Chapter II: Front Matter (2)

His conduct towards the aborigines, that much abused and injured people, was always marked with forbearance, lenity, and mildness. To his eldest son John, the Indians in 1660 gave a tract of land, which grant he applied to the Court to confirm. The Court declined taking such power on itself; but at the same time, however, it passed the highly complimentary resolve:

The Court, "considering the many kindnesses which were shown the Indians by our honored Governor in the infancy of these Plantations, for pacifying the Indians, tending to the common good of the Planters; and in consideration of which the Indians were moved to such a gratuity unto his son, do judge meet to give the petitioner four hundred acres of land."

Though Governor Endecott removed from Salem to Boston in 1655, yet neither he nor Mrs. Endecott removed their connection with the Salem church, until November, 1664. A large and brilliant comet made its appearance on the 17th of November of this year, and continued to the 4th of February following. It was the general belief of that period, that comets were omens of great evil. One appeared just before the death of that distinguished divine, the Rev. John Cotton; and the death at this time of their aged Governor, and the troubles with which the Colony met the next year from the King's Commissioners, Hutchinson informs us, tended to confirm the people in their opinion.

We are told that "old age and the infirmities thereof coming upon him, he fell asleep in the Lord on the 15th of March, 1665," at the age of 77, "and was with great honour and solemnity interred at Boston," on the 23rd of the same month. His death was easy and tranquil. Tradition has handed down the fact, that the "Chapel Burying-Ground" was the place of his interment. But the exact spot is not now known. No stone marks the resting-place of this intrepid Father of New England.[17] Yet his name alone will ever be a monument to his memory, more enduring than marble, and as imperishable as the granite hills of his adopted country.

Gov. Endecott came to this country in 1628, at the age of 40, and died in 1665, at the age of 77. During these thirty-seven years he was nearly all the time in public life, and for about seventeen years, or nearly half the whole period, he was Governor of the Colony. He was longer at the head of the administration than any other Governor of Massachusetts.

He was a man of highly respectable natural talents, good education, a zealous Puritan, a brave man, a decided patriotic republican, a friend of learning and religion, a lover of God and his country.

We frankly acknowledge that the conduct of Gov. Endecott in the religious intolerance of his day, may be considered a stain upon his escutcheon. Yet, while we admit that those severe measures which were adopted, especially when contrasted with the present unrestrained exercise of religious freedom in our country, were great blemishes on his administration, we think they certainly ought not to be regarded as such on his moral character. It was not the cause of religion alone, which was thought to be endangered by the dissemination and triumph of such principles as were then advanced; but the overthrow of all civil government was looked upon as the ultimate result. Besides, the _whole_ responsibility and obloquy of this dark page in our early history, should not be thrown upon him. True, he was the official organ through which was carried into effect the established laws of the Colony, and _vox populi_ was believed to be _vox Dei_. But so far as he was individually concerned, we think his motives were pure and elevated, and that all his actions were based upon principle. Without doubt he partook largely of the prevailing prejudices of the day; and the wild spirit of fanaticism found in him a strenuous and energetic opponent. But we hold that all men should be judged according to the light of the age in which they live, and the influences with which they are surrounded. In this dread of unlimited toleration he was not alone; it was the prevailing temper of the times, and the errors in this respect, in which he shared in common with the wise and good of his day, arose rather from an error in judgment than any obliquity of heart.

It has been remarked by a recent writer, that "Governor Endecott was undoubtedly the finest specimen to be found among our Governors of the genuine Puritan character,--of a quick temper, which the habit of military command had not softened,--of strong religious feelings, moulded on the sterner features of Calvinism; resolute to uphold with the sword what he received as gospel truth, and fearing no enemy so much as a gainsaying spirit." "He was a very virtuous gentleman," says Secretary Morton, "and was greatly beloved of the most, as he well deserved." "In his public and private relations," says the Annalist of Salem, "he was a man of unshaken integrity. _For my country and my God_, was the motto inscribed upon his motives, purposes, and deeds. That he had his imperfections, there is no doubt; but that he exhibited as few of them under his multiplied duties, as the most excellent men would in his situation, is equally correct. His many exertions for the prosperity of Salem, and his ardent attachment to it, should impress his name and worth upon the hearts of its inhabitants, so long as its existence continues."

Thus lived and thus died, one of the principal founders and firmest pillars of New England.

At his decease he left a widow and two sons. The elder son left no children;--the younger was a physician, and resided in Salem. He was twice married; and a family of five sons and five daughters survived him. His second wife was Elisabeth, daughter of Governor Winthrop, and widow of the Rev. Antipas Newman of Wenham.

There exists a perfect genealogy of the Governor's family, so far as relates to his descendants in New England. We hope to publish it in our next number.

The Governor, and all his descendants, to the third generation, (1724,) spelt their names _Endecott_; since then an _i_ has been substituted for the _e_ in the second syllable.

There is an original portrait of the Governor in possession of one of the family, taken the year he died. By this we learn that his countenance was open, energetic, and independent, possessing much individuality of expression, and in perfect harmony with the character of the man. According to the custom of the age, he wore mustaches, and a tuft of hair upon his chin. The miniature likeness which accompanies this Memoir was engraved from this portrait, and is considered an excellent resemblance, and was presented by the family to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, at their solicitation.

NOTE. The Charter posesssed by Gov. Endecott, and which is now in
the Salem Athenæum, and the Charter possessed by Gov. Winthrop,
and which is now in the State House, Boston, appear to be
duplicate original Charters, provided for in the Charter itself,
and neither of them copies. They are precisely alike in all
respects--the same in phraseology and chirography, and the same
in dates. Each Governor was elected and commissioned by the same
Company, and by the same Colony, acted under the same Charter,
with the same authority, and each alike entitled to the official
designation of Governor, whether he was elected Governor by the
Company in London, or by the Colony here, for both were elected
Governor by each.

ORIGINAL COVENANT OF THE FIRST CHURCH IN SALEM.[18]

We Covenant with our Lord, and one with another; and we do bind ourselves in the presence of God, to walk together in all his ways, according as he is pleased to reveal himself unto us in his blessed word of truth; and do explicitly, in the name and fear of God, profess and protest to walk as followeth, through the power and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We avouch the Lord to be our God, and ourselves to be his people, in the truth and simplicity of our spirits.

We give ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the word of his grace, for the teaching, ruling, and sanctifying of us in matters of worship and conversation, resolving to cleave unto him alone for life and glory, and to reject all contrary ways, canons, and constitutions of men, in his worship.

We promise to walk with our brethren, with all watchfulness and tenderness, avoiding jealousies and suspicions, back-bitings, censurings, provokings, secret risings of spirit against them; but in all offences to follow the rule of our Lord Jesus, and to bear and forbear, give and forgive, as he hath taught us.

In public or private, we will willingly do nothing to the offence of the church; but will be willing to take advice for ourselves and ours, as occasion shall be presented.

We will not in the congregation be forward, either to show our own gifts and parts in speaking or scrupling, or there discover the weakness or failings of our brethren; but attend an orderly call thereunto, knowing how much the Lord may be dishonored, and his gospel and the profession of it slighted, by our distempers and weaknesses in public.

We bind ourselves to study the advancement of the gospel in all truth and peace, both in regard to those that are within or without; no way slighting our sister churches, but using their counsel as need shall be; not laying a stumbling-block before any, no, not the Indians, whose good we desire to promote; and so to converse as we may avoid the very appearance of evil.

We do hereby promise to carry ourselves in all lawful obedience to those that are over us, in Church or Commonwealth, knowing how well-pleasing it will be to the Lord, that they should have encouragement in their places, by our not grieving their spirits through our irregularities.

We resolve to approve ourselves to the Lord in our particular callings, shunning idleness as the bane of any state; nor will we deal hardly or oppressingly with any, wherein we are the Lord's stewards.

Promising also unto our best ability to teach our children and servants the knowledge of God, and of his will, that they may serve him also; and all this not by any strength of our own, but by the Lord Christ, whose blood we desire may sprinkle this our Covenant made in His Name.

HERALDRY.

In preparing this article we have consulted various writers on the subject of Heraldry, and not only selected our thoughts from theirs, but used their language when it appeared best adapted to our object. For a more full account of Heraldry in all its branches, we refer our readers to Guillim's Banner Displayed, Camden's British Remains, Kent's Grammar of Heraldry, Edmonson's Complete Body of Heraldry, Leigh's Accidence of Armorie, Playfair's British Baronetage, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, Noble's History of the College of Arms, Lower's Curiosities of Heraldry, Dallaway's Inquiries, Newton's Display of Heraldry, Broun's Baronetage, Collins's Peerage of England, Betham's Baronetage of England, and the various Encyclopædias.

DEFINITION.

HERALDRY is the science of conventional distinctions impressed on shields, banners, and other military accoutrements; or it is the art of armory and blazoning, or the knowledge of what relates to the bearing of arms, and the laws and regulations appertaining thereto. Arms in heraldry are ensigns armorial or marks of honor borne upon shields, banners, and coats of mail, in order to distinction. The science of Heraldry consists particularly in the appropriation of figurative representations, designed, by suitable emblems, to exhibit the achievements of valor, the descent of hereditary honors, and the distinctions appertaining to nobility.

The Degrees of Honor existing in England in 1597, were nine; of which five were _noble_, as Gentleman, Esquire, Knight, Baron, and Lord; and four were _excellent_, as Earl, Marquess, Duke, and Prince.--The Degrees of Honor existing in the British nation in 1847 are eleven; namely, Gentleman, Esquire, Knight, Baron, Baronet, Lord, Viscount, Earl, Marquess, Duke, and Prince.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY.

Arms may belong to individuals, to families, or to countries. Badges and emblems on shields and helms occurred in the earliest times. In Numbers, (_chap._ i: 52,) the children of Israel are enjoined to pitch their tents, "every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard," with the ensigns of his father's house. The Greek and Roman poets speak of paintings and devices on shields and helmets. These symbols were, moreover, hereditary. Thus Xenophon relates that the kings of the Medes bore a golden eagle on their shields. Suetonius asserts that Domitian had a golden beard for his coat of arms; and Tacitus says of the ancient Germans, that they marked their shields with brilliant colors, and that certain standards were borne before them in battle. Notwithstanding these traces of armorial bearings in the ancient world, our heraldry is no older than the tournaments. That armory first became common and regulated by certain rules at these solemn festivals, is corroborated by the following reasons. In the first place, we find no tomb or monument with escutcheons, older than the eleventh century. The most ancient monument of this kind is said to be the bearings of a certain Varmond, count of Vasserburg, in the church of St. Emmeran, at Ratisbon. The shield is _coupé_ of argent and sable; over it is a lion, with the words "_Anno Domini_ MX." On most of the other tombs, even of the eleventh century, no arms are found; and the use of them seems to have first become common in the twelfth century. The first pope who can be proved to have had a coat of arms, is Boniface VIII., who filled the papal see from 1294 to 1303. All the earlier papal arms are the fanciful inventions of later flatterers. On coins, also, no armorial ensigns are found till the thirteenth century. A second proof of our assumed origin of coats of arms is the word _blason_, which denotes the science of heraldry in French, English, Italian, and Spanish. This word has most probably its origin in the German word _blasen_, (to blow the horn;) for whenever a new knight appeared at a tournament, the herald had to sound the trumpet, and, because all appeared with close visors, to proclaim and explain the bearing of the shield or coat of arms belonging to each. Because this was performed by the herald, this knowledge was called heraldry; and because, in doing so, he blew the trumpet, it was called _blazoning the arms_. That this was a prevailing practice at tournaments, may be proved from the poetry of the Troubadours of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Thence it came, that those knights, whose right to appear at tournaments had already been announced by blazoning their arms, bore two trumpets on their crest. From the Germans, this custom was transmitted to the French; for there is no doubt, that tournaments were usual in Germany much earlier than in France. But the French carried to far greater perfection the tournament, and the blazon or heraldry connected with it, as they did the whole system of chivalry. Since, moreover, the French language prevailed at the court of the Norman kings in England, pure French expressions have been preserved in British heraldry. Thus the green tincture, (color,) in a coat of arms, is termed _vert_, (though in French _sinople_, which originally denoted a _reddish brown_;) bright red is termed _gueules_, probably with an allusion to the bloody revenge of wild animals, which play so conspicuous a part in heraldry; the divided shield is, moreover, called _coupé_; and _passant_, _regardant_, _dormant_, _couchant_, &c., are used. German heraldry, on the contrary, contains almost pure German expressions. In a coat of arms, the helm is placed upon the shield, and the latter is surrounded by the wreath. At a tournament, the mantle of the knight, with the helm and shield, was suspended in the lists. The colors or tinctures of the shields had their foundation in the custom of the most ancient Germans, of giving their shields various colors--a custom which received a tender meaning in the tournaments of the middle ages; the knight, bound to defend the honor of dames, and devote himself to their protection, wearing their colors on his shield. By degrees, the partitions or sections on shields came into use; for when, as often occurred, a knight was the champion of several ladies, he bore several colors on his shield, which had therefore to be divided into fields. When the martial youth of almost all Europe left their homes, about the end of the eleventh century, inspired with religious enthusiasm, to conquer the Holy Land, the use of arms became still more general and necessary. In order to distinguish the nations, armies, and families, the princes and commanders chose their symbols, sometimes in commemoration of the exploits and events of the campaign, or of the dignity of the commander, and sometimes from mere fancy or passing humor.

BLAZONING, HISTORIFYING, AND MARSHALLING ARMS.

Blazoning is the methodical description of a bearing. In the first place, the shield is described according to its tinctures, figures, and partitions. The inferior parts of an escutcheon are then blazoned--the helm, with its insignia, which are trumpet, wings, and plumes, men and animals, or their members; then the wreath and its tinctures; after which the coronet cap, &c.; finally the supporters, the mantle, the device, and other secondary things. Such terms for the color must be used as are agreeable to the station and quality of the bearer. All persons below the degree of noble must have their coats blazoned by colors and metals; noble men by precious stones; and kings and princes by planets.

In emblazoning shields of arms, metals, colors, and furs are used to depict the device, the technical terms of which are these;--of metals, gold, called _or_, and silver, _argent_, only are employed;--of colors, red, called _gules_, blue, _azure_, black, _sable_, green, _vert_, and purple, _purpure_;--and of furs, principally the skin of the little animal called _ermine_, and a combination of grey and white squirrel skins, called _vair_.

In blazoning arms it is an established rule with heralds, that animals are always to be interpreted in the best sense, that is, according to their most noble and generous qualities, that the most honor may redound to the bearers. Thus the fox, being reputed witty and given to filching for his prey, if this be the charge of an escutcheon, we are to conceive the quality represented to be his wit and cunning, and not his theft.

All savage beasts are to be figured in their fiercest action: as a lion erected, his mouth wide open, his claws extended; and thus formed he is said to be _rampant_. A leopard or wolf is to be portrayed going as it were _pedetentim_, which form of action suits their natural disposition, and is called _passant_. The gentler kinds are to be set forth in their noblest and most advantageous action, as a horse running or vaulting, a greyhound coursing, a deer tripping, a lamb going with smooth and easy pace.

Every animal is to be represented as moving or looking to the right side of the shield; and it is a general rule, that the right foot be placed foremost, because the right side is reckoned the beginning of motion. The upper part is nobler than the lower, and things that are constrained either to look up or down, ought rather to be designed looking upwards. We observe however that notwithstanding such precepts of Guillim and other masters of armory, there are lions _passant_, _couchant_, _dormant_, as well as _rampant_, and most animals in arms look down and not up. Birds are esteemed a more honorable bearing than fish, and wild and ravenous birds than tame ones. When their bills and feet are of a different color from the rest, they are said to be _membered_. Birds of prey are more properly said to be _armed_. In the blazoning of fowls much exercised in flight, if the wings be not displayed, they are said to be borne _close_, for example, he beareth an eagle, a hawk, or a swallow, _close_. Fish are borne different ways, upright, embowed, extended, endorsed, surmounted of each other, fretted, triangled. Those borne feeding should be termed _devouring_. Those borne directly upright are termed _Hauriant_, and those borne traverse the escutcheon, _naiant_.

To historify, in heraldry, is to explain the history of a coat of arms, its origin, and the changes it has undergone. If the herald is to explain a bearing historically, he must show that this figure is the proper emblem of the family or country. He derives, for instance, from historical sources, the proof that the double-headed eagle of the Roman king was first introduced in the beginning of the fourteenth century, under Albert I., and that previously, from the time of Otho II., the royal eagle had but one head; that the three leopards in the English arms were first derived in 1127, under Henry I., from the Norman house.--The marshalling of arms consists in the preparation of new escutcheons. In this matter, the herald either follows the orders of a sovereign, or he invents the idea, and makes the plan of the escutcheon according to his own judgment, or he composes a new escutcheon from several coats of arms.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF ARMS.

In heraldic science, arms are distinguished by different names, to denote the causes of their being borne, such as _arms of dominion_, of _pretension_, of _concession_, of _community_, of _patronage_, of _family_, of _alliance_, of _succession_, and of _assumption_. Those of _dominion_ and _sovereignty_ are those which emperors, kings, and sovereign states constantly bear, being, as it were, annexed to the territories, kingdoms, and provinces they possess. Thus there are the arms of England, of France, of the United States, &c. Arms of _pretension_ are those of kingdoms, provinces, or territories, to which a prince or lord has some claim, and which he adds to his own, although such kingdoms or territories are possessed by another prince or lord. Arms of _concession_, or _augmentation of honor_, are entire arms, as the fortress of Gibraltar on the escutcheon of Lord Heathfield. Arms of _community_ belong to bishoprics, cities, companies, &c. Arms of _patronage_, to governors of provinces, lords of manors, &c. Arms of _family_ are the property of individuals; and it is criminal in any persons not of the family to assume them. Arms of _alliance_ show the union of families and individuals. Arms of _succession_ are taken up, by those who inherit certain estates, manors, &c., either by will, entail, or donation, and which they impale or quarter with their own. This multiplies the titles of some families from necessity, and not from ostentation. Arms of _assumption_, or _assumptive arms,_ are taken up by the caprice or fancy of persons who assume them without a legal title. They are also such as a man of his proper right may assume, with the approbation of his sovereign and of the king of arms.

PARTS OF A COAT OF ARMS.

The parts of arms are the escutcheon, the tinctures, charges, and ornaments. Heralds distinguish nine different points in escutcheons, in order to determine exactly the positions of the bearing they are charged with, as in the figure.

+-----------------+
| A B C |
| |
| D |
| |
| E |
| |
| F |
| |
| G I |
\ H /
\ /
+-----------+

A, dexter chief; B, precise middle chief; C, sinister chief; D, honor point; E, fess point; F, nombril point; G, dexter base; H, precise middle base; I, sinister base. The _tinctures_ mean the variable hue common both to the shields and their bearings; and there are seven tinctures--yellow or gold, expressed by dots; white or argent; red, by perpendicular lines; blue or azure, by horizontal lines; purple, by diagonal lines from right to left; green, by the same from left to right; black by horizontal and perpendicular lines crossing; and orange and blood colors are expressed by diagonal lines crossing each other. The charges are the emblems occupying the field of the escutcheon, or any part of it. All charges are distinguished by the name of _honorable ordinaries_, _sub-ordinaries_, and _common charges_. Honorable ordinaries, the principal charges in heraldry, are made of lines only, which, according to their disposition and form, receive different names. Sub-ordinaries are ancient heraldic figures frequently used in coats of arms, and which are distinguished by terms appropriated to each of them. Common charges are composed of natural, artificial, and even imaginary things, such as stars, animals, trees, ships, &c. The ornaments that accompany or surround escutcheons were introduced to denote the birth, dignity, or office of the person to whom the arms appertain. They are used both by clergy and laity. Those most in use are of ten sorts; namely, crowns, coronets, mitres, helmets, mantlings, _chapeaux_, wreaths, crests, scrolls, and supporters. The crest is the highest part of the ornaments of a coat of arms. It is called _crest_ from the Latin word _crista_, which signifies a comb or tuft, such as many birds have upon their heads, as the peacock, &c. Crests were anciently marks of great honor, because they were worn only by heroes of great valor and high rank, that they might be the better distinguished in an engagement, and thereby rally their men if dispersed. They are at present considered as mere ornaments. The scroll is an ornament usually placed below the shield and supporters, containing a motto or sentence, alluding to the bearing or to the bearer's name.

* * * * *

_Explanation of the Plate on the following page, taken from
Brande's Dictionary of Science, Literature, and Art._

I. LINES.

1. Horizontal or straight. 2. Angled. 3. Bevelled. 4. Escartele.
5. Nowy or Franche. 6. Arched or enarched. 7. Double arched. 8.
Wavy or undee. 9. Invected. 10. Engrailed. 11. Battled-embattled,
or crenellee. 12. Battled-embattled. 13. Nebuly. 14. Potent.
15. Indented. 16. Dancettec. 17. Dove-tailed. 18. Urdee. 19.
Rayonnee, or radiant.