Of Plymouth Plantation: Book 2, Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

It is strange, Bradford notes, that the Massachusetts colony should have fallen into hard times. The colony suffered because of its disorganization—as a result, many starved to death. The colonists also won the scorn of the Indians, who often stole from them.

Massasoyt becomes seriously ill, and the Pilgrims respond by giving him the best medical care they can. After Massasoyt recovers, he gets word that the Massachusetts Indians are planning to wipe out the colonists. Recognizing that the Pilgrims might try to avenge their fellow Englishmen, Massasoyt alerts the Pilgrims of the impending attack. The Pilgrims then send troops, headed by Captain Standish, to fight the Indians. The Massachusetts settlers are grateful to the Pilgrims for defending them, but still beg the Pilgrims to send food. Standish agrees to help the settlers, and refuses to accept any payment. Bradford notes that the Massachusetts settlers, starved and diseased, had once claimed to be invincible. But, he concludes, “a man’s way is not in his own hands.”

Weston receives word that his men in Massachusetts have fallen on hard times, and he travels across the Atlantic to inspect the colony himself. Near the coast of America, Weston’s shallop (small boat) gets caught in a storm, and Weston nearly drowns. When he comes ashore, Indians attack him and steal his clothes and possessions. Thus, when he finally arrives in Plymouth, he is a shadow of his former self—“so uncertain,” Bradford notes, “are the mutable things of this unstable world.”

In Plymouth, Weston asks to borrow beaver skins from the Pilgrims. He claims that a ship bearing supplies is coming soon. The Pilgrims don’t really believe Weston, but they take pity on him and offer him some food and skins. To this day, Bradford says, Weston has never repaid the Pilgrims. Furthermore, no new ship bearing supplies reaches Plymouth.

Meanwhile, Governor Bradford mandates that all households plant their own corn. Each family is assigned a parcel of land, with the result that the Pilgrims become more industrious. Before, women often claimed to be too frail to work; now they toil alongside their husbands. The Pilgrims had previously tried a communal system of farming, modeled after the ideas of Plato—but Bradford says that the colony’s experiences disprove Plato’s claim that taking away private property benefits the community. The Pilgrims also improve their fishing yields by dividing up into small crews.

The Pilgrims receive a letter from the investors in England, dated December 21, 1622, explaining that they sent a ship full of supplies to the colonists, but that the ship had to return to England due to leaks. Bradford also receives a letter from the Virginia Company, explaining that the land patent for land has reverted from a single congregant, John Pierce, to the company itself. Pierce tried to use his patent to control the company, and the company responded by taking his patent away from him. Pierce then tried to sue the Company; but now, Bradford says, he is dead.

In June of 1623, a ship arrives in Plymouth. The ship has been sent by the English crown to enforce fishing laws and prosecute anyone caught fishing without a license. However, the delegated English authorities find it difficult to prosecute in America—there are simply too many fishermen operating without the proper license. Shortly afterwards, another ship arrives bearing sixty settlers for Plymouth, some of whom are related to Pilgrims in America. The ship also carries a letter from Robert Cushman, apologizing for the lack of supplies onboard the ship. However, the ship has brought salt, fishing gear, and, mostly importantly, fishermen. The Pilgrims are disappointed not to receive more supplies, but they still load the ship with furs to ship back to England.

It’s harvest time again, and this time the yield is high, not just because of luck but because the Pilgrims have become better organized. Since 1623, Bradford says, the Pilgrims haven’t suffered from famine. The colony becomes so successful that settlers come to live there from other colonies. To each of these settlers, Bradford offers the same conditions: that they recognize the governor of the Plymouth Plantation; that they pay a bushel of wheat every year; that they serve the “common defense”; and that they obey all laws. In September, a ship captained by Robert Gorges arrives in Massachusetts. Gorges has a royal mandate to become the new Governor-General of New England.

Later in the year, Thomas Weston arrives in a small ship to again inspect his settlers in Massachusetts. While he’s in America, he’s confronted by Captain Gorges. Gorges accuses Weston of “ill carriage of his men in Massachusetts,” to which Weston replies that he’s protected his men. Gorges also accuses Weston of illegally selling licenses to transport supplies to New England. Weston leaves Massachusetts, angrily saying that Gorges is a young justice but a “good beggar.” At the end of 1623, there is a fire in Plymouth, caused by some sailors who were “roistering.” With God’s mercy, Bradford says, the colonists manage to put out the fire before it does great damage to the community.

Captain Gorges issues a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Weston. Bradford is sorry to hear this news, and tries to persuade Gorges to desist. However, Gorges has already made up his mind. Weston is arrested, and Gorges orders that he turn over all supplies and possessions on his ship—some two weeks’ worth of food. Afterwards, Weston sails back to Virginia, and later dies in Bristol. Captain Gorges later returns to England, partly because the quality of life in America doesn’t “correspond to his station.”