A biography is a nonfiction book about someone's life. Was that your question ?
Snuff is a name for a tobacco product that does not expose a person to tar.
Most of the above passage includes descriptions of the tasks that the caretakers did for the sick, but if you look where Bradford first mentions those caretakers, you can see just how he feels about them. This phrase, "there was but six or seven sound persons, who, to their great commendations be in spoken, spared no pains, night nor day, but with abundance of toil and hazard of their own health" holds the key. If you look closely at this phrase, Bradford describes how many people acted as caretakers (six or seven) and includes a single word, "commendations," that means praise. To suggests they deserve "great commendations" tells the reader that Bradford feels like these caretakers deserve the highest praise for what they do. My answer, then, would be the word "commendations."
He is afraid his pursuers will catch them
pal·pa·ble
[ˈpalpəb(ə)l]
ADJECTIVE
(of a feeling or atmosphere) so intense as to seem almost tangible.
"a palpable sense of loss"
synonyms: perceptible · perceivable · visible · noticeable · appreciable · discernible · detectable · observable · tangible · recognizable · notable · unmistakable · transparent · indisputable · self-evident · incontrovertible · incontestable · undeniable · obvious · clear · plain · plain to see · evident · apparent · manifest · patent · marked · conspicuous · pronounced · striking · distinct · as plain as a pikestaff · as plain as the nose on one's face · standing/sticking out like a sore thumb · standing/sticking out a mile · right under one's nose · staring one in the face · writ large · beyond doubt · beyond question · written all over someone · as clear as day · blinding · inescapable · overt · open · undisguised · unconcealed · glaring · blatant · flagrant · barefaced · gross · stark
antonyms: intangible · imperceptible
plain to see or comprehend.
"to talk of dawn raids in the circumstances is palpable nonsense"
synonyms: undisguised · plain · unadorned · unvarnished · unveiled · unqualified · stark · bald · unexaggerated · simple · overt · obvious · open · patent · evident · apparent · manifest · unmistakable · palpable · blatant · glaring · flagrant · barefaced · out-and-out · unmitigated
able to be touched or felt.
"the palpable bump at the bridge of the nose"
synonyms: tangible · touchable · noticeable · detectable · solid · concrete · material · substantial · real