History of Swansea, Massachusetts, 1667-1917; - citizen hylbom blog

The Indians 31
spare of speech ; in his attire little or nothing differing from the
rest of his followers, only in a great chain of white bone beads
about his neck; and at it behind his neck, hangs a little bag of
tobacco, which he drank and gave us to drink. His face was
painted with a sad red like murrey; and oiled both head and
face, that he looked greasily. All his followers likewise were,
in their faces in part or in whole, painted, some black, some
red, some yellow, and some white, some with crosses and other
antic works ; some had skins on them and some naked ; all strong,
tall men in appearance. The king had in his bosom, hanging in
a string, a great, long knife."
He died in 1662, and it was thought by the settlers who
knew him that he was about 80 years old.
TREATY, proposed by Governor Carver and signed by Massasoit,
in the spring of 1621. The first act of diplomacy recorded in the History
of New England ; and which was faithfully kept for more than fifty years :
It was agreed
"
"That neither he (Massasoit,) nor any of his, should injure or do hurt
to any of their people (i. e., the settlers at Plymouth.)
"That if any of his did any hurt to any of theirs, he should send the
oflFender, that they might punish him.
"That if anything were taken away from any of theirs, he should
cause it to be restored ; and they should do the like to his.
"That if any did unjustly war against him, they would aid him; and
if any did war against them, he should aid them.
" That he should send to his neighbor confederates to inform them of
this, that they might not wrong them, but might likewise be comprised in
these conditions of peace.
"That when his men came to them upon any occasion they should
leave their arms behind them.
"Lastly, that so doing, their sovereign lord, King James, would
esteem him as his friend and ally.
King Philip
By his foes, who were his only contemporary biographers,
the character of Philip was painted in most lurid colors. It
was not the fashion of the time to be just, even to a fallen
enemy. "Danmable wretch," ** hellish monster," *' bloody
villain, " are some of the epithets they delighted to bestow
upon him. Later generations, less moved by horrible memories
of savage atrocities, and so better able to form a dispassionate
judgment have viewed the conquered chieftain in a
different light. Washington Irving concludes his essay on
"Philip of Pokanoket" with these words.
(Prof. Wilfred Harold Munroe, L.H.D. in "Some Legends
of Mount Hope.")
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