University of Virginia Library

Chapter 10.

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8

The mistaking of Patents, strange effects,
incouragements for servants.

WHO would not thinke that all those certainties should not have
made both me and this Country have prospered well by this?
but it fell out otherwayes, for by the instigation of some, whose policy
had long watched their oportunity by the assurance of those profitable
returnes, procured new Letters Patents from King James, drawing
in many Noblemen and others to the number of twenty, for
Patentees, dividing my map and that tract of land

from the North
Sea to the South Sea, East and West, which is supposed by most
Cosmographers at least more than two thousand miles; and from 41.
degrees to 48. of Northerly latitude about 560. miles; the bounds
Virginia to the South, the South Sea to the West, Canada to the
North, and the maine Ocean to the East; all this they divided in
twenty parts, for which they cast lots, but no lot for me but Smiths
Iles, which are a many of barren rocks, the most overgrowne with
such shrubs and sharpe whins you can hardly passe them; without
either grasse or wood, but three or foure short shrubby old Cedars.
Those Patentees procured a Proclamation, that no ship should goe
thither to fish but pay them for the publike, as it was pretended, five
pound upon every thirty tuns of shipping, neither trade with the
natives, cut downe wood, throw their balast overboord, nor plant
without commission, leave and content to the Lord of that division
or Mannor; some of which for some of them I beleeve will be tenantlesse
this thousand yeare. Thus whereas this Country, as the contrivers
of those projects, should have planted it selfe of it selfe, especially
all the chiefe parts along the coast the first yeare, as they have
oft told me, and chiefly by the fishing ships and some small helpe of
their owne, thinking men would be glad upon any termes to be
admitted under their protections: but it proved so contrary, none
would ∥ goe at all. So for feare to make a contempt against the Proclamation
it hathever since beene little frequented to any purpose,
nor would they doe any thing but left it to it selfe.

Thus it lay againe in a manner vast,

till those noble Gentlemen
thus voluntarily undertooke it, whom I intreat to take this as a
memorandum of my love, to make your plantations so neere and
great as you can; for many hands make light worke, whereas yet your
small parties can doe nothing availeable; nor stand too much upon
the letting, setting, or selling those wild Countries, nor impose too
much upon the commonalty either by your maggazines, which commonly
eat out all poore mens labours, nor any other too hard imposition
for present gaine; but let every man so it bee by order
allotted him, plant freely without limitation so much as hee can, bee
it by the halfes or otherwayes: And at the end of five or six yeares,
or when you make a division, for every acre he hathplanted, let him
have twenty, thirty, forty, or an hundred; or as you finde hee hath
extraordinarily deserved, by it selfe to him and his heires for ever; all
his charges being defrayed to his lord or master, and publike good:
In so doing, a servant that will labour, within foure or five yeares
may live as well there as his master did here: for where there is so
much land lie waste, it were a madnesse in a man at the first to buy,
or hire, or pay any thing more than an acknowledgement to whom
it shall be due; and hee is double mad that will leave his friends,
meanes, and freedome in England, to be worse there than here.
Therefore let all men have as much freedome in reason as may be,
and true dealing, for it is the greatest comfort you can give them,
where the very name of servitude will breed much ill bloud, and
become odious to God and man; but mildly temper correction with
mercy, for I know well you will have occasion enough to use both;
and in thus doing, doubtlesse God will blesse you, and quickly triple
and multiply your numbers, the which to my utmost I will doe my
best indevour.