University of Virginia Library

Chapter 1.
What people they are that beginne this plantation:
the bane of Virginia: strange misprisions of wise men.

THE Warres in Europe, Asia, and Affrica,
taught me how to subdue the wilde salvages
in Virginia and New-England, in
America;

which now after many a stormy
blast of ignorant contradictors, projectors,
and undertakers, both they and I have
beene so tossed and tortured into so many
extremities, as despaire was the next wee
both ∥ expected, till it pleased God now at
last to stirre up some good mindes, that I
hope will produce glory to God, honour to his Majesty, and profit to
his Kingdomes, although all our Plantations have beene so foyled
and abused, their best good willers have beene for the most part discouraged,
and their good intents disgraced, as the generall History
of them will at large truly relate you.

Pardon me if I offend in loving that I have cherished truly, by
the losse of my prime fortunes, meanes, and youth: If it over-glad
me to see Industry her selfe adventure now to make use of my aged
endevours, not by such (I hope) as rumour doth report, a many of
discontented Brownists,

Anabaptists, Papists, Puritans, Separatists,
and such factious Humorists, for no such they will suffer among
them, if knowne, as many of the chiefe of them have assured mee, and
the much conferences I have had with many of them, doth confidently
perswade me to write thus much in their behalfe.

I meane not the Brownists of Leyden and Amsterdam at New-Plimoth,
who although by accident, ignorance, and wilfulnesse, have
indured with a wonderfull patience, many losses and extremities;
yet they subsist and prosper so well, not any of them will abandon
the Country, but to the utmost of their powers increase their numbers:
But of those which are gone within this eighteene moneths for Cape
Anne, and the Bay of the Massachusets: those which are their chiefe
Undertakers are Gentlemen of good estate, some of 500, some a
thousand pound land a yeere, all which they say they will sell for the
advancing this harmlesse and pious worke; men of good credit and
well-beloved in their Country, not such as flye for debt, or any scandall
at home, and are good Catholike Protestants according to the
reformed Church of England, if not, it is well they are gone: the rest
of them men of good meanes, or Arts, Occupations, and Qualities,
much more fit for such a businesse, and better furnished of all necessaries
if they arrive well, than was ever any Plantation went out of
England: I will not say but some of them may be more precise than
needs, nor that they all be so good as they should be, ∥ for Christ had
but twelve Apostles, and one was a traitor; and if there be no dissemblers
among them, it is more than a wonder: therefore doe not
condemne all for some; but however they have as good authority
from his Majesty as they could desire, if they doe ill, the losse is but
their owne; if well, a great glory and exceeding good to this Kingdome,
to make good at last what all our former conclusions have disgraced.
Now they take not that course the Virginia company did for
the Planters there, their purses and lives were subject to some few
here in London who were never there, that consumed all in Arguments,
Projects, and their owne conceits, every yeere trying new
conclusions, altering every thing yearely as they altered opinions, till
they had consumed more than two hundred thousand pounds, and
neere eight thousand mens lives.

It is true, in the yeere of our Lord 1622. they were about seven
or eight thousand

English indifferently well furnished with most
necessaries, and many of them grew to that height of bravery, living
in that plenty and excesse, that went thither not worth any thing,
made the Company here thinke all the world was Oatmeale there,
and all this proceeded by surviving those that died, nor were they
ignorant to use as curious tricks there as here, and out of the juice of
Tabacco, which at first they sold at such good rates, they regarded
nothing but Tabacco; a commodity then so vendable, it provided
them all things: and the loving salvages their kinde friends, they
trained so well up to shoot in a Peece, to hunt and kill them fowle,
they became more expert than our owne Country-men, whose
labours were more profitable to their Masters in planting Tabacco,
and other businesse.

This superfluity caused my poore beginnings scorned, or to be
spoken of but with much derision,

that never sent Ship from thence
fraught, but onely some small quantities of Wainscot, Clap-board,
Pitch, Tar, Rosin, Sope-ashes, Glasse, Cedar, Cypresse, Blacke
Walnut, Knees for Ships, Ash for Pikes, Iron Ore none better, some
Silver Ore, but so poore it was not regarded; better there may be, for
I was no Mine- ∥ ralist, some Sturgion, but it was too tart of the
Vinegar, which was of my owne store, for little came from them
which was good; and Wine of the Countries wilde Grapes, but it was
too sowre, yet better than they sent us any: in two or three yeeres but
one Hogshead of Claret. Onely spending my time to revenge my
imprisonment upon the harmlesse innocent salvages, who by my
cruelty I forced to feed me with their contribution, and to send any
offended my idle humour to James towne to punish at mine owne
discretion; or keepe their Kings and subjects in chaines, and make
them worke. Things cleane contrary to my Commission; whilest I
and my company tooke our needlesse pleasures in discovering the
Countries about us, building of Forts, and such unnecessary fooleries,
where an Egge-shell (as they writ) had beene sufficient against such
enemies; neglecting to answer the Merchants expectations with
profit, feeding the Company onely with Letters and tastes of such
commodities as we writ the Country would afford in time by industry,
as Silke, Wines, Oyles of Olives, Rape, and Linsed, Rasons, Prunes,
Flax, Hempe, and Iron, as for Tabacco, wee never then dreamt of it.

Now because I sent not their ships full fraught home with those
commodities, they kindly writ to me, if we failed the next returne,
they would leave us there as banished men, as if houses and all those
commodities did grow naturally, only for us to take at our pleasure,
with such tedious Letters, directions, and instructions, and most contrary
to that was fitting, we did admire how it was possible such wise
men could so torment themselves and us with such strange absurdities
and impossibilities, making Religion their colour, when all
their aime was nothing but present profit, as most plainly appeared,
by sending us so many Refiners, Gold-smiths, Jewellers, Lapidaries,
Stone-cutters, Tabacco-pipe-makers, Imbroderers, Perfumers, Silkemen,
with all their appurtenances, but materialls, and all those had
great summes out of the common stocke: and so many spies and
super-intendents over us, as if they supposed we would turne Rebels,
all stri- ∥ ving to suppresse and advance they knew not what: at last
got a Commission in their owne names, promising the King custome
within seven yeares, where we were free for one and twenty, appointing
the Lord De-la-ware for Governour, with as many great and
stately officers, and offices under him, as doth belong to a great Kingdome,
with good summes for their extraordinary expences; also
privileges for Cities, Charters for Corporations, Universities, Free-schooles,
and Glebe-land, putting all those in practice before there
were either people, students, or schollers to build or use them, or
provision and victuall to feed them were then there: and to amend
this, most of the Tradesmen in London that would adventure but
twelve pounds ten shillings, had the furnishing the Company of all
such things as belonged to his trade, such jugling there was betwixt
them, and such intruding Committies their associats, that all the
trash they could get in London was sent us to Virginia, they being
well payed for that was good. Much they blamed us for not converting
the salvages, when those they sent us were little better, if not
worse, nor did they all convert any of those we sent them to England
for that purpose. So doating of Mines of gold, and the South Sea, that
all the world could not have devised better courses to bring us to
ruine than they did themselves, with many more such like strange
conceits; by this you may avoid the like inconveniences, and take
heed by those examples, you have not too many irons in the fire at
once, neither such change of Governours, nor such a multitude of
Officers, neither more Masters, Gentlemen, Gentlewomen, and
children, than you have men to worke, which idle charge you will
finde very troublesome, and the effects dangerous, and one hundred
good labourers better than a thousand such Gallants as were sent me,
that could doe nothing but complaine, curse, and despaire, when
they saw our miseries, and all things so cleane contrary to the report
in England, yet must I provide as well for them as for my selfe.