THE BAY COLONY DISCIPLINED 153

now, probably at the instance of Southwell and
Blathwayt, he was selected to fill the difficult
and thankless post of commissioner to New Eng-
land. That he had ability and courage no one
can doubt, and that he pursued his course with a
tenacity that would have won commendation in
other and less controversial fields, his career shows.
His devotion to the interests of the Crown and
his loyalty to the Church of England steeled
him against the almost incessant attacks and
rebuffs that he was called upon to endure, and
his entire inability to see any other cause than
his own saved him from the discouragements
that must certainly have broken a man more sensi-
tive than himself. He exhibited at times some
of the obduracy of the zealot and martyr; at
others he displayed unexpected good sense in
protesting against extremes of action that he
thought unjust or unwise. He was honest and
indefatigable in the pursuit of what he believed
to be his duty, and was ill-requited for his labors,,
but he was a persistent fault-finder and his letters
are masterpieces of complaint. He was thrice
married, his second wife dying at the height of
his troubles in Massachusetts, and he had five
children, all daughters, one of whom proved a