To the Honourable, the Commons House of Parliament.  
The Information of John Bargraue Esquire, showing the several abuses of the government of the Plantation in Virginia against 

Sir Thomas Smith knight.  
Alderman johnson& alias.    
showing to this Honourable House as I haue formerly done in the last Parliament( where it was received as a greiuance, 

Amongst many Articles that punish offences with death, the 15. being death for trading with the Indians, the 35. death for carrying a bark or Pinnace out of the river, the 36 death for selling, or giuing any commodity to bee transported out of the Collonie; are those by which the Petititioner suffered damage.  
And because it was judged that the Planter would be too much grieved with these laws, they haue made it death, Article 12. to utter unseemly speeches either against his majesty or the Comittees of the Virginia Company, or against any book that shall be set out& published, intimating thereby this book to bee published by the authority of the Company.   as by an Order of the said Parliament appeareth) That whereas the Kings majesty for the aduancement of the Plantation, did by his Patent encorporate a Free company, the body whereof consisting of a Treasurer, or his deputy, four Councellors, and fifteen Commoners; who being tied to make their laws( as well by the said Patent as by certain royal instructions given by his majesty) according to the laws of England, both they themselves and such as were admitted by them to be of the company, were to haue free Trade in Virginia, as by the said Parent appeareth. Your Petitioner seven yeares since being encouraged to adventure in the said Company by a Patent that promised him free Trade, he found himself, his estate, and those he employed, enthralled to the wills of a few, who abusing the public, or any private Planter as they listed, they laid all the fault on the Company.  

1. First, therefore your Petitioner accuseth Sir Thomas Smith and some others unknown, in the Companies name, and without the Companies consent( contrary to his majesties Patent and royal Instructions, and to the Common laws of England, haue caused to be printed and sent to Virginia a certain book of tyrannical government, whereby many of the Kings Subiects there lost their lives, and were brought into slavery, and the Petitioner and those he employed were thereby much damnified, to their great loss.  
2. That the said Sir Thomas Smith, Alderman johnson, and others( terming themselves the Company) haue contrary to the Patent and Instructions( by practise) made a monopoly of the Plantation, and of the labours of all the Planters there, sinking or raising the prizes of Commodities as three or four of them list, barring free trade from any other free of the Company but themselves, selling their Goods before their faces, and by setting of prizes only of Tobacco and Sarsafras, they caused all other Staple Commodities to be neglected there; so as eight or ten ships going to Virginia in one year, all came from thence empty, except the Megazine ship.  
3. That the said Sir Thomas Smith practising with three, four, or five, which he termeth the Company, by secret instructions given to the Gouernours in Virginia, to bar the Petitioners Trade by tyrannous laws there, which made it death to Trade, by detaining of the Petitioners Goods by fraudulent sale of them, and by making stay of his ships, haue prejudiced your Petitioner in Moneys and use money to the value of ten thousand pounds: Which abuses your Petitioner hath made proof of them in chancery vpon a full hearing there before the Right Honourable the Lord Keeper, who because he could not distinguish the Actions of the Defendants from the Actions of the Company, he found it to be matter of State, and referred your Petitioner to the council-table.  
4. That Sir Thomas Smiths accounts for the moneys received for Virginia are false, gross and vnexaminable, because the originals being lost, there appeareth neither Warrants for the issuing of the moneys, nor Receipts for the paying of them. 
It were hard if Sir Thomas Smith should be censured by his own Lawe, Article the 17. Death for making of a fall account.   
5. That during the time that your Petitioners Cause and the business of Virginia hath depended at the Board, Sir Thomas Smith( to conceal the iniquity of his government from his majesty) he hath caused the King to be misinformed concerning the Lord Keepers Decree, caused a mistaken Order( that clean altered the sense of the Lords of the Councells Reports) to be delivered to his majesty, caused a Commission for the rectifying of the abuses, and the settleing of a government for Virginia to sleep and be of no force,( when there were near vpon 80. Articles put in against them, and but four of them examined) by underhand, offering a great some of money, whereby he hath thrust the blame of misgouernment on others, robbed the Common-wealth of her great Examples, and your Petitioner from means of recovering his Right, except he be relieved by this Honourable House.   
Your Petitioners Sure, is, that Sir Thomas Smith may forthwith be required to make answer to these Articles, and that the abuses of encroaching on sovereign power, of abusing public authority to private ends, of robbing the public treasury, being examined and proved, your Petitiouer may find relief for his particular wrongs, and the Commonwealth may not loose her life of Examples; And your Petitioner shall be bound to pray for you, &c.  
The words of the Kings Instructions are, viz. And the offences of Tumults, Rebellions, conspiracy, mutiny, and Seditions in those parts, which be dangerous to the State there; together with murder Manslaughter, Incest, Rapes,& Adulteries& no other offences shalbe punished by death.  
Whereas Sir Thomas Smith hath dispersed amongst this Honourable Assembly, diuers Papers mixed with many falshoods, among some truths, endeavouring thereby to avoid this Honourable trial,( as he hath formerly done all other courses of Iustice) though this alone doth show his guiltiness: yet the proving of the 5. Article, wherein his abusing of the King, being the very fountain of Iustice, will not onely appear, but it will also make the falsehood of his dispersed papers more evident, and tender him the more culpable for using such shifts.