University of Virginia Library

CCXCIII. Richard Ffrethorne. Letter to Mr. Bateman
March 5, 1622/3

5th Marche 1622 in Virginia

Right Worll͠ this is to lett yow vnderstand that I am in a most miserable
and pittiful Case both for want of meat and want of cloathes for we had
meale and p̳uision for twenty and there is ten dead, and yett our prouision
will not laste till the Seaflower come in, for those seruantℯ that were there
before vs were allmost Pined, and then they fell to feedinge soe hard of
our prouision that itt killed them that were ould Virginians as fast, as
the scurvie & bloody fluxe did kill vs new Virginians: for they were in such a
Case by reason of the murder done all ouer the land that they Could not
plant anythinge att all, and att euerie Plantac̃on all of them for the most
part were slaine and theyr howses & goodℯ burnt. some, the Indians
kept aliue and tooke them awaie wth them, and nowe theise two Indians
that they haue taken doe tell vs that the Indians haue 15 aliue wth them
thus through theyr Roguery the land is ruinated and spoyled, and itt will
not bee soe stronge againe not this 12 yeares, for att our Plantac̃on of
seauenscore, there was butt 22 lefte aliue, and of all theyr houses there
is butt 2 lefte and a peece of a Church, and our master doth saye that
3000 poundℯ will not make good our Plantac̃on againe, And the Mar-
chauntℯ lost by itt the last yeare, and they can gett little or nothinge this
yeare, ffor we must plant butt a little Tobago, butt all corne for breade,
and when we haue done yf the Rogues come and Cutt itt from vs as they
haue sent all the Plantac̃ons word that they will haue a bout wth them,
and then we shall quite be starued, ffor is itt not a poore Case when a
pinte of meale must serue a man 3 dayes as I haue seene itt since I came
Wherefore my humble request is that I maye be freed out of this Egipt,
or els that itt would please yow to send ouer some beife & some Cheese and
butter, or any eatinge victuallℯ will bee good tradinge and I will send you
all that I make of itt onely I would intreat the gaine to redeeme me, or
yf yow please to speake to the rest of the Parishioners, that a smale gather-
inge maye be made to send me theise thingℯ or els to redeeme me sodanly

for I am almost pined and I want Clothes for truely I haue but one shirt one
Ragged one & one payer of hose, one payer of shoes one suite of Cloothes
soe that I am like to Perish for want of succor & releife, Therefore I bee-
seech yow and most humblie intreat & entyrely att yor mercifull handℯ
(not wth Pharoes brother §buttler§ to forgett me, as he did forgett Joseph
in the Prison) butt I intreat yow to vse the wordℯ of god Jeremieh in his 31
Chapter and the 10 verse where he sayeth I haue suerly heard Ephrahim
bemoaninge himselfe, euen soe yow maye see me bemoaninge myselfe,
wherefore I intreat yow to follow his wordℯ in the latter ende of the 20th
verse of the same Chapter (that is) I will suerly haue mercye vppon him
sayeth the lord; Soe I beseech yow to haue mercy vppon me, remembringe
what Sallomon sayeth in the 35th Chapter of Ecclesiasticus and the 20
verse, that mercy is seasonable in the tyme of afliction affliction & §as§
Cloudes of Rayne in the tyme of drought soe now mercie is seasonable to
me att this tyme I neede not sett downe the wordℯ of Sallomon in the 37 of
Ecclesiasticus and the 6th verse because the lord hath endued yor hart
wth many of those blessingℯ And thus I comitt yow into the handℯ of
allmightie god and intreat yow to helpe me soe suddaynely as yow Can
Soe vale in Christo