CDLVI. Letter and Petition concerning Virginia intended for
Delivery to the King
June 22, 1624
Manchester Papers, No. 403
Document in Public Record Office, London
List of Records No. 685
Sr I conceaue it standℯ wth the duety I owe his Maty to giue him informa-
c̃on that I heare the State of the Virg. Pɫt is so desp̱ate that both my self
and other wth whome I have conferred doe apprhend yt the Comp̃ intend to
neglect the sending of any supplyes thither & then by Clamor to lay the
blame of the distrucc̃on of yt Pɫtcon vpon the p̳ceedings wch by his Matya
direcc̃on haue been taken against them though in trueth they tended
onelye to the redress of their abuses & this is app̱ent both by their com-
plaint in p̱liament (where they sought to haue raised their owne reputac̃on
vpon the ruine of others) and by their carryage since
[This letter ends abruptly here: on the next page is the following draft]
yow haue opposed my opposed or course for reforming th abuses of the
plantac̃on you haue complained of my §our§ Comrs and of those that haue
informed both me §vs§ and them whereby thingℯ those abuses might
haue ben redrest y I §we§ cañot now in respect of other important business
settle and the season of the yeare so farr spent enter into so through an
§such§ examinac̃on of p̱ticulars §concerning the same§ as we intended:
But seeing notwithstanding all yor clamor we are fully assured that by yor
misgouermt the estate of that plantac̃on is brought into that §the§ wreckt
estate wherein now it standℯ; we require you that for the present you gee on
And that nothing but yor owne wayes are growne plausible; We haue for
the present thought it fitt to lett you know that we if the worke doe p̱ish
vnder yor handℯ §we will expect a strict Account of yt from you§ (as and
therefore requiere you as you so to proceed in the §quiett & orderly§ manag-
ing of those affaires and §&§ making seasonable supplyes for the releife of
the Colonye before winter approach that you we may not haue §hereafter§
more cause added to the former to lett you feele the effectℯ of yor iust
displeasure, but rath
[This letter ends abruptly here and then follows the petition]
May it please yor most excellent Mate
Whereas heretofore yor Matie out of yor princelie care and regard of the good
and wellfare of the Plantac̃on of Virginia haue as well in yor owne royall
p̱son, as by th' endeauors of the right hoble the LLs and others of yor Mates
priuie Counsell, and by speciall Comrs therevnto appointed laboured to be
thoroughlie informed of the true estate of those affaires: By wch inquirie the
miserable condition thereof canot but §did as we conceaue§ euidently
appeare to be such that vnles some p̢nt course were taken therein the
whole worke was must sodainlie fall into vtter Ruine: wch could not but be
foreseene by those that principally manage th' affaires of that Companie
who beeing in all likelihood possest wth an Opinion of an Impossibilitie
of bringing that worke out of th' extremities whereinto it is fallen doe (as
by sondrie of their courses (we conceaue) neglecting the care of the plan-
tac̃on) intend nothing but how to deriue the blame of miscarriage of that
businesse from themselues and to lay §by laying§ Imputac̃on vpon others
who haue only desired a Reformac̃on of th' abuses wch threaten the destruc-
c̃on of that good worke: And for that by process of tyme wherein these
thingℯ hang in suspence and vndecided the plantac̃on doth dailie suffer
We who at first petioned yor Matie for some course to redress Those fatall
disorders haue thought it or §bounden§ duties most humblie to againe
to petic̃on yor gracious goodnes that th' estate wherein that plantac̃on by
the is found to be by the Certificate of the Comrs and wch we thinke is now
much worse, may be published, and that some such direcc̃on may be
therevppon giuen for the good of the s̃d plantac̃on as to yor great wisedome
shall seeme most fitt and convenient: most vnfeinedlie professing to yor
sacred Matie that herein we desire nothing but the preseruac̃on of yor
Maties honor, the supportac̃on of the worke itself, and the freeing of or
owne soules from beeing any waies accessarie to the great mischeifes and
Inconveniences vnder wch the s̃d plantac̃on hath §hath§ long laboured and
wch seeme to vs to draw wth them an incuitable threaten the very life
and subsistence thereof now almost brought to a period as we vnles by
yor Maties speciall care they be speedelie prcuented redressed:
[Indorsed:] Coppy of a petic̃on intended to be deɫ his Mate concerñ Vir-
ginia &c. and a ɫre from the c. M' to the Company.
22 June 1624.
