would give an order for thee to take at Boston; sister James told me she intended to send thee 2 bushells of corn & some wool, & likewise said that justice Worth said that he would send some corn. More meat & corn will be sent which will be in greater quantities which thy uncle Jethro Starbuck will give thee an account of or to thy Husband. I should have been glad if he had come over with Stuart, but I hope we shall see him this summer if not both of you. So with my kind love to thee thy Husband & children & to all friends, committing you to the protection of the almighty who is the wise dispenser of all things, I remain thy affectionate Grandmother MARY STARBUCK.

The conversion of Mary Starbuck and her children was the beginning of Quakerism on Nantucket. A majority of the islanders, influenced by this woman, were opposed to a hired ministry, as being contrary to the practice of the apostles; but she consented that when a "hireling minister" came to the island, and was agreeable

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to the people, and stayed some time, and took pains to benefit them, the people might give what they pleased for his sustenance, -"such as Indian corn or other provisions, as they happened to have at the time to spare, and wool for clothing, but nothing certain or settled." 1

In her house the Quaker church was formed, and there it worshiped for four years. A record book was bought in April, 1708, and the first writing in it was a petition to the Rhode Island Yearly, Meeting "to be joined unto" some Quarterly Meeting, and to have on Nantucket "a general meeting of worship once in ye year;" which acts were to make a connection with the Quaker societies of New England.

At the same time it was agreed "to take care for a piece of ground for a lot to set a meeting-house on & for a burial ground." Patience

1 William Penn exhorted Quakers to "cultivate a universal spirit," because recognizing the universality of Divine spiritual visitation. And this sense of the priesthood of the individual man, and of every one's responsibility direct to God, led the Quaker to object to all hierarchical or priestly assumptions.

Patience Gardner, Ann Barnard, and Miriam Worth were "appointed to regulate the conduct of children in meeting," a more suitable appointment than was customary in the Puritan churches of New England, where this duty was assigned to men. Next year, they agreed to build the meeting-house "as fast as we can;" eight years later, they paid Jabez Macy for enlarging it "by adding twenty feet more in length;" and the congregation increased to such an extent that, in the year 1730, men were selected "to make choyce of a place to set a new meeting house on." This house was built during the next year, and was paid for as soon as it was finished.

From its beginning the church had money in hand, and was liberal in gifts to help its poor and to maintain its faith. At every Monthly Meeting" to inspect ye affairs of ye Church," or, as the records sometimes say, "to inspect ye affairs of Truth," shillings and sixpences were collected "for ye servise & use of Friends." Out of the meeting's stock thus collected, five pounds were given to help to build

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a meeting-house in Providence town; five pounds to help to build one at Smithfield; two pounds to help "ye purchase of a Certain piece of land at boston" for a meetinghouse; twelve pounds were given "for ye procuring an unjust law made null and voyd whereby Friends suffer much in the loss of their goods; " money was paid "for Friends passages from the main to our meetings;" fifteen pounds were given to Thomas Hathaway "towards repairing his loss of his house by fire;" four pounds were given to Joseph Hamlin, "he being poor and craving help; " twenty pounds were sent to England to get the disapproval of "a law in New England by which Friends suffer persecution and are greatly oprest by ye presbitereans."

The time for opening the book of discipline came soon to this little church. Let us read from its records of May, 1708: "Our visitors having treated with Sarah Darling respecting her marrying with a man of another persuasion, and dont find any disposition in her to condemn herself, It is the judgement of the meeting that

she

she be set aside." And let us read from the records of April, 1709: "Phebe wife of George Bunker is set aside for going with another man. Eunice Alley is set aside for marrying contrary to the good order of Friends and refusing to give satisfaction." But Lois Lacey and Lydia Folger, who were guilty of the same transgression, stood up in meeting and told of their sorrow and were forgiven. So, too, with William Swayne, who, to save himself from disownment by the Quaker church, confessed his sins, "for which," he said, "I am truly sorry & begg pardon of God, desiring also to be forgiven by his people whom I have grieved, brought truble & reproch upon by my scandelouse behaviour. I do Declare yt if I had kept to ye Light & Truth as held & profesed by ye people called Quakers it would have preserved me out of yt evil." 1 Other acts besides immoralities were punished by disownment. The principles of the Quaker Society forbade its members to contend with each other in lawsuits;

1 Records of the Quaker Society, October, 1715.