It is altogether probable that it was in his capacity of "interpreter"
(as Samoset and Tisquantum knew but little English), and on account of
what knowledge of the Indian tongue he very probably possessed, that
Standish chose Williamson as his associate for the formal reception of
Massasoit. It is indeed altogether probable that it was this familiarity
with the "trade lingo" of the American coast tribes which influenced--
perhaps determined--his employ ment as "ship's-merchant" of the MAY-
FLOWER for her Pilgrim voyage, especially as she was expected to "load
back" for England with the products of the country, only to be had by
barter with the Indians. It is evident that there must naturally have
been some provision made for communication with the natives, for the
purposes of that trade, etc., which the Planters hoped to establish.
Trading along the northern coast of Virginia (as the whole coast strip
was then called), principally for furs, had been carried on pretty
actively, since 1584, by such navigators as Raleigh's captains, Gosnold,
Pring, Champlain, Smith, Dermer, Hunt, and the French and Dutch, and much
of the "trade lingo" of the native tribes had doubtless been "picked up"
by their different "ship's-merchants." It appears by Bradford' that
Dermer, when coasting the shores of New England, in Sir Ferdinando
Gorges's employ, brought the Indian Tisquantum with him, from England,
as his interpreter, and doubtless from him Dermer and other ship's
officers "picked up" more or less Indian phrases, as Tisquantum (Squanto)
evidently did of English. Winslow, in his "Good Newes from New England,"
written in 1622, says of the Indian tongue, as spoken by the tribes about
them at Plymouth, "it is very copious, large, and difficult. As yet we
cannot attain to any great measure thereof, but can understand them, and
explain ourselves to their understanding, by the help of those that daily
converse with us." This being the case, after two years of constant
communication, and noting how trivial knowledge of English speech Samoset
and Tisquantum had, it is easy to understand that, if Williamson had any