Helter Skelter

perately wounded several others. It was a very cold winter day, with much snow on the ground; but as the hunting was in a thick pine forest and the day was sunny, we did not feel the cold. The king and all his hunting retinue were clad in an old-fashioned hunting uniform of green, with green caps. The sight of the old monarch and his retinue galloping through the alleys of the forest, the jägers dashing singly about in all directions, cheering the hounds; the shouts ; the blasts of horns; the cry of hounds ringing through the forest, altogether made one of the most animating scenes I ever beheld. . . .

Being an account of the way in which Charles Godfrey Leland "took Europe like a pie "

(To Henry Perry Leland)

PARIS, LATIN QUARTER (cheap and fly!)

le 18 Nov. cold and clear

Y OWN BRAVE HARRY, God bless you a

MY

thousand times for your letter, dated nothing at all, which came by the last steamer. I feel warmed to the soul to think what a good friend I have at home in thee. Oh, a thousand blessings on thy warm, true heart! ... As for my Polish business, it was a wild, adventurous, nightmare piece of business which makes me shudder when I think of it. Oh, that silent, dead, ghastly land, with its long dead levels and moaning pine forests and mud—mud! It was dreary and witchlike and wild. But that delicious rainy morning, at four o'clock, at the mercy of a pack of Russians in a wilderness! How jolly Vienna was! Oh, the theatre and cafés, etc., etc. Won't I talk when I return! And the whole journey, helter skelter, pipe in mouth, and devil take the odds. Didn't we go it! I was the individ. as enjoyed myself.

Sometimes half

dead with fatigue, cold and hunger, and then, plump, slap into the fat of the land. And such a companion! Didn't he travel into the tobacco and wine and beer! We took Europe like a pie between us and helped ourselves. Then came Berlin, and the American students, and a public ball, and all sorts of fun, and the glorious gallery, and then Hanover and an adventure, and then Westphalia, and Cologne, and Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. Holland is a mean sort of a snobbish land, devilish dear, and I travelled through it to say I'd been there, for it is terribly deficient in all attractions or curious articles.

It's 4. I'm

off to dinner, cheap and common, and then - Don Giovanni with Lablache and Grisi. Don't you (and don't 1) wish you were with me? . . .

Why travel?

IT

(Catharine Sedgwick to Mrs. K. S. Minot)

LENOX, September 28, 1851

T is good, as the burdens of age accumulate, to shake them all off; to change old, tiresome ideas for new ones; to take a world of fresh impressions; to fill the store-house of imagination with new and beautiful images; to gain assurance to uncertain opinions; to verify old fancies; to throw off some of your old social burdens while you extend the social chain; in short, to go to Italy and come home again! And I think it would be a good plan, Kate, to send out one of the family every year to bring home "bread and fruit" for those that must stay at home. Plowshares and reaping-hooks are grand things, but one would like some of the delectations of life. It was a convenient way of watering the earth in the old times of Adam and Eve by dews, but the clouds and rainbows are the fine arts of Nature.

Words of Comfort

X

MAKERS OF HISTORY

John Winthrop is elected governor of the Massachusetts Company

("To my verye lovinge Wife, Mrs Winthrop the elder at Groton, Suff 'k")

MY

Y DEARE WIFE, -I am verye sorry that I am forced to feed thee wth lettres, when my presence is thy due, & so much desired: but my trust is, that he who hath so disposed of it, will supply thee wth patience, & better comforte in the want of him whom thou so much desirest: The Lord is able to doe this, & thou mayst expect it, for he hath promised it. Seeinge he calls me into his worke, he will have care of thee & all ors & or affaires in my absence: therefore I must sende thee to him, for all thou lackest: goe boldly (sweet wife) to the throne of Grace; if any thinge trouble thee, acquainte the Lord wth it; tell him, he hath taken thy husband from thee, pray him to be a husband to thee, a father to thy children, a master to thy householde, thou shalt finde him faithfull: thou art not guilty of my departure, thou hast not driven me awaye by any unkindnesse, or want of dutye, therefore thou mayst challenge protection & blessinge of him.

I prayse the Lorde I am in health & cheerfull in my course, wherein I find God gratiously present, so as we expect, he wilbe pleased to direct & prosper us. We have great advantage because we have many prayers.

Bee not discouraged (deare heart) though I sett thee no tyme of my returne; I hope it shall not be longe, & I will make no more staye then I needs must.

So it is that it hath pleased the Lorde to call me to a further trust in this businesse of the Plantation, then either I expected or finde myselfe fitt for, (beinge chosen by the Company to be their Governor). The onely thinge that I have comforte of in it is, that heerby I have assurance that my charge is of the Lorde & that he hath called me to this worke: O that he would give me an heart now to answeare his goodnesse to me, & the expectation of his people! I never had more need of prayers, helpe me (deare wife) & lett us sett or hearts to seeke the Lorde, & cleave to him sincearly.

My brothers & sisters salute you all: my sonne remembers his dutye to thee, & salutations to all the rest. Comende me kindly to all or friends at Groton hall, & to Mr Leigh & his wife, my neighbor Cole & his wife, or friends at Castleins & all that love us. So the Lorde blesse thee & all or children & companye. So I kisse my sweet wife & rest

thy faithfull husband

Octob: 20 1629

Jo: WINTHROP

I would faine knowe if thou shalt be like to goe wth me, for thou shalt never have so good opportunity. Let John enq out 2 or 3: Carpenters: & knowe how many of or neighbors will goe, that we may provide shipps for them.

Governor Bradford explains to Mr. Weston the delay in sending back the "Mayflower"

S

: Your large letter written to Mr Carver, and dated ye 6. of July, 1621, I have received ye 10. of Novemb', wherein (after ye apologie made for your selfe) you lay many heavie imputations upon him and us all. Touching

Great Tribulation

him, he is departed this life, and now is at rest in ye Lord from all those troubls and incoumbrances with which we are yet to strive. He needs not my apologie; for his care and pains was so great for ye commone good, both ours and yours, as that therewith (it is thought) he oppressed him selfe and shortened his days; of whose loss we cannot sufficiently complaine. At great charges in this adventure, I confess you have beene, and many losses may sustaine; but ye loss of his and many other honest and industrious mens lives, cannot be vallewed at any prise. Of ye one, there may be hope of recovery, but ye other no recompence can make good. But I will not insiste in generalls, but come more perticulerly to ye things them selves. You greatly blame us for keeping ye ship so long in ye countrie, and then to send her away emptie. She lay 5. weks at Cap-Codd, whilst with many a weary step (after a long journey) and the indurance of many a hard brunte, we sought out in the foule winter a place of habitation. Then we went in so tedious a time to make provission to sheelter us and our goods, aboute wch labour, many of our armes & leggs can tell us to this day we were not necligent. But it pleased God to vissite us then, with death dayly, and with so generall a disease, that the living were scarce able to burie the dead; and ye well not in any measure sufficiente to tend ye sick. And now to be so greatly blamed, for not fraighting ye ship, doth indeed goe near us, and much discourage us. But you say you know we will pretend weaknes; and doe you think we had not cause? Yes, you tell us you beleeve it, but it was more weaknes of judgmente, then of hands. Our weaknes herin is great we confess, therefore we will bear this check patiently amongst ye rest, till God send us wiser men. they which tould you we spent so much time in discoursing & consulting, &c., their harts can tell their toungs, they

But