University of Virginia Library

CDXVIII. Captain John Bargrave. Copy of a Letter to the Lord
Treasurer Middlesex[428]
Early December, 1623

Right hobḷe after 10 yeares service in the warres in the summer time, and
at my study in the wynter, whereby in some measure I informed my
Judgment in publiqu[e] buisinesse, and 7 yeares since now latelie spent in
observing the abuses of the Virginia Company, and studdying the meanes
to rectifie them, being forced and necessitated to be an earnest follower,
and studdyer of the same by losse of my Estate, I may now Claime to my-
selfe the right of being Maister in that art, Challenging all others that
shall oppose what I write, and makeing it good that it is impossible for
any one (that shall newly enter into the buisinesse) to be able to setle
this Plantac̃on. I will take this proposic̃on for the ground of my maister-
peece, and proue by right reason (wch Plato saith is the ground of pollicie)
That honors, liberties, and freedomes, togeather wth returne of profit, or-
dered to the Workeing of our pollitique Endℯ, would plant Virginia, and
worke those effectℯ wee all aimed at.

From this ground I raise these 6 headℯ.[429]

1.

• First I vndertake to show the meanes to draw a sufficient Nomber of
  men that haue good Estates here, to plant in Virginia, wth their persons
  & goodℯ, and to Cause the planters in Virginia to plant Estates in England.

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2.

• Secondlie so to seaver and divide the facultyes of sov9aintie, and the
  Com̃aund of the forces amongst those men so estated that they shall never
  meete vnited in power, but to advance our politique end of holding the
  Plantac̃on of §to§ England.

3.

• Thirdlie by makeing vse of the naturall strength, and largenes of ye
  place, so to marshall those men, as they shall not onelie make the Plan-
  tac̃on to spread, and growe, to find out the best Com̃odities, and inlarge
  the Kingℯ Dominions, but they shall secure it both from forraine Enimies, and inable it to give lawes to the Domesticke Indians.

4.

• Fourthly, the imploying of those men there to make the best & sud-
  dainest returnes hither.

5.

• Fiftly the mannageing and ordering those returnes so, as they shall not onely supply and mantayne the Plantac̃on wth apparrell and necessaries
  but it shall make a publique stocke and Treasurie, that should increase
  as the Plantac̃on increaseth.

6.

• Sixtlie and Iastlie the dooeing of all theis thinges by way of right and
  Interest to the mantenance of Justice, and peace, and to the Honor of
  God, our King, and State.

All theis quallityes being treated of in five seu9all Treatises are lastlie
Composed into one forme wch may aptlie be tearmed militarie Intendencie
by Tribe, it being a way not onelie to plant Garrisons without pay, but
each Garrison bringing wth it a Certaine Revenew to the Crowne, it shall
tie Virginia as fast to England as if it were one Terra firma wth it.

The hintℯ of it I had from Charles the 5th, and if he himselfe or King
Philip his sonne, had vsed the like policie in the West Indyes, low Coun-
tries, Millaine, Naples, and the rest of his provinces to Mantayne his
Soveraigntye there, he had not spent so many [2] Millions to keepe Garri-
sons as he hath done, neither would his provinces be so readie to fall from
him as now they wiebe if his plate fleet should faile him.

When I shall see the Companie incouraged, and the Comission goe for-
ward, so as the delinquentℯ being knowne to ther King from honest men,
a stocke may be gayned out of th' abuses of the Government, and that
this forme be setled, I doubt not but to procure 8 or 10 Gentlemen that

shall haue 7 or 8000li p̱ Ann̄ revenew to goe as Comissioners into Virginia,
to setle it, and to be the headℯ of the first Colloneyes; and all they shall
demand of his Maty is, that he will grant them the wardshipp of their
heyres if they shall dye in their seruice now at their first goeing. And if
his Maty will but grant me releife out of the Imployment of the said
stocke, I will vndertake on payne of my life, that what is wanting to per-
forme the buisines, the Planter shall supplie, and when this is done I
may glory in the worke and bragg that I haue helped the state to meanes,
shewed them the way and helped them wth Instrumentℯ to Conquer and
keepe in subiecc̃on to England a State that may grow to be as great an
Empire as the King of Spaynes, the distance of place no way hindering it,
to the honor and inriching of or King and State & to the releife of Thou-
sandℯ of poore people.[430]

I euer said and so I exprest my selfe in my Articles two yeares since at the
Councell boord, that if the buisnes wth the Company were not tenderlie
handled, that till this publique stocke was gayned, and this forme were framed,
and setled by the Company, we should beginne at the wrong end, and it
would hinder the worke; this takeing away of the Patent being a device of
the delinquentℯ (like some other they haue formerlie vsed) hath so madded
the Company, that whereas there is 80 Articles put in against the former
Gou9nors, 15 of them being against the Accomptℯ, and but 3 examined
they let all goe now at sixe and seauen, and[431] will medle no further; and
that there Cannot be a more pleasing thing to the delinquentℯ any one
may see it by some of their earnest following it. For my part I neuer
durst seeke to take away the populer Government here, partlie because the
deliverie vp of Patentℯ doth weaken the Confidence that Patentees should
haue in[432] them, and the Patent now granted being to the Company, Con-
sisting of the Adventurer, and Planter, and the Gou9nment being now in
the Company here, if the Company will by Consenting to this Forme,
transferre the Gou9nment to the Planter (to whom of right it belonges)
there is no necessitie that the Patent must be delivered, partlie because
there must by necessitie be such Correspondencie betweene the Planter in

Virginia, and the Adventurer here, that the Planter must make noe lawes
to bind the Estates of the Adventurer, but he must Consent to it either by
himselfe, or some other; for otherwise no man will adventure. Partly
because the Consent of all the Parties interested to the forme will make it
the more firme, and p̱petuall, partlie because all Changes of Gou9nmt
should be insensible, gentle, & [3] easie. Partlie because this Consent by
voices doth make many adventure that otherwise would not, Partly
because I made a doubt whether the King would take the name of the
Plantac̃on as §a§ worke of his owne till he saw it was able to subsist and
defend it selfe against forreyne and domesticke power. Partly because
vnder the name of the publique (wch is the Kingℯ in right of his Sou9aintie)
all the benifit of the publique landℯ & seruantℯ will returne vnto him though
he be no more seene in the buisines then form9lie he hath beene. Lastlie
the plantac̃on being divided into petty Collonyes of 300 in each one, if
those Collonies shall nominate 3 Adventurers here, two of them to be their
Agentℯ to doe their buisines, as the Comittees doe now, and the third to
preconsult and make Contractℯ for the Planter wth the King or Company,
the whole Classis of those preconsulters haueing a Negatiue voice; theis will
pruent all wrong done to the Plantac̃on, and there will nothing remayne
but the very name of the Company.

The Company feares that this takeing away the Patent before the abuses
were examined was hatched at Alderman Johnsons house at Bowe, at the
Kingℯ being there, that the King is now prest to it by Sr Thomas Smithes
Freindℯ of the Bed Chamber, and all is done to Conceale the falshood of his
Accomptℯ, and the grossenes of their Gou9nment from his Matℯ knowl-
edge[433] . They feare likewise that Sr Tho: Smith, Sr Samuell Argoll, and
Alderman Johnson standing Cleare in the Kingℯ Eyes, and the Gou9nment
being framed, That they may doe wth the Planter and Adventurer what
they list, all their privildges and rightℯ being taken from them they wilbe
made their Gou9nors who haue beene the principall aba§u§sers of them,
and this that side braggℯ of. Some of the Comrs also answearing Peti-
c̃oners that it is to no purpose for them to medle any further, being the
King hath declared himselfe to take away the Government from the

Company, and to put it into the handℯ of twelve Councellors, that may
right their causes.

The way to right all wilbe the setting forward of the Comission, the forceing
the Company to make good their Complaintℯ, the nomynating a Comittee
from the board, or otherwise to examine, and approue of the forme of
Gou9nment that shalbe tendered to the Company, and when they shall see
that Justice is done, this stocke is like to be gayned, and that this forme of
Gou9nmt wch the King and State doth presse on them is no such Bulbegger
as they need to be afraid of, but framed according to right, tending to the
good of all parties interested, for the Companies ease, and to take away the
blame from them, If any thing miscarrie for want of Government, the
order of the forme placeing the same men in the Gou9nment wch they
themselues would C choose if the Gou9nment should remayne in their
handℯ and they being by the said forme to haue their adventures secured to
them by the whole Collonyes, wherein they shall adventure, and that this
is all the hurt that is intended to them; I make no doubt but the States
and the Companies Endℯ meeting in one and the same thing, they will
imbrace it, and the buisines will goe well forward.

I know (my good Lord) that in Cases of necessitie all states & states men,
instead of following straight wayes to Compasse their endℯ [4] are forced to
follow more oblique and Crooked, the greatnes of the future good recom-
penceth the present ill. So Licurgus although his pollicie was Aristo
eraticable §call§ Aristocraticall, so iust, as for it he was (of the Oracle)
tearmed beloued of the Godℯ, yet notwithstandinge he being necessitated
to set vp his Gou9ment by Conspiracie, and force he was likewise Compelled
to Choose all his first Councell out of the Conspirators; by this rule of
necessitie Romulus (as Livie saith imitating other founders of Com̃on
Wealthes) to draw people to his new built Cittie, erected an Assilum, or
Sanctuary for Outlawes, men indebted, and discontented p̱sons. Junius
Brutus likewise in the desperate Case of the Citie of Rome, after the battel
of Canne was forced for want of men to set at liberty all the prisoners
indebted, and to discharge their debtℯ on Condic̃on, that they would
serue the State; although in theis Examples wee in our necessitie may
intreate Connivencie, and helpe for some industrious Gentlemen indebted;
and decaying in their Estatℯ, by whose industrie the States turne may be
serued, and their falling houses releived. This pollicy no question is

tolerable and fitt, but that theis delinquentℯ seeing their leaudnes like to
be discouered, should meet the storme in the force, and to avoid the
obloquie of their offences should be suffred to Compound vnder hand, and
vnder a Color of their loue to the Plantac̃on, and a desire to see the man-
nageing of it, by Concealing their Wrongℯ done, should thrust all the dis-
grace from themselues vpon others, it being a most sure rule that nothing
makes a State more florish then a due administrac̃on of rewardℯ and
punnishmtℯ, this must needℯ be by the rule of state intollerable, and the
more intollerable be because the State at this tyme both here and in
Virginia, longℯ for examples in this kind, The limitac̃on of the soueraigne
faculties amongst the Councell, and Magistrates in Virginia, wholy Con-
sisting in the severe punnishment of all incroachment vpon soueraigne
power, further then the forme giveth leaue, they therefore that shall robb
the Com̃onwealth of this example shall robb it of it selfe life[434] Whereas
therefore the foresaid Delinquentℯ takeing advantage on his Matℯ Dec-
clareac̃on against such as did not make good their Complaintℯ, that they
shall suffer the same punishmt (that the Delinquentℯ should) if their Com-
plaintℯ proue not true, did thereupon by the Kingℯ direcc̃on Cause the
Complaintℯ in the name of the Company to Cease, because such punish-
ment Could not be inflicted vpon the Companie as might vpon private
p̱sons, whereby they did for a long time hinder the proceedingℯ of §the
buisines before§ the Comrs, till such time as the boord did order it, that
against such Delinquentℯ as were Instrumtℯ of the Company they might
Complaine (it being but a device like this of takeing away the Patent) to
hinder the proceedingℯ of the Compltℯ. If therefore his Mãtie will suffer a
bill to be drawne in my name (I makeing choice of the Companies Articles,
and proofes that shalbe laid in the said bill) and will Continew my pro-
tecc̃on, and give vnto me the 4th part of what shalbe recou9ed, to recom-
pence my losse; I will vndertake, skinne for skinne, that nothing shalbe
laid against them but shalbe proued. And if the other partie will doe the
like against Sr Edwyn Sandys, or any others of the Companie, the buisines
wilbe by this meanes fully Censured, so prayeing for yor Lopps increase of
honor I rest