University of Virginia Library

LXXXII. John Pory. A Letter to "the Right honble and my
singular good lorde"
September 30, 1619

Right honble and my singular good lorde, Hauing mett wth so fitt a mes-
senger as this man of warre of Flushing, I could not but imparte wth yor
lop (to whom I am so euerlastingly bounde) these poore fruites of our
labours here; wherein though your lop will espie many errours & imper-
fections, and matters of lowe esteeme; yet wthall you wilbe contente to
obserue the very principle and rudiments of our Infant-Com̃onwealth;
wch though nowe contemptible, your lop may liue to see a flourishing
Estate; maugre both Spaniards & Indians. The occasion of this ships
coming hither was an accidental consortship in the West Indies wth the
Tresurer an English man of warre also, licensed by a Com̃ission from the
Duke of Sauoye to take Spaniards as lawfull prize. This ship the Treas-
urer wente out of England in Aprill was tweluemoneth, about a moneth,
I thinke, before any peace was concluded between the king of Spaine & that
prince. Hither shee came to Captaine Argall then governr of this Colony,
being parte-owner of her. Hee more for loue of gaine the root of all euill,
[* * * *] then for any true love he bore to this Plantation, victualled
& manned her anewe, and sente her wth the same Com̃ission to raunge
the Indies. The euente whereof (we may misdoubte) will proove some

attempte of the Spaniard upon us, either by waye of revenge, or by way
of prevention; least we might in time make this place sedem belli against
the West Indies. But our Governr being a soldier truly bred in that
vniversity of warre the lowe Countries, purposeth at a place or two upon
the riuer fortifiable to prouide for them, animating in the meane while
this warlike people (then whom for their small number, no prince can be
serued wth better) by his example to prepare their courages.

Both those of our nation and the Indians also haue this Torride som̃er
bene visited wth great sicknes & mortality; wch our good God (his name
be blessed for it) hath recompensed wth a maruelous plenty, suche as
hath not bene seen since our first coming into the lande. For my selfe
I was partly at land & partly at sea vexed wth a Calenture of some 4. or
5. moneths. But (praised be god) I am nowe as healthfull as euer I was
in my life. Here (as yor lop cannot be ignorant) I am, for faulte of a
better, Secretary of Estate, the first that euer was chosen and appointed
by Com̃ission from the Counsell and Company in England, vnder their
handes & com̃on seale. By my fees I must maintaine my selfe; wch the
Gouernr telles me, may this yeare amounte to a matter of 300ɫ sterling;
wherof fifty I doe owe to himselfe, and I pray God the remainder may
amounte to a hundred more. As yet I haue gotten nothing, saue onely
(if I may speak it wthout boasting, a general reputation of integrity,
for hauing spoken freely to all matters, according to my conscience; and
as neare as I could discerne, done euery man right.

As touching the quality of this country, three thinges there bee, wch
in fewe yeares may bring this Colony to perfection; the English plough,
Vineyards, & Cattle. For the first, there be many grounds here cleared
by the Indians to our handes, wch being muche worne out, will beare no
more of their corne, wch requireth an extrordinary deale of sappe & sub-
stance to nourish it: but of our graine of all sortes it will beare great
abundance. We have had this yeare a plentifull cropp of English wheat,
tho the last haruest 1618. was onely shed upon the stubble, and so selfe-
sowne, wthout any other manurance. In Iuly last so soon as we had
reaped this selfe-sowen wheate, we sett Indian corne upon the same
grounde, wch is come up in great abundance; and so by this meanes we
are to enjoye two crops in one yeare from off one & the same fielde. The

greattest labour we haue yet bestowed upon English wheate, hath bene,
upon newe broken up groundes, one ploughing onely & one harrowing,
far shorte of the Tilthe used in Christendome, wch when we shall haue
ability enough to performe we shall produce miracles out of this earthe.
Vines here are in suche abundance, as wheresoeuer a man treads, they
are ready to embrace his foote. I haue tasted here of a great black grape
as big as a Damascin, that hath a true Muscatell-taste; the vine wherof
now spending itselfe euen to the topps of high trees, if it were reduced
into a vineyard, and there domesticated, would yeild incomparable fruite.
The like or a better taste haue I founde in a lesser sorte of black grapes.
White grapes also of great excellency I haue hearde to be in the country;
but they are very rare, nor did I euer see or taste of them. For cattle,
they do mightily increase here, both kine, hogges, & goates, and are
much greater in stature, then the race of them first brought out of Eng-
land. No lesse are our horses and mares likely to multiply, wch proove
of a delicate shape, & of as good spirite & metall. All our riches for the
present doe consiste in Tobacco, wherein one man by his owne labour
hath in one yeare, raised to himselfe to the value of 200ɫi sterling; and
another by the meanes of sixe seruants hath cleared at one crop a thou-
sand pound english. These be true, yet indeed rare examples, yet possi-
ble to be done by others. Our principall wealth (I should haue said)
consisteth in seruants: but they are chardgeable to be furnished wth
armes, apparell, & bedding, and for their transportation, and casuall
both at sea, & for their first yeare com̃only at lande also: but if they
escape, they prooue very hardy, and sound able men.

Nowe that yor lop may knowe, we are not the veriest beggers in the worlde,
our Cowe-keeper here of Iames citty on Sundayes goes acowterd all in
freshe flaming silkes and a wife of one that in England had professed the
black arte not of a scholler but of a collier of Croydon, weares her rough
beuer hatt wth a faire perle hattband, and a silken suite therto correspo-
§e§ndent. But to leaue the Populace, and to come higher, the Gouernor
here, who at his first coming, besides a great deale of worth in his person,
brought onely his sworde wth him, was at his late being in London,
together wth his lady, out of his meer gettings here, able to disburse very
near three thousand poundℯ to furnishe himselfe for his voiage. And once
wthin seuen yeares, I am persuaded (absit invidia verbo) that the Gouernors

place here may be as proffitable as the lord Depuities of Irland. All this
not wthstanding, I may say of my selfe, that when I was the last yeare
wth yor lop at Middleborough, si mens non laeua fuisset, I might haue
gone to the Hagh wth you, and founde my selfe there nowe in far better
company, wch indeed is the soule of this life, and might haue bene deeply
ingrafted into yor lops seruice, wch since I haue a thousand times affected
in vaine. And therfore seing I haue missed that singular happines,
I must for what remaines, depende upon Gods prouidence, who, my
hope is, wilbe so merciful towards me, as once more before I dye, to
vouchsafe me the sight of your countenance, wherein, I speak vnfainedly,
I shall enioye as muche happines as in any other thing I can imagine
in this worlde. At my first coming hither the solitary vncouthnes of
this place, compared wth those partes of Christendome or Turky where
I had bene; and likewise my being sequestred from all occurrents and
passages wch are so rife there, did not a little vexe me. And yet in these
fiue moneths of my continuance here, there haue come at one time or
another eleuen saile of ships into this riuer, but fraighted more wth igno-
rance, then wth any other marchandize. At length being hardned to this
custome of abstinence from curiosity, I am resolued wholly to minde
my busines here, and nexte after my penne, to haue some good book
alwayes in store, being in solitude the best and choicest company. Besides
among these Christall riuers, & odoriferous woods I doe escape muche
expense, envye, contempte, vanity, and vexation of minde. Yet Good my
lorde, haue a little compassion upon me, and be pleased to sende me,
what pampletts and relations of the Interim since I was wth you, as yor
lop shall thinke good, directing the same (if you please) in a boxe to Mr
Ralfe Yeardley Apothecary (brother to Sir George Yeardley our gouer-
nour) dwelling at the signe of the Hartychoke in great Woodstreet, to be
sente to me by the first, together wth his brothers thinges. This pacquett
I deliuered to one Marmaduke Rayner, an Englishman, who goes inter-
tained as Pilott in this Flemishe man of warre. If he come to yor lop, as
he hathe promised, he wilbe the fittest messenger. All possible happines
I wishe to yor lop, and to my most honoured lady; and though remote in
place, yet neare in affection, doe reste