/130

 1X3

��Early History of the Bermuda Islands.

���sons noted for their religious zeal, of Puritan principles and the accom- panying spirit of independence. They represented that the recent disaster had dissolved the authority of the Gov-

��ernor, and their busi- ness was now to provide, as they best could, for themselves and their families. They had come out in search of an easy and plentiful subsist- ence, which could no- where be found in greater perfection and security than here, while in Virginia its attain- ment was not only doubtful, but attended with many hardships. These arguments were so convincing with the larger number of the men that, had it rested with them, they would have lived and died on the islands.

Two successive con- spiracies were formed by large parties to separate from the rest and form a colony. Both were defeated by the vigilance of Gates, who allowed the ringleaders to es- cape with a slight pun- ishment. This lenity only emboldened the malcontents, and a third plot was formed to seize the stores and take en- tire possession of the islands. It was deter- mined to make an ex- ample of one of the leaders named Payne; he was condemned to be hanged, but, on the plea of being a gendeman, his sentence was commuted into that of being shot, which was im- mediately done. This had a salutary ef- fect, and prevented any further trouble.

�� �