[Ads-l] Q: "removeal"[1630] = "remove all"?

[Joel Berson]

An historian claims:

“[John Cotton writes,1630,] ‘But how shall I know, if I be well where I am, what may warrant myremoveal?’ (That archaic spelling of “removal”--to remove all--underscores thedrama of the decision to migrate.)”

Is there any validity to her equating "removeal" to "remove all"?  Or is it rather a case of retention (or addition) of a terminal "e", which I think was common in the 17th century?  (I vote for the latter.)


Joel

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