Illustrating Mourt’s Relation

Now that you are expert translators of this very old publication of 1620, each of you is going to illustrate a small section of this journal. You have Pilgrim Voices, a book where the creators have carefully combined parts of Mourt’s Relation and On Plymouth Plantation (William Bradford’s memoirs and the other major source about the Pilgrims) and illustrated it beautifully, They researched the illustrations from primary sources and so you can use them as secondary sources for your own.  Above is the first page of Mourt’s Relation that we translated together yesterday.

Now that you’ve translated several more pages you are read to try something else.  Each of you has been given one quote to illustrate. Be sure to write the quote on the drawing and where it is from. For example:

“… there was the greatest store of fowle we euer saw.” (Mourt’s Relation)

You can also see what some of a previous house did here, here, here and here.

Once you have finished your drawing (and had it checked by me) please scan it and put it on your blog. (You should know how to do this, but if you forgot go here for reminders.)

Here are your assignments:

Here are the sections (but they are from a version with the corrected spelling/capitals so use the one we annotated so you can get that old spelling!)

1. Wednesday, the sixth of September, the winds coming east north east, a fine small gale, we loosed from Plymouth, having been kindly entertained and courteously used by divers friends there dwelling. (jl)
2. and after many difficulties in boisterous storms,
3. by God’s providence, upon the ninth of November following, by break of the day we espied land which was deemed to be Cape Cod, and so afterward it proved. (ar)
4. And the appearance of it much comforted us, especially seeing so goodly a land, and wooded to the brink of the sea. (pm)
5. It caused us to rejoice together, and praise God that had given us once again to see land. (pm)
6. And thus we made our course south south west, purposing to go to a river ten leagues to the south of the Cape (db)
7. but at night the wind being contrary, we put round again for the bay of Cape Cod; and upon the 11th of November we came to an anchor
8. the bay, which is a good harbor and pleasant bay, circled round, except in the entrance which is about four miles over from land to land, (vsf)
9. compassed about to the very sea with oaks, pines, juniper, sassafras, and other sweet wood (sh)
10. it is a harbor wherein a thousand sail of ships may safely ride (ap)
11. there we relieved ourselves with wood and water, and refreshed our people (ds)
12. our shallop was fitted to coast the bay, to search for a habitation (zt)
13. there was the greatest store of fowl that ever we saw (sp)
14. And every day we saw whales playing hard by us, of which in that place, if we had instruments and means to take them, we might have made a very rich return, which to our great grief we wanted. (am)
15. For cod we assayed, but found none, there is good store, no doubt, in their season.
16. Neither got we any fish all the time we lay there, but some few little ones on the shore. (nl)
17. We found great mussels, and very fat and full of sea-pearl, but we could not eat them, for they made us all sick that did eat, as well sailors as passengers; they caused to cast and scour, but they were soon well again. (dw)
18. The bay is so round and circling, that before we could come to anchor we went round all the points of the compass. We could not come near the shore by three quarters of an English mile, because of shallow water, which was a great prejudice to us, for our people going on shore were forced to wade a bow shot or two in going a-land, which caused many to get colds and coughs, for it was nigh times freezing cold weather.
19. This day before we came to harbor, observing some not well affected to unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was thought good there should be an association and agreement that we should combine together in one body, and to submit to such government and governors as we should by common consent agree to make and choose (hf)