Weston, M' Ebenezer Williams of Pomfret, to each Forty Shillings

for a Ring.~

th

Dated Oct 27 1719

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J Dudley & a Seale Publish in Presce. of Penn Townsend, Benj. Gambling, Abijah Weld. d Exam John Boydall Reg.

from yR original Will

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A true Copy from yR original Will Exam Jn° Cotton Reg!

CHAPTER X

THE MOTIVES OF DUDLEY'S ACTIONS

THE lives of the second generation of the Massachusetts rulers fell in a peculiarly unheroic age. Compared with the era of self-sacrifice and adventure which had accomplished the foundation of the colony, and the period of strife and war which resulted in the separation from England, the years from 1660 to 1720 seem dull and uninteresting. Nor did the character of Dudley and his contemporaries rise to the grandeur either of the early settlers or of the Revolutionary leaders. The men of the early eighteenth century lacked the self-sacrifice and almost stubborn opposition to England which characterized Winthrop and his associates, and they also lacked the singleness of aim and the devotion to Massachusetts which distinguished Otis and Adams. They reflected in Massachusetts more clearly than did the men of any other time the thoughts, the life, and the methods of the English politicians. The problems they had to face were neither those arising from privation or persecution, nor those resulting from oppression which might occasion rebellion. Their property and estates were protected, their trade and wealth were increasing, their peculiar religious opinions were tolerated, and they enjoyed a large share in the government. They had to meet an English policy which, consistently pursued, would result in closer union and dependence upon the mother country. To such problems, until the colonists could convince themselves that they had the right to differ from England and

to separate from her, but one answer could be given, the answer which Dudley and his fellow-thinkers gave, — obedience to England and acceptance of her control.

By inheritance and training, Dudley belonged to the ruling class. His strong feeling for prerogative, local or imperial, in no sense exceeded that displayed by John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley, the first governors of Massachusetts. The leaders of the New England immigration had come to Massachusetts to found and rule a community as they saw fit; and Joseph Dudley was never more conscious of his privileges, powers, and responsibilities as a member of the ruling class than were they. As a young man he had rendered his service to the colony as an executive and leader; as an Assistant, a commissioner of the New England Confederation, and an Indian negotiator he was more often called upon to execute, lead, and direct the opinions of the General Court than to follow them. His friends, his family, and he himself sought to be the guides and rulers of Massachusetts, and as such were accepted by the people. When under changed conditions England tried to increase her power over the colonies, and when trade and wealth brought new ideas to them, Dudley, Stoughton, and Winthrop the younger still sought to remain leaders of the community which their fathers had founded. All desired place and honor under the crown, and all accepted royal commissions upon the dissolution of the government; under the new charter Stoughton served as lieutenant-governor, while Winthrop was the unsuccessful rival of Dudley. Dudley's very success aroused envy and jealousy, which his frank acceptance of the policy of England did not diminish, and which his personal character greatly intensified.

The policy that Dudley sought to enforce was one which

would have been most beneficial to England and the colonies as a whole, but it was one which Massachusetts and the other colonies most distrusted. It was natural that his insistence upon the prerogatives of his office should anger the colonists, though his acts were in obedience to the instructions of the Board of Trade. To Dudley the navigation system and the commercial policy of Great Britain were of more importance than the trade of Massachusetts, and he sought to enforce English law despite the dissatisfaction of the colonial merchants; yet he was keenly alive to the economic needs of Massachusetts, and in frequent letters urged the Board of Trade to encourage her industries. His military policy included all New England; and his plea for the fortification of the frontier posts and demand for the command of the militia of Connecticut and Rhode Island, though plans which aroused opposition in the colonies, had been proposed by the English authorities. To Dudley the union of all New England seemed more important than the sacred charters of Rhode Island and Connecticut; and, although the spirit of local patriotism defeated his project, his plan had the approval of the English statesmen. England had sought in vain to impose this policy upon the colonies since the days of Andros. The rough sea-captain, Sir William Phips, though a popular hero, failed to satisfy the colony and the crown alike. Lord Bellomont, though personally popular, was not more successful in pleasing both the colonists and his superiors. No royal governor could enforce the English policy and teach the colonists to allay their prejudices and feel a pride in their dependence upon England.

But Dudley's personal character was not such as to invite confidence. His methods were not always straightforward, or his conduct open and frank. In his early life he would

cringe and bow" to gain a friend; but when his object was gained he would sacrifice that friend if his ambition required it, as Randolph and the Mathers learned. He had all the selfishness of a British politician of the eighteenth century? he was pliant to his superiors, harsh and overbearing to his inferiors, willing to use all means, even bribery, to gain the support of an influential man, and ready to misuse every advantage that his official position gave him to take revenge upon an enemy. He was ambitious, self-seeking, and facile; and could serve for his own ends sovereigns so dissimilar as James II, William III, and Anne. Believing that his own interests lay with the official party in England, he identified himself with it, and thus sacrificed his popularity at home. His services, moreover, were efficient, and he gave satisfaction to his superiors, whose policy, whatever it was, he was ready to carry out.

With such a character and such aims he could not but be hated in the colonies; and the hatred that attached to his name was deeper and more consistent than fell to the lot of any other man. From 1682 to 1715 it is doubtful whether, outside of his own party and those who were bound to him by fear, interest, or gratitude, a single well-wisher could be found for him in all New England. He was mobbed in the revolution of 1689, his house was threatened in 1707, and personal violence was offered him on at least two other occasions. Neither Winthrop nor Stoughton, who in many ways sympathized with his aims, was so ill regarded; it was Dudley's personal character and the success which attended most of his plans that made him so much more unpopular than any of his contemporaries. Even to his friends, his greatest fault was his ambition. He loved power for its own sake and for the increased influence it would give him. To gain it he attached