University of Virginia Library

CXV. Sir George Yeardley. A Letter to Sir Edwin Sandys
June 7, 1620

Noble

Sir, having in breife as the tyme and buisines would give, leave, in
our publike letter to your selfe and the Counsell, given some answer to
the letters we have receaved, yett my selfe in p̱ticular being so much
bound to you, as all your many favors have oblieged me, could not but
take some tyme by the opertunity of this ship the London marchant to
make §my§ excuse vnto you in that I have not written at large in answer
of all your letters wch by these 4 ships I have receved, the wch duty yf
God p̱mitt me lyfe and health I will not fayle to p̱pforme to the vttmost
I can by the next conveyance. There lying at this p̱sent vpon vpon my
shoulders so great a burthen that I am not able to looke into all p̱ticulars
so sodaynly as this Ship will depart, this great nomber of people also
ariving ex Enexpected it hath not a littell pusseled me to p̳vide for the
lodging of them, it being a thing of spetiall consequence and nessesity
for theire healths, but herein I must acknowledge your care and zeale for
the hasty and speedy erecting this good worke, in the sending so many
people for sondry p̳fitable employments in Each where of I doe here
passe my p̳mise vnto you, and hould my selfe bound to doe my best
endever, and had not your zealous desires over hasted you and the passage
at sea bin Soe unfortunate to the duty, whereby I had no warning at all
given to p̳vide for these people, I should have bine able to have done
much better then now I can, yett I beseech God to give a blessing to my
endevors, they are now all loged within good houses as this Country doth
afforde not one but lyeth vpon a bed stead high frō the ground and
have theire victualls well dressed and it is allso both amended and
enlarged [1b] to theire full content, theire p̳vision wch came with them
out of England being nothing but meale is very harsh for them to feed
vpon being new comers, therefore I have for varyety sake and in regard
allso the p̳portion out of England sent with them, will nothing neere
hould out: to give thē any good Allowance, taken vp vpon bill of Exchange

ffrõ Mr Shaw Mr of the London, Marchant 5 hoghsheads and 5 barells of
pease and 12 barells of ottmealle with 1000ĩ weyght of biskett, wch I find
to be allso very nessisary, my bills of Exchange I have made bould to
charge vpon your selfe in the behalfe of the Company, who I hope will
not take it ill that I have So Charged thē for this p̳vision of victuall, being
it is soe that I find this varyety of victuall to be much to the content
and health of the people. Indian-corne allso of my owne I feede them
with whereof I thanke the Lorde and praysed be his name, there is enough
in the Country for all the people now Arived: theire Allovance I give thē
exceedeth the p̳potion thought of in England, because helpes of fflesh
and ffish with such great abundance cannott readily be had therefore I
Allow thē the more of these p̳visions And had they arived at a seasonable
tyme of the yeare I would not haue doubted of theire lives and healths,
but this season is most vnfitt for people to arive here, and to tell you the
very truth I doubt of much sicknes for many of them to the nomber of
100 at least came some very weake and sick some Crasey and taynted a
shore, and now this great heate of weather striketh many more but for
Lyfe I hope well, yett the Company must be content to have littell service
done by new men the ffirst yeare till they be seasoned, The Cheife men
for the Iron worke being dead at sea and vpon theire p̱sent landing will
give a great blow to the stagering of that biwsines littell or nothing will
be done therein this somer it being a hott and heavy worke, yf this somer
with all the meanes I have to helpe them I can but build logings and
transporte theire materialls I shall thinke I have done well.

your boatewryght dyed soone after his landing at James Cyty whereby I
have no meanes so speedily to sett vp the new shallop for transporting
the people and theire p̳visions yt had I not A shallop of my owne to employ
that way I know not what toe doe, I p̳test before god I run my selfe out
of all the p̳vision of Corne I have for the feeding of these people looking
* * * for no recompence, the p̳vision now sent being butt one
thowsand and eyghteene bushells of meale, wch at a bushell p̱ moneth
being the least I can give them, will but serve them for ten weekes whereas
mr ffarar sayth he hath sent 6 moneths p̳vision, mr ffarar is my worthye
and loving ffreind but herein I must blame him in casting vp so shorte
Allowance allso for Clothes they come very shorte wheresoever the fault
is I know not it behoves him to looke to it the people are ready to muti-

nere for more affirming that more by him was p̳mised what shall I say, all
I have or can make meanes for I am willing to offer for the p̱forming and
making good your p̳mises there made, but Sir I beseech you be not offended
yf I deale playnly respecting the honor and reputation of my ffreinds and
suffer me I pray you to advise you that you doe not run into so great
matters in speedy and hasty sending so many people over hether and
vndertaking so great workes, before you have acquainted me and have
trewly bin enformed by me of the state of the Plantation and what may
be done here, yf you doe not observe this rule I shall and must fayle in
the executing of your p̳iects, what thinke you yt I am able to p̱forme it
being but yesterday to speake of since at my first Coming the Collony was
in election of starving left so by Capt Argall I have done what I can doe
and will doe still to vttmost power, but I pray sir give me both tyme to
p̳vide meanes and to build and settell before you lay one Loade, yf you
will but take my advise hence I will enforme you trewly and doe to the
vttmost, and yf I may not offend herein I will Challeng any man I may
deale with §vpon§ termes for doing more then I have done and will doe
with gods p̱mision considering the meanes I have thus in these ffirst
beginings and where all things are to be fforged out of the ffyer—

[2b] yf you will but observe the season, and allso to send men of such
quallityes and vpon such conditions as I shall in my letters give you
notice, no doubt then by gods grace but you shall advance the action wch
I know is your Cheife desire, and allso gayne to your selfe eternall honor
and reputation, except the Carpinters come for the Iron workes, there is
now not one arived, and never a boate wryght but that silly fellow wch is
dead and how doe you thinke I should build without good and skilfull
workemen, yf you shall thinke ffitt to send any men before Christmas I
pray send at least 6 moneths victuall with them, at a busshell of meale
a man p̱ moneth at least and what you lake of meale send in pease and
ottmell but allow yf of meale pease and ottmeall a pound of meale a day
and a pynt of pease or otmeall p̱ man, I pray thinke it not strange I should
wryght thus to send victualls with your people for you may be pleased
well to conceaue that yf such nombers of people come vpon me vnex-
pected, and that at an vnhealthfull §season§ and to late to sett Corne I
cannott then be able to feed them owt of others labors, what I can and
am able to doe yf you will have patience I will frõ tyme to tyme enforme

you, and doubt §not§ but to give you full content but both you and I
must give leave to tyme and soe expect the blessing of god, wheather I
have done my parte or noe, or wheather I have borne an heavy burden
bur and have had cause to Complayne, And yett not out of Pusilanimity I
humbly refer my selfe to your wisdome, yeat shall I ever acknowlege my
selfe bound to you for yt. you are pleased to suffer soe much for the defend-
ing of me, wherein I confes I have bin much greived but am now resolved,
and in spyght of foes be they great or littell will by gods assistance doe
my best entreating my thrise Noble Lord of Southampton and your selfe
with the rest of those lords and others trewly nobly disposed mynds, to
accept of my endevors, I desire or crave nothing for all my paynes and
Charge and Care I shall take during my tyme in the Publike, but only
your Noble acceptance as for all others whatsoever they be, theire malice
retorne vpon theire owne heads. I will rather dispise then fflater them
yett affecting neither but with a most humbled minde desiring god of his
mercy to make vs all worthy Instruments of this worke to his glory I
rest ever to be comanded by you