se and pains I have composed and
published for the instruction and good of my country." He published
three parts of the second volume, and made elaborate preparations for
its continuance. He began his work at the patriarchal period, and
brought it down with careful attention to reliable facts into the
earliest annals and descriptive history of Plymouth Colony, throwing
light on the mode of living and thinking of the Puritans by copious
quotations from their diaries. If his diligent and inquisitive mind
could have completed this wonderful production,--bringing it to the
middle of the 18th century,--it would have been such a perfect and
minute account of the early history of New England that there would
have been nothing for later historians to glean. It was, however,
unappreciated at the time of its publication, which was a discouragement
to him, though he always maintained, with his peculiar insight into the
needs of coming ages, that the time would surely arrive when his
patient and laborious work would meet with some reward,--a prophecy
which has been more than fulfilled as far as the historians of New
England are concerned.

The last work of his busy life was the revision of the Bay Psalm Book.
Mr. Prince, in his account of this undertaking, gives an idea of the
thoroughness of his preparatory work. He says: "The old Psalm Book,--the
first book printed in all North America, or in the New World,--this
version of 1640, by the clergymen, John Elliot, of Roxbury, Mr. Richard
Mather, of Dorchester, and Mr. Thomas Weld,--was liked so much, that it
was used by some congregations in England while I was there." "To gain
sentiment," he says, for his own version, "I read every verse in English
Bible and Polyglot; also in Hebrew, with Moulane's Interlineary, the
Septuagint, the Chaldee, the ancient Latin, Latin versions of Syriac and
Arabic, Castalio, Tremilius and Junius, Ainsworth and De Mies. When I
met with difficulty I searched the following ancient lexicons:
Avenarius, Schindler, Pagnini, Mercer, Buxtorfs two lexicons, namely,
Hebrew and Chaldaic, Leigh, Castillus, Bythun, and Martin Albert." There
were also various interpretations from another long list of names; while
he looked into New England version for groundwork, he compared with
twelve metrical versions.

A contemporary says: "It showed his wonderful industry and remarkable
scholarship." His professional labors throughout fifty years were very
arduous, but he bro