First Fruits

by CHRIS HEATON

That query and apt response were conveyed to me by Scott Offen, Class of 1978 and loyal alumnus, who has donated more than 430 books to RL’s library—all of which relate to John Eliot and early New England. Scott has given books from the 1630s, ’40s and ’50s, as well as Eliot manuscripts from the 1640s and 1650s. A true student of the history of Eliot and New England, Scott has spent countless hours and no small fortune tracking down rare books about Eliot’s work with Native Americans, purchasing them through auctions, and presenting them to the school. I’ll highlight two of his recent books. (Well, I won’t actually highlight them, because I’m an archivist.) This fall, Scott generously donated a book titled New Englands (sic) First Fruits, which was published in 1643. Old stuff indeed. It’s easily years. We join a very small group of institutions that have copies of New Englands First Fruits; there are only 16 extant copies held by other public and private libraries.

New Englands First Fruits has the following (modernized) subtitle: “1. In respect, first of the conversion of some, conviction of divers, preparation of sundry of the Indians.

2. Of the progress of learning, in the college at Cambridge in Massachusetts Bay. With diverse other special matters concerning that country. Published by the instant request of sundry friends, who desire to be satisfied in these points by many New-England men who are here present, and were eye or eye-witnesses of the same.” It’s the first of eleven tracts that were published in London between 1643 and 1671. First Fruits, though anonymous, is sometimes attributed to John Eliot and describes the missionary work in New England. Collectively, the tracts describe the missionary work and provide “descriptions of customs, behavior, and beliefs among native peoples in the area of Massachusetts Bay” (Clark). Roxbury Latin is fortunate to have seven of the eleven tracts.

Although First Fruits is the most valuable book Scott has given, it’s not the oldest. That honor goes to a beautiful 1635 edition of William Wood’s New England’s Prospect. That book is the first detailed account of the lands of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the first map of New England by a resident. Wood lived in New England from 1629 to 1633—overlapping with Eliot, who arrived in 1631—then returned to England and published a description of Eliot’s work with the “Indian peoples of New England” (Sotheby’s). Each year, the boys in my U.S. History course view the book and map, a pretty special opportunity as there are only ten copies in the world.

Along with his books and manuscripts, Scott purchased for the school a high-quality book scanner to easily incorporate archival materials into the curriculum. The school thanks Scott for his continued interest in the history of the Founder Eliot and his support of the library and archives.

Sources

Clark, Michael. The Eliot Tracts. Praeger, 2003.

Sotheby’s Auction House: https://www.sothebys. com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/ collection-anne-h-frederick-vogeliii-n10003/lot.1142.html