University of Virginia Library

CXXXVIII. Richard Berkeley and John Smyth. A Commission
to George Thorpe for the Government of the Plantation
September 10, 1620

After our very harty comendac̃ons: wee send herewith vnto you, a Comis-
sion to discharge the governemt and authority, wch last yeare was by you

vs and yourselfe conferred vpon Captayne Woodleefe wherto your owne
hand and seale is to be affixed, if you have cause to make vse therof, wch we
leave to the wisdome of yourselfe and mr Tracy we have conferred the
wholl gou9nemt of all our people and affayres ioyntly by one other Comis-
sion vpon yourselfe and Mr Tracy accordinge to the tenor of the former to
captayne Woodleefe, makinge noe doubt of your prudent vsage therof,
p̳fitably also for yourselves and vs: wherin if difference in execuc̃on arise
betwene yee we have taken order for vmperinge therof, as by other
Covenantℯ quadrip̱tite amongst vs may appeare, wherof one p̱te is sent
for you to seale and returne agayne to vs by this ship.

We pray you forget not to procure an effectuall ɫre or other declarac̃on
from Sr George Yardley that he wholly wayveth any entermedlinge in our
plantac̃on or affayres, vnder or by colour of that Indenture wch we here-
tofore passed in his name and our owne, wch we suppose he will readily
doe, as vnwillinge to pay in redy mony in England .450li wch his fifth
p̱te at least cometh to, with the wages for hire of this Ship and of the Mr
and maryners: His last ɫres give vs also a kynd of assurance therof.

ffor many respects we hold it expedient to vse expedic̃on in passinge
our patent from the company here for th' inheritance of our land or some
p̱te therof, wherfore we pray you to get the same measured bounded and
plotted (wch Thomas Kemis vndertaketh out of his owne sufficiency
exectly to p̱forme) And to p̳cure from the governor such certificat as the
nature of that busines and the vsage of the country there doe requyre,
wherin we pray your best diligence [130] and myndfullnes and returne
therof by this ship: for which by our Chre p̱ty we are to pay for six
monthes hire, though shee returne in shorter space.

Your care also must be to p̳cure a certificat from the gou9nor and secre-
tary of the arryvall of the fifty p̱sons (or more) wch we nowe ship for
plantac̃on, and are p̱ticularly menc̃oned in the certificat of the mayor of
Bristoll, wherof Mr Tracy hath a copy; we pray you to be carefull in the
receipt of such materialls, tooles and implements of husbandry and other
furnitures and provisions, aswell nowe sent in this ship as wch were sent in
the former to our and your owne excessive charges, and to cause exact
Inventories therof to be made the better to requyre due accompts from such
as vnder you shall have the charge of them.

In p̱formance of the last years p̳mise made by you and ourselves to Tho:
Coopy your Carpenter, we nowe send over his wife and sonne and daughter
for whom he hath twice specially written, the same also beinge by her
much importuned at our hands; wherin in regard of our charges (loosing
also therby the transportac̃on of .3. laboringe men) such Condic̃ons are
to be made wth the husband as may retribute to vs a competent satisfacc̃on,
wch we refer to yourselfe and Mr Tracy, be the same in augmentac̃on of
the years of his, her and their sonne and daughters services, or in increase
of his rent for the land he is to receyve of vs at the end of his .3. years or
otherwise as in your wisdomes you shall thinke more fittinge.

We send you a copy of our agreemt wth Richard Smyth and six others,
who are our first tenants or vndertakers to the halfes in that kynd: If
they fynd respect and p̱formance from you of what we have p̳mised (wch
is most iust they should) vpon their ɫres (wch covertly or openly they will
send over to their frends and neighbors) dyu9s others (by their private
agreemts) will be like affected and sutors to vs: And therfore howe you
like of those Condic̃ons or wherin you wish any variac̃n or addic̃on, we
desire (for our better instrucc̃on in the future) to have your advice by
this ship.

ffive of our servantℯ have written to their frends, and some of them to
ourselves, by ɫres dated in ffebruary and March last to have two servants
the peece sent over for their owne pryvate benefit and imploymtℯ by this
Ship p̳misinge apparell and dyet out of their meanes in your family and
that country, Wherin as none of their [131] requestℯ are by vs or their frends
yet satisfyed (because the desire seemeth somewhat strange) yet we would
not have you to leave them without assurance of our favor and satisfacc̃on
of their reasonable requestℯ in our future returnes and supplyes, if you
and mr Tracy shall signify the same to be convenient, But to have satis-
fyed one and not all would have begot murmur or discontent in the neg-
lected p̱sons: herein we pray you carry a tender hand, because they are
all of the better sort: p̱haps also your vnexpected (yet welcome) cominge
amongst them, may have buryed in them that humor or desire.

We must pray you to bend your vtmost care and diligence to subsist, as
much and assoone as is possible of yourselves: for theis great supplyes are

insupportable in longer contynuance, as more p̱ticularly by this or the
next Ship that cometh from England, you will both in our generall and in
your p̱ticular accompt vnderstand from me John Smyth.

Markhams and Goovges bookℯ of all kynd of English husbandry and
huswifry, and .2. others for the orderinge of silk and silkwormes are nowe
sent, wch take into your owne hands from Thomas Lemis, otherwise you
will bee defrauded of them.

We have sent you also a great quantity of the best seeds for a kitchen
garden, and of the most vsefull kynds, wee need not comend to you the
effectuall care of them, because a great p̱te of the food of your family must
aryse from them: With them cometh also a reasonable quantity of the
seeds of cotton wooll, wch Thomas Combes your p̱tener hath p̳cured in
London.

Mr Smyth hath this day drawne out of his nurseryes a great number of
yonge stockℯ and of apple trees grafted with pippens, pearmaynes and
other the best apples, wch he hopeth for his owne humor and affecc̃on sake
therin you will have somwhat the more care of, as also of the bagg of
abricote damosell & other plumstones he nowe sendeth.

We hoped of your ɫres from the way of newfoundland from whence dyu9s
ships are arryved at Barstable & Bristoll .6.3 and two dayes nowe past, as
by p̱te of the newe fish we nowe furnish appeareth, but till the date hereof
cannot heare from you or of your arrivall.

Wth our affectionate comendac̃ons we bid you hartely farewell and rest