A 581869

,
ARTES
1837
SCIENTIA
LIBRARY
VERITAS
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
E-PLURIBUS-UNUN
TUE BOR
SI QUAERIS PENINSULAM AMOENAMU
CIRCUMSPICE
I
THE
ADVENTVRES AND DISCOVRSES
of
Captain IOHN SMITH.
!
13
f

ITH ADMIRALL OF NEW ENGLANT
NHO
Thefe are the Lines that fhew thy Face; but thofe
That Thew thy Grace and Glory, brighter bee:
The Faire-Difcoueries and Fowle-Overthrowes
Of Salvages,much Civillied by theec
Beft fhew thy Spirit;and to it Glory Wynk
So,thou art Braße without, but Golde within.
If so, in Braße (too foft Smiths Afts to beare)
I fix thy Fame, to make Braße Steele out weare.
Thure as thou art Virtues,
Jorn Dauics. Heref:
HE PORTRAICTUER OF CAPTAINE
Tari
&
The
ADVENTVRES
and
DISCOVRSES
of
Captain IOHN SMITH,
ſometime
Prefident of VIRGINIA,
and
Admiral of NEW ENGLAND.
Newly Ordered
by
IOHN ASHTON,
(Author of Chap Books of the Eighteenth Century,
Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne, &c.)
With
Illvſtrations taken by him
from
Original Sovrces.
LONDON, PARIS, AND NEW YORK:
Printed and Published by Caffell & Company, Limited.
1883.
1

3
PREFACE ...
PROLOGUE
3
I
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGES
xi.-xiv.
XV.-XX.
CHAPTER I. The Author's Early Years-His Appren-
ticeſhip-Runs away to Sea-Becomes a Soldier
-Again goes to Sea
CHAPTER II. Travels in Europe and Fights three Turks
in Single Combat
I-27
28-43
44-59
CHAPTER III. Is fold into Slavery, and Cruelly
Treated His Eſcape
CHAPTER IV. Travels in Africa-Again takes to Sea-
Returns to England, and decides to join a
Colonifing Expedition
59-71
CHAPTER V. Obtains a Charter for Two Companies
from James I.-Sails for Virginia
71-83
CHAPTER VI. Lands in America-Difficulties and Dan-
gers of the Coloniſts
83-94
CHAPTER VII. Is captured by Savages
94-105
CHAPTER VIII. Is taken before Powhatan, and ſaved
from Death by Pocahontas and returns to the
the Colony
135573
105-116
1
ནཾ་
1
*
viii
1
Table of Contents.
PAGES
CHAPTER IX. Arrival of Supplies-Evil Defigns of Pow-
hatan
CHAPTER X. Explores the Bay of Cheſapeake...
CHAPTER XI. Makes another Expedition
Trouble with Savages
116-127
128–141
More
142-150
CHAPTER XII. Treachery of the Natives-Returns to
Jameſtown
150-159
CHAPTER XIII. Is appointed Prefident of Virginia-A
Virginian Maſque
159-167
CHAPTER XIV. Sets the Colony to Work-Expedition
in Search of Food
167-176
CHAPTER XV. Vifits Powhatan-The King's Craftiness
176-186
CHAPTER XVI. Is again faved by Pocahontas-Treachery
of the Savages
187-198
CHAPTER XVII. Another Attack from the Savages 198-207
CHAPTER XVIII. Treachery of Dutchmen, and Savages
-Takes the King of Pafpahegh Priſoner 207-215
CHAPTER XIX. Famine-Internal Dangers-More Plot-
ting
216-226
CHAPTER XX. Oppofition from Home-The Tables
turned
226-233
CHAPTER XXI. Further Troubles-A Murderous Plot
-Sails for England
233-246
247-254
CHAPTER XXII. Pocahontas in Love-Her Conversion,
and Marriage
+
اد
+
Table of Contents.
CHAPTER XXIII. The Author again Voyages across
the Atlantic-His Return to London
ix
PAGES
254-260
CHAPTER XXIV. Again fails for New England-Adven-
tures with the French, and with Pirates 261-268
CHAPTER XXV. His Eſcape-Is driven Aſhore in France
-Returns to Plymouth...
268-274
CHAPTER XXVI. Pocahontas sails for England, and is
graciouſly received at Court-Her Death at
Gravefend
L'ENVOY...
APPENDIX
:
...
...
...
...
274-285
...
286-290
291-309
1
A
PREFACE.
MERICANS are utterly aſtoniſhed at the
apathy ſhewn by the Engliſh to the memory
of a veritable "Worthy," Captain John Smith. On
the other fide of the Atlantic they would fain claim
him as their own, if they could, and they cannot
comprehend the indifference to, and ignorance of,
the details of his life, in this country. It cannot be
from lack of intereſting particulars, for his life was
one peculiarly adventurous, bordering almoſt on the
romantic, and his adventures were related by him-
ſelf, and others, with a terfe and rugged brevity
that is very charming.
In all Biographies he is ftyled "an Adventurer,"
and in all probability would never have received a
notice at all, had it not been for the peculiarly
romantic connection between him and Pocahontas.
Modern ſcepticiſm has, of courſe, endeavoured to
throw doubts as to the reality of Smith's ftory, but
5
Xii
Preface.
34
1
a moment's reflection will ſhow that it was put to
the fevereft teft, and it was never once contem-
poraneouſly queftioned. When Pocahontas came
over here, in 1616, Smith wrote a letter to Queen
Anne (confort of James I.) commending her to Her
Majeſty's care, and detailing her various fervices to
himſelf and the Colony at large. Of her faving his
life he writes thus: "After ſome fix weeks fatting
among thofe Salvage Courtiers, at the minute of
my execution, ſhe hazarded the beating out of her
own brains to fave mine, and not only that, but ſo
prevailed with her father, that I was fafely con-
ducted to James Towne." Can any one ſeriouſly
think, that if it were a fabrication, he would fo
write the Queen, well knowing that Pocahontas was
here in the country, would be ſure to be quef-
tioned on the matter by every one that came in
contact with her, and that either fhe, or her huſband,
John Rolfe, could at once explicitly deny it, and
thus cauſe inſtant difcovery, if it were a falfe-
hood?
So alfo the truth of his fervices in Tranſylvania,
his flaughter of the three Turks in fingle combat,
and his captivity in Tartary, is plainly attefted in
Preface.
Xili
the grant of arms made to him by Sigifmund
Bathor, which grant was affirmed to him by Sir
William Segar, Garter King of Arms.
Thus, then, when we have fuch irrefutable tefti-
mony of the truth of the moſt improbable events
in his career, we can well give him the credit of
verity in all the other portions of his narrative,
which (except in fome of the details of his very
childhood) has been ftrictly adhered to.
The portrait of Smith is undeniable, as it appears
in more than one edition of his works publiſhed in
his lifetime, and that of Pocahontas is by the fame
artiſt, ſo that there is very little doubt as to its
being genuine, the high cheek-bones and ftraight
hair clearly evidencing her Indian deſcent.*
It may
* Theſe engravings are by Simon Pafs, or de Paſſe, and were
both executed in the fame year. The fuppofed original
painting from which the likeneſs of Pocahontas is taken, is in
the poffeffion of Haftings Elwin, Efq., J.P., of Gorlefton, Yar-
mouth; and many have been the fpeculations refpecting it.
In 1859 a writer in Notes and Queries (2nd Series, vol. vii.
P. 307) fays: "Her deſcendants, through the marriage of her
grand-daughter Anne Rolfe with Peter Elwyn, Efq., are nume-
rous in Norfolk. Her portrait remains in that family." This
ſtatement remained uncontradicted until 1875, when, in the
fame periodical (5th Series, vol. iv. p. 104), another writer
fays: "In 1859 a contributor of yours ftated, erroneouſly,
that Anne Rolfe, the grand-daughter of Pocahontas, had
intermarried with Peter Elwyn, Efq., and that in her family
b
xiv
Preface.
not be generally known that many families in
America claim her for an anceſtreſs, through her
marriage with John Rolfe. The record of her
burial is ſtill preferved at Gravefend.
I know both theſe portraits, and all the other
engravings (except the Colonial Seal of Virginia,
which was taken from a document at Lambeth
Palace, and kindly given me by F. C. Price, Efq.),
to be thorough fac-fimiles, and they are, in my
idea, far more intereſting than they would be had
the events depicted been drawn by a modern artiſt.
JOHN ASHTON.
the portrait of Pocahontas was preſerved at that day. Poca-
hontas only left one child, a boy; he married, and died,
leaving only one child, a daughter Jane, not Anne, who was
married to Col. Robert Bolling, of Virginia, A.D. 1675. When
John Rolfe, the huſband of Pocahontas, left England after her
death, he gave his only fon Thomas to the keeping of a
brother, and the Anne who married Mr. Elwyn may have
been a deſcendant of that brother; and as the care of the
child was committed to him, it is very probable that he, alſo,
was the cuftodian of the portrait of the brother."
This theory is very pretty, only Smith, who knew all about
her death, &c., exprefly ſtates that the lad was left in charge
of Sir Lewis Stukely, and Mr. Elwin, who moft courteouſly
replied to my inquiries on the ſubject, fays that the picture
"was given to my grandfather by a Mrs. Zukelley, and nothing
more is known of it beyond what is infcribed upon the
picture, all of which is reproduced in the engraving."
+
I
PROLOGUE.
WELL call to mind how we boys, that is to ſay,
I and my brothers, did fomewhat chafe and fret
when our good father firſt made us keep a Diurnal,
or daily record of fuch events as occurred in our
ſmall lives worthy to be noted. At firſt, until we
had grown accustomed to it, and could not think
of fleeping unleſs it was duly written up, he would
make us ſhow them to him every day; for, as he
truly faid, "I do this, not only to note your
different difpofitions and growing powers of mind
-but for your own good, as you will thank me
hereafter, in order to implant in you habits of
obſervation, and of method, which will be of mighty
uſe to you in your way through the world.”
Thus it came to paſs that our Diurnals were
part of our daily life, and became a pleafing duty
which never was omitted; and they grew apace,
from noting things in brief, to writing long
deſcriptions, and recording converfations of the
many notable perfons known to my father, who was
Alderman of his Ward, and had been both Sheriff
xvi
Prologue.
and Mayor. But of all our father's friends, the
one we boys loved moſt was our near neighbour,
Captain John Smith, for he liked us well, and would
tell us tales of his life by the hour together; fuch
tales as made our blood leap through our veins, and
held us with our mouths open, our eyes aftare, and
our hearts going pit-a-pat. Thoſe were the tales
for our Diurnals; nor only fo, we would act them
over among us.
Sometimes Dick would be the
Captain, and Harry would be the Turbafhaw,
whilst I and Jack were Grualgo and Bonny Mulgro,
or one of us would be Smith, and the others
Indians; and, indeed, we taught our little fifter
Mary fo well, that fhe would play the part of
Pocahontas to admiration.
Now that I am writing the Captain's ſtory from
thoſe old leaves, with their faded ink and ſchoolboy
writing, how vividly I call to mind how that ſtory
was told, and methinks I now fee our dear old
friend in his big, high-backed arm-chair, with his
tankard of ſpiced ale, a roaſted apple bobbing in it,
and his pipe of Virginia (for he had uſed to drink
Tobacco), and with his hand, perhaps, on Dick's
curly pate; for we boys would fit on footftools
round him, or lie on the floor with our elbows on
the ground, and our chins refting on our wrifts,
drinking in every precious word with great
eagerness.
1
1
Prologue.
xvii
His countenance was fomewhat rugged and
weather-beaten, as whofe, indeed, would not be,
after leading a life of fuch adventure? But though
the crow's-feet were about the corners of his eyes,
and the wrinkles in his forehead, his complection
was ruddy, although funburnt, and he had a
pleaſant ſmile and a loud cheery laugh. It is true
that his hair was getting fomewhat thin atop of his
head, but it was of a fine warm brown colour,
though fomewhat ſtreaked with grey, and it was
curly and long enough to reach his ruff or ſtanding
collar. He wore on his face all the hair that
nature had given him, but his thick, grifled beard
was carefully trimmed, and his whiskers* were
ftrong and briftly, and were trained fo as not to
come over his mouth, and be in the way of his
eating and drinking, but ftraight out on each fide,
which made him look very fierce, and like the old
lion that he was.
And yet he was not old, for he was but in the
53rd year of his age, when it pleaſed the Lord to
call him to Himſelf; but his many perils and
privations had told upon him, and the pain of
that terrible wound he had received, when he was
treacherously blown up, would at times, in ſpite of
his ftout heart, bring a look of care and trouble
* Moustaches.
.
xviii
Prologue.
upon his countenance. He was about the laſt of
Queen Elizabeth's old adventurers-men, who like
Davis, and Frobisher, would ftart on a voyage, the
end of which none could foretell, with but ſcant
means, either of men or of victual, and with fhips
all too fmall; yet they recked little, but kept their
eyes ſteadily fixed on the purport of their expedition,
and did it if it was in the power of man to do.
Perhaps you will fay that the hope of gain was the
power that urged them on. I think not. Un-
doubtedly it had fomewhat to do with it, for the
riches that Cortes, Pizarro, and Hernandez de Soto
met with were enough to make men's mouths water.
Who knew but what Captain Smith, too, in fome
Indian land, as yet unknown, but to be by him
diſcovered, might not meet with a people who
valued not gold nor pearls, fave for their prettineſs,
and would fain exchange them for beads, and knives,
and looking-glaffes. Everything that was unknown
was, of courſe, magnificent. Yet I think it was
more the love of adventure, than of gain, that led
them on, for they muſt have ſeen that no Engliſh-
man ever made his fortune through his adventures,
although he might be honoured, in his lifetime, and
make for himſelf a name in the hiftory of his
country.
This was ſpecially the cafe with Captain John
Smith, who, although he had, in his latter days,
Prologue.
xix
enough of this world's riches to fuffice for his fimple
wants, had got but little pelf, and not even the
barren honour of a knighthood, from his long life
of toil and adventure. In his very own words now
lying before me, and which, methinks, I can hear
him ſpeaking yet once more, let him tell his
own ftory. "Having ſpent fome five years,
and more than five hundred pounds in pro-
curing the Letters Patent and fetting forward, and
near as much more about New England, &c.
Thus theſe nineteen years I have here and there not
ſpared anything according to my ability, nor the
beſt advice I could, to perfuade how thofe ftrange
miracles of mifery might have been prevented,
which lamentable experience plainly taught me of
neceffity muſt enfue, but few would believe
me till now too dearly they have paid for it.
Wherefore, hitherto, I have rather left all, than
undertake impoffibilities, or any more fuch coftly
taſks at ſuch chargeable rates; for in neither of
thoſe two countries have I one foot of land, nor
the very houſe I builded, nor the ground I digged
with my own hands, nor even any content or
fatisfaction at all, and I fee ordinarily thoſe two
countries ſhared before me by them that neither
have them, nor know them, but by my deſcription.
This was not faid in a fpirit of grumbling-for
he was too large-hearted for that—but there is no
""
XX
Prologue.
doubt he did feel keenly, not his want of fortune
or title, but the fact that in his mature years he
was ſet aſide for younger men, who had none of his
experience, except that which they might learn
from him. Better by far, for the Colony of
Virginia, would it have been, had my old friend
been ſent out to fettle their difficulties, for his good
found fenfe, his active mind, his undaunted courage
and his long-fighted fagacity, eminently fitted him
for a pofition of command. But it was ordered
otherwiſe, and our old friend was left at home in
his laſt years in neglect—but not in idleneſs, for he
could not be idle: indeed, he was hard at work
writing a History of the Sea when he died.
So he perforce ftayed at home, and in his leifure
hours told his adventures to us boys, and, methinks,
I cannot do better than to tell the ftory of his life
to you, my reader, as near as poffible as he told it to
us; it will be better than if I put it in my own
words, yet muſt it needs lack the thrilling intereft
of a narrative perſonally delivered.
:

2
DISCOVRSES
OF
Captain IOHN SMITH.
CHAPTER I.

Was born in the year 1579;* that year
when Jack Spaniard invaded Ireland,
bringing with him a holy banner bleffed
by the Pope. Much blood and time it took before
the rebellion was put down, and the Dons were all
either killed, or put in ward. But the work was done
thoroughly, and with a good heart, ſo that none,
methinks, ever went back home to tell the tale.
Ha! but we paid them out well, and made them
dance a Coranto to a pretty tune when they tried the
fame fport, on a larger fcale, with their Invincible
Armada. Invincible, quotha! my Lord Howard
and his old fea-dogs found joints enow in their
harneſs, I trow; and Ireland proved even more
unkind to them than before, for ſeventeen of their
ſhips were taken or deſtroyed, and much over 5,000
* He was baptized on 6th Jan., 1579, and his baptiſmal
regiſter is ſtill to be ſeen at Willoughby, Lincoln.
B
2
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
men were killed or taken prifoners on that coaſt,
which, I warrant me, they love not now.
I mind the time well, though I was but a young-
fter of nine years old, for the whole land was
drunk with joy, and of courſe my native village
muſt be a piece with the reſt of the world. My
Lord Willoughby did give two great oxen to be
roaſted, and alſo good ftrong October; both of
which were given without ſtint to all comers. Ay,
and he provided alſo a bull to be baited, which was
the firſt I had ever feen of that rare fport. I
remember it fo well, more by token that our dog
Tyke muſt needs be very valiant and join in the
fray, but he limped on three legs ever after, and it
had nigh coſt him his life but for the great care,
and good nurfing, he received.
There was dancing round the May-pole, too,
and it would have been kept up till night, but old
Jack the crowder* got overcome early in the after-
noon with too much October, which he kept
pouring down to make his arm liffome, for he faid
it ached with conftant work; fo many of us betook
ourſelves to Alford, to ſee the two Frenchmen with
their bear and monkey.
And the year after, too, did Sir Francis Drake
and Sir John Norris give the Dons and Portugos
* Fiddler.
His Birthplace.
3
a pretty fright, when they marched up to Lisbon,
and laid the country wafte. With all this, can any
man having a grain of ſenſe wonder that there never
can be peace beyond the Line? It is all very well
at home here to be commonly civil, and a man may
even go fo far as to fay, fhould he meet a Don,
Tengo el honor de faludar á ufted, Caballero,
but once acroſs the Line I hold there fhould be no
peace. Neptune's baptifm waſhes away all cuftoms
and civilities due to them, and the motto of every
good Engliſhman ſhould be, all over the Spanish
Main, "Guerra al cuchillo."
<6
My birthplace was the village of Willoughby in
Lincolnſhire, about three miles from Alford, and
ſeven miles from Spilsby, and it has belonged for
many hundreds of years to the family of the Wil-
loughbys, although when my Lord was made a
Baron, in the reign of that peerlefs virgin, Her
Majeſty the Queen Elizabeth, he took the ſtyle of
Willoughby d'Ereby from his mansion of that name
near Spilsby. My father was a yeoman, and came
of a good ſtock, the ancient family of Smiths, of
Crudley in Lancashire; while my dear mother came
from the family of the Rickards, who had uſed to
live in Great Heck in Yorkſhire. She was called to
her reft when I was but young, and my father for-
rowed greatly, but I myſelf mind little of her, fave
that ſhe was always kind and gentle with me, whilft
4
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
..
my father, as is the wont of many men, was ſome-
what hafty, and apt to be cholerick.
He, good man, would fain have me book-learned,
and in his heart he had, I believe, a great wiſh that,
when old enough, I ſhould enter the Church; but
books were not to my tafte. I was fent to Alford,
to the Free School there, as being the best place
for learning, not too far from home. It had not
been long founded by a merchant of Alford named
Spanning for the godly and virtuous education of
the youth of Alford and the neighbourhood, and to
teach the A B C, and alfo to read both Engliſh and
Latin. But I was young and filly, and although
I maſtered the A B C and my hornbook, yet I
made not much progrefs in my Engliſh and Latin,
ſo that my father, whoſe deareſt wiſh it was that I
fhould be a ſcholar-in which, doubtlefs, he was
moſt right-removed me from Alford, and fent me
to the Grammar School at Louth, which was founded
by His Majefty Edward the Sixth, of pious
memory, who endowed it with the property of fome
of the ancient guilds of the town, and the tolls of
fome markets or fairs.
It has turned out many fair ſcholars, but I was
not among them. I learned more of the ferula
than the Latin grammar, for many beatings did I
* 1565.
盲
​Raifing the Wind.
5
receive, not only for my lack of induſtry, but for
ftraying out of bounds, birds'-nefting, orchard
robbing, and other acts of mifchief and childiſh.
roguery, until I fickened of being always chid, and
made up my mind to run away and go to fea. I
know not why boys who are impatient of reſtraint
always think of this. Perhaps they are like the
young turtles, whofe parent, having laid her eggs in
the fand, well in fhore, leaves them to be hatched by
the warmth of the fun. What does my little turtle
as foon as he is hatched? Why, he makes direct
for the fea. You may turn him round, and try
and force him inland, but you cannot conquer his
inſtinct and liking for the fea; and the moment he
is let alone he will make ftraight for the water.
Matters had got to fuch a pitch with me, and I
had fo fet my mind upon brave adventures, and to
get fomehow to the fea, that I fearched about for
the means—one of which was money-for I had
fenſe enough to know that I must have food on
my journey. At laſt I found a man who confented
to purchaſe my ſatchell, books, and all that I had,
for a trifle. He must have been a ſcurvy knave,
to have taken advantage of the want of knowledge
in a child, nor only fo, but to cozen him out of
fome paltry coins into the bargain. However, at
the time, I thought not of it; indeed, I thought
it was very good and kind of him to help me.
1
;
6
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
With my little ftore of caſh in my pocket, I
turned back to ſchool, meaning to take the firſt
opportunity to eſcape, when on my arrival, I was
told that the head mafter would fain fee me at once.
I liked not this, for my interviews with him were
never very pleaſant ones, at leaſt, not for me, and
befides, I knew I had done wrong, and was going
to run away. Methought, perhaps he has found it
out, and knows all about it, and my face was very
red, and my body very warm all over, when I
reached his room. But what furpriſed me moft
was that he told me in a very foft and
gentle manner to be feated, and then he re-
garded me with a kind and compaffionate
look, and faid, as if to himſelf, "Poor boy!
poor boy!" At laft he aſked me how my
father was.
To which I made anfwer that when
laft I heard of him he was well. At this he ſeemed
much ſurpriſed, and told me that for fome time
paſt he had been ailing, then that he was ill; after
a pauſe, that he was very ill indeed, and when he
had thus led me on, he told me gravely and quietly,
that I had a great lofs, but that it was my father's
gain; that God had taken him away, and I ſhould
never ſee him alive again. For fome time I could
hardly realiſe the blow, but it flowly came to my
mind, and then I fell to a fobbing as if my heart
would break. My good maſter left me to myſelf
Apprenticed.
7
awhile, and when he heard my fobs getting fainter
and quieter, he came back and told me that as foon
as arrangements could be made to fend me home,
he would do fo. On the morrow a fitting oppor-
tunity ferved, and I went home in time for the
funeral, which, I remember, was at night by torch-
light, and that everybody, for miles round, came
and ate and drank, till they could do fo no longer.
I was now but thirteen years of age, and quite
alone in the world, for although I lived with one of
my guardians, yet no heed was taken of me, and I
was left to do what I pleafed. I had liberty
in my
enough, in all confcience, but never a penny
pocket, for my kind guardians liked my little ſtore
of money fo well that they kept it to themſelves,
and gave me none of it, which had one effect, that
I could not get beyond fea, though I had not loft
the hankering for it. So things went on until I
was fifteen years of age, when they, for very ſhame,
could not keep a great hulking fellow like me
idling about and doing nothing. So they therefore
bound me apprentice to one Mafter Thomas
Sendall, of Lynn, in Norfolk, who was the greateſt
merchant of all thoſe parts, with whom I was not
long, for I difliked the work about the warehouſes,
and the general diſcipline, being as yet untamed.
Neither did I like the ftate of fervitude I was in.
I muſt not ſpeak to my maſter or miſtreſs, even out
8
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
.
of doors, unleſs bareheaded; I must always call
them Sir, and Madam, and wait upon them at meals,
getting the half-cold fcraps afterwards, as my fhare
of the feaft. I hated wearing the flat cap, the
badge of the 'prentice; in fhort, I could be content
with nothing. All I wanted, and the only thing
that would fatisfy me, was to go to fea; and at
length, weary of my ſervice, I aſked Maſter Sendall
one day to ſend me to fea, at which he only laughed,
faying, "No, John, I have needs of thee on land.
Thou art my apprentice, lad, and wouldeft be of
no ſervice to me at fea." "Thy flave, more likely,"
thought I. So after thinking it over all night as
I lay awake, immediately breakfaſt was over, I
managed to flip out, and fairly ran away, and I
faw not Maſter Sendall again for the ſpace of eight
years.
This was the beginning of my life of adventure.
I ſhould never have fettled down to the quiet life
of a merchant; my blood was too quick and mer-
curial, and my limbs were meant for other work
than to ftand behind a counter, and ferve goods.
Every man to his tafte, and I never have regretted
that I ran away, although my life has been fome-
what of a rough one.
I managed to get back to Willoughby, and there,
my guardians not caring to have me again on their
hands, thought to provide for me, by getting
Aboard.
9
1
leave for me to go with young Mr. Peregrine
Bertie, who was going to Orleans to join his
brother Robert, who afterwards became Earl of
Lindſey and Lord Great Chamberlain of England.
They were the fons of that noble man, and famous
foldier, the Right Honourable Peregrine Lord
Willoughby d'Erefby, who was chriftened Peregrine
becauſe he was born when his father and mother
were voyaging in foreign parts. My guardians
liberally gave me (out of mine own eftate) ten
fhillings to get rid of me, and this was the modeſt
fortune with which I ſtarted in life.
Now, indeed, this was the life I loved. Here
was I, the runaway apprentice, transformed into
the companion, albeit alfo the page, of a young
nobleman, with brave clothes on my back, and a
horſe to carry me.
Ha! Mafter Sendall, would
thou couldeſt have feen me then. I fear me thou
wouldeſt not have known thy fullen apprentice in
this gay young ſpark that curvetted and caracoled
along, finging gaily for pure joy.
'Tis true, I fang another tune very ſhortly after
we left Dover, for the fea, of which I was fo fond,
did not ſeem to love me much, but treated me
very roughly, and, being new to it, ofttimes I
thought our little bark would have been fwallowed
up by the waves, and that we fhould all be
drowned. Yet this feeling foon diſappeared when
IO
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
..
we ſet foot on fhore at Calais, where every other
ſenſation did give place to admiration; for all
things, the place, the people, and the language,
were new.
We ſtayed no longer at Calais than to reft and
recover from the effects of our voyage, and to buy
freſh horſes, and then we ftarted on our journey.
When we came to Orleans we found my
young nobleman's brother,
nobleman's brother, with his tutor, or
governor, who was to take them, and fhow them
the chief cities of Europe.
And here a miſhap befel me, for their governor
thought there were as many people attendant on
his charge as was neceffary, and that a new arrival
like myself, was one too many, ſo he decided that
I ſhould return to England. This was fomewhat
hard on a boy of fifteen years old, and my Mr.
Peregrine did loudly intercede for me to be allowed
to ſtay, but the governor was obdurate, and read
him a long lecture on the virtue of obedience to
thoſe ſet over him: fo that he was filenced, if not
convinced. But, if I had to part from them, they
were determined I fhould not go empty-handed, fo
theſe two honourable brethren gave me money
more than fufficient to meet my charges, and we
faid good-bye to each other.
With money in my pocket, good clothes on my
back, and my own mafter, with perfect liberty to

Meets Hume.
II
come and go as I would, do you think I was going
to return to England? Indeed, no! that was the
fartheft from my thoughts. I went to Paris,
into which the King had lately entered, and where
an Engliſhman was fure of a hearty welcome; for
was not our most gracious Queen helping the
French King, with both men and money, to drive
the raſcal Don out of his dominions? And in
truth I did mightily enjoy myfelf, and fo did an
acquaintance that I made; one Mafter David Hume,
a Scotchman, who fhowed me all the fights of the
city, and, perhaps, thinking that this confiderate
behaviour ought to be rewarded, took to borrowing
my money, as long as I had any to lend. Mafter
Hume talked greatly of his friends in Scotland,
how powerful they were, and fo forth, and by way
of acknowledgment of my loans, which I think he
did never intend to repay, he gave me ſome letters
to theſe mighty friends, to prefer me to the Scotch
King for employment, and he would have me
think that this was a certainty, for, after he had
given them to me, he would ofttimes fay, "There,
lad, now is thy fortune made." I never thought
at that time, but have done many a time fince, why,
if his friends were fo powerful, did he not uſe their
intereſt in his own behalf, instead of borrowing
my money ?
However, with theſe letters in my boſom, I felt

12
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
mighty fine, and ſtarted on my journey homewards.
I was fo young that I did not know the value of
money, and ſo it fell out that by the time I had
got to Rouen, I found I had nothing like enough to
take me to England, fo I made my way as beft I
could to Havre de Grace, where were fome Engliſh
troops, a portion of Sir John Norris's force, then
helping King Henry. Being a ftout and lufty
lad, without friends and with no two coins to
jingle againſt each other in my pocket, needs muft
that I ſhould turn foldier, and they never faid me
nay. I was ftrong enough to handle a pike, and,
although the morion, back and breaft plates, and
buff coat were ſomewhat heavy, and hot, at ſtarting,
yet every day I got more uſed to them, until I felt
them not; and, befides, I was then fo mighty
proud of being a foldier, that I would have borne
anything, no matter what hardſhip, without com-
plaining, and with a ſmile upon my face.
I ſaw no ſervice, however, in France, and
indeed I was not forry, for I had much to learn;
I knew nought of martial exerciſes, or even the
words of command, or of the different movements
by which bodies of difciplined men are made effec-
tive in warfare. I had to learn all the terms of
fortification, for I knew not a counterſcarp from a
traverſe, or a baftion. Nor was it poffible for me
to be actively employed, for, when our troops and
}
T

Becomes a Soldier.
13
the French together had driven Jack Spaniard
out of Brittany, our Queen recalled her forces
under Sir John Norris, and sent them ftraitways to
Ireland to put down the rebels there.
But ſtill there was work to do, and I was in love
with a foldier's life; my comrades had been kind
in teaching me, and I had been willing to learn.
So it came to paſs that when Sir John Norris left,
fome of us adventurers, or volunteers, ftayed
behind, for the Spaniard was far ſuperior in num-
ber to the French, in the Low Countries, fo that the
French, now they had no longer the English to
help them, were fain to aſk the Hollander to come
to their affiftance, which he did, both with men
and money. Captain Jofeph Duxbury was making
up a company, and I joined him, and ferved under
his colours fome four years. We were fomewhat
of a motley lot, for, as the French King could not
truſt his own troops by themſelves, he was very
glad of help elſewhere, and no adventurer was ever
turned away.
There were Engliſh pikemen,
German lanfquenets, and the Switzer, who is
always ready for a fight, provided that the pay is
good, and reaſonably certain. Among them all I
learned how to take care of myſelf, and I well call
to mind that there are worſe places than the Low
Countries to live in, provided a man will look to
himſelf, and is not ſqueamiſh.
14
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
:
Peace was concluded in May, 1598, and this
threw me out of work, so that I felt the neceffity
of doing ſomewhat to further my fortunes. So I be-
thought me of the letters I had from Maſter David
Hume to his kinfmen in Scotland, and I felt fure,
now I could ride a horſe, could uſe my weapons
with effect, and coming ſtraight from the martial
ſchools of the Low Countries, that an appointment
of no mean fort would be the fruits of their
influence with the King of Scotland. So, finding
a ſhip that was about to fail to Leith, I took a
paffage in her, but we had a ftormy and diſaſtrous
voyage, being ſhipwrecked by ftriking on fome
rocks off Holy Island, near Berwick. Luckily it
was daylight, and I managed to reach the fhore on
fome floating wreckage, but was fore buffeted and
bruiſed by the waves and rocks before I got on
hard ground. The poor folk here were very kind
to us, after they had reſcued all they could for
themſelves from the wreck; but my bruiſes, and my
bath, were too much for me, and I felt grievousfly
fick of a fever. For a long time I lay there, not
knowing whether I fhould live or die, but the
fimples my nurſes gave me, and my natural good
conſtitution, got me through it, and although, when
the fever left me, I was very weak, yet I foon felt
hungry, and began to eat hugely, fo that my
ftrength came back to me.
:
*
Hume's Friends.
- 15
With fome difficulty I made my kind friends
accept of ſome flight payment for the trouble they
had been at with me, and I left them, walking
along the cauſeway which connects the Ifland with
the main land, at ebb tide, having had enough, for
a time, of the ſea, and fet out on foot to deliver
my letters. But how fhall I tell of my bitter
diſappointment? Mafter Hume's fine friends
turned out to be very decent people, and grudged
me nothing in their hofpitality. As a friend of
their Davie, all that they had was at my difpofal,
but they utterly lacked, as he muſt have well
known, the power to help me. They had no fort
of influence at Court, and indeed they told me
that if they had, nothing could be done without
money, which muſt be given away judiciouſly; fo
I had to put the beſt face upon it that I could,
and make the beſt of a bad bargain.
Of courſe it was no uſe ſtopping there, ſo I bade
them farewell, with many thanks on my part for
their kind hofpitality, (nor would they let me go
unleſs I promiſed to return very fhortly, and pay
each of them a long vifit in turn,) and fet my face
toward my native village.
It was worſe at Willoughby, for I was there
looked upon as a prodigy-one that had feen the
world, had travelled in foreign parts, and could
ſpeak with foreign tongues, nay, had fought hand
16
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
A
!
I
to hand with the hated Spaniard. Never had
they ſeen or heard tell of the like, and I knew not
a moment's reft; nothing but feafting and drink-
ing, vifiting and being viſited, ſo that in a ſhort
time I was glutted with too much company, where-
in I took ſmall delight, and being aweary of it all,
put a stop to it by turning a kind of Eremite.
That is to fay, I retired myſelf into a little woody
paſture, a good way from any town, environed
with many hundred acres of other woods, and
there, by a fair brook, I built myſelf a little hut,
or pavilion, of boughs, and there, on a bed of
leaves, I did uſe to lie at night and fleep in my
clothes.
It was a pleaſant enough life while it lafted, for
my wants were few, and were all fatisfied. The
woods fupplied me with food, and even venifon
was not lacking at my meals, and in hunting and
cooking, a good portion of my day went. Befides
which, I had my horfe to groom, water, and
exerciſe, and, having my lance with me, I would
practiſe tilting at the ring, and other martial ſports.
Was I ftudious? I had Niccolo Macchiavelli's
Book of the Art of War, and Marcus Aurelius as
well; and did I lack anything? a man paid me a
vifit now and then, and brought me all I needed.
This my life, however, was not deftined to be of
long continuance, for it fet people's tongues a
•
·
Theodora Polaloga.
17
wagging, as they marvelled hugely at my turning
Eremite; fo, by way of drawing me from my
retreat, they perfuaded a noble Italian gentleman,
Signor Theodora Polaloga, who was of the houſe-
hold of Henry, Earl of Lincoln, to pay me a viſit.
He was a man of totally different ftamp to my
country acquaintances. His companionſhip charmed
me. He had travelled and read much, and ſpoke
feveral languages; moreover, he was a moft noble
and excellent horſeman, and, what with the charms
of his converſation, and the glowing accounts he
gave me of the many horſes I ſhould have to ride,
if I would but pay him a vifit at my Lord of
Lincoln's place at Tatterſbail, I at laſt conſented,
and went with him. But I foon wearied of it;
this fort of life did not content me; I was uſed to
one of more action, and I could ftay no longer in
England, fo I took fhip, intending once more to
vifit the Low Countries, with which I was familiar,
and which, at that time, was the ſchool of war for
all Europe-a fort of centre from whence forces
could be recruited for any purpoſe, and where a
foldier of fortune was fure of employment.
On my arrival, I found that fighting was to be
done with the Emperor Sigifmund againſt the Turk,
and, as I would much rather cut heathen, than
Chriſtian throats, I made up my mind to proceed
thither, and put my fword at the Emperor's diſpoſal.
C
}
18 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
*
·
And now I muſt tell of a most notable villany
I fell in company with
pleafant fellows, full of
which happened unto me.
four French gallants, nice
good comradeſhip, but who were four of the
greateſt rogues unhung, as you fhall hear. If you
pleaſe, what ſhould one of them feign himſelf to
be but a great Lord, and the other three were his
friends, and they were all well attended.
his
Mighty kind they all were to me, knowing
all the time-the ſcoundrel knaves !—the trick they
were going to play me. Oh, yes! and was I
really going to fight the Turk? that was exactly
what my Lord would like to do, and he could have
his will, but he had his duties to attend to in
France. However, my Lord was glad it was in
power to be of fome affiftance to me, and that
he would be only too happy to afford. He had
taken a violent fancy to me, and if I would but
accompany him to France, why, he would introduce
me to no leſs a perſon than the Duchefs of Mer-
cury, with whom he was fo intimate, that on his
repreſentation, ſhe would inftantly write me letters
of favour to her Noble Lord, the Duke, who was
then General to the Emperor Rudolf, in Hungary.
What a poor, filly boy I then was! I believed
them thoroughly, and furely thought I was now
on the high road to fame and fortune-and how
the villains muſt have chuckled ſecretly to them-
A Trick.
19
felves, knowing all the time the fcurvy trick they
did intend to play me.
I joined them, and took a paffage with them in
the fame ſhip, and, in the innocence of my heart, I
delighted to ſhow them that I had plenty of good
apparel, and moreover, that my pouch was well
lined. We had a ſomewhat rough paſſage, it being
winter-tide, and when we came to the broad fhallow
inlet of St. Valerie fur Somme, the arch Knave,
my Lord, who had agreed the plot with the rafcal
captain, did fo arrange that their, and my, trunks
were with themſelves landed, and the boat was to
return for me. After fome time methought the
boat was ſomewhat tardy in coming back, and, to
ſhorten my tale, I waited in good footh all the next
day until towards the evening, when the boat
returned, and the captain came aboard. Oh, he
had his lie all ready and pat; the ſea had been fo
high he could not put off before; indeed, his
coming then was at the peril of his life. "Well,"
faid I, "if fuch be the cafe, put me on ſhore now,
that I may join my Lord and his comrades." Then
began he to ſtammer fomewhat, and faid my Lord
had gone to Amiens, and had fent word by him
that he would there ftay my coming. But there
were fome foldiers on board, one of whom, I found
out afterwards, knew my knaves, and as they had
ſeen more of the world than I had, they cried
༔
¡
20
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
"fhame" upon the captain for being in league
with fuch rogues. The paffengers alfo joined in
the fame chorus, and there was fuch an outcry,
that the captain was nigh being flain for his
treacherous villany, and there was great talk of
feizing the ſhip, which affuredly would have been
done, had they only known how to navigate her.
When the hubbub had fomewhat calmed down,
I reflected that I could do no good by ſtopping on
board the ſhip, ſo I was put on fhore, having but
one coin in my pocket, and that about the value
of an Engliſh penny, ſo that I was in great
ftraits; fo much fo, that I had to fell my cloak to
pay for my paffage. And, indeed, it had fared
hard with me, had not one of the foldiers who had
been on board, called Curzianovere, proved him-
ſelf a true comrade to me. He, it ſeems, knew
my Lord, and he told me that this great Seigneur,
my Lord Depreau, was nought but the fon of a
lawyer in Lower Brittany, and his companions,
who were named Curfell, La Nelie, and Monferrat,
were three young citizens, as arrant cheats as my
Lord. He faid if I would go with him, he would
bring me to their friends, and, in the mean time, I
muſt ſhare his purſe. I thankfully accepted his
offer as frankly as it was made, and we fet out
upon our journey.
We travelled together till we came to Mortain
Fights one of the Knaves.
21
in Normandy, where we found Depreau, from
whom, alas! I could get no fatisfaction, but the
news of his cozenage made me kind friends every-
where.
Here I parted from my comrade, and wandered
about from port to port, trying in vain to find ſome
man-of-war, until at laft all my money had been
ſpent, and I was reduced to fuch diſtreſs, that one
day, going through a foreft, I fank down by a fair
ſpring, nearly dead with cold and grief. Here,
without doubt, I ſhould have periſhed, had not a
rich farmer paffed by that way, and he, like the
good Samaritan, relieved me, to my great content,
and kindly tended me until I was again able to go
on my way.
Ah! but my journey was not all forrowful.. I
had my little bit of fun, and it was none the worfe
in that I had it all to myſelf. One day, as I was
paffing through a great grove of trees between
Pontorfon and Dinan, who think you that I came
fuddenly upon? It was one of my knaves called
Curfell, and he was even in more evil cafe than I
was. You may fancy I did not ftop long a bowing
to him, my injuries were too late, and too keen ; and
he, too, knew what it must come to; fo without
even a word paffing between us, we both drew our
fwords, and flew at each other. The fight lafted
but a little time, for I fore wounded Maſter Curfell,
-
22
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
and he fell to the ground, and, the village folks
coming around, I made him confefs his villany
before them; and then he told us how, in the
dividing of the fpoil, the rogues fell out among
themſelves, but that for his part he was quite inno-
cent in the matter. The canting knave was not
worthy of being kicked, and feeing that he was
fore hurt, I cared not to be further cumbered with
him, ſo I left him among the villagers.
I bethought me of a nobleman with whom I was
acquainted, and who lived not far from hence;
the Earl of Ployer, who during the war in France
had been brought up in England, together with his
two brethren. I called on him, and was by him
welcomed right heartily, fo that I was better re-
furniſhed than ever. I ftayed with him for fome
days, during which time I was ſhown all the places
of note within the neighbourhood, and, when I took
my leave, I was provided with plenty of money for
my charges.
I will not weary you with the ftory of my jour-
ney to the ſouth of France, whither I was bound;
fuffice it that in due time I came to Marſeilles.
Here I found a fhip failing for Italy, fo I embarked
in her, but the ſhip was driven by ftrefs of weather
into Toulon. When the ſtorm ſomewhat abated
we ſet fail once more, but it came on again to blow,
and although it was not more than an Engliſh fea-
•
Stormy Weather.
23
man would laugh at, yet the failors in thofe parts
are very timorous, and too much given to calling
upon faints to help them, and not reefing their fails
themſelves. So we muſt needs creep in ſhore and
anchor cloſe to the little iſland of St. Mary,
which is cloſe by Nice, in the Duchy of Savoy.
I had noted that, for fome time paft, my fellow-
voyagers, who were moſtly a rabble of pilgrims
going to Rome, had looked afkant at me, and formed
in little knots muttering, whilft fome went from
group to group whiſpering, but always cafting a
glance at me. I cared not for the rudeness of their
manners, for I had no knowledge of having done
aught to offend them. At laft they began to curfe
at me, which I repaid as beſt I could; and then they
took to calling me a Huguenot, thereby intending
to reproach me with being of the Proteftant religion
I was
-they could not fay enough to infult me.
Engliſh dog, Engliſh thief, Engliſh pirate- all
Engliſhmen were pirates; and they wildly railed
against my dread foverain, Queen Elizabeth, and,
what think you it came to laft of all? They never
Should have fair weather as long as I was aboard. I
was Jonah, and they were ſuffering for my wicked-
neſs. So it came to paſs, that from words, they began
to huftle me about, againſt which I defended myſelf
as well as I could, but, owing to their numbers, I
was but a child in their hands, and, when the cries
}
.:

24
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
of Jonah got louder and louder, I was feized hold
of and thrown overboard.
Cap SM.TH thrown into the Sea gott afe to Shore and was
releened
The Coast of
Jums
BARBARIE
Bugim
The
Coast of SAVOY
S May Yes T
rice
Talian
The diſtance between the fhip and the iſland was
not great, and I was a good fwimmer, fo that I was
not very long before I was on firm land, although
I was fomewhat bruifed and fore from being dafhed
againſt the rocks, and fcrambling among them to
get a landing. Yet was I thankful, for I had
rather be alone by myfelf, in any land, than in the
midft of fuch a crew of howling devils as I had juft
been. There was light enough for me to fee what
fort of place I was caft on, and I found there were
no houſes, or inhabitants, and only a few kine and
Rescued.
25
goats. So I got the beſt ſhelter I could, and lay
down in my wet things to fleep.
The next morning, when it was dawn, I perceived
two ſhips anchored clofe to the iſland, driven alfo
there for ſhelter from the fury of the weather. I
hailed them, and very ſhortly a boat was lowered,
and I was fetched off; and when aboard of one of
them, the Bretagne, I was well refreſhed, and fo
kindly uſed, that I was fain to caft in my lot with
them. More eſpecially, when the captain of the
veffel, Captain La Roche, of Saint Malo, knew that
I was a friend of Earl Ployer, who was his near
neighbour when he was on land, and at home, he
was very kind to me, and entertained me with the
beft he had, for the Earl's fake. Our fhip was
oftenfibly for trading purpoſes, but Captain La
Roche had other ideas in his head, and failed to
Alexandria in Egypt. Here we diſcharged our
and afterwards vifited feveral ports, merely
cargo,
to ſee what manner of veffels were about; and then
we cruiſed about and lay to, between the iſland of
Corfu and Cape Otranto, in the kingdom of Naples,
that is, at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea.
We had not long been cruifing about, when we
eſpied a Venetian Argofy, which was fure to be
richly laden. My captain bore down upon her, as if
he were defirous to ſpeak her, but the Venetian,
not liking our looks, and having a moſt rich cargo
i
•
26
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
aboard, fired a fhot at us to make us fheer off.
Although this fhot killed us a man, yet did our
captain rejoice, for it gave him the very oppor-
tunity he wanted, of attacking the Argofy, although
it was double our fize. We had privily made
ready for action beforehand, and we at once gave
the enemy our broadfide, then our ftern guns, and
our other broadfide. The Venetian would not wait
to fight us, but endeavoured to outfail us, fo we
had to purſue, uſing our chaſe guns, and with them
we did fo maul her fails and tackling, that fhe was
at laſt fain to lie to and defend herſelf, exchanging
fhot for fhot.
When ſhe hove to we grappled her, and twice in
an hour and a half did we board her, but they
managed to get clear, and at the third time the
enemy fucceeded in ſetting our ſhip on fire. This
was a fore trouble to us, as it divided our crew,
and, of courſe, thoſe who were putting out the fire
could not fight; but at last, and with fome diffi-
culty, the flames were quenched. This fire ferved
us a good purpoſe, for it ſo enflamed our men with
rage, that each man fought like three, and went
at their work luftily, and with a will. Nay, the
gunners were more careful than ever over laying
their pieces, and ſhot her ſo oft between wind and
water, that the enemy was beginning to fink, which
perceiving, they yielded, and we ceaſed firing.
A Rich Prize.
27
Our work was not yet done, indeed we had a
buſy time of it to come-for, befides that we had
loft fifteen of our crew in this action, part of us had
to ſtop the leaks, to prevent her finking; more
had to guard the priſoners, whom we chained
together; and part, of courſe, rifled the fhip. I
worked with this party, and we kept hard at it for
twenty-four hours. What can I ſay of the exceed-
ing riches of this veffel? Indeed it was no wonder
they defended it ſo ſtubbornly and valiantly. It was
worth having a fight for. Not only was ſhe laden
with rich filks, velvets, cloth of gold, and rare
tiffues, but ſhe had a goodly ftore of piaftres,
ſequins, and Turkiſh gold coins. Ah! I like to
think of that time; we worked with a will, not
only becauſe we were coining money, but we were
fain to haften our work, that we might not be
interrupted by any other veffel, which we might
have to fight; and that we wanted not, in our
crippled condition. We felt no pain, nor fatigue,
until we had loaded our ſhip with all fhe could
carry, and then, fore againſt our will, we gave over,
and fuddenly became thoroughly tired out with
toil. When we caft her off there was not a man of
us but whoſe heart went with her, for fhe had
enough rich ſtuffs left in her yet to freight another
Bretagne, for our burden was but two hundred tons,
whilft hers was four or five hundred.
.
28 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
A
CHAPTER II.
LTHOUGH we won the fight, yet were we
fore damaged, and our captain would fain have
put into ſome port of the coaſt of Calabria, to re-
pair and refit; yet, hearing there were fix or feven
galleys at Meffina, he turned for Malta; but the
wind coming fair, he kept his courſe along the coaft
of Sicily, by Sardinia and Corfica, until he came to
the roads of Antibes, in Piedmont. Here I parted
company with my friend Captain La Roche, with
many kind ſpeeches on both fides, bidding him to
remember me, on his return, to Earl Ployer. I
landed in far better caſe than when I fet out, for
my ſhare of the fpoil was valued at five hundred
fequins, which the Captain gave me, and I had,
beſides, a little box which God fent me, and, of
courſe, I did not refuſe, with near as much more.
Bidding the Bretagne good-bye, I ſhipped
myſelf on board a veffel for Leghorn, as I wanted
to ſee Italy. After landing at Leghorn, I journeyed
through Tuſcany without meeting with any adven-
tures, until I came to Sienna, where I found thofe
two noble gentlemen, and honourable brethren, my
Lord Willoughby and his brother. They were in
a fad plight, both being cruelly wounded in a
deſperate fray, yet to their exceeding great honour.
#
At Rome.
29
They could hardly believe that the cavalier before
them was the fame as the lad of fifteen, whom they
fent back to his home; and they marvelled greatly
when I told them of all my adventures, and how
their parting with me had been the means of
making a man of me.
With them I abode fome days, but I was not one
who could ſtop long in one place, ſo I ſtarted once
more on my travels, nor pauſed until I had reached
Rome, where I had the good fortune to fee Pope
Clement the Eighth, with many Cardinals, creep
up the holy ſtairs, which were brought from Jeru-
falem, and which they ſay are thoſe our Saviour
Christ went up to Pontius Pilate. On theſe ſtairs,
wherever the drops of blood, cauſed by His being
pricked by the crown of thorns, fell, a nail of ſteel
is driven in. And up thefe ftairs none dare go,
ſave on their knees, and they muft kifs every ſteel
nail. Cloſe by, alfo, is a chapel, where hangs a
filver lamp, which burneth continually, and yet they
ſay the oil neither increaſeth nor diminiſheth. I alſo
faw the Pope fay maſs at the ancient church of
Saint John de Laterane.
After leaving Rome, I travelled till I came to
Gratz, in Styria, where I met with an Engliſhman,
and an Iriſh Jeſuit, and by their means I made the
acquaintance of many brave gentlemen of good
quality, efpecially Lord Ebersbaught, who was very
30
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
"
good to me, and introduced me to Baron Kiffell,
the General of the Artillery, who, in his turn, made
me to know the Earl of Meldritch, who had the
rank of Colonel in the Army. I joined his regi-
ment, and went with him to Vienna.
But I stayed not long there, juſt time enough to
furniſh myſelf with arms and munitions, and I
joined the Army in Hungary, where things were
going fomewhat in our disfavour, the Turk
having juſt taken Caniza, and was now befieging
the ftrong town of Olumpagh, with twenty thouſand
men. My friend, Lord Ebersbaught, was fhut up
within the town, but it was inveſted fo ftraitly
that he was cut off from all intelligence, and hope
of fuccour.
Now it happened that when I had met this
nobleman at Gratz, he and I had talked over what
ſhould be done in a fimilar ſtate of things, and we
had arranged a plan by which we could communi-
cate with each other, without the knowledge of any
other perſon. Of this I told our General, Baron
Kiffell, and, in truth, it was fimple enough to thoſe
who underſtood it. It was but this: I climbed a
mountain, ſeven miles from the city, and there I
fhowed three torches, at equal diftances from each
other. This fignal the Governor underſtood, and
replied to by fhowing one. Then we commenced
operations by fignalling with the torches. We
Fighting the Turks.
31
divided the alphabet into two parts, from A to L,
and from M to Z. The first part, from A to L,
was fignified by fhowing and hiding one link for
often as there were letters from A. Thus B would
be twice ſhown and C thrice, and fo on; and from
M to Z two torches were employed in the fame
way, and when a word was thus ſpelt three lights
were ſhown.
It was thus I fignalled to him this meffage: "On
Thurſday night I will charge on the eaft; at the
alarum, fally you;" and Ebersbaught replied that
he would.
This plan was carried out with fuch fuccefs, and
with ſo much damage to the Turks, that, in dif-
guſt, they raiſed the fiege, and retired to Caniza.
For this exploit Kiſſell received great honour,
and he rewarded me by making me a captain of two
hundred and fifty men in the regiment of Colonel
Voldo, the Earl of Meldritch.
Indeed I now felt happy, for I had command of
men, who moreover were cavalry, and I thought
I faw my way into being a great general; but there
was a general rumour of peace, and this fomewhat
damped me, being fo newly promoted. Yet the
Turk intended no fuch matter, but levied foldiers
from all parts he could. Thus, I could not feel
but over-joyed, when news came that the Em-
peror had raiſed three armies. One of theſe,
32
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
*
led by the Archduke Mathias, the Emperor's
brother, who had for his lieutenant Duke Mercury,
to whom I was attached, was to defend Lower
Hungary.
Duke Mercury had an army of thirty thouſand
men, and with theſe he laid fiege to Stal Weiffen-
burg (otherwiſe called Alba Regalis), in Lower
Pannonia, which place was fo ftrong, both by
nature and art, as to be confidered impregnable,
and the Turks fallied forth, and did us great hurt,
flaying many hundreds of our troops, both German
and French; but by means of fire-balls, which I
cauſed to be thrown into the town, and by affault-
ing the town at an unexpected place, we gained
poffeffion of it. Then, turning our own, and the
captured, cannon upon the Citadel, we reduced it,
and Earl Meldritch took the Baſhaw priſoner with
his own hands.
During this time, the Great Turk Mahomet, the
third of that name, had raiſed an army of 60,000 men
to relieve the town; but the Duke Mercury, know-
ing that this raw levy could not be worth much,
left a ſtrong garrifon in Alba Regalis, and started
off with 20,000 men to meet the Turk in the plains
of Girke. The armies met, and fought hand to
hand, till the night parted them; by which time
* Mercœur.
•
Duke Mercury.
33
we had well learned not to defpife the raw Turks
under Haſſan, for the regiment of Earl Meldritch
was furrounded, and we had to cut our way through
the enemy. This, at length, we succeeded in doing;
but, alas! with the loſs of near half our regiment.
I myſelf was fore wounded, and had my horſe ſhot
under me; but I was not long unmounted, for there
was choice enough of horſes that wanted maſters.
This reverfe was terrible for us, and we had
hard work to hold our own againſt the Turk, when,
happily, at the approach of winter, he raiſed the
fiege, broke up his camp, and retired.
Duke Mercury now divided his army into three
parts; he fent 7,000 to affift Caniza. The Earl
of Meldritch with 6,000 men was to affift George
Bufca againſt the Tranfylvanians, and the reft he
kept himſelf. The ftory of his life from this point
is very brief. He returned to Vienna in great.
triumph, as if he had conquered all Hungary. The
Archdukes, and all the nobility, received him with
great honour, nay, his very picture was confidered.
fo fortunate, that thouſands kept it as a precious
relic. But the day after a feaſt at Nuremburg he
was found dead, and two days after, his brother-in-
law died fuddenly, and their hearts were fent into
France. Much did people goffip over this, but
not loudly, for it is not for the commons to call
in queſtion what happens among princes.
D
"
34
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
I accompanied Earl Meldritch, but he, fearing
treachery from Bufca, formed the idea of joining
his enemy, the Prince Sigifmund, inftead, and en-
deavoured to perfuade his troops to go with him.
•
Nor did it take much to perfuade them; the
promiſe of free liberty to make booty of all they
could get poffeffion of from the Turks, was fweet,
indeed, to men whoſe pay had not been regular,
and who were worn out by hard travel. For my-
felf, I owed nothing to the German Emperor, but
much to my noble Lord the Earl Meldritch, and
as, when in the Low Countries, I had seen enough
of fighting with Chriftians againſt Chriſtians, fo
that I fomewhat loathed it, (faving againſt a
Spaniard,) yet never did I fee harm in fighting the
Turk. So I joined with him heart and foul.
J
I need not to ſay that the Prince was glad of fo
brave a commander as the Earl of Meldritch, and
the addition to his forces of fo many expert and
ancient foldiers; fo that he gave us all neceffary
relief in the way of provifions and other things,
but alſo what freedom we defired to plunder the
Turks.
The Earl was not a man to remain long idle,
fo, after haraffing the enemy by all the means in
his power, he, being joined by Prince Moyses with
9,000 men, lay fiege to the town of Regall.
It was not till we had well fettled down before
1
A Flag of Truce.
35
the town that we found out how hard was the nut
we had undertaken to crack; for the plain on
which we were entrenched, was fo commanded by
the ordnance of the town, that we ſpent near a
month in entrenching ourſelves, and in raifing our
mounts to plant our batteries therein.
Ay, and it galled us much to be taunted and
derided by the Turks, for they would call out to
us at times, aſking us, "Were our ordnance at
pawn?" and they would fometimes tell us that they
could fee we were growing fat for want of exerciſe.
And this, I ſay, nettled us, for we could not as yet
help ourſelves; yet to me did it bring a mighty
honour, as you fhall hear.
One day they had been reviling us as ufual,
when a trumpet founded, and a ſmall company
fallied forth, bearing with them a white flag of
truce. They aſked to fee one of our leading Com-
manders, and when he had come and demanded
their meffage, they faid how it was commonly re-
ported within the town that we ſhould never affault
their city, but would go as we came, and that,
therefore, rather than it ſhould be faid we had had
no fight with them, and to delight their ladies, who
were getting ſomewhat dull by reaſon of their fee-
ing no ſport, their lord Turbashaw had fent them
with a meffage, and a challenge to any captain who
had command of a company, to fight with the one
36
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
who was willing, and durft do fo, each for the
other's head.
Think you there was lacking one among us to
take up this challenge? I trow not. On the con-
trary, everyone wanted to fight this proud Turk;
and, the ſubject being difcuffed, men waxed warm:
fome claimed it as a right, but all wanted to fight.
Seeing this, it was propofed, and in the end decided,
that choice fhould be made by lot, and, to my great
delight and pride, the lot fell upon me.
My fellows envied me, as in like cafe I fhould
have envied them, but they cheered me up, and I
was overwhelmed by the offer of horfes, arms, and
armour. But I would none of them, preferring
mine own harneſs, in which I had fought many a
time, and which ſhowed by its dints, that it had
been well proven.
A truce for a time, until that the combat fhould
be ended, was agreed upon; and, indeed, it was a
pretty fight to fee-all our troops drawn up in
array on three fides, leaving us a fair field in the
centre for the combat, whilft the walls were crowded
by the Turks and their fair dames, whoſe bright-
coloured dreſſes lent a charm to the ſcene, which,
perhaps, would have been more brilliant had we
been able to ſee their faces, which were veiled after
their manner. I felt no dread, but my blood ran
hot and quick through my veins, as I faw this

A Mortal Combat.
37
noble concourfe, which had met together to fee
either my victory, or my death, and I faid to my-
felf, "John Smith, this day thou haft need of all
thy ſkill and cunning; think of nought but victory,
and fight as thou haft never fought before, for the
honour of the army."
The Turbafbaw was the firft to enter the field,
His three fingle Combats
His Encounter with TVRBASHAW
and he came well mounted and armed-his horfe
curvetting and caracoling to the found of the haut-
boys by which he was accompanied. He was
indeed mighty fine to behold, for on his fhoulders
were fixed a pair of great wings, moft curioufly
made of eagles' feathers fet within a border of
filver, and his drefs was richly garniſhed with gold
38
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
and precious ftones-and he came with a Janizary
before him, bearing his lance, and two others, one
on each fide, leading his horſe.
I kept him not long waiting, but with a flourish
of trumpets, and with only a page bearing my
lance, I rode into the ſpace; and after having
courteouſly faluted my adverfary, I took up my
ftand. All things being arranged, at the found
of a trumpet we charged, and I had fuch good
fuccefs, that my lance ftruck the Turk through
the fight of his helmet, and went through his
face, head and all, fo that he fell to the ground
dead which feeing, I alighted, and unbracing his
helmet, I cut off his head. As the challenge was
only for each other's heads, I deſpoiled not the
body, which the Turks took; but, bearing the
bleeding trophy, I returned, without having re-
ceived the flighteſt hurt at all. The head I
preſented to the Prince Moyfes, our General, who
kindly accepted it, and I was welcomed back again
with joy by the whole army.
The Turks chafed exceedingly at the over-
throw of their champion, more eſpecially his
bofom friend, who was called Grualgo; and he,
for very madneſs, ſent me a particular challenge,
in order to regain his friend's head, and take mine,
or loſe his own-together with his horfe and
armour, which were but lawful ſpoil. So next day

иди
His Combat with GRVALGO.Capt of three hundred horfme
၁
Grualgo.
was the fame ſpace cleared, and the fame fcene
enacted, for I could not with honour have refufed
his challenge, even had I been fo minded, which
I was not.
At the found of the trumpet we made our
39
40
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
charge, and met with a great ſhock, ſo that our
lances were completely fplintered, and the Turk
was nigh unhorfed. It had been agreed that in
this event our next weapons fhould be piftols, fo
wheeling round and again charging, we each dif-.
charged a ſhot. The Turk's bullet hit me upon
the placard or breaſtplate, and glanced off, but
mine took effect in his left arm, fhattering the
bone, ſo that it hung helpleſs, and hindered him of
all control of his horfe. Whether it was the
agony of the wound, or the reſtiveneſs of his
horſe, I know not, but the Turk fell to the
ground, where he lay bruiſed and ſtunned. Need
I fay, I was foon off my horſe-and he loft his
head, as his friend before him. I took, as was
agreed, his horfe and armour, but his body, and
his rich apparel, were fent back to the town.
The Turks made fome fallies every day, but to
none effect, and the fiege went on but flowly, for
we had not completed our works and approaches
to the neceffary height. So that to fill up the
time, I, being then young, and fomewhat fool-
hardy, fent a meffage to the ladies of the Turks,
that I was not fo enamoured of their lovers' heads
but that I would give them to any one of their
rank who would redeem them by combat; but
that to win them, he muſt alfo take mine, or
'I would have his.

Message to the Turkish Ladies. 41
This challenge failed not of its effect, and it
was accepted by a Turk of rank called Bonny
Mulgro. We fought next day on the fame
ground as before, but under fomewhat different
conditions, for the Turk would have no lances-
perhaps becauſe he had feen how. I could handle
How he flew BONNY:MVL GRO.
+
one-but had battle-axes in their ftead. After
the trumpet had founded, we rode at each other
and diſcharged our piftols, by which no harm was
done; and we then fell to with our battle-axes,
and that fo ftrongly, that fometimes one, and
fometimes the other, had hard work to keep the

42
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
Three TVRKS heads in a banner given him for Armes
pro Chrifto et
Patrya
igismundus
faddle; and, indeed, it was near going hard with
me, for I received fuch a blow that I loft my
battle-axe, and was nearly unhorfed; fo that a
great fhout went up from the ramparts, to en-
courage my adverfary. He profecuted his ad-
P.Moyses
How he was prefented to Prince SIGISMVNDVS
MRten Dr.fculptor
Encounter with Bonny Mulgro.
43
vantage to the uttermoft of his power, and had it
not been for the readineſs of my horfe, and my
own judgment and dexterity in fuch matters, I
muſt have been flain. But by God's affiftance I
not only avoided the Turk's violence, but, having
drawn my falchion, I pierced him through back
and body, fo that he was obliged to alight from
his horſe, and he ftood not long, ere he loft his
head, as the reft had done.
The whole army was fo pleafed with me that
they took me in triumph to the General's pavilion,
with a guard of 6,000 men and three ſpare horſes,
before each of which was borne a Turk's head,
upon a lance. Prince Moyfes received me with
great honour, embracing me with his arms; and
gave me a fair horſe richly furniſhed, a scimitar and
belt worth three hundred ducats; and Earl Meldritch
made me Sergeant-Major of his regiment.
CHAPTER III.
OON afterwards we completed our fiege opera-
tions, having mounted fix-and-twenty pieces of
ordnance fifty or fixty feet above the plain; and
theſe were worked with fuch good effect, that
44
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
within fifteen days two breaches were made, which
the Turks defended as valiantly as men could do,
whilſt their ſlothful Governor lay in a caſtle atop of
a high mountain, aſking feebly, what the matter
was? The general affault was made, but our
troops fuffered feverely by logs, &c., being rolled
down upon them, and bags of gunpowder thrown
in their midft, two regiments lofing half their men
in this manner: but at length we overmaſtered
them, and gained poffeffion of the city; the Turks
retiring into the caftle, from whence they fent a
flag of truce, defiring terms.
But the Turks had cruelly murdered the father
of Earl Meldritch, and he forgot it not; fo that
he turned all the ordnance in the town upon the
caſtle, and ſo battered it, that next day we took it;
and then he did avenge his father's murder; for
all that could bear arms were put to the fword,
and their heads fet upon ftakes round about the
walls, in like manner as they had ferved the
Chriſtians when they took it. Then Prince
Moyfes had the ramparts repaired, and our works
deſtroyed. There was great plunder in the town,
for it had, for a long time, been an impregnable
den of thieves. Our loffes, however, had been
very great, and Prince Moyfes, not thinking the
Turks fufficiently puniſhed, left a ftrong garriſon
in Regall, and took and facked the towns of
'
Prince Sigismund's Palace.
45
Veratio, Salmos, and Kuprouka. After which, with
two thouſand priſoners, moſtly women and children,
we went and encamped at Efenberg, not far from
Prince Sigifmund's palace.
Here the Prince paid us a vifit, and was pre-
ſented with the priſoners, and fix-and-thirty enfigns;
and a Te Deum was fung, and thanks returned
to the Almighty for our victories. And here,
alſo, as if to puff up my pride to the full, Prince
Sigifmund was made acquainted with the fervices I
had done at Olumpagh, Stal Weiffenberg, and
Regall, and the Prince, at an audience I had with
him, gave me great honour, and granted me, by
patent, under his hand and ſeal, a grant of arms:
namely, On a ſhield vert, a chevron gules, between
three Turks' heads proper; and for the creft, an
Oſtrich or, holding in its mouth a horſeſhoe
argent. I had to take an oath ever to wear them
in my colours; and, befides this, my gracious
Prince gave me his portrait in gold, and three
hundred ducats yearly for a penfion. I confeſs
that I am, in a great meaſure, very proud of theſe
arms, and contemplate them frequently with huge
fatisfaction; for I hold it to be no fmall matter, that
a boy, friendleſs, and alone in the world, ſhould
carve out for himſelf, entirely by his own deeds, a
title to fuch rewards from his Prince as this gift of
coat-armour. This is the original grant, given me
}

46
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
fome long time afterwards, but I will tranflate it
from the Latin tongue in which it is writ :-
"SIGISMUND BATHOR, by the Grace of God,
Duke of Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia,
Earl of Anchard, Salford, and Growenda; to all
whom this Writing may come or appear.
KNOW that We have given leave and licence
to John Smith, an English gentleman, Captain
of 250 foldiers, under the moft generous and
honourable Henry Volda, Earl of Meldritch,
Salmaria and Peldoia, Colonel of a thoufand
horfe, and fifteen hundred foot, in the Wars of
Hungary, and in the Provinces aforefaid under our
Sigismund's Grant.
47
authority; whoſe ſervice doth deferve all praiſe and
perpetual memory towards Us, as a man that did
for God and his country overcome his enemies.
Wherefore out of Our love and favour, according
to the law of Arms, We have ordained and given
him in his ſhield of Arms, the figure and defcrip-
tion of three Turks' heads, which with his ſword
before the town of Regall, he did overcome, kill,
and cut off, in the Province of Transylvania. But
Fortune, as ſhe is very variable, ſo it chanced and
happened to him in the Province of Wallachia, in
the year of our Lord 1602, the 18th day of
November, with many others, as well Noblemen,
as alfo divers other foldiers, were taken prifoners
by the Lord Bafhaw of Cambia, a country of
Tartaria; whoſe cruelty brought him fuch good
fortune, by the help and power of Almighty God,
that he delivered himſelf, and returned again to his
company and fellow foldiers, of whom We do dif-
charge him, and this he hath in witnefs thereof,
being much more worthy of a better reward; and
now intends to return to his own ſweet country.
We defire, therefore, all our loving and kind Kinf-
men, Dukes, Princes, Earls, Barons, Governors of
Towns, Cities or Ships, in this Kingdom, or any
other Provinces he fhall come in, that you freely
let paſs this the aforefaid Captain, without any
hindrance or moleftation, and this doing with all

48
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
kindneſs, we are always ready to do the like for
you.
"Sealed at Lip/wick in Mifenland, the ninth of
December in the year of our Lord 1603.
SIGISMUNDUS BATHOR.
"With the
proper privilege
of His Majefty."
IGISMUND
TRANSIN
ONONO
H
And more than twenty years afterwards, I had
thefe arms regiſtered in our own College of
Heralds, as this writing of Garter's fheweth. This,
too, is in Latin, which I tranflate thus :-
"To all and fingular, in what place, ftate, de-
gree, order, or condition whatfoever, to whom this
prefent writing fhall come; I, William Segar,
A Stroke of Luck.
49
Knight, otherwiſe Garter, and Principal King of
Arms of England, with health. Know that I the
aforeſaid Garter, do witneſs and approve, that this
aforefaid Patent, I have feen, figned and fealed,
under the proper Hand and Seal Manual of the
faid Duke of Transylvania, and a true Copy of the
fame, as a thing for perpetual memory, I have
fubfcribed and recorded in the Regiſter and Office
of the Heralds of Arms.
"Dated at London the nineteenth day of Auguft,
in the year of our Lord 1625, and in the first year
of our Soverain Lord Charles, by the grace of
God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland;
Defender of the Faith, &c.
WILLIAM SEGAR."
But, if I was fomewhat elated with my good
fortune, it was deſtined that my pride ſhould have
a fall, for the Crim Tartars came in fuch hordes,
and did fo harry us, that we met with much loſs,
and our ftrength was greatly reduced. Warring
with favages, the war was carried on favagely. I
mind me ſpecially at Rebrynk, where the enemy
was entrenched too ftrongly for us to harm him.
Nevertheleſs, whenever we could catch a few of
their men, we cut off their heads, and rolled them
up and down before their trenches: whilft they
flayed alive ſeven of our porters, and hanged their
ſkins upon poles.
E

3
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
50
.
After a time, however, things came to fuch a
paſs that we muſt either fight or be cut in pieces,
flying; fo, of courſe, we offered battle, although
the odds of numbers were fearfully against us,
11,000 of us againſt 40,000 of the enemy. We
did our beſt, but when night came, only fome 1,300
or 1,400 horſe had managed to fave themſelves,
cutting their way, under Earl Meldritch, through
the enemy, and fwam the river; all the reft were
flain, or taken prifoners. And on that bloody field
that night, lay nearly 30,000 dead bodies, fome
headleſs, ſome armleſs or legleſs, but all cut and
mangled, and the Crim Tartars admitted that they
never paid dearer than they had done that day.
Twelve Engliſhmen went that day into the fray,
well and hearty, and nine paid with their lives;
they did all they could do, and when they could
do no more, they left their bodies there in teftimony
of their minds. Two eſcaped, but I was fadly
wounded, and lay among the flaughtered dead
bodies.
That was a night I fhall never forget; how I
lay there tortured by thirft, and groaning with the
fierce agony of my wounds; ſo that I was even glad
to ſee the pillagers coming, thinking they would moft
probably cut my throat, and thus put me out of
my mifery. But they, judging from my habit and
armour that I fhould be more valuable to them for
:
Sold into Slavery.
51
ranſom alive than dead, took me prifoner, with
many others, and ufed me well until my wounds
were healed.
When I was fairly found again, I was fent with
a batch of Chriftians to Axopolis, where we were
fold for flaves in the market place, as if we were
beafts. None but thoſe who have undergone this
degradation, can have any conception of the feeling.
Stripped naked in order to fhow the foundneſs of
our limbs, with muſcles being handled and felt, as a
butcher does an ox; a kick, a blow, or a lafh from
a whip, and a curfe, were you not quick enough in
obeying fuch orders as "Turn round," " Put out
your arm," &c.; whilft now and then we were ſet
a-wreſtling, one with another, in order to ſhow our
ftrength.
I was purchaſed, at laſt, by a Baſhaw named
Bogall, and inafmuch as I was of better quality than
moſt of my fellow-flaves, he thought I fhould
make a nice preſent for his fair miſtreſs at Con-
ftantinople. So we were fent to Adrianople, and
from thence, chained together round the neck by
twenties, we marched in long files to Conftantinople,
where we were delivered to our ſeveral maſters, and
I to my future miſtreſs, the young and pretty lady
Charatza Tragabigzanda.
This noble gentlewoman had great compaffion
on my misfortunes, and my youth, (for I was but
52
Capt. John Smith.
Difcourfes of $
+
:
twenty-four years of age,) and, knowing fomewhat of
the Italian tongue, fhe would oft converſe with me,
as well as ſhe could; and at times, when ſhe ſhould
have gone to the bath, or to weep over the tombs,
as is their wont, ſhe would feign fickneſs, and would
queſtion me, how it was that Bogall had taken me
priſoner, and whether I was, as he had written her,
a Bohemian Lord, conquered by his hand, as he
had conquered many others, whom, ere long he
would prefent to her, and whofe ranfoms fhould
adorn her with the glory of his conquefts.
To this what could I reply but the truth? I
proteſted I was nought of the kind, and that I had
never fet eyes on Bogall until that he had bought
me at Axopolis; that I was an Engliſhman, who by
my own adventures had been raiſed to be a captain
in thoſe countries. I think ſhe would fain have had
me a Bohemian Lord; but as I ftill ſturdily avowed
that I was but a ſimple Engliſhman, fhe inquired
diligently of many French, Dutch, and Italians,
who could ſpeak Engliſh, and their report con-
firmed my ſtory. This, if poffible, made her more
compaffionate to me than before; fhe would not
keep me herſelf as a ſlave, and, as fhe much feared
that her mother might fell me, fhe thought the
ſafeſt plan was to ſend me to her brother, Tymor,
Baſhaw of Nalbrits, in the country of Cambia, a
province of Tartaria. She did it for the beft, but
Cruel Treatment.
53
my heart ſank within me when I thought of my life
about to be paffed in flavery, in thoſe deſerts; and
miferable enough was my captivity there, as you
fhall hear.
It took us many days to journey from Conftanti-
nople to Nalbrits, where Tymor Bafhaw then lived,
in a vaſt ſtone caftle, with many great courts about
it, environed by high ftone walls.
Up to this time I had been well treated, but
now was I to experience a thorough change, and
that entirely owing to my ladv's well-meant kind-
neſs; for in the letter fhe wrote to her brother, and
which was delivered to him the ſame time as I
my-
felf was, ſhe had faid fo much in my favour, and
pleaded fo for my good ufage, that he more than
ſuſpected her liking for me. For fhe alſo wrote
him that I was but to fojourn there to learn the
language, and what it was to be a Turk, till time
made her miſtreſs of her own actions. This pro-
voked all the bigotry of the proud and haughty
Turk. What! fhould his fifter think kindly of,
nay, even fo love a Chriftian dog, as to wifh him to
be well treated, and in courſe of time be advanced
(he turning renegado) to who could tell what pofi-
tion by her favour? Never, with his conſent and
affiftance. The dog ſhould be treated according to
his deferts. So, after fpitting in my face, and
reviling me with all the bitter words his tongue
of

54
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
could command, he called his taſkmafter, or drub-
man, to him, and gave him orders what to do with
me.
The man, feeing his mafter fo incenfed against
me, took a devilish delight in putting me to the
utmoſt indignities. He ftripped me naked, and
fhaved my head and beard as bare as my hand; he
Capt SMITH led Captive to the BASHAW of
NALBRITS in TARTARIA..
Drubs man
Smith
Basham
rivetted a great ring of iron, which had a handle,
bowed like a fickle, for anyone to catch hold of,
around my neck, and clad me in a hair coat trimmed
with undreffed fkins. There were many more
Chriſtian flaves, and nearly a hundred criminal
Turks or Moors, murderers, thieves, or worſe. Of
Under a Cloud.
55
theſe, being the laft comer, I was the flave of flaves,
kicked, cuffed, and ſpat upon by all. The treat-
ment was ſuch that even a dog could not have lived
to endure the very beſt of it, and although we
laboured hard for them, having the whip always
before our eyes, or on our bodies, they regarded us
no more than as beaſts.
I like not to dwell upon that time. I was always
thinking over my fad lot, and the only confolation
I could find, the only ray of light in that deep,
difmal, darkneſs, was the hope that fooner or later
Tragabigzanda would inquire after my welfare, and
ſhould ſhe even get a glimmer of the truth, ſhe would
at once uſe her utmoſt endeavours to releaſe me. I
often debated the profpect of eſcape with ſome
Chriſtians who had been flaves there for a long
time, but they had long fince given up all hope
of fuch a deed, becauſe they could fee no way
of effecting it with fafety. But God helpeth his
ſervants when they leaft think of help, and fo it
happened to me.
I was put to threſhing by myſelf, at a barn in a
large field more than a league from the Bafhaw's
houſe, and Tymor often would ride over, as he did
to overlook the other portions of his land, and
whenever he came, he took occafion to beat, ſpurn,
and revile me. On one occafion he carried this to
fuch an extent, that I could no longer bear it, but
1
•

56
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
forgetting all reafon, I fell upon the tyrant with my
threſhing bat (for they ufe not flails) and beat his
Capt SMITH Killeth the BASHAW
of Nalbrits and on his
efcapeth
herfe
London Printed
by James Reeve
brains out. Seeing that if I ftopped, I fhould moft
furely be killed, and that if I was caught trying to
efcape, I fhould but meet the fame fate, I determined
to try and get away.
I ftripped the Turk of his clothes, and dreffed
myſelf in them, after which, I hid his body under
the corn. Then, filling a bag with corn, I mounted
his horfe, and fled into the defert at all hazards.
For two or three days I wandered about I knew
not whither, and I met no man of whom I could
afk my way. Yet did God in His goodness direct
Among ft Friends.
57
me to one of their great roads, which croſs theſe
large territories. There are pofts with figns on
them directing the way to the different countries,
and I choſe that which had a croſs upon it, to ſhow
it led to a Chriſtian country-in fact, to Muscovy.
I
For fixteen days I travelled in fear and trem-
bling, fearful of meeting at any moment ſome one
who ſhould ſee my collar of flavery around my
neck, and who, by reading the writing on the fame,
would diſcover whence I came, and deliver me back
to certain death, or make me a flave once more.
have ſcarce any recollection of how I fared during
this long time, how I fed, how I refted. I know I
feared to approach any rock, or even any clump of
buſhes, left behind them ſhould be enemies. Judge
of
my joy then, when, on the fixteenth day, I came
in fight of Ecopolis, a town on the river Don, and
a garrison of the Muſcovites. Here I was brought
before the Governor, who examined me ftraitly as
to my life and adventures, but at laft, being con-
vinced that I was a true man and no rogue, he had
my iron collar taken off, to my hearty joy and great
relief.
Here, too, I found, as I have always done when
in misfortune, kindly help from a woman; the good
and charitable Lady Callamata, whom God pre-
ferve, and whom I fhall always hold in reverence,
largely ſupplied all my wants, fo that indeed I felt
58
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
·
as if I were in heaven after my fufferings in
captivity, and the hardships and horrors of my
eſcape.
to my
With them I ſtayed until a convoy arrived, which
was going to Coragnaw, where the governor of that
place received me with wonderful kindneſs, owing
letter of recommendation from the governor
of Ecopolis, and, indeed, all through my journey to
Hermonftadt, in Transylvania, I never met, in all my.
life, with more refpect, mirth, content, and enter-
tainment. There was no governor, wherever I
came, but what gave me fomewhat as a prefent,
befides bearing all my charges, fo that I could
ſcarce contain myſelf for joy after my late hard-
ſhips.
Once arrived in Transylvania I found fo many
good friends, that had I my will, and had I not
longed once more to fee my native country, I fhould
hardly ever have left them, for indeed I was glutted
with content, and near drowned with joy. But I
minded me that I had to report myſelf to my Prince,
inaſmuch as I was ftill in his fervice, having been
captured whilſt fighting for him. As he was not in
Tranfylvania, needs muſt that I ſhould go and feek
him; fo I travelled to Prague, in Bohemia, and at
length found him, together with my old Colonel
and companion in arms, the moſt noble Earl Mel-
dritch.
Prince Sigifmund's Prefent.
59
After hearing my cafe Prince Sigifmund condoled
with me mightily, and moreover ordered me to be
given fifteen hundred ducats of gold to repair my
loffes, and to fomewhat recompenfe me for the
hardſhips I had undergone. It was then, alfo, that
you,
he gave me that writing I have already fhown
in which he requeſts all perfons under his juriſdic-
tion to ſhow me help, at the fame time giving me
the boon I aſked of him, my diſcharge from his
ſervice.
I was now my own mafter, and at liberty to do
as I choſe for myſelf, ſo I travelled throughout
Germany, France, and Spain.
TH
CHAPTER IV.
HEN, hearing of the wars in Barbary, I went
from Gibraltar to Tangiers, and thence to
Saffee, where I made the acquaintance of a Captain
of a French man-of-war, named Merham, and we
became very good friends. Although the country
was much diſturbed by civil war, I went about
and faw many curious things, as, being an Engliſh-
I was unharmed; for Muley Haflan, a former
man;
·
}
·60
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
+
1
:
Emperor, had a great liking for Engliſhmen, and,
having no good artificers of his own, he welcomed
handicraftſmen from England, fuch as goldsmiths,
watchmakers, plumbers, carvers, and poliſhers of
ftone. He allowed all theſe a ſtanding fee of ten.
fhillings a day, a fufficient quantity of linen,
woollen, filk, or what not, for their apparel, and
ftinted them not in diet, befides which, they could
tranfport, or import, what they would, customs
free. One of them, Mr. Henry Archer, afterwards
came over to England, and fet up in buſineſs as a
watchmaker.
Concerning this Archer, there is one thing more
worth noting. Not far from Mount Atlas, a great
lionefs, in the heat of the day, did ufe to bathe
herſelf, and teach her puppies to ſwim, in the river,
Canzeff. This was a good breadth, yet fhe would
carry them over the river, one after the other;
which fome Moors perceiving, watched their
opportunity, and, when the river was between
her and them, ftole four of her whelps; which
perceiving, fhe paffed the river with all the ſpeed
ſhe could, and coming near them, they let fall
a whelp (and fled with the reft), which fhe took in
her mouth and ſwam the river back again.
They gave a male and female to Mr. Archer,
who kept them in the King's garden, till the male
killed the female, when he brought him up like a
An Old Friend.
61
puppy-dog, having it to lie upon his bed, until he
grew as great as a maſtiff, and no dog could be
more tame and gentle to thoſe he knew, than he
was. Being about to return to England, Mr.
Archer gave him to a merchant of Marſeilles, who
preſented it to the French King, who, in his turn,
ſent it to King James as a gift.
It had been in the Tower feven years, when one
John Bull, who had been fervant to Mr. Archer,
went with divers of his friends to fee the lions, not
knowing his old friend was there; yet this rare
beaſt ſmelt him before he faw him, whining,
groaning, and trembling with fuch an expreffion of
acquaintance, that, being informed by the keepers
how he came there, Bull fo prevailed, that the
keeper opened the grate, and Bull went in. But
no dog could fawn more on his mafter than the
lion on him, licking his feet, hands, and face,
ſkipping and tumbling to and fro, to the wonder
of all the beholders. Bull was quite fatisfied with
this recognition, and managed to get out of the
grate; but when the lion ſaw his friend gone, no
beaft by bellowing, roaring, fcratching, and howl-
ing, could exprefs more rage and forrow, nor would
he either eat, or drink, for four whole days after-
wards.
While I think of it, however, I must tell you
another lion ſtory. In Morocco, the King's lions
▪་
-
62
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
¿
are all together in a court, environed with a great
high wall. To thoſe they put a young puppy-
dog. The largest lion had a fore upon his neck,
which this dog fo licked that it was healed. From
that time the lion took him under his protection,
and defended him from the fury of all the reft,
nor durft they eat till he and the dog had fed.
This dog grew great, and lived amongst the lions
many years after.
I foon gave up all hope of feeing any ſervice in
this country, for their ways would not fuit me,
fo I could not ftay, but returned with Captain
Merham and his companions to Saffee.
not
Now, after our arrival, Merbam invited me and
two or three more to go on board his fhip, and he
gave us as good a welcome, and ſpared
anything that he had to exprefs his kindneſs
towards us, that the time ran on fo that it was
too late to go on fhore, and we were of neceffity
conſtrained to ſtay aboard. To this we had no
objection, for we were in right good company,
and a fairer evening could not be; yet, ere
midnight, ſuch a ſtorm did ariſe that we were
obliged to flip cable and anchor and put out
to fea. The ftorm was fo great that we could
carry no fail but just one small one, which kept us
spooning before the wind, till we were driven
to the Canaries. There the weather got calmer,
•
A Sea-fight.
63
and we put ourſelves to rights fomewhat, hoping
that fome good might come out of this evil
chance; nor was it long before we took a fmall
bark coming from Teneriffe, loaded with wine. Three
or four more we chaſed, and took two, but found
little in them, fave a few paffengers, that told us
of five Dutch men-of-war, about the Iſles, fo that
we ftood for Boyadora, upon the African fhore,
betwixt which, and Cape Noa, we defcried two
fails.
Merham, wiſhing to know who and what they
were, hailed them. According to the uſual courteſy
at ſea, they very civilly danced their topfails, and
desired Merbam to come on board of them, and
take what he would, for that they were but
two poor Buccaneers. Merham, however, was
too fhrewd an old fox to be fo caught, and feeing
himſelf in the lions' paws (for truth to tell, they
were two Spaniſh men-of-war, and well appointed),
he fprung his luff. One of the Spaniards tacked
after him, and came cloſe to his nether quarter,
when he delivered his broadfide and then luffed up
to windward. Her confort, the Vice-Admiral,
did the like, and in the courſe of an hour they
attacked us one on each fide, and tried to board us;
but we beat them off, and they left four or five
of their men dead, and ſprawling on our gratings.
So they battered us for another hour, and then
..
*
64
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
boarded us once more. This time, however, they
threw on board of us four kedgers, or grapnels,
with iron chains, in order to have torn down our
grating, but the Admiral's yard was fo entangled
with our ſhrouds that he could not fheer off,
which gave Captain Merham time to diſcharge two
croſs-bar fhots, and divers iron bolts made for
that purpoſe, full againſt the Admiral's bow, in
which it cauſed fuch a breach as made us fear we
ſhould both fink in company. The Spaniards foon
ſlipped their grapnels, and we were buſy in cutting
his tackling, but fo as to keep his yard in
our ſhrouds; and their ſhip at laſt got clear, and
ventured not near us again, but fired at a diſtance,
while they repaired their leak.
The other ſhip then came up, and the fight
continued from noon, till fix in the evening, when
darkneſs came on, and we made for Marmora,
the Spaniards purſuing us; and fo flowly did we
fail, and ſuch ſmall way did we make, that next
morning we were not three leagues from Cape Noa.
The two Spaniards outfailed us when they could
fee, and in an hour's time came up with us, and
commanded us to furrender to the King of Spain
upon fair quarter.
But Merham only ſmiled at them, and, calling
for wine, he filled a glafs, and drank to them,
having done which, he diſcharged his quarter pieces.
Gunpowder.
65
This did fo incenfe the Spaniards that they clofed
with us and boarded us, and many of them rufhed
up the ſhrouds and endeavoured to unfling the
mainfail; which the mafter, and fome others who
were in the round-houſe, perceiving, fhot at them,
and cauſed them, to their coft, to tumble down.
And, indeed, about the round-houſe the Spaniards
were ſo peſtered, that they were forced to the great
cabin, which, owing to the firing, blew up, becauſe
of the powder there ftored. The ſmoke and the
fire were fo great, that both they, and we, thought
the ſhip on fire.
In the forecaſtle, too, things were not quite
fo comfortable for the Spaniards as they would
have liked, for, many of them being on the grating,
we blew them up by means of a bag of gunpowder,
ſo that they cleared themſelves away from us with
great ſpeed, leaving behind them their dead and
wounded and fome few prifoners. Merham at
once fet about quenching the flames, and after a
time fucceeded in fo doing, with the aid of wet
cloths and water; and it was near time that fuch
ſhould be done, for it began to grow apace, too
faft, indeed, for our liking.
The Spaniards ftill kept firing upon us, but we
managed to ſtop the worſt leaks by means of old
fails, which we warped over the fhot holes, and
prepared to fight it out to the laſt man. The
F
·66
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
I
•
Spaniards, feeing the fire quenched, and that we
ftill were not only able, but very willing to continue
the fight, hung out a flag of truce, demanding
a parley; but that defperate and brave man,
Merham, had but one way with him, and would
have none of their parleys, and only gave
report of his ordnance,
which he did know well how to uſe for his
advantage.
them for anſwer the
Thus we ſpent the next afternoon, and half that
night, when the fire grew flacker, until at laſt it
ceafed altogether, and we found that the Spaniards
had either loft us, or left us, with either of which
we were well content. Next morning we took
account of our loffes, and found we had 27 men
flain and 16 wounded; whilft we could count in
the hull of our veffel the marks of 140 great
fhot. But, if we could truft the account of one
of our Spaniſh priſoners, they had loft 100 men in
the Admiral, and they much feared that their
veffel would fink ere fhe could reach any port,
as, indeed, fhe might have done, for I never heard
aught more of her. We ourſelves being crippled,
not only by reaſon of the ſhot, but by the fire on
board, thought it moſt prudent to look after our
own fafety, and, accordingly, we ſhaped our
courſe for Santa Cruz, Cape Goa, and Mogador,
until we came again to Saffee, and thence, I took
Sir Walter Raleigh.
67
ſhip and returned to England, for I longed once
more to ſee my native country.
It was in the year 1604 that I came home, if
not a rich man, yet with good ſtore of coin, and,
befides, I had the fmall eftate that had been left
me by my father, fo that I wanted for nothing and
had to fpare. Naturally, for like will cleave to
like, I fought the company of men like myſelf,
who had adventured fomewhat, and had been in
diftant lands. It was thus I fell in with many who
had been to the New World, and all their talk was
of its wonders. And they told me what had hap-
pened fince I had been away. How in the year of
grace 1584, Captains Amidas and Barlow, who
had been ſent out on a voyage of diſcovery by that
moſt worſhipful nobleman, and worthy knight, Sir
Walter Raleigh, did coaft round the Carolinas, and
entered Ocracocke inlet, where they took poffeffion
of the foil on behalf of their Sovereign, and which
was afterwards called Virginia, in honour of our
ever bleſſed Virgin Queen Elizabeth, of glorious
memory. From them I learned how they tarried
not there at that time, but how Ralph Lane (after-
wards Sir Ralph) went out to found a colony,
how that languiſhed, and how Sir Francis Drake
brought them home. More by token that Lane
brought with him that bleffed herb tobacco, and
was the firſt man that brought it to England; and
: F
:
..
F 2
68
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
I
yet have I heard men ſay, ſome that it was Drake,
others that it was Raleigh. Nor are they alto-
gether wrong, for if Raleigh. had not fent Lane
out, and Drake had not brought Lane home, he
could not at that time have fhowed us Engliſh-
men the virtues of that precious herb.
Ay, and I learned how the fifty men left there
by Sir Richard Grenville had not been heard of,
although Sir Walter Raleigh had fent five feveral
times to ſearch after them, at his own charges; the
laſt time ſending (in 1602) Samuel Mace, of
Weymouth, a very fufficient mariner, and an honeft,
fober man, who had been to Virginia twice before;
and afterwards it was learned that the whole of the
fifty had been murdered, and that one little inno-
cent babe had been born, and had been baptized by
the name of Virginia.
Among others whom I met, was Captain Bar-
tholomew Gofnold, who had (in the year 1602)
sailed from Falmouth in a fmall bark called The
Concord, with a crew of thirty-two persons, and
had diſcovered the north part of Virginia. His
was a venturous voyage, for he went to unknown
parts with but a ſmall veffel and crew; but it was
ever thus in my time. Sir Francis Drake's fhip, in
which he fo worthily failed round the world, was
but of ſmall tonnage, and fo were thoſe that failed
with Frobisher. What a man had to do he fet his
Captain Gofnold.
69
The
whole mind on, and if the enterpriſe was within the
power of man to accomplish, he did it.
leader choſe his men with great care, and took heed
to be ever the chief, and leader, amongſt them in all
things.
I alſo met with Mafter John Bereton, who writ
an account of Captain Gofnold's voyage; and from
them and others, I heard fo much of the marvels
of thoſe new lands, that my brains were fairly
turned; and there ſeemed great chance of good
fortune, for Gofnold told me of how he fared in
the way of
cargo. How the native Indians would
give valuable ſkins, fuch as beavers, martens,
otters, wild cats, black foxes, deer and seal ſkins,
for next to nought, or for fome trifle fuch as a
knife or fo; that they had copper which they
valued not; and that he brought home a cargo of
furs, cedar, and faffafras, the roots of which he
fold in England at 3s. a pound, or £336 the ton;
fo that he made much money by his venture.
They deſcribed the land as exceeding fair to
view, full of high timbered oaks, their leaves
thrice as broad as ours, cedars ftraight and tall,
beech, elms, hollies, walnut trees in abundance-
the fruit as big as ours, as appeared by thoſe they
found under the trees, which had lien all the year
ungathered. Hazel-nut trees, cherry trees, the
leaf, bark, and bigneſs not differing from ours in
70
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
}
:
.
.
England, but the ftalk beareth the bloffoms or fruit
at the end thereof, like a cluſter of grapes, forty or
fifty in a bunch; faffafras trees in great plenty all
the island over, which, as I have told
as I have told you, is a tree
of high price and profit. Alfo divers other fruit
trees, fome of them with ftrange barks, of an
orange colour, in feeling foft and fmooth like
velvet.
There were lakes of water in which were abun-
dance of tortoiſes, and divers forts of ſhell fiſh, as
ſcallops, muffels, cockles, lobſters, crabs, oyfters
and whelks, whilft of other fish there was plenty,
from whales downwards. There were feals, cod,
mackerel, bream, herring, thornback, hake, rock-
fiſh, and dog-fiſh, with many others; and a great
multitude of wild-fowl of larger growth than ours.
But not to cloy you with particular rehearſal of
fuch things as God and Nature hath beſtowed on
theſe places, in compariſon with which the moſt
fertile part of all England is but barren, I will
only ſay that their relation made me think of
nought elfe; ſo that when Captain Gofnold propofed
to found a colony and plantation in Virginia, I
entered into his plan moft eagerly, with all my
heart and foul; and being then, in that year of
our Lord, 1604, but twenty-five years of age, I
bethought me that I might paſs the remainder of
my life in greater eaſe, and with far more profit to
•
Founding a Colony.
71
myſelf than by fighting, as I had hitherto done.
So I decided to caft in my lot with Captain Gofnold,
Mafter Edward Maria Wingfield, a merchant of
the West of England, Master Robert Hunt, a
clergyman, and divers other gentlemen.
TH
CHAPTER V.
HE whole of the next year was ſpent in fruitleſs
efforts to launch our project of a plantation;
but we had made up our minds to do it, and at length
we fucceeded. We had to go from one great man
to another, to folicit their intereft in obtaining a
charter, and to provide us with money; for though
we were all willing to venture a fomewhat, yet did
it fall far too fhort of our requirements: we could
find the men as coloniſts, fome one elſe had to find
the money. Some faid nay to the matter at once,
others would keep us hanging on from day to day,
bearing us up with hopes of help; and then would
be exceeding forry, but juft at this preſent, money
was ſo ſcarce with them, they could not; and fo
on. But, at length, our perfeverance overcame all
obftacles, and on 10th April in the year 1606,
his Moft Gracious Majefty James I. granted a
1
72
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
#
Charter* for two Companies to be formed, whereof
one was in London, and the other in Plymouth.
The London Company confifted of Sir Thomas
Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hackluyt, Edward
Wingfield, and others, and to them was affigned
one portion of the land, and the Plymouth Company
had another, with land lying between, common to
both. There were proper claufes which bound each
not to interfere with the other, and the rent we were
to pay our Soverain Lord King James, was one-
fifth of all the gold and filver we might get from
the mines, which we, in our ignorance, did fancy
exiſted in great plenty, and one-fifteenth of all the
copper. I never heard that his Majefty's treaſury
did ever benefit from our gold and filver mines,
but there hath been no voyage of diſcovery to
America, but what theſe faid mines have figured
hugely in the brains of thoſe who did propofe
them; as Tacitus in his Vita Agricola faith,
"Omne ignotum pro magnifico eft," we all
thought wonderful things of what we knew not of,
yet were we well aware of the great riches ſeen by
Pizarro, Cortez, and Hernandez de Soto.
We might coin our own money, but the manage-
ment of the plantations was left in the hands of a
Council in England, who nominated a Council and
* See Appendix.
Difficulties.
73
Governor for the Colony. Perhaps it was the
beſt way at ſtarting, but it did not work well. In
England, they knew nought of what was going on,
but what was written to them by the reports of
the returned fea-captains; and thoſe difaffected,
who went, or were fent, back to England. They
liftened more to theſe latter, than to the reports of
the Governor and Council, and, of neceffity, things
did not profper as well as they might have done.
'Tis true, the King referved unto himſelf the
fupreme control of all, but I never heard that he
troubled his head with our affairs: had we found
gold and filver, things might have been different,
but as what we returned did not pay our expenfes,
much leſs yield a profit on the adventure, no great
heed was taken of us by our royal patron.
The other benefits we, the first coloniſts, had
referved to us, was the right of levying a duty on
all veffels trading in our harbours, and this we were
to have as our own for twenty years, after which
time it went to the King. We were still to be
accounted as Engliſhmen, which might be of uſe
when
any of
of our number returned to England, but
was not a great boon if they stopped where they
were..
Think not, that becauſe we had got a Charter,
we could therefore ftart at once on our expedition;
by no means; there were many difficulties to be
74
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
+
overcome, which took up another year. There
were ſhips to be got, and victualled, and manned.
At length we got together three, one of one hundred
tons, one of forty, and a pinnace of twenty tons;
ſo that what with the crews, and the adventurers,
who numbered 100 men, we were fomewhat cloſely
packed. We were fortunate in procuring a good
captain, to whom the tranfportation of the company
was committed, one Captain Christopher Newport,
a mariner well practiſed for the weſtern parts of
America, as he had voyaged there more than once.
For ourſelves, I think our Engliſh Council behaved
fooliſhly, not confidering fufficiently the nature of
our undertaking. We had by far too many gentle-
men adventurers amongſt us, and of a neceffity,
ſome of theſe muſt needs be not quite all one could
wiſh as reliable comrades. Out of our 100 coloniſts
there were fifty-two gentlemen adventurers, befides
Mafter Robert Hunt, the preacher, and Mafters
Thomas Wotton and William Wilkinson, the chirur-
geons. We had four carpenters, twelve labourers,
a blackſmith, a failor, a barber, a bricklayer, a
mafon, a tailor, and a drummer. There were alſo
four boys, and divers others whofe condition I do
not now mind me of, making up 100 in all.
Another thing, too, which bred much miſchief
on the voyage, and afterwards, was that we knew
not when we ſtarted, who was to be the Chief of
·
Chriſtmas on Board.
75
this our expedition, ſo that for a long time there
was no head, and things went on any how. For the
Council, in what they deemed their wiſdom, had
given us our orders for government in a box, all
fealed up, with ftrict orders that it ſhould not be
opened, nor the feals broken, till that we had
landed in Virginia, and then only ſhould we know
who had been chofen as Governor.
At last, as all things muſt have an end, we were
got on board, and on the 19th day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1606, we fet fail from
Blackwall in our little fleet. Alas! even this was
but badly managed, for the delay we had been put
to had driven off our failing until the worſt and
moſt ſtormy part of the year; fo that, although
we did fail on the date I have juſt ſaid, we were fo
hindered by unprofperous winds, that we were
knocking about in fight of England for fix whole
weeks. It was, indeed, but a forry Chriſtmas that
we ſpent on board. Although, as is the wont of
Engliſhmen, wherefoever they may be, we made the
beſt cheer we could in honour of the feason, yet, by
reaſon of the roughneſs of the fea and contrary
winds, many were helpleſs from ſea ſickneſs. Nay,
Maſter Hunt, our preacher, was fo weak and fick
that few expected his recovery. But, although he
was but twenty miles from his own habitation (for
at that time we were in the Downs) yet, notwith-
36
76 ·
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
:
.
1
ſtanding the ſtormy weather and the ſcandalous
imputations (of ſome few, little better than Atheiſts,
of the greateſt rank amongſt us) ſuggeſted againſt
him, all this could not force from him fo much as
a feeming defire to relinquish the adventure; but
he preferred the ſervice of God, in fo good a
voyage, before contefting with his godlefs foes,
whoſe diſaſtrous defigns (could they have prevailed)
would even then have overthrown the whole bufi-
neſs of the expedition, ſo many diſcontents did then
arife.
But Maſter Hunt, with the water of patience
and his godly exhortations, quenched thoſe flames
of envy and diffenfion.
I know I had but fcant cauſe to love ſome of
them, for when we ftopped at the Canaries for
water, ſome of theſe gentry, envying my repute,
ſpread about a ſcandalous report that I intended to
ufurp the government, murder the Council, and
make myſelf King. A fine tale did they make up,:
how that I had confederates in all the three fhips,
and that if fome of them were arrefted they would
affirm it to be true. There is no need for me to
ſay that ſuch notions never for a moment, at any
time, entered into my head; but, for ſome reaſon,
I was not popular among a portion of the adven-
turers, perhaps becauſe, in my life time, I had done
ſome deeds of daring, whereby my name had be-
4
The Voyage.
77
come 'known and fomewhat diftinguiſhed, whilſt
they were nobodies, who never had done, and never
would do, anything above their fellows. Moreover,
I would take no part in their quarrels, but ftood
faſt by the godly Maſter Hunt, and between us we
chid them, and told them fome home truths fo
plainly that they liked us not. They could not,
and dared not, do anything againſt Maſter Hunt,
ſeeing that he was a Minifter of Religion; but on
me they could fpit their venom, and they did fo.
What uſe was it for me to deny their lies? They
only ſpake the more. For a time they prevailed,
and it was decided for the quietnefs of the ſhip and
the benefit of the expedition that I was to be kept
a priſoner till the end of the voyage. And ſo I
was, moſt unjustly, but I will tell the remainder of
this ſtory in its proper place.
As I have faid, we watered at the Canaries, we
traded with the ſavages at Domenica, and we ſpent
three weeks in refreſhing ourſelves amongſt theſe
Weft India Iſlands. In Guadalupe was a fpring fo
hot that we boiled pork therein as well as if it had
been done over the fire; and in the Virgin Iſles,
where we ſpent fome time, we fed on tortoifes,
pelicans, parrots, and curious and rare fiſhes, as alſo
on a loathſome beaft fomewhat like a crocodile,
called an iguana.
After we had failed from thence and were pur-
C
78.
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
fuing our way, murmurs began to be heard, which
fwelled louder and louder, that we were altogether
out of our reckoning, and, indeed, this was true,
ſeeing that the mariners had three days paft their
reckoning and had found no land. The murmur-
ing increaſed almoſt to open mutiny amongſt fome
of the worſt affected of our adventurers, and one
man (I do not think among all our feamen you
could have found another who could have even
thought of doing as he propofed), the captain of
the pinnace, a man named Ratcliffe, wanted, for-
footh, to bear up his helm, and fo return to England,
rather than make further ſearch. This cowardly
conduct was deſpiſed by all, but there is no knowing
to what extent the murmuring would have grown,
had not God, the guider of all good actions, decided
the matter for us by caufing an extreme ftorm,
during which we drove before the wind under bare
poles all night, and, contrary to all our expectations,
we found ourſelves at our defired port, for never
had any of us feen that coaft before.
event took place on April 26, 1607.
This bleffed
Great was our joy, and as it was new land, never
having been explored before, we chriftened the land
we firſt fighted, which is at the entrance of Cheſapeake
Bay, Cape Henry, after the Prince of Wales; and
afterwards, the oppofite cape, Cape Charles, after
his brother.
A
Opening of the Mystical Box.
79
With no diſcipline among us, each gentleman
adventurer being as good as his neighbour, who
can wonder that as foon as we anchored fome would
go on fhore? And ſo they did, fome thirty of
them, to their coft, as they afterwards found it, for,
fooliſhly imagining that the place was uninhabited,
they landed unarmed, without taking any precau-
tions againſt ſurpriſe, and went roaming about,
chattering noifily, and making as if they were lords
of all. And fo, truly, they were in the end, but
not just then; for, mark you, five poor favages,
whom afterwards we would have laughed at, did
make thoſe thirty fine fellows flee, with two of their
number fore hurt. They faid they knew not what
power was behind thoſe five Indians, and fo hap it
was true, for to alter the words I quoted of Tacitus
his book-" Omne ignotum pro terribili."
That night we fulfilled our orders and opened
that myftical box, whofe contents had been a fore
puzzle to us in our voyage, for many of us thought,
I am to be Governor; or, if he had not fuch ambi-
tion, then faid he, I am to be of the Council.
However, on opening the box, every man foon
knew his fate, for the inftructions were very brief
and to the purpoſe. Our Mafters (for fo muft I
call them) in London had named ſeven of us as
Council-namely, Mafter Bartholomew Gofnold and
myſelf, together with Wingfield, Captain Newport,
80. Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
John Ratcliffe, John Martin, and George Kendall,
and we, amongſt us, were to chooſe a Prefident for
a year, and he and the Council fhould jointly govern
the affairs of our little Colony. Matters of moment
were to be examined by a jury, but to be determined
and ſettled by the major part of the Council, in
which the Prefident had two voices. Great was
the difcuffion thereon, and alſo on another paper
of inſtructions, which accompanied theſe orders.for
our governance. This other paper concerned the
choice of a place of fettlement, and the manner of
our there ſeating ourſelves, with the neceffary orders
and methods of diſcovery, and how we were to
behave in our intercourſe with the natives.
Befides, the Council in England ever thought of
making us the vehicle of gathering money for
them, to repay their venture a thouſandfold; fo we
were ſpecially enjoined to be intent on the diſcovery
of the South Sea, as the certain and infallible way to
immenfe riches. Thus, our orders were, that if we
happened to diſcover any navigable rivers, and
among them any that had two main branches, to
make choice of that which tended moft towards
the north-weſt; fince they judged that the other
fea would be fooneft found that way. And we
were to diſcover, if we could, whether the river on
whoſe bank we ſhould make our fettlement fprang
out of the mountains, or was fed from lakes, for
Choosing a Settlement.
8 1
they judged that ſhould it come from a lake, it was
poffible that on the other fide there might be
another river, which by its courſe might render
the paffage to the East India or South Sea practical
and eaſy.
We now knew what we were expected to do,
and our next task was to find fome place of
fettlement; fo next day we began to build our
ſhallop, which had been ſhipped in portions, eaſy
to be fitted together, and a party, well armed,
marched eight miles inland without feeing a favage,
although we found a fire where they had been roaſt-
ing oyfters. They must have fled away when they faw
us coming, for they left behind them many oyfters
cooking, which we did eat, and enjoy right heartily.
Next day we went up the bay and coafted along,
when we diſcovered a river. The fhallop was
launched and the Captain and some of our
gentlemen went fome diſtance up the river. They
alſo found no natives, but a canoe fome forty feet
long made out of the trunk of a tree. They alſo
found great ſtore of oyfters, and found pearls in
many of them.
It would weary you to tell of what, we did each
day. Suffice it to ſay that it was fome time before
we finally fixed on a place of ſettlement, and that
each day brought its marvels to us, to whom all
was new. Our people fell in with many of the
G
*
'
82
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
I
favages, but they were friendly, and we gave them
many trifles, with which they were much pleaſed.
The land was beautiful, and one of the moſt
pleaſant in the whole world for large and uſeful
navigable rivers. Heaven and earth never agreed
better to frame a place for man's habitation, were
it fully manured and inhabited by induftrious
people; here are mountains, hills, valleys, rivers,
and brooks, all running moſt pleaſantly into a fair
bay, compaffed (but for its mouth) with fruitful
and delightſome land. There is excellent land full
of flowers of divers kinds and colours, and as
goodly trees as I have feen, as cedar, cypreſs, and
fuch like, as well as beech, oak, walnut, faffafras,
and vines in abundance, whofe grapes hang in
cluſters to many trees, and other trees unknown
There are alſo many fruits, as ftrawberries,
four times bigger and better than ours in England,
mulberries, raſpberries, and fruits unknown. In
the rivers are great plenty of fiſh of all kinds, and
as for fturgeon, all the world cannot be compared
to it.
Alfo in this country are many great and
fair meadows, low marfhes, having excellent
paſture for cattle. There is alſo great ftore of
deer, both red and fallow; whilſt of wild animals,
there are bears, foxes, otters, beavers, mufkats, and
wild beafts unknown.
·
to us.
For ſeventeen days we thus explored, until on the
All Difembark.
83
13th day of May, 1607, we finally moored our
ſhips to fome trees, in fix fathoms water, and fixed
upon that place for our fettlement, which was
a peninſula on the north fide of the river Powhatan,
about forty miles from the mouth. Some of us
landed, and the firft act was to fwear the Council,
to which they would not admit me, and Wingfield
was choſen Prefident. He and others made an
oration, and the fettlement was formally named
James Town, after the King's moſt excellent
Majeſty.
CHAPTER VI.
EXT day all the men were landed, and all were
NE
fet to work hard. The Council contrived the
fort, and ſome were ſet to work on that, others kept
guard, fome cut down trees for ſpace on which to
pitch their tents, fome dug gardens or made nets,
and others were bufy providing clap-board with
which to re-lade the fhip. Ofttimes the favages
vifited us, and were very friendly, fo we received
them well; yet I could not but miftruft them, for
they were very cunning. Still, the Council would
take no precautions, the Prefident would allow of
no exerciſing at arms, nor would he admit of any.
other fortifications than the boughs of trees caft
G 2
84
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
*
together in the form of a half-moon, and for this
flight protection we were indebted to the extra-
ordinary pains and diligence of Captain Kendall.
Our first Prefident was not only a fool, but a
mischievous fool.
The work allotted to me was to join Captain
Newport and twenty others, and explore the river
to its head. This we did, being very fairly treated
by the natives. We paffed by divers ſmall habita-
tions, and came in fix days to a town called
Powhatan, the chief place of thofe parts. Indeed,
the river is called Powhatan, and so is the chief
named, and the people alſo are called Powhatans.
This town is pleaſantly and ftrongly fituated, and
the river is not navigable more than a mile higher
up, by reafon of the rocks and ifles. On the
24th day of May, 1607, we reached the head of
the river, and ſet up a croſs there, naming it the
King's River, and there we proclaimed that James,
King of England, had the moſt right unto it. We
then returned to James Town.
And now mark the folly and imprudence of our
Prefident's behaviour. The favages had murmured
greatly at our planting in their country, but fome
ſaid, "Why ſhould we be offended with them, ſo
long as they hurt us not, nor take anything away
by force? They take but a little waſte ground,
which doth none of us any good." Yet this was
Hoftilities with the Savages.
85
but the opinion of a few, the larger number
diſliking our prefence, fo they determined to get
rid of us if poffible. They made an attempt to
capture James Town whilft we were away up the
river, and, on our return, we found them in a forry
ſtate and in fore ftraits, for had we not arrived then,
there had been an end there of the fort, for we
found ſeventeen men hurt and a boy flain by the
favages; and had it not chanced that a bar fhot
from one of the fhips had ftruck down a bough
from a tree amongst the Indians, that cauſed
them to retire, our men had all been flain, being
at the time all at work, and their arms put away
in packing cafes.
Now, truly, the Prefident was contented that
the fort ſhould be palifadoed, the ordnance mounted,
and the men armed and exerciſed; and, indeed, it
was high time that this fhould be done, for many
were the affaults and ambufcadoes of the favages,
and our men, by their diforderly ftraggling, were
often hurt, whilft the Indians, by the nimbleneſs
of their heels, always eſcaped. I leave you to gueſs
what toil we had, with but fo few men to guard
our workmen o' days, watch all night, refift our
enemies, and effect our buſineſs, to reload the fhips,
cut down trees, and prepare the ground to plant
our corn, &c.
Captain Newport, though one of the Council,
86
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
·
=
¡
had only been hired to tranſport us, and, having
got his fhip laden with whatever we could find
him as a cargo, wanted to return. Now, for
thirteen weeks I had been a prifoner, and was ftill
under arreſt, although, for the general good, I had
been allowed to go with Captain Newport up the
river; but, when he wanted to fail for England,
my enemies, of whom the chiefeſt was Wingfield,
our Prefident, wanted to ſend me back by him to
be judged by the Council in England. This was
cunningly deviſed, as it was pretended to be for
my good, as they faid they would rather it
were fo than that they, by particularifing my
pretended defigns, might make me fo odious to my
fellow-adventurers as to endanger my life, or elfe
utterly overthrow my reputation.
But, as I was perfectly innocent of anything
with which they could charge me, I fcorned their
pretended charity, and publicly defied the utmoſt
of their cruelty. They did not dare, for all their
deſpite of me, to refuſe me the trial I aſked, and
when it came off, all the company did fee my
innocency, and my adverfaries' malice; yea, even
thofe fuborned to accufe me turned round upon
their employers, and accuſed them of fubornation;
and although many untruths were alleged againſt
me, yet they were fo thoroughly difproved, that it
begat a general hatred in the hearts of the company
:
}
Trial and Sentence.
87
againſt ſuch unjuſt commanders, infomuch that the
Prefident, Wingfield, whofe hatred of me, and
malicious conduct, were made fo apparent, was
adjudged to pay me two hundred pounds as com-
penfation for my grievances. This fum of money
he had not by him, fo that all that he had was
ſeized upon, in part fatisfaction, and given to me.
But I had done all that I wanted. I had cleared
my character from all ſtain, and had fully eſtabliſhed
my innocency, and I cared not to keep Wingfield's
goods as mine own. Yet, as the award was a
righteous one, and it had been given me by the
whole of the coloniſts, and, indeed, I did deſerve
ſome folatium for my injuries, I accepted what
was awarded, and preſently returned it to ftore
for the general uſe of the Colony.
Now was it time for that godly man, Mafter
Hunt, to do his part in healing our ftrifes, and he
went from one to the other with fweet words
of good counfel: how that we fhould love and
forgive our enemies; nay, he uſed more worldly
arguments, pointing out that the welfare of our little
band depended chiefly upon our union, for that we
were in an unknown land, expoſed to the attacks of
hoftile natives, and we needed, therefore, all the
ties of brotherly love. His arguments prevailed,
for we all loved him for his exceeding goodneſs.
I was admitted to take my rightful place as one of
88
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
the Council, and the next day we all received the
Holy Communion together, as an outward and
vifible pledge of reconciliation. And, indeed, it
did ſeem as if the bleffed Spirit of Peace had come
down to dwell among us, for the next day came
an embaffage from the favages, voluntarily defiring
peace, and to dwell in good accord with us, fo that
when Captain Newport left us for England, sailing
on the 15th of June, 1607, he could take back a
truthful report that he had left our little Colony
of 100 fouls all well.
When Captain Newport failed, leaving us very
bare and ſcanty of victuals, he promiſed to return
with ſupplies within twenty weeks, but immedi-
ately after his departure we fell into fore ftraits for
food, fo that within ten days there were ſcarce ten
of us who could walk, or hardly ftand, by reaſon
of the weakneſs and extreme fickneſs that oppreffed
us. The cauſe was not far to feek, for whilft the
ſhips yet ſtayed with us, our allowance had been
ſomewhat bettered by a daily proportion of biſcuit,
which the failors would pilfer either to fell, give,
or exchange with us for money, faffafras, furs, or
love; but when they departed, there remained
neither tavern, beer-houſe, nor place of relief, but
the common kettle, into which was put every
man's daily allowance of half a pint of wheat and
as much barley, which was boiled with water.
Hardships of the Colonifts.
89
This would have been but ſcant food, even had it
been good, but the corn, having fried for twenty-
fix weeks in the fhip's hold, had as many weevils
as grains, fo that we might truly call it rather fo
much bran than corn.
Our drink was water, and our lodgings were
caſtles in the air, and, had we been as free from all
other fins as we were from gluttony and drunken-
nefs, we might have been canoniſed for faints, that
is, all fave our precious Prefident, who quietly took
and appropriated to his private uſe all the oatmeal,
fack, aqua vitæ, beef, eggs, and what not, and
lived in grand ftyle. He had fome ſmall con-
ſcience left, however; he meddled not with the
common kettle, as indeed no man in his fenfes
would, had he aught elfe to eat.
With this lodging and diet, and our extreme
toil in carrying and driving palifadoes, we were
fore bruiſed and ſtrained, and indeed had we been
in England, our continual labour in the heat of the
fun would have weakened us as much. Sad, too,
was it for us to bury fo many of our number, for
between May and September fifty were put under
the turf. On the 6th day of Auguft, the firſt man,
John Afbie, died of a bloody flux, and then they
followed one another very faſt. On the 22nd day
of August, there died Captain Bartholomew Gofnold,
who was the first to organiſe our expedition, and
1
ነ
90
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
we buried him honourably, having all the ordnance
in the fort fired off, with many volleys of ſmall
fhot.
Methinks it was the water which we had per-
force to drink, for we had no well, but drew our
fupply from the river, which at flood tide was very
falt, and at low tide full of flime and filth. Thus
we lived for the ſpace of five months in this
miferable diſtreſs, not having five able men to man
our bulwarks upon any occafion. If it had not
pleaſed God to have put a terror into the hearts of
the favages, we fhould furely all have periſhed by
thoſe wild and cruel Pagans, being in the weak
ſtate we then were, for our men lay night and day
groaning in every corner of the fort moſt pitiful
to hear. It made one's heart bleed to hear the
pitiful murmurings and outcries of our fick men,
without relief night and day for fix weeks, fome
departing out of this world, often three and four
of a night, of fwellings, fluxes, burning fevers,
fudden deaths, &c. ; but for the moſt part they died
of ſheer famine. In the morning their bodies were
trailed out of their cabins like dogs, and so were
they buried.
We had other troubles as well, for after Captain
Gofnold's death, the Council could hardly agree by
reafon of the diffenfions wrought by Captain
Kendall, who afterwards, having committed fome
4.
91
Cowardly Attempt of the Prefident.
heinous matters which were proved againſt him,
was depofed, and turned out of the Council.
Whilſt we were ſcarce keeping body and foul
together by means of fturgeon and fea-crabs, our
cowardly Prefident (who all this time had felt
neither want nor fickneſs) attempted to eſcape in
the pinnace, which fo enraged us, and moved our
dying ſpirits, that on the 11th September, 1607,
we arraigned him, and depofed him, not only from
the Preſidentſhip, but from the Council, making
of him but an ordinary mortal, who had to take
his fhare from the common kettle with the reft.
And we elected Ratcliffe in his place.
I was ill, as alfo were Martin and Ratcliffe, but
we foon got better, and then the moſt part of the
foldiers recovered, thanks to the ſkilful diligence of
Mafter Thomas Wotton, our chirurgeon-general.
Yet now was all our proviſion ſpent, even the ſtur-
geon, and we each hour expected an attack from
the favages, when God, in that defperate extremity,
ſo changed the hearts of theſe heathen, that they
brought, of their own will, fuch plenty of their
fruits and provifion that no man wanted.
The new Prefident and Martin, being but little
beloved, were men of weak judgment in danger,
and leſs induſtry in peace, and they foon found
that the beſt way to order matters was to give me
the management of all things, and I at once fet
92
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
·
our people to work at building. I fet them an
example of hard work, always bearing the greateſt
taſk for my own ſhare, and thus, and with good
words and fair promifes, got fome to mow, others to
bind thatch, fome to build houfes, and others to
thatch them, ſo that in a ſhort time they were all
provided with lodging, faving myſelf.
•
This done, I faw that the favages did not bring
in the fame quantity of food as aforetime, ſo with
ſome of my workmen I fhipped myſelf in the fhallop
to ſearch the country for food and trade. There
were fome impediments to this, for we knew not the
language, nor how to manage the boat, nor had
we enough men, nor were they well enough armed,
confidering the multitude of the favages; yet we
were not diſcouraged. With only fix or ſeven
companions, I dropped down the river, and making
figns to fome Indians for what we wanted, they
derided us, as famifhed men, and offered us a
handful of corn, or a piece of bread, in exchange
for our fwords and mufkets. Seeing I could get
nothing by trade and courteſy, I determined to
act, although contrary to my commiffion, fo I let
fly our muſkets and ran the boat on fhore,
whereat they fled into the woods.
We landed and marched to their village, when
we found great heaps of corn, and I had much ado
to reſtrain my hungry men from taking it, as I
Į
Okee.
93
expected every moment that the favages would
attack us, which they did not long afterwards with
a hideous noiſe. A band of fixty or ſeventy of
them, looking like very fiends, painted as they
were, ſome of them black, fome red, fome white,
fome parti-coloured, came in a fquare order,
finging and dancing out of the woods, with their
Okee (which was an idol made of fkins, ftuffed
with mofs, all painted and hung with chains and
copper) borne before them, and. in this manner,
being well armed with clubs, fhields, and bows and
arrows, they charged us; but we fo kindly received
them with our muſkets loaded with piſtol-ſhot, that
down fell their god, and divers of them lay
ſprawling on the ground. The reft fled to the
woods, and ere long fent one of their number to
offer peace and redeem their Okee. I told them,
as well as I could make myſelf underſtood, that if
only fix of them would come in unarmed, and load
my boat, I would not only be their friend, but
would reſtore them their Okee, and give them
beads, copper, and hatchets befides, which on both
fides was performed to our mutual fatisfaction.
Nay, the favages were ſo pleaſed, that they brought
us venifon, turkeys, wild fowl, bread, and what-
ever other food they had, finging and dancing in
fign of friendſhip till we departed.
I could inftil no habits of thrift into our ſettlers,
•

94 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
4
for, notwithſtanding our late mifery, they uſed the
ſupplies I obtained with no caution whatever,
living fimply from hand to mouth; ſo I cauſed the
pinnace to be got ready, fo that I might get
provifions for the following year. Meanwhile, I
made three or four journeys, and difcovered the
Chickahominy river, and brought back fome fupplies;
yet what I carefully provided, the reſt careleffly
ſpent.
MORE
CHAPTER VII.
OREOVER, at this time, there was trouble
in the Colony, for diſcipline was always
lax during my abfence, a fact which Wingfield and
Kendall, who were living in diſgrace, took advantage
of. They ſaw the Prefident's weakneſs, and Martin's
perpetual fickneſs, ſo they made friends with the
failors and ſome of the others, ſo that they might
regain their former credit and authority; or, at all
events, when they were aboard the pinnace-which
I had prepared, as I have already told you-they
were to alter its courfe and fail for England.
By good luck, I returned unexpectedly, and the
plot was diſcovered to me. I immediately rallied
7
Captain Kendall Shot.
95
round me all thoſe that were well affected, and,
after appealing in vain to the good fenfe of the
others, we turned the guns of our fort (which
were Sakers) upon them, and I ſwore I would either
make them ſtay, or fink them in the river. This
had the defired effect; they knew me full well, and
that what I ſaid, that I fhould do; fo, after much
grumbling, and many angry fpeeches, they re-
turned to their duty. But fuch a grofs rebellion
could not be paſſed over without ſome puniſhment,
fo the chief rebel, Captain Kendall, was arrefted,
duly arraigned and tried, and was fentenced to be
ſhot, which ſentence was properly carried into effect.
One would have thought this would have cured
them of ſuch diſorders; but no, not long after-
wards, the Preſident and Captain Archer were minded
to have abandoned the country, but I curbed their
project and fuppreffed it.
The chief cauſe for grumbling, however, was
foon removed, for we found plenty of corn along
the banks of the Chickabominy river, where
hundreds of the favages would ſtand in divers
places with baſkets full, awaiting the coming of the
boat. Beſides which, on the approach of winter,
the rivers became fo covered with fwans, geefe,
ducks, and cranes, that we daily feafted with good
bread, Virginia peas, and pumpkins, with fiſh, fowl,
and divers forts of wild animals, as fat as we could
96
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
eat them, ſo that none of our Tuftaffaty* humoriſts
defired to leave for England.
Our comedies feldom lafted long without being
followed by a tragedy, and one was making ready
for me.
Idle exceptions were being muttered
againſt me for not going and diſcovering the
head of the Chickahominy river, which fome fup-
poſed would lead to the long-defired South Sea, and
the Council preffed it upon me, and taunted me
with being too flow in fo worthy an attempt. In
vain I urged upon them the neceflity of providing
a fufficient ſtore of food for the winter. This they
heeded not; their bellies were now full, and, as it
ever was with them, they took no thought for the
morrow. So it was fettled I ſhould go, and I
went.
The voyage was rendered very tedious and
painful, by reaſon of the many trees which had
fallen acroſs the river, and all of which had to be
cut in half before a paffage could be made for the
boat. At length we reached a place where the
barge could go no farther, fo I had it moored in
a broad bay out of reach of ſhot, whilft I went
* An allufion to the gentlemen adventurers. It was not
an uncommon word, and it is thus given by Dr. John Donne
in his fourth Satire (line 31, &c.) :-
"Sleeveleſs his jerkin was, and it had been
Velvet, but 'twas now (fo much ground was feen)
Become Tuftaffaty," &c.
1
The Savages prove troubleſome.
97
forward with two Englishmen and two favages,
who were acting as guides, in a canoe, ftrictly
charging thoſe left in the barge on no account to
go on fhore. But I had not been long abfent
when, of courſe, they did go afhore, and whilſt
strolling about heedleffly-for they would not believe
there were favages about becauſe they could not
ſee them-one of them, named George Caffen, was
feized by the favages and killed; but not till after,
they had got out of him by which way I had gone,
and then the King of Pamaunkee, with 200 bow-
men, started on my track, having firſt found
the other two men, Robinſon and Emry, who were
fitting by their fire, and whom they fhot full of
arrows and flew.
I had reached the marshes at the river head,
twenty miles in the defert, and was employed in
fowling, in order to procure victual for my men,
when fuddenly I found myſelf furrounded, albeit
at ſome diſtance, by favages, whofe dreadful cries
and yells were enough to make the ftouteft heart
to fink. Although they were fome 200 againſt
myſelf, I thought not of yielding, but determined
to fell my life dearly and to make a brave fight for
it. And a happy idea ftruck me that perhaps my
favage guide might have had fomewhat to do with
the delivering of me thus into the hands of his
countrymen, ſo I took off my garters and bound
H
Uor M

98
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
him, all trembling, to my arm, thus ufing him as a
buckler. Thus, by keeping a bold front to them,
I hoped, as they feemed to fear to come very cloſe
to me, to reach the fhore, and halloe for affiftance
from the canoe.
At length an arrow ftruck me in the thigh,
although it wounded me not much, as it was fhot
from fome diſtance; ftill it ftung me, and I thought
I would repay them to the beſt of my power, fo
taking aim, I fired and killed one of their number.
This proceeding ftayed them for a time, they not
being accuſtomed to the ufe of fire-arms, and gave
me time to reload. After a while, however, they
renewed the onslaught, and I had many arrows
ftick in my clothes, but not much hurt. Yet, me-
Ci Si
How they tooke prifoner
intheoaze1607
Smith bindetha faluageto his arme,
fighth with the King of Pamankee and
all his company, and fleas of them.
thought, I would give them another leffon, and I
fhot at and killed two more of their number. This
made them keep their distance, and, perchance, I

Surrenders.
99
might have been able to have followed out my
plan, and to have fought my way fuccefsfully to
the boat, had not an evil chance happened unto me;
for keeping my face ever toward my tormentors,
without heeding whither my fteps were going, I
flipped up to the middle in an oozy, miry, and
boggy creek, and my favage, who was bound to me,
with me.
all
This was a great misfortune, foraſmuch as, with
my endeavours, I could not get out; and, more-
over, the creek was deadly cold, and I was getting
benumbed. So there was nothing left but to die
miferably or to furrender myself; and I chofe
the latter, hoping to find means to make them
friendly towards me and thus preſerve my life. I
called out to them, as best I could in their language,
and alfo made figns unto them that I was willing
to give myſelf up to them. But they would not
come anigh me fo long as I was armed, which was
no wonder, ſeeing that I had flain three of them,
and fore galled divers others, fo that there was
nought left for me to do but to throw away my
arms, forely againſt my will. Then, according to
our compofition and agreement, they drew us forth
out of the morafs and led me to the fire, where
my men had been treacherouſly flain, and they
diligently chafed my benumbed limbs until I had
recovered the full uſe of them.
H 2
100 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
..
1
When my limbs had regained their accustomed
warmth and ſuppleness I demanded to ſee their
captain or leader, and they ſhowed me Opechan-
kanough, King of Pamaunkee, to whom I at once
gave a round ivory double-compaſs dial, in order
to make him friendly towards me if poffible. And
it was, indeed, a marvel to ſee theſe poor, ignorant
favages, gazing with wonder at the playing of the
needle, which they could fee fo plainly and yet could
not touch, by reaſon of the glaſs which covered it.
But when, as well as I could, both in their language
and by figns, I told them of the roundneſs of the
earth, and of the ſkies, and of the ſpheres of the
fun, moon, and ſtars, and how the fun did chaſe
the night round about the world continually; the
diverfity of nations, variety of complexions, and
how we were to them Antipodes, and many other
such-like matters, they all ſtood as amazed with
admiration.
But this lafted not long, for within an hour. the
recollection of their flain brethren overcame their
curiofity, and their favage natures fo prevailed, that
they tied me to a tree, and as many as could ſtand
about me prepared to fhoot me. Now, indeed, I
thought that my laft hour had come, and fo it had,
were it not that their king, holding up the com-
paſs in his hand, had ordered them to deſiſt ;
whereupon they all laid down their bows and

At Orapaks.
IOI
arrows, and in a triumphant manner carried me
with them to Orapaks, one of their towns, where
after their manner I was kindly ufed and fed.
Their
triumph about him
CiSmith bound tree to be shot to death
6077
They were very proud of having captured me,
and carried me along with them, rejoicing after
102
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
their manner. They led me along bound by cords
to two ſtrong favages, whilft the others danced
about me, looking like very devils. Their town,
truly, was not much, for it confifted only of
thirty or forty hunting lodges, built up of mats,
which they remove as they pleaſe, as we do tents;
and all the women and children came ſtaring to look
at the wonderful white man. Then did they exalt
themſelves greatly, and, fetting me bound in their
midft, they caft themſelves into a ring, dancing in
ſuch ſeveral poſtures, and finging and yelling out
helliſh noiſes and fcreeches; being ftrangely painted,
with every one his quiver of arrows, and at his
back a club. They were clad in fox or otter ſkins,
or fome fuch matter, their head and fhoulders
painted ſcarlet, which made an exceeding handfome
ſhow. Their bows they carried in their hands,
and had the ſkin of a bird, with its wings spread
out, dried, with a piece of copper, a white fhell, a
long feather, a ſmall rattle from the tail of one of
their ſnakes, or fome fuch toy in their hair.
After they had danced three dances they left off,
and all departed, and I was conducted to a long
houſe, where thirty or forty tall fellows guarded me,
and I knew not what was next in ftore for me;
but ere long fome came with proviſion for me, and
of that fuch great ſtore, both of bread and veniſon,
as would have ſerved twenty men. But my ftomach
Diſturbing Fears.
103
at that time was not very good, and I but trifled
with it, when, ſeeing that I ate it not all (per-
chance they thought a white man's appetite was
fomething very great), they put it by in baſkets
and hung them over my head. About midnight
they ſet the meal again before me, but I feared to
touch it, as none of them would eat a morfel with
me, till next morning they brought me as much
more, and did eat all the old provifion, and reſerved
the new, as they had done before. This plan of
cramming me did forely grieve me, for I furely
thought they were about to fat me in order to eat
me. Yet even in this ftrait I found a friend, to
my aſtoniſhment, and which was to me a token
that a kind action is never loft, for, fuffering as I
did with the cold, I was moft heartily glad when
one Maocaſſater brought me his gown to keep me
warm, reminding me at the fame time how that,
when he was at James Town, upon our firft arrival,
I had given him ſome beads and toys, and this was
his manner of requital.
But this only ſhows one fide of favage nature, for
but two days afterwards a man would have flain me
(but that the guard prevented it) for the death of his
fon, to whom they had taken me juft when he
was breathing his laft. They had an idea that
becauſe I could kill them, by means unknown to
them, I could alſo bring them to life as eaſily, and

104
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
*
fo this poor ignorant favage took me to recover
his fon, and, becauſe I could not do it, forfooth,
he was fain to kill me. Still, I managed, by craft,
to turn even this evil to good account, for I told
them that I had, at James Town, a water which
would have cured him, would they but let me go
and fetch it, but they would not permit that, as
they wanted to affault the town; yea, they
even aſked my advice thereon, and offered me as
recompenfe, life, liberty, land, and women. I had
a table-book with me, by good luck, and, tearing
out a leaf or two, 1 writ thereon, to them at the
Fort, exactly what was intended, pointing out to
them that the meffengers were in very truth but
fpies, and directing them to affright them well;
but, at the same time, to ſend by them fuch things
as I wrote for, and of which I fent an inventory.
I filled the minds of the favages with ftories of
difficulties and dangers, efpecially of the mines,
the great guns, and other engines, and exceedingly
affrighted them; yet, according to my requeſt,
they went to James Town, in as bitter weather as
could be of froſt and fnow, and within three days
returned with an anſwer.
When they came back they told their ſtory,
and, indeed, they were full of amazement at the
wonders they had feen. Our people at James
Town had fallied out at their approach, as I
At the King's Habitation.
105
foretold they would, and the ſavages had at once
fled; yet, in the night, they returned to the place
where I had told them they would receive an
anſwer, and fuch things as I had promiſed them,
and ſo it fell out, and they found them juft as I
had ſaid, which made them return wondering, as it
did all to whom they told it; and, indeed, they
could by no means divine how that the paper could
ſpeak.
A
CHAPTER VIII
FTER this I was led in a kind of triumph
through divers of their villages upon the
rivers Rapahanock and Patawomek; in fact, I was
made a ſhow of to the whole nation, and then was
brought by another way to the King's habitation at
Pamaunkee, where I was entertained with ftrange
and fearful conjurations—
"As if neare led to hell,
Amongſt the devils to dwell."
And it was after this manner.
On a morning
early, a great fire was made in a long houſe, and a
mat ſpread on the one fide as on the other, and on
one mat they made me fit, and all the guards went
out of the houſe, leaving me alone. I had not
long been left to myſelf before in came ſkipping

106
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
a great grim fellow, all painted over with coal,
mingled with oil, and with many fnake and weafel
fkins ftuffed with mofs, having their tails tied all
together, fo as they met like a taffel on the crown
of his head, and round about the taffel was a
coronet of feathers, which covered his face, and
the fkins hung round about his head, back, and
fhoulders; and, to add to all this, he had a hellish,
difcordant voice, and a rattle in his hand.
A Consurer.
Ther
Their Conturation about
C:Smith 1607
Idoll
A Preist
With moft ftrange geftures and paffions he began
Savage Cuſtoms.
107
his invocations, and environed the fire with a
circle of meal, which done, three more fuch devils
came ruſhing in with the fame antic tricks, painted
half black and half red, but all about their eyes
was painted white, whilft they had ſome red ftreaks
along their cheeks. Theſe three danced around
me for a pretty while, and then came in three more
as ugly as the reſt, only theſe had red round their
eyes and white ftreaks on their black faces. At
laft they fat down right against me, three of them
on the one hand of the chief prieft, and three on
the other. Then all with their rattles began a
fong, which being ended, the chief prieft laid down
five wheat corns. Then ftraining his arms and
hands with fuch violence that he fweat, and his
veins fwelled, he began a fhort oration, at the
conclufion of which they all gave a groan, after
which he laid down three more grains of corn.
Soon after, they began their fong again, and
then there was another oration, ever laying down
the fame number of corns, till they had twice
encircled the fire; that done, they took a bundle
of little ſticks prepared for that purpoſe, continuing
ftill their devotion, and at the end of every ſong
and oration they laid down a ftick betwixt the
divifions of corn. Till night, neither I nor they did
either eat or drink, but then we all feafted merrily,
with the beſt provifions they could get. Three
•

108
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
:
days they uſed this ceremony, the meaning whereof
they told me was to know whether I meant them
well or nó; but at that time, as I well remember,
I could only fancy that they were fatting me for
flaughter, and that theſe ftrange conjurations were
but, as it were, the prologue to the play.
To give you an idea of the ignorance of theſe
poor favages, I must tell you that, ſomehow or
other, they had procured a bag of gunpowder,
doubtleſs from fome rogue at James Town, which
they brought to me, and told me they meant to
keep it till next ſpring, to plant as they did their
corn. I did not undeceive the poor creatures, and
I doubt not but they fowed it; but it showed
me how weak was the government at James Town,
to permit gunpowder to be trafficked with theſe
favages. So far, however, they were friendly to
me, and the King's brother invited me to his
houſe, where he fed me mightily with bread, fowl,
and the flesh of wild beafts; but none of them
would eat with me, and all the meat I left, owing
to the great profufion provided for me, was put
away into baſkets, and when I returned to the
King, all his women and children made merry,
and feafted thereon.
But there was a mightier king than him of
Pamaunkee, namely Powhatan, their Emperor, of
whom I have ſpoken before; and he, being at a
1
Powhatan.
109
place called Meronocomoco, I was taken thither to be
preſented to him. Here, while Powhatan and his
train were putting themſelves in their greateſt
braveries, I had to ftand the gaze of more than
two hundred of his grim courtiers, who ftood
wondering and ftaring at me, as if I were fome
ſtrange animal, which indeed I was to them.
At laſt I was uſhered into the preſence of Pow-
hatan, and found him ſeated before a fire, on a ſeat
ſomewhat reſembling a bedſtead, covered with a
great robe made of racoon ſkins, with all the tails
hanging thereto.
On either hand did fit a young
wench of fixteen or eighteen years, and along each
fide of the houſe were two rows of men, and
behind them as many women, all with their heads
and ſhoulders painted red; many of their heads
were bedecked with the white down of birds, but
everyone wore fomething in their hair, and a great
chain of white beads about their necks.
When I made my entrance before the King, all
the people gave a great fhout, and, to do me
honour, the Queen of Appamatuck was appointed
to bring me water, wherewith I might wash my
hands, and another brought me a bunch of feathers
wherewith to dry them, inſtead of a towel; and
then they feafted me in the beſt manner they
could, which, after all, was but barbarous.
They then held a great confultation about me,

110
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
Fish
POWHATAN
Held this ftate & fashion when Cart Smith
was delivered to him prifoner
1607

Alarms.
III
which I could not altogether underſtand, but the
conclufion was that I was to die; a fate which, in
truth, was near coming to pafs, but for God's
The Country wee now call Virginia beginneth at Cape Henry diftant
from Roanoack 60 miles, where was S. Walter Raleigh's plantion.
and because the people differ very little from them of Powhatan in any
thing, I have inferted thofe figures in this place because of the conveniency.
Printed by Tames Resor
King Powhatan commands C:Smith to be floine, his
daughter Pokahontas beggs his life his thankfulness
and how he fubiected 39 of their kings. reade history
goodneſs, as you fhall hear. And, indeed, it did
feem as if my last hour was at hand, for as many
of the favages as could, lay hold of me, and

I12 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
having brought two great ftones, which they
placed before Powhatan, they dragged me to them,
and laid my head thereon, making ready with their
clubs to beat out my brains.
But now, mark the mercy of God towards me
when in this evil cafe, for furely it was His handi-
work. Their clubs were raiſed, and in another
moment I ſhould have been dead, when Pocahontas,
the King's dearest daughter, a child of ten years
old, finding no entreaties could prevail to fave me,
darted forward, and, taking my head in her arms,
laid her own upon it, and thus prevented my
death. She thus claimed me as her own, and for
her fake Powhatan was contented that I fhould
live, and that I ſhould henceforth fpend my time
in making him hatchets, and bells, beads, and
copper ornaments for Pocahontas. They made no
manner of doubt but that I could make all theſe
things, for in that country the men are of all
handicrafts; nay, even the King himself will make
his own robes, fhoes, bows and arrows, or pots,
plant, hunt, and do the fame as his fubjects. You
will hear more anon of that dear child, the non-
pareil of Virginia, for fortune afterwards threw
us much together.
'Tis an old faying that "the night is darkeſt
juſt before dawn," and, furely, fo it was in my cafe,
for, having but narrowly eſcaped from the fearful
Back to James Town.
113
jaws of death, a brighter dawn was in ftore for me.
Two days afterwards, Powhatan caufed me to be
taken to a great houſe in the woods, and there,
upon a mat by the fire, I was left alone. Not
long after, from behind a mat that divided the
houſe into two parts, came the moſt doleful noife I
had ever heard, and then forth came Powhatan,
moſt fearfully diſguiſed, and looking more like a
devil than a man, with fome two hundred more as
horrid-looking as himſelf. The King came unto me
and told me that now, as we were friends, I fhould
preſently go to James Town, and from thence fend
him two great guns and a grindstone, for he had
heard rumours of the terrible effect of the great
guns, and he knew well the value of a grindstone.
He alſo faid that if I fent him theſe he would
give me the country of Capabowofick, and for ever
eſteem me as his fon.
•
And ſo it came to paſs that I was fent to James
Town with twelve men as guides, and that night
we quartered in the woods. I must confefs I felt
not ſafe with them, and miſtruſted them forely, ftill
expecting (as I had done all the long time of my
impriſonment) every hour, to be put to one
death or another, in ſpite of all their feafting; but
Almighty God (by His divine providence) had
mollified the hearts of thoſe ſtern barbarians with
compaffion.
I
114
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
•
The next morning betimes, we came to the
Fort, where I treated the favages with as much
kindneſs as I could. I fhowed one of them named
Rawhunt, who was Powhatan's trufty fervant, two
demi-culverins and a mill-ftone to carry to their
maſter, but they found them ſomewhat too heavy
for them; yet, in order to fhow them what terrible
engines were theſe ſame big guns, I had them
loaded with ftones, and then did diſcharge them
among the boughs of a great tree loaded with
icicles, and the ice, and the branches, did come fo
tumbling down, that the poor favages ran away
half dead with fear. Yet by degrees was their
fright allayed, and I gave them fome toys, and
fent by them to Powhatan, his women, and
children, fuch prefents as gave them general con-
tent; and mighty glad was I once more to recover
my freedom.
It was lucky for our little Colony that I came
back when I did, for the difcontented amongſt them
(and there were fome who could, or would, fee no
good in anything) had broken loofe, and were all
in combuſtion; the ſtrongeſt, once more, preparing
to run away with the pinnace, and fo break up our
little community. But I took the law into my
own hands, and, feeing them putting their project
into execution, I fired at them (not fo as to hurt
them, but to ſhow that I could do fo, had I fuch a
Kindneſs of Pocahontas.
115
mind) with fakers,* falcons,† and muſket-ſhot, fo
that they came to their fenfes right ſpeedily, and
abandoned their refolve. Still, they tried to be
revènged on me, for fome, no better than they
ſhould be, had plotted with the Prefident the next
day to have me put to death-and why, think you?
They pleaded that by the Levitical law I was
guilty of the murders of Robinſon and Emry, as
they faid it was by my fault that had led them to
their deſtruction; but I quickly took fuch order
with theſe lawyers, that I laid them by the heels
in durance, until fuch time as I fent them priſoners
to England, and ſo ended this rebellion,
Now, indeed, we were in ftraits for food, and
here again it would feem as if even my dolorous
captivity had been the means of doing good to the
Colony at large; for, moft affuredly, had I not
been made a prifoner, and in danger of death, I
fhould not have known my dear little maid Poca-
hontas, and, therefore, not knowing her, fhe
would not have come to vifit us, as ſhe did, every
four or five days, with her attendants, bringing
with her every time ſo much provifion as to fave
* A faker weighed between 1,400 and 1,600 lb., had a
bore of 3 to 4 inches, was charged with 4 to 5 lb. of
powder, and carried a fhot of from 5 to 5 lb.
† A falcon weighed 700 lb., had a bore of 21 in., was
charged with 2 lb. powder, and carried a fhot of 2 lb.
("The Gunner," by Robt. Norton, ed. 1628, p. 53.)
t
I 2
116
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
many lives, that but for her would have died of
ftarvation. Moreover, my relation of the ftate
and plenty of Powhatan (who till that time was
unknown to them) fo revived their dead fpirits,
that they began to hope once more, and all
fear was abandoned. Yet there were fome, even
of the better fort, who would ſtill plot, and who
fain would have me join with them in abandoning
the country, in company of fome ten or twelve of
them, leaving behind us to the fury of the favages
Mr. Hunt, our Preacher; Mafter Anthony Gofnold,
a moſt worthy, honeſt, and induſtrious gentleman;
Mafter Thomas Wotton, and fome twenty-feven
others of our countrymen. But this I would not
hear of, preferring at all riſks to ſtop and fhare
our fortunes (whatever they might be) together.
¡
:
I
CHAPTER IX.
HAVE often noted that when things were very
bad they furely mended, and fo it was with us,
for we had not been forgotten by the Prefident
and Council in England, who had defpatched two
good fhips to us, with near a hundred men, well
furniſhed with all things that could be imagined
neceffary, both for them and us. One veffel was
commanded by our old friend Captain Newport,
Arrival of Supplies.
117
and the other by Captain Francis Nelſon, an honeft
man, and an expert mariner. But fuch was the
leewardneſs of his fhip, that, though he was in
fight of Cape Henry, he was forced by ftormy,
contrary winds fo far to fea, that the next land he
faw was the West Indies, to which he was glad to
get, in order to repair his mafts, and procure
water. But Newport got in ſafely, and arrived at
James Town not long after I had recovered my
freedom.
My captivity amongſt theſe favages had greatly
endeared me to them, and, as I have faid, every
few days they brought me fufficient provifions to
laft us from hand to mouth, fome being prefents
from Powhatan or Pocahontas, and the remainder
that which they brought to trade, over which I
made myſelf the Market Clerk, and fixed at a
price which I confidered fair to both fides; and
they were delighted at the proſpect of the arrival
of Captain Newport, whom I called, to them, my
father.
The Prefident and Council, being jealous of my
influence with the natives, did all in their power to
leffen it, as, for inftance, by giving four times
more for their commodities than the fum I had
appointed, thus intending to fhow that they had
four times my greatnefs and authority; and,
indeed, all trading at a fair price was at an end
}
118
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
after the arrival of the ſhip, for we were ſo over-
joyed with the ſupplies they brought us, that we
could not deviſe too much to pleaſe the mariners.
We gave them liberty to truck or trade at their
pleaſure, and they fo fpoilt the market, that in a
ſhort time it followed, that could not be had for
a pound of copper, which before was fold us for an
ounce. This laviſhneſs, and the preſents which
were often fent to Powhatan, made him think much
of the greatneſs and power of Captain Newport,
fo that this great favage defired eſpecially to fee
him.
The pinnace was prepared, and Captain New-
port embarked, accompanied by myſelf and Mr.
Scrivener, a very wife, underſtanding gentleman,
newly arrived, and admitted of the Council, and
thirty or forty men. When we arrived at
Meronocomoco, Newport, who remembered how I had
been ferved, was fomewhat fearfome and fufpicious;
but I knew the ſavages better than he, and I under-
took to encounter the worst that could happen, with
but twenty men, well appointed, and with that
number we went. afhore. We had to paſs over
many creeks, over which were but forry bridges,
made only of a few poles tied together with the
bark of trees, fo that I fufpected they were but
traps, and therefore I caufed divers favages to go
over firft, keeping fome of the chief as hoftages,
Among ft the Savages again.
119
until half of our men had paffed over, ſo that they
might form a guard when the reſt of us croffed.
But all things turned out well, and we were kindly
conducted to their town by two or three hundred
favages.
There Powhatan received us in great ſtate, and
did all that was in his power to entertain us, feaſting
us with the moſt plenty of victuals he could
provide; and, befides, there were about four or
five hundred people as a guard for us, through
whom we walked. Then a proclamation was
made that none ſhould prefume to do us wrong, or
diſcourteſy, under pain of death.
We had much feafting, dancing, and finging,
and we quartered that night with Powhatan. The
next day Captain Newport came afhore, and received
as much content as thoſe people could give him.
A boy named Thomas Salvage was then given unto
Powhatan, whom Newport called his fon; and, in
exchange, Powhatan gave him Namontack, his
truſty ſervant, and one of a fhrewd, fubtle capacity.
Three or four more days we ſpent in feaſting,
dancing, and trading, wherein Powhatan carried
himſelf ſo proudly, yet difcreetly (in his favage
manner), that we could not but admire his natural
gifts, confidering his education. He fcorned to
trade in the fame manner as did his subjects, but
fpake to Newport in this manner:-" Captain
E
1
120 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
Newport, it is not agreeable to my greatnefs, in
this peddling manner to trade for trifles, and I
eſteem you as a great chief. Therefore, lay me
down all your commodities together; what I like
I will take, and in recompenfe give you what I
think fitting their value."
I told Newport that this was only his device to
cheat us, but he thought to outbrave this favage
in oftentation of greatneſs, and fo to bewitch him
with his bounty, as to have what he lifted. But
my idea was the right one, as he found when he
let Powhatan have his way; for he valued his
corn at ſuch a rate, that I think we might have
got it cheaper in Spain, for we had not four
bufhels for what we expected to have twenty
hogfheads. This bred fome unpleaſantnefs between
Newport and me, for I cared not to fpoil our trade
with the natives for all time to come, which fact,
however, Newport regarded not, as it would not
affect him, and he preferred appearing very liberal,
and oftentatious, in the King's eyes. In this ftrait
I had recourſe to a little harmleſs craft, or ftrategy,
which was this: I glanced in the eyes of Powhatan
many trifles, and he fixed his humour upon a few
blue beads. For a long time, he importunately de-
fired them, but the more he liked them, the higher.
I praiſed them, and the lefs inclined I seemed to
be to part with them. I praiſed them up as being
A Deſtructive Fire.
121
compoſed of a moſt rare ſubſtance, of the colour
of the ſkies, and fit only to be worn by the greateſt
kings in the world. This fo inflamed him, that
he became half mad with the defire of poffeffing fuch
ſtrange jewels, and it ended that for a pound or two
of blue beads I bought of the King two or three
hundred bushels of corn, and yet parted good friends.
I may ſay that I tried the fame plan with the
King of Pamaunkee, and did as well with him with
my blue beads, which grew by this means of that
eſtimation, that none durft wear any of them but
theſe great kings, their wives, and children; and
ſo we returned all well to James Town, where this
new fupply was lodged with the reft. Now,
whether it was that this grain was not fufficiently
dried or no, I cannot fay, but a fire broke out
in the granary, and fo fpread to our quarters,
and to the town, which, being but thatched with
reeds, was foon burnt; yea, ſo fierce was the fire,
that even the palifadoes were burnt, though eight
or ten yards diftant. It deſtroyed our arms,
bedding, and apparel, and much private proviſion.
Good Maſter Hunt, our preacher, loft all his
library, and, indeed, all that he had, fave only the
clothes which he wore upon his back; yet none
ever heard him repine at his lofs.
This great
miſchance happened in the winter of 1607, which
was noted for its extreme froſt.
#
•
។
122
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
T
Now the ſhip loitering, lying idle, was a great
ſource of vexation to me; altogether it lay four-
teen weeks, when ſhe might have diſcharged her
cargo, loaded again, and have failed in as many
days. And the cauſe of my vexation was this,
that our people would part with their corn, or
money, ſpare clothes, gold rings, furs, or even give
bills of payment, in order to get luxuries and drink
from that floating tavern. This delay not only
impoverished the coloniſts by draining them of all
their refources, but, as the feamen must be fed for
the whole of that time, they confumed the food
that was intended for the fupply of us all.
Both myſelf, and Scrivener, did our best to amend
what was amifs, but the major part went with the
Prefident, and we were out-voted. What was
wanted at home, it ſeemed, and what Captain
Newport fo particularly wiſhed to take home, was
gold; but although they waſhed the fand, yet found
they no gold, for the beſt of reaſons, that there
was none to find. At laſt the ſhip did fail, and
we, not having any uſe of Parliaments, Plays,
Petitions, Admirals, Recorders, Chronologers,
Courts of Plea, nor Juftices of Peace, fent Maſter
Wingfield, and Captain Archer, home with Captain
Newport, and thought ourſelves well rid of fuch
evilly diſpoſed companions.
After the failing of Captain Newport with our
Arrival of the Phanix.
123
difaffected brethren, things fettled down a little; but,
although our Prefident was nominally our ruler,
yet he was ftill fickly, and was quite content
to confine his energies to the fale of the ſtore
commodities, whereby he maintained his eftate, and
got a confiderable revenue. But as the ſpring was
approaching, Mr. Scrivener and I thought that it
was high time that fomething fhould be done
towards the rebuilding of the town; and, dividing
our labours, we each fuperintended a portion of
that work, together with repairing our palifadoes,
the cutting down of trees, preparing our fields,
planting our corn, rebuilding our church, and
re-roofing our ftore-houſe; which taſks kept us all
bufy and content.
Whilſt we were thus hard at work, judge of our
aſtoniſhment at the arrival of Maſter Nelſon in the
Phenix, which, truly, we had judged as loft. He
was a man of a different ſtamp from Captain
Newport, and he behaved towards us right well.
He landed all his men fafely, and he had fo
managed his ftores (caufing the Weft Indian Ifles
to feed his crew, whilſt he was there) that he brought
us a goodly quantity of victual; which, when we
had added to it that we had gotten, was near ſuffi-
cient to laſt us half a year. He had not anything but
he freely imparted it, which honeft dealing (being a
mariner) cauſed us to admire him: in truth, we
J
1
-
.
་
124
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
:
could not have wifhed more than he did for us.
Now, in order fomewhat to repay him, it was pro-
poſed that I (for the Prefident held that it ftood
not with his dignity to leave the Fort) ſhould ſtart
with an expedition to diſcover and fearch the
country of the Monacans beyond the Falls. Sixty
able men were allotted me, whom I trained fo dili-
gently in their arms, fkirmiſhing, and fuch like,
that within fix days we little feared whom we might
by hap encounter. I was fomewhat averſe to this
expedition, which was undertaken at the suggeſtion
of Captain Martin, whofe head was always running
on gold. I would fain have fraught the ſhip with
cedar, which could be got readily, and was a prefent
diſpatch, rather than re-lade her with dirt, or go a
ſeeking after Martin's fantaſtical gold; and indeed,
without our help, things fo fell out that they
happened juſt as I would wiſh, and we ſtarted not
on our expedition.
It came to paſs in this wise. When Captain
Newport departed, Powhatan, in order to expreſs
his love for him, prefented him with twenty
turkeys, on the condition that he ſhould return him
twenty fwords, which Newport was weak enough to
do. Of courſe it was fooliſh policy thus to arm the
ſavages, and to put weapons in their hands, to be uſed
againſt ourſelves, but Newport thought little about
that; he had his turkeys, and that was all he cared
1
Powhatan endeavours to get Arms. 125
for. Powhatan having once fucceeded fo eaſily in
obtaining arms, thought to purſue the ſame plan
with me, and fent me alfo twenty turkeys on the
fame terms, but he was diſappointed; for although
I was quite willing to pay for them in any lawful
manner, yet would I not be fo fooliſh-or more juftly
speaking, fo culpable-as to fupply him with weapons.
This ſomewhat annoyed Powhatan, who was not
uſed to being thwarted; and, not finding his humour
obeyed, he cauſed his people to obtain weapons by
any device. They would lie in wait at our very
gates, and take them perforce, ſurpriſe us when at
work, or by any means whatſoever, which was fo
long permitted, that they became ſo infolent that
there was no holding them. The command from
England, not to offend the natives, was very
ftrait, and our authorities, who never left their
houſes, would rather be anything than peace-
breakers. This charitable humour prevailed till it
chanced that they meddled with me. I would
brook no nonſenſe from them, and without farther
deliberation, gave them fuch an encounter as they
had never had before. Some of them I hunted up
and down the iſland, fome I terrified as they had
never been in their lives, by whipping, beating, and
impriſoning; fo much fo, that in revenge they
ſurpriſed two of our diſorderly foraging foldiers,
and having affembled their forces, boldly threatened
+
A
:
1
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126
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
at our gates that they would force me to releaſe
ſeven ſavages, who for their villanies I had kept
priſoners, or they would kill us all.
This might affright the Preſident, but it had no
effect on me, fo that to try what they were made of
I fallied out amongſt them, and in leſs than an hour
had ſo mauled, and hampered them, that they
brought me our two men, and begged for peace,
without faying one word about their ſeven brethren
who were my prifoners. Theſe men I examined,
and got a confeffion from them by ſtratagem, for I
took one of them away and caufed feveral volleys
of fhot to be fired. This, I told them, was their
companion being fhot, becauſe he would not confefs
who were the plotters of theſe villanies.
brought them to their fenfes, and they all agreed in
one point, that they were directed by Powhatan to
obtain for him our weapons, wherewith he might
cut our throats; and they told us of the manner,
how, where, and when, which we plainly found
moſt true and apparent.
This
Yet did this old fox fend us meffengers, as well
as his deareſt daughter Pocahontas, with prefents, in
order to excufe him of having any fhare in the
injuries done, which, he said, was the fault of fome
raſh, untoward captains, his fubjects; defiring us to
ſet them at liberty for this time, with the affurance
of his love for ever. After this I gave the
Departure of the Phenix.
127.
priſoners what correction I thought fit, and then
uſed them well for a day or two, after which I
delivered them to Pocahontas, for whofe fake only,
I feigned to have faved their lives, and
gave them
their liberty. The patient Council, that nothing
would move to war with the favages, would gladly
have wrangled with me for my cruelty, yet to any
man's knowledge was none of them flain. It had
this good effect upon the favages, that it brought
them into fuch fear and obedience that my very
name would fufficiently affright them; whereas
before, we ſometimes had peace and war twice in a
day, and very feldom did a week paſs, but we had
ſome treacherous villany or other.
At length the idea of fearching for gold, where-
with to lade the Phenix, was abandoned, and the
far more fenfible arrangement arrived at, to freight
her with cedar, which I foon accompliſhed, thanks
to the diligence of her maſter, and Maſter Scrivener,
at the Fort, who did his duty well. The ſhip being
ready to fet fail, Captain Martin (who was always
very fickly and unſerviceable, and who was always
hankering after finding that gold, which did not
exiſt, thereby creating great difunion amongſt us)
took a fancy that he ſhould like to return to England,
where he might enjoy the credit of having found
his fuppofed gold; and leave was readily granted,
for we were all right glad to be well quit of him.
:
128
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
NOW
CHAPTER X.
OW the Phenix brought us out many
coloniſts, amongſt whom were thirty-three
gentlemen adventurers, twenty-one labourers, fix
tailors, one chirurgeon and two apothecaries, one
jeweller, two refiners, two goldſmiths, one gunſmith,
one blackſmith, one cooper, one tobacco-pipe maker,
and one perfumer! This will fhow you what the
Council at home thought of our colony-fending us
out ſo many gentlemen (as if we had not enough of
them already, forfooth) and fo few labourers. Perhaps
Richard Belfield, the perfumer (!) was fent out to
compound ſweet ſcents for thefe fine gentlemen;
we could find no other reaſon for his coming to us.
But had he not turned his hand to other things, he
would not have made a living by his trade.
again, ſee how the luft of finding gold, was apparent
in their fending out refiners and goldfmiths, who
never had occafion to exerciſe their craft; as alſo
the jeweller, for there were no precious ftones nor
jewels, fave only fuch few pearls as might be found
in the oysters, of which there were great plenty.
And,
Our weak-minded Prefident kept a fort of ſtate,
out of all proportion to our humble means, ſo that
Scrivener and I, finding our remonftrances of no
avail, had to treat the matter in a rougher manner,
Smith's Isles.
1.29
and we tied him, and his parafites, down to certain
allowances; fomewhat according to the rules of
proportion. But no fooner had I got ready to
ftart on my expedition of diſcovery, than the
Prefident's authority fo overſwayed Mr. Scrivener's
diſcretion, that our ſtore, our time, our ftrength
and labours, were idly confumed to fulfil his
fantafies.
On June 2, 1608, I left the Fort on my voyage,
in order to explore the Bay of Chesapeake. I had
been forced to abandon my idea of an inland ex-
pedition, for which I had ſpent time and trouble
in drilling my men, and now was fain to be con-
tent with a far fmaller following than was at firſt
allotted to me, having only with me Walter Ruffell,
Doctor of Phyfick, fix Gentlemen adventurers, and
feven foldiers. With this little band of comrades, I
embarked in an open barge of not quite three tons
burden, and accompanied the Phenix as far as
Cape Henry, where, bidding her God fpeed, we
parted company, and croffed the bay to the eaſtern
ſhore, where we fell in with fome ifles which we
chriftened Smith's Ifles, after my name.
The firſt people we faw were two grim and ftout
favages, with long poles like javelins, headed with
bone. They boldly demanded who we were, and
what we wanted. I replied in a manner which
fatisfied them, and they then feemed very kind,
K
130 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
directing us to Accomack, the habitation of their
chief, where we were kindly entreated. This king
was the comelieſt, propereft, and moft civil favage
we encountered. His country is a pleaſant, fertile
clay foil, with ſome ſmall creeks; good harbours
for ſmall boats, but not for fhips. He told us of a
ftrange accident which lately happened unto his
people, which, if true, is indeed remarkable. It
ſeemed that two children had lately died, and for
ſome reaſon or other, whether moved by extreme
paffions or dreaming vifions, fantafies or affection,
an ardent longing feized upon the parents to revifit
their dead carcafes. To their aftoniſhment they
found no figns of death upon them (although they
were really dead), but their countenances were
cheerful and ruddy, as though they had regained
their vital fpirits. Many came to behold this
ſtrange appearance, as if it had been a miracle,
amounting to the greater part of the people, and
(here is the marvel of the ſtory) all that looked
upon them died not long after, fo that few eſcaped.
We could underſtand them very well, for they
ſpoke the language of Powhatan, and from the
deſcription they gave of their country it must be
very charming. Leaving them, we failed along
the coaft, ſearching every inlet and bay, to fee if
any were fit for harbours and habitations. Seeing
many iſles in the midſt of the bay, we bore for
up
}
Scarcity of Water.
131
them, but ere we could reach them we encountered
fuch an extreme guft of wind, which was accom-
panied by rain, thunder, and lightning, that we
changed our courfe, and with great difficulty
eſcaped fafely from the raging of the elements. The
higheſt land on the main, which, indeed, was but
low, we called Keale's Hill, after Richard Keale,
one of our foldiers; and thofe ifles which we tried
in vain to reach, we called Rufjell's Iles, after our
worthy phyſician. Next day we tried after freſh
water, but, finding none, we were forced to follow
the next eaſtern channel, which brought us to the
river of Wighcocomoco.
The people here were, at firft, inclined to affault
us, but we reaffured them, and then they welcomed
us with fongs and dances, and much mirth; and,
indeed, they became very tractable, ſo that they
allowed us to fearch their houſes for water; but all
we could obtain would fill but three barricoes, *
and that ſuch puddle ſtuff, that never till then did
we know the value of good water. We digged
and ſearched in many places, but without avail, and
in good footh, before two days had expired we
would gladly have given two barricoes of gold, had
we them, for one of that puddle water of Wighco-
сэтосо.
The iſlands round about were numerous,
* Small firkins.
K 2
132
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
but good for nought for habitation; but we fell in
with a high land upon the main, where was a great
pond of freſh water, but fo exceeding hot, that we
ſuppoſed it to be ſome fort of bath. That place I
I
called Point Ployer, in honour of the eftimable
Count of that name, who, as you will remember,
relieved me fo nobly when I was in dire want in
Brittany. So did this place relieve our neceffities
when we were in fore ftraits for water.
The weather grew very ſtormy, with thunder,
lightning, and rain, and the waves ſo beat in upon
our little boat that we had great difficulty in keep-
ing her afloat, by conſtantly bailing, and for two days
we were forced to live on thoſe uninhabited ifles.
Whilſt there, we repaired our fail, which had been
ſplit and torn away by the force of the wind, with
our fhirts, for we had no canvas; and when the
weather moderated, we again fet fail for the main,
and fell in with a pretty convenient river on the
eaft coaft of the bay, called Cuskarawaok, where
the people ran, as if amazed, in troops from point
to point, and divers of them got into the tops of
trees, from whence they employed themſelves in
fhooting at us. They were not fparing of their
arrows, and made the moſt angry geftures to ſhow
what a rage they were in. Long time they fhot at
us, but they did us no harm, feeing we were riding
at anchor out of bow fhot; but we, all this time,
Friendly Natives.
133
were making to them all the moſt friendly geſtures
we could think of.
Finding we were not to be frightened by them,
they tried, the next day, what fraud and cunning
would do. So they came down to the ſhore, every
one unarmed, and each carrying a baſket, dancing
in a ring in order to entice us on fhore; but ſeeing
there was nothing in them but villainy, we dif-
charged a volley of muſkets, loaded with piſtol-
fhots, whereat they all fell tumbling on the ground,
fome creeping one way, fome another, into a great
cluſter of reeds hard by, where their companions
lay in ambuſcade. Towards evening we weighed
anchor, and approached the ſhore, diſcharging five
or fix fhots among the reeds. On landing we
found many baſkets and fome blood, but faw not a
favage.
However, we left them fome pieces of copper,
beads, bells, and looking-glaſſes, which gave them
fuch belief in us, and we became fuch good friends,
that they abſolutely contended one with another,
who ſhould fetch us water, ſtay with us for hoftage,
ſhow our men the way to any place, and in every.
way to give us the beſt content.
!
We afterwards failed along the eaſtern coaſt, but
found nothing of much note, all along being well
watered, but very mountainous and barren; the
valleys very fertile, but extremely thickly fet with
i
134
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
underwood, as well as trees, and much frequented
with wolves, bears, deer, and other wild beasts. We
paſſed many ſhallow creeks, but the first we found
navigable for fhips we called Bolus, for the clay there
in many places under the cliffs which were made
by the high water, did grow up in red and white
knots, like gum out of trees, the rest of the earth
all round being hard, fandy gravel; the red clay
was fo like Bole Armenian, that we therefore
chriſtened the creek by the name of Bolus.
When firſt we fet fail fome of our gallants
doubted not but that I fhould be in too great a
hurry to get home again, but when they had been
in the bay fome twelve or fourteen days, ofttimes
tired at the oars, our bread fo ſpoilt with wet that
it was rotten (yet fo good were their ftomachs that
they could digeft it), they did, with continual
complaints, fo importune me to return, that I was
obliged to beſpeak them in this manner: "Gentle-
men, if you will remember the memorable hiſtory
of Sir Ralph Lane, how his company importuned
him to proceed in the diſcovery of Moratico,
alleging that they had yet a dog, that being boiled
with Saxafras leaves, would richly feed them on
their return; then what a fhame would it be for
you (that have been fo fufpicious of my tenderneſs)
to force me to return, with ſo much provifion as we
have, and ſcarce able to ſay where we have been ;
+
7
•
A Speech.
135
nor have we yet heard of that we were ſent to ſeek.
You cannot fay but I have fhared with you in the
worſt, which is paſt; and for what is to come, of
lodging, diet, or whatſoever, I am contented that
you allot the worst part to myſelf. As for your
fears that I will lofe myſelf in theſe unknown large
waters, or will be ſwallowed up in fome ftormy guft,
abandon theſe childish fears, for worſe than is paſt
is not likely to happen, and there is as much danger
to return as to proceed. Regain, therefore, your
old fpirits, for return I will not (if God pleafe) till
I have ſeen the Maſſawomeks, found Patawomek,
or the end of this water you conceive to be end-
lefs."
This fpeech fomewhat calmed them, but for
two or three days after, we experienced bad winds
and weather, whofe adverſe extremities caufed
fuch difcouragement that three or four fell fick,
whofe pitiful complaints caufed us to return, and
leave this bay, which was fome nine miles broad,
with a depth of water of from nine to ten fathoms.
On the 16th June we fell in with the river
Patawomek, and, as by this time our men had re-
covered their health, and at the fame time had loft
ſome of their fear, we were content to take fome
pains to explore that noble river, which was feven
miles broad. We failed up it for thirty miles with-
out ſeeing an inhabitant; when we met with two
136
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
favages in a canoe, who conducted us up a little
bayed creek towards Onawmament, where the woods
were filled with ambufcades of favages to the num-
ber of three or four thouſand, ſo ſtrangely painted,
grimed, and diſguiſed, ſhouting, yelling, and crying,
fo that as many fpirits from hell could not have
looked more terrible.
By their geftures and bravado they ſeemed to be
longing to attack us, fo I thought it as well to ſhow
a like feeming willingneſs on our part to encounter
them. But, when they faw the grazing of our
bullets on the water, (many guns being fhot on
purpoſe that they might fee the effect,) and heard
the echo the firing made in the woods, they threw
down their bows and arrows, and became friendly.
We exchanged hoftages, and James Watkins, one
of our foldiers, was fent fix miles into the woods
to their king's habitation. We were then very
kindly uſed by theſe favages, and they made us
underſtand that they were commanded to betray us.
by the direction of Powhatan, and that he had been
inftigated fo to do by the diſcontented ones at James
Town, becauſe I did cauſe them to ftay in the
country againſt their wills.
We found the fame kindneſs at other places we
vifited, where the people did their best to content
us, and we made our way far up the river. At
one part we found that the water, which had fallen
!
1
រ
Vifiting a Mine.
137
from the high rocks, was highly charged with
metal, ſo that the clay fand, which we dug at their
foot, was fo mingled with yellow fpangles, that it
looked as if it were half made of pin duft. When
we returned, we inquired of Matchqueono, the King
of Patawomeke, about this metal, and he gave us
guides who conducted us up a little river called
Quiyough, up which we rowed as high as we could.
Leaving the boat with fix of our company well
armed, I marched fome feven or eight miles before
we reached the mine, taking with me my hoftages,
who were coupled together and led by a ſmall chain,
of which they were mighty proud, inafmuch as
they were promiſed to have it given to them for
their pains, and they thought themſelves richly
adorned indeed.
The mine was a great rocky mountain like anti-
mony, in which they had digged a great hole with
their ſhells and hatchets. Hard by ran a fair brook
of crystal-like water, in which they waſhed away
the drofs and kept the remainder, which they put
in little bags and fell all over the country, where
it is uſed to paint their bodies, faces, or their idols;
which makes them look like blackamores dufted
over with filver. We carried away as much as we
could, and returned to our boat, and when we got
back we rewarded this kind king and his friendly
people with ſome prefents, and took our leaves
138
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
!
:
J
with mutual good will. I was glad to have found
this mine, for Newport, when he went home after
bringing us to Virginia, took a few bags of this
metal with him, and he did affure us that he had
had it affayed, and that it was half filver; but all
that we got proved of no value.
In the courſe of our journeyings we alſo met
with a few beavers, otters, bears, martens, and
minks; and in divers places there was fuch an
abundance of fiſh, lying quite thick, with their
heads above water, as our barge drove through
them, that for want of a net we attempted to catch
them with a frying-pan, but we found it a bad
inftrument to catch fish with. Neither better fiſh,
nor in more plenty, nor more variety for ſmall fish,
had any of us ever feen in any place, but they are
not to be caught with frying-pans. Some ſmall
cod alfo did we fee fwim clofe in fhore by Smith's
Ifles, and fome we found dead upon the ſhore.
You muſt not think that all our journeying was
quiet and peaceful; far from it. We had many
quarrels, encounters with, and treacheries from the
favages, but we always furmounted the difficulties,
and ſo encountered them, and curbed their infolence,
that they invariably concluded with prefents to
purchaſe peace; yet we had the exceeding good
hap not to loſe a man. In my dealings with theſe
people, I ever obferved the precaution, at our firſt
•
A Curious Fish.
139
meeting, to demand their bows and arrows, fwords,
mantles and furs, with a child or two for a hoftage,
whereby we could quickly perceive, by their agree;
ing to the demand, or the reverſe, whether they
intended any villany or no. And now, as our
proviſions were getting low, we thought of return-
ing.
As I
I muſt not omit to tell you of an accident which
happened to me on our return. At the mouth of
the river Rapabanock are a many fhoals, and it
chanced, by reaſon of the ebb tide, that our barge
grounded on one of them, and there we muſt needs
abide until the next tide came to float us.
was looking in the water, I efpied many fiſhes
lurking in the reeds, and for very ſport and paſtime,
to while away an hour, I amufed myſelf by nailing
them to the ground with my fword. This fet all
my crew following my example, and by this means
we caught more fish in one hour than we could eat
in a day. It came to paſs that I had pierced a very
curiouſly-ſhaped fifh, and knowing nothing about
it, was taking it off the point of my fword as I had
done others. It was much of the faſhion of a
thornback, with a long tail like a riding-whip, in
the midſt whereof is a moft poiſonous ſting of two
or three inches long, bearded like a faw on either
fide. This the fiſh ſtuck into my wrift, to the
depth of near an inch and a half; no blood iffued
140
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
forth, nor could any wound be feen, except a little
blue ſpot, but the torment was inftantly extreme,
by reaſon of its poiſon, and in four hours' time my
hand, arm, and fhoulder had fwollen to fuch a
fize, and my agony was fo great, that I concluded
that my death was indeed nigh, and this, my
opinion, was ſhared by the whole company.
Foreſeeing my death, I directed my grave to be
dug on a neighbouring ifland, a task which was
dolefully carried out by my forrowful companions,
and I alſo ordered my funeral; yet it fell out, as
you all know, that I did not die, for it pleaſed God
that by virtue of a precious oil, which Doctor
Ruſſell, our phyſician, applied to the wound, after
he had founded it with a probe, the tormenting
pain was, ere night, fo well affwaged, that I began
to be an hungered, and longed for my ſupper, and
then did, with a good heart, have mine enemy
cooked, and did eat a portion of him, to my great
delight, and to the joy and content of the whole
company. And the next day, when we left that
memorable place, by one conſent we called it Sting
Ray Iſland, after the name of the fiſh.
I was, however, ftill unwell, and having neither
chirurgeon or any medicaments with us, fave only
the precious bottle of prefervative oil, I gave
orders to fet fail at once for James Town. When
we arrived at Kecoughton, at the mouth of Powhatan
:
Festing.
141
river, the fimple favages there, feeing me ill, and
one of our men fomewhat bloody from a hurt he
had received in his leg, and that we had with us
quantities of bows, arrows, mantles, and furs, would
needs imagine we had been at war, and impatiently
importuned us to tell them with whom. Finding
they would not believe the truth, to pleaſe them
we romanced a bit, and told them, as a great fecret,
that we had got much ſpoil from the Maffawomeks ;
and this rumour went fafter up the river than did
our barge, ſo that we were told of it when, on the
20th July, we reached Warafkoyack, which would
be our laft place of call before reaching James Town.
We were in moft excellent ſpirits, ſo much ſo that
fome of our wags begged my permiffion to play
off a merry jeft on thoſe at James Town, and as it
was a harmleſs one, I faid yes. So we trimmed
our barge with painted ftreamers, and ſuch other
devices as we could, and made her look exceeding
brave, and our device fucceeded to our heart's
content, for they at James Town furely thought,
as we meant them to do, that we were a boat from
fome Spaniſh frigate, and were, in confequence,
greatly perturbed in their minds reſpecting us. And
fo, God be thanked, we all arrived fafely on the
21 July, having been abfent feven weeks.
142
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
ITO
CHAPTER XI.
is needleſs to ſay, that, as was my wont,
found the colony in a wretched plight on my
return. The whole of the company which had been
left by the Phenix was fick, and of the reſt, ſome
were lame, fome bruiſed, and all unable to do any-
thing but complain of the pride, and unreaſonable,
needleſs cruelty of the Preſident, who had riotouſly
confumed our ftore, and, to crown his follies, had
made them build him an unneceffary building for
his pleaſure in the woods. Had we not arrived as
we did, faid they, they would have been revenged
on him, but the good news of our diſcovery, and
the hope we had, according to what the favages
had told us, that our bay ftretched into the South
Sea, or ſomewhere near it, appeafed their fury
fomewhat. But they would be fatisfied with nothing
leſs than that Ratliffe fhould be depofed, and that I
fhould take the government upon myſelf, as by
rotation it ſhould have come to my turn.
It was
certain that if Ratliffe remained as Prefident, the
colony would be in open rebellion, and probably
be broken up; and, truly, he had brought his fate
upon himſelf by his folly; fo that for the common
weal I agreed, but fubftituted as Prefident my dear
?
I
!
Setting out Again.
143
and very good friend Mr. Scrivener. I equally
diftributed thoſe private provifions which Ratliffe
had taken unto himſelf; I appointed more honeſt
officers to affift Mafter Scrivener (who then lay
exceeding fick of a burning fever), and, having
regard to the weakneſs of the company, and the
heat of that ſeaſon of the year, which rendered
them unable to work, I left them to live at eaſe,
fo that they might recover their healths; but I,
myſelf, embarked to finiſh my diſcovery.
No one can ſay that I dallied long at James
Town, for three days after my return-that is, on
July 24-I fet out with twelve companions to finiſh
my diſcovery. I had with me Mafter Anthony
Bagnall as chirurgeon, five other gentlemen, and
fix foldiers, and they were nearly all the fame as
accompanied me on my laſt expedition. The wind
being contrary, cauſed our ſtay at Kecoughton,
where the King feafted us, his people being fatisfied
that we were on our way purpofely to be revenged
on the Malawomeks. In the evening we fired a
few rockets, which, flying in the air, ſo terrified
the poor favages, that they imagined nothing was
impoffible to us, and they were very eager to
affift us, but I would not accept their help. We
revifited Sting Ray Ifland and the river Bolus. Soon
after that, when croffing the bay, we encountered
feven or eight canoes full of Maffawomeks. Seeing
Uor M
1
L
144
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
they were preparing to attack us, we left off
rowing, and made way with our fail to encounter
them: not that I particularly wifhed fo to do, if I
could avoid it, for there were but four of us,
befides myſelf, who could ftand; for, two days
after we left Kecoughton, the reft were fick almoſt
to death, until they got ſeaſoned to the country.
Hiding them under our tarpauling, we put their
hats upon ſticks by the barge's fide, and betwixt two
hats, a man with two guns, fo as to make us feem
many in number, and I fancy the Indians did take
thoſe hats to be men, for they fled with all poffible
ſpeed to the ſhore, and there ftayed, ftaring at the
failing of our barge, till we anchored right againſt
them. It was long ere we could draw them to
come unto us, but at laſt they ſent two of their
number, unarmed, in a canoe, and the reſt fol-
lowed to help them if they needed it. I gave to
each of theſe two a belt, and they were fo delighted
that they foon brought their fellows on board, who
preſented me with venifon, bears' fleſh, fiſh, bows,
arrows, clubs, targets, and bears' fkins. We could
not underſtand a word they fpoke, but, by figns,
they fignified unto us that they had been at war
with the Tockwogbes, which they confirmed by
ſhowing us their wounds, which were quite recent.
They went away at nightfall, leaving us under the
impreflion that they would come again on the
Maou
The Maffawomeks.
145
morrow morning; but after that we never faw
them.
When we entered the river Tockwogh, we found
the favages in a fleet of boats, all armed after their
barbarous manner, and they environed us. I
thought, of courſe, that we ſhould have to fight
them, but it chanced that there was one of them
who could ſpeak the language of Powhatan, who
perſuaded the reſt to a friendly parley. But when
they ſaw we were in poffeffion of Maſſawomek
weapons, they believed, as did thoſe of Kecoughton,
that we had taken them perforce, ſo that they
honoured us highly, and took us to their palifadoed
town, where their men, women, and children met
us with dances and fongs, and with prefents of
fruits, furs, and whatever they had, ſpreading mats
for us to fit on, and expreffing their love for us to
the beſt of their ability. We faw among theſe
people many knives, hatchets, and pieces of brafs,
which they said they had from the Safquefabanocks,
a mighty people, and mortal enemies to the Maſſa-
womeks. I aſked them to prevail on ſome of theſe
Indians to pay me a vifit, and in about three or
four days' time fixty of theſe giant-like people
came, bringing with them prefents of veniſon,
tobacco-pipes, three feet in length, baſkets, targets,
and bows and arrows.
We had ufe daily to have prayer, with the
L
f
:
I
7
146
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
finging of a Pfalm, at which folemnity the poor
favages much wondered. One day, after we had
finiſhed our devotions, they began in a moft paf-
fionate manner to hold up their hands to the ſun,
at the fame time finging a moft fearful fong, after
which they embraced me, and adored me in the
fame manner. I was compelled to rebuke them
for this, but they took no heed, and proceeded
with their fong until it was finiſhed; then, with a
ſtrange and moſt furious action, and with a voice like
that of devils, they began an oration as to their affec-
tion for me. When that was done, they covered
me with a great painted bear's ſkin, then one hung
a great chain of white beads, weighing at leaſt fix
or feven pounds, about my neck, and others
brought mantles of divers forts of fkins fown
together. These, with many other toys, they laid
at my feet, and, ftroking my neck with their hands,
they created me their governor and protector,
promifing their aids, victuals, or whatſoever they
had, ſhould be mine, if I would only ftay with
them, to defend and revenge them of the Maſſa-
womeks. But as we could not ftay, we left them
forrowing for our departure, and we promiſed the
next year again to viſit them.
As we went along, a new world opened up unto
us, and I had to be like unto Adam, and give names
to all the places we ſaw: to wit, the higheſt moun-
•
+
•
Naming Places.
147
tains we faw northward I called Perigrine Mount,
and a rocky river, Willoughby River, both in
memory of the village in which I was born, and of
my most honoured good friend, the Lord Wil-
loughby; but the greater part of the names, as was
meet, I took from thoſe who accompanied me and
ſhared my adventure. And in every place thus
named, and at the fartheft points we reached going
up the rivers, we cut in trees as many croffes as we
had a mind to, and, in many places, made holes in
trees, wherein we put notes which we wrote, and, in
fome places, croffes of brafs, to fignify to thoſe who
might come after us that Engliſhmen had been
there.
Having explored the end of the bay, we returned
to go up the river Rapahanock, where the people
were very friendly, and we met with an old
acquaintance, one Mofco, a lufty favage of Wigh-
comoco, who had an exceeding love for us. We
fuppofed him to be fome Frenchman's fon, becauſe
he had a thick, black, bufhy beard, and the favages
ſeldom have any at all, and of this beard he was not
a little proud. He would do anything for us.
Wood and water would he fetch us, guide us any-
whither; nay, caufe divers of his countrymen to
help us tow our barge againſt wind and tide from
place to place, till we came to Patawomek; there he
refted till we returned from the head of the rivers,
L 2
148
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
and then he guided us to the mine we had ſuppoſed
to be antimony. And he never failed to do us all
the good he could, perfuading us, in any cafe, not
to go to the Rapahanocks, for they would kill us
for being friends with another tribe that, but lately,
had ſtolen three of the King's women. This, we
did think, was but that only his friends might have
our trade; and fo, being mighty wife in our own
conceit, we croffed the river to the Rapabanocks.
There we faw fome twelve or fixteen men ſtand-
ing on the ſhore, who directed us to a little creek,
where was good landing; but before we would land,
according to our cuftom, we aſked to exchange
a man in fign of love and friendſhip. After they
had confulted together for a little while, four or
five of them waded up to their middles in the
ftream to fetch our man, and leave us one of them ;
and, as if to fhow we need not fear them, they
had with them neither clubs, nor bows and arrows.
Notwithſtanding all this fair ſeeming, Anas Todkill,
one of our foldiers, being fent on fhore to fee if he
could diſcover any ambuſcadoes, and, generally, to
look about him, defired to go over the plain to
fetch fome wood, but they were unwilling to do ſo,
except we would come into the creek, where the
boat might come cloſe afhore.
Todkill, having by degrees got fome two ftone's-
throws up the plain, perceived, as he thought, ſome

!
Hoftilities.
149.
two or three hundred men behind the trees, and
when he attempted to return to the boat to inform
us of what he had beheld, the favages effayed to
carry him away by force, fo he called out to us that
we were betrayed; and hardly had he ſpoken, when
the Indian hoſtage which we had in the boat leaped
overboard, but Watkins, his keeper, was too fharp
for him, and flew him in the water. It was not a
time for heſitation, and we let fly amongst them,
fo that they fled, and Todkill efcaped; yet they
fhot at him fo faft that he fell to the ground ere he
could recover the boat.
Here, too, we found the value of Mofco's
counſel, for he adviſed us to fet the Maffawomek
targets about the fore part of our boat, like a fore-
caftle, and they ftood us in good ftead, for, from
behind them, we could fire at the favages and beat
them off the plain, without any hurt to ourſelves;
yet they ſhot more than a thoufand arrows, and
then fled into the woods. Arming ourſelves
with theſe light targets (which are made of ſmall
fticks, interwoven with ftrings of their hemp and
filk graſs), we reſcued Todkill, who was befmeared
with the blood of thoſe who held him, who had
been ſhot by us, but, as God pleaſed, he had no
hurt; and, following them up into the woods,
we found fome flain, and in divers parts much
blood. It would feem that all their arrows were
1
३

150
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ſpent, for we heard no more of them.
1
Their
canoes we took, and the arrows we found we
broke, fave thoſe we kept for Mofco, to whom
we gave the canoes as fome reward for his kind-
nefs.
1
HA
CHAPTER XII.
AVING had this warning, and not knowing
when we might expect another vifit from the
ſavages, we ſpent the reft of the day in fortifying
our boat with our Maffawomek fhields, and our
friend Moſco followed us along the ſhore; but after
a while he came into the boat. After we had
paffed three or four towns, we came to a place
where, ſeemingly, on the fhore were thirty or forty
buſhes growing among the fedge. We thought
nothing of them until arrows came from that
direction, fhot by unfeen foes. They did us no
harm, as they only ftruck the fhields and dropped
into the river, but Moſco fell flat on his face in
the boat, and fhouted out that the Rapahanock
were there, fo we fired a volley, and lo! all the
little buſhes fell down, and when we had about
got
half a mile away, up jumped a lot of Indians,
who ſhowed themſelves, dancing and finging very
merrily.
A Burial.
151
As we went higher up the river, ſome of the
kings uſed us very kindly, and their people
brought us whatfoever Mofco told them to do.
And here we had a great lofs to our little expe-
dition, for it pleaſed God to take one of our
company, Mr. Fetherstone, who, all the time he
had been in this country, had behaved himſelf
honeftly, valiantly, and induſtrioufly. We buried
him in a little bay, which we called Fetherstone's
Bay, and over him we fired a volley of fhot. He
had never got over the fickneſs that had afflicted
the greater number of our company; but the reft,
notwithſtanding their ill diet and bad lodging,
crowded in fo fmall a barge, and by reafon of
ever-prefent danger, never refting, but always
vigilant, had all well recovered their healths. The
day after we got as high up the river as our boat
would float, and there we followed our ufual
practice of ſetting up croffes, and graving our
names in the trees.
Whilft thus engaged, our fentinel faw an arrow
drop by him, but we could not find who fhot it;
although we ſpent an hour in ranging up and
down, digging in the earth, and examining all
large ftones, bufhes, or fprings, yet could we ſee
no place where a favage could hide. However,
we thought it wife to profit by the warning, and
we recovered our arms, which we had laid down ;
zá
152
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
』"
1.
and luckily we did fo, for fcarcely were we once
more armed, when we perceived about a hundred
nimble Indians ſkipping from tree to tree, letting
fly their arrows as faft as they could, but they
hurt us not, as the trees ferved us as barricadoes.
But Mofco did us good fervice, for he jumped
from tree to tree, fhooting at them, and when his
arrows were ſpent, he ran to the boat for more,
ſo that they thought we had many favages with
us.
And in about half an hour they vaniſhed as
fuddenly as they appeared.
As we returned, we found a favage who was
wounded in the knee, and lay as if dead; but we
found on examining him that he was alive, which
Moſco ſeeing, was as furious as a dog is at a
bear, and wanted to beat out his brains. But
this we would not fuffer, and we carried the
Indian to our boat, where our chirurgeon dreffed
the wound, and fo affuaged the pain, that in an
hour's time the favage looked fomewhat cheerful,
and did eat and speak, and through Mofco we
questioned him, and found out what nation he
was of
We demanded of him why they came
in that hoftile manner to us, who came to them
in peace and friendſhip, and he anſwered that they
had heard we were a people come from under the
world, to take their world from them. And
many things he told us of their country, and its
:
Releafe of a Prifoner.
153
inhabitants, for which information I gave him many
toys, and tried to perfuade him to go with us, and
he as earneſtly begged us to ftop where we were,
and he would fee that we were friends with his
people.
But Mofco, in whom I had great confidence,
adviſed us to be gone preſently, for that theſe
Indians were very naughty. As we went along,
we were continually being fhot at, but no hurt
was done, becauſe of our fhields, and the favages
followed us all through the night, about the
diſtance of twelve miles, and when day broke, we
found ourſelves in a broad bay, out of danger of
their ſhot; ſo we anchored, and had our breakfaſt,
after which our priſoner held a long diſcourſe with
his countrymen, and told them how good we
were, and how well we had uſed him; that we
had another Indian with us, who loved us as his
life, who would have taken his life had we not
have prevented him. This talk, and more like
it, did fo prevail with his countrymen, that they
all hung their bows and quivers on the trees, and
one came ſwimming to our boat with a bow tied
on his head, and another with a quiver of arrows,
which were ſent me as a prefent. We afterwards
landed, and gave up our priſoner to the four kings
of that place. They were loft in admiration of
us, and refuſed us nothing that we defired; they
►
:
154
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
took our piſtols for pipes, and much defired to
poffefs them, but that we could not accede to, but
I contented them with other commodities, and we
parted excellent friends, for I left some five
hundred of them laughing, dancing, finging, and
making very merry.
On our return, we vifited all our friends, who
rejoiced with us exceedingly, and would fain have
us friends alfo with the Rapahanocks; but I told
them they had twice affaulted me, that had come
but in love to do them good, and therefore I
would now burn all their houſes, deftroy their
corn, and ever hold them for mine enemies, unleſs
they made me fatisfaction. They defired to know
what they ſhould do, fo I told them they muſt
bring me their king's bow and arrows, and muſt
never preſume to come armed wherever I was;
that they must be friends with my friends, and
give me their king's fon in pledge to perform
what I required of them. Upon this they
preſently ſent to the Rapabanocks to meet me at
the place where we first fought, and there, in
preſence of two other kings, their chief did give
me his bow and arrows, and confirmed all I
deſired, except his fon, for having no more but
him, he could not live without him; but inſtead
of his fon, he would give me three women. This
I accepted, and fo in three or four canoes we went
Homewards.
155
to Moraughtacund, where Mofco told fuch won-
derful tales of us, and gave ſo many bows and
arrows to his friends, that they no leſs loved him
than they admired us. The three women were
brought to me, and to each I gave a chain of
beads; and then, calling the three chiefs before
him, I bade Rapahanock take her he loved beft, and
Moraughtacund chooſe next, and to Moſco I gave
the third.
The next day were fix or feven hundred of
them, all dancing and finging, and not a bow to
be ſeen amongſt them, all promifing ever to be
our friends, and to plant corn purpofely for us;
and on our part I promiſed, if they did fo, to
provide them with hatchets, copper, and beads.
And fo we parted, we giving them a volley of
fhot as a falute, and they fhouting loudly, and
crying with all their ſtrength.
Methought, now that I knew fo many nations
who lived at a distance from us at James Town,
it would be as well if I knew fomewhat of thoſe
who were our neighbours near home; fo, fetting
fail for the ſouthern fhore, we failed up a narrow
river into the country of the Chesapeakes. This
we afcended for fome fix or feven miles, but,
although we ſaw many of their houſes and garden
plots, we neither faw nor heard any people, fo
that we returned to the great river Powhatan,
L
156
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
事
​making our way to James Town. Coaſting the
ſhore towards Nandafumund, which is moftly
compoſed of oyſter banks, we eſpied, at the mouth
of that river, fix or ſeven ſavages making their
weirs, who prefently fled; afhore we went, and
where they had been working we threw divers
toys, and fo departed.
Far we had not gone ere they came again, and
began to fing and dance, and to recall us, and
thus we began our firſt acquaintance. At laft, one
of them defired us to go to his houſe up the
river, and he came voluntarily into our boat, and
the reſt ran after us by the fhore with all the fhow
of love that could be. Seven or eight miles we
failed up this narrow river; at laſt, on the
Weſtern ſhore, we faw large cornfields, and in the
midſt of the river was a little ifle, whereon was
abundance of corn. Our favage told us the people
were all a hunting, but in the ifle was his houſe,
to which he invited us with much kindneſs. We
entered, and there found his wife and children, and
we left them all much contented with the preſents
we gave them.
The others being now come up, defired us alfo to
go up the river yet a little higher, to fee their
houſes; here our hoft left us, the reft rowed by us
in a canoe till we were far paſt the iſle, and the
river had become very narrow. Here we defired
Treachery.
157
ſome of them to come aboard us, whereat, paufing
a little, they told us they would but fetch their
bows and arrows, and all go with us; but once
afhore, and armed, they perfuaded us to go forward,
but we could not by any means get them to go
either into their own canoe, or our boat. This I
liked not, and fo, miſtruſting them, I gave orders to
put up the ſhields, and prepare for the worst.
It was lucky I did fo, for theſe ſavages meditated
a notable treachery. There were now woods on
either fide of us, and I noticed we were followed by
ſeven or eight canoes. Preſently from each fide of
the river came arrows as faft as two or three
hundred men could ſhoot them, whereupon we
turned round fo as to get once more into the open.
Thoſe that were in the canoes let fly alſo as faſt, but
we could foon account for them, for amongſt them
we beſtowed ſo many ſhot that the moſt of them
leaped overboard and fwam afhore, but two or
three eſcaped by rowing. They foon found our
muſkets carried farther than their bows, and, in
truth, we had not fired twenty fhots before they
had all retired behind the trees. Having thus got
out of their trap, we feized on all their canoes and
moored them in the midſt of the open water. More
than a hundred arrows ftuck in our targets, and
about the boat, yet none hurt, only our chirurgeon,
Mafter Anthony Bagnall, was fhot in his hat,
158
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
..
#
and had another arrow in his fleeve. But fſeeing
their multitudes, and fufpecting, as it turned out to
be, that both the Nandfamunds and the Cheſapeakes
were together, I thought it better to ride by their
canoes awhile, to bethink whether it were better to
burn all in the iſle, or draw them to a compofition
till we were in a pofition to take all they had, which
was fufficient to feed all our colony; but, after
taking counſel together, it was decided to burn the
ifland at night.
In the interim we began to cut their canoes in
pieces, which was a fight that fo grieved them that
it brought them to their fenfes, and they preſently
laid down their bows, making figns of peace. Peace,
I told them, I would accept, provided they did
bring me their king's bows and arrows, and a chain
of pearls; and that when we came again they muſt
give us four hundred baſkets full of corn, otherwife
we would break all their boats, burn their houſes
and corn, and all that they had. To perform all
this they ſaid they only wanted a canoe, so I
ordered one to be fet adrift, and bad them ſwim
to fetch her, and told them that they had better
haften, for that until their promiſe was performed I
ſhould but continue to break their canoes.
cried out piteouſly for us not to do ſo, for all ſhould
be as we wiſhed, which preſently they performed.
Away they threw their bows and arrows, and all of
They
President of Virginia.
159
them came as faft as they could with their baſkets
of corn.
We took as many as we could carry, and
fo, departing good friends, we returned to James
Town, where we fafely arrived on September 7,
1608, having been abfent between fix and feven
weeks.
TH
CHAPTER XIII.
HERE we found Maſter Scrivener, and divers
others whom we left fick, well recovered;
many dead, fome ftill fick-the late Prefident was
a priſoner for mutiny-and, thanks to the honeſt
diligence of Mafter Scrivener, the harveft had been
gathered, but the proviſion in ſtore had been much
ſpoiled by the rain. So that all our colony had
done was to have wafted that fummer altogether
(owing to the government, or rather, miſgovern-
ment, of Captain Ratliffe); a fact only partially
redeemed by the diſcoveries I had made.
And now an event happened unto me which
made me feel very proud and joyful, and thankful
unto God, for that He had raiſed me, once a poor
friendleſs boy, to fuch an high eſtate. For
Captain Newport, who had juſt returned from
England, brought out with him Letters Patent
appointing me Prefident of Virginia, and on
-
>
160 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
September 10, 1608, by the election of the Council,
and at the requeſt of the Company, I accepted the
honourable pofition, which I would in no wiſe have
done before-though I had often been importuned
thereunto. The first thing I did was to put a ftop
to the building of Ratliffe's palace, as being a
needlefs labour; but I had the church thoroughly
repaired, the ſtore-house provided with a new roof,
and buildings prepared for the ſupplies we expected.
The fort was made of a five ſquare form, the order
of the watch renewed, the ſquadrons (each ſetting
of the watch) trained, the whole company every
Saturday exerciſed on the plain by the weſt bulwark,
which I had made ſmooth and level for the purpoſe.
This martial parade-ground we called Smithfield,
and there fometimes more than a hundred favages
would ſtand in amazement, to behold how a file
of muſketeers would batter a tree againſt which
was ſet a mark for them to fire at, and this inſpired
thoſe ſavages with a wholeſome dread of our
power.
Now, Captain Newport had brought out with
him ſome private inftructions from the Council,
which were very fooliſh, and fhowed how little
they knew of the country they had to govern and
colonize. He was not to return without a lump of
gold, when there was none in exiftence; he was to
make certain of the exiſtence of a way to the South
i
Stately Gifts.
161
Sea, and for that purpoſe he had brought with him
a barge built in five pieces, which was propofed to
be carried on men's fhoulders over the mountains
about which I wrote to the Treaſurer and Council
of Virginia.* "And for the quartered boat to be
borne by the foldiers over the Fälles, Newport had
120 of the beft men he could chufe. If he had
burnt her to aſhes, one might have carried her in a
bag, but as fhe is, five hundred cannot, to a navi-
gable place above the Falles." He alfo was.
inftructed to bring back with him one of the loft
company ſent out by Sir Walter Raleigh,† which
was about as likely a taſk as either of the others.
He alſo brought out with him a crown and ſcarlet
robe, wherewith to crown Powhatan, together with
an ewer and bafin, a bedſtead and clothes. Theſe
preſents were moſt ill-judged, for we had his favour
much better when we only uſed to give him a plain
piece of copper, than after he had received theſe
ftately gifts, which made him fo overvalue himſelf
that he reſpected us as much as nothing at all.
He also brought out with him eight Poles and
* See Appendix.
†That taken out by Captain John White, in 1587.
When he reviſited it 1589, the colony was deſtroyed and
overgrown with weeds, and he winds up his deſcription.
thus:
"And thus we left, feeking our colony that was never
any of them found, nor feen, to this day, 1622.” -
M
!.
162 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
T
Dutchmen, to make pitch, tar, glaſs, mills and foap
afhes; which might have been all very well when
the country was more repleniſhed with people and
neceffaries, but to fend them, and ſeventy more,
without victuals, to work, was not fo well adviſed
and confidered of, as it ſhould have been. Not
that this would hurt us had they been 200, though
then 130 of ourſelves, for we had
the favages in that decorum, (their harveſt being
nearly gathered,) that we feared not to get victuals
for 500; but this, as in all elfe, the Council at
home evidently relied more on what Newport told
them, than on our reports fent home.
we were
Among those whom he brought out, were two
who were to be added to our Council, one Captain
Richard Waldo, the other Captain Winne, two
ancient foldiers, and valiant gentlemen, but as yet,
being fo newly arrived, quite ignorant of the
buſineſs. With theſe on the Council, and Ratliffe
being alfo permitted to have his voice, and Mafter
Scrivener being very defirous to fee ftrange
countries, it did fo fall out that, although I was
Prefident, yet the major part of the Council had
the authority, and ruled it as they lifted.
they lifted. Captain
Newport was anxious to take the pinnace of twenty
tons, and go and deliver his prefents, and crown
Powhatan, and he would fain have 120 chofen men
for a guard. He furthermore argued that the pin-
A Fright.
163
nace could be made uſeful on the return voyage by
being freighted with corn. I laughed at his fears
of the deſperate favages, and undertook to go
myſelf to Powhatan, and aſk him to come to James
Town and fetch his prefents. And fo was it fettled,
and where Newport durft not go with less than 120
men, I only took with me four, and with them went.
over land to Weromocomoco, fome twelve miles, and
there croffed the river Pamaunkee in a canoe.
There I abode, and sent for Powhatan, who was
thirty miles off, and in the mean time Pocahontas
and her women entertained me after this manner.
In a fair plain, we had made a fire, which I, on
a mat, was fitting before, when, fuddenly, among
the woods, was heard fuch a hideous noiſe and
shrieking, that we betook ourſelves at once to our
arms, and ſeized on two or three old men who were
near us, fuppofing that Powhatan, with all his
power, was coming to ſurpriſe us. But preſently
Pocahontas came, making me underſtand that I
might kill her if any hurt were intended, but I was
foon fatisfied that there was none, for there was now
a crowd of spectators, of men, women and children.
And in truth it turned out to be a Maſque, after
the Virginian manner, with which my dear friend,
Pocahontas, would fain amufe us; and as you
may never have heard of one, I will tell
you the
manner of it, and how it was performed. Thirty
...
i.
M 2
164 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
young women came naked out of a wood, only
covered before and behind with a few green leaves,
but their bodies were all painted, fome of one
colour, fome of another, but all differing; their
leader had a fair pair of buck's horns on her head,
and an otter's ſkin at her girdle, and another on
her arm; at her back fhe had a quiver of arrows,
and in her hand fhe carried a bow and arrows. The
next had in her hand a fword, another a club,
another a pot ſtick: they were all horned alike,
and all the others carried ſomething or other. They
looked like fiends, as with loud fhouts and cries,
they ruſhed from among the trees, and, cafting
themſelves in a ring round about the fire, they fang
and danced after their faſhion, oft breaking out
into loud yells, and then again folemnly finging
and dancing. Having spent near an hour in this
Mafcarado, they departed in like manner as they.
entered.
After they had removed from their perfons all
traces of their maſking, they reappeared, and
folemnly invited us to their lodging, where I was
no fooner within the houſe, but all theſe nymphs
began moſt prettily to teaſe me, crowding round,
preffing on, and hanging about me, continually
crying "Love
"Love you not me? Love you not me?”
When this falutation was ended, the feaft was fet
forth, confifting of all the favage dainties they
*
A Virginian Mafque.
165
could deviſe; fome of them waiting upon us,
fome finging, and others dancing before us, which
mirth being ended, with firebrands, inftead of
torches, they conducted us to our lodgings.
Powhatan came the next day, and to him I
delivered my meffage, how that fome preſents had
been fent him, and defired him to come to James
Town and receive them, as well as to fee Father
Newport, and, at the fame time, we would help
him to conclude his revenge upon the Monacans.
But the ſubtle favage was puffed up with pride at
the idea of having prefents fent him from our
King, and fancied himſelf of great importance: fo
he replied, "If your King has fent me preſents, I
alſo am a king, and this is my land; eight days
I will ſtay to receive them. Your Father is to
come to me, not I to him, nor yet to your Fort,
neither will I bite at fuch a bait. As for the
Monacans, I can revenge mine own injuries; and
with regard to any falt water beyond the moun-
tains, the relations you have had from my people
are falſe." Whereupon he began to draw plans
upon the ground of all thofe regions. I had
many other difcourfes with him, in which each
rendered to the other many complimental cour-
tefies, but I could get no other anſwer from him, fo
was fain to be content with it, and return.
So the preſents were fent by water, which was
+
166
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
near an hundred miles, and Newport and I went
by land with fifty good fhots, as a guard of
honour. When the boat arrived, we fettled the
next day for the Coronation, and then, with as
much ſtate as we could, the prefents were brought
to the King; and we delivered to him his bafin
and ewer, and fet up his bedſtead with its furniture.
We explained to him their different uſes, and them
he could comprehend; but he could not underſtand
the ſcarlet cloak and apparel, with which we would
indue him, and we had much ado before we could
put them upon him; but, being perfuaded at laít
that they would not hurt him, he fuffered himſelf
to be clothed after our will.
But, if he rebelled againſt putting on the robe,
how much more did he kick againft having the
crown placed upon his head. In very truth, the
poor favage did have no idea of what was meant by
it, he knowing nothing, either of the majefty, or
meaning, of a crown. Nor could we induce him to
bend his knee and kneel; nor would he do it in
ſpite of the many perfuafions, examples, and
inftructions we gave him, even until we were all
fairly tired out. But we had not come there
ſpecially to crown him, and then go away with our
taſk unfiniſhed, fo that the crown had to be put on
him fomehow. And at laſt we accompliſhed it,
for Newport and I, by leaning on his fhoulders,
Mistress Forrest.
167
did make him ſtoop a little, and then three others
of our number, who had the crown ready in thei
hands, did put it on his head, which being done, a
piftol was fired, as a warning to thofe in the boats,
who were prepared, and they poured forth fuch a
volley of fhot that the King ſtarted up in a horrible
fear, which was not allayed till that he ſaw that all
was well. When he had recovered himſelf, in
order to requite our kindneſs, he gave his old fhoes
and mantle to Captain Newport; but he would not
help us in any way against the Monacans; and,
after ſome ſmall complimental kindneffes on both
fides, he preſented Newport with a heap of wheat
ears, which might contain fome feven or eight
bufhels, and with about as much more, which we
bought in the town, we returned to the Fort.
CHAPTER XIV.
HE feventy coloniſts, which the ſhip brought
THE
over, were now all landed, and among them
were the first gentlewoman, Miftrefs Forreft, and
the first woman fervant, to wit, Anne Burras, her
maid, that ever we had amongst us. But they
were, as all fuch cargoes that we had fent to us,
unſuitable to our market; for befides the two
captains, who were to be of our Council, there was
168 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
-,
Maſter Francis Weft, brother to Lord De la Warre,
and twenty-five other gentlemen, fourteen tradeſmen,
and but twelve labourers, which, with fome boys,
Dutchmen,* Poles, and others, made up the num-
ber. The ſhip, then, being empty, Captain Newport,
with 120 chofen men, led by Captain Waldo,
Lieutenant Percie, Captain Winne, Mafter Weft,
and Maſter Scrivener, fet forward for the diſcovery
of Monacan, leaving me at the Fort to relade the
ſhip, with about eighty or ninety men, fuch as
they were.
Now the Monacans lived at the head of Pow-
hatan river, upon which, as you know, James
Town was fituate, and the expedition having got to
the Falls, marched about forty miles inland in two
days and a half, and then returned by the fame
way. They diſcovered but two towns of the
Monacans, and by them were uſed neither well nor
ill, although they took prifoner one of the petty
kings, and led him, bound, to fhow them the way.
On their return, they fearched many places for
ſuppoſed mines, and, having a refiner with them,
they ſpent ſome time in refining the ores, but to no
good account, although he endeavoured to per-
fuade them to believe that he had extracted fome
fmall quantity of filver; and that (which was not
unlikely) better ſtuff might be had for the digging.
Deutſches, or Germans.
Setting to Work.
169
The favages would not trade with them, and they
could not find where their corn was, for they had
hid it in the woods, fo that, thus deluded, they
returned to James Town, half of them fick, all
complaining, and tired, with toil, famine, and dif
content, their journey having been perfectly fruit-
lefs, as I foretold it would be; and, indeed, I was
not forry that it fhould fo be, for it was a good
leffon for them to learn, not to go running after
marſh fires, but to truſt to ſteady labour.
I knew full well what miſchief idleness wrought,
and of that they had had their fill of late, fo I
ſchemed work for all. Some I fet to make glaſs,
others tar, pitch, and potaſhes, and theſe I left at
the Fort under the orders of the Council, and in
their overfight, for it was but meet that the Coun-
cil fhould have fome talk to perform, as well as
the reft of the company. For myſelf, I fully per-
ceived how it would be for the good of us all, if
ſome of the fine gentlemen of our company, were
hardened by fome little labour with their hands.
I well knew the characters of all, and choſe my
men accordingly, among them two proper gentle-
men of the laſt fupply, Gabriel Beadle and John
Ruſſell, and with a band of about thirty, I moved
down the river fome five miles from James Town,
to teach them how to cut down trees, make clap-
board, and lie out in the woods; thus inuring
ma
y
-
*
170
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
them to the life they would have to lead, did they
want to make the Colony a fuccefs.
At firſt the hard work, cooking their own food,
and lying upon the ground, was very ſtrange to
them, but they could fay nought in difparagement
thereof, for they faw that in all things, in lodging,
eating and drinking, working or playing, I, their
Prefident, fared but as they did: nay, in order to
encourage them, it haply might be, that I worked
harder and fared worſe than they. All theſe things,
therefore, were carried on ſo pleaſantly, that, within
a week, they became maſters of their craft; making
it their delight to hear the trees thunder as they
fell; but the axes fo oft bliftered their tender
fingers, that many a time every third blow had a
loud oath to drown the echo. For the remedy of
which fin, and for the good of their fouls, as the work
was benefiting their bodies, I devifed how to have
every man's oaths numbered, and at night time,
when we had a little pleaſant recreation, the culprit
was duly arraigned, and for every oath that was
recorded againſt him, he did have a can of water
poured down his fleeve. This was the caufe of
much merriment, yet fomehow thofe who were
puniſhed, liked it not fo well, as to care ofttimes
to have it repeated, and fo became more guarded
of his tongue, and foon it came to paſs that a man
ſhould ſcarce hear an oath in a week.
Gentleman Labourers.
171
For he who fcorns and makes but jefts of curfings, and his oath,
He doeth contemn, not man but God, nor God, nor man, but
both.
But in all this, let no man think that I and
thofe gentlemen ſpent their time as
time as common
wood-haggers at felling trees, or fuch like labours,
as if we had been preffed to it as hirelings, or
common slaves; but what they did, after they were
once fomewhat inured to it, feemed (and fome
really thought fo) only as a pleaſure and a recreation,
and thirty or forty of fuch voluntary gentlemen
would do more work in a day, than one hundred
of the reſt that must be preffed to it by compulfion;
ftill I fay not, but that twenty good workmen had
been better than them all.
When I returned from the woods, I found that
Maſter Scrivener, Captain Waldo, and Captain
Winne, had each, in like manner, carefully looked
after their charge, but feeing the time confumed,
and how that no provifions had been fecured (the
ſhip all this time lying idle at a great charge), I
preſently embarked myſelf in the diſcovery barge,
giving orders to the Council to send Lieutenant
Percie after me with the next barge that arrived at
the Fort. I had with me two barges, and eighteen
men, and went up the Chickahominy river.
riving at a ſpot I had determined on, I found that
this dogged nation was well acquainted with our
Ar-
}
172
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
wants, and refuſed to trade, with as much fcorn
and infolency as they could exprefs. Seeing that
it was Powhatan's policy to ftarve us, I told them
that I came there not fo much for corn, as to
revenge myſelf on them for my impriſonment, and
the murder of our men, and fo I landed my men,
and made as if I would charge them, upon which
they immediately fled. But preſently they ſent
their Ambaffadors to me with corn, fiſh, fowl, and
whatſoever they had, in order to make their peace.
They complained extremely of their own wants
(for their corn that year was but bad), yet they
freighted our boats with an hundred bufhels of
corn, and alſo Lieutenant Percie's, who arrived
foon after, in like manner; and, having done the
beſt they could to content us, we parted good
friends, and I returned to James Town.
My thus returning laden with proviſions, much
contented the company, for they feared nothing
more than ftarving: yet there were fome among
them that fo envied my good fuccefs, that they
would rather have run the hazard of ſtarving, than
that my efforts for the benefit of the community
fhould prove fo much more effectual than theirs.
Both Newport and Ratliffe, who were always to
the fore in my difpraiſe, had, in my abfence, in-
vented some projects, not only to have depofed
me, but to have kept me out of the Fort, for that

Stores.
..
173
I, being Prefident, had left my place, and the
Fort, without their conſent, but their envious con-
ſpiracy came to nought, and had not Captain
Newport cried Peccavi, I would have diſcharged
the ſhip, and caufed him to ſtay one year in
Virginia, to learn to fpeak of his own con-
venience.
All this time, our old tavern, the ſhip, made as
much out of all them that had either money, or
ware, as could be defired: indeed, on all fides,
both foldiers, failors, and favages, there was ten
times more pains taken to keep up their private,
and damnable trade, than to provide the Colony
with things that were neceffary. No wonder that
Newport and the mariners reported in England
that we had fuch plenty, and brought us out fo
many men without victual, when they had fo many
private factors in the Fort, that within fix or ſeven
weeks, of two or three hundred axes, chiſels, hoes,
and pickaxes, ſcarce twenty could be found: and
pike-heads, fhot, powder, and anything they could
fteal from their fellows was vendible, and they
knew well enough how to trade fecretly with the
favages for furs, baſkets, young beaſts, and fuch
like commodities, or exchange them with the failors
for butter, cheeſe, beef, pork, aqua vitæ, beer,
biſcuit, oatmeal, and oil. We could get no furs,
in all Virginia, for our ftores, yet one mafter got
+.

174
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
;
!
·
fo many by this indirect means, that he confeffed
having fold them in England for £30.
#
I fent Maſter Scrivener with the barges and
pinnace to Werowocomoco, where he found the
favages more ready to fight than to trade, but
owing to his vigilance no hurt was done, and he
fucceeded in getting three or four hogfheads of
corn. I was glad to be able to diſpatch Captain
Newport with famples of pitch, tar, glaſs, frankin-
cenſe, and potaſhes, with as much clap-board and
wainſcot as could be provided, and he failed for
England, we that remained being in number about
two hundred.
Now this was a large number to feed, and we
were all fomewhat affrighted at the profpect of
famine, fo that I minded me of the promiſe I
extorted from the Cheſapeakes, at Nandfamund, in
September laft, of providing me with four hundred
baſkets of corn, or I would burn and deftroy their
place. I took three boats, and was accompanied by
Captain Winne and Maſter Scrivener. However,
when we came to Nandfamund, the favages not
only refuſed to deliver me the corn they had
promiſed, but would not trade with us in any way;
excufing themſelves that they had ſpent the moſt
part that they had gotten, and that they were
commanded by Powhatan to keep that they had,
and not to let us come into their river; fo that I
1
;
A Useful Leſſon.
175
was conſtrained to deal with them per force, and
ſhow them I was not to be trifled with, but would
make them keep their promiſe. I gave orders to
our company to fire, and at the found of the
muſkets they all fled, and fhot not an arrow at us.
The firſt houſe we came to we fet on fire, which
when they perceived, they defired we ſhould make
no more ſpoil, and they would give us half they
had. How they collected it I know not, but
before night they loaded our three boats.
After thus teaching them this uſeful leffon, we
dropped down the river to our quarters for the
night, which were fome four miles diftant. This.
was an open wood under the lee of a hill, where all
the ground was covered with fnow, and hard frozen.
We digged away the fnow, and made a great fire in
its place, and when the ground was well dried and
warm, we turned away the fire to another place,
and covering the warm earth with a mat, there we
lay very warm. To keep away the wind, we made
a fcreen of another mat; if the wind fhifted, we
ſhifted our ſcreen, and when the ground grew cold,
we moved the fire again, and once more had a
warm bed. And thus, many a cold night, have we
lain in this manner, yet thoſe that went commonly
upon
all like' occafions, were always in health, lufty
and fat. Another good reſult of our expedition
was, that the favages promiſed that becauſe I had
F
176
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ſpared them this year, they would plant purpoſely
for us.
It was about this time that we had our firſt
marriage in Virginia, and it was between John
Laydon, a labourer who came out with me, and
Anne Burras, Miſtreſs Forreſt's maid, and we did
not fail to do it all honour and proper courteſy;
we ſaw them bedded, and gave them the caudle,
but as we had no brideſmaids, we could not throw
the ſtocking.
TH
CHAPTER XV.
HE corn I had gotten would laſt a little while,
but more muſt be procured, at any coft, from
ſomewhere; ſo I refolved, with Captain Waldo
(who I knew I could depend on in time of need),
to ſurpriſe Powhatan and all his provifion. Captain
Winne, however, oppofed my idea, as did alſo
Maſter Scrivener, who, for fome private purpoſe,
was plotting in England to ruin me, and, together,
they did their beſt to hinder my project. But no
perfuafion of theirs could induce me to ftarve, or to
allow thoſe under my care to do fo, could I prevent
it, and I had made up my mind for the expedition,
when a meſſage came from Powhatan, faying he
would load my ſhip with corn if I would but fend
Seeking Corn.
177
him fome men to build him a houſe, give him a
grindſtone, fifty fwords, fome guns, a cock and a
hen, together with much copper and beads.
I was not ignorant of his devices and fubtlety,
yet I was unwilling to neglect any opportunity;
fo I preſently fent him four Dutchmen and one
Engliſhman, and then, with Captain Waldo and
forty-fix men in the pinnace and two barges, we
ſtarted. I would only take with me fuch as offered
themſelves voluntarily, for the expedition was
looked upon as being very dangerous, for they all
knew that I would not return empty, were there
any corn to be got; however, as I fay, I would
only take volunteers, for I found fo many that I
appointed, make excuſes to ſtay behind. Scrivener
I left as my deputy at James Town, but I took
with me Lieutenant Percie, brother to my Lord the
Earl of Northumberland, and alfo Maſter Francis
West, brother to the Lord De la Warr.
The company being victualled but for three or
four days, we lodged the first night at Warafkoyack,
where I managed to get fufficient provifion; but
the King there, who was a very kind friend to us,
did his beſt, by all manner of argument, to divert
me from going to Powhatan; when, however, he
perceived he could not prevail, he advifed in this
manner: "Captain Smith, you ſhall find Powhatan
to uſe you kindly, but truft him not, and be fure
N
·
178
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
he have no opportunity to feize on your arms, for
he hath ſent for you only to cut your throats." I
thanked him for his good and friendly counſel; yet
I put his love to yet a further proof, for I defired
of him guides to Chawwonock, to the king of
which place I would fain fend a prefent to bind
him as a friend to me. I entrusted this expedition
to Mr. Sicklemore, a very valiant, honeſt, and
painstaking foldier: he took with him two guides,
and I gave him inftructions to feek for the loft
company of Sir Walter Raleigh's, and alfo to look
about him and fee if there were any filk grafs.
Then we departed thence, parting very excellent
friends, for I did affure the King of my perpetual
love, and I left my page, Samuel Collier, with him
to learn the language.
The next night we lodged at Kecoughton, and
here we were conftrained to abide for fix or ſeven
days, by reaſon of the extreme wind, rain, froft, and
fnow, ſo that it caufed us to keep our Chriſtmas
among theſe favages. Wherever an Engliſhman
may be, and in whatever part of the world, he
muſt keep Chriſtmas with feasting and merriment.
And, indeed, we were never more merry, nor fed
on more plenty of good oysters, fifh, flesh, wild
fowl, and good bread; nor never had better fires
in England than in the dry, fmoky houfes of
Kecoughton.
T
Severe Weather.
179
But when we departed thence, when we found
no houſes, we took not fo much pleaſure in lying
out, three or four nights together, and in any
weather, under the trees by a fire, as we had uſed
to do, as I told you. There was ſuch plenty of
wild fowl that I, Anthony Bagnall, and Sergeant
Pifing, did kill, at three fhots, one hundred and
forty-eight fowls.
At Kiſkiack, the froft and contrary winds forced
us to take up our abode with the favages, and,
indeed, we never wanted fhelter when we found
any houſes. It was on the 12th of January when
we arrived at Werowocomoco, where we found the
river frozen for near half a mile from the ſhore;
but I, being unwilling to waste any time, broke the
ice with my barge, as far as I could, and had got
fomewhat nearer the land, when the ebbing of the
tide left the boat aground among the oozy ſhoals.
Yet rather than lie there for another tide and be
frozen to death, I encouraged my companions to
follow my example and jump into the river,
wading up to our middles in that muddy, frozen
ooze. But in this march, Mafter Ruffell (whom
none could perfuade to ſtay behind), being fome-
what ill, and exceeding heavy, fo overtoiled himfelf
that the reſt of us had much ado (ere he got afhore)
to regain life into his benumbed limbs. So we
quartered ourſelves in the firſt houſes we came to,
S
N 2
180
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
and ſent to Powhatan for provifions, who fent us
plenty of bread, turkeys, and venifon.
The next day we visited him, and, having
feafted us after his ordinary manner, he turned
round to me and ftraitly aſked me when I would
begone? Such was the wilinefs of this favage,.
that he feigned that he fent not for us, neither
had he any corn, and his people much leſs; yet,
faid he, for forty fwords he would procure us
forty baſkets full. I fhowed him the very men.
there preſent that brought me the meffage and
conditions, and I aſked Powhatan how it chanced
he became fo forgetful? To that he made no
anſwer, but concluded this portion of our diſcourſe
with a merry laughter, afking for our commodities,
but he liked none without guns and fwords,
valuing a baſket of corn as more precious than a
baſket of copper, faying he could rate his corn
but not the copper.
Now I, feeing the intent of this fubtle favage,
began to deal with him by telling him that I had
many ways by which I could have procured my
provifions; yet, believing his promiſes to ſupply
my wants, I came to him-that I had no fwords
nor guns to ſpare, and that what I had would
keep me from want, but I wiſhed to be friendly
with him.
The King having attentively liftened to this
..
A Spy.
181
diſcourſe, promiſed that both he and all his country
would ſpare me what they could, the which we
ſhould receive within two days, but he wifhed us
to lay our weapons afide, as the people thought
we had come to invade and poffefs their country.
With many fuch difcourfes we ſpent the day,
being quartered that night in the King's houſes,
and the next day he went on again with his
building, which he little intended fhould proceed.
For the Dutchmen, finding Powhatan's great
plenty, and knowing our want, and perceiving alſo
his preparations to furpriſe us, little thinking
we could eſcape both him and famine, had, in
order to obtain his favour, revealed to him as
much as they knew of our eſtates and projects,
and how to prevent them. One of them,
eſpecially, was a man of fo great fpirit, under-
ftanding, judgment, and refolution, a man that was
certain of his wages for his labour, and one whom
we ever uſed well, as, indeed, we did all his
countrymen. Now I, knowing well this man,
and knowing no one whom I could better truft,
nor that was fitter for that employment, had fent
him as a ſpy to diſcover Powhatan's intent; at
that time little doubting his honefty, nor truly
was I certain of his villany till nearly half a year
after.
Whilſt we were awaiting the coming of ſupplies
182
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
from the country, the King and I wrangled over a
bargain for ten quarters of corn for a copper
kettle; for which, as I faw he much affected it,
I wanted much more, but having regard to our
preſent ſcarcity, I agreed to take it, provided he
gave me the fame quantity next year, or elſe the
country of Monacan, with which bargain both
ſeemed well contented; but Powhatan, with great
guile, ftrove to argue that, being good friends, it
would be better for us to vifit him without arms,
as nought could perfuade his people but that we
were come to invade them, and he added, "Think
you I am fo fimple as not to know that it is better
to eat good meat, lie well, and fleep quietly with
my women and children, laugh and be merry with
you, have copper, hatchets, or whatever I want,
being your friend, than be forced to fly from all,
to lie cold in the woods, feed upon acorns, roots,
and ſuch traſh, and be fo hunted by you that I
can neither reſt, eat, or fleep; but my tired men
muſt watch, and if a twig but break, every one
crieth, There cometh Captain Smith;' then muſt
I fly, I know not whither; and thus with miſer-
able fear end my miferable life, leaving my
pleaſures to fuch youths as you.
C
•
Herein Powhatan fhowed his fubtlety, but I
replied to him that had we intended him any hurt,
we could have effected it long ere this; that his
Powhatan Complains.
183
people coming to James Town were entertained
with their bows and arrows without any exception,
we eſteeming it with them; as with us, to wear their
arms as their apparel. And I added, that I feared no
threats of withholding provifion, for we had a rule
by which we could find it without his knowledge.
cc
Many other difcourfes of the like fort did we
have together, and at laft we began to trade.
But I would order things fomewhat after my own
faſhion, and not altogether as Powhatan liked,
ſo that he foon began to perceive that his will
would not be admitted as a law, nor would we
diſperſe our guard, nor difarm our men; and then,
with a figh, he addreffed me thus: Captain
Smith, I never treated any Chief fo kindly as
yourſelf, and yet from you I receive the leaft
kindneſs of any. Captain Newport gave me
fwords, copper, clothes, a bed, towels, or what I
defired, ever taking what I offered him, and would
fend away his guns when I entreated him. Captain
Newport you call father, and fo you call me, but
I fee that in fpite of us both, you will do what
you liſt, and we muſt both feek to content you.
But, if you intend fo friendly as you ſay, ſend
hence your arms, that I may believe you, for the
love I bear you doth cauſe me thus nakedly to
forget myſelf."
But I could plainly fee what Powhatan's object
184
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
T
was, namely, but to trifle away the time, ſo that
he might ſecurely cut our throats; fo I got fome
of the favages to break the ice, ſo that my boat
might come to fetch both the corn and myſelf, and
I alfo gave orders for more men to come on fhore,
for indeed I did mean to ſurpriſe the King, and
in the meanwhile to keep him from fufpicion. I
diffembled with him, beguiling him after this
manner: "Powhatan, you muſt know, as I have
but one God, I honour but one King; and I live
not here as your fubject, but as your friend, to
pleaſure you with what I can. By the gifts you
beſtow on me, you gain more than by trade;
yet, would you, vifit me as I do you, you fhould
know it is not our cuſtom to fell our courtefies
as a vendible commodity. Bring all your country-
men with you for your guard, I will not diſlike it
as being over jealous. But, to content you, to-
morrow I will leave my arms, and truſt to your
promiſe. I call you father, indeed, and as a father
you fhall fee I will love you, but the fmall care
you have of fuch a child cauſed my men to perfuade
me to look to myſelf."
This crafty favage, however, was but ſpeaking
and acting falfely all the time, and took the
opportunity, whilft the ice was being broken, and
before I could receive any reinforcements, to flee
with all his women, children, and luggage. Yet,
+
A Crafty Savage.
185
to avoid fufpicion, did he leave two or three of the
women talking with me, fo that I might hear
nought of their removal, until they had gotten
far away, and his men had fecretly furrounded and
beſet the houſe. I found, however, that fome-
thing unuſual was afoot, and feizing my piſtol,
ſword, and target, I very foon cleared a road for
myſelf among thoſe naked devils. At the very
firft fhot thofe next to me tumbled one over
another, and the reft quickly fled, fome one way,
ſome another; fo that without any hurt, and
only accompanied by John Ruffell, I reached the
main guard.
When the favages perceived that I ſo eaſily
eſcaped, and that I and my eighteen men (for I
had no more) cared nought for them, they uſed the
uttermoſt of their ſkill to make excuſes, and
diffemble the matter, and Powhatan, to excuſe
his flight, and the ſudden coming of this multitude,
ſent me a great bracelet and a chain of pearls,
which were brought by an old man, who made an.
oration to this effect: te
Captain Smith, our chief
is fled, fearing your guns; and knowing that when
the ice was broken, there would come more men,
he has fent this number of men to guard his corn
from being ſtolen, which might happen without
your knowledge. Now, although ſome of them be
hurt by you, yet Powhatan is your friend, and fo
+
ין
A
+
C
186
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
you
will for ever continue. Since the ice is open, he
would have you ſend away your corn, and, if
would have his company, ſend away alſo your guns,
which fo affright his people, that they dare not
come to you, as he promiſed they fhould."
Then, having provided baſkets for our men to
carry our corn to the boats, they kindly offered their
fervices to guard our arms, that none ſhould ſteal
them. There were a great many of them, and moſt
of them goodly, well-proportioned fellows, as grim
as fiends, yet were they fo timid at the very fight of
our cocking our matches and preparing to let fly,
that a very few words caufed them to leave their
bows and arrows in our keeping, and carry down our
corn upon their backs; and they did this with fuch
a will, that we needed not to importune them to
make diſpatch, they did fo earneſtly want to ſee
our backs. But we could not gratify them in this
matter as ſpeedily as they wished, for, it being ebb
tide, our barges were left on the ooze, and we were
obliged to ſtay till the next high water, fo that we
returned again to our old quarters.
Saved Again by Pocahontas.
187
CHAPTER XVI.
N the meantime, Powhatan, and the Dutchmen I
I were
IN
had lent him, were burſting to have my head, for
they thought, furely, could they but kill me, all
would be theirs, and they neglected no opportunity
to effect their purpoſe. And the Indians craftily
kept up a ſemblance of friendſhip, and, with all the
merry ſports they could deviſe, ſpent the time till
night; but then they all returned to Powhatan,
who, all this time, was making ready his forces
with intent to furpriſe the houſe, and all of us,
while we were at fupper. Notwithſtanding, the
eternal, all-ſeeing God did prevent him, and by a
ſtrange means, for Pocahontas, the King's deareft
jewel and daughter, who beforetimes had faved my
life, in that dark night came through the irkſome
woods, and told me of all their deceitful plots.
How that Powhatan would fend us great cheer for
our fuppers, by and by; but that he, and all the
power he could affemble, would afterwards come
and kill us all, if they that brought us the food
could not kill us with our own weapons while we
were at fupper. Therefore, this dear little maid
weepingly begged me preſently to begone, did we
wiſh to live. I thanked her for her kindneſs, and
would fain have given her fuch things as fhe
י
188 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
delighted in; but, with the tears running down her
cheeks, ſhe ſaid ſhe muſt not take them, and durft
not be ſeen to have any of them, for, if Powhatan
fhould know it, fhe were but dead; and fo
ſuddenly ſhe left me, and ran away by herſelf as ſhe
came.
Things fell out even as ſhe had faid, for within
leſs than an hour came eight or ten lufty fellows,
with great platters of venifon and other victual,
and they were very importunate to have us put out
our matches (for, being forewarned, we were fore-
armed, and kept our guns in readineſs) ſaying that
the ſmoke from them made them fick, and they
much preſſed us to fit down to our victual. But I,
knowing their fubtlety, made them tafte of every
diſh, left it ſhould contain poiſon, and when they had
done fo, I ſent ſome of them back to Powhatan to
bid him make hafte and attack us, for I was pre-
pared for his coming; and, as for them, I told them
I knew they came to betray me at fupper, but I
would take care to fruftrate all their other intended
villanies, ſo they might take themſelves off and be
gone. They departed, but not long after came more
meſſengers to ſee what news, and not long after them
came others. Thus we ſpent the night as vigilantly
as they, till it was high water, yet we feigned, and
did feem to be friendly to the favages, as they to us;
and to ſhow that I was defirous to give Powhatan
-
Dutch Treachery.
189
content, I did leave him Edward Brynton to kill
him fowl, and the Dutchmen to finish his houſe;
but at the ſame time I thought I would vifit
Pamaunkee, and would return here after the froſt
was gone, when I might find a better opportunity,
if neceffity did occafion it. But I little dreamed of
the Dutchmen's treachery, of which you ſhall hear.
We had no fooner fet fail than Powhatan re-
turned, and he forthwith fent Adam and Francis
(two ftout Dutchmen) to James Town. At their
coming thither they feigned to Captain Winne that
all was well, and that I had need of their arms, and
was ufing them, wherefore they aſked for new
ones, which were given them. They alſo told him
that the reaſon of their coming was for fome more
tools and ſhift of apparel. Then they went among
ſome of their confederates in the Fort, fuch expert
thieves that they preſently furniſhed them with a
great many fwords, pike-heads, guns, ſhot, powder,
and fuchlike; favages they had at hand to carry the
ftolen goods away, and the next day they returned
unfuſpected, leaving their confederates to follow
them at their convenience, and in the interim
to convey to them fuch things as they could; for
doing which ſervice they promiſed they ſhould live
with Powhatan as his dear friends, free from thoſe
miferies which were fure to happen to the Colony.
Powhatan kept Samuel, the other Dutchman, as a
:
.
..
་
190
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
¡
•
hoſtage, and kept him hard at work as a blackſmith,
and fuch was his diligence that he made three
hundred of their kind of hatchets; and the other
two Dutchmen got, in all, fifty fwords, eight guns,
and eight pikes. Brynton and Richard Savage,
ſeeing the Dutchmen fo diligent to accommodate
the favages with weapons, attempted to leave the
country, and reach James Town, but they were
apprehended, and expected every moment to be put
to death.
It took us but two or three days to reach
Pamaunkee, and when we had got there, the King
entertained us as many days with feafting and much
mirth; and on the day appointed to begin our
trade, I, accompanied by Lieutenant Percie, Mr.
Weft, and thirteen others, went up to Opechan-
canough's houſe, which was about a quarter of a
mile from the river; but, to our great furpriſe, we
· found no one there but a lame fellow, and a boy;
and all the houſes round about abandoned. How-
ever, we ſtayed not long ere the King arrived, and
after him came divers of his people armed with
bows and arrows. But they brought little or no
corn with them, and even that they esteemed at
fuch a coft that I had to addrefs the King in this
manner:
'CC
Opechancanough, the great love you profeſs
with your tongue feems mere deceit by your
actions.
Betrayed.
191
Laft year you kindly freighted our fhip, but now
you have invited me to ftarve with hunger. You
know my want, and I your plenty; of which, by
fome means, I muſt have part: remember, it is fit
for kings to keep their promife. Here are my
commodities, whereof take your choice; the reſt I
will proportion fit bargains for your people."
The King feemed kindly to accept this offer,
and, the better to colour his project, promiſed that
the next day, he would come with a greater com-
pany, better provided. I committed the charge
of the barges and the pinnace to Mr. Phetiplace;
and I with my little band of fifteen marched up
to the King's house, where we found four or
five men newly arrived, each with a great baſket.
Not long after came the King, who with a ſtrained
cheerfulneſs held us in difcourfe, dwelling much
upon the pains he had taken to keep his promiſe.
Suddenly, in ruſhed Mr. Ruffell, crying out that
we were all betrayed. And fo it proved; for, at
leaſt ſeven hundred favages, well armed, had en-
vironed the houſe, and were in the fields round
about. The King evidently gueffed what Ruffell
had faid, as we could well perceive by his geftures
and behaviour.
Some of our company, too, ſeemed to be greatly
difmayed, fo to encourage them, I made a fpeech
to the following effect: "Worthy countrymen,
192
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
were the miſchiefs of my feeming friends no more
than the danger of theſe enemies, I little care
were there as many more, did you dare do but as
I. But this is my torment; that if I eſcape them,
our malicious Council, with their open-mouthed
minions, will make me fuch a peace-breaker (in
their opinions in England) as will break my neck.
I would wish thoſe here, that make theſe ſeem
faints, and me an oppreffor. But this is the worſt
of all, wherein I pray you aid me with your
opinions. Should we begin with them, and fur-
priſe the King, we cannot keep him and defend
well ourſelves. If we fhould each kill our man,
and fo proceed with all in the houſe, the reft will
all fly; then ſhall we get no more than the bodies
that are flain, and fo ftarve for victual. As for
their fury, it is the leaſt danger, for well you know,
being alone, and affaulted by two or three hundred
of them, I made them, by the help of God, com-
pound to fave my life. And we are fixteen, and
they are but ſeven hundred at the moſt ; and
affure yourſelves, God will fo affift us, that if you
dare ſtand but to diſcharge your pieces, the very
ſmoke will be fufficient to affright them. Yet,
howfoever, let us fight like men, and not die like
ſheep for by that means you know God hath oft
delivered me, and fo I truft will now. But first, I
will deal with them, to bring it to paſs that we
A Challenge.
193
may fight for ſomething, and draw them to it by
conditions. If you like this notion, promiſe me
you will be valiant."
cr
It was lucky that time did not permit any argu-
ment or debate upon my ſpeech, the neceffity for
preſent action being manifeft, fo all vowed to
execute whatever I ſhould attempt, or die. Where-
upon, in plain terms, I thus addreffed the King:
“I fee, Opechancanough, your plot to murder me,
but I fear it not. As yet your men and mine have
done no harm, but by our direction. Take there-
fore your arms, you ſee mine, my body ſhall be as
naked as yours: the Ifle in your river is a fit place,
if be contented: and the conqueror, of us two,
fhall be lord and mafter over all our men. If you
have not enough, take time to fetch more, and
bring what number you will: fo every one bring
a baſket of corn, against all which I will take the
value in copper; you fee I have but fifteen men,
and the game at which you and I will play, is the
conqueror takes all."
you
This open challenge was not to the King's taſte,
nor was it after their manner, for they are accuſtomed
to do nothing openly, they can do by craft; and
here, had I not been on the alert, they might have
fucceeded. For the King, who was guarded by
fifty or fixty of his chief men, ſeemed to wiſh to
appeaſe my ſuſpicion of unkindneſs, and ſpake to
•
194
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
:
me of a great prefent he wished to give me, which
was waiting for me at the door. But this feeming
kindneſs was only to draw me out of the door,
where the bait was guarded by at leaſt two hundred
men, and thirty under a great tree (that lay athwart
as a barricado) each having his arrow fitted to the
bow-ftring ready to fhoot. I commanded one of
our party, whom I will not name, to go and fee
what manner of deceit they were about to practiſe,
and to receive the prefent, but he was afraid, and
refuſed to go on which the gentlemen of my
little band, and, indeed, all the reft of them, were
importunate to go, but I would not permit them,
being vexed at that Coward. I commanded
Lieutenant Percie, Mafter West, and the reft to
make good the houſe, and Mafter Powell, and
Mafter Bebethland I told off to guard the door,
and then, being in a great rage, I fnatched the
King by his long lock, which he wore after their
faſhion, and in the midſt of his men, and had my
piſtol ready bent against his cheft. And thus
I led the trembling King, who was near dead with
fear, amongſt all his people, and there he delivered
up to me his vambrace, bow, and arrows, after
which it was but a ſmall matter to get all his men
to throw down their arms, they being utterly
aftounded, little dreaming that any one durft, in
that manner, have uſed their King, who, to eſcape,

Addrefs to the Pamaunkees.
195
beſtowed his prefents with good earneft, albeit
with fadneſs. Then I caufed a great number to
come before me unarmed, and, ftill holding the
NA
Smith taketh the King of Pamavakee prisoner 1608
King by the hair of his head, I fpake to them to
this effect:
"I fee (you Pamaunkees) the great defire you
02
196
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
2
have to kill me, and my long ſuffering your
injuries hath emboldened you to this preſumption.
The reaſon why I have forborne your infolencies,
is the promiſe I made you (before the God I
ſerve) to be your friend, till you give me juft
cauſe to be your enemy. If I keep my vow, my
God will keep me; you cannot hurt me; if I
break it, He will deſtroy me. But if you ſhoot
but one arrow, or ſhed but one drop of blood of
any of my men, or ſteal the leaſt of theſe beads
or copper, I ſpurn you here before me with my
foot. You ſhall fee I will not ceafe revenge (if
once I begin), fo long as I can hear where to find
one of your nation that will not deny the name of
Pamaunk. I am not now at Raffaweak, half drowned
with mire, where you took me priſoner; yet then,
for your keeping your promiſe, and your good
ufage and faving my life, I fo affect you, that your
denials of treachery do half perfuade me to miſtake
myſelf. But if I be the mark you aim at, here I
am; ſhoot he that dare. You promiſed to freight
my fhip ere I departed, and fo you fhall, or I
mean to load her with your dead carcafes; yet,
if as friends you will come and trade, I once more
promiſe not to trouble you, except you give me
the firſt occafion, and your King ſhall be free and
be my friend, for I am not come to hurt him or
any of you."
*
+
Treachery of the Savages.
197
Upon this, away went their bows and arrows,
and men, women, and children brought in their
commodities. For two or three hours they fo
thronged about me, that they over-wearied me,
ſo that I retired to reſt, leaving Mafter Bebethland
and Mafter Powell to receive their prefents; and
now mark the treachery of theſe favages, for fome
of them perceiving me faſt aſleep, and the guard
ſomewhat careleffly diſpoſed, about forty or fifty
of their chief men, armed either with a club or
an Engliſh fword, began to enter the houſe, fol-
lowed by two or three hundred others, who
preſſed to ſecond them. The noiſe and haſte they
made did ſo ſhake the houſe, that they awoke me
from my fleep, and being amazed at this fudden
fight, I ftraightway betook myſelf to my fword
and target.
Maſter Crashaw and fome foldiers
came at that moment to my affiftance, and charged
them in like manner, whereat they thronged fafter
backward than before they did forward. Having
cleared the houſe of them, it was not long before
the King, who was aware that his treacherous
plan had failed, came with fome of his chiefs, and
with long oration tried to excufe the intrufion.
It was the beſt policy for me to pretend to believe
him, and fo I did, and the reft of the day was
ſpent with much kindneſs, the Indians again
renewing their preſents with their beſt provifions,
•
198
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
and whatſoever I gave them they feemed there-
with well contented.
CHAPTER XVII.
WOW in the meantime, after our departure, a
Now
great event happened at the Fort, which was
this Mafter Scrivener, whom I ever regarded as
myſelf, having received letters from England,
telling him to make himſelf either Cæfar or
nothing, began to decline in his affection for me,
and would fain have croffed my defire to ſurpriſe
Powhatan. A few days after my departure, he
would needs go vifit the Iſle of Hogs, and took
with him Captain Waldo (although I had eſpecially
appointed him to come to my affiſtance in caſe of
need,) together with Mafter Anthony Gofnoll and
eight others; but fo violent was the wind, for it
was then the depth of winter, and an extremely
frozen time, that the boat fank, but where, or how,
none ever knew; the fkiff was much over-laden,
and could ſcarce have lived had the been empty,
in fuch an extreme tempeft, but he could be
diverted of no perfuafion, although Waldo and an
hundred others thought how it would turn out.
Their bodies were firſt found by the favages, and it
greatly encouraged them in their conduct toward us
Mafter Wyffin's Expedition.
199
in after-time. It was needful that I ſhould know
of this miſhap, but although all were aware of its
neceffity, none could be found to undertake it, the
journey being refuſed by all in the Fort, fave only
Mafter Richard Wyffin, and he alone undertook
the performance thereof.
In his journey to meet me, he was encountered
with many dangers and difficulties in all parts, as
he went on his way; and on the night he lodged
with Powhatan, he perceived fuch preparations
for war, that, not finding me there, he did affure
himſelf that ſome miſchief was intended. Poca-
hontas hid him for a time, and ſent thoſe that
purſued him the clean contrary way to ſeek him,
and by her means, by extraordinary bribes, and
much trouble, after, three days' travel, he found us
at length, when we were in the midft of theſe
turmoils. Knowing the effect this unhappy news
would have upon our men, I fwore him to conceal
it from the company, and I diſſembled my forrow
with the beſt countenance I could, and when the
night approached, I went fafely aboard with all
my foldiers, leaving Opecbancanough at liberty,
as I had promiſed, and then went to vifit Pow-
· batan.
Now Powhatan had breathed forth fire and
fury, and had fo extremely threatened his men
with death if they did not kill me, that the next
.
·
"
0
-
2
200
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
day they appointed that all the country fhould
come to trade unarmed; yet even theſe poor
ſavages were unwilling to be treacherous, fave
that they were ſo conſtrained, hating fighting with
me as much as they did hanging-ſuch fear had
they of good fuccefs. The next morning the
fun had not long appeared before the fields
appeared covered with people carrying baſkets to
tempt us on ſhore, but they would not trade nor
fell us anything except that I was prefent; feeing
which, I would not go aſhore, or, if ſo, it would be
be in company of fome well armed, and they could
not endure the fight of a gun.
Failing to lure me aſhore, they began to depart,
which when I faw, being unwilling to loſe fo great a
booty, I made moſt of the men in the pinnace
and the barges hide themſelves, as an ambuſcado,
and only accompanied by Lieutenant Percie,
Mafter Weft, and Mafter Ruffell, all well armed,
I went on fhore; and others I appointed to receive
what was brought, but they were unarmed. The
favages came down in large numbers, and, knowing
that I could uſe the bank of the river as a trench, I
drew them well within reach of my ambuſcado. As
I was not to be perfuaded to vifit the King, he, know-
ing the moſt of us to be unarmed, came to vifit me
with two or three hundred men, in the form of two
half-moons, and with fome twenty men, and many
F
The Savages Flee.
201
women, with painted baſkets. But when they
approached fomewhat near us, their women and
children fled, for when they had thus environed
us, they thought their purpoſe fure, yet they fo
trembled with fear, that they were fcarce able to
fit their arrows to their bow-ftrings. There I
ſtood with my three companions, with our guns
ready to fire, looking at them till they were well
in reach of my ambuſcado, who, upon the word
being given, diſcovered themſelves, and we retired
to the barge. Which, when the ſavages perceived,
away they fled, fhowing the ufe of their heels to
the beſt advantage.
That night I fent Mafter Crafſhaw and Maſter
Ford to James Town to warn Captain Winne how I
was fituated, and as they journeyed, they met four
or five of the Dutchmen's confederates who had
left the Fort, intending to join Powhatan. Theſe
rogues were fore aftoniſhed at being thus con-
fronted, and, ſtammering out an excufe that they
were but roaming about, and to difarm the fuf-
picion of the gentlemen that they intended to run
to the favages, they returned to the Fort, and
there continued.
The favages hearing our barge go down the
river in the night, were fo terribly afraid that we
had ſent for more men (we having fo much threat-
ened their ruin, to burn their houſes, and to de-
.
++
!
i
.
;.
4.
甲
​·
1
I
202
+
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ftroy their boats and weirs) that the next day the
King ſent me a chain of pearls, in order to get me
to change my mind and ſtop, promifing, although
they were ſhort of provifions themſelves, to freight
our ſhip and bring the corn on board, ſo that we
could have no fufpicion of their conduct. And in
five or fix days after, from all parts of the country
within the compaſs of ten or twelve miles, although
it was extreme froft and fnow, they brought us
provifions on their naked backs.
Yet even now muſt they needs be treacherous,
and, had their ſkill been equal to their foul inten-
tions, both I, Mafter Weft, and ſome others, had
been poiſoned. As it was, it did but make us
fick, and thus expelled itſelf. Wecuttanow, a ftout
young fellow, knowing he was fufpected of bring-
ing this poiſoned prefent, and feeing that I had
but a few followers, whilſt he had forty or fifty
companions, bragged fo proudly about it, as it
ſeemed as though he expected to encounter a
revenge. Which, when I perceived, I took him
out of the midſt of his company, and did not only
beat him foundly, but ſpurned him like a dog, as
if I fcorned to do him any worſe miſchief. Where-
upon all of them fled into the woods, thinking they
had done a great matter to have fo well eſcaped, and
the townſmen remaining, prefently freighted our
barge to be rid of our company, making many
¡
Policy Towards the Natives.
203
excuſes for Wecuttanow (who was Powhatan's ſon),
and they told us that if we would fhow them him
that brought the poiſon, they would deliver him to
us to puniſh as we pleaſe.
Men may think it ftrange that there ſhould be
fo great a ftir about a little corn, but had it been
gold, we might more eafily have gotten it,
and had I not obtained it, the Colony would
have ſtarved. We may be thought very patient
for enduring all thoſe injuries, yet it was only by
frightening them we got all we defired, and all they
had; whereas, had we revenged ourſelves, then by
their lofs, had we been loft. We fearched alfo the
countries of Youghtanund and Mattapannent, where
the people imparted the little they had, with fuch
complaints, lamentations, and tears from the eyes
of women and children, that there is no man,
calling himſelf a Chriftian, but what would have
been fatisfied and moved with compaffion. But
had this happened in October, November, or
December, we might have freighted a ſhip of forty
tons, and twice as much might have been had from
the rivers of Rapahannock, Patawomek, and Paw-
tuxum.
Still, and this was the main occafion of our thus
temporizing, I wiſhed to part friends with them, fo
as to give Powhatan the lefs caufe to fly, for I ftill
intended to carry out my plan, and furpriſe him
..
:
-
.
;
¿
•
-
204
Difcourfes. of Capt. John Smith.
and take his ſtore of provifion. So we returned by
his way, and, when we came to his town, the better
to effect my purpoſe, I fent Mafter Wyffin and
Mafter Coe afhore to diſcover how things were, and
to make way for my intended project. But what
think you? They found thoſe curfed, treacherous
Dutchmen had caufed Powhatan to abandon his new
houſe, and his town, and carry away all his corn and
provifion; and not only fo, but even the people
were fo ill affected, that they were in great doubt
whether they ſhould have eſcaped with their lives.
So, finding my intent fruftrated, that there was
nothing now to be had, and that it was an unfit
time to revenge my injuries, I fent one whom I
could truft, Mafter Michael Phettiplace, by land to
James Town, whither we failed with all the ſpeed
we could. And, indeed, when I came to reckon
up, we had not done badly, for at the coſt of only
25 lbs. of copper, and 50 lbs. of iron and beads, we
had got enough provifions to have kept our forty-
fix men for fix weeks, befides giving to every man,
as a reward, a month's provifions over and above,
Yet did we deliver into ſtore at James Town, after
our arrival, near 200 lbs. weight of deer's fat and
479 bufhels of corn.
After the departure of the fhips, all the provi-
fion in ſtore (fave that which I had got) was ſo
rotten by reaſon of laſt ſummer's rain, and alſo that
Capt. Smith Addreſſes his Men. 205
·
it was eaten by rats and worms, that the hogs
would ſcarce eat it. Yet it was the foldiers' diet
until our return, when we found nothing done, fave
that our victual was ſpent, and that the moſt part
of our tools, and a good part of our arms, had
been conveyed to the favages. But when we came.
to reckon up our ſtore, I found fufficient to laſt
till the next harveſt, ſo that we thought no more
of ſtarving, and the company was divided into
tens, fifteens, or fuch numbers as the buſineſs
required. We ſpent fix hours a day in work, and
the rest in paſtime and merry exerciſes, in order
to keep up the fpirits of our men, but ſtill the
greateſt number were froward, and their untoward-
neſs cauſed me to addrefs them as followeth :
:
"Countrymen, the long experience of our late
miferies, I hope, is fufficient to perſuade everyone
to a preſent correction of himſelf, and think not
that either my pains, or the Adventurers' purſes, will
ever maintain you in idleneſs and floth. I fpeak
not this to you all, for divers of you, I know,
deſerve both honour and reward. Better, then, is
yet here to be had; but the greater part muſt be
induſtrious, or ſtarve, no matter however you have
been heretofore tolerated by the authority of the
Council, differently from that I have often com-
manded you. You fee now that power refteth
wholly in myſelf. You must obey this now for a
!
+
·
·
•
J
206
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
law, that be that will not work ſhall not eat (except
by fickneſs he be difabled), for the labours of thirty
or forty honeft and induſtrious men fhall not be
confumed to maintain an hundred and fifty idle
loiterers. And though you prefume that the autho-
rity here is but a fhadow, and that I dare not
touch the lives of any of you, but mine own muſt
anſwer for it; the Letters Patent ſhall each week
be read to you, whofe contents will tell you the
contrary. I would wiſh you, therefore, without
contempt, ſeek to obferve thoſe orders fet down
for there are no more Councillors to protect you,
nor to curb my endeavours. Therefore, he
that offendeth, let him affuredly expect his due
puniſhment."
By degrees I got them into better ways, for I
made a lift or table, which was a public memorial,
and eaſy of acceſs, and for every man to fee, of each
man's deferts, and the amount of work he had done,
in order to encourage the good, and with fhame, to
ſpur on the reft to amendment. By this means
many became very induftrious, yet were there more
who, by puniſhment, performed their buſineſs,
for all were ſo taſked that no excufe could prevail
to deceive me. And yet all this time the Dutch-
men's friends and confederates, who were within
the Fort, ſo cloſely and privately conveyed them
powder, ſhot, fwords, and tools, that though we
Dutch Treachery.
207
could find out the defect, we could not find by
whom it was taken till too late.
CHAPTER XVIII.
OW theſe accurfed traitors, the Dutchmen,
Nwere
were not content with fimply robbing us,
they plotted to take away my life, as you fhall
hear. Powhatan kindly entertained them, ſo that
they might inftruct his favages in the ufe of our
arms, and finding their friends and conforts not
following them as they expected, in order to
find out the cauſe, they ſent one of their number,
named Francis, a ftout young fellow, difguifed
like a favage, to the Glafs Houſe, a place in the
woods, near a mile from James Town; which
place they uſed as a rendezvous for all their
unfufpected villany. Well, they got forty men to
lie in ambuſcado for me, but I no fooner heard of
this Dutchman than I fent to apprehend him, but
he was gone; yet, to prevent his return to Pow-
hatan, I preſently deſpatched twenty armed men
after him, and I myſelf returned from the Glass
Houſe alone.
And here I fell in with another adventure, which
had gone nigh to have coft me my life, for as I was
walking home alone, mufing on the affairs of the
3
t

208
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
Colony, I perceived a moft ftrong and ftout favage,
the King of Pafpabegh, who with many lures and
fubtle devices ftrove to entice me into his ambush,
but when he found that all his perfuafions were of
none effect, and feeing me all unarmed, fave with
my faulchion, he attempted to have ſhot me, but
this I prevented, by at once grappling with him.
C. Smith takes the King of Pafpahegh prisoner. A 3609
But if I prevented him from fhooting me, he alſo
hindered me from drawing and ufing my faul-
chion, fo there was nothing for it but to fairly
wreftle for our lives. His great height and ftrength
were greatly in his favour, fo that by fheer force he
bore me into the river to have drowned me: and in
the water did a fearful ftruggle enfue. More than
A Trial of Strength.
209
once I thought that furely I ſhould have the worſt
of it, and ſo, in good truth, do I think even now,
had it not have been that I got fuch a good hold
and fair grip of his throat, that I had near ſtrangled
the King, and then was able to draw my faulchion,
with which I was going to cut off his head, but he
begged his life fo pitifully, that I ſpared him, and
leading him prifoner to James Town, had him
put in chains.
The Dutchman, ere long, was alſo brought in,
and though all this time his villany was fufpected,
yet nothing could be abfolutely proved againſt him,
and he feigned a pretty tale to Captain Winne, who,
however, could not underſtand him rightly, by
reafon of his not knowing the language well. The
ſtory that he told was, that in order to fave their
lives, they were obliged to accommodate themſelves
to Powhatan, and were conſtrained by him to teach
the favages the uſe of our arms. He complained
bitterly of having been detained perforce, and faid
he had made this eſcape at the hazard of his life,
and had not meant to return, but was only walking
in the woods to gather walnuts. Yet for all this
fair tale, there was fo fmall an appearance of truth
in it, and Pafpahegh did fo plainly tell us of the
man's treachery, that without more ado I laid my
knave by the heels.
Now, I was minded to fave the poor favage's life
P
210
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
on condition that my Dutchmen were returned to
me, and, truly, the King did his beſt towards that end,
fending daily meffengers to Powhatan, but they one
and all returned with the fame ftory, that the
Dutchmen would not return, and that Powhatan
neither ſtayed, nor hindered them: yet were they not
able to bring them fifty miles on men's backs. I
treated Pafpahegh with kindneſs, and allowed his
wives, children, and other people to come and viſit
him. They came laden with preſents, which he
liberally beſtowed to make his peace. Indeed I
think he muſt have needs given his guard
fomething of more value than ordinary, for they
grew negligent and guarded him not aright, ſo that
although he was fettered, he eſcaped. I was away
at the time, but Captain Winne purſued after him,
yet he found fuch troops of favages, who had come
to reſcue their King, that they hindered his paffage,
although they exchanged many volleys of ſhot, and
flights of arrows.
When I returned to the Fort, I heard of this, and
at once took two favages prifoners, called Kemps
and Tuſſore, who were the two moſt exact villains
in all the country. I then fent theſe two in charge
of Captain Winne, and Lieutenant Percie, together
with fifty chofen men to revenge the injury; and fo
had they done, if they had followed my inftructions,
or had been adviſed by thoſe two villains, whom I
•
Reprifals.
21r
purpoſely fent with them; they would have
betrayed both King and kindred for a piece of
copper. But Captain Winne trifled away the
night, and the favages, next morning, at the rifing
of the fun, taunted him, and braved and dared him
to come afhore to fight. Both fides let fly at each
other for a good time, but I heard of no hurt that
happened to either; all they did was to take two
canoes, burn the King's houſe, and having done
this, they returned to James Town.
I
Now I liked not this child's play, and fearing that
theſe bravados, which came to none effect, would
but encourage the favages, began again myſelf to
try conclufions with them, and killed fome fix or
ſeven of them, taking as many others priſoners.
burnt their houſes, took their boats, and all their
fiſhing weirs, planting ſome of them at James Town
for my own uſe, and now I refolved to be in earneſt,
and not to ceaſe till I had revenged myſelf on all
them that had injured me. In my journey for this
purpoſe I paffed by Pafpahegh going towards
Chicabomania, and the favages did their best to
draw me into their ambuſcados, and feeing that I
cared not for them, but was diſregardingly paffing
by their country, they waxed exceeding courageous,
and ſhowed themſelves in their braveft manner.
This was as much as I could ftand, ſo to try their
valour, I could not but let fly, and, ere I could land,
•
P 2
212
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
they recogniſed me, and no fooner did they know
me, but they threw down their arms and defired
peace. Their orator was a lufty young fellow
named Okaning, whofe worthy diſcourſe deſerveth
to be remembered. And thus it was:
"Captain Smith, my mafter is here preſent in
the company, thinking it to be Captain Winne (of
whom he intended to have been revenged, having
never offended him), and not you. If he hath
offended you in eſcaping your impriſonment, the
fiſhes ſwim, the fowls fly, and the very beaſts
ſtrive to eſcape the fnare and line. Then blame
not him, being a man. He would entreat you to
remember, you being a prifoner, what pains he
took to fave your life. If, fince, he hath injured
you, he was conftrained to it: but, howfoever,
you have revenged it with our too great lofs. We
perceive, and well know, how you intend to deſtroy
us, that are here to entreat and defire your friend-
ſhip, and to enjoy our houſes, and plant our fields,
of whoſe fruit you fhall participate; for we can
plant anywhere, though with more labour, and we
know you cannot live, if you want our harveſt,
and that relief we bring you. If you promiſe us
peace, we will believe you; if you proceed in
revenge, we will abandon the country."
Upon theſe terms I promiſed them peace,
till they did us an injury, upon condition they
The Simplicity of the Natives.
213
ſhould bring in provifion. Thus we all departed
good friends, and fo we continued till I left the
country. This ſhows pretty plainly the proper
courſe to be purſued towards ſavages: to ſuffer no
injury from them, but to repay it, and then from
fearing, they will get to love you.
And now, after all this ſeverity and flaughter I
muſt needs tell you of a fomewhat laughable thing
that happened after my return to James Town, by
which you will fee what fimple folk theſe favages.
were. When I returned, complaint was made to
me that the Indians of Chickabomania, who all this
while traded with us and feemed our friends, were,
under colour thereof, only thieves. Amongst other
things, a piſtol had been ſtolen, and the thief
had fled, ſo two proper young fellows, that were
brothers, and who were known to be his con-
federates, were apprehended. Now in order to
regain this piſtol, one of them was impriſoned, and
kept as a hoſtage, whilft the other was let looſe, and
ſent to return the piſtol again within twelve hours,
or his brother would be hanged.
pitied the poor naked favage in his cold, damp
dungeon, and fent him fome victual, and fome
charcoal for a fire. Ere midnight came, his
brother returned with the piftol, and then we went
together to ſee the prifoner, but, to my grievous
horror, I found the poor favage fo fmothered and
UorM
214 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
:
fuffocated by the ſmoke of the charcoal, that he lay
on the floor of the dungeon as if he were dead,
beſides which he was piteouſly burnt by reaſon of
falling into the fire. The other moft lamentably
bewailed his death, and broke forth into ſuch bitter
agonies that I, to quiet him, told him that, if
hereafter they would not fteal, I would bring him
to life again, yet little thought I, he could be
recovered. Yet we did our beſt. with aqua vitæ
and vinegar, and at length it pleaſed God to reftore
him again to life, but fo drunk and affrighted that
he ſeemed lunatic, the which as much tormented
and grieved the other, as before to fee him dead.
However, upon folemn promife of their good
behaviour, I promiſed to recover him of his malady;
and directed he ſhould be laid by a fire to fleep,
and in the morning, having well flept, he recovered
his perfect fenfes. His wounds from the burning
then having been dreffed, and each a piece of
copper given them, they went away fo well con-
tented that it was ſpread among all the favages for
a miracle, that Captain Smith could make a man
alive that was dead.
Another ſtory will fhow their fimplicity. An
ingenious favage, one of Powhatan's tribe, having
gotten a great bag of powder, and a foldier's iron
back-plate, was at Werowocomoco, amongſt a many
of his companions, and, to ſhow his extraordinary
Maou
Powhatan Defires Peace.
215
ſkill, he did dry it over the fire in the iron back-
plate, as he had ſeen the foldiers do at James Town.
But he dried it too long, and whilft fome of his
friends were peeping over it to ſee his ſkill, it took
fire, and blew him and one or two more to death,
and ſo ſcorched the reft that they had little pleafure
to meddle any more with powder.
Theſe and many other fuch pretty accidents, fo
amazed and affrighted both Powhatan and all his
people, that from all parts, with prefents, they
defired peace; returning many ſtolen things which
we never demanded, nor thought of; yea, fuch good
effect had they, that they made rogues ingrain,
honeſt men, for after they happened, thoſe who
were taken ſtealing, were fent back, both by
Powhatan and his people, to James Town, to receive
whatever puniſhment might be adjudged them.
And fo all the country became quiet, and abfolutely
as free for us as for the favages themſelves.
1
216
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
Now
CHAPTER XIX.
W were we able greatly to follow our bufi-
neſs, and every man was fet his taſk, and
having, as we thought, plenty of food, all worked
with a will, fo that in three months' time, we had
made three or four lafts* of tar, pitch, and ſoap
aſhes; had made an effay, and produced fome glaſs,
dug a well in the Fort, which yielded us excellent
fweet water, which till then was wanting; built fome
twenty houſes; put a freſh roof on to our church,
provided nets and weirs for fiſhing; and to put a
ftop to the raſcality of our diſorderly thieves, and
alſo as a check upon the favages, I had a block-
houſe built in the neck of our Iſle, and kept by a
garriſon, who regulated the trade with the favages,
and none were allowed to pafs, either Chriftian or
native, without an order from me. We digged
and planted fome thirty or forty acres of land, and
all went well with us. Yea, even our live ftock
increaſed to marvel, for our three fows, in
eighteen months, had come to number 60 odd pigs,
and we had near 500 chickens, who gave us no
trouble, but found their own living and brought
themſelves up; but the hogs we tranſported to
* A laſt is a corn meaſure of ten quarters.
-
The Rats Caufe a Famine.
217
Hog Inland, where alfo we built a block-houſe, with
a garriſon, whofe duty it was to give us timely
notice of any ſhipping, and their ſpare time was
employed in making clap-board and wainſcot, and
cutting down trees. We alſo built a fort for a
retreat, near a convenient river upon a high com-
manding hill, very hard to be affaulted and eaſy to
be defended, but ere it could be finiſhed, fomething
happened which cauſed the work to be ſtayed.
Which was none other than this. In going over
our ftores of caſked corn, we found it half rotten,
and the reſt conſumed by thouſands of rats (which
had fo increaſed from thoſe left by the fhip, that
their numbers were incredible), that we knew not
how to keep the little we had got left. This did
drive us all to our wits' ends, for there was nothing
in the country but what nature afforded. Until
this time we had kept the two roguish Indians
Kemps and Tuffore as fettered prifoners, and made
them do double taſks, and teach us how to order
and plant our fields; but now, for want of victual,
we were fain to ſet them at liberty, but, marvellous
to fay, they fo liked our company, that they did
not defire to go from us. And the country people
round about, to teſtify their love for us, did, for
fixteen days' continuance, bring us, at the very
leaft, 100 a day of ſquirrels, turkeys, deer, and
other wild beafts. But this want of corn put a
218
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ftop to all our works, it being work enough to
ſupply ourſelves with victual.
I fent 60 or 80 men under Enfign Laxon down
the river, to live upon oyſters, and twenty under
Lieutenant Percie to try for fishing at Point Com-
fort; but they did no good, for in fix weeks they
did not once caft out the net, for Percie was fick,
having been forely burnt by gunpowder. Mafter
Weft with twenty men went up to the Falls, but
found nothing but a few acorns; whilft of what
we had in ſtore, every man had an equal fhare.
Till this preſent time, the Colony had been fed by
the exertions of fome thirty or forty of us; but
now each man had to work hard to get victual.
Fortunately we caught more fturgeon than man or
dog could devour, and the induſtrious amongst us
dried and pounded it, mixing it with caviar, and
with forrel and other wholeſome herbs, ſo that it
made a good food in the place of bread and meat.
Others would gather as much Tockwogh roots
in a day as would make them bread to laſt a week.
This root is the chief food of the favages, and it
groweth like a flag in marfhy places. The roots
are of the greatneſs and tafte of potatoes. And
the manner the Indians prepare it for food is as
follows. They cover a great many of them with
oak leaves and fern, and then cover all with earth,
after the manner of a coal pit; on this they burn a
!
Dangers from Within.
219.
great fire for twenty-four hours before they dare
eat it. Raw, it is no better than poiſon, and even
if roafted, except it be tender and thoroughly
cooked, or fliced and dried in the fun, mixed with
forrel and meal or fuch like, it will prickle and
torment the throat extremely, and yet in ſummer
they uſe this ordinarily for bread. So that what
with this proviſion, and the wild fruits we could
obtain, and what we caught, we lived very well,
having regard to fuch a diet.
You would think that in fuch a ftate of things
all would have turned to, with a will, to procure
victual, but ſuch was the ftrange condition of some
150 of our company, that had they not been
forced, nolens, volens, to gather and prepare their
victual, they would have all ſtarved, or have eaten
one another. Yea, theſe diſtracted, gluttonous
loiterers would, had I not have ftopped it, and
ſtrictly forbidden it, have fold not only our kettles,
hoes, tools, and iron, but fwords, guns, and the
very ordnance and houſes, if they could only have
been fed and been idle. They would have given
the favages all they had for the fruits they did
bring in; eſpecially for one baſket of corn which
they heard of as being at Powhatan's, fifty miles
from our Fort. Though I bought near half of it
to fatisfy their humours, yet to have had the other
half they would have fold their fouls, though it
•
به

220
Difcourjes of Capt. John Smith.
.:
would not have been fufficient to have kept them
for a week. Perpetually were they worrying me,
and thouſands were the fuggeftions and devices, to
get me to abandon the country. I was conftrained,
through want, to endure their amazing follies,
until I found out the author, one Dyer, a moſt
crafty fellow, and my ancient maligner, whom I
worthily puniſhed, and then I argued the caſe with
the reſt in this manner :
"Fellow foldiers, I did little think any fo falſe
to report, or fo many to be fo fimple to be per-
ſuaded, that I either intend to ftarve you, or that
Powhatan at this preſent hath corn for himſelf,
much leſs for you; or that I would not have it, if
I knew where it was to be had. Neither did I
think any ſo malicious, as I now fee a great many ;
yet it ſhall not fo paffionate me, but that I will do
my beſt for my worft maligner. But dream no
longer of this vain hope from Powhatan, not that
I will longer forbear to force
you, from your idle-
neſs, and puniſh you if you rail. But if I find
any more runners for Newfoundland with the
pinnace, let him affuredly look to arrive at the
gallows. You cannot deny but that by the hazard
of my life, many a time I have faved yours, when
(if your own wills had prevailed) you would have
ftarved and will do ftill, whether I will or not;
but I proteft by that God that made me, fince
A Proclamation Against Drones. 22Í
neceffity hath not power to force you to gather for
yourſelves, thoſe fruits the earth doth yield, you
fhall not only gather for yourſelves, but thofe that
are fick. As I never yet had more from the ſtore
than the worſt of you, and all my Engliſh extra-
ordinary provifion that I have, you ſhall fee me
divide among the fick. And the rough food you
ſo fcornfully repine at, when it is put into your
mouths, your ftomachs can digeft it; if you would
have better you ſhould have brought it. Now,
therefore, I will take a courſe by which you fhall
provide what is to be had. The fick fhall not
ftarve, but equally fhare of all our labours; and
he that gathereth not every day as much as I do,
the next day fhall be fent beyond the river, and be
baniſhed from the Fort as a drone, till he amend his
conditions, or ſtarve.”
Many murmured at this order as being very
cruel, but it cauſed the greater part fo well to beftir
themſelves, that of 200, which was the total
number of us (except they were drowned), there
died not over feven: for Captain Winne and
Maſter Leigh, they were dead ere this want hap-
pened, and the reſt died not for want of that which
preferved the others. Many I billeted amongſt
the favages, whereby we got the knowledge of all
their paffages, fields, and habitations, and how to
gather and uſe their fruits as well as themſelves;
222
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
for they did know we had fuch a commanding
power at James Town that they durft not wrong
us of a pin.
As a fact, thoſe poor favages that were thus
billeted, uſed our men fo well, that divers of our
foldiers ran away to fearch for Kemps and Tuffore,
our old priſoners. Glad were thefe favages to
have fuch an opportunity to teftify their love unto
us, for when they came unto them, inſtead of
entertaining them, and fuch things as they had
ftolen, with all their great offers, and promiſes to
revenge their injuries upon me, Kemps first made
himſelf ſport, by ſhowing his countrymen (in their
perſons) how he was uſed, girding at them with
this law, that thoſe who would not work muſt not
eat, till they were near starved to death, and,
befides, they continually threatened to beat them
to death; neither could they get away from him,
till that (he and his conforts having fufficiently
fported with them) they brought them perforce to
me, which well contented me. I ſo puniſhed them,
that many others who alfo intended to follow them,
were rather contented to labour at home, than
adventure to live idly among the favages (of whom
there was more hope to make better Chriftians,
and good fubjects, than the one half of thoſe that
counterfeited themſelves both). For fo afraid
were all thoſe kings and the better fort of the
Return of Master Sicklemore.
223
people to diſpleaſe us, that fome of the bafer fort
that we have extremely hurt and puniſhed for their
villanies, would beg of us that we ſhould not tell
it to their kings or countrymen, who would alfo
repuniſh them, and afterwards return them to
James Town, to fhow me the teftimony of their
love for us.
And now Mafter Sicklemore, whom you may
remember I ſent on an expedition, returned from
Chawwonoke; but found little hope and lefs cer-
tainty of them who were left by Sir Walter Raleigh.
His report was that the river was not great, and the
people but few, the country moſtly overgrown with
pines, and here and there did grow ftragglingly,
Pemminaco, which we call filk grafs. But by
the river the ground was good, and exceedingly
fertile.
Mafter Nathaniel Powell and Anas Todkill went
in fearch of them, and were conducted to the
Mangoags to fearch for them there; but nothing
could they learn, fave that they were all dead. The
King of the Mangoags was an honeft, proper,
promiſe-keeping king, and of all of them did ever
beſt affect us; and though to his falfe gods he was
very zealous, yet he would confefs our God as much
exceeded his, as our guns did his bows and arrows;
and he would oft-times fend me many prefents,
begging of me to pray to my God for rain, or his
224
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
corn would perish, for that his own gods were
angry. They conducted my embaffage for three
days through the woods, into a high country towards
the fouth-weft, where they faw here and there a
little cornfield, by ſome little ſpring or ſmall brook,
but no river could they fee. The people were in
all reſpects like others, fave in their language; they
live moftly upon roots, fruits, and wild beafts, and
trade with thofe that live towards the fea and in
more fertile countries for dried fish and corn, whilft
they themſelves barter ſkins.
Now I never ceaſed in my endeavours to recover
the scoundrel Dutchmen, and alfo one Bentley,
another fugitive, and I thought I was doing well to
that intent when I employed one William Volday,
a Switzer by birth, as a go-between; empowering
him to uſe promiſes of pardon, fo that we might
regain them. Little did we then fufpect this
double-dyed villain of any treachery, but he plainly
taught me the leffon that oft-times where there was
the moſt truſt, there was the greateſt treafon; for
this wicked hypocrite, who impofed upon me by
the feeming hate he bore to the lewd conditions of
his curfed countrymen, took advantage of this
opportunity of his employment to regain them to
convey to them everything they defired to effect
their projects, which were to deſtroy the Colony;
and they would have welcomed even the Spaniard
A Nefarious Plot.
225
with much devotion, or any other, and intended
to do them good fervice if they could only get rid
of us.
They took full advantage of the first opportunity,
for, ſeeing that neceffity had compelled us to dif-
perfe ourſelves, they importuned Powhatan to lend
them his forces, and they would not only deſtroy
our hogs, fire our town, and betray our pinnace,
but they would bring to his fervice and fubjection
the greater part of our company. With this plot
they had acquainted many of the difcontented
amongst us, and many were agreed to join with
them in their devilish enterpriſe. But there were
thoſe of us whoſe Chriftian hearts relented at fuch
un-Chriſtian acts, and Thomas Doufe and Thomas
Mallard voluntarily revealed their plans to me. I
cauſed them to conceal it, and perfuaded them to
continue as if they joined in the plot, only fo to
manage things as to bring the irreclaimable Dutch-
men and the favages in fuch a manner among the
ambuſcadoes I would prepare, that not many of them
ſhould return from our peninfula.
But a rumour of this coming to the ears of the
impatient multitude, they importuned me to deal
ftraitly with thoſe Dutchmen, and many amongſt
them offered to go and cut their throats before
Powhatan's face. Of thefe two were Lieutenant
Percie and Maſter John Cuderington, two gentle-

226
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
men of as bold, refolute ſpirits as could poffibly be
found. However, I had occafion of other employ-
ment for them, but I allowed Mafter Wyffin and
Sergeant Jeffrey Abbot to go, and ftab, or ſhoot them
wherever they might be found. They departed,
and found the villains with Powhatan; but they had
fuch oily tongues, and made fuch plaufible excuſes,
laying all the blame on Volday, whom they thought
had betrayed them, that Abbot was convinced of
their innocence, and would do nought againſt them,
but Wyffin was willing, as he could perceive only
deceit in them. The King underſtanding their
miffion, and why they had been ſent, preſently fent
meffengers to me, to fignify that it was not his
fault, he neither detained them, nor hindered the
two I had fent from executing my commands; that
he did not, nor would he, maintain them, or any one
elfe, who gave occafion to my difpleaſure.
CHAPTER XX.
UT whilft this buſineſs was in hand there came
BUT
a ſhip, commanded by one Captain Argall, fent
by Maſter Cornelius to trade with the Colony and fiſh
for fturgeon. This veffel was well furniſhed with
wine and much other good proviſions, and though
this was not ſent to us for our uſe, fave in the way
News from Home.
227
of trade, our neceffities were fuch as enforced us to
take it. Argall brought us news of a great fupply,
and preparation, being made for Lord De la Warr,
together with letters taxing me with hard dealing
with the favages, and not returning the fhips
freighted. We kept this ſhip till the fleet arrived,
by which Argall loft a voyage, but we re-victualled
him and fent him back to England, with a true
relation of the cauſes of our fhortcomings, and how
impoffible it was to return the wealth they expected,
or obſerve their inftructions as to enduring the in-
folencies of the favages, or, indeed, to do anything
to any purpoſe, except they would ſend us men and
means by which we could produce that they fo
much deſired, otherwiſe all they did was loft, and the
whole could not but come to confufion.
I diffembled, and took no public note of the
villany of Volday, and one of the Dutchmen named
Adam returned and came home, relying on his
promiſe of pardon, but Samuel ftill ftayed with
Powhatan, thinking to hear fome news he could
avail himſelf of when that the fleet fhould arrive.
However, I knew all their plots, and cared not for
them, for all furrounding people were friendly with
me, and feared me more than Powhatan, and many
of them, for the love they bore me, would have
done anything I would have had them, had any
commotion happened, though the fugitives had
¡
228
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
done all they could to perfuade Powhatan that King
James would kill me for ufing him and his people:
fo unkindly.
Not knowing the truth, and being led away
by the falſe reports of the difaffected, the Treaſurer,
Council, and Company of Virginia, not finding that
return and profit from their adventure that they
expected, and that thoſe who were in the Colony,
not having the means to fubfift of themſelves, were
but a drag on them, they moved his Majefty to call
in their commiffion, and iſſue a new one.
This
was done; the old commiffion was annihilated,
and a new one was made in which Sir Thomas Weft,
Lord De la Warr, was to be General of Virginia,
Sir Thomas Gates, his Lieutenant; Sir George
Somers, Admiral; Sir Thomas Dale, High Marſhall;
Sir Ferdinando Wainman, General of the Horſe;
and other offices to many other worthy gentlemen,
for their lives (though not any of them had ever
been in Virginia excepting Captain Newport, who
was alſo by Patent made Vice-Admiral). Theſe
noble gentlemen brought in fuch great fums of
money that they fent Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George
Somers, and Captain Newport, with nine ſhips, and
five hundred men. Each of theſe captains carried
a copy of this
of this new commiffion, to the intent
that whofoever fhould firft arrive, fhould call in
the old, without the knowledge or conſent of thoſe
Oppofition from Home.
229
who had borne all the brunt of the work, and pre-
pared the way for them; and, indeed, no regard
whatever was paid to us.
All things were ready, and the ſhips fet fail from
England in May, 1609. But, curiouſly enough,
thoſe three captains quarrelled for place and pre-
cedency, ſo that to end the matter, they concluded
that they ſhould all go in one ſhip, which was called
the Sea Venture. A hurricane came on, in which
a fmall Catch periſhed, and the Sea Venture, with an
hundred and fifty men, the three captains, and their
new commiffions, their bills of lading, with all
manner of directions, and the moſt part of their
provifions on board, was a miffing. But feven
ſhips arrived fafely, and amongst them that they
brought, were my old friends Ratliffe (whofe true
name was Sicklemore), Martin, and Archer, befides
many worthy gentlemen of good means and great
parentage.
Theſe three, however, as you may
well imagine, bore me no love. I had fent them to
England, and, as they were now returning, they
made uſe of the voyage to poifon all men's
minds againſt me, fo that the moſt part mortally
hated me, ere ever they faw me.
My ſcouts having informed me of this fleet being
in fight, I, little dreaming of any ſuch ſupply,
ſuppoſed them to be Spaniards, and I foon ſo put
things in order, that I little feared their arrival, nor
230
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
.!
the fuccefs of our encounter; nay, even the favages
were not negligent, on their parts, to aid and affift
us to the beſt of their power. Had it have been
the Spaniard, it would have been better for us
all, for we ſhould not have trufted him, but treated
him as a foe; whereas, when we found out who
they were, we received them as friends and country-
men, which they repaid by doing all in their power
to murder me, ſurpriſe the ſtore, the Fort, and our
lodgings, to ufurp the government, and make us
all their fervants and flaves. To a thoufand mif-
chiefs did thoſe three, Ratliffe, Martin, and Archer,
lead this lewd company, wherein were many unruly
gallants, packed thither by their friends to eſcape
ill deftinies, and thoſe would difpofe and determine
of the government, fometimes to one, the next day
to another; to-day the old commiffion must rule,
to-morrow the new, the next day neither; in fine,
they would rule all, or ruin all. Happy had we
been had they never arrived, and we for ever
abandoned, and, as it were, left to our fortunes;
for on earth, taking the number of us, was never
more confufion, or mifery, than their factions
occafioned.
Now I, feeing the defire that theſe bravos had
to rule, and how my authority was fo unexpectedly
changed, would willingly have left all and have
returned to England: but, feeing alſo that there was
1:
The Tables Turned.
231
ſmall hope that this new commiffion would arrive,
(for there had been a hurricane fuch as feldom hath
been feen) I would no longer fuffer theſe factious
fpirits to have things their own way. It would be
tedious for you to hear of the infinite dangers, plots,
and practices I daily efcaped among this unruly
crew, but this I will fay, that I took fuch order,
as quickly laid the chief of them by the heels,
till my leiſure better ſerved to do them juftice.
Maſter Percie, being very fick, had his requeſt
granted to return to England; I fent Weft, with a
hundred and twenty of the beſt he could chooſe, to
the Falls, at the top of our river, there to ſettle,
and Martin with near as many to Nandfamund,
which was on the oppofite fide of the river, and
both companies had their due proportion of all
provifions according to their numbers.
Before they went, however, my year as Prefident
being near expired, I made Captain Martin Pre-
fident, in order to follow the order by which a
Prefident ſhould be elected every year. But he,
being fully aware of his own infufficiency to fill that
poſt, and knowing full well the untowardneſs of the
company, and their little regard for him, within
three hours afterwards refigned it to me, and I took
up the weary burden once more, only becauſe I felt
that there was no one elfe with fo ftrong a hand,
which was needful, nor with fo good a knowledge
232
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
i
4:
!
of the favages and their ways; and fo Martin went
on his way to Nandfamund.
But he managed things there very badly; the
people there being friendly to us, and having to
give us a certain quantity of corn yearly as a con-
tribution, uſed him kindly; yet fuch was his fooliſh,
jealous fear, that in the midſt of their rejoicing and
mirth, he did ſurpriſe this poor naked king, with
his monuments, houſes, and the ifle he inhabited,
and there fortified himſelf. Yet, being but a poor,
weak creature, and fhowing fo openly that he
was diſtracted with fear, he emboldened the
favages to affault him, kill his men, releaſe their
king, and gather and carry away a thouſand bushels
of corn, he not offering once to interrupt them;
but, inſtead, fent whining to me (who was then at
the Falls) for thirty good fhots, which were imme-
diately fent him from James Town. And when he
had them, he fo well employed them that they did
juſt nothing, but returned again, complaining
bitterly of his tenderneſs: and he came away with
them to James Town, leaving his company to their
fortunes.
Yet the men he had with him were of good ſtuff,
for I may
may tell
you as an inſtance, that one, George
Forrest, who was a man of great courage, and had
fought well, had ſeventeen arrows ſticking into him,
and one ſhot through him, yet lived he fix or ſeven
"
Mafter Weft's Settlement.
233
days, as if he had ſmall hurt, but then, fad to tell,
for want of chirurgery he died.
I
CHAPTER XXI.
TOLD you how that I fent Mafter Weft up to
the Falls, there to found a fettlement; he did ſo,
and preſently returned to James Town. I had my
mifgivings, and quickly followed him, after his firſt
ftart, to ſee how the company fared, and, on my way
thither, I met him, which made me wonder at his
fo quick return. I went on, and found his com-
pany planted moft inconfiderately, in a place not
only ſubject to the river's inundation, but all round
environed with many intolerable inconveniences.
For remedy whereof, I preſently fent to Powhatan
to fell me the place called Powhatan, promifing to
defend him againſt the Monacans. And I offered
him theſe conditions, that he and his people ſhould
reſign me the Fort and houſes, and all that country
for a proportion of copper; that all ftealing of
fenders ſhould be fent to me to receive their puniſh-
ment; that every houſe ſhould pay as a cuftom a
bufhel of corn for an inch fquare of copper, and a
certain quantity of Pocones* as a yearly tribute to
* Pocones is a ſmall root which groweth in the mountains,
which, being dried and beat in powder, turneth red. And

234
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
were to barter at their beft difcretion.
what other commodities they could fpare, they
King James for their protection as a duty; and
35 Mountagnes forest
OULD
Waldens oake
Majons bufhe LD: Lenox rocks
Mangoack Richmonds
VIR
Caterstock
Pananatoc
Nustoc Secota
steps
GIO
Howards Mountaynes
Okanoack
Stuards reach
Bedfords valley
Moratuck flu:
A defcription of part of the ad
ventures of Cap.Smith in Virginia.
Pamuthionoq
Salvage Rocker
Beauchamps plavne
Chawanok fle:
Aute
Añadales Chafe
Metocaum
Caroking
Smith:
309
Setuoc
Purchace lies
Marais
Mecopen
Cotan Cenis Harbor
Mafcoming
Segars grove
Daverse Ile
Tamafqueack
Chepanu
Abigails Ile
Panutup
Layn flu
Palquenock
Salvage Ile
Gordens lie
ays Hygo
Box
Haton
Pomelock
P.Corbett
Da Bamopoque
Bacon-
Heriots lle Towarows end
fapeack
Wildmaids reade
Adams Sound
Barkley
Roanoak
P. Vaughan
Greenevills rodeertfords Ile
Worcester inlet
rundelis fle
300
310
painting their heads and garments. They account it very
this they uſe for fwellings, aches, anointing their joints, and
this excellent place, and thefe good conditions! Not
Can you imagine that thofe furies refufed both
precious, and of much worth.
OPE
SHILD
Scale of 10 Leauges.
46
Vincere
Viuere
Graven and extracted out off general hiflory Virginia, New England, and Somer Iles, by Povert Vaugha
of
The Captain's Authority Defied
235
kind
only did they fo, but they contemned me, my
care, and my authority. They thought fo much
of the Lord General's new commiffion, that they
regarded no one. They fuppofed all the Mona-
cans' country to be full of gold, and made out that
none ſhould come there but whom they pleaſed. I
do now wonder to think how that I, with only five
men, durft adventure among them as I did,
(knowing how greedy they were of my blood), or
to land among them, and impriſon the chief leaders
of theſe mutinies; but their number, being an
hundred and twenty, forced me to retire. Yet, in
the interim, I ſurpriſed one of their boats, where-
with I returned to their ſhip, where was their pro-
viſion, which I alſo took; and well it chanced that
I found the mariners ſo tractable and conſtant, elſe
there had been ſmall poffibility that I ever eſcaped.
But their conduct must not be taken as that of
the whole company, for there were many among
them who perceived the malice of Ratliffe and
Archer and their faction, and would not confort
with them, but ever refted my faithful friends. The
worſt was that thofe poor fouls, the favages, who
daily brought their contribution to me, were fo
tormented by that diforderly company, who ftole
their corn, robbed their gardens, beat them, broke
into their houſes, and made fome of them prifoners,
that they daily complained to me that I had
236 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
J
-
1
brought them as protectors, men worſe than the
Monacans themſelves; and they added that for
love of me they had till then endured it, yet they
defired my pardon, if, hereafter, they defended
themſelves, fince I did not correct them, as they
expected I ſhould have done. Indeed, they impor-
tuned me ſo much to puniſh their miſdemeanours,
and were fo ready to help, that they offered, if I
would but lead them, to fight for me againſt them ;
but this, of courſe, I could not fuffer. I liked not
to leave them as they were, looking upon them as
my charge, even if they were froward, ſo I ſpent nine
days trying to reclaim them, fhowing them the folly
of their dreams, and gilded hopes of South Sea
mines, advantageous trading, and eafy victories,
which they had fo madly conceived; but then,
feeing I could nothing prevail, I fet fail for James
Town.
Now, no fooner was the fhip under fail, and
ſcarcely out of fight, than a little band, of but
twelve favages, affaulted thoſe hundred and twenty
valiant boaſters in their Fort, and, finding ſome
ftraggling in the woods, they flew many, and fo
affrighted the reft that their priſoners eſcaped, and
they ſafely retired with the fwords and cloaks of
thoſe they had flain. By a lucky chance, as it
happed, we had not failed but half a league when
our fhip grounded, and this gave us another chance
A Reconciliation.
237
of fummoning them to a parley; and we found
them all fo ftrangely amazed with this poor filly
affault of twelve favages that they fubmitted them-
ſelves upon any terms to my mercy. When they
had thus humbled themſelves, I took action to pre-
vent fuch happening again, and preſently put by
the heels fix or ſeven of the chief offenders. The
reft I took to Powhatan, and there eſtabliſhed them
right gallantly, for they had a Fort ready built,
prettily fortified with poles and bark of trees, fuffi-
cient to have defended them from all the favages
in Virginia. There were dry houſes for lodging,
and near two hundred acres of ground cleared,
and ready to be planted, and truly none of us
know of any place in Virginia fo delightful, fo
ſtrong, or ſo pleaſant; ſo much fo, indeed, that we
called it Non Such. Then, as I would not leave
them at enmity, I appeaſed the ſavages, and each
party gave back what had been taken from the
other; fo that all were friends.
I had appointed new officers in command, and
was again ready to depart, when at that inftant
Captain Weft arrived, and thoſe men, whoſe fub-
miffion to me had lately been fo humble, now began
once more to ſtrut and fume, and fo worked upon
his gentle nature that new turmoils arofe. For now
that they were maſters once more of all their victual,
munition, and other things, their factions grew to
238
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ſuch a height that I fairly gave them over to their
own devices, and left them to their fortunes,
when the fools at once abandoned Non Such and
returned again to the open air, at Weft's Fort.
Sick at heart, and hopeleſs of doing any good with
fuch wrong-headed affes, I left for James Town,
and what happened to me on that journey ſhall I
never forget.
I was quietly fleeping in the boat (for the ſhip
had returned two days before), when either by
accident, or maliciouſly of purpoſe (which I know
not, nor will preſume to judge, but the good God,
He knows), fomeone fired my powder pouch, which
tore the fleſh from my body and thighs, nine or
ten inches ſquare, in a moft pitiful manner. Awak-
ened from my fleep in this rude way, being dazed
and yet in intolerable agony, to quench the tor-
menting fire, which was frying me in my clothes,
I leaped overboard into the deep river, where I was
near drowned ere they could recover me.
It was a
very grievous wound, and I was in the foreſt pain,
yet in this eftate, without either chirurgeon or
chirurgery, I had to go near a hundred miles.
When I arrived at James Town I caufed all things
to be prepared, either for peace or war, in order to
obtain proviſion, and whilſt theſe things were pro-
viding, I fettled that Ratliffe, Archer, and the reſt
of their confederates, fhould come to their trials.
1
•
A Murderous Plot.
239
But their guilty confciences fearing a juft reward
for their deferts, and feeing me unable to ſtand,
and nigh bereft of my fenfes by reaſon of the
torment of my pain, the villains plotted to have
me murdered in my bed. But God fo protected
me, that the heart of him that ſhould have given
fire to that mercileſs piſtol (I will not give his
name, for I have forgiven him the injury he
would have done me), did fail him at the laſt
moment, and he could not do the treacherous deed.
They, finding themſelves thwarted in this their
villanous defign, did join together to ufurp the
government, thinking thereby to eſcape their
puniſhment.
I had notice of their projects, and my old foldiers,
my truſty friends, who had ſtood by me in many
an evil cafe, importuned me to let them cut off
the heads of thoſe that would refift my command,
yet would I not fuffer them. Fierce pain, and
conftant worry and anxiety, had conquered me,
and I made up my mind to leave the place alto-
gether ſo I ſent for the maſters of the ſhips, and
took order with them for my return to England.
What else could I do? There was neither chirur-
geon nor chirurgery in the Fort of ſkill or effect
enough to cure my hurt, and, as the fhips were to
depart next day, the opportunity was not to be
miffed. My commiffion as Prefident was to be
•
*
240
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ſuppreſſed, I knew not why, my foldiers and myſelf
to be rewarded I knew not how, and a new com-
miffion (which difabled the authority I had, and
made them preſume ſo oft in their mutinies as they
did) granted, I knew not to whom. Befides
which, fo grievous were my wounds, and fo cruel
were my torments, fo that few expected I could
live, that I was unable to follow my bufinefs, and
regain what we had loft, fupprefs the factions, and
range the countries for provifions as I intended.
However, I went about trying to find ſome one
whom I could truft, to fill my place, but I could
find none I thought fit, who would accept the poſt.
In the meantime, feeing me going, they prevailed
on Mafter Percie, who was then ready to go to
England, to ftop with them and be their Prefident.
Within less than an hour this change had begun,
and ended, and the new Prefident and Councillors
were already beginning to be fawned upon-but I
gave not up my commiffion. Had I not been fo
grievouſly wounded by that unhappy blaſt, I would
quickly have qualified the heat of thofe humours
and factions, had the fhips once left them and us
to our fortunes, and I would have made that pro-
viſion from among the favages, that we fhould
have feared neither Spaniard, favage, nor famine.
But boasting is unmanly, and unſeemly. I will
fay no more of my own deeds, but I think it may
1
Sails from Virginia.
241
be lawful for me to read you what one who knew
me well, worthy Mafter Richard Pots, Clerk of
the Council, wrote concerning me, and to which I
can refer with no little pride, as it is the honeſt
expreffion of one who knew well about all the
things whereof he wrote. He faith, ſpeaking of
me: "What ſhall I fay but thus, we left him, that
in all his proceedings made Juftice his firft guide,
and experience his fecond, ever hating baſeneffe,
floath, pride, and indignitie, more than any dangers;
that never allowed more for himſelfe, than his
fouldiers with him; that upon no danger would
fend them where he would not lead them himſelfe;
that would never fee us want, what he either had,
or could by any meanes get us; that would rather
want than borrow, and ftarve than not pay; that
loved action more than words, and hated falfhood
and covetoufneffe worſe than death; whofe adven-
tures were our lives, and whofe loffe our deaths."
It was in the autumn of the year of grace 1609
that I was carried on board ſhip, and failed from
Virginia, which it ſeems fated I ſhall never again
behold. The day. before I failed, there arrived
Captain Davis in a fmall pinnace, with fixteen
proper men more. And this is how I left them.
They had three fhips, feven boats, commodities
ready to trade with, the harveſt newly gathered,
ten weeks' provifion in the ftore, four hundred,
R
242
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ninety and odd perfons, twenty pieces of ordnance,
three hundred muſkets, fnaphaunces and firelocks;
ſhot, powder, and match fufficient, pikes, fwords,
and morions more than men. The language and
habitations of the favages well known to an hundred
well trained and expert foldiers; nets for fifhing,
tools of all forts for work, apparel for their wants,
fix mares and a horſe, five or fix hundred ſwine, as
many hens and chickens, fome goats, fome ſheep.
Yet it came to paſs that as foon as I had left them,
they regarded nothing but from hand to mouth,
and did confume all they had; nay, they took care
for nothing but to perfect fome colourable com-
plaints againſt me; to perfect which they even
delayed the return of the fhips for three weeks.
Befides all this I left James Town ftrongly
palifadoed, and it contained fome fifty or fixty
houſes, befides which, I left five or fix other forts
and plantations, which, although they were not fo
ſumptuous as the new arrivals expected, they were
better than we had at our firft coming. All that
time we had but one carpenter in the country, and
three others that could do but little, but defired to
be learners; two failors, two blackſmiths, and thoſe
I have called labourers were for the moſt part foot-
men, and fuch as the adventurers had brought out
to attend upon them, or ſuch as they could perfuade
to go with them; that never did know what a
J
A Mixed Company.
243
day's work was, except the Dutchmen, Poles, and
fome dozen others. For all the reft were poor
gentlemen, tradeſmen, ferving men, libertines, and
fuch like, ten times more fit to fpoil a common-
wealth, than either begin one or help to maintain
one. For when neither the fear of God, or law,
fhame, nor the difpleaſure of their friends could
rule them at home, there was fmall hope ever to
bring one in twenty to be good when thofe reftric-
tions were removed. Notwithſtanding, I confefs
that divers amongſt them had better minds, and
grew much more induſtrious than was expected;
yet ten good workmen would have done more
ſubſtantial work in a day than ten of them in a
week.
And now let us fee how they fared after my
departure, and to that end I will read you what
hath faid the worthy Doctor Sims: "The company
from James Town, under the command of Captaine
John Sickelmore, alias Ratliffe, went to inhabit
Point Comfort. Captaine Martin and Captaine
Weft, having loft their boats and neere halfe their
men among the Salvages, were returned to James
Town ; for the Salvages no fooner underſtood
Smith was gone, but they all revolted, and did
ſpoile and murther all they incountered. Now,
wee were all conſtrained to live onely on that Smith
had left for his owne Companie, for the reſt had
R 2
244 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
confumed their proportions, and now they had
twentie Preſidents with all their appurtenances:
Maſter Piercie, our new Prefident, was fo ficke, hee
could neither goe nor ftand.
"But ere all was confumed, Captaine Weft and
Captaine Sickelmore, each with a fmall fhip and
thirtie or fortie men well appointed, fought abroad
to trade. Sickelmore, upon the confidence of Pow-
hatan, with about thirtie others as careleffe as
himſelfe, were all flaine, onely Jeffrey Shortridge
eſcaped, and Pokahontas, the King's daughter,
faved a boy called Henry Spilman, that lived many
yeeres after, by her meanes, amongst the Patawomekes.
Powhatan ftill as he found meanes, cut off their
Boats, denied them trade, fo that Captaine Weft
fet faile for England.
"Now we all found the loffe of Captaine Smith,
yea, his greateſt maligners could now curfe his
loffe; as for Corne, provifion and contribution
from the Salvages, we had nothing but mortall
wounds, with clubs and arrowes, as for our Hogs,
Hens, Goats, Sheepe, Horſe, or what lived, our com-
manders, officers and Salvages daily confumed them;
ſome ſmall proportions fometimes we taſted, till all
was devoured; then fwords, armes, pieces, or any-
thing, wee traded with the Salvages, whoſe cruell
fingers were ſo oft imbrewed in our blouds, that
what by their crueltie, our Governours indiſcretion,
"
1
Dreadful Extremities.
245
and the loffe of our fhips, of five hundred within
fix moneths after Captaine Smith's departure,
there remained not paft fixtie men, women, and
children, moft miferable and poor creatures, and
thoſe were preſerved for the most part, by roots,
herbes, acornes, walnuts, berries, now and then a
little fish: they that had ſtarch in theſe extremities
made no ſmall ufe of it; yea, even the very
ſkinnes of our horfes.
CC
Nay, fo great was our famine, that a Salvage
we flew, and buried, the poorer fort took him up
againe and eat him, and fo did divers one another,
boyled and ſtewed with roots and herbs; and one
among the reft did kill his wife, powdered* her,
and had eaten part of her before it was known, for
which hee was executed, as hee well deferved; now
whether thee was better roafted, boyled or car-
bonado'd, I know not, but of fuch a diſh as
powdered wife I never heard of. This was that
time, which ſtill to this day we called the ftarving
time; it were too vile to fay, and ſcarce to be
beleeved, what we endured; but the occafion was
our owne, for want of providence, induſtrie, and
government, and not the barrenneffe and defect of
the countrie."
This, methinks, fhould prove a fufficient anſwer
* Salted.
i
܃

246
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
!
*
to thoſe, my maligners, who aver that I ruled them
with a rod of iron, and was the cauſe of all their
miferies.
And now, before I quit me of this part of my
life, let me tell you of the juftice of God upon
thofe villain Dutchmen. Valdo the Switzer, of
whom I have told you before as being an arch
traitor, made a fhift to get to England, where,
perfuading the merchants that he had diſcovered
rich mines, and how he would do them great ſer-
vices, was very well rewarded, and returned with
my Lord De la Warr, who arrived at Virginia on
the 9th of June, 1610. He was foon found out
to be an impoftor, there being, of courſe, no mines,
fo no one would have aught to do with him, and
he periſhed miſerably. His two conforts and boſom
friends, Adams and Francis, fled again to Powhatan,
to whom they promiſed what wonders they would
do on the arrival of my Lord De la Warr, would
he but fuffer them to go to him. But the King,
feeing they would be gone, replied, "You that
would have betrayed Captain Smith to me, will
certainly betray me to this great Lord, in order to
make your peace;
" and fo he caufed his men to
beat out their brains.
Back to England.
247
WHA
CHAPTER XXII.
THAT pains and tortures I fuffered from my
wound during the paffage to England no
man can conceive, and I was very long in recovering
my health, even with the aid of the moſt experienced
chirurgeons and phyficians. I had fore need of
reft after my arrival, for befides that my life, all
through, had been a bufy and a ſtirring one, the
hardſhips and anxieties of the last two years had
told upon me more than aught previouſly; fo
that I looked for and enjoyed my reft. But I ftill
took a keen intereft in all the news I could hear
pertaining to Virginia, which, however, I will not
tell you now, as it belongeth not to mine own per-
fonal adventures, but I may not fail to tell you of what
I heard of that nonpareil of Virginia, my very good
and dear friend, Pocahontas. After my departure,
faith was not kept with Powhatan as I had done,
and he was at enmity with the coloniſts, and had
ſome in captivity. Pocahontas had now little in-
fluence with him, and had never been to James
Town fince I left, but was living at Patawomeke
with a friend named Iapazaws and his wife, think-
ing herſelf there unknown.
That rough old fea dog, Captain Argall, was
then (1612) with his fhip in the Colony, and he
248
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
was fent to the river Patawomeke to trade for corn,
and he entered into a great acquaintance with
Iapazaws, who was an old friend of mine, and
indeed of all our nation ever fince we had difcovered
the country. Now Captain Argall, finding from
this Chief that Pocahontas was there, deviſed a
notable ſcheme to poffefs himſelf of her, and hold-
ing her as hoftage, till that Powhatan fhould return
the men he had in captivity, and reſtore the guns,
&c., he had ftolen. In order to effect his defign,
he worked on the avarice of Iapazaws, and pro-
miſed him a copper kettle, if he could but bring
her on board, affuring him that he would in no
wife hurt her, but only keep her till they could
conclude a peace with her father.
What favage could have withſtood fuch a bribe;
he would have fold his very felf for it, and the
crafty Tapazaws played his part right cunningly.
Although his wife had feen and been in many
ſhips, yet he cauſed her to feign a great defire to
fee one, and by his inftructions ſhe did fo importune
him, that he threatened to beat her for her im-
portunity, at which fhe wept bitterly. But at laſt
he told her, if Pocahontas would go with her,
he was content; and thus did they betray my poor
innocent maid on board the big canoe. Argall
feaſted them all very kindly in the cabin; Iapazaws
oft-times treading on his foot to remind him that he
Treachery.
.249
had done his part. When the Captain faw his time,
he perfuaded Pocahontas to go into the gun-room,
feigning that he wanted to ſpeak alone with
Iapazaws, which was only that ſhe ſhould not per-
ceive that he was in any way guilty of her captivity.
After a while he fent for her again, and told her
before her friends that he muft keep her prifoner
for awhile, and that ſhe muſt go with him, and help
to compound peace betwixt her country and the
coloniſts, and then, and not till then, fhe ſhould
fee Powhatan. Iapazaws and his wife played their
parts to admiration, beginning to howl and cry as
faft as Pocahontas did; but, at laft, the Captain's
fair perfuafions pacified her; Tapazaws, with his
wife, copper kettle, and other toys, went merrily on
fhore, and my little maid was carried to James
Town. A meffenger was forthwith fent to her
father, telling him how they had got poffeffion of
his daughter, Pocahontas, whom he loved fo dearly,
and that if he wanted her again he muſt ranfome
her with the men, fwords, pieces, tools, &c., he had
fo treacherouſly ſtolen.
Now this was but unwelcome news to Pow-
hatan, becauſe he loved both his daughter and our
commodities well, and it was a hard matter for
him to chooſe between them; fo that it was not
till three months after, that he returned any
anſwer, and then, by perfuafion of his Council, he
1
250
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
;
ſent back ſeven men, but he took great care that
each bare with him an unſerviceable muſket; and
by them he fent word that when his daughter was
delivered to him, he would make fatisfaction for
all injuries done, give five hundred bushels of
corn, and be for ever friends. That which he
fent was received in part payment, but they at
James Town well knew this crafty old fox, and
returned anſwer that his daughter fhould be well
uſed, but that they could not believe that the reſt
of the arms were either loft or ſtolen from him,
and, therefore, until he fent them, his daughter
would be kept.
This anfwer, it ſeemed, much diſpleaſed him,
for no more was heard from him for a long time
after: At length, when the colonists had fome
leiſure to attend to fuch matters, Sir Thomas Dale,
with one hundred and fifty men, embarked in
Captain Argall's fhip, and fome other veffels
belonging to the colony, and went up his own
river, to his chief habitation, having with them
Pocahontas, his daughter. The favages received
them with many fcornful bravados, proudly
demanding why they were come thither; the
reply was, they had brought Powhatan's daughter,
and to receive the ranfom for her that was pro-
miſed, or elſe they would have it perforce.
Nothing difmayed at this, the Indians anfwered
Hoftilities.
251
that if they came to fight, they were welcome,
for they were provided for them, but adviſed
them, if they loved their lives, to retire, elfe they
ſhould be ſerved as they had done Captain
Ratliffe. The coloniſts replied they would pre-
ſently have a better anfwer, but they were no
fooner within ſhot of the fhore, than the favages
welcomed them with a flight of arrows.
Being thus juftly provoked, they manned
the boats, and a party went on fhore, who
burned all their houfes, and took from them
everything they could find. The next day they
went higher up the river, when the inhabitants
aſked why their houfes had been burned; the
reply to which was another queftion, why had
they been ſhot at? They answered it was fome
ftraggling favages, and made many other excufes
that they intended no hurt, but were friends, on
which the Engliſhmen told them they came not to
hurt, but to vifit them as friends alfo.
Upon this a peace was concluded, and, forth-
with, meffengers were defpatched to Powhatan,
whoſe anſwer, as they faid, could not be expected
for four and twenty hours, for it would take that
time for the meſſengers to go and return. They
alſo ſaid that the Engliſhmen they had, were run
away, for fear that they ſhould be hanged, but
that Powhatan's men had run after them; as for
!
252
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
+
the fwords and pieces, they fhould be brought
next day, but this was only an excufe to gain
time, for the next day they came not.
So they went higher up the river, to a houſe of
Powhatan's, named Matchot, where they faw
about four hundred men, well appointed, who
dared them to land, a challenge which was at once
accepted. The favages fhowed no fign of fear at
all, nor offered to refift the landing, but walking
boldly up and down, demanded to confer with the
Captain, to find out his reafon for coming in that
manner, and to have truce till they could but
once more ſend to their King to know his pleaſure ;
which, if it was not agreeable, they would cheer-
fully fight, and defend their own as beft they
could. But this was only to defer the time, in
order that they might carry away their pro-
vifions; ftill, it fuited the colonifts to pretend to
believe it, and they promiſed a truce till the next
day at noon, when, if fighting was to be done, due
notice of it fhould be given by the noife of drums
and trumpets.
Upon this promife, two of Powhatan's fons
came to vifit their fifter, and at fight of her,
finding her well, (for they had heard to the
contrary), they much rejoiced, and promiſed they
would perfuade her father to redeem her, and for
ever be friends with the Engliſh. And theſe two
Pocahontas in Love.
253
brethren came on board, and ftayed there, whilſt
Mafter John Rolfe and Mafter Sparkes went to
Powhatan to acquaint him of the bufinefs. Kindly
were they entertained, but not admitted to the
prefence of Powhatan; but they fpake with
Opechancanough, his brother and fucceffor. He
promiſed to do all he could with Powhatan, and
thought all would be well. So it being April,
and time to prepare the ground and ſet the corn,
the expedition returned to James Town, pro-
mifing to wait for the performance of their
arrangement till the next harveſt.
But Pocahontas was never thus redeemed, for
ſhe had fallen into a gentler bondage, and yet one
that was harder to break. Long before this,
Maſter John Rolfe, of whom I have but juſt ſpoken,
an honeft gentleman, and of good behaviour, had
been in love with Pocahontas, and fhe with him,
which thing at that inſtant he made known to Sir
Thomas Dale, in a letter, wherein he intreated his
advice, and Pocahontas acquainted her brother
with it, which refolution Sir Thomas Dale well
approved. The noiſe of this marriage foon came
to the knowledge of Powhatan, and it feems to
have been a thing acceptable to him, as appears
by his ſudden confent, for within ten days he fent
Opachifco, an old uncle of hers, and two of his
fons, to ſee the manner of the marriage, and to do
254
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
in that behalf what they were requeſted, for the
confirmation thereof, as his deputy. And married
they were, about the firft of April, 1613, Poca-
hontas having been converted to Chriſtianity, and
baptized under the name of the Lady Rebecca.
And ever fince that time there hath been
friendly trade and commerce, as well with Pow-
batan himſelf, as all his fubjects.
A
CHAPTER XXIII.
LTHOUGH I refted, I was not idle, for I
helped Maſter William Simons in his work
entitled, "A Map of Virginia." But it was not
for an old rover like me to lie abed when there was
man's work to be done, fo that after a time, and
my wound was whole, which took long, I looked
around me for freſh adventures, which in thoſe
days were not long a coming to thoſe who looked
out for them. Now you may remember that in
the Letters Patent granted by his Majefty in 1606
for the limitation of Virginia, did extend from 34
to 45 degrees, which was divided into two parts,
namely, the first colony, and the fecond. The
firſt was to the honourable City of London, and
fuch as would adventure with them to diſcover and
#
Bounds of Virginia.
255
take their choice where they would, betwixt the
degrees of 34 and 41.
The ſecond was appropriated to the cities of
Briſtol, Exeter, and Plymouth, &c., and the Weſt
parts of England, and all thofe that would adven-
ture and join with them, and they might make
their choice anywhere betwixt the degrees of 38
and 45, provided there fhould be at leaft an
hundred miles' diſtance between theſe two Colonies,
each of which had laws, privileges, and authority,
for the government and advancing their ſeveral
plantations alike. Now this part of America
hath formerly been called Norumbega, Virginia,
Nufkoncus, Penaquida, Cannada, and fuch other
names as thoſe that ranged the coaft pleaſed.
But, becauſe it was fo mountainous, rocky, and
full of ifles, few have adventured much to trouble
it; notwithſtanding, that honourable patron of
virtue, Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Juftice of
England in the year 1606, procured means and
men to poffefs it, and fent Captain George Popham
as Preſident, Captain Rawley Gilbert as Admiral,
Captain Edward Harlow, Mafter of the Ordnance,
Captain Robert Davis, Sergeant-Major, Captain
Elis Beft, Marfhall, Mafter Seaman, Secretary,
Captain James Davis to be Captain of the fort,
and Maſter Gomez Carew, Chief Searcher. All
theſe were of the Council, who, with fome hundred
256
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
more, were to ſtay in the country; they ſet ſail
from Plymouth the laft day of May, 1606, and
came to Monahigan on the 11th of Auguft. At
Sagadahock, nine or ten leagues fouthward, they
planted themſelves at the mouth of a fair navigable
river, but the coaft all thereabouts was moſt
extremely ftony and rocky; and that very fevere
frozen winter was fo cold, they could not range,
nor ſearch the country. Their provifion was fo
ſmall, that they were glad to fend all but 45
of their company back again; their noble Prefident,
Captain Popham, died, and not long after arrived
two ſhips well provided with all neceffaries to
ſupply them, and another came ſome ſmall time
after, by whom they learned the death of the Lord
Chief Juſtice, and alſo of Sir John Gilbert, whoſe
lands there, the Prefident, Rawley Gilbert, was to
poffefs, according to the adventurers' directions;
but the colony regarding their continuance there
as hopeleſs, they all returned to England in the
year 1608 and thus the plantation was begun, and
ended, in little more than a year.
Captain Harlow went out again to diſcover an
Ifle, ſuppoſed to be near unto Cape Cod, but he
found it not, ſo he returned, bringing fome favages
with him. Sir Francis Popham fent one Captain
Williams divers times to Monahigan only to trade
and bring home fish, but of plantations was no
Another Adventure.
257
more heard. For all this, as I liked Virginia well,
though not their proceedings, fo I defired alfo to
ſee this country, and ſpend ſome time in trying
what I could find out as a reafon for all theſe evil
rumours and diſaſters.
So I made advances to them, which were accepted,
and in the month of April, 1614, I made my firſt
voyage to New England. The expedition was
undertaken at the charge of Captain Marmaduke
Roydon, Captain George Langam, Mafter John Buley,
and Maſter William Skelton, with two fhips from
London, and I chanced to arrive at Monahigan, an
ifle of America, in 43' 4" of northerly latitude.
Our idea was there to take whales, for which intent
we had on board one Samuel Crampton, and others
expert in that faculty, and alfo to try and find a
mine of gold or copper; if thefe failed, then were
we to fall back upon fiſh and furs to make our
adventure pay. We found this whale-fiſhing a
coftly conclufion; we faw many of them, and
ſpent much time in chafing them, but could not
kill any; they being a kind of Jubartes, and
not the whale that yields fins and oil, which we
expected.
As for the gold, that was all a device of our
Maſter's, fo that he might get a voyage, to which
end he projected it, for truly he had no knowledge
of fuch matters. So we had to fall back upon fiſh
S

:
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
258
t
and fur, and the prime of both thoſe ſeaſons were
paft, by reaſon of our late arrival, and long linger-
ing after whales. In our ignorance, we thought
their feaſons ſerved at all times, but we found it
otherwiſe, for by the midft of June the fishing
failed, yet in July and August fome were taken, but
not fufficient to defray fo great a charge as our ſtay
required of dried fish we made about forty
thouſand, and of cured fiſh about ſeven thouſand.
Whilft the failors fiſhed, I, and eight others who
could beſt be ſpared, ranged the coaft in a ſmall
boat, and we got for trifles near eleven thoufand
beaver ſkins, one hundred marten's, and as many
otter's; the moſt of which we obtained within the
diſtance of twenty leagues. We ranged the coaft,
both eaſt and weft, much further, but eastward, our
commodities were not efteemed, they were fo near
the French, who knew their wants, and who traded
with the favages, at fuch long diſtances that they
went further than the precincts of their own
diftricts.
With theſe furs, train oil, and dried fiſh, I
returned to England in the bark, and arrived fafely
back, within ſix months of our departure from the
Downs. The beſt of the fish fold for £5 the
hundred; the reſt, by reaſon of ill uſage, from £3
to 50s. The other fhip ftayed to fit herſelf for
Spain with the dried fish, which was fold at Malaga
!
Cruelty.
259
at forty rials* the quintal, each hundred weighing
two quintals and a half. But one Thomas Hunt,
the maſter of the ſhip, (after that I was gone),
thinking to prevent the plan I had of there making
a plantation, and hoping to thereby keep this
abounding country to himſelf, and ſtill in obfcurity,
ſo that only he, and fome few merchants more,
might enjoy wholly the benefit of the trade, and
profit, of this country, did betray four and twenty
of thoſe poor favages aboard his ſhip, and moft
diſhoneſtly and inhumanely, (for they treated me
and all my men with kind uſage), carried them with
him to Malaga, and there for a little private gain,
he fold thoſe poor unfortunate filly favages for rials
of eight; but this vile act kept him ever after from
any other employment to thoſe parts.
Now I taken a draught of this coaft, and called
it New England, yet did Hunt, his conforts, and fo
many others who after my fucceſsful return, went
thither next year, perfift in drowning that name,
by calling it Cannaday, that at laft I prefented the
map, with a difcourfe, to his Royal Highneſs
Prince Charles, now His moft Gracious Majesty,
humbly intreating him that he would change the
* A Rial was worth ten fhillings in England. There
feems to have been an error; otherwiſe the fiſh fetched a
Rial apiece! Even if it were the Rial of Eight (Ruding, v. ii.
p. 60) or Piece of Eight of Robinſon Crufoe, which was
worth 4s. 6d., it would ſtill be a high price.
}
S 2

260 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
barbarous names of fome of the places, for such
Engliſh names, that pofterity might fay Prince
Charles was their godfather, and this he did, as a
few of the names will show.
Cape Cod he changed to Cape James.
Chawum
Accomack
Sagoquas
رو
دو
"
Barwick.
Plymouth.
Oxford, &c. &c.
Returning in the bark, it was my ill luck, as it
afterwards turned out, to put into Plymouth, where
I imparted my opinions of this unregarded country
to divers whom I thought my friends, and who
were intereſted in the dead Patent. By them I was
fo encouraged, and affured to have the managing of
their authority during my life, and they made me
fuch large promifes, that I engaged myfelf with
them to undertake it. When I came to London I
found others equally eager to avail themſelves of
my ſervices, but having pledged myſelf to them at
Plymouth, I could not go from my word.
In London Again.
261
IT
CHAPTER XXIV. ·
T was not, however, till next year (1615), and
after many vexations, that I really, and in
earneſt, did get away. I was employed by many
of
my friends in London, and Sir Ferdinando Gorges,
a noble knight, who much affected theſe ſorts of
adventures, and he it was who perfuaded the
Reverend Dean of Exeter, Doctor Sutliffe, and
divers merchants of the Weft, to entertain the idea
of an expedition to this plantation. Much labour
indeed had I to bring them and the Londoners to
join together, becauſe the Londoners have moft
money, and the Weſtern men are moſt proper for
fiſhing; and it is near as much trouble, and much
more danger, to fail from London to Plymouth than
from Plymouth to New England, fo that half the
voyage would be thus faved; yet, as I faid before,
hard work had I before I could prevail, fo defirous
were they both to be Lords of that fishery.
I was to have only fixteen men, i.e., four gentle-
men, eight foldiers, and two men and two boys,
who were to learn to be failors, but I expected great
help from the favages, to whom I was well, and
favourably, known. When I returned firft from
New England to Plymouth, I was promiſed four
262
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
good ſhips ready prepared to my hand by the next
Chriſtmas, ſo that in January, with two hundred
pounds in caſh for adventure, and fix gentlemen
well furniſhed, I went from London to Plymouth,
where I expected to find my fhips, but I found no
fuch matter; and, moreover, many who had pro-
miſed me help, were now unwilling to afford it.
Notwithſtanding, at laſt, with a labyrinth of trou-
ble, though the greateft of the burden lay on me
and a few of my particular friends, I was furniſhed
with a fhip of two hundred tons, and another of
fifty, and in the larger one I fet fail, having had the
dignity conferred on me of Admiral of New Eng-
land. But ere I had failed one hundred and twenty
leagues, fhe brake all her mafts and leaked fo badly,
that each watch, in order to keep her afloat, we had
to pump ſome five or fix thouſand ftrokes. All we
could do was to fet her fprit fail, fo as to keep her
fpooning before the wind, till we could rig up a
jury maft, when there was nothing elſe to do but to
return to Plymouth, or founder at sea.
My Vice-Admiral, not knowing of my mif-
fortunes, proceeded on his voyage, whilft I managed
to get a ſmall bark of fixty tons, with which I again.
ſet ſail on the 24th day of June, and this voyage
turned out to be a moft eventful one for me. For
we had not been out many days when we were
chafed by one Fry, a pirate, to whom my mafter,
An Encounter with Pirates.
·
263
mate, and pilot, together with divers others, impor-
tuned me to yield. But I would not, and after
much fwaggering, came to fair terms with him,
fwearing if they were broken I would rather fink
the ſhip than yield. They thought it ftrange that
a bark of threeſcore tons, and but four guns, fhould
ſtand upon terms with them, they being eighty
expert ſeamen, in an excellent ſhip of one hundred
and forty tons, and thirty-fix caft pieces of ord-
nance. Yet when they came to know who I was,
they would have yielded to me and carried us
anywhere, for many among them had been old
foldiers of mine, and they had but lately run from
Tunis, where they had ſtolen this veffel, and were
now ſhort of victual; but I rejected their offer,
which afterwards we all repented, confidering them
too unruly.
After we made the Azores, we encountered, at
Fayal, two French pirates, one of two hundred
men, the other of thirty. My men would not fight
until that I threatened that I would blow up the
ſhip rather than yield before I had ſpent all my
powder. So that together by the ears we went,
and at laſt we got clear of them, for all their ſhot.
But it was only to fall into a greater evil, for at
Flores we were chafed by four French men-of-war,
the Admiral being a veffel of one hundred and
forty tons, and ninety men; the others good fhips,
264
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
and as well provided. Much parley we had, they
vowing they were Rochellers, who had a commiffion
from their Kin gto let true men paſs, but to take
Portugals, Spaniards, and pirates. They requeſted
me to ſhow my commiffion, which was under the
Great Seal, and I went on board for that purpoſe;
but they reſpected it not, nor even their own words,
for they kept me prifoner, rifled my fhip, manned
her with Frenchmen, and diſperſed my crew among
their fleet.
Within five or fix days their numbers had in-
creaſed to eight or nine fail, and then they gave us
back our fhip and moſt of our provifion, promifing
to remedy the defects the next day, and fo they did.
My crew, however, had got mutinous, and were
all for returning to England, but when, after ſome
trouble, I perfuaded them they were as near to New
England, as to the Old, the major part refolved to
proceed with me. The French Admiral fent for
me again, and I went on board his veffel, which
ſcarce had I done, when he efpied a fail and gave
chaſe, whereby my mutineers finding an opportunity,
in the night, ran away, leaving me on board the
Admiral's fhip, with fimply the clothes I had on,
my cap, breeches, and waiſtcoat, for I had no coat,
by reaſon of the heat. The mutineers ſhared
amongſt them my clothes, arms, and whatſoever I
had, and, feigning that they feared I ſhould turn
Among the French.
265
my ſhip into a man-of-war, they returned to Ply-
mouth.
Now the cauſe why the French detained me was,
that my maſter and mate had told them that I
meant to revenge myſelf, when I came to the Cod
Bank, or in New found land, on all the French I
could there encounter, and how I would have fired
the ſhip had they not over perfuaded me; alſo,
that for the value of a biſcuit, if I had once again
my arms, I would rather fink my veffel than that
they ſhould have the leaſt thing from me.
courſe this treachery, and thoſe lies, were only that
they might get rid of me, fo, they having left,
perforce I had to go with the Frenchmen.
of
Of
Being a fleet of eight or nine fail, they watched
for the West India fleet, till ill weather feparated
us from the other eight; ftill we ſpent our time
among the Iſles of the Azores, during which cruiſe
I wrote an account of how I had been treated, and
my miſerable eſtate, hoping to have been able to
fend it to his Majefty's Council, by fome fhip or
other. At laſt we were chafed by one Captain
Barra, an Engliſh pirate, in a ſmall ſhip, with ſome
twelve pieces of ordnance, about thirty men, and
all of them near ftarved. Very courteously did
they ſeek relief of us, and our captain gave them
fuch fair promiſes, that at laſt they betrayed Captain
Wollistone, his lieutenant, and four or five of his
266
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
•
men aboard of us, and then muft needs try to take
the reft perforce. All this time, as indeed ever it
was when we met with Engliſhmen, my part was to
be priſoner in the gun-room, and not to ſpeak to any
of them upon my life; yet had Barra knowledge
what I was. Then Barra perceiving well the
intents of thoſe Frenchmen, made ready to fight,
and Wolliftone regarded not their threats; ſo they
parleyed for fome fixteen hours longer, and then
the Frenchmen returned their prifoners, and alfo
imparted fome victual upon a ſmall compofition.
But whilft they were thus bartering, a carvel, before
their faces, got under the Caftle of Gratiofa, from
whence they beat us with their ordnance.
They ſpared nor large, nor ſmall, and I mind me
well they took a fmall Engliſh veffel of Poole, from
New found land; the great cabin was at that time
my prifon, from whence I could fee them pillage
theſe poor men of all they had, and half their fiſh;
and, when they were gone, they fold their poor
clothes by an outcry at the mainmaſt, and it was
fuch a paltry booty that it ſcarce gave each man
feven pence a piece.
•
It may, perchance, be fomewhat weariſome, but
I must tell you of the divers veffels we met, and of
their fate, ſo that you may have a good idea of
what a pirate's life was in thofe latitudes. Not
long after, they took a Scot, freighted from St.
>
A Pirate's Life.
267
Michael's to Bristol, but he had better fortune than
the others, for, having but taken from him a boat's
loading of fugar, marmalade, fuckets, and such like,
they defcried four fails, after whom they ſtood, and
furling their main fails waited for us to fight. But
the Frenchman's ſpirit was content when he ſaw the
Engliſh red croffes. Within a very ſhort time after,
we chafed four Spaniſh fhips that came from the
Indies; we fought with them four or five hours,
tore their fails and fides with many a fhot betwixt
wind and water, yet not daring to board them, loft
them, for which all the failors, for ever after, hated
the Captain as a profeffed coward.
A poor carvel of Brazil was the next we chaſed ;
and, after a ſmall fight, in which thirteen or fourteen
of her crew (which was indeed the better half of
them) were wounded, we took her, with three
hundred and ſeventy chefts of fugar, one hundred
hides, and thirty thouſand rials of eight.
The next was a fhip of Holland, which had loft
her conforts in the Straits of Magellan. Her, alfo,
theſe Frenchmen, with fair promifes, cunningly
betrayed to come aboard them to fhow their com-
miſſion, and ſo made prize of all. The moſt of
the Dutchmen we took aboard the Admiral,
and manned her with Frenchmen, who, within
two or three nights afterwards, ran away with her
to France. Within a day or two after, we met a
268
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
Weft India man-of-war, of one hundred and fixty
tons; before noon we fought with her, and took
her. This was a rich prize, for ſhe had on board
one thouſand one hundred hides, fifty chefts of
cochineal, fourteen coffers of wedges of filver,
eight thouſand rials of eight, and fix coffers of the
King of Spain's treaſure, befides the good pillage,
and rich coffers of many wealthy paſſengers.
TW
CHAPTER XXV.
WO months they kept me in this manner,
making me manage their fights againſt the
Spaniards, and keeping me a clofe priſoner when
they fought with any Engliſh. Now, though the
Captain had oft broke his promife, which was to
put me on ſhore the Iles, or the next ſhip he took;
yet at the laſt he was contented I ſhould go in the
carvel, which was loaded with fugar, to France,
and accordingly I went on board her. He, him-
felf, ſeemed refolved to keep the feas, but the next
morning we all fet fail for France, and that night
we were ſeparated from the Admiral and the rich
prize by a ſtorm. Within two days afterwards, we
were hailed by two West India men, but when they
ſaw us hoift the French colours, they gave us their
Escapes.
269
broadfides, fhot through our main maſt, and ſo left
us.
With much ado we arrived at the Aiguillon,
not far from La Rochelle, where, inſtead of per-
forming the great promiſes with which they had
always fed me, of double fatisfaction, and full con-
tent for all my loffes, befides ten thouſand crowns,
which was generally concluded I ſhould have, they
kept me five or fix days, a priſoner in the carvel,
accufing me to be him that burnt their Colony in
New France, to force me to give them a diſcharge
before the Judge of the Admiralty, and fubmit
myſelf to their courteſy for fatisfaction, or elfe I
ſhould lie in priſon, or even a worſe miſchief might
happen to me. The times then were very lawleſs,
when the Prince de Condé was with his army in
the field, and every poor lord, or man in authority,
was as a little king to himſelf; for this injury that
was done me was by them that propofed this
voyage, and not by the failors, for they were
cheated of all, as well as I, by a few officers aboard,
and the owners aſhore.
As good luck would have it, there came fuch a
ftorm as beat them all under hatches, and I watched
my opportunity to get afhore in their boat, where-
into, in the dark night, I fecretly got, and, with a
half pike that lay by me, I put adrift, hoping to
land on Rat Iſland, but the current was fo ftrong,
and the fea ran fo high, that I went drifting to fea,
;
.
---
270
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
{
till it pleaſed God that the wind ſhifted with the
turn of the tide. I was the whole of that fearful
night-fome twelve hours-in the gufts and rain,
on the fea, tired with fculling, and baling out the
water, which I expected every minute would fink
me, till at last I was ftranded on an oozy Ifle by
Charron, where certain fowlers found me near
drowned, and half dead with water, cold, and
hunger.
One does not always meet with difintereſted
friends in this world, and theſe ſaid fowlers would
not help me without reward; fo I pawned my boat
(which was the only thing of value I poffeffed) to
them, to find means to take me to La Rochelle,
where I underſtood our man-of-war, and the rich
prize, in which was the Captain, and the thirty
thouſand rials of eight we took in the carvel,
had been driven on the rocks and wrecked, the.
Captain and half his company drowned, on the
very fame night in which I eſcaped in a little boat,
by the mercy of God, far beyond all men's reafon
or my own expectation. When I arrived at
Rochelle, I made my complaint to the Judge of the
Admiralty. He gave me many good words and
fair promiſes, and ere long, many of them that had
eſcaped drowning told me how they had heard the
news of my own death. Some of theſe I cauſed to
be arreſted, and as their feveral examinations did
į
In Friendly Hands.
271
confirm my complaint, it was held proof sufficient,
and the Judge gave me a certificate under his hand,
ftating that he believed my ſtory to be true, which
I prefented to Sir Thomas Edmonds, then our
Engliſh Ambaſſador, at Bordeaux, where it was my
chance to ſee the arrival of the King's great
marriage from Spain.
Here it was my good fortune to meet my old
friend Maſter Crampton; grieved at my lofs he
willingly, and as far as in his power lay, did
fupply my wants, as did alfo Madam Chanoyes, of
Rochelle, whom I moſt eſpecially thank, for that
ſhe did fuch kindneſs to me, a ftranger. But
I have ever found reſcue and protection in my
greatest dangers from women. The beauteous
Lady Tragabigzanda, when I was a flave to the
Turks, did all fhe could to fuccour me. When I
overcame the Bafhaw of Nalbrits in Tartaria, the
charitable Lady Callamata fupplied my neceffities.
In the utmoſt of many neceffities, that bleffed
Pocahontas, the daughter of the great King of
Virginia, oft faved my life. And now, when I
eſcaped the cruelty of pirates and moft furious
ftorms, a long time alone in a ſmall boat at ſea,
and driven afhore in France, the good lady Madam
Chanoyes bountifully affifted me. Indeed, I may
ſay that I was more beholden to the Frenchmen
that eſcaped drowning in the man-of-war, Madam
272 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
F
.
Chanoyes, and the lawyers of Bordeaux, than all the
reft of my countrymen I met in France.
Of the wreck of the rich prize, fome three
thouſand fix hundred crowns' worth of goods came
aſhore, and were faved in the carvel, and I iffued
a proceſs of attachment upon them. I could not
then ſtay for the ending of my fuit, but the Judge
promiſed I ſhould have juſtice, and fo it proved, for
I fince received my fair fhare of what there was to
divide. But under the colour and pretext to take
pirates and Weft India men (becauſe the Spaniards
will not fuffer the French to trade with the West
Indies), any goods from thence, though they take
them upon the coaſt of Spain, are lawful prize, or
from any of the Spaniard's territories out of the
limits of Europe; and as they betrayed me, though
my commiffion was under the Great Seal, ſo did
they rob and pillage twenty fail of Engliſhmen
more, befides thoſe I knew not of, in the fame
year.
Leaving thus my buſineſs in France, I returned
to Plymouth, to find thoſe treacherous mutineers
who had thus buried me among the French; and
not only buried me, but with fo much infamy, as
fuch treacherous cowards could fuggeft, to excuſe
their villanies. Such of the chieftains of this
mutiny as I could find, I laid by the heels, and the
reft confeffed the truth. I alfo heard how my
Fishing Grounds.
273
Vice-Admiral, who unwittingly parted company
with me when I fprung my mafts, had done well
on his voyage, and returned; and that from
Plymouth fome four or five fail had gone there
a-fiſhing, and from London as many. And to
my thinking, as I perfuade myſelf, there be fifh
fufficient to freight four or five hundred fail, or as
many as will go; for this fishing ftretcheth along
the coaft from Cape Cod to New found land, which is
feven or eight hundred miles at the leaſt; and hath
its courſe in the deeps, and by the ſhore, all the
year round; the fish keeping their haunts and
feedings as the beafts of the field and the fowls of
the air.
On my return, after puniſhing my mutineers, I
took a little reſt, and writ a "Deſcription of New
England," with my map thereof, and then I ſet
about another voyage thither, which came to
nought.
T
་
274
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
:
A
CHAPTER XXVI.
ND now, bethink you what news I heard?
Nought lefs than that Sir Thomas Dale,
having, to his thinking, ſettled all things in good
order, made choice of one Mafter George Yearly to
be the Deputy Governor in his abfence, left
Virginia, accompanied by Pocahontas, my moft
dear little maid, and her huſband, and they landed
at Plymouth on the 12th day of June, in the year
1616. As I have before ſaid, ſhe had been
converted to Chriftianity, and baptized under the
name of the Lady Rebecca. Her real name was
Matoaka, and ſhe was only called Pocahontas,
becauſe that the favages did think that, did we know
her real name, we ſhould have the power of cafting
an evil eye upon her. By the diligent care of
Mafter John Rolfe, her huſband, and his friends,
ſhe was taught to ſpeak ſuch Engliſh as might well
be underſtood, had been well inſtructed in Chrifti-
anity, and was become very formal and civil in
her behaviour, after our Engliſh manner. She
alfo had by him a child, whom the loved very
dearly, and the Treaſurer, and Virginia Company
took order for the maintenance both of her and
her baby befides which, there were divers perfons
!

PRINC: POWHATANI IMP: VIRGINI
Pocahontas.
275
MATOAKA
Etated suc 31
SSILNALOd
Matoaks als Rebecka daughter to the mighty Prince
Pasfaltan Emperour of Attanong kemuich als virginia
carverted and bantized in the Christian fails, and
wife to the war M. Joh Rolff
T 2
ALS REBECCA FILIA
276
A
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
!
:
?
of great rank and quality who were very kind
to her; and before the arrived in London, I,
being defirous of in part repaying her former
courtefies, made her qualities known to the Queen's
moft excellent Majefty, and to her Court, and I
writ a little book to this effect to the Queen, of
which the following is an abſtract :-
"To the moſt high and vertuous Princeffe,
*
"Queen Anne of Great Britaine.
"MOST ADMIRED QUEENE,
"The love I beare my God, my King,
and Countrie, hath ſo oft emboldened mee in the
worſt of extreme dangers, that now honeſtie doth
conftraine me to preſume thus farre beyond my
felfe, to preſent your Majeftie this fhort difcourfe:
if ingratitude be a deadly poyfon to all honeft
vertues, I muſt bee guiltee of that crime, if I
fhould omit any means to be thankfull. So it is,
"That fome ten yeeres agoe being in Virginia,
and taken priſoner by the power of Powhatan their
chiefe King, I received from this great Salvage
exceeding great courtefie, eſpecially from his fonne
Nantaquas, the moft manlieft, comelieft, boldeſt
fpirit, I ever faw in a Salvage, and his fifter
Pocahontas, the King's moſt deare and wel-beloved
daughter, being but a child of twelve or thirteene
* Confort of James I.
4
M
Letter to the Queen.
277
yeeres of age, whoſe compaffionate pitifull heart,
of my deſperate eſtate, gave me much cauſe to
reſpect her; I being the firſt Chriſtian this proud
King and his grim attendants ever faw: and thus
inthralled in their barbarous power, I cannot fay I
felt the leaſt occafion of want that was in the power
of thoſe my mortall foes to prevent, notwithſtand-
ing al their threats. After fome fix weeks fatting
amongſt thoſe Salvage Courtiers, at the minute of
my execution, ſhe hazarded the beating out of her
own brains to fave mine, and not only that,
but fo prevailed with her father, that I was ſafely
conducted to James Towne, where I found about
eight and thirtie miſerable poore and ficke creatures,
to keepe poffeffion of all thofe large territories of
Virginia, fuch was the weakneffe of this poore
Commonwealth, as had the Salvages not fed us, we
directly had ftarved.
And this reliefe, moft gracious Queene, was
commonly brought us by this Lady Pocahontas.
Notwithſtanding all thofe paffages when inconftant
Fortune turned our peace to Warre, this tender
Virgin would ſtill not ſpare to dare to vifit us, and
by her our jarres have beene oft appeaſed, and
our wants ſtill ſupplyed. Were it the policie of her
father thus to imploy her, or the ordinance of God
thus to make her His inftrument, or her extraordi-
affection to our Nation, I know not; but of
nary.
}
-!
►
278
*
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
•
.
#
this I am fure; when her father with the utmoſt
of his policie and power, fought to furprize mee,
having but eighteene with mee, the darke night
could not affright her from comming through the
irkefome woods, and with watered eies gave me
intelligence, with her beft advice to eſcape his furie,
which had hee knowne, hee had furely flaine her.
James Towne with her wild traine fhe as freely
frequented, as her father's habitation; and during
the time of two or three yeeres, the next under
God, was ſtill the inftrument to preferve this
Colonie from death, famine, and utter confufion,
which if in thofe times had once been diffolved,
Virginia might have lien as it was at our firſt
arrival to this day. Since then, this bufineffe
having beene turned and varied by many accidents
from that I left it at: it is moſt certaine, after a
long and troubleſome warre after my departure,
betwixt her father and our Colonie, all which time
ſhee was not heard of, about two yeeres after, ſhee
herſelfe was taken priſoner, being fo detained neere
two yeeres longer, the Colonie by that meanes was
releived, peace concluded, and at laſt, rejecting her
barbarous condition, was married to an Engliſh
Gentleman, with whom, at this prefent, ſhe is in
England; the first Chriftian ever of that Nation,
the firſt Virginian ever fpake English, or had a
childe in marriage by an Englishman, a matter
!
i
篝
​Letter to the Queen.
279
furely, if my meaning bee truly conſidered and well
underſtood, worthy a Princes underſtanding.
"Thus, moft gracious Lady, I have related to
your Majeftie, what at your beft leiſure our
approved Hiftories will account you at large, and
done in the time of your Majefties life, and
however this might bee preſented you from a more
worthy pen, it cannot be from a more honeft heart,
as yet I never begged anything of the State, or any,
and it is my want of abilitie, and her exceeding
deſert, your birth, meanes, and authoritie, hir birth,
vertue, want and fimplicitie, doth make me fo
bold, humbly to befeech your Majeftie to take
this knowledge of her, though it be from one
fo unworthy to be the reporter, as myfelfe, her
huſbands eſtate not being able to make her fit to
attend your Majeſtie; the moſt and leaſt I can doe,
is to tell you this, becauſe none ſo oft hath tried it
as my ſelfe, and the rather being of fo great a ſpirit,
how ever her ftature; if ſhe ſhould not be well
received, feeing this Kingdome may rightly have a
Kingdome by her meanes; her prefent love to us
and Chriſtianitie, might turne to fuch fcorne and
furie, as to divert all this good to the worft of evill,
where finding fo great a Queene fhould doe her
fome honour more than ſhe can imagine, for being
fo kinde to your fervantes and fubjects, would fo
raviſh her with content, as endeare her deareft bloud
L
280 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
*
to effect that, your Majeftie and all the Kings
honeft fubjects moſt earnestly defire: And fo I
humbly kiffe your gracious hands."
This fcripture of mine had good effect, for the
Queen moft graciously received her, and all the
ladies of the Court vied with each other as to who
could do her ſervice.
I was about this time preparing to fet fail a third
time for New England, and, although my expedition
came to nought, I could not ftay to do her that
ſervice I defired, and fhe well deferved; but,
hearing fhe was at Brentford, with divers of my
friends, I went to fee her. The fight of me called
up a flood of recollections, and ſomewhat overcame
her, for, after a modeft falutation, without faying
a word, the turned about, and obfcured her face, as
not ſeeming well contented; and in that humour,
we all, her huſband and myſelf, left her for two or
three hours, and I, thinking her fomewhat fulky,
repented myſelf having written that ſhe could ſpeak
English.
But not long after, fhe began to talk, and
reminded me well what courtefies fhe had done;
saying, "You did promife Powhatan, what was
yours fhould be his, and he the like to you; you
called him father, being in his land a ſtranger, and
by the ſame reaſon fo muſt I do you:" which,
though I would have excuſed, I durft not have
A Hopeless Tafk.
281
allowed her to uſe that title, becauſe ſhe was a
King's daughter. With a bright look fhe turned
her face full towards me, and faid, "Were you
afraid to come into my father's country, and cauſe
fear in him and all his people (but me), and fear
you here that I ſhould call you father? I tell you
then I will, and you fhall call me child, and fo I
will be for ever and ever your country woman.
They did tell us always you were dead, and I knew
no other, till I came to Plymouth; yet Powhatan
did command Uttamatomakkin to feek you, and
know the truth, becauſe your countrymen will lie
much."
This favage, of whom fhe fpake, was one of
Powhatan's Council, and was, amongst them, held
to be an underſtanding fellow. The King fent
him, as they ſay, purpoſely to number the people
here, and to inform him well what we were and what
was our ſtate. Arriving at Plymouth, according to
his directions he got a long ftick, whereon by
notches he did think to have kept the number of
all the men he could fee, but he quickly wearied of
that taſk. Coming to London, where many were
defirous to hear him and fee his behaviour, he
met me by chance, and we renewed our acquaintance.
Then he told me Powhatan had bidden him to find
me out, fo that I might fhow him our God, the
King, Queen, and Prince, of all of whom I fo
{
282
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
much had told them. Concerning God, I told him
the best I could; the King I had heard he had
feen, and the reſt he ſhould fee whenever he liked.
He denied ever having feen the King, till by
circumſtances he was fatisfied that he had. Then
faid he very fadly, "You gave Powhatan a white
dog, which Powhatan fed as himſelf, but your
King gave me nothing, and I am better than your
white dog."
During the fhort time I was in London, divers
courtiers and others, my acquaintances, went with
me to ſee Pocahontas, and they generally concluded,,
that they did think God had a great hand in her
converfion, and that they had feen many English.
ladies worfe favoured, proportioned and behavioured,
and, as fince I have heard, it pleaſed both the King
and the Queen's Majeftie honourably to efteem her.
And ſhe went about, accompanied by that honour-
able Lady, the Lady De la Warr, and that
honourable Lord her huſband, and divers other
perfons of good quality, both publicly at the
Maſks, and otherwife, to her great fatisfaction and
content, which doubtlefs fhe would have told her
people, had the lived to arrive at Virginia.
But that, alas! fhe was fated not to do. The
Treaſurer, Council, and Virginia Company, having
well furniſhed Captain Samuel Argall for his out-
ward voyage, the Lady Pocahontas, or Rebecca,
1616 *
Death of Pocahontas.
283
with her huſband and others, embarked in the good
fhip called the George, but fhe was taken ill, and,
when the ſhip lay at Gravefend, it pleaſed God to
take this young lady to His mercy. She made not
more forrow for her unexpected death, than joy to
the beholders to hear and fee her make fo religious
and godly an end. She was buried in the chancel
of the church at Gravefend on 21ft day of March,
being then in the twenty-fecond year of her
age. Her huſband grieved forely for her, but he
returned with Argall, leaving his little child, Thomas,
at Plymouth, with Sir Lewis Stukly, who earneſtly
defired the keeping of him. Poor little maid! I
forrowed much for her thus early death, and even
now cannot think of it without grief, for I felt
towards her as if ſhe were mine own daughter. Her
father, Powhatan, lived not long after her, for he
died in April, 1618.
1617
* The church of St. George at Gravefend, where ſhe was
buried, was burnt down in 1727, but the regiſters were
preſerved, and in that of her burial there is a curious error
as to the date, May being written inſtead of March: "1616,
May 2j. Rebeca Wrothe, wyff of Thomas [hould be John]
Wroth, gent., a Virginia Lady borne, was buried in the
Chauuncle." Here, then, we have two errors, one in Rolfe's
Chriſtian name, and the other in the date, which muft
neceffarily be March, for in an account of how "The
Government devolved to Captaine Samuel Argall, 1617," it
ſays, "In March they ſet faile, 1617, and in May he arrived
at James Town; " and in the Calendar of State Papers
(Domeftic Series) it fays, "Mar. 29, 1617. The Virginian
Woman died at Gravefend on her return.'
>>
'
$
284
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
JJ
I went not to New England, nor could I get any
ſuitable employment. New men have arifen, and
no place can now be found for me, who have been
wont to be a leader among men. But when the
moft fad and terrible news came of the maffacre of
nigh upon 400 of the fettlers, by the favages, on
the 22nd day of March, 1622, then I wrote to
the Right Worſhipful the Company of Virginia,
offering to go with 100 foldiers and 30 failors, if
they would provide fuch, with victual, munition,
and fuch neceffary provifion, and, by God's
affiftance, we would endeavour to enforce the
favages to leave their country, or bring them into
that fear and fubjection that every man ſhould
follow his buſineſs ſecurely.
How think you that my offer was treated?
Their anſwer to me was that the charge would be
too great; their ſtock was decayed, and they did
think the planters fhould do that work themſelves,
if I could find means to effect it. They did think
I might have leave of the Company, to do it at
mine own coft, provided they might have half the
pillage; but I think there are not many that would
ſtrive much for that employment, for, except it be
a little corn which at fome time of the year may be
had, I would not give twenty pounds for all the
pillage to be got among the favages in twenty
years. So I went not, nor have I had aught to do
ļ
[
1.
Before His Majesty's Commiffioners.
285
with Virginia fince, ſave that in the year 1623 His
Majefty's Commiffioners for the re-formation of
Virginia defired me to give them my experience to
guide them, and to that end propounded to me
feven queſtions, which I anſwered at length to the
beſt of my ability.
286
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
է
L'ENVOY.
I HAVE thus writ the adventures of my dear old friend,
as he spake them, and have no more to add to them.
From that time forth, he led a peaceful, harmleſs life,
beloved of all that knew him. As he himſelf hath writ,
"I thanke God I never undertook any thing yet, any
could tax me of careleffneffe or diſhoneſty, and who is hee
to whom I am indebted or troubleſome? Ah! were
my accuſers but to change cafes and places with me but
2 yeres, or till they had done but fo much as I, it may
be they would judge more charitably of my imperfections.
But here I muſt leave all to the triall of time, both my-
felfe, Virginia's preparations, proceedings, and good events,
praying to that great God, the Protector of all goodneſſe,
to fend them as good fucceffe as the goodneffe of the
action and country deferveth and my heart defireth."
In his lifetime he wrote many books, and I have fet
them down in the order as they were written, as
followeth :-
"A true relation of fuch occurrences and accidents of
noate as hath hapned in Virginia fince the firft planting
of that Collony, which is now refident in the South part
thereof, till the laſt returne from thence." 1608.
"A Map of Virginia; with a deſcription of the Coun-
trey, the commodities, people, government and reli-
gion." 1612.
"A Deſcription of New England." 1616.
"New Englands Trials." 1620.
Lift of Captain Smith's Books.
287
"An Accidence, or the Pathway to Experience necef-
fary for all Young Seamen, &c." 1620.
"The Generall Hiftorie of Virginia, New England
and the Summer Ifles, &c. 1624.
The True Travels, Adventures, and Obfervations
of Captain John Smith in Europe, Afia, Affrica, and
America, from Anno Domini 1593 to 1629," &c.
"Advertiſements for the Unexperienced Planters of
New England or any where," &c. 1631.
And
The Seaman's Grammar."
At the time of his death he was at work on, and left
unfiniſhed, "A Hiftory of the Sea."
After his death, a loving friend, I may not fay who,
but I know full well, put up a tablet to his memory, on
the fouth fide of the Quire of St. Sepulchre's Church,
where he was interred, and thus it runs :—
i:
"To the living Memory of his deceaſed Friend Captain
JOHN SMITH, fometime Governour of Virginia, and
Admiral of New England. Who departed this Life the
21ft of June 1631.
Accordiamus, Vincere eft Vivere.
Here lyes one conquered that hath conquered Kings,
Subdu'd large Territories, and done Things
Which to the World impoffible would feem,
But that the Truth is held in more eſteem.
Shall I report his former Service done
In honour of his God and Chriſtendom?
How that he did divide from Pagans three
Their Heads and Lives, Types of his Chivalry.
For which great Service, in that Climate done,
Brave Sigifmundus, King of Hungarion,
Did give him as a Coat of Armes to wear,
K
+
288
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
i
វ
Theſe Conquered Heads got by his Sword and Spear.
Or fhall I tell of his Adventures fince
Done in Virginia, that large Continent?
How that he fubdu'd Kings unto his Yoke,
And made thofe Heathen flee, as Wind doth Smoke :
And made their land, being of fo large a Station,
An Habitation for our Chriſtian Nation,
Where God is glorify'd, their Wants fupply'd;
Which elfe, for Neceffaries must have dy'd.
But what avails his Conquefts, now he lyes
Interr'd in Earth, a Prey to Worms and Flyes?
O! May his Soul in fweet Elysium ſleep,
Until the Keeper that all Souls doth keep,
Return to Judgment; and that after thence,
With Angels he may have his Recompence.'
And as fome of you haply would fain read his laſt
Will and Teftament, which was written on the day of
his death, I have tranſcribed it as under :-
"IN THE NAME OF GOD. AMEN. The
one and twentieth daie of June in the feaventh yeare of
the reigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles by the grace
of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland,
defender of the faith, &c. I, Captain John Smith, of
the pariſh of St Sepulchers, London, Efqui', being ficke
in bodye, but of perfect mind and memory, thanckes be
given unto Almightie God therefore, Revoking all
former wills by me heretofore made, doe make and
ordaine this my laft will and teftament in manner follow-
inge. First, I comend my foule into the handes of.
Almightie God my maker, hoping through the merittes
of Chrift Jeſus my Redeemer to receive full remiffion of
all my finnes and to inherit a place in the everlaſting
1
Captain Smith's Will.
289
kingdome, my body I comitt to the earth from whence
it came, to be interred according to the difcrec❜on of
myne executors hereunder named, and of fuch worldlie
goodes wherof it hath pleaſed God in his mercie to make
me an unworthie Receaver, I give and bequeath them
as hereafter followeth. Firft, I give and bequeath unto
Thomas Packer, Esq, one of the Clerkes of His Mate
Privy Seale and to his heires for ever, all my houſes,
landes, tenementes and hereditamentes whatſoever
ſcituate lyinge and beinge in the pariſhes of Lowthe and
Greate Carleton in the Countie of Lincolne, togeather
with my coate of armes. Item, my will and meaninge
is that in confiderac'on therof the faid Thomas Packer
ſhall diſburſe and paye all fuch fomes of money and
legacies as hereafter in this my will are given bequeathed
and reſerved not exceeding the fome of fowerſcore
poundes of lawfull money of England, that is to faie :
Firſt, I reſerve unto my felfe to be difpofed of as I fhall
thinck good in my life tyme the ſome of twentie poundes.
Item, he ſhall diſburſe about my funerall the ſome of
twentie poundes. Item, I give and bequeath out of the
refidue of the faid fourfcore poundes as followeth, viz, I
give and bequeath unto my much honored and moſt
worthie freind St Samuel Saltonftall, Knight, the fome of
fyve poundes. Itm, to Mris Tredway the fome of fyve
poundes. Itm, to my fifter Smith the widowe of my
brother, the fome of tenn poundes. Itm, to my cofen
Steven Smith and his fifter the fome of fixe poundes
thirteene fhillinges and fower pence betweene them. Itm,
to the faid Thomas Packer, Joane his wife, and Eleano
his daughter, the fome of tenn poundes among them.
U
J
1
290
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
Item, to Mr Reynoldes the fay Mr* of the goldſmiths
Hall, the fome of fortie fhillinges, all wch legacies my
meaning and will is fhall be paid by the faid Thomas
Packer his heires executors or adminiftrators wthin one
yeare after my deceaſe. Item, I give unto Thomas
Packer fonne of the above fayd Thomas Packer my
trunck ftanding in my chamber at Sr Samuell Saltonftalls
houſe in St Sepulchres Parish, togeather with my beſt
fuite of apparell of a tawney color, vizt hofe doublet
jerkin and cloake. Item, I give unto him my trunke
bound with iron barres ftanding in the houſe of Richard
Hinde in Lambeth, togeather wth halfe the bookes therein,
to be choſen by the ſaid Thomas Packer and allowed by
myne executors, and the other halfe parte of the bookes
I give unto Mr John Tredefkin † and the faid Richard
Hind to be divided betweene them. Item, I nominate
apointe and ordaine my faid much honored friend Sr
Samuell Saltonftall and the faid Thomas Packer the
elder, joynt executors of this my laft will and teftament;
the marke of the faid John Smith. Read acknowledged
sealed and delivered by the faid Captaine John Smith to
be his laſt will and teftament in the p'fence of us who
have fubſcribed our names; per me Willmu' Keble Sn³,
civitatis London, Willm Packer, Elizabeth Sewfter,
Marmaduke Walker his marke, witnes."

*The Affay Mafter.
fr arith.
† John Tradefcant, whofe collection is merged in the
Afhmolean Muſeum, Oxford.
I
Appendix.
291
APPENDIX.
King James Ist's Letters Patent to Sir Thomas Gates,
Sir George Somers, and others, for two ſeveral
Colonies and Plantations, to be made in Virginia, and
other Parts and Territories of America.
April 10, 1606.
Dated
I. JAMES by the Grace of GOD, King of England,
Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the
Faith, &c.
WHEREAS our loving and well difpofed fubjects,
Sir Thomas Gates, and Sir George Somers, Knights,
Richard Hackluit, Clerk, Prebendary of Weſtminſter, and
Edward Maria Wingfield, Thomas Hanham, and Ralegh
Gilbert, Efqrs., William Parker and George Popham,
Gentlemen, and divers others of our loving Subjects, have
been humble Suitors unto us, that We would vouchſafe
unto them our Licence, to make Habitation, Plantation,
and to deduce a Colony of fundry of our People into
that Part of America, commonly called VIRGINIA,
and other Parts and Territories in America, either ap-
pertaining unto us, or which are not now actually
poffeffed by any Chriſtian Prince or People, fituate, lying,
and being all along the Sea Coafts, between four and
thirty Degrees of Northerly Latitude from the Equinoc-
tial Line, and five and forty Degrees of the ſame
Latitude, and in the main Land between the fame four
and thirty, and five and forty Degrees, and the Iſlands
thereunto adjacent, or within one hundred Miles of the
Coaft thereof.
U 2
292
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
:
II. AND to that End, and for the more ſpeedy
Accompliſhment of their faid intended Plantation and
Habitation there, are defirous to divide themſelves into
two feveral Colonies and Companies; The one confift-
ing of certain Knights, Gentlemen, Merchants, and other
Adventurers, of our City of London and elſewhere,
which are, and from time to time fhall be, joined unto
them, which do defire to begin their Plantation and
Habitation in fome fit and Convenient Place, between
four and thirty and one and forty Degrees of the faid
Latitude, alongſt the Coafts of Virginia, and Coaſts of
America aforefaid; And the other confifting of fundry
Knights, Gentlemen, Merchants, and other Adventurers
of our Cities of Briſtol and Exeter, and of our Town of
Plimouth, and of other Places, which do join themſelves
unto that Colony, which do defire to begin their Planta-
tion and Habitation in fome fit and convenient Place,
between eight and thirty Degrees and five and forty
Degrees of the ſaid Latitude, all alongſt the ſaid Coaſt of
Virginia and America as that Coaſt lyeth.
III. WE, greatly commending, and graciously accept-
ing of, their Defires for the Furtherance of fo noble a
Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God,
hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majeſty, in
propagating of Chriſtian Religion to fuch People, as yet
live in Darkneſs and miferable Ignorance of the true
Knowledge and Worſhip of God, and may in time.
bring the Infidels and Savages living in thoſe parts,
human Civility, and to a ſettled and quiet Government;
DO, by theſe our Letters Patents, graciouſly accept of,
and agree to, their humble and well intended Defires.
to
IV. AND do therefore, for Us, our Heirs, and
1
Appendix.
293
Succeffors, GRANT and agree, that the faid Sir Thomas
Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hackluit, and
Edward Maria Wingfield, Adventurers of and for our
City of London, and all fuch others, as are, or ſhall be,
joined unto them of that Colony, fhall be called the first
Colony; And they ſhall and may begin their faid firſt Plan-
tation and Habitation, at any Place upon the faid Coaſt of
Virginia or America, where they ſhall think fit and con-
venient between the faid four and thirty, and one and
forty Degrees of the faid Latitude; And that they fhall
have all the Lands, Woods, Soil, Grounds, Havens,
Ports, Rivers, Mines, Minerals, Marſhes, Waters, Fiſh-
ings, Commodities, and Hereditaments, whatſoever, from
the ſaid firſt Seat of their Plantation and Habitation by the
Space of fifty Miles of Engliſh Statute Meaſure, all along
the ſaid Coaſt of Virginia and America, towards the Weſt
and South weſt, as the Coaſt lyeth, with all the Iſlands
within one hundred Miles directly over againſt the ſame
Sea Coaſt; And alſo all the Lands, Soil, Grounds, Havens,
Ports, Rivers, Mines, Minerals, Woods, Waters, Marſhes,
Fiſhings, Commodities, and Hereditaments, whatſoever,
from the faid Place of their firft Plantation and Habitation
for the Space of fifty like Engliſh Miles all alongſt
the ſaid Coaſts of Virginia and America, towards the Eaſt
and North Eaft, or towards the North, as the Coaſt
lyeth together with all the Iflands within one hundred
Miles, directly over against the faid Sea Coaft; And
alſo all the Lands, Woods, Soil, Grounds, Havens,
Ports, Rivers, Mines, Minerals, Marfhes, Waters, Fiſh-
ings, Commodities, and Hereditaments, whatſoever, from
the fame fifty Miles every way on the Sea Coaſt, directly
into the main Land by the Space of one hundred like
294
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
4
་
Engliſh Miles; and fhall and may inhabit and remain
there; ſhall and may alſo build and fortify within any the
fame, for their better Safeguard and Defence, according
to their beſt Difcretion, and the Difcretion of the
Council of that Colony; And that no other of our
Subjects ſhall be permitted, or fuffered, to plant or
inhabit behind, or on the Back fide of them, towards the
main Land, without the Exprefs Licence or Confent of
the Council of that Colony, thereunto in Writing firſt
had and obtained.
V. AND We do likewiſe, for Us, our Heirs, and Suc-
ceffors, by theſe Preſents, GRANT and agree, that the ſaid
Thomas Hanham, and Ralegh Gilbert, William Parker,
and George Popham, and all others of the Town of Pli-
mouth in the County of Devon, or elſewhere, which are, or
ſhall be joined unto them of that Colony, fhall be called the
Second Colony; And that they ſhall and may begin their faid
Plantation and Seat of their firft Abode and Habitation, at
any Place upon the ſaid Coaſt of Virginia, and America,
where they ſhall think fit and Convenient, between eight
and thirty Degrees of the faid Latitude, and five and forty
Degrees of the fame Latitude; and that they ſhall have
all the Lands, Soils, Grounds, Havens, Ports, Rivers,
Mines, Minerals, Woods, Marſhes, Waters, Fifhings,
Commodities, and Hereditaments, whatſoever, from the
firft Seat of their Plantation and Habitation by the Space
of fifty like Engliſh Miles, as is aforefaid, all alongſt the
faid Coaſts of Virginia and America, towards the Weſt
and South weft, or towards the South, as the Coaſt
lyeth, and all the Iflands within one hundred Miles,
directly over againſt the ſaid Sea Coaſt: And alſo all the
Lands, Soils, Grounds, Havens, Ports, Rivers, Mines,
f
Appendix.
295
Minerals, Woods, Marſhes, Waters, Fiſhings, Commo-
dities, and Hereditaments whatſoever, from the faid Place
of their firſt Plantation and Habitation for the Space of
fifty like Miles, all alongſt the ſaid Coaſt of Virginia and
America, towards the Eaft and North eaſt, or towards
the North, as the Coaſt lyeth, and all the Iſlands alſo
within one hundred Miles directly over againſt the ſame
Sea Coast; And alfo all the Lands, Soils, Grounds, Havens,
Ports, Rivers, Woods, Mines, Minerals, Marſhes,
Waters, Fiſhings, Commodities, and Hereditaments,
whatſoever, from the fame fifty Miles every way on the
Sea Coaft, directly into the main Land, by the Space of
one hundred like Engliſh Miles; And ſhall and may in-
habit and remain there; and fhall and may alſo build and
fortify within any the fame for their better Safeguard,
according to their beſt Diſcretion, and the Difcretion of
the Council of that Colony; And that none of our
Subjects ſhall be permitted, or ſuffered, to plant, or
inhabit behind, or on the Back of them, towards the
main Land, without the exprefs Licence of the Council of
that Colony, in Writing thereunto firſt had and obtained.
VI. PROVIDED always, and our Will and Pleaſure
herein is, that the Plantation and Habitation of fuch of
the faid Colonies, as fhall plant themſelves, as aforefaid,
ſhall not be made within one hundred like Engliſh Miles
of the other of them, that firſt began to make their Plan-
tation, as aforefaid.
VII. AND We do alfo ordain, eſtabliſh, and agree,
for Us, our Heirs and Succeffors, that each of the faid.
Colonies fhall have a Council, which fhall govern and
order all Matters and Causes, which fhall ariſe, grow, or
happen, to or within the ſame ſeveral Colonies, according
"
.
296
+
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
to fuch Laws, Ordinances, and Inftructions, as ſhall be,
in that behalf, given or figned with Our Hand or Sign
Manual, and paſs under the Privy Seal of our Realm of
England; Each of which Councils fhall confift of thirteen
Perfons, to be ordained, made, and removed, from time
to time, according as fhall be directed and compriſed in
the fame Inftructions; And thall have a feveral Seal, for
all Matters that fhall pafs or concern the fame feveral
Councils; Each of which Seals fhall have the King's
Arms engraven on the one Side thereof, and his Por-
traiture on the other; and that the Seal for the ſaid firft
Colony fhall have engraven round about, on the one Side,
theſe words: Sigillum Regis Magna Britannia, Francia
& Hibernia; on the other fide this Infcription round
about: Pro Concilio prima Colonia Virginia. And the Seal
for the Council of the faid fecond Colony fhall alſo have
engraven, round about the one Side thereof, the aforefaid
words: Sigillum Regis Magna Britannia, Francia &
Hiberniæ; and on the other Side, Pro Concilio fecundæ
Colonia Virginia.
VIII. AND that alſo there fhall be a Council eftab-
lifhed here in England, which fhall, in like manner, confift
of thirteen Perſons, to be, for that purpoſe, appointed by.
Us, our Heirs, and Succeffors, which fhall be called our
Council of Virginia; And ſhall, from time to time, have
the fuperior Managing and Direction, only of and for all
Matters, that ſhall or may concern the Government, as
well of the ſaid ſeveral Colonies, as of and for any other
Part or Place, within the aforefaid Precincts of four and
thirty and one and forty Degrees, above mentioned;
Which Council fhall, in like manner, have a Seal, for
Matters concerning the Council or Colonies, with the
Appendix.
297
like Arms and Portraiture, as aforefaid, with this Infcrip-
tion, engraven round about on the one Side; 'Sigillum
Regis Magna Britannia, Francia & Hiberniæ; and
round about the other Side, Pro Concilio fuo Virginia.
IX. AND, moreover, We do GRANT and agree,
for Us, our Heirs and Succeffors, that the faid feveral
Councils, of and for the ſaid ſeveral Colonies, ſhall and
lawfully may, by Virtue hereof, from time to time, with-
out any Interruption of Us, our Heirs, or Succeffors,
give and take Order, to dig, mine, and ſearch for all
Manner of Mines of Gold, Silver, and Copper, as well
within any Part of their ſaid ſeveral Colonies, as of the
faid main Lands on the Back fide of the fame Colonies;
And to HAVE and enjoy the Gold, Silver, and Copper,
to be gotten thereof, to the Ufe and Behoof of the fame
Colonies, and the Plantations thereof; YIELDING
therefore, to Us, our Heirs and Succeffors, the fifth Part
only of all the fame Gold and Silver, and the fifteenth
Part of all the fame Copper, ſo to be gotten or had, as is
aforefaid, without any other Manner of Profit or Account,
to be given or yielded to Us, our Heirs, or Succeffors, for
or in Reſpect of the fame.
X. AND that they fhall, or lawfully may, eſtabliſh
and Cauſe to be made a Coin, to paſs current there
between the People of thoſe ſeveral Colonies, for the
more Eaſe of Traffick and Bargaining between and
amongſt them and the Natives there, of fuch Metal, and
in fuch Manner and Form, as the faid feveral Councils.
there ſhall limit and appoint.
XI. AND We do likewiſe, for Us, our Heirs and
Succeffors, by theſe Preſents, give full Power and Autho-
rity, to the faid Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers,
1
الا
7

298 Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
1
Richard Hackluit, Edward Maria Wingfield, Thomas
Hanham, Ralegh Gilbert, William Parker, and George
Popham, and to every of them, and to the ſaid ſeveral
Companies, Plantations, and Colonies, that they, and
every of them, ſhall and may, at all and every time and
times hereafter, have, take, and lead in the said Voyage,
and for and towards the faid feveral Plantations and
Colonies, and to travel thitherward, and to abide and
inhabit there, in every the faid Colonies and Plantations,
ſuch and ſo many of our Subjects, as fhall willingly
accompany them, or any of them, in the faid Voyages
and Plantations; With fufficient Shipping and Furniture
of Armour, Weapons, Ordinance, Powder, Victual, and
all other things neceffary for the ſaid Plantations, and for
their Ufe and Defence there: PROVIDED always,
that none of the ſaid Perſons be fuch, as ſhall hereafter
be ſpecially reſtrained by Us, our Heirs, or Succeffors.
XII. MOREOVER, We do, by theſe Preſents, for
Us, our Heirs and Succeffors, GIVE AND GRANT
Licence unto the faid Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George
Somers, Richard Hackluit, Edward Maria Wing-
field, Thomas Hanham, Ralegh Gilbert, William
Parker, and George Popham, and to every of the faid
Colonies, that they, and every of them, shall and
may, from time to time, and at all times for ever here-
after, for their ſeveral Defences, encounter, expulſe,
repel, and refift, as well by Sea, as by Land, by all Ways
and Means whatſoever, all and every fuch Perſon and
Perfons, as without the fpecial Licence of the faid ſeveral
Colonies and Plantations, fhall attempt to inhabit within
the ſaid ſeveral Colonies and Plantations, or any of them,
or that ſhall enterpriſe or attempt, at any time hereafter,
1
Appendix.
299
the Hurt, Detriment, or Annoyance, of the ſaid ſeveral
Colonies or Plantations.
XIII. GIVING AND GRANTING, by theſe
Preſents, unto the ſaid Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George
Somers, Richard Hackluit, Edward Maria Wingfield,
and their Affociates of the faid firft Colony, and unto the
ſaid Thomas Hanham, Ralegh Gilbert, William Parker,
and George Popham, and their Affociates of the faid
fecond Colony, and to every of them, from time to time,
and at all times for ever hereafter, Power and Authority
to take and ſurpriſe, by all Ways and Means whatſoever,
all and every Perſon and Perfons, with their Ships,
Veffels, Goods, and other Furniture, which ſhall be
found trafficking, into any Harbour or Harbours, Creek
or Creeks, or Place, within the Limits or Precincts of the
faid feveral Colonies and Plantations, not being of the fame
Colony, until fuch time, as they, being of any Realms
or Dominions under our Obedience, fhall pay, or agree
to pay, to the Hands of the Treaſurer of that Colony,
within whoſe Limits and Precincts they fhall fo traffick,
two and a half upon every Hundred, of any thing, ſo by
them trafficked, bought, or fold; And being Strangers,
and not Subjects under our Obeyfance, until they ſhall
pay five upon every Hundred, of fuch Wares and Mer-
chandiſes, as they ſhall traffick, buy or fell, within the
precincts of the ſaid ſeveral Colonies, wherein they ſhall
ſo traffick, buy, or fell, as aforefaid; WHICH Sums of
Money or Benefit, as aforefaid, for and during the Space
of one and twenty Years, next enſuing the Date hereof,
ſhall be wholly employed to the Ufe, Benefit, and
Behoof of the ſaid ſeveral Plantations, where fuch Traffick
ſhall be made; And after the faid one and twenty Years
+
.
300
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
ended, the fame fhall be taken to the Uſe of Us, our
Heirs, and Succeffors, by fuch Officers and Minifters, as
by Us, our Heirs and Succeffors, fhall be thereunto
affigned or appointed.
XIV. AND We do further, by theſe Preſents, for
Us, our Heirs, and Succeffors, GIVE AND GRANT
unto the faid Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers,
Richard Hackluit, and Edward Maria Wingfield, and to
their Affociates of the faid firft Colony and Plantation,
and to the faid Thomas Hanham, Ralegh Gilbert,
William Parker, and George Popham, and their Affo-
ciates of the ſaid ſecond Colony and Plantation, that they,
and every of them, by their Deputies, Minifters, and
Factors, may tranſport the Goods, Chattles, Armour,
Munition and Furniture, needful to be uſed by them, for
their ſaid Apparel, Food, Defence, or otherwiſe in Re-
ſpect of the ſaid Plantations, out of our Realms of England
and Ireland, and all other our Dominions, from time to
time, for and during the Time of Seven Years, next
enſuing the Date hereof, for the better Relief of the ſaid
ſeveral Colonies and Plantations, without any Custom,
Subfidy, or other Duty, unto Us, our Heirs, or Succeffors,
to be yielded or payed for the fame.
•
XV. ALSO We do, for Us, our Heirs, and Succef-
fors, DECLARE, by theſe Preſents, that all and
every the Perfons, being our Subjects, which ſhall dwell
and inhabit within every or any of the ſaid ſeveral
Colonies and Plantations, and every of their Children,
which ſhall happen to be born within any of the Limits.
and Precincts of the faid feveral Colonies and Planta-
tions, fhall HAVE and enjoy all Liberties, Franchiſes,
and Immunities, within any of our other Dominions, to
*
Appendix.
301
all Intents and Purpoſes, as if they had been abiding and
born, within this our Realm of England, or any other of
our faid Dominions.
XVI. MOREOVER, our gracious Will and Pleaſure
is, and we do, by theſe Preſents, for Us, our Heirs, and
Succeffors, declare and fet forth, that if any Perfon or
Perſons, which ſhall be of any of the ſaid Colonies and
Plantations, or any other, which ſhall traffick to the ſaid
Colonies and Plantations, or any of them, fhall, at any
time or times hereafter, tranſport any Wares, Merchan-
difes, or Commodities, out of any of our Dominions,
with a Pretence to land, fell, or otherwife diſpoſe of the
fame, within any the Limits and Precincts of any the
faid Colonies and Plantations, and yet nevertheleſs, being
at Sea, or after he hath landed the fame within any of the
faid Colonies and Plantations, fhall carry the fame into
any other foreign Country, with a Purpoſe there to fell or
diſpoſe of the fame, without the Licence of Us, our Heirs,
and Succeffors, in that Behalf firft had and obtained;
That then, all the Goods and Chattles of ſuch Perſon
or Perfons, ſo offending and tranſporting, together with
the faid Ship or Veffel, wherein ſuch Tranſportation was
made, ſhall be forfeited to Us, our Heirs, and Succeffors.
XVII. PROVIDED always, and our Will and
Pleaſure is, and we do hereby declare to all Chriftian
Kings, Princes, and States, that if any Perfon or Perfons,
which ſhall hereafter be of any of the ſaid ſeveral Colonies
and Plantations, or any other, by his, their, or any of their
Licence and Appointment, ſhall, at any time or times
hereafter, rob or ſpoil, by Sea or by Land, or do any Act
of unjuſt and unlawful Hoftility, to any Subjects of Us,
our Heirs, or Succeffors, or any the Subjects of any
302
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
King, Prince, Ruler, Governor, or State, being then in
League or Amity with Us, our Heirs, or Succeffors, and
that upon fuch Injury, or upon juſt Complaint of ſuch
Prince, Ruler, Governor, or State, or their Subjects, We,
our Heirs, or Succeffors fhall make open Proclamation,
within any of the Ports of our Realm of England, com-
modious for that Purpoſe, That the faid Perfon or Per-
fons, having committed any fuch Robbery or Spoil, ſhall
within the term to be limited by fuch Proclamations,
make full Reſtitution or Satisfaction of all fuch Injuries
done, fo as the faid Princes, or others fo complaining,
may hold themſelves fully fatisfied and contented; And,
that, if the ſaid Perfon or Perfons, having committed ſuch
Robbery, or Spoil, fhall not make, or cauſe to be made,
Satisfaction accordingly, within fuch Time fo to be limited,
That then it ſhall be lawful to Us, our Heirs, and Succef-
fors, to put the ſaid Perſon or Perſons, having committed
ſuch Robbery or Spoil, and their Procurers, Abettors
or Comforters, out of our Allegiance and Protection;
And that it fhall be lawful and free for all Princes and
others, to purſue with Hoftility the ſaid Offenders, and
every of them, and their and every of their Procurers,
Aiders, Abettors, and Comforters, in that Behalf.
XVIII. AND finally, We do for Us, our Heirs,
and Succeffors, GRANT and agree, to and with the ſaid
Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hack-
luit, and Edward Maria Wingfield, and all others of the
firſt Colony, that We, our Heirs and Succeffors, upon
Petition in that Behalf to be made, fhall, by Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of England, GIVE and
GRANT, unto fuch Perfons, their Heirs and Affigns,
as the Council of that Colony, or the moſt Part of them,
י
.
Appendix.
303
fhall, for that purpoſe, nominate and affign, all the Lands,
Tenements, and Hereditaments, which fhall be within
the Precincts limited for that Colony, as is aforeſaid, TO
BE HOLDEN OF US, our Heirs, and Succeffors,
as of our Manor of Eaft Greenwich, in the County of
Kent, in free and common Soccage only, and not in Capite.
XIX. AND do, in like manner, GRANT, and
agree, for Us, our Heirs, and Succeffors, to and with the
faid Thomas Hanham, Ralegh Gilbert, William Parker,
and George Popham, and all others of the faid fecond
Colony, that We, our Heirs, and Succeffors, upon
Petition in that Behalf to be made, fhall, by Letters
Patent, under the Great Seal of England, GIVE and
GRANT unto fuch Perfons, their Heirs and Affigns, as
the Council of that Colony, or the moſt part of them,
fhall, for that purpoſe, nominate and affign, all the Lands,
Tenements, and Hereditaments which fhall be within
the Precincts limited for that Colony, as is aforeſaid, TO
BE HOLDEN OF US, our Heirs, and Succeffors, as
of our Manor of Eaft Greenwich in the County of
Kent, in free and common Soccage only, and not in Capite.
·
XX. ALL which Lands, Tenements, and Heredita-
ments, fo to be paffed by the faid feveral Letters patent,
fhall be fufficient Affurance from the faid Patentees, fo
diftributed and divided amongst the Undertakers for the
Plantation of the faid feveral Colonies, and ſuch as ſhall
make their Plantations in either of the faid feveral
Colonies, in fuch Manner and Form, and for fuch
Eftates, as fhall be ordered and fet down by the
Council of the faid Colony, or the moft Part of
them, reſpectively, within which the fame Lands, Tene-
ments, and Hereditaments fhall lye or be; Although
4
↓
;
-
"

304
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
exprefs Mention of the true Yearly Value or Certainty
of the Premiſes, or any of them, or of any other Gifts or
Grants by Us or any of our Progenitors or Predeceffors,
to the aforefaid Sir Thomas Gates, Knt., Sir George
Somers, Knt., Richard Hackluit, Edward Maria Wing-
field, Thomas Hanham, Ralegh Gilbert, William Parker,
and George Popham, or any of them, heretofore made,
in theſe preſents, is not made, Or any ftatute, Act,
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Thing, Caufe, or Matter whatſoever, in any wife not-
withſtanding. IN WITNESS whereof, we have cauſed
theſe our Letters to be made Patents; Witnefs Ourſelf,
at Weſtminſter, the tenth Day of April, in the fourth
Year of our Reign of England, France, and Ireland, and
of Scotland the nine and thirtieth.
Lukin
Per breve de privato Sigillo.
99906
BRITANIÆ FRANCIÆ ET
SMAGN
SIGILVM REGIS
HIBERNLE
IRG
IE
OAS
OO
0000
Copy of the Seal of Virginia.
。
Ooo
PRO
NS
ILIO
1
#
Appendix.
305
The Copy of a Letter fent to the Treaſurer and Council of
Virginia from Captain Smith, then Prefident in
Virginia.
RIGHT HONORABLE, &C.,
I received your Letter, wherein you write, that
our minds are fo ſet upon faction, and idle conceits in
dividing the Country without your conſents, and that we
feed You but with ifs and ands, hopes and fome few
proofes; as if we would keepe the myſtery of the
buſineſſe to ourſelues: and that we muſt expreffly follow
your inftructions fent by Captain Newport: the charge
of whoſe voyage amounts to neare two thouſand pounds,
the which if we cannot defray by the Ships returne, we
are like to remain as baniſhed men.
To theſe par-
ticulars I humbly intreat your Pardons if I offend you
with my rude Anſwer.
For our factions, unleffe you would haue me run
away and leaue the Country, I cannot prevent them :
becauſe I do make many ftay that would els fly any
whether. For the idle Letter fent to my Lord of
Salisbury, by the Prefident and his confederats, for
diuiding the Country, &c. What it was I know not,
for
you faw no hand of mine to it; nor euer dream't I of
any fuch matter. That we feed you with hopes, &c.
Though I be no fcholer, I am paſt a ſchool boy; and
I defire but to know, what either you, and theſe here doe
know, but that I have learned to tell you by the con-
tinuall hazard of my life, I have not concealed from you
any thing I know; but I feare fome cauſe you to beleeue
much more then is true.
X
306
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
Exprefly to follow your directions by Captain
Newport, though they be performed, I was directly
againſt it; but, according to our Commiffion, I was
content to be overruled by the maior part of the
Councell, I feare to the hazard of us all; which is now
generally confeffed when it is too late. Onely Captaine
Winne and Captaine Waldo I have fworne of the
Councell, and Crowned Powhatan according to your
inftructions.
For the charge of this Voyage of two or three
thouſand pounds, we have not received the value of an
hundred pounds. And for the quartred boat to be
borne by the fouldiers over the Falles, Newport had 120
of the beſt men he could chufe. If he had burnt her to
aſhes, one might have carried her in a bag, but as ſhe
is, fiue hundred cannot, to a navigable place aboue the
Falles. And for him at that time to find in the South
Sea, a Mine of Gold, or any of them fent by Sir Walter
Raleigh at our Conſultation I told them was as likely
as the reft. But during this great diſcovery of thirtie
myles,* (which might as well have been done by one.
man, and much more, for the value of a pound of Copper
at a ſeaſonable tyme), they had the Pinnace and all the
Boats with them, but one that remained with me to
ferue the Fort. In their abfence I followed the new
begun workes of Pitch and Tarre, Glaffe, Sope aſhes,
and Clapboord, whereof ſome ſmall quantities we have
fent you.
But if you rightly confider, what an infinite
toyle it is in Ruffia and Swethland, where the woods are
proper for naught els, and though there be the helpe
* Newport's expedition to the Monacans.
Appendix.
307
both of man and beaft in thoſe ancient Common-wealths,
which many a hundred years have vfed it, yet thouſands
of thoſe poore people can ſcarce get neceffaries to liue,
but from hand to mouth. And though your Factors
there can buy as much in a week as will fraught you
a ſhip, or as much as you pleaſe; you muſt not expect
from us any fuch matter, which are but a many of
ignorant miferable foules, that are ſcarce able to get where-
with to liue, and defend ourfelues againſt the inconſtant
Salvages: finding but here and there a tree fit for the
purpoſe, and want all things els the Ruffians haue. For
the Coronation of Powhatan, by whofe advice you fent
him fuch preſents, I know not; but this give me leaue
to tell you, I feare they will be the conclufion of vs all
ere we heare from you againe. At your Ships arrivall,
the Salvages harveft was newly gathered, and we going
to buy it, our owne not being halfe fufficient for ſo
great a number. As for the two ſhips loading of Corne
Newport promiſed to provide vs from Powhatan, he
brought us but fourteene Buſhels; and from the Monacans
nothing, but the moſt of the men ficke and neare
famiſhed. From your Ship we had not proviſion in
victuals worth twenty pound, and we are more than two
hundred to live vpon this; the one half ficke, the other
little better. For the Saylers (I confeffe) they daily
make good cheare, but our dyet is a little meale and
water, and not fufficient of that. Though there be fiſh
in the Sea, foules in the ayre, and Beafts in the woods,
their bounds are fo large, they fo wilde, and we ſo weake
and ignorant, we cannot much trouble them. Captain
Newport we much fufpect to be the Authour of thoſe
inventions. Now that you ſhould know, I haue made
-
308
Difcourfes of Capt. John Smith.
you as great a diſcovery as he, for leffe charge than he
ſpendeth you every meale; I haue fent you this Mappe
of the Bay and Rivers, with an annexed Relation of the
Countries and Nations that inhabit them, as you may
fee at large. Alfo two barrels of ftones, and fuch as I
take to be good Iron ore at the leaft; fo divided, as by
their notes you may fee in what places I found them.
The Souldiers fay many of your officers maintaine their
families out of that you fend vs; and that Newport hath
an hundred pounds a yeare for carrying newes.
For
every maſter you haue yet fent can find the way as well
as he, ſo that an hundred pounds might be ſpared, which
is more than we haue all, that helpe to pay him wages.
Cap. Ratliffe is now called Sicklemore, a poore counter-
feited Impoſture. I haue fent you him home, leaft the
company ſhould cut his throat. What he is, now every
one can tell you: if he and Archer returne againe, they
are fufficient to keepe vs alwayes in factions. When
you ſend againe I intreat you rather fend but thirty
Carpenters, huſbandmen, gardiners, fiſher men, black-
fmiths, mafons, and diggers vp of trees, roots, well
provided; then a thouſand of fuch as we haue for
except wee be able both to lodge them, and feed them,
the moſt will confume with want of neceffaries before
they can be made good for anything. Thus, if you
pleaſe to confider this account, and of the vnneceſſary
wages to Captaine Newport, or his ſhips fo long lingering
and ſtaying here (for notwithſtanding his boaſting to leave
vs victuals for 12 moneths, though we had 89 by this dif-
covery lame and ficke, and but a pinte of Corne a day for
a man, we were conſtrained to giue him three hogfheads
of that to victuall him homeward), or yet to fend into
Appendix.
309
Germany or Poleland for glaffe-men and the reft, till we
be able to fuftaine our felues, and relieue them when they
come. It were better to giue fiue hundred pound a
tun for thoſe groffe Commodities in Denmarke, then
fend for them hither, till more neceffary things be pro-
vided. For in over-toyling our weake and vnſkilfull
bodies, to fatis fie this defire of preſent profit, we can ſcarce
ever recover our ſelves from one Supply to another. And
I humbly intreat you hereafter, let us know what we
ſhould receiue, and not ftand to the Saylers courtefie to
leaue us what they pleaſe, els you may charge vs with
what you will, but we not you with anything. Theſe
are the Cauſes that haue kept us in Virginia, from laying
fuch a foundation, that ere this might haue given much
better content and fatisfaction; but as yet you muſt not
looke for any profitable returnes; fo I humbly reſt.
,
J
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