take charge of the cattle sent over the year before. And not liking
their seat at Cape Ann, chosen especially for the supposed commodity of
fishing, they transported themselves to Nahumkeike, about four or five
leagues distant to the southwest from Cape Ann."

White wrote to Conant, exhorting him "not to desert the business,
faithfully promising that if himself with three others, whom he knew to
be honest and prudent men, viz., John Woodbury, John Balch, and Peter
Palfrey, employed by the adventurers, would stay at Naumkeag, and give
timely notice thereof, he would provide a patent for them, and likewise
send them whatever they should write for, either men, or provision, or
goods wherewith to trade with the Indians." With difficulty Conant
prevailed upon his companions to persevere. They "stayed to the hazard
of their lives." Woodbury was sent to England for supplies.

"The business came to agitation afresh in London, and being at first
approved by some and disliked by others, by argument and disputation it
grew to be more vulgar; insomuch that some men, showing good affection
to the work, and offering the help of their purses if fit men might be
procured to go over, inquiry was made whether any would be willing to
engage their persons in the voyage. By this inquiry it fell out that
among others they lighted at last on Master Endicott, a man well known
to divers persons of good note, who manifested much willingness to
accept of the offer as soon as it was tendered, which gave great
encouragement to such as were upon the point of resolution to set on
this work of erecting a new colony upon the old foundation."

The scheme on foot was no longer one of Dorchester fishermen looking for
a profitable exercise of their trade. It had "come to agitation in
London," where some men had offered "the help of their purses," and a
man of consequence, Humphrey, probably from a county as distant as
Lincoln, was already, or very soon after, treasurer of the fund. Matters
were ripe for the step of securing a domain for a colony, and the
dimensions of the domain show that the colony was not intended to be a
small one. A grant of lands extending from the Atlantic to the Western
Ocean, and in width from a line of latitude three miles north of the
River Merrimac to a line three miles south of the Charles, was obtained
from the Council for New England by "Sir Henry Roswell and Sir John
Young, knights, and Thomas Southcote, John Humphrey, Jo