t until nine years later, when Captain John Pickering, who seems to
have had as many professions as Michelangelo, undertook to construct a
cage twelve feet square and seven feet high, with a pillory on top; "the
said Pickering to make a good strong dore and make a substantiale payre
of stocks and places the same in said cage." A spot conveniently near
the west end on the meeting-house was selected as the site for this
ingenious device. It is more than probable that "the said Pickering"
indirectly furnished an occasional bird for his cage, for in 1672 we
find him and one Edward Westwere authorized by the selectmen to "keepe
houses of publique entertainment." He was a versatile individual, this
John Pickering--soldier, miller, moderator, carpenter, lawyer, and
innkeeper. Michelangelo need not blush to be bracketed with him. In the
course of a long and variegated career he never failed to act according
to his lights, which he always kept well trimmed. That Captain Pickering
subsequently became the grandfather, at several removes, of the present
writer was no fault of the Captain's, and should not be laid up against
him.

Down to 1696, the education of the young appears to have been a rather
desultory and tentative matter; "the young idea" seems to have been
allowed to "shoot" at whatever it wanted to; but in that year it was
voted "that care be taken that an abell scollmaster [skullmaster!] be
provided for the towen as the law directs, not visious in conversation."
That was perhaps demanding too much; for it was not until "May ye 7" of
the following year that the selectmen were fortunate enough to put their
finger on this rara avis in the person of Mr. Tho. Phippes, who agreed
"to be scollmaster for the the towen this yr insewing for teaching the
inhabitants children in such manner as other schollmasters yously doe
throughout the countrie: for his soe doinge we the sellectt men in
behalfe of ower towen doe ingage to pay him by way of rate twenty pounds
and yt he shall and may reserve from every father or master that sends
theyer children to school this yeare after ye rate of 16s. for readers,
writers and cypherers 20s., Lattiners 24s."

Modern advocates of phonetic spelling need not plume themselves on
their originality. The town clerk who wrote that delicious "yously doe"
settles the question. It is to be hoped that Mr. Tho. Phippes was not
only "not visious in conversation," but was more conventional in his
orthography.