Pietas in patriam the life of His Excellency Sir William Phips, Knt. late Captain…

It was Canada that was the chief Source of New-England's Miseries. There was the main Strength of the French; There the Indians were mostly supplied with Ammunition; Thence Issued Parties of Men, who uniting with the Salvages, barbarously murdered many Innocent New-Englanders, without any Provocation on the New-English part, except this, that New-England had Proclaimed King William, and Q. Mary, which they said were Usurpers; And, as Cato could make no Speech in the Senate, without that Conclusion, Delenda est Carthago; so it was the general Conclusion of all that Argued sensibly, about the safety of that Country, Canada must be Reduced. It then became the concurring Resolution of all New-England, with New-York, to make a Vigorous Attack upon Canada at once, both by Sea and Land.

It was Canada that was the chief Source of New-England's Miseries. There was the main Strength of the French; There the Indians were mostly supplied with Ammunition; Thence Issued Parties of Men, who uniting with the Salvages, barbarously murdered many Innocent New-Enlanders, without any Provocation on the New-English part, except this, that New-England had Proclaimed King William, and Q. Mary, which they said were Ʋsurpers; And, as Cato could make no Speech in the Senate, without that Conclusion, Delenda est Carthago; so it was the general Conclusion of all that Argued sensibly, about the safety of that Country, Canada must be Reduced. It then became the concurring Resolution of all New-England, with New-York, to make a Vigorous Attack upon Canada at once, both by Sea and Land.

And a Fleet was accordingly fitted out from Boston, under the Command of Sir William Phips, to fall upon Quebec, the chief City of Canada. They waited until August for some Stores of War from England, whither they had sent for that purpose, early in the Spring; ⟨p. 34⟩but none at last arriving, and the Season of the Year being so far spent, Sir William could not, without many Discouragements upon his Mind, proceed in a Voyage, for which he found himself so poorly provided. However, the Ships being taken up, and the Men on board, his usual Courage would not permit him to Desist from the Enterprise; but he set Sail from Hull near Boston, August 9. 1690. with a Fleet of Thirty two Ships and Tenders; whereof one, called the Six Friends, carrying Forty Four great Guns, and Two Hundred Men, was Admiral. Sir William dividing the Fleet into several Squadrons, whereof there was the Six Friends, Captain Gregory Sugars Commander, with Eleven more of the Admiral's Squadron, of which one was also a Capital Ship, namely, The John and Thomas, Captain Thomas Carter Commander; Of the Vice-Admirals, the Swan, Captain Thomas Gilbert Commander, with Nine more; Of the Rear-Admirals, the America-Merchant, Captain Joseph Eldridge Commander, with Nine more; and above Twenty Hundred Men on Board the whole Fleet: He so happily managed his Charge, that they every one of them Arrived safe at Anchor before Quebec, although they had as dangerous, and almost untrodden a Path, to take Un-Piloted, for the whole Voyage, as ever any Voyage was undertaken with. Some small French Prizes he took by the way, and set up English Colours upon the Coast, here and there, as he went along; and before the Month of August was out, he had spent several Days as far onward of his Voyage, as between the Island of Antecosta, and the Main. But when they entered the mighty River of Canada, such adverse Winds encountered the Fleet, that they were Three Weeks dispatching the way, which might otherwise have been gone in Three Days, and it was the Fifth of October, when a fresh Breeze coming up at East, carried them along by the North Shore, up to the Isle of Orleans; and then haling Southerly, they passed by the East end of that Island, with the whole Fleet approaching the City of Quebec.