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COMPENDIOUS HISTORY

OF

NEW-ENGLAND:

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

A SHORT ABSTRACT OF THE HISTORY OF

NEW-YORK, AND NEW-JERSEY.

DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS AND PRIVATE FAMILIES.

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BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the twelfth day of April, A.D. 1820, and in the forty-fourth year of the independence of the United States of America, Jedidiah Morse, of the said District, has deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims, as sole proprietor, in the words following, to wit:

"A Compendious History of New England: to which is added, a short abstract of the History of New-York and New-Jersey. Designed for the use of schools and private families. By Jedidiah Morse, D.D. and Elijah Parish, D.D. Third edition, enlarged and improved."

In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned;" and also to an act entitled, "an act supplementary to an act entitled, "an act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching, Historical and other prints." WILLIAM S. SHAW,

Clerk of the District of Massachusetts.

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PREFACE.

EVERY person should possess some knowledge of the history of his own country. It seems necessary to the existence of true and enlightened patriotism. Youth is the fittest season to acquire this knowledge. It is the season of the most leisure; the memory is then less incumbered; this knowledge gratifies that curiosity, which is natural to the human mind, and which is peculiarly strong in the early period of life.

Among the first settlers of New-England were some of the best and wisest men of the age; men remarkable for their christian piety, patience, fortitude, and benevolent enterprize, deserving a rank among the worthies who have founded empires, enlightened nations, and given glory to the age and country in which they lived. Its history, in consequence, has been more entirely preserved, and better, authenticated, from its first settlement, than that of any other portion of the globe, of equal magnitude and importance. No history is more replete with useful instruction and entertainment. It furnishes many important lessons to warriors, statesmen, and divines. It may be read and studied with much profit by our youth.

The abundant but scattered materials for the history of this favoured portion of the world, it has been our aim to reduce to a form, order, and size, adapted to the use of the higher classes in schools, and to families. We have endeavoured faithfully to bring into view the most operative causes, near and more remote, which led to the settlement of New-England, with the impelling motives of the imme diate agents in this bold enterprize, and to trace the steps by which she has risen to her present distinguished rank in the political, literary and commercial world. To render the work interesting to youth, we have laboured to clothe our ideas in plain, familiar language, and to blend entertainment with instruction.

The sources whence we have derived our information have been very numerous, and the most authentic that our country affords. Among them many occasional sermons,

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