Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

MS46.02: William Blathwayt Papers
William Phips letter to Blathwayt, 1692/3 February 24

Worthy Sr, I return you my humble thanks for your
civility in letting me have a coppy a Letter pr[e]tender...
Dated at Boston 3:10:1683 and subscribes I.M. which
seemeth to some who know me not have supposed me to
be the author of: But I assure you it is none of mine,
the forger of it begines with a lye in the first line for he
speaks as if Mr Gouge had written to me by our Agents
which he never did, and as if he had informed me
that the Earle of Shaftsbury died in Mr Kinks house
w^ch as no man ever writ any such thing to me he——
represents me a person well assured of Shaftsbureys happi
ness and as esteeming him as the great friend of Gods cause
they that are acquainted w^th me know that I never had
an high opinion of that Gentleman, this manifests the
Letter to be a peace of forgery, as for that reflection on
his Maj^tie and w^t is added concerning the Lord Russels
and Essex they are the expressions of the forger and none
of mine, he p^r tends as if I sent to amersterdam for the
new covenant of Scotland [illegible] Caroll upon Job and M^r
Owens last works, now herein he has so grossly played the
fool so as to discover the Letter to be a piece of forgery -
as for the new Covenenant of Scottld I never heard of such
a thing untill I saw it in this wicked Letter, nor do I to
this day understand w^t is this meaning of it, Caryl has been
in my studdy this 15 yeares and if I had him not ^{is it} likely
that I should send to amsterdam for M^r Caryl's and D^r Owens
works w^ch are sold here in Boston. I might obtain them sooner
and cheaper from London than from Holland, and whether
such books are to be bought in amsterdam or not I know not
by this only he spitts some of his venome against some of these
excellent men of whome the world was not worthy but he
addeth w^th some of the Geneva prints that I may collect
of all to sweeten the milk to the Pallates of those good
christians who receive w^th chearfullness our administracons,
this is extreme foolish; I hope no man that is acquainted
w^th me can suppose such ridiculous [stuff] has dropt from
my pen, he further represents me as that I know by the
signes in the heavens that the heathens should destroy the
whore of Babylon, in this also he has acted like a foole,
for now all men may know that this letter was never
written by me, since my judgm^t is declared in print expresly
contradictory to w^t is here printed in my book of Quots
p: 129 & 130. I endeavour to prove by the scriptures y^t roo[me]
shall not be destroyed by Mahomet, but by other hands
and how often have I declared that tho' the appearance of a
blazing starr is not to be slighted, yet that such phenomana
are seen mortalls cannot tell w^t the particular events
are y^t shall follow w^ch the forger of lyes goes on and tells
how Randolph was suspected to have a hand in the last
fire of in Londn: and y^t if he had not gone out of towne
the tumultious sufferers would have ended his dayes -
now these are things that I never heard of before therefore I —
could not write them: The Letter forger sayth the Randolphs
had persuaded two Colonyes to fall off from uniting with
us this is a great untruth and upon rationall
grounds conceive that no man except Randolph could
tell such an impudent Lye w^ch the whole Country knows
the Contrary, w^t he Further adds of our Governo^r is as
concerning the hon^ble Gov^r a scandolous falshood and to discov^r
the mallice of the forger not only against me but against
this Colony nor is it likely that I should speak of [men]
entrusting their Lives and fortunes that being an expression
no wayes concerning ……

he also sheweth himself to be a child of the Devill by
w^t he writes concerning D and S^r L. [G.] of neither
of whome did I write any thing, he presents in the close
of his Forgery as if I had sent that Letter by a Jew
by way of Barbadoes I know not that there was any
Jew in Boston the last Winter, nor did I learn that any
Jew did go from thence to Barbadoes to be sure I saw
none nor did I ever send a Letter by any Jew in my life
belike the Jews name that carryed this abominable letter
was either Edw^d or Barnard Randolph. I shall take notice
of but one passage more on this Letter w^ch in respect is more
wicked than all the Rest he brings in [me] sending
kind salutes to Mr ferguson and assuring him of hearty
welcome to N Engl^d if he hold his Resolucon of comeing
hither, ferguson is a person w^th whom I have no man^r
of acquaintance, I never sent salutacon to him
by any one or at any time, nor did I ever hear that
he had thoughts of comeing to New Engl^d untill this Letter
forger who is not to be believed said it whereas he saith
that we had power by o^r Charter to protect them who
fly for protection sake as wee did Goff and Whaley
this doth sufficiently intimate who was the author
of this Forgery viz^t that it was Randolph him selfe
for it is well known he did exhibit a complaint against
this Colony, because in their Law booke it is declared if men
fly hither being persecuted they shall find favour
the Lying Coméntacón that Randolph made upon it
was by virtue of this Law of the People in New Engl^d
shewed kindness to Goff and Whaley Lett all Rational
men Judge whether any one but Randolph was the
author of this forgery, besides there is so much said
of Randolph in this spurious Letter y^t giveth just cause
to suspect him to be the father of it, it is reported that he has
a nottable art in immitating hands y^t he can do it so exactly
that a man cannot easily discern the knavery and y^t one of
the Randolphs, being lately detected of such villany is fled to
save his Eares whether he has as some say he has imitated my
hand in his forgery I know not nor whether he has forged
any more Letters, w^th this and fartherd his bratts upon me
only I hope that good will come out of it however this good
y^t all man kind will be convinced y^t Randolph is a
great Knave, for he that will forge such a bloody Letter
so y^t he may do mischiefe not only to an innocent man
but an honest people w^t wickedness and inhumanity will
not be guilty of, if he doth but think if y^t his villany shall
not be discovered but I am not the first that has been
abused; I find in the History of the Sham Plotts in p:
16 & 17 that treasonable Letters were forced and Laid
to the charge of the severall nonconformist
ministers Mr Baxter and Dr Conant and other men of great
worth: but the impious authors thereof were to their
shame detected, and so I doubt not but it will be in
this case, and rather because the forger has highley
abused the name of the glorious name of the blessed G[illegible]
God not only by a profane cotation of many Scriptures
w^ch were not mentioned from any Leter by me, but by
mentioning the sacred title of the most glorious ^high God to serve
a wicked designe, in the subscription of his forgery he
mentions the name of Jesus Christ and four times he
mentions the dreadfull name of Jehovah w^ch is a name
that for some reasons not needfull here to be expressed
I do very rarely mention, and y^t is a further manifesta
tion that this Letter was not of my composure, such has
been the desparate prophaness of the Athiortical
author of this forged Letter then rather than not attempt
the doing of mischiefes to N. Engl^d and to me who is one
of the least of the ministers of God therein, he will
attempt God himself to vindicate his own name upon
him, but I leave him: As to yo^r self S^r to whome I
am knowne am knowne that before ever you speake
w^th me about it you were persuaded the Letter was none
of mine, since it was not written in my stile, and
there are things in it abhorred to my known principles
you may comunicate this to whome you please

Boston 10 No [1684]

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