had been culpable, and the list of Elizabeth’s crimes truly appalling. The prolonged deceit and lies about the sampler, not to speak of the laziness involved - these were bad, but the subsequent blasphemy against God, and then theft, were beyond any condoning as childish naughtiness.
John Winthrop stood behind the lectern on which lay Adam’s great new King James Bible open at the thirtieth chapter of Ecclesiasticus. John’s brooding gaze slowly circled the assembled family. His father and mother sat in tall-backed carved chairs, Lucy next to them, Thomas Fones on a cushioned bench, shivering from his ague, rubbing his gouty fingers nervously but grim-mouthed above the sparse beard. Thomas did not lock at his daughter who had disgraced the Foneses, he stared at the thyme-strewed rushes at the base of the high stool where Elizabeth had been perched in the centre of the circle. He heard Anne beside him begin to cry and murmured, “Now, now, wife.” All the children were there in the Hall too, and the younger servants, huddled near the kitchen door. So regrettable a circumstance as this would nonetheless yield profit as an example, and prevent others from wrongdoing. Little Martha crouched beside Anne, and stared with horrified eyes at her sister, but John’s own children were ranged at his right, Below the lectern - Jack, Harry, Forth, and Mary, who was but five years old and the only one who did not understand what was taking place.
John Winthrop cleared his throat, and held up his hand. “We are gathered here in sorrow this morning, for the performance of a distasteful duty. It is one from which I shrink and I pray the Dear Lord to strengthen me.” His voice faltered a moment. It was true that only a clear sense of duty upheld him, and the necessity for correcting wickedness within his own family. John could be angry under direct provocation, his temper was hot, but the deliberate infliction of pain on a girl child distressed him. Moreover, this interruption to his morning’s plans was extremely inconvenient. He had been engaged in writing a decisive love letter to Margaret Tyndal for which the Essex carrier was waiting, he was also due by noon at the Manor Court next the church where his services were required as magistrate. But the salvation of a child through whom ran Winthrop blood must take precedence over all other matters. “Elizabeth,” he said leaning on the lectern and looking sadly at the huddled little bunch on the stool. “Raise your head and tell us the deadly sins of which you have been guilty.”
Elizabeth swallowed hard. There was an enormous choking lump in her throat, but a numbness had come on her, and a bewilderment. She couldn’t seem to remember exactly what had happened this morning, it had gone misty like a dream. She stared at her uncle and said nothing. There was a long silence
“Very well, since you wish to add obduracy to the rest,” said John at last. “I will enumerate for you. You have been disobedient and slothful, first, then you have been mired in deceit, and lies. This is wicked enough, but when your deceit was exposed, you most horribly blasphemed against God, you fled from just retribution, and on top of all this--you turned thief! Do you understand that, Elizabeth? Were you older and of the lower classes you would have been. put in the stocks, and a letter T branded with a blazing iron on your face.”
The child gasped. “I only ate one,” she said. “I didn’t mean to take them,”
John sighed. “I’m glad to see some glimmer of repentance, but you must be brought to the lull of it. Listen to God’s express word.” He bent: his head and began to read from Ecclesiasticus. “He that loveth his son causeth him oft to feel the rod, that he may have joy of him in the end” He read on, intoning each verse, “An horse not broken becometh headstrong . . . Cocker thy child and he shall make thee afraid . . Give him no liberty in his youth . . . wink not at his
John Winthrop stood behind the lectern on which lay Adam’s great new King James Bible open at the thirtieth chapter of Ecclesiasticus. John’s brooding gaze slowly circled the assembled family. His father and mother sat in tall-backed carved chairs, Lucy next to them, Thomas Fones on a cushioned bench, shivering from his ague, rubbing his gouty fingers nervously but grim-mouthed above the sparse beard. Thomas did not lock at his daughter who had disgraced the Foneses, he stared at the thyme-strewed rushes at the base of the high stool where Elizabeth had been perched in the centre of the circle. He heard Anne beside him begin to cry and murmured, “Now, now, wife.” All the children were there in the Hall too, and the younger servants, huddled near the kitchen door. So regrettable a circumstance as this would nonetheless yield profit as an example, and prevent others from wrongdoing. Little Martha crouched beside Anne, and stared with horrified eyes at her sister, but John’s own children were ranged at his right, Below the lectern - Jack, Harry, Forth, and Mary, who was but five years old and the only one who did not understand what was taking place.
John Winthrop cleared his throat, and held up his hand. “We are gathered here in sorrow this morning, for the performance of a distasteful duty. It is one from which I shrink and I pray the Dear Lord to strengthen me.” His voice faltered a moment. It was true that only a clear sense of duty upheld him, and the necessity for correcting wickedness within his own family. John could be angry under direct provocation, his temper was hot, but the deliberate infliction of pain on a girl child distressed him. Moreover, this interruption to his morning’s plans was extremely inconvenient. He had been engaged in writing a decisive love letter to Margaret Tyndal for which the Essex carrier was waiting, he was also due by noon at the Manor Court next the church where his services were required as magistrate. But the salvation of a child through whom ran Winthrop blood must take precedence over all other matters. “Elizabeth,” he said leaning on the lectern and looking sadly at the huddled little bunch on the stool. “Raise your head and tell us the deadly sins of which you have been guilty.”
Elizabeth swallowed hard. There was an enormous choking lump in her throat, but a numbness had come on her, and a bewilderment. She couldn’t seem to remember exactly what had happened this morning, it had gone misty like a dream. She stared at her uncle and said nothing. There was a long silence
“Very well, since you wish to add obduracy to the rest,” said John at last. “I will enumerate for you. You have been disobedient and slothful, first, then you have been mired in deceit, and lies. This is wicked enough, but when your deceit was exposed, you most horribly blasphemed against God, you fled from just retribution, and on top of all this--you turned thief! Do you understand that, Elizabeth? Were you older and of the lower classes you would have been. put in the stocks, and a letter T branded with a blazing iron on your face.”
The child gasped. “I only ate one,” she said. “I didn’t mean to take them,”
John sighed. “I’m glad to see some glimmer of repentance, but you must be brought to the lull of it. Listen to God’s express word.” He bent: his head and began to read from Ecclesiasticus. “He that loveth his son causeth him oft to feel the rod, that he may have joy of him in the end” He read on, intoning each verse, “An horse not broken becometh headstrong . . . Cocker thy child and he shall make thee afraid . . Give him no liberty in his youth . . . wink not at his
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