View Facsimile

    con-rowley

     247  Transactions about Mr Rogers’s Donation.[20]

    ____________________________________________________________

     About two years after Mr Phillips’s decease; The Town had

    two Meetings to try ye Towns mind abt holding Mr Rogers’s Donation

    upon ye Tearmes Expressed in his Will: at neither of which a Vote in

    the affirmative could be attained. at Their last meeting, ye Town choose

    a Committee to send to me to know what Sallery I would be willing to

    take up with, both while alone, & also in case another Minister should be

    called. by which Comittee (viz.t Deacon Jewett, Capt Weicom ~~

    Capt. Boynton, Lieut Dresser. Covnt Peirson) I returned propositions

    to ye Town on both Articles abovesd. But nothing was acted upon

    them, & so ye matter lay silent, ‘till ye last Winter in ye year 1699

    sometime in Octobr 1699 I fell ill, my ails continuing, and.

    seeming to be of a threatning nature; [----------------------]

    [------------------------------------------][21] The Town, sometime

    in Novembr or Decembr, had a meeting, & obtained a vote for

                                                               upon

    holding ye abovesd Donation upon ye condition that it was given &

                                convend                         ^

    presently upon which, ye church to consider wt Minister to invite

                                  ^

    and did pitch upon Mr Richard Brown of Nubury. at wch time

    two Brethren vizt Capt Bointon & Lieu.t Desser were chosen

                                                            Act

    as Messengers to send to Mr Brown to signifie ye Churches mind in

    calling him to ye work of ye Ministry amongst us. about ye latter

    End of Decembr ye Lord was pleased to give me liberty to come

    amongst my people agen, & to Exercise ye whole Sabbath, & so

    continued to do. [-----------------------------------------][22]

    After some time, some of or Brethren signifyed to me their

    desire yt something further might be some as to calling Mr

    Brown amongst us. I told them ye Chh had proceeded as farr

    in ye matter as was convenient, not having as yet acquainted

    ye Town with wt had bin done, nor obtained their concurrence wth

    ye churches choice; therefore I thought ye next step must be to

    consult ye Town in ye matter, upon which a Town-meeting was

    quickly warned. after ye warning wroff, & before ye time appointed

               came

    for sd meeting I received a letter from Mr Brown, in which he

                 ^

    writes as followeth ~ vizt be please sr to understand; yt to come

    at present I canot; and to tarry longer, as yor case is circumstance

    =ed, would be prhaps greatly to yor detriment & bec I would not

    to yor dammage deceive you, pray Sr be pleasd to take it in good

    part, if I hereby Intreat you not Expect my coming at all.

    This letter I totally concealed from all prsons living, ‘till after

    ye above meeting was past, that none might any way be

    Influenced thereby. att this meeting nothing could be done, in

    ye matter. The Lord having bin pleased to restore my health

     

    [20] Entries in Edward Payson’s handwriting resume.

    [21] The larger parts of two lines were struck through to the point that they are indecipherable.

    [22] Most of this line was struck through to the point that the words are indecipherable.