Beside these four historic accounts of King Philip's War, was "A relation of the Indyan Warr by Mr. Easton of Rhoad Island 1675," commencing thus: "A True Relation of what I kno and of Reports and my Understanding concerning the Begining and Progress of the War now betwen the English and the Indians." The author was John Easton, who emigrated to New England in the spring of 1634, and settling first at Ipswich, Mass., in 1638 removed to Rhode Island to escape the religeous intolerance that as a consciencious quaker he was made to suffer in Massachusetts. He settled at Newport, and was chosen governor's assistant in 1640 and 1643, and from 1650 to 1652, and again in 1654, he was President under the first colonial charter. From 1672 to 1674 he held the office of Governor of Rhode Island. He died at Newport in 1675. Governor John Easton's history contained the following concerning the breaking out of King Philip's war (see F. B. Hough's edition of that work printed at Albany by J. Munsell):

But for four Yeares Time Reports and Iealosys of War had bin veri frequent yt we did not think yt now a War was breaking forth; but about a Week before it did we had Case to think it wold. Then to indever to prevent it we sent a Man to Philip yt if he wold cum to the Fery we wold cum over to speke with him. About four Miles we had to cum thither our Messenger cum to them; they not aware of it behaved themselves as furious, but sudingly apeased when they understood who he was and what he came for, he called his Counsell and agreed to cum to us; came himself unarmed and about 40 of his Men armed. Then 5 of us went over, 3 wear Magistrates. We sate veri friendly together. We told him [165] our bisnes was to indever that they might not reseue or do Rong. They said that was well; they had dun no Rong, the English ronged them. We said we knew the English said the Indians ronged them and the Indians said the English ronged them, but our Desier was the Quarrell might rightly be desided in the best Way and not as Dogs desided their Quarrells. The Indians owned yt fighting was the worst Way; then they propounded how Right might take Place. We said by Arbitration. They said that all English agreed against them and so by Arbitration they had much Rong; mani Miles square of Land so taken from them, for English wold have English Arbitrators; and once they were persuaded to give in their Armes yt thereby Jealousy might be removed, and the English having their Arms wold not deliver them as they had promised untill they consented to pay 100 L and now they had not so much Sum or Muny; thay wear as good be kiled as leave all ther Liueflyhode. We said they might chuse a Indian King and the English might chuse the Governor of New Yorke, yt nether had Case to say either wear Parties in the Diferance. They said they had not heard of yt Way and said we onestly spoke so we wear perswaided if yt Way had bine tendered they would have acsepted. We did endeaver not to hear their Complaints, said it was not convenient for us now to consider of, but to indever to prevent War; said to them when in War against English, Blood was spilt yt ingaged att Englishmen, for we wear to be all under one King; we knew what their Complaints wold be, and in our Colony had removed some of them in sending for Indian Rulers in what the Crime concerned Indians Lives which thay veri lovingly acsepted, and agreed with us to their Execution, and said so they were abell to satisfie their Subjects when they knew an Indian sufered duly, but said in what was only between their Indians and not in Touneshipes yt we purchased they wold not have us prosecute and yt thay had a great Fear to have ani of ther Indians should be caled or forced to be Christian Indians. Thay said yt such wer in everi thing more mischievous, only Disemblers and then the English made them not subject [166] to ther Kings and by thier lying to rong ther Kings. We knew it to be true and we promising them yt however in Government to Indians all should be alike and yt we knew it was our King's will it should be so, yt altho we wear weaker than other Colonies they having submitted to our King to protect them, others dared not otherwise to molest them; expressed they took that to be well that we had littell Case to doute, but that to us under the King they would have yielded to our Determinations in what ani should have complained to us against them. But Philip charged it to be disonesty in us to put of the Hering to iust Complaints, therefore we consented to hear them. Thay said thay had bine the first in doing Good to the English and the English the first in doing Rong; said when the English first came, their King's Father was as a great Man and the English as a littell Child; he constrained other Indians from ronging the English and gave them Corn and shewed them how to plant, and was free to do them ani Good and had let them have a 100 Times more Land than now the King had for his own Peopell. But ther Kings Brother when he was King came miserably to dy being forced to Court, as they iudge poysoned. And another Greavance was if 20 of there onest Indians testified that a Englishman had dun them Rong it was as nothing, and if but one of their worst Indians testified against any Indian or ther King when it pleased the English it was sufitiant. Another Grievance was when their King sold Land, the English wold say it was more than they agreed to, and a Writing must be prove against all them and sum of their Kings had dun Rong to sell so much. He left his Peopell none, and sum being given to Drunkness the English made them drunk and then cheated them in Bargains but now ther Kings wear forwarned not for to part with Land for nothing in Cumparison to the Value thereof. Now home the English had owned for King or Queen they wold disinheret and make another King that wold give or sell them these Lands; that now they had no Hopes left to kepe ani Land. Another Grievance, the English Catell and Horses still incresed; that when thay removed 30 Mill from where English had ani [167] thing to do thay could not kepe ther Corn from being spoyled thay never being iused to fence and thost when the English bost Land of them thay wold have kept their Catell upon ther owne Land. Another Grievance, the English were so eager to sell the Indians Lickers yt most of the Indians spent all in Drynknes and then raneved upon the sober Indians and thay did believe often did hurt the English Catell and ther King could not prevent it. We knew before, these were their grand Complaints, but we only indevered to persuaid yt all Complaints be righted without War, but could have no other Answer but that thay had not heard of that Way for the Governor of Yorke and an Indian King to have the Hearing of it. We had Case to think in yt had bine tendered it wold have bine acsepted. We indevered yt however thay should lay doune the War, for the English wear to strong for them; thay said then the English should do to them as they did when thay wear to strong for the English. So we departed without ani Discurtiousness and sudingly had Letter from Plimoth Governor thay intended in Arms to conforem Philip, but no Information what yt was thay required or wt Termes he refused to have their Quarrell desided; and in a Weke's Time after we had bine with the Indians thus begun."

Governor Easton then proceeded to give an account of the first acts of hostility, which does not materially differ from that we have related in another part of this book. Governor Easton's book stirred the ire of Rev. Increase Mather, who said of a Narrative of King Philip's war "written by a Merchant of Boston" and published in London: - "the abounding mistakes therein caused" him "to think it necessary that a true history of this affair should be published. Whilst I was doing this there came to my hands another Narrative of this War written by a Quaker in Road Island who pretends to know the Truth of things, but that Narrative being fraught with worse things than meer mistakes I was thereby quickened to expedite what I had in hand."

END OF CHAPTER THREE