"Bedford, most noble Bedford,
I shall not thee forget."

History has remembered thee; especially that meek and humble
petition of thy old planters, like the wailing of the Lord's own
people, "To the gentlemen, the selectmen" of Concord, praying to
be erected into a separate parish. We can hardly credit that so
plaintive a psalm resounded but little more than a century ago
along these Babylonish waters. "In the extreme difficult seasons
of heat and cold," said they, "we were ready to say of the
Sabbath, Behold what a weariness is it."--"Gentlemen, if our
seeking to draw off proceed from any disaffection to our present
Reverend Pastor, or the Christian Society with whom we have taken
such sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in
company, then hear us not this day, but we greatly desire, if God
please, to be eased of our burden on the Sabbath, the travel and
fatigue thereof, that the word of God may be nigh to us, near to
our houses and in our hearts, that we and our little ones may
serve the Lord. We hope that God, who stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus to set forward temple work, has stirred us up to ask, and
will stir you up to grant, the prayer of our petition; so shall
your humble petitioners ever pray, as in duty bound--" And so the
temple work went forward here to a happy conclusion. Yonder in
Carlisle the building of the temple was many wearisome years
delayed, not that there was wanting of Shittim wood, or the gold
of Ophir, but a site therefor convenient to all the worshippers;
whether on "Buttrick's Plain," or rather on "Poplar Hill."--It
was a tedious question.