smoothly afterwards. If the difficulty into which they had got was
apprehended by Winthrop, Endicott, or any of their associates, they
were wise enough to see that nothing but mischief could arise from
taking notice of it; that no human ingenuity could disentangle the
snarl; and that all they could do was to wait for the lapse of time to
drift them through. The conduct of these two men on the occasion was
truly admirable. Endicott welcomed Winthrop with all the honors due to
his position as governor; opened his doors to receive him and his
family; and manifested the affectionate respect and veneration with
which, from his earliest manhood to his dying day, Winthrop ever
inspired all men in all circumstances. Winthrop performed the
ceremony at Endicott's marriage. They each went about his own
business, and said nothing of the embarrassments attached to their
official titles or powers. After a few months, Winthrop held his
courts, as though all was in good shape; and Endicott took his seat as
an assistant. They proved themselves sensible, high-minded men, of
true public spirit, and friends to each other and to the country,
which will for ever honor them both as founders and fathers. They
entered into no disputes--and their descendants never should--about
which was governor, or which first governor.

The disposal of lands, at the expiration of Endicott's delegated
administration, passed back into the hands of the company, and was
conducted by the General Court upon the policy established at its
meetings in London. On the 3d of March, 1635, the General Court
relinquished the control and disposal of lands, within the limits of
towns, to the towns themselves. After this, all grants of lands in
Salem were made by the people of the town or their own local courts.
The original land policy was faithfully adhered to here, as it
probably was in the other towns.