Of Plymouth Plantation - Bradford's Material

Bradford's Material

Bradford, along with Edward Winslow and others, contributed material to George Morton, who merged everything into a letter published in London in 1622, Mourt's Relation, which was primarily a journal of the colonist's first years at Plymouth.

Bradford’s history is a blend of fact and interpretation. The Bradford journal records not only the events of the first 30 years but also the reactions of the colonists. The Bradford journal is regarded by historians as the preeminent work of 17th century America. It is Bradford’s simple yet vivid story, as told in his journal, that has made the Pilgrims the much-loved "spiritual ancestors of all Americans" (Samuel Eliot Morison).

Bradford apparently never made an effort to publish the manuscript during his lifetime. He did intend for it to be preserved and read by others, writing at the end of chapter 6:

I have been the larger in these things, and so shall crave leave in some like passages following, (though in other things I shall labour to be more contract) that their children may see with what difficulties their fathers wrestled in going through these things in their first beginnings, and how God brought them along notwithstanding all their weaknesses and infirmities. As also that some use may be made hereof in after times by others in such like weighty employments; and herewith I will end this chapter.

Bradford, like all writers of his time, uses a variety of spelling. A rule code for spelling was unknown then and dictionaries uncommon. Consistency in spelling was not a virtue, even important state papers might reflect regional speech. In addition, there were a number of particular customs used, as for example the f-shaped s which was used when the letter s was doubled or used initially. Bradford also uses common abbreviations such as wt for with, and yt for that.

It should also be noted that the "y" was not the y as used in present English, but instead was a thet, pronounced as th is today. The word ye was not pronounced as yee but rather was pronounced as the is today.