Sir William Phips, the first royal governor of Massachusetts, found a sympathetic biographer in Cotton Mather. Of the many laudable qualities Mather attributed to his subject, there was one that stood out: 'for which I must freely say, I never saw Three Men in this World that Equall'd him; this was his wonderfully Forgiving Spirit.' Mather admitted that Phips might respond angrily to a serious affront, and that over the course of his life there had been instances when he had even struck out physically when provoked. Yet, Mather assured his readers, 'in fine, our Sir William was a Person of so sweet a Temper, that they who were most intimately acquainted with him, would commonly pronounce him, The best Conditioned Gentleman in the World!' Mather's judgement was based on a close relationship with Phips during the early 1690s. It was also influenced by self-jurisdiction, as Mather had been a supporter and adviser of Phips during the controversial years of his governorship of Massachusetts from 1692 to 1695. The biography was written in 1697, some two years after Phips's death. Later historians have treated Mather's favourable portrayal with scepticism, preferring in most cases to see Phips as crudely aggressive in both word and deed. A close examination of the evidence, however, reveals this interpretation to be just as dubious as Mather's self-serving testimonials. The reality was more complex, and this essay will seek to advance both a historical and a historiographical explanation for the confusion that has pervaded existing accounts of Phips's behaviour.