Captain Thomas Cromwell settles in Massachusetts—His death—Edward Winslow’s long stay in England: 1646.
About the middle of May this year, three men of war entered the harbour. The Captain’s name was Thomas Cromwell, and he had captured several prizes from the Spaniards in the West Indies. He had a commission from the Earl of Warwick. Aboard his vessel were about 80 strong young fellows, but very unruly, who, when they came ashore, so distempered themselves with drink that they became like madmen; and though some of them were punished and imprisoned, they could hardly be restrained; but in the end they became more moderate and orderly. They remained here about a month or six weeks, then going on to Massachusetts; in the meantime scattering a great deal of money among the people,—and even more sin than money, I fear, notwithstanding all the care taken to prevent it.
While they were here a sad accident occurred. One desperate fellow amongst them started wrangling with some of his comrades. Captain Cromwell commanded him to be quiet and cease his quarreling; but he would not, and reviled him with bad language, and in the end half drew his rapier intending to run at him; but the captain closed with him and snatched the rapier from him and gave him a box on the ear; even then he would not give over, but continued to assault him. Whereupon the Captain gave him a blow with the hilt of the rapier, just as it was in the scabbard. It chanced to hit his head, and the small end of the bar of the rapier-hilt piercing his skull, he died a few days after. But the captain was exonerated by court martial, for it appeared that the fellow was so quarrelsome that he had several times been chained under hatches to prevent him from hurting his comrades, to which they testified.
This Captain Cromwell made another voyage to the West Indies from the Bay of Massachusetts, well manned and provisioned. He was out three years and took many prizes, and returned rich to Massachusetts. The same summer he had a fall from his horse; he fell on his rapier hilt, and bruised himself so badly that he died shortly after. It was remarked by some that this might show the hand of God, and that as one of his men had died of the blow he gave him with the rapier hilt, so his own death was caused by similar means.
This year Mr. Edward Winslow went to England. Some discontented persons in Massachusetts had endeavoured to disturb the peace, and to undermine if not upset their government, by uttering many slanders about them, and even intended to prosecute them in England by petitioning and complaining to Parliament. Samuel Gorton and his people also made complaints against them. So they chose Mr. Winslow, as their agent, to defend them, and gave him commission and instructions to that end. He managed things so well for them that he cleared them of all blame and dishonour, and disgraced their opponents. But owing to the great upheavals in the government there, he was detained longer than was expected, and later he met with other employments there, so that he has now been absent for four years, which has been much to the loss of this government.