Thursday, March 25, 2010

A Poem about the English

some scattered notes
on the settling
of the colonies
by the english
of the English
it was Gosnald-
was one of the first
-report on habits
disposition of the native
and mostly- products
-what products to be had
Pring  was in it
traded for  sassafras and fur
Waymouth on his ship
Archangel mapped
explored the Maine coast
taking back five -
five Indians back
back to England where...
well, 
it was
that they should speak of riches -
riches to be had
this
so money might be raised -
money to be used
to build the colonies.
      Capt Challons made the mistake
took the southern route
his ship,  taken by Spanish
never reached Virginia
Jamestown was holding
but Sagadahoc less than a year
lasted -
the death of George Popham
fire in the storehouse
no gold found
for hope
or inspiration
.......................
Harlow had it in mind
did it -
kidnapped five natives
off Martha’s Vineyard
brought them back to England
and Hunt
he took 24 to  Malago
and there
sold them
one of them Squanto
the Wampanoag
who was in later years
valuable help to the Puritans
until going too far
Massasoit asked for his head
Jamestown still held
but there was
of course
growing hostility towards
and mistrust
of
of course
the English -
the  plague was there
in 1616 - 1617
making it easier for English
interpreted by Puritan
as God
making room for His people
...................................
Wampanoag
unseen
silent at Plymouth
when Puritan came
watching
listening
seeing the English at work
Nauset
set ambush to English
in December
with no success
                         in December
it was found -
English settlement
built on the site
of Pawtuxet -
old Wampanoag village
decimated during the plague
English named this as Plymouth
by 1628
    300 at Salem
    ( Naumkeag then in name
white at Charlestown
more and more into Watertown,
Boston,
Boston growing fast -
fast because of harbor
expansion inland
in forms of trading post
trade at Matianuck    ( now as Windsor
settlement at Pyquag -
the start of Dorchester
   Saukiog became as Hartford for the white men
.............................
what started it was -
was Stone and the seven of his crew
the ones the Pequot killed
many
including Puritan
said he deserved it -
this death
but not the seven -
the dead being English
was enough
and it was revenge
that was wanted
scattered raids
as, like at Saybrook
or, say, at Wethersfield
where
after the ambush
Pequot paddled
up to Fort Saybrook
hoisting the shirts
and skirts
of the dead
as if they were English sails -
raids gave way  to war
war between Pequot and English
Mohegan in it
in it for the English
to prove loyalty
came to Saybrook
with four Pequot heads
and one -
living warrior
for him
living warrior
it was for one leg to be tied to the post
to the other, rope -
and like this
to be torn apart -
by  English
   Capt Underhill says the body
   was roasted and eaten by Mohegan
in a half hour
Mason’s  army killed
six hundred
Pequot men women and children
- this at Fort
    on Mystic River
Mason
in Puritan fashion
took not the credit
played it down
putting it -
the credit
to his god
this -
for judging the heathen
and filling the place with their bodies
Stoughten landed at Pequot Harbor
rounded up natives that remained
thirty-three women and children
given to the Narragansetts
three went to the Massachusetts
fifty-four kept for the Bay Colony itself
- the twenty - two warriors -
executed
.......................
Quinnipiac   ( New Haven
was site of battle
women children and old men
allowed to leave the swamp
warriors tried
in vain
to escape
lay huddled together to die
....................................
muskets loaded with ten to twelve balls
fired at close range
Sassacus and forty warriors
later
found by Mohegan
their heads and hands
arrived at Hartford
presentd for the English
Sassacus
       sachem was dead.