"Thacher's Woe": Antony Thacher's Letter
August 1635
My cousin and I perceived our danger, (and) solemnly recommended ourselves to God, the Lord both of earth and seas, expecting with every wave to be swallowed up and drenched in the deeps. And as my cousin, his wife, and my tender babes sat comforting and cheering one the other in the Lord against ghastly death, which every moment stared us in the face and sat triumphing upon each one's forehead, we were by the violence of the waves and fury of the winds (by the Lord's permission) lifted up upon a rock between two high rocks, yet all was one rock. but it raged with the stroke, which came into the pinnace, so as we were presently up to our middles in water, as we sat. The waves came furiously and violently over us, and against us; but by reason of the rock's proportion could not lift us off, but beat her all to pieces. Now look with me upon our distress, and consider of my misery, who beheld the ship broken, the water in her and violently overwhelming us, my goods and provisions swimming in the seas, my friends almost drowned, and mine own poor children so untimely (if I may so term it without offence) before mine eyes drowned, and ready to be swallowed up and dashed to pieces against the rocks by the merciless waves, and myself ready to accompany them. But I must go on to an end of this woeful relation.
In the same room whereas he sat, the master of the pinnace, not knowing what to do, our foremast was cut down our mainmast broken in three pieces, the fore part of the pinnace beat away, our goods swimming about the seas, my children bewailing me, as not pitying themselves, and myself bemoaning them, poor souls, whom I had occasioned to such an end in their tender years, whenas they could scarce be sensible of death, - and so likewise my cousin, his wife and his children: and both of us bewailing each other in our Lord and only Saviour Jesus Christ, in whom only we had comfort and cheerfulness insomuch that, from the greatest to the least of us, there was not one screech or outcry made, but all, as silent sheep, were contentedly resolved to die together lovingly, as since our acquaintance we had lived together friendly.
Now as I was sitting in the
cabin room door, with my body in the room, when lo! one of the
sailors, by a wave being washed out of the pinnace, was gotten in
again, and coming into the cabin room over my back, cried out, "we
are all cast away. The Lord have mercy upon us! I have been washed
overboard into the sea, and am gotten in again." His speeches
made me look forth. And looking toward the sea, and seeing how we
were, I turned myself to my cousin and the rest, and spake these
words: "O cousin, it hath pleased God to cast us here between
two rocks, the shore not far from us, for I saw the tops of trees
when I looked forth." Whereupon the master of the pinnace,
looking up at the scuttle-hole of the quarter-deck, went out at it;
but I never saw him afterward. Then he that had been in the sea went
out again by me, and leaped overboard toward the rocks, whom
afterward also I could not see.
Now none were left in the bark
that I knew or saw, but my cousin, his wife and children, myself and
mine, and his maidservant. But my cousin thought I would have fled
from him and said unto me; "O cousin, leave us not, let us die
together;" and reached forth his hand unto me. Then I, letting
go my son Peter's hand, took him by the hand and said; "Cousin,
I purpose it not. Whither shall I go? I am willing and ready here to
die with you and my poor children. God be merciful to us and receive
us to himself!" adding these words; "The Lord is able to
help and deliver us." He replied, saying, "Truth, cousin-,
but what his pleasure is, we know not. I fear we have been too
unthankful for former deliverances. But he hath promised to deliver
us from sin and condemnation, and to bring us safe to heaven through
the all-sufficient satisfaction of Jesus Christ. This therefore, we
may challenge of him." To which I, replying, said, "That is
all the deliverance I now desire and expect."
Which words
I had no sooner spoken, but by a mighty wave I was, with the piece of
the bark, washed out upon part of the rock, where the wave left me
almost drowned. But recovering my feet, I saw above me on the rock my
daughter Mary To whom I had no sooner gotten, but my cousin Avery and
his eldest son came to us, being all four of us washed out by one,
and the same wave. We went all into a small hole on the top of the
rock, whence we called to those in the pinnace to come unto us,
supposing we had been in more safety than they were in. My wife,
seeing us there, was crept up into the scuttle of the quarterdeck to
come unto us. But presently came another wave and dashed the pinnace
all to pieces, carried my wife away in the scuttle as she was, with
the greater part of the quarterdeck unto the shore; where she was
cast safely, but her legs were something bruised. And much timber of
the vessel being there also cast, she was some time before she could
get away , being washed by the waves. All the rest that were in the
bark were drowned in the merciless seas. We four by that wave were
clean swept away from off the rock also into the sea; the Lord, in
one instant of time, disposing of fifteen souls of us according to
his good pleasure and will.
His pleasure and wonderful great
mercy to me was thus. Standing on the rock, as before you heard, with
my eldest daughter, my cousin, and his eldest son, looking upon and
talking to them in the bark, whenas we were by that merciless wave
washed off the rock, as before you heard, God, in his mercy, caused
me to fall, by the stroke of the wave, flat on my face; for my face
was toward the sea, Insomuch, that as I was sliding off the rock into
the sea, the Lord directed my toes into a joint in the rock's side,
as also the tops of some of my fingers, with my right hand, by Means
whereof, the wave leaving me, I remained so hanging on the rock, only
my head above the water; when on the left hand I espied a board or
plank of the pinnace. And as I was reaching out my left hand to lay
hold on it by another wave coming over the top of the rock I was
washed away from the rock, and by the violence of the waves was
driven hither and thither in the seas a great while, and had many
dashes against the rocks.
At length, past hopes of life, and wearied
in body and spirits, I even gave over to nature; and being ready to
receive in the waters of death, I lifted up both my heart and hands
to the God of heaven, - for note, I had my senses remaining perfect
with me all the time that I was under and in the water, - who at that instant lifted my head above the top
of the water, so that I might breath without any hindrance by the
waters, I stood bolt upright, as if I had stood upon my feet; but I
felt no bottom, nor had any footing for to stand upon but the
waters.
While I was thus above the water, I saw by me a piece
of the mast, as I suppose, about three foot long, which I labored to
catch into my arms. But suddenly I was overwhelmed with water, and
driven to and fro again, and at last I felt the ground with my right
foot. When immediately, whilst I was thus grovelling on my face, I.
presently recovering my feet, was in the water up to my breast, and
through God's great mercy had my face unto the shore, and not to the
sea. I made haste to get out, but was thrown down on my hands with
the waves, and so with safety crept to the dry shore, where, blessing
God, I turned about to look for my children and friends but saw
neither, nor any part of the pinnace, where I left them, as I
supposed. But I saw my wife, about a butt length from me, getting
herself forth from amongst the timber of the broken bark; but before
I could get unto her she was gotten to the shore. I was in the water,
after I was washed from the rock, before I came to the shore, a
quarter of an hour at least.
When we were come each to the
other, we went and sat under the bank. But fear of the seas' roaring,
and our coldness, would not suffer us there to remain. But we went up
into the land, and sat us down under a cedar tree, which the wind had
thrown down, where we sat about an hour, almost dead with cold. But
now the storm was broken up, and the wind was calm; but the sea
remained rough and fearful to us. My legs were much bruised, and so
was my head. Other hurt had I none, neither had I taken in much
quantity of water. But my heart would not let me sit still any
longer- but I would go to see if any more were gotten to the land in
safety, especially hoping to have met with some of my own poor
children; but I could find none, neither dead nor yet living.
You
condole with me my miseries, who now began to consider of my losses.
Now came to my remembrance the time and manner how and when I last
saw and left my children and friends. One was severed from me sitting
on the rock at my feet, the other three in the pinnace; my little
babe (ah, poor Peter!) sitting in his sister Edith's arms, who to the
uttermost of her power sheltered him from the waters; my poor William
standing close unto them, all three of them looking ruefully on me on
the rock, their very countenances calling unto me to help them; whom
I could not go unto, neither could they come at me, neither would the
merciless waves afford me space or time to use any means at all,
either to help them or myself. Oh, I yet see their cheeks, poor
silent lambs, pleading pity and help at my hands. Then, on the other
side, to consider the loss of my dear friends, with the spoiling and
loss of all our goods and provisions, myself cast upon an unknown
land, in a wilderness, I knew not where nor how to get thence. Then
it came to my mind how I had occasioned the death of my children, who
caused them to leave their native land, who might have left them
there, yea, and might have sent some of them back again, and cost me
nothing. These and such like thoughts do press down my heavy heart
very much.
But I must let this pass, and will proceed on in
the relation of God's goodness unto me in that desolate island, on
which I was cast. I and my wife were almost naked, both of us, and
wet and cold even unto death. I found a napsack cast on the shore, in
which I had a steel and flint and powder horn. Going farther, I found
a drowned goat; then I found a hat, and my son William's coat, both
which I put on. My wife found one of her petticoats which she
put on. I found also two cheeses and some butter driven ashore. Thus
the Lord sent us some ' clothes to put on, and food to sustain our
new lives, which we had lately given unto us, and means also to make
fire; for in a horn I had some gunpowder, which, to mine own, and
since to other men's admiration, was dry. So taking a piece of my
wife's neckcloth which I dried in the sun, I struck fire, and so
dried and warmed our wet bodies; and then skinned the goat, and having found a small brass
pot, we boiled some of her. Our drink was brackish water; bread we
had none.
There we remained until the Monday following; when,
about three o'clock in the afternoon, in a boat that came that way, we
went off that desolate island, which I named after my name, Thacher's Woe and the rock, Avery, his fall, to the end that their fall and
loss, and mine own, might be had in perpetual remembrance. In the
isle lieth buried the body of my cousin's eldest daughter, whom I
found dead on the shore. On the Tuesday following we arrived in
Marblehead."
(it would appear that there was probably another page to the letter, as it seems to end rather abruptly here)
Thacher Island Association
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