And they transmit a form of oaths to be taken by
the governor and members of the council.

After the organization under the charter, no time was lost in
despatching a reenforcement of colonists. Six vessels were prepared, and
license was obtained from the lord treasurer for the embarkation of
"eighty women and maids, twenty-six children, and three hundred men,
with victuals, arms, and tools, and necessary apparel," and with "one
hundred forty head of cattle, and forty goats." A committee of the
company were careful "to make plentiful provision of godly ministers."
Mr. Skelton, Mr. Higginson, and Mr. Bright, members of the Council, with
Mr. Smith, another minister, sailed in the first three vessels, which
reached Salem about the same time, and were soon followed by the residue
of the fleet. Mr. Graves, another of the counsellors, was employed by
the associates as an engineer. Immediately on arriving, he proceeded
with "some of the company's servants under his care, and some others,"
to Mishawum, where he laid out a town. Bright, who was one of his party,
returned to England in the following summer, dissatisfied, probably,
with the ecclesiastical proceedings which had taken place. Smith went
for the present to the fishing-station at Nantasket.

Higginson wrote home: "When we came first to Naumkeag we found about
half-score houses, and a fair house newly built for the Governor. We
found also abundance of corn planted by them, very good and well-liking.
And we brought with us about two hundred passengers and planters more,
which, by common consent of the old planters, were all combined together
into one body politic, under the same Governor. There are in all of us,
both old and new planters, about three hundred, whereof two hundred of
them are settled at Naumkeag, now called Salem, and the rest have
planted themselves at Masathuset's Bay, beginning to build a town there,
which we do call Charleston, or Charlestown. But that which is our
greatest comfort and means of defence above all other is, that we have
here the true religion and holy ordinances of Almighty God taught among
us. Thanks be to God, we have here plenty of preaching and diligent
catechizing, with strict and careful exercise and good commendable
orders to bring our people into a Christian conversation with whom we
have to do withal. And thus we doubt not but God will be with us; and if
God be with us, who can be against us?"

Meanwhile, a movement of the ut