A briefe and true report of the new found land of Virginia

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Cornell University Library
F 229 H311903

Briefe and true report of the new found

olin

3 1924 028 784 571

Cornell University
Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028784571

Dodd, Mead & Company's
Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books

Historical Series, No. I

Hariot's "Virginia," 1588

This Edition is limited to Five Hundred and Twenty
Copies, of which Twenty are on Japan paper

A Briefe and True Report of
the New Found Land

OF

VIRGINIA

By

Thomas Hariot

Reproduced in Facsimile from the First
Edition of 1588

With an Introductory Note by
Luther S. Livingston

NEW YORK

DODD, MEAD far COMPANY

1903

1 ■■*V\ .

/A • 6 o o f o

7

Introductory Note

THE earliest printed original book in the English
language relating to the region now comprised
within the limits of the United States is Thomas
Hariot's Brief e and True Report of the New Found Land of
Virginia, which is reproduced in facsimile on the succeed-
ing pages, from the original quarto edition of 1588. It is
not (as it has been called) the history of the first settle-
ment, but is instead the report of the skilled surveyor and
mathematician sent out with the colonists by the owners
of the grant for the express purpose of studying the country
and its capabilities for settlement. It was written and
printed with the view of inducing men of capital to become
stockholders in the corporation, and for persuading settlers
to emigrate to the regions described, and is one of the
earliest examples of a statistical survey on a large scale.
Being the account of the resources of the country, and of
its Indian inhabitants, its text is more interesting than the
more narrative-like report of the President of the Colony
which is printed in Hakluyt's Voyages and which, with this
book, comprises about all that is known from first hands
of that " First Colonic" The actual narrative of the
Expedition prepared by Hariot himself, and which he said
was " ready in a discourse by it self in maner of a Chronicle
according to the course of times, and when time shall bee
thought convenient shall be also published" is, unfortunately,
lost.

Only seven copies of the book can be traced, and of
these four are in public libraries. One is in the Grenville
collection, in the British Museum, one in the Bodleian

[v]

Introductory Note

Library at Oxford, and one in the University of Leyden.
A fourth is in the collection formed by the late Henry
Huth, and a fifth is, or was, in the collection of the late
Lord Taunton. Two copies are in America, one in the
New York Public Library, Lenox Collection, and the
other, the copy from which this reprint is made, in
private hands. This copy may, with some probability, be
called Sir Francis Drake's. It was sold at auction in 1883
with other books from a library said to have been brought
together by him. It is possible, however, that the collec-
tion, as such, dates no farther back than the time of his
nephew, who published Sir Francis Drake Revived, in 1626.
It was bought by the late Mr. Quaritch for .£300. He
catalogued it at ^335 and sold it, probably at that price, to
the late Mr. Charles H. Kalbfleisch. Since the death of
the latter it passed into the collection of Mr. Marshall C.
Lefferts and, recently, through the hands of two book-
sellers, into the library of Mr. E. D. Church, of New
York.

Few of the older bibliographers seem to have known of
the book and the earliest bibliographical record we can find
of it is as Number 1345 of Part IX of the Catalogue of the
Heber Collection. This ninth part was sold on April 11,
and thirteen following days, Sundays excepted, 1836.

The book is described as " Fine copy, in russia." In
addition to the transcription of the title, the catalogue
contains this note :

* # * Excessively rare. It is not to be traced in any Catalogue,
and does not appear to be mentioned by any Bibliographer. It con-
tains 24 leaves, including the Title and Dedication by Rafe Lane.

The volume sold for ,£35 10s.

Ternaux in 1837 entered the title in his Bibliotheque
Jmericaine, but does not say where he obtained his informa-
tion regarding it.

Payne and Foss, who prepared the catalogue of the
Grenville Collection in the British Museum printed in
1842, enter it, curiously enough, under De Bry, instead of

[ vi ]

Introductory Note

under the author's name. They add also the following
note :

"This forms the first part of the Voyages to the West Indies or
Grands Voyages. Previously to its being added to the Collection it
was separately printed in French, and verbatim from this 4to in Eng-
lish, in Latin, and German by De Bry at Frankfort in 1590, as here-
after described."

They give the collation as " Signatures A to F in fours,
twenty-four leaves."

Bohn, in his revision of Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual,
follows the Grenville Catalogue exactly, and enters it under
De Bry, and gives the same collation. These authors knew
of only two copies, the British Museum and the Bodleian.
Graesse enters it properly under Hariot, gives the collation
as twenty-four leaves, and quotes the Heber Catalogue.
He does not record any other copy. None of these authors
points out the fact that the last leaf is blank.

Sabin in his Bibliotheca Americana, gives the collation
simply as " 23 leaves." He knew of three copies, the
British Museum, Bodleian, and Lenox. He mentions
another copy, however, as having been sold in Dublin in
1873 " w i' n fi ye other rare pieces relating to America, for
less than ,£25." If this is true and the copy is still in
existence it must make an eighth copy, unless it chance that
the Dublin copy may be the one now in the Huth collection,
which, however, we think is the Heber copy. Brunet cites
the book properly, taking his title from the Heber catalogue.

Henry Stevens, in his Recollections of James Lenox, gives
the following anecdote about the Lenox copy :

" Mr. Lenox was principled against raffles, wagers,
lotteries, and games of chance generally, but I once led him
into a sort of bet in this way, by which I won from him
.£4. I had acquired a fair copy of that gem of rare books,
the quarto edition of Hariot's Briefe and true report of the
new found land of Virginia, London, Feb. 1588, wanting
four leaves in the body of the book. These I had very
skilfully traced by Harris, transferred to stone, printed off

[ vii ]

Introductory Note

on old paper of a perfect match, the book and these leaves
sized and coloured alike, and bound in morocco by Bedford.
The volume was then sent to Mr. Lenox to be examined
by him de visu, the price to be £25 ; but if he could detect
the four facsimile leaves, and would point them out to me
without error, the price was to be reduced to .£21. By the
first post after the book was received he remitted me the
twenty guineas, with a list of the facsimiles. But on my
informing him that two of his facsimiles were originals, he
immediately remitted the four pounds and acknowledged
his defeat."

About 16 18 William Strachey, first secretary of the
Jamestown Colony, prepared a Historic of Travaile into
Virginia Britannia, which existed only in manuscript until it
was printed by the Hakluyt Society in 1849. I* contains
this reference to Hariot and, being by a contemporary of
his, is worthy of insertion here.

" Our country of Virginia hath no want of many
marchandize (which we in England accomplish in Den-
mark, Norway, Prusia, Poland, etc ; fetch far, and buy
deare) which advaunce much, and assured increase, with
lesse exchaung of our owne, with as few hazardes by sea,
and which would maintaine as frequent and goodly a navie
as what runs the Levant stage ; and those by divers treaties,
both in Lattin and English, private and publique, have ben,
in their particuler names and values oftentymes expressed,
especyally that which hath bene published by that true lover
of vertue and great learned professor of all arts and knowl-
edges, Mr. Hariots, who lyved there in the tyme of the first
colony, spake the Indian language, searcht the country, and
made many proufes of the richness of the soyle, and
comoditie there of."

The first effort toward actual English colonization in
America was the colony planned by Sir Humphrey Gilbert,
under the Patent granted by Queen Elizabeth on June 1 ith,
1578. This grant was for six years only, unless a colony
should be meanwhile founded, in which case it was to be

[ viii ]

Introductory Note

perpetual. Two expeditions were sent out, and possession
was taken of a portion of the island of Newfoundland, but '
no settlement was established. Gilbert having gone down
with his ship on the return voyage in 1583, his patent was
regranted to his half-brother Walter Raleigh. This new
patent was dated March 25th, 1584 (the first day of the
new year), and was also limited to six years. It gave him
license " to discover, search, find out, and view such
remote, heathen and barbarous lands, countries, and terri-
tories, not actually possessed of any Christian prince, nor
inhabited by Christian people, as to him, his heires and
assignes, and to every or any of them shall seeme good,"
etc.

Two ships were at once fitted out and the expedition,
under the command of Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlow,
sailed on April 27th, 1584. They reached the coast of
Carolina in July, made some superficial examinations and
returned to England in September. They " brought home
also two of the Savages being lustie men, whose names
were Wanchese and Manteo."

The report of this first tentative expedition being favor-
able, Raleigh made preparations to found a Colony in the
newly discovered region. On April 9th, 1585, seven
vessels sailed from Plymouth under the command of Sir
Richard Grenville. They arrived safely at the island of
Roanoke, at the north end of Pamlico Sound, where
Amadas and Barlow had been the year before, on June
26th. The two Indians, who had learned the white
man's language, during their stay in England, were very
helpful to the English in treating with the natives. Gren-
ville himself stayed just two months and then returned to
England, leaving a colony of one hundred and eight men,
all of whose names are set down by Hakluyt, under the
governorship of Ralph Lane.

This expedition was well fitted out, and among the
colonists were included several specialists. Thomas Hariot,
who had already acquired fame as a mathematician, was

[ix]

Introductory Note

surveyor and historiographer. John White, whose name is
apparently corrupted in Hakluyt's list, into John Twit, was
the artist of the expedition, and his portfolio of drawings is
now in the British Museum. There was also a " mineral-
man," or geologist, though he seems to be unidentified.

This " first colonie " remained on the island of Roanoke
and in the vicinity for almost an entire year, hearing mean-
while nothing from home. On the 7th of June, 1586,
a fleet of twenty-three sail was sighted off" the coast. At
first it was feared that they were Spaniards, but happily it
turned out the next day that it was the fleet of Sir Francis
Drake, returning victorious from the sacking of rich cities
of the Spanish colonies. He had run up to see how the
Virginian Colony of his friend Raleigh was prospering. He
offered to supply them with provisions, take home their
sick, and leave " oare-men, artificers and others " in their
place, as well as leaving them a ship with sailing masters
competent to navigate her home, also " a supply of calievers,
hand weapons, match and lead, tooles, apparell, and such
like." While these arrangements were being made a Cape
Hatteras storm came on and continued four days, doing
more damage to Drake's fleet "than all his former most
honourable actions against the Spaniards." The colonists
considered this storm as the judgment of God that they
should return at once to England, and it was so decided.
The weather was still rough and in transferring their goods
to the ships of the fleet the boats ran aground and the
sailors cast overboard " all their Cards, Books and writ-
ings." Notwithstanding this statement Hariot's diary must
have been preserved, and John White's drawings are still in
existence. The one hundred and four members of the
colony, for Hariot says that only four " died all the yeere,"
were distributed among the ships of the fleet which set sail
on the 19th of June (being just a year, lacking one week,
since their arrival), and reached England the latter part of
July, 1585.

The account of Raleigh's subsequent efforts to found a

[*]

Introductory Note

colony on the coast of North Carolina, of the fifteen men
left by Sir Richard Grenville in 1586, when he arrived with
supplies and found the colonists gone, and of the " second
colonie" of one hundred and nineteen, left in 1587 and all
lost, may be found in Hakluyt, and, copied from him, in
many more recent books.

Raleigh's original Charter would have expired by limi-
tation on the 24th of March, 1590. He had, however,
been obliged to raise money to fit out White's expedition
of 1589 by selling stock in his company. That "Assign-
ment of Rights" is dated March 7, 1589. We may there-
fore suppose, with reason, that this Report of Hariot's was
written and printed for Raleigh to distribute among the
friends from whom he sought aid in carrying out his schemes
of western planting. The book was evidently privately
printed, as it bears no name of printer or publisher, and
was not entered at Stationers' Hall. It is, as will be seen,
dated "February, 1588," at the end. This, according to
our present reckoning, would be 1589, and, as the new
year then began on March 25th, and as the title is also
dated 1588, we may presume that the book was printed and
ready for distribution in the early part of 1589, perhaps as
early as the first of March.

A word as to Hariot, the author of the book, himself.
He was born at Oxford in 1560, and was thus only 25
years of age when he came to Virginia. He graduated from
Oxford February 12, 1580, and was almost immediately
employed by Raleigh as a tutor, having been recommended
on account of his expert knowledge of mathematics. He
continued to be Raleigh's best friend until Raleigh's death
on the scaffold in 16 1 8. He made the "last great dis-
covery in the pure science of algebra " by arriving at a
theory of the genesis of equations, and he shares with
Galileo the honor of inventing the telescope (called by
Hariot the " perspective truncke "), and of making impor-
tant discoveries with that instrument.

He died July 2, 1621, of cancer of the nose, the case,
[ xi ]

Introductory Note

an important one, being described in the records, and was
buried in the churchyard of St. Christopher, in London.
A marble monument was erected over his grave by his
friend, the Earl of Northumberland, the inscription on
which has been preserved in Stow's Survey of London.
Church and monument were destroyed in the Great Fire in
1666. The church was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren,
but the monument was not restored. The old churchyard
of St. Christopher is now the " Garden of the Bank of
England," and there, in " the lovliest spot in all London,"
repose the bones of Virginia's first historian.

A second edition of the Brief Report, published in 1590,
by Theodore De Bry, of Frankfort-on-the-Main, forms
the first part of that eminent publisher's great series of voy-
ages. It was printed in four languages, English, French,
German, and Latin, and was illustrated witha map and a series
of 22 plates engraved by De Bry, " the most diligentlye
and well that wear in my possible to doe," he says, after
the original water-colors made in Virginia by Hariot's com-
panion, John White, afore-mentioned. This magnificent
folio was dedicated to Raleigh and contains, in addition to
Hariot's Report and White's illustrations, descriptions of
the plates, apparently by White himself, but " translated out
of Latin into English by Richard Hackluit." By whom
the book was translated into German does not appear.
Perhaps it was done by De Bry himself. He says that he
" caused yt to bee Reduced into verye Good Frenche and
Latin by the aid of verye worshipfull frend of myne."
From the fact that the Dedication of the edition, with
French text is dated March 24, 1590, while that in the
English and Latin editions is April 1, and of the German
edition April 3, it is possible that the French edition was
first issued.

Another German translation forms the second part of a
volume prepared for the press by Dr. Matthew Dresser, and
published in Leipzig in 1598, with the title :

" Historien vnd Bericht,/ Von dem Newlicher/ Zeit

[xii]

Introductory Note

erfundenen Konigriech China,/ wie es nach vmbsienden,
so zu einer rechtmessigen / Beschreibung gohoren, darumb/
beschaffen. / Item, Von dem auch new erfundenen/ Lande
Virginia./" Etc.

The only adequate account of Hariot, especially of his
lifelong connection with Raleigh, is the Life by the late
Henry Stevens, printed in 1885, but not published until
1900. A great quantity of his manuscript, mostly mathe-
matical in character, is preserved in the British Museum.

L. S. L.

[ xli! ]

&3 A briefe and true re-

port of the new foundland of Virginia: of

the commodities there found mdtob^r ay jed t as vsdlmar-
cftantabre 3 as,others for viftualljbiilWingand other nccefla-
rhvferfor thofi that are ancl fbalUe the planters there\an& efthe na-
ture and manners oftlie-iiaturall inhabitants : Difcouerecfbyihe
EnghpXlolony there feared h Sir- RtdiaTd-GrdnuilciCtejj&r -arrfa
yeere I j8f. whrch relhainca vAJertliegouernmentofRafe llanq Efqui-
er, one of her MalcpSeT^^Setei^ during the/pace ofwifaemnethei :<u
the fpeciall charge and direQIon of clie'Hottoura'ble Si R
WALTER RALEIGH Knight, Lord Warden of
the ftannerics j who therein Iiacft beetle fauoit-
redaattaurhonle $hy her MaicBie and
iierTctters patents

Directed to the Aduenturers^auourers,

andWelwtller 's of the aBton 3 fot the inhabi-
ting and planting there:

By Thomas Hano^ fcruant to the abouenamed

Sir lyaUer^a.member of the Colmj^ani

there implojedi/i difcottenng*

Imprinted at London T588.

^5 Rafe Lane one of her Maiefiies

Squkres andGouernourofthe felony in Vtr-
gtniaaboue mentioned for the time there

rejident. To the gentle Reader ^ffiethaH
bappities in the Lord,

Lbeit (Gmtls Readier) the
credite of the reports in this
treaiife contained, canlittk
be furthered by the teftimo-
nieofoneasmyJelfe,tbrMgh
afft&lion iudged partially
though without defert:Ne~
tterthelejfefirfomuch aslhaue beene requeued by fame
my particular friends, who conceiue more rightly of
mejto dehuer freely my knowledge oftbeftme$ notonely
forthepttisfying of them, but alfifor the true enforma*
tion of ante other whofbeuer, that comes not with apre-
iudicate minae to the reading thereof Thus much vpon
my credit Jamto affirme: ihat things vniuerfally are
Jo tmclyjetdowne in this treatije by the author therof
mAUorinthe feolonyf£a,manmkff for his hone fy

aAz then

thenlearmngcommendabhas that I dare holdely a~

uouchitmayyerywell^affewiththecreait of truthe-

wnammgflthemofltrue relates of this ageWhiehas

fir mine own part lam readieanywaywith rny word

Toacknowkdge,JoalJo (ofthecertainttethenofaffmed

hymine owne experience) with this myfiub-

Ukg ajjertton, I doe affirms the fame.

Farewell in the Larde,

^ To the Aduenturers, Fauourers,

andWdmllersofthe enter f rife for the inha-
biting asd planting in Virginia.

Ince the firft vndertaking hy
Sir Walter Raleigh to deale
in the a&ion of difcouering
of that Countrcy which is
now called and known by the
name of PHrginkt-, many voy-
ages hauing bin thither made
atfundrie times to his great
charge; as firft in theyeere
x.584» and afterwardes in the yeeres 1585, ,15 8 6 3 and
now oflare this laftyeareof 1 587: There hauebindi*
trers and variable reporteswith fomc flaunderous and
fhamefull Speeches bruited abroade by many that retur*
ncd from thence. Especially of that difcouery which
was made by the Colony tranfported by Sir' Richarci
Greinuile inthe ycare 1585, being of all the others the
moft principal and as yer of mo'ft effe&jthe time of their
abode hi the countrcy beeing a whole yeare, when as in
the other voyage before they ftaied but fixe weekes; and
the others after were onelieforfupply andtranfpdrta-
tion, nothing more being difcoucred then had been be-
fore, Whichreports haue nor done a lisle wrong to ma.-

A.3. " ny

nAbriefeandtrue report

ny that otherwife would haue alfb fauoured & aduentn-
red in the a&ion, to the honour and benefice of our na-
tion, befides the particular profice and credite which
would redound to themfelues the dealers therein; as I
hope by the fequele of euents to the fhame of thofe that
hauc auouched the contrary fhalbe manifeft .• ify ou the
aduenturers,fauourers,and welwillcrsdo but either en-
creafe in number , or in opinion continue, or hauing bin
doubtfull rencwe your good liking and furtherance to
deale therein according to the worthineffe thereof al-
ready e found and as you (ball vnderftand hereafter to
be requifite. Touching whic h woorthincs through
caufe of the diuerfitie of relations and rcportcs,ma-
nye of your opinions coulde not bee Heme , nor the
mindes of forae that are well difpofed,bee (ededina-
oycertaintie.

I haue therefore thought it good beeing one
that haue bcene in the difcouerie and in dealing with
thcnaturall inhabitantes fpecially imploied 5 and ha-
uing therefore feene and knowne more then the or-
dinance to imparte fo much vnto you of the fruites
of our labours , as that you may knowe howe iniuri-
oufly the enterprifeis (laundered . And that in pub-
like manner at this prefentchiefclie for two rcfpe&es.
Firft thatfbme of you which are yet ignorant or
doubtfull of the ftate thereof, may fee that there is
fufficient caule why the cheefe enterprifer with the
fauour of her Maieflie , notwithstanding fuche re*
porcesj hath not onelie fince continued thea&ion by
fending into the countrey againe, and replanting this
laftyeereanewColonyibutis alforcadie, according as
the times and tneanes will affoorde, to follow and pro-
fecute the fame.

Second-

of the new found land of 'Virginia.

Secondly, that you feeing and knowingthe continu-
ance of the a&ion by the view hereof you may generally
know & learne what thecountrey is, & thervpon confi-
der how your dealing therein if it proceede, may returnc
you profit and gainej bee it cither by inhabiting Si plan-
tmg or otherwise in furthering thereof,

And leaft that the fubltance of my relation fhould be
doubtful vnto you,as of others by reafon of their diuerfi-
tie : I will firft open the caufe in a few wordes wherefore
they are fodifferenti referring my felfe to your fauoura-
b!e cOnf tru6tions,and to be adiudged of as by good con-i
fideration you fhali finde caufe.

Of our companie that returned fbme fbr their mifde-
xnenour and ill dealing in the countrey , haue beenc
fchere worthily punifhed; who by reafon of their baddc
natures', haue malicioufly not onelie fpoken ill of
their Gouernours; but for their fakes (laundered the
countrie it felfe. The like alfo haue thofe done which
were of their confort.

Somebceing ignorant of the ftatethereof 3 notwith-
ftanding fiuce their returne amongefl their friendes and
acquaintance and alfo others, efpecially if they were in
companie where they might not be gainefaide j woulde
feemetoknowe fo much as no men more, and make
no men fo great trauailers as themfelues . They flood
lb much as it maie feeme vppon their credite and re-
putation that hauing been a twelue m,oneth in the coun-
trey } it wouldehaue heene a great difgrace vnto them as
theythought, iftheycouldenot h aue (aide much whe-
therit were true or falfe. Of which fome haue fpoken of
more then euer they faw or othcrwifc knew to bee there}
otherfome haue not bin afhamedto make abfolute deni-
allof that which although not by them, yet by others

A4 is

sdbriefe and true report

is mod certainety and there plentifully knowne. And o-
therfome make difficulties of thofe things they haue ng
(kill of.

The caufe of their ignorance was ,in that they were of
that many that were neueroutof the Hand where wee
werefeated,ornotfarre,oratthe leaftwifein few places
els, during the time of ouraboadein thecountreyjorof
that many that after golde and filuer was not fo fooue
found, as it was by them looked for, had little or no care
of any other thing but to pamper their belliesj or of that
many which had little vnderftanding,Iefle difcretion,
and more tongue then was needfull or requifite.

Some alfo were of a nice bringing vp,only in cities or
cownes, or fiich as neuerfas I mayfay,) had feenethc
world before. Becaufe there were not to bee found any
Englifh cities, nor fuch faire houfcs,nor at their owne
with any of their olde accuftomed daintie food, norany
foft beds of downe or fetherss the countrey was to them
miferable,& their reports thereof according.

Becaufe my purpofe was but in briefe to open the
caufe of the varietie of fucb fpeechesithe particularities
of them,andof many enuious, malicious, and flaunde-
rous reports and deuifes els, by our owne countrey men*
befidess as trifles that are not worthy of wife men to bee
thought vpon, I meane not to trouble youwithall : but
willpafTe to the commodities , the fiibftance of that
which I haue to make relation of vntoyou.

The treatife whereof for your more readie view&ea>
fiervnderftandingIwilldiuide into three fpeciall parts.
In the firft I will make declaration of fuch commodities
there alrcadie found or to be raifed, which will notonely
ferue the ordinary turnes of you which are and fhall bee
the planters and inhabitants, butfuchanouerplus firffi.-

ciently

of the newfound land of Virginia,

cicntly to bee yelded, or by men of skill to bee prouidedj
as by way of trafficke and exchaunge with our owne na-
tion of England, will enrich your ielues the prouiders,
thofe that (rial deal with youj the entcrprifers in general;
and greatly profit our owne countrey men ,to fupply the
with moft things which heretofore they haue bene fainc
to prouidceitherofftrangers or of our enemies : which
commodities for diftindtion fake, I call Merchantable.

In the fecond,Iwill fetdowne all the commodities
which wee know the countrey by our experience doeth
yeldof it felfefor vi<9:uall,andiufl:enancc of mans life;
fuch as is vfually fed vpo by the inhabitants of the coun-
trey, as alio by vs during the time we were there.

In the laft part I will make mention generally of fiich
other commodities befides,asl am able to remember,
andaslfhall thinkebehoofuUfor thofe that fhallinha-
bite,and plant there to knoweof, which fpecially con-
cerne building, as alio lome other neceflary vies : with a
briefedefcriptionofthe nature and maners of the peo-
ple of the countrey.

The firftpart of Merchantable

commodities.

like ofgrafle orgrajfe Silke. There is a kind of
grafle in the countrey vppon the blades
whereof there groweth very good filkein
forme of a thin glittering fkin to bee ftript
of It groweth two foote and a halfe high or
better : the blades are about two foot in length, and half
inch broad. The like groweth in Pcrfia, which is in the
felfe fame climate as Vtroiniaxfi which very many of the

B Hike

Abriefc mil true report

dike worfces that come from thence into Europe are
made. Hereofifit be planted and ordered as inPerfia^k
cannot in reafon be otherwife, but that there will rife in
fhorte time great proflte to the dealers therein* feeing
there is fo great vfe and ventthereofas wellin our court-
trey as els where. And by the meanes of fowing & plan-
ting it in good ground 3 it will be farre greater ,better,and
more plentifull then it is. Although notwithftanding
chereisgreat ftore thereof in many places of the coun-
trey growing naturally and wilde. Which alfo by proof
here in EngJand^n making a piece of fdke Grogran, we
found to be excellent good.

worme Silks • In manie of our iourneyes we found filkc
wormes fayre and great? as biggeas our ordinary wal-
nuttes. Although ithathnotbeeneour happe to hauc
found fuch plentie as elfewhere to be in the countrey we
hauc heard of] yet feeing that the countrey doth natural-
ly breede and nouri fh them.there is no doubt but if art be
added in planting of mulbery trees and others fittefor
them in commodious places /or their feeding and nou-
rifhing; and fome of them carefully gatheredand huk
banded in that fort as by men of skill is knowne to be ne-
ceffarie : there will rife as great proflte in time to the Vbr*
giaians, as thereof doth now to the Perfians,Turkes 3 Ita-
lians and Spaniards.

F/axeaud Hemfe: The trueth is that of Hempe and
Flaxe there isno great ftore in any one place together,
by reafon it is not planted but as the foile doth yeeld it of
itfelfejandhowfoeuer the Ieafe,and ftemme or ftaJkc
doe differ from ours-, the ftuffe by the iudgeraet of men
of skill is altogether as good as ours. And if not,as fur-
ther proofefhould finde otherwife; we haue that expe-
rience of the foile, as that there cannot bee (hewed anic

reafon

of the newfoundlandofVirginia.

rcafbn to die contrary ,but that it will grow there excel*
lent well; and by planting will be yeelded plentifuHy:fec-
ing there is fo much ground whereof fame may well be
applyedtofuchpurpofes. What benefite heereofmay
growe in cordage and linnens who can not eafily vn-
cerftand?

Allum: There is aveineof earth along the fea coaft
for the fpace of fourtie or fif tie miles, whereof by the
iudgement of fame that haue made triall heere in En-
gland, is made good ^//»/w,ofthatkinde which is called
Roche AUttm. The richnefTeof fuch a commoditie is fo
welllcnowne that I needenottofayeany thing thereof
The fame earth doth alfbyeelde white Coprefe, Nhrtm >
and AlumeHf[ttmeum 9 but nothing fo plentifully as the
common Allum; which be alfo of price and profitable.
tpkpeib 9 a kinde of earth fo called by the naturall in-
habitant^ very like to terra Sigillata: and hauing beene
refined, it hath beene found by fome of our Phifitions
and Chirurgeons to bee of the fame kinde of verrue and
more effe£fcuall.The inhabitants vfe it very much for the
cure of for es and woundes : there is in diuers places great
plentie, and in fbme places of a blewe jbrt.

Pitch) Torre 9 Roz,e» 3 and Turpentine : There are thofe
Idndes of trees which yeelde them abundantly and great
ftore. In the very fame Hand where wee were feated, be-
ing fifteene miles of length, and fiue or fixe miles in
breadth, there arefewe trees els but of the famekind; the
whole Hand being full,

£^fcw,calledbytheinhabitantes tvtnaul^ a kinde of
woodof moft pleafant and fweete fmel; and of moft rare
vertuesin phifickfor the cure of many difeafes.lt is foiid
by experience to bee farfe better and of morevfes theft
the wood which is called Gmiamnfi or Ugttm mm* Fot

B i. the

A brie fe and true report

the defcription, the manner of vfing and the manifolde
vertues thereof, I referreyou to the booke of Mow*
<&*, translated and entituJed in Englifti,7&* iojfull nevtes
Jrom the Weft Indies,

Cedar ^ very fweetwood & fine timber; wherof if nefts
of cherts be there made,or timber therof fitted for fweet
& fine bedfteadsjtablesjdeskes, lutes, virginalles& ma-
ny things elfe,(of which there hath beene proofe made
already Jto make vp fraite with other principal commo-
dities will yeeld profite.

wmtxlhs.it are two kinds of grapes that the foile doth
yeeld naturally: the one is frnall and fowre of the ordina-
rie bignelTe as ours in England.- the other farre greater &
ofhimfelfe lufhious fvveet. When they are planted and
husbanded as they ought, a principal commoditie o£
wines by them mayberaifed.

Oyle • There are two fortes of Walnmtes both holding
oyle, but the one farre more plentifull then the other.
"When there are milles & other deuifes for the purpofe,
a commodity of them may beraifed becaufe there are
infinite ftore. There are alfo three feuerall kindes of
Perries in the forme of Oke akornes , which alfo by
the experience and vfe of the inhabitantes, wee findeto
yeelde very good and fweete oyle. Furthermore the
Bearesof the countrey are commonly very fette, and in
fome places there are many : their fatnefle becaufe it is fo
liquid, may well be termed oyle, and hath many fpeciall
vfes.

Furrei : All along the Sea coaft there are great ftore
of Otters , which beeyng taken by weares and otheren-
gines made for the purpofe , will yeelde good profite.
Wee hope alfo oiMarteme funes , and make no doubt
by the relation of the people but that in fome places

of

of the newfottndlandofVirginia.

of the countrcy there are ftore : although there were
but two fkinnes that came to our handes .. Luzerne*
alfo we haue vnderftandingofjalthoughfor thetime we
law none.

Dearejki»»et drefled after the manner dichamoes or
vndreffed aretobehadofthenaturall inhabitants thou-
fands yeerely by way of trafficke for trifles: and no more
waft or fpoyle of Deare then is and hath beene ordinari-
ly in time before.

duet canes : In our trauailes, there was founde one to
haue beene killed by a faluage or inhabitant: and in an o-
ther place the fmeH where one or more had lately beene
before : whereby we gatfter befides then by the relation
of the people that there are fbme in the countrey: good
profite will rife by them.

hon : In two places of the countrey fpecially, one
about fourefcore and the. other fixe fcqre miles from,
the Fort orplace where wee dwelt : wee founde neerc
the water fide the ground to be rockie,which by the trL-
all of jh minerall man , was founde to holde yron
richly. It is founde in manie places of the countrcy
elfe . I knowe nothing to the contrarie , but that it
male bee allowed.fbr a good marchantable commo-
ditie , confidering there the fmall charge for the la-
bour and feeding of men : the infinite ftore of wood:
the want of wood and deereneile thereof in England : &
the necefttty ofballafting of fliippes.

Copper: A hundred and fiftie miles into themainc in
two townes wee founde with the inhabitaunts diuerfe
fmall plates of copper, that had beene made as wee vn-
derftood , by the inhabitantes that dwell farther into
die countrey : where as they fay aremountaines and

B'j, riuers

A briefeandtme report

Riucrs that ycelde alfo whyte grayncs of Mettall ,
which is to bee deemed Siluer. For confirmation where-
of at the time of our firft arriuall in the Counrrey, I
fawe with fbmc others with mee, two fmall peeces of
filuer grofly beaten about the weight of a Teflrone,
hang)mg in the eares of a mroans or cfoefe Lorde that
dwelt about fourefcore myles from vs; of whom tho-
rowc enquiry, by the number of dayes and the way, I
learned that it had come to his handes from the fame
place or neere, where I after vnderfrood the copper was
made and the white graynes of mettall founde. The
aforefaide copper wee alfo founde by triall to holde fil-
uer.

Pearle : Sometimes in feeding on mufcles wee founde
fomepearlejbut it was our bap to meete with ragges,
or of a pide colour ; not hauing yet difcouered thofe
places where wee hearde of better and more plentie.
One of our companies a man of skill in fuch matters,
had gathered together from among the fauage peo-
ple aboute>fiue thoufande: of which number lie chofc
lb many as made a fayre chaine, which for their Iike-
nefle and vniformitie in roundnefle, oricntnefTe , and
pideneffeof many excellent colours, with equalitie in]
greatnefle , were verie fayre and rare; and had there-
fore beenc prefented to her Maieftie, had wee not by
cafualtie and through extremity ofaftorme, loft them
with many things els in comming away from the coun-
trey.

Svetete Gummes of diuers kindesand many other A-
pothecary drugges of which wee will make fpeciall
mention , when wee fhall receiue it from firch men
of skin in that kyndj that in taking reafonable paineS

fhall

of the rtewfoundlandof Virginia.

fhall difcouer them more particularly then wee hauc
done; and than now I can make relation of, for want
of the examples I had prouided and gathered, and are
nowc loft, with other rhinges by caufualtie before men-
tioned.

Dyes of diners ki»des : There IS Shoemake well kno-
wen, and vfed in England for blackc ; the fcede of an
hearbe called tvasewiwr^ little fmall rootes called Chap-,
f aeor j and the barke of the tree called by the inhabk
taunts T*r>goynockominAgi .- which Dies are for diners
fortes of red : their goodneffe for our Englifh clothes
remayne yet to be proued. The inhabitants vfethem
onely for the dying of hayre i and colouring of their
faces , and Mantles made of Deare skinnes ; and alfo
forthc dying of Rufhesto makeartificiallworkeswith-
all in their Mattes and Baskettesj hauing no other
thing befides that they account of, apt to vfe them
for. If they-wojl not proue merchantjble*b27e~fr no
doubt but the Planters jthere (haJHihde apte vfes for
them, as alfo for other colours which weeknowe to be
there.

eWfjathingof fo great vent and vfe amongft Eng-
lifh Diers, which cannot bee yeelded fufficiently.in our
owne countrey for fpare of grounds may bee planted in
Virginia fhext being ground enough. The grouth therof
need not to be doubted ,when as in the llandes of the A-
fdres it groweth plentifully ,which is in the fame climate.
So likewise of Madder.

We carried thither Suger canes to plant which beeing
not (o well preferued as was requifit, & befides the time
of the yere being paft for their letting when we arriued,
wee could not make that proofe of them as wee defired.

Not-

Abriefi andtrue report

Notwithftandingjfceing that they grow in the fame cli-
mate, in the South part of Spaineand inBarbary,our
hope in reafbn may yet cotinue. So likewife for Orenges^
and LemmoHs: there may be planted alfo Qut»fe s , Wher-
by may grow in reafbnable time if the actio be diligent-
ly profecutcd, no fmall commodities in SugerSySticketSj
and Marmalades.

Many other commodities by planting may there alfo
bee railed, which I leaue to your difcret and gentle con-
fiderations : and many alfo bee there which yetwehaue
notdifcouered. Two jnore commodities of great value
one of certaintie, and the other in hope, not to be plan-
ted,but there to be raifed & in fhort time to be prouided
and prepared, I might haue fpecified. So likewife of
thofe commodities already fet downc I might haue faid
more; as of the particular places where they arefoundc
and belt to be planted and prepared: by what meanes
and in what reafbnable fpace of time they might bcrai-
fed to profit and in what proportions but becaufe others
then welwillers might bee therewithal! acquainted,
not to the good of the action, I haue wittingly omitted
them : knowing that to thofe that are well difpofed I
hane vttered, according to my promife and purpofe,for
this part fufficient*

The

tfthenewfottndUnitofVimma.
The fecond part of fiiche commodities

as Virginia is Kncewne toyeeldefor viftuatt andfe-
ftenance of mans life, vfually fed vpon by the

naturallinhabitants : as al[o by vs during the
time ofouraboad. And fir ft of filth as are
[owed and httjbanded.

ufgatowr, akinde of graine fb called by
the inhabitants ; the fame in the Weil
Indies'is called May&e : Englifh men
'-pall ViXJuinneywhtAte or Tttrkie wheate i
according to the names of thecoun-
treys from whence the v like hath beene
brought, The graine is about the bignefle of our ordi-
nary Englifh peaze and not much different ra forme and
fhape: but of diuers colours : fome white jfome red,fbme
yello'vy,andfome blew. All of them yeeldea very white
andiweete flpwre : freeing vfed according to his kindeic
raaketh a very good bread.Wee made of the fame in the
countrey (bme mault, whereof was brued as good ale as
was to bee defired. So likewife by the help of hops ther-
of may bee made as good Beere. It is a graine of maruei-
lous great tricreafejof a thoufand 3 fifteene hundred and
(bme two thoufand fold. There are three forte$;of which
two are ripe in an eleuen and twelue weekes at the mofU
lometimes in ten jafter the time they are fet,and are then
ofheight in ftalke about fixe or feuen foote. The other
fortisripeinfourteene', andisaboutten fbote frigh; of
jhe ftalkes'fbmebearc foure heads,- fome three, fome
one,and two : eueiy head containing fiue, fixe, or feuen
hundred gtaines within a.fewe more or; lefle.Oftlicfc
Raines befides bread, the inhabitants make vicluall eyr-
* C ther

Mriefc andtrwreport

therby parching them; or teething them whole yntill
they be broken; or boyling the floure with water into a
pappe.

Okindg /^called by vs Beams , becaufe in greatneile &
partly in thape they are like to the Beanes in Englandjfa-
uingthat they are flatter, of more diuers colours, and
fbmepide. Theleafealfoof theftemme is much diffe-
rent. In taftejthey are altogether as good as our Englifti
peaze.

fyickonxiom^caMed by vs Pw^'n refpec"t of the beanes
for diftin£tiofake,becaufe they are muchleflejalthough
in forme they little differ but in goodnefTe of taft much,
& are far better then our Englifti peazcBoth the beanes
and peaze are ripe in tenne weekes after they are fct.
They make them vi&uall either by boyling them all to
pieces into abroth ; or boiling them whole vritill they
bee foftand beginne tobreake as is vied in England, ey,
ther by themfelues ormixtly together : Sometime they
mingle of the wheate with them. Sometime alfo beeing
whole fodden,they brufe or pound them in a morter, &
thereof make loaues or lumps of dowiftie bread which
they vie to eat for varietie.

Maneuver, according to their fcuerall formes called
by vSiPomp/exj, Millions, and Gourdes, becaufe they arc
of the like formes as thofe kindes in England. In VirgMa
fuch of fcuerall formes are of onetafte and very good,
and do alfo fpringfrom one feed.There are of two forts;
one is ripe in the fpace of a moneth,and the other in two
moneths.

There is anhearbe which in Dutch is called Mttitm.
Some of thofethat I defcribe it vnto,take it to be a kinde
of Orage; it gro weth about foure or Hue foote high : of
the fcede thereof they make a thicke broth, and pottage

ofa

of the newfound lAndofVitginia.

of a veiy.good taftc : of the flalkc by burning into afhes
they make a kindeof fait earth, wherewithaTi many'vfe
fometimes to feafbn their brothes ; other falte, they
knpwe not. Wee pur (Hues yfed theleauesalfofocpot-
Jiearbes.

There is alfb another great hearbe in forme of a Ma-
pgolde, about fixe footein heights the head with the
floure \s z fpanne in brea dth . Some take it to bee Plant a
Salts: of thefeedes heereof they make both a kinde of
feread and broth:

All the aforefaide commodities for vi&uall are fet or
lowed, fometimes in groundes a part and feuerally by
thefeluess but for the moft part together in one ground
mixtly : the manner thereof with the dreifing and prepa-
ring oftbeground,becaufe I will fiotevntt^ou the fer-j
tiL'tie ofthe foile; I thinke good briefly to defcribe^

The gr6und they neuer fattenWithmucke,dounge on
any other things neither plow nor diggeit as we in Eng-
land, but onely prepare it in fort as follbweth. A fewe
daies before they fbwe or fet, the men with wooden in-
ftroraents, madealmoftin forme of mattockes or hoes
with long handle's? the women with fhort peckers or pa r
rers jbecaufe they vie them fittirig,of a foote long and a-
bout flue inches in breadth : doe onely breake the vpper
part ofthe ground to rayfe vp the weedes, grafle, & old
ftubbes of corne ftalkes with their robtes.The which af-
ter a day or twoes drying in the Sunne,beingfcraptevp.
into many fmall heapes,to faiic them labour foacarrying
them away ; they burne into. afhes, ( And whereas"
fome may thinke that they vfe the afhes for to bet-
ter the grounde; I fay tha$ then they woulde cyther
difperfe the afhes abroade; which wee obferued they
doe nor, except the heapes bee too great : or els would

C 2. take

aAhnefeAndtrm report

takelpeciall care tofet their eornc where the afhcslfe*
which alio wee findethey are.carele{le of J; And this is
all the htif Sanding of their ground that they vTc

Then th eir fetting or fowing is after this maner. Firft
for their .corne, beginning in one corner of the plot,
with a pecker they make a hole, wherein they put loute
graines with that care they touch not one another, (ar
bout an inch afunderjandcouec them with the raoulde
againe : andfo throughout the'whole plot,makirig{uch
holes and vfing them after fuchmaner : but with thiste-
gaf d that they bee made in rankes, cuery ranke differing,
fromotherhalfeafadomeor a yarde, and the holes alfo
in euery rauke, as much. By this meanes there is ayarde
fpare ground betweneeuery hole : where according to
dif cretion here and there^ they let as manyBekries and
Peaze: in diuers places alfo among .the feedes of Mk-

coceftoer Melden and Plant a foils.

The ground being thus fet according to the rate by
vs experimented, an Englifh, Acre conteining fouttie
pearchesin length, andfourein breadth , doeth there
yeeld in croppe or ofcomeofcorne,beanes, and peaze,
at theleaft two hundred London bufhelles: befides the
Macon^vrer^MeldeH^znA Plantafolis: Whenas in Eng-
land fourtie blifhdies of our wheatc yeelded out of fuch
an acre is thought to be much.

•I thought alfo good to note this vnto you,^ you which
ftiall inhabite and_plant there, maie know how fpecially
that countrey corne is there to beprcFerred before ours:
Befides the manifold waies in applying it to vi&uall, the
incrcafe is fo much that fmall labour and paines is need*
ful in refpe6*t that muft be vfed for ours. For this I can af-
furcyou that according to the rate we haue made proofs
of,one man may prepare and hufband fo much grounde

ifhauiug

ofthe newfound land of Virginia.

(hairing once borne corne before) with leffe then foure
and twentie houres labour ..as (hall yeelde him vi&uall in
tilarge proportion for a twelue moneth, if hee haueno-
thingelfejbutthat which the fame ground will yeelde,
andofthatkindeoneliewhichl haue before fpoken of:
the faide ground being alfo but of fiue and twentie yards
fquare. And if neede require, but that there is ground e-
nough,there might be raifed out of oneand the felffarrtc
ground two harueftes or ofcomes-j for theyfowe or fet
and may at anie time when they thinke good from the
middeft of March vnrilltheendeof Iune: fo that they
alfb fet when they haue eaten of their firft croppe . In
fdme places of the countrey notwithftandingthey haue
two haruefts.as wehaueheard 3 outofoneand the fame
.ground.

For English corne neuertheles whether tovfe or not
to vfe.it., you that" inhabite maie do as you fhall haue far-,
ther caufe to thinke beft. Ofthe grouth you need not to
•doubt; for barlie, oatesandpeaze,wehaue feene proof
of s not beeing purpofely fowen but fallen eafually in the
worftfort of ground jand yet to be as faire as any we haue
euer feene here in England. But of wheat becaofcitwas
mufty and had taken fait water wee could make rrdtriall:
and ofrye we had none. Thus 'much haue I digrefc
fedandlhopenotvnnecefTarily: nowewill I j^turne a-
gaine to my courfe and intreate of that which yet remai-
ueth appertaining to this Chapter,

There is an herbe which is lowed a partby it felfe &
iscalledbytheinhabitants^oVoc.-Inthe Weft Indies
it hath diuers names, according tothe feuerall places &
countries where it groweth and fevfed: The Spaniardes.
generally £all it Tobacco. Theleanesthereofbeing dried
and brought into powder : they vfe to takethefume or,

C 3. {moke

sA briefe#ndtrut report

ftiolce thereof by fucking it through pipes madeofclaic
into their ftomaek'c and heade;from whence it Juirgcth
Superfluous fleame pother grofle humors.dpeneth aH
the pores&pafiagesofthebody.by which meanes the'
vfe thereof.notonly pf eferueth the body from obftrudti*
ons^but alfb if any be,fb that they haue not beene of too
long continuance,in fhort time breakcth them : wherby
their bodies are notablypreferued in healthy know not
many greeuoiis difeafeS wherewjthall wee in England
are oftentimes afflicted.

This ftpomc is of fo precious eftimationamongeft
the,that they thinke their ^ods are marueloufly deligh-
ted therwith : Wherupon f bmetime they make hallowed
fires & caft fome of the pouder therein for a facrifice;be-
ingin a ftorme vppon the waters, to pacifie their gocls,
they caft fome vp' into the aire and into the water :fo a
wcare for fifh bein&newly fetvp ,they caft fome therein
and into the aireralfo after an efcape of danger,they caft
fome into the aire likewiferbut all done with ftrange ge-
stures jftampingjfomtime dauncing,clapping of hands,
holding vp of hands, & flaring vp into the heaues,vtte^
ring therewithal and chattering ftrange words 8c nohes.

"We our fellies during the time we were there vfedto
flick it after their maner,as alfb fince our returne,& haue
found manie rare and wonderful experiments of the ver-
tues thereof; of which the relation woulde require a vo-
lume by it felfe.- the vfe of it by fo manie of late, men &
women of great calling as elfe, and fome learned Phifiti-
ons alfbjis fufficient witnes.

And thefeare all the commodities for fuftenancc of
life that Iknow and can remember they vfe to husband:
all.elfe that followe are founde growing naturally or
wildc.

Of

of the newfound lan&ofVirginia.

OOfRootes.
Per/aukjLtc a kind of roots of round fotme/ome of
the bignes ofwalnuts,fomefargreater,which are
found in moift & mari fh grounds growing many
together one by another in ropes 5 or as thogh they were
faftnened with a firing. Being boiled or fbdden they are
very good meate.

Okeepenattkjuce alfb of roiid fhape,found indry grouds:
fome are of the bignes of a mans hcad.They are to be ea-
ten as they are taken out of the ground, for by reafon o£
their drinefle they will neither rofte nor feeth. Their tail
Is not Co good as of the former rootes, notwithstanding
for want of bread & foretimes for varietie the inbabitats
vfe to eate them with fi(h of flefh, and.in my lodgement
they doe as well as thtfhouftioJd bread made of lie heerc
in England,

Kai(hucpenatik„ a white kind of roots about the bignes of
lien egs & nere of that forme : their taft was not io good
to our teeming as o/theother 3 and therfore their place
and mannet<if growing notfb much cared for by vs:the
inhabitants notwithftanding vfed to boile & eate many.
TftHaw a kind of robte much like vnto y which in Eng-
land is called the Cbma root brought from the Eaft Indies*
And we know notanie thing to the contrary but that it
rnaie be ofthefaniekind.Thefe roots grow manie toge-
ther in great clutters and doe bring foorth a brier ftalke,
burtheleafein fhapefar vnlikej which beeingfupported
by the trees it gro weth neerett vnto 3 wil reach or climbe
to the top of the higheft.From thefe roots while they be
new orfrefh beemg choptinto finaH pieces & ftampt, is
ftrained.with water a iuice that maketh bread 3 & alfo be-
ing boiled a verygood fpoonemeate in mancr ofa gelly,
and ismuch better imail'if it bee tempered with oyle.

C-4* This

This T^WsflOtofthatJort which by fomewascaufed
tobebroughtintoEnglandforthcG^/»<«r(»«ir<r,fori|:was
difcoueredfince 3 and is in vfc as is aforeiaide: but 1 that
which was brought hither is not yet knbwne neither by
vs nor by the inhabitants to feruefor any vie or purpofej
although tfierootesin fhapeare very like.

Cofcufhm^ fbme of our company, tooke to bee that
kinde of roote which the'Spaniards in the Weft Indies
call C^^whereupon alfo many called it by that name:
itgrowethinverymuddie pooles and moift groundes.
Being dreiled according to the countrey maner 3 it ma-
Jketh a good bread ,and alio a good fponemeate, and is' v-
fed very much by the inhabitants : The iuice-ofthisjooc
is poifon,and therefore heedemufl; be taken before any
thing be made therewithal! jEither the rootes muflfbee
firftfliced and dried in the Sunne 3 or bythefirei and
then beingpounded into flourewil make good bread:or
els while they are greene they are to bee paredycut idt6
pieces and ftampt; loues of thefame to be laid neere or
ouer the fire vntill it be fqurejand then beingwell poun-
ded againe^bread jOr Ipone meatc very god in tafte,arid '
holfome may be made thereof.

Habafconisz. roote of hoat tafte almoftof theibrme
and bignefle of aParfeneepe, of it felfe it is no vi&uall,
but onely a hclpe beeing boiled together with o£hec
'mcates.

There are alfo Leekgs differing littlefrom ours in Eng-
land that grow in many places of the coutrey ? of which,
when we came in places where they were, wee gathered
and eate manyjbiit the natural! inhabitants neuer.

«/

of the Newfoundland of Virginia,

OfFruites.

CHeftmttsjhett are in diners places great ftore:fbmc
they vfe to eaterawe.fomc they ftampe and boile
to make fpoonemeate, and with fome being fbdde
they make fiichanianncr of dowe bread as they vfe of
*heirbeanes before mentioned.

' walnuts : There arc two kindes of Walnuts 3 and ofthe
infinit ftorerln many places where very great woods for
matiy miles together the third part of trees are wahiut>
trees. The one kind is ofthe fame tafte and forme or litle
differing from .outs of England, but that they are harder
ahdjthicker fhelled-: the other is greater and hath a verie
raggedaridharde fhell : butthc kernellgreat, verie oy-
lie and fweete •. Befides their eating of them after
Ourordiiiafierrianer, they breake them withftones and
$>ound them in morters with water to make a milk which
theyvfeto put into fome forts of their fpoonmeate; alfb
among their fbdde whc^t 3 peaze,beanes andpompions
which maketh them haue a farre more pleafant tafte.

Medlars a kind of verie good fruit,lb called by vs chief-
lie for thcferefpeftestfirflinthatthey are not good vn-
ttll they be rotten: then in that they open at the head as
our medlars,and are about the fame bignefle : otherwife
in tafte and coiourthcy are farre different: for they are
4s red as cheries and very fweet : but whereas the cheric
is fharpe fweet,they arc lufhious fweet,

MittijiHefuxHafilLj&kindc of • pleafauritffruite alrhbftof
thefhape &bignesofEnglifhpeares, but thatthey.are
of a perfect red colouras well within as without. They
grow on a plant whofe leaues are verie jthicke and full of
prickles as (harpe as.' needles,: Somcthat hauebinin the
Indies, where they hat* c ifecn that land ofxed die of great

D price

port

price which is called CaeMulfeii «jgrow, doc deicribe his
plant righrlike vnto this tJFMepaqaefuvxauk hut whether
it be thttnie-cocbftofc otabalffordcjr wjldekindiit cannot
yet be certified;feeing that alfoas 3rheard, CochmiU is not
ofrhe fruite but founde on the leaues of the piantjwhich
ieaues for fuch matter we haue not fofpeciallyobferued.

Grapes there are of two forts which I mentioned in the
merchantable commodities:

Strabmes there are as good & as great as shofe whjch
we haue in our Englifh gardens.

Mulberiet i A^lecrd'S i Hurts or Huirtleberies Juch as wee
naueinJEnglaiKJ.

SAcquenummentriL kinde of berries almoft like viitp,ca-
presbut fbmewhat greater which grow together in clij^
iters vpon a plant or herb that is, found in fl>a]ow4v?tcrs;
being boiled eight or nine hours according to their tini
arc very good meate and holefome, otherwife if they be
eaten they will make a marl for the time franticke o$ex-
tremely ficke»

There is akind of reed which beareth a feed almoft like
vnto our rie or wheat, & being boiled is good meate.

In our trauailes in fome places wee founde wildc p«z,e
like vnto oiirs in England hut that they werelefle, which
are alfo good meate.

Of a kinde of fruite or berrie in forme tf
Acornes*

THere is a kind of berrie or acbrnc, x>£ which there
areijuefohs that groWonfeueral kinds of treesjthc
. one is called Sagate'mener 3 the fccond Ofatfiener s the
third Tumtuueksner* Thefe kind of aeprns they vie to drie
vpon hurdles made of reeds withfire vnderneath.aImoft
alter the maneras we^rym^t in Epglad.WheB^eyarc

of the f^Jdffl&umaof Vifgmta.

to be vied they firftwaterthem vntil they be fbft & then
being fod they make a good viclual } either to.eate fo Am-
ply ,or els beingaifbpoundedj to make loaiaesor lumpes
ot bread. Thefe be'alfb the three kinds of which 3 1 laid
before } the inhabitants vied to make fweet oyle.

An other fortis caMed 'Sapitmrnener which beingboiled
or parcheddoth eate and tafte like vnto cheftnuts. "they
ibmetimealfbmakebreadofthisfbrt.

The fifth fort is c^tcdMat^4mme»auki and.is thea-
corne of their kind of 6akc 9 the, which beeing dr'ed. afte*
the maner of the firft fortes, and afterward watered they
boile them,& their feruants or fbmetime the chiefe th&
lelues,eitherforvarietyor for want of bread* doe eate
them with their fi(h or flefh,

OfBeaftes,

D£<*w 3 tn Fome places there are great ftoremeere vn-
to theieacoaft they are of the ordinarie bignes a?
ours in England,& fbme lefle : but further vp into
the countrey where there is better feed they are greater:
they differ fromours onely in this, their tailes are longer
and thefhags of their horneslookebackward.

Cww,Thofethatwehauefeen &althatwe canheare
«f are of a grey colour like vnto hares: in fbme places
there are fiich plentie-that all the people of fome townes
makethem- mantles of thefurre or flue of theskinnes of
thofe they vfually take.

Saejnenuckot & MaquSmci twoklndes of fmallbeaftes
greater then conies whicharevcry-goodmeat. We ne-
wer fooke any of them our felues ,but fbmetime eate of
fuch as theinhabitantshad taken &brought vnto vs*
Squints which are of a. grey c«!bur»wehaue take &eatr

% 'Beare/

A hriefe And true report

Hears* which are aD of blade colour,The bcares of this
coimtrcy are good meatjthe inhabitants in time of wia-
cerdo vie to take & eate manie j(o alio fomtimedidwefc,
Tbey aire taken commonliein'tbis fort.In fame Hands or
places-wbere they arejbeing hunted for ,as fooneas they
hauc fpiall of a man they prefently tfun awaie 5 & then be-
ing chafedthey clime and get vpthe next tree they can,
from, whence with arrowesthcyare^hot downe flarke
dead j or with thofe wounds that they may after eafity be
kiIled$wefomctimefhottethem' downe with our cake-
uers.

4 haue the names of eight & twenty feuerall fortes of
beads which I haue heard of to be here and there difper^
fed in the coutrie.efpecially in the mainerof which there
are only, twelue kinds that we haue yet difeouered 3 & of
thofe'that be good meat we know only them before me-
tioned/Theinhabitantsfbmtimekilthe£^»&eat him:
& we fomtime as they came to our hands of their wehet
or wolwflj Dogges j which I haue not fet downefor goodl
meatjleaft thatfomcwouldevnderftand my iudgeroent
therin t6 be more fimplethan needeth J akhoughI.could
alleage the difference in tafte of thofe kincles'from ours,
which by fome of our company haue beene experimen*
ted in both.

OfFoule.

TFrkje ?ockes and Turkic hemes:: Stoctyottes :Tamldgm
Cranes: Hemes: & in winter great ftoreof Swaattes &

Geefe.Q? al for'tes;bf foule I haue 'the names in the
•couritrie langu age offourefcore and fixe of which num-
ber befides thofe that be named.,we haue taken^eaten, &
Jiane the pidures as they were there, drawne with the
names of the inhabitaunts. of feuerall flrange fortes of

water

of the mwfiundUndof Virginia.

water fouIeeight,andfeueteenekindsmoreofbnd foul,
although wee haue feen and eaten of many more, which
forwantofleafurethere for thepurpofe couldenotbee
pi&ured: and after wee are better turnifhedand ftored
vpon further difcouery,with their ftrange beaftes, fifbe,
trees, plants, and hearbes, they (hall bee alfo publifhed.
There are alfo ParatsJFaulcons&L Matlm ^»4,«,which
although with vs they bee not vfed for meate, yet for o-
ther caufes I thought good to mention.

Of&Jhe.

FOr foure moncthesof theyeere,February,March,
Aprill and May, there are plentie of Sturgeons : And
alfo in the famemonethes of #«ri»£r,fomeof the
ordinary bignefle as ours in England, but the moft part
farfejgreater,ofeighteene,twentieinches,and fome two
foote in length and better 5 both thefe kindes of fifhein
thofcmonethes are moft plentifull, andinbeftfeafon,
which wee foiihde to bee moft delicate andpleaiaunt
meate,

ThefC 2 re a l^° Treates : Porpoifes : Rayes i Oldmiaes.-AdaU
letrrPtafce:zn& very many other fortes of excellent good
fifhjwhich we haue taken & eaten,whofe names I know
not- but in the countrey languages wee haue of tweluc
forts more the pictures as they were drawn in the coun-
trey with their names.

The inhabitants vfe to take thetwojnanerof wayes",
the one is by a kind of wear made of reedes which in that
countrey are very ftrong. The other way which is more
ftrange^s with poles made fharpe at one ende, by fhoo-
tingtjhem into the fifh after the maneraslrifhmen caft
dartesj either as they are rowing in their boatcs or els as

D? they

$hef are wadinginthe (hallowes for thepurpofc.

There areaUomrnanyplacesplentieofthefe kindes
which follow.

Searcrabfosfixch&s we haue in England.

Ojftersf omc very great,andfomefmalIsfbme rounde
and forae of a long fhape : They are founde both in fak
water and bracki(h;and thofe that we had out of fait wa-
ter are far bester than the other as in our owne countrey".

Alfo Mufcles: Scalopes i Periwinkt" ; and Crettifes*

Seekattauh a kinde of cruftie (hell fifhe which is good
mcate,about a footc in breadth, hauing a cruftie tayle,
many legges like a crabj and her eyes in her backe. They
arefoimdein fliallowesof fajt watersj andfometimeoil
thefhoarc.

There are many .Tfrrtgrfit both of Iande and fea kinder,
their backes & beUiesare (helled very thicke; their headj
feete, and taile, which are in appearance,feeme ougly as
though they were members of a fcrpent or venemouss
butnotwithftanding they are very good meate, as alio
their egges. Some haue bene foundeof a yard in bredth
and better.

And thus haue I made relation of all fortes of vi&uaH
that we fed vpon for the timewewerein Firgiaia^s^b
£hc inhabitants thcmfelues,as farre foorth as I knowe
and can remember or that are Jpetially worthy to bee re-
membrecL

The

fTh<

of the newfoundlandofVirgtnh.

ie third and laft part of fuch other

things as is behoofullfir thofe which [hall
plant and inhabit to know of j with a defcrip-,
tion of the nature and manners of the
people of the countrey.
Of commodities for building and
other necejfary vfes.

Hofe other things which I am more to
make rehearfall of,arefuch as concerne
building, and other mechanicall nece£
1 farie vfes ; as diuers fortes of trees for
houfe & (hip timber,and other vfes els:
; Alfo lime,ftone,and brick 3 lcaft that be-
ing not mentioned fome might hauc bene doubted of,or
by fome that are malicious reported the contrary,

Ofo, there are as faire,ftraight , tall, and as good tim-
ber as any can be 3 and alfo great ftorc 3 and in fomeplaces
very great.

Walnut trees 3 as Ihaue faide before very many, fome
haue bene feen excellent faire timber of foure & Hue fa-
dome } & aboue fourefcore foot (freight without bough.
Firre trees fit for mafts of iTiips 3 (bme very tall & great.
Kaktockv* kind of trees (b called that are (weet wood of
which the inhabitans that wereneerevnto vs doecom-
moly make their boats or Canoes of the form of trowes;
only with the helpe of fire,hatchets offtones,and fhels;
we haue known fome fo great being made in that fort of
one tree thatthey haue carried well xx.men at oncc,be-
iides much baggage:the timber being greatjtal a ftreight>
ibft 3 light,&yec tough enough I thinkefbefides otherv-
fes) to be fit alfo for mafts of (hips.

Cedar & fweet wood good for feelings,Chefts,Boxes,

Bed-

Abriefeandtrue report

Bedfttedes, Lutes, Virginals, and many things els, as I
haue alfo faid beforc.Somc of our company which haue
wandered in fome places where I haue not bene,haue
madecertaine affirmation of Cyprus which for fach and
other excellent vfes, is alfo a wood of price and no fmall
cftimation.

Maple ,and alfb mcb-bazJeyivhcxo£ the inhabitants vfe
to make their bowes.

Holly a neceffary thing for the makitig of birdlime.

milowes good for the making of weares and weeles to
take fifh after the Englifli manner, although the inhabi-
tants vfe only reedes, which becaufe they arefo ftrong
as alfb flexible, do feme for thatxurne very welland fur*
ficiently.

Beech and Afa , good for cafke,hoopes : and if needc
require,plow workers alfo for many things els.

Elme.

Satfafrasttees.

Afcopo a kinde of tree very like vnto Lawrell, the barke
is hoat in taft and fpicie,ic is very like to that tree which
Monardus defcribethto becCafsia Ligma. of the "Weft
Indies.

There are many other ftrange trees whofe names!
knowe not but in the Virginian language, of which lam
not nowe able, neither is itfoconuenient for the pre*
lent to trouble you with particular relation : feeing that
for timber and other necefiaty vfes I haue named funic j-
cnt; And of many of the reft but thatthey may be appli-
ed to good yfe, I know no caufe to doubt.

Now for Stone,Bricke and Lime,thusit is.Neere vn-
to the Sea coaft where wee dwelt, there are no kinde of
ftones to bee found (except a fewe fmall pebbles about
foure miles oS) but luch as haue bene brought from far-
ther

of the new found land of Virginia.

farther out of the maine. Infomeof ourvoiages wee
jhaue fcene diuers hard raggie ftones, great pebbles, and
a kindc of grey ftone like vnto marble, of which the in-
habitants make their hatchets to cleeue wood. Vpon in-
quiriewee heard that a little further vp intd the Coun-
trey were of all fortes verie many, although of Quarries
they are ignorant, neither haue they vie of any ftorc
whereupon they fhould haue occafion to feeke any. For
if eueriehoufholdebaueoneortwo to cracke Nuties,
grinde fbellcs,whet copper,and fbmetimes other ftones
lor hatchets, they haue enough : neither vfe they any
digging, but onely for graues about three foote dcepe:
and therefore no maruaile that they know neither Quaf-
ries,norlime ftones,which both may bee in places nce-
yer than they wot of.

In the mearte time vntill there bee difcouerie of fiiffi-
cientftoreinfome place or other conuenient, the want
ofyou which are and fhalbe the planters therein may be
as well fupplied by Brickc : for the making whereof in di-
uers places ofthe countrey there is clay both excellent
good,and plenties and alfobylimernadeofOifter fhels,
and of others burnt, after the maneras they vfe in the
lies ofTenet and Shepy, and alfo in diuers other places
of England : Which kinde oflime is well knowne to bee
as good as any other. And of Oifter fhels there is plentie
enough : for befides diuers other particularplaces where
are abundance, there is one fhallowe founde along the
coaft, where for the (pace of many miles together in
Iength,and two or three miles in breadth, the grounde
is nothing els beeing but halfe a foote or a foote vnder
water for the rnoft part.

This much can I lay further more of ftones, that a-
bout 1 2 o.miles from our fort neere the water in the fide

E of

sAbriefi and true report

ofafullwasfouiidebya Gentleman of our company, a
great veineof hard raggeftones, which I thought good
tor<emembervfltoyou.

Of the nature and manners of

the people,

T rcfteth I fpeake a word or two of the na-
tural! inhabitants,their natures and maners,
feauing large difcourfe thereof vntill time:
more cOriuenient hereafter : nowe onely (o
farre foorth,as that you may know-how that they in re-
fpe& of troublingour inhabiting and planting, are riot
to be feared* but that, they (hall haue caufe bothito feare
and loue vs,that fhall inhabite with them .

They area people clothed withloofe mantles made
of Deere skins,& aprons of the fame rounde about thefr
middles* all els nakedjof fuch adifference of ftatures on-
ly as weein Englandj'hauingno edgetooles or weapons
of yron or fteele to offend vs withall^neither know they
how to make any:.thofe weapons y they haue, are onlie
bowes made of"VVitchhazIe,& arrowes ofreedsjflat ed-
ged truncheons alio of wood about a yard long , neither
haue they any thing to defied thefelues but targets made
ofbarksj, and Come armours made of ftic&eswickered to*
gether with thread.

Thdrtowpcsarebutfmall, & neeretfce feacoaftbut
few,fome containing but i cor i 2.houfes: fome a o.the
preatefl that; we haue feerie haue benebut of 30. houfes:
if they bewailed it is only done with barks of trees made
faft to flakes, or els withpoles onely fixed vprightand
clofeoneby another.

Their

oftfannvfimifrtitdofZIirgima.

Their honfes are made of (mall poles made faftat the
tops in rounde forme after themaner as is vfed in many
arbories in our gardens of England,in mofttoWnes co?
ucred with barkes,and in fbme with artificial! mattes
made of long rufhes; from the tops of the houfes downe
tothe ground.The length of them is commonly double
to the breadth jinfome places they are but 12. and 16.
yardeslong, and mother fomc wee haue feenc of foure
andtwentie.

In fbme places of thecountreyonc onelytowncbe*
longeth to the gouernment of a vrtroansxx chiefe Lordej
in other fbme two or three 3 in fome fixej eighth morel
the^reateft mroaatxhatyst we had dealing with had but
cighteenetownes in his gouemment^ana able to make
notaboue feuen or eight hundred fighting men at the
moft:The1anguage'of euerygouernment is different
from any other,and the farther they are diftant the grea-
ter is the difference.

Their maner of warres amongft themfelues is either
byfudden furprifing one an other moftcojnonly about
the dawning of thcdayjor moone lights or els by am-
tufhesjor fome futtle deuifes : Set battels are very ra^e,
except it fall out where there are many trees* where ey-
ther part may haue fbme hope of defence,aftei the deli-
uerie of euery arrow 5 in leaping behind fbrneorother.

If there fall out any warres between vs & them . what
their fight is likely to bce^e hauing aduantages againft
them fo many maner of waies, as by our difcipline s our
ftrange weapons and deuifes els j efpecially by ordinan-
ce '- great and finally may beeafily imagined; by the ex-
perience we haue had infome placesjtheturninc vp of
theirheeles againft'vs in running away was their heft de-
face.

E *, lift

sAbvitfe andtrtoenfort

In refpeeYofys,they,are a people pocre, and for want
of skiH and iudgerhenjiai the knowledge andvfe of our
things j doe efteemeour trifles before thinges of greater
value : Notwithstanding in their proper manner consi-
dering the want of fuch meanes as we haue, they feemc
very ingenious; For although they haue no fuch tooles,
nor any fuch crafres, Sciences and artes as-wee; yet in,
thofe thinges they doe j theyShewe excellence of wit,
Andbyhowemlich they vpon due consideration Shall
iinde our manner of knowledges and crafces to exceedc
theirs in periec\ion, and Speed for doing or executiony
by fo much the more is it probable that they, Shoulde de_
fire our friendships & loue, and haue the greater reSpect
forpleafing and obeying vs. Whereby maybee hoped
if meanes of good gouernment bee vSed, that they may
in fhort time be brought to ciuilitie, and the imbracing
of hue religion.-

Some religion they haue dlreadie, which although it
befarre from the truth, yet beyng asitis,thereis-hope
it may bee theeafier and Sooner reformed.

They beleeue that there are many Gods which they
call Montoac^ but of different fortes and degrees; one
onelychiefe and great God, which hath bene from aJl
eternitie. Who as they affirme when hee purpofed
to make t,he worlde, madefirft other goddes of aprin*
cipall order to.bee as meanes and instruments to bet v-
fed in the creation and gouernment to follow j and af>
tcr the Sunnc, Moone, ancJStarres,as pettie goddes
and the inftruments of the other order more princi-
pal . Frft they fay were- made waters, out of which

bythegodswasmadeaUdiuerfitieof creatures that arc
vifibleonntufible.

For

of thepewfiuttdhmdof Virginia.

Pot mankind'they fey awoifian was made firft,whicb
by the woorkingof one of the goddes^ conceined and
brought foorth children: Andiniuchiortthey fay they
had their beginning.

But how mauie yeeres or ages haue paffed fince, they
Jay they can make no relatio^hatringno letters nor other
fuch meanesaswe to keeperecordes of the particulari-
ties of times paftj but onelie tradition from father to
fonne.

They thinke that all' the gods are of humane (hape,
Srtherforeihey reprefent-themhy images in the formes
ofmenj which they call Kewafomkonc alone is called
Kewas\ Them they place in houfes appropriate or tem-
pies which they 1 call Machlcomuck.? Where they woor-
fhipjpraiejiing, and make manie times offerings vnto
them. Infotat Machicommkyfthaxiz feene but on Ke-
v>as s in fome two 3 and in'other fome threesThe common
fort thinke them to be alfo gods.

" They beleeue alfo the^immortalitie of the foule, that
after this lifeas fbone asthefoule is departed from the
bodie according to the vvorkes it hath done, it is ey ther
carried to heauen the habitacle of gods 3 - there to enioy
erpetttall blifle andhappineifejor els to a great pine or
lole, which they thinke tohee in the furtheft partes of
their part of theworldetowardethe funnefet, thereto
bume contirtualIy:the place they call Pofogujfo.

For the confirmationof this opinion 3 they tolde mce
twoftbries of twornen that hadbeen lately dead and re-
lived againe ; the one happened but few yeres before our
coinming into the countrey of a wicked man which ha-
wing beene dead and buried^ the next day the earth of
(foegrauebeeing feene tomoue, was taken vp againej
Who made declaration where his foule had beenej, that

E 3. is

I

*A Iriefimdtrue report

is to faie very neere entring into Popogafo 3 had not otic of
the godsiauedbim & gaue him leaue to returne againe,
and teach his friends what they ftiould doc to auoid that
terrible place of torment.

The other happened in the fame yeere wee were
there, but in a towne that was thteefcore miles from vs,
and it wastolde mee for ftraungenewes that one bee-
ing dead, buried and taken vp againe as the firft, (hewed
that although his bodte had lien dead in the graue,
yethisfoule wasaliue.snd hadtrauailedfarrein along
broadewaie, on both fides whereof gre we moft deli-
cate and pleafaunttree$,bearing more rare and excel-
lent friijtcs theneuer heehad feene before or was able
to exprcfTe , and at length came to moft braue and
faire houfes,necre which hee met his father , that had
beene dead before, who gaue him great charge to goe
backe againe and fhew his fiiendes what good they were
to doe to enioy the pleafures of that place, which when
he had done he fhould after come againe.

What fubtilty foeuer be in the Wroaxces and Prieftes,
this opinion worketh lb much in manie of the common
and fimple fort of people that it maketh them hauegreat
refpect to their Gouernours, and alfo great care what
they doito auoid torment after death ,and to enioy blifle;
although notwirhftandin g there is punifhment ordained
for malefac1:ours,as ftealers,whoremoongers,and other
fortes of wicked doers ; fome punifhed with death,fome
with forfeitures, feme with beating, according to the
greatnes of the faftes.

And this is the fumme of their religio jwhich I learned
by haufng fpecial familiarity with fomc of their prieftes.
^Wherein they were not fo fure grounded , nor gaue
uichcredkc to their traditions and ftories but through

cornier-

of the newfound UndofVirginU.

conuerfirig with vs they were brought into greatdoubts
of their owne,and no fmall admiration of ours,with ear-
neft defire in manyj to learne more than we" had meanes:
for want of perfect vtterance in their language to ejjt-
prefle.

Moft thinges they fawe with vs, as Mathematicall
inftrumenrs,'fea compares, the vertue of the loadftone
in drawing yron, a perfpedtiue glafle whereby was
fhewed manie ftraiigc fightes, burning glafles, wildc-
fire woorkes, gunnes , bookes ,{writing and reading,
ipring docks that feeme to goe of themfelues, and ma-
nie other thinges that wee had,werefo ftr&ungevnto
them, and fo fane exceeded their capacities to compre-
hend the reafon andmeanes how they fhould be made
and done, that they thought they Were rather the works
©fgodsthcrtofnien,otattheleaftwife they had bin gi-
flen and taught vs of the gods. Which ,made manie of
them to haue fudh opinion ofvs,asthat if they knew not
the truethiofgod and religion already ,it was rather to be
jhadfromvsj whom God fo Specially loued then from a
people that were fofimple.as they found themfelues to
be in comparison of vs .Whereupon greater credite was
giuen vnto that we (pake of concerning fuch matters. -

Manie times andineuerytowne where I came, ac-
tordingasl was able, I made declaration of the con-
tentes of the Bible; that therein was fetfoorth the true
and onelie GOD, and his mightie woorkes, that
therein was contained the true doctrine of faluation
through Chrift, with manic particularities of Mira*
cles and chiefe poyntes of religion, as I was able then
to vtter, and thought fitte for the time. And al-
though I toldthem die booke materially & of it felf was
tiox ofanjefuch verme-asl thought they did conceiue,

but

iAhnefe-Andtrue report

but oncly &eda&rine therein contained; yet wouldm^.
ny be glad to touch it, to embrace it ,to kiffe it, to holdk
to theirbrefts and heades, and ftrolcc ooeraU their bodfc
with itjto fhcwe their hungriedefjrepf that: knowledge
which was fpoken of.

The wiroans with whom we dwelt called wir.gwtt^ and
many of his people would be glad many times to be with
vs at our praicrs,and many times call vpon vs both in hfs
owne towne j as alfo in others whither he fometimes ac-
companied vs jto pray and fing Pfalmes; hoping thereby
to bee partaker of the fame erre&es which wee by that
meanes alfo expected,

Twife this wiroam was fo grieuoufly ficke that he was
like to die, and as hee laielanguifhing, doubting of anie
helpe by his owne priciles, and thinking he was in fueh.
daunger for offending vs and thereby our god,fent for
fome of vs to praie and bee a meanes to our God that it
would pleafe him either that he might Hue or after death
dwell with him in blifle j (b like wife were the rCqueftes o£
manie others in the like cafe.

On a time. alfo when their come began to wither by
reafbn of a drouth which happened extraordinarily , fea-
ring that it had come topaflc by reafbn that in fome
thing they had difpleafed vs ,many woulde come to vs &
defire vs to praie to our God of England, that he would
preferue their corne,prornifin g that when it was ripe we
alfo fhouldbe partakers of the fruite.

There could at no time happen, any ftrange ficknefle,
lofles,hurtes,orany other crOfTe vnto them, but that
they would imputeto vsthe caufe or meanes therof for
offendi ng or not pleafing vs,

One other rare and ftrange accident, leauing others,
will I mention before I ende, which mooued the whole

countre/

of the me fmndlanddf Virginia.

countreythateithcrknewotheardeofvs, tohauevs in.
wonderiull admiration,

There was no towne where we had any fubtile deuife
pra£tifcdagainfl:vs,Weleauingitvnpunifhedor not re-
uenged (becaufe wee fought by all meanes poffible to
win them by gentlenefle) but that within afewdayes af-
ter our departure from eueriefuch. towne, the people
began to dievejyfaft^and many in fhort fpace; in fome
townes about twentie 3 in fomefourtJe,in fome fixtie, &
in one fixe fcore, which intrueth was verymanie in re-
ipecl: of their numbers . This happened in no place
thatweecoulde learne but where wee had bene, where
they vied fome pra&ifeagainftvs,. and afterfuch time;
The difeafealfo fo ftrange,thatthey neither knew what
it was, nothowtocure it* the likeby report of the oldeft
men in the countrey neuer happened beforejtime out of
jninde. A thingfpecially obferued by vsas-alfo by the
oaturallinhabitants themfelues.

Infbmuch that when fome ofthe inhabitantes which
were our friends & efpecially the fpiream wingina had ob
ferued filch effects in foure or Hue towns to follow their
wicked pra&ifes , they were perfwaded that it was the
worke of our God through our meanes, and that wee by
Tiim might kil andflaic whom wee would without wea-
pons and not comenecrc them*

And thereupon when it had happened that they had
vmJcrftandingtljatanyof their enemies had abated vs
in our iourneyes, hearing that wee had wrought no re-
iienge with our weaponsj&fearingvponfomccaufethe
matter fhouldfb reft: did come andintreatevs that w#
Wouldc bee a meanes to our God thatthey as other?
that had dealt ill with vs- might in Kke fort dies- alka-
ginghowemuchitwouldbeforourcrediteandprofitej.

F as

Abriefeandtrutreporb

as alfotheirs;and hoping furtherrnore that we would do
fo much at their requefts in refpecl of theftiendfliip we
proJeflethem.

Whofe entreaties" although wee (hewed -that they
wcrevngodlie affirming that our God would not fub-
iccl him fctfe to anie fuch praiers and requeues of men:
thatin deede all thinges haue beene and wereto be done
according to his good pleafure as heJiad ordained : and
that wetoihew our felues his tijueferuants ought rather
to make petition for the contrarie, that they with them
mightliuetogetherwithvs, bee made partakers of his
truth & feme him in righteoufhes jbut notwitftanding hi
fuch fortjthat weereferre that as all other thinges jto bee
done according tohisdiuine will & pleafure, and as by
his wifedome.he had ordained to be beft.

Yet becaufe the erred fell out fo fodainly and fhortly
afteraccordingto their deures,they thought ncuerthe-
lefle it came to paffe by our meanes,and that wein vfing
fuch fpeeches vnto them did but diffemble the matter,
and therefore came vnto vs to giue vs thankes in theiK
manner that although wee fatisfied them, not in pro-
mife,yet in deedes and effect we had fulfilled their dc-
fires.

This maruelous accident in all the countrie wrought
fo ftrange opinions of vs>that forne people could not tet
whether to think vs gods Or men j and the rather becaufe
chat all the fpace of their ficknefle^there was no man of
ours knowne to die y or that was fpecially ficke : they no-
ted alfo that we had no women amongft vs, neither that
wedid care for any of theirs.

Some therefore were of opinion that wee were not
borne of women 5 and therefore not mortar-but that wee
were men of an old generation many yeeres pail then a*

fea

of the new fomiiandof Virginia.

fen agalne to immortalitie.

Some wouldelikewife feeme to propbefie that there
were more of our generation yep to come, to kill theirs
and take their places, as feme thoughtthepurpofe was
by that which was already done.

Thofe that were immediatly to come after vs they i-
magined to be in the aircyet inuifible & without bodies,
& that they by our intreaty & for the loue of vs did make
thepeopletodieinthatfoitastheydidby {hooting in-
uifible'bnUets into them.

lb confirme this opinion their phifitionstoexcufe
their ignorance in curing the difeafe, would not be afha-
med to fay ,butearneftly make the fimple people beleue,
that the firings of blood that they fucked out of the ficke
feodies,were the firings wherewithal! the inuifible bul-
lets were tied and caft.

Some alfo thought that we (hot them our felues out
of our pieces from the place where we dwelt, and killed
the people ifi any filch towne that nad offended vs as we
lifted,how farre diftant from vsfbeuer it were.

And other fome faide that it was the fpeciaH woorlje
df God for our fakes, as wee our felues haue caufe in
Come fbrte to thinke no lefle , whatfoeuer fome doe or
Toaieimagineto the contrarie, fpecially feme Aftro-
logerslcnowingofthe EclipfcofiheSunne which wee
f&wthe fame ycere before in our voyage thy therward,
which vnto them appeared very terrible. And alfo of a
Cornet which beganne toappeare but a fewdaies be-
fore the oeginning of the faid fickneffe. But to conclude
themfroinbeifrg the fpeciall caufes pf fo fpeciall an ac-
cident, there are farther reafons then Ithinke fit at this
prefent to bee alkadged.

Thefe diektopinions I haue fet downe the more at

Ea, l«Se

Abriefeanitrue report

large that it may appearc vnto you that there is good
hope they may be brought through difcreet dealingand
gouecnernent to the imbracing ot the truetb, and confe-
quently to honour,obey ,feare and loue vs.

And although fome of our companie towardes the
ende oftbeycare,{hewedthemfelues too fierce, in flay-
ing forncofthepeo|>le,in fome towns, vponcaufesthac
on our part,might eafUy enough haue been borne with.-
all: yet notwithstanding becauie it was on their part iuft-
ly deferued, the alteration of their opinions generally &
forthemoftpart concerning vs is the lefle to bee doub-
ted. And whatfoeuer els they maybe, by carefulnefle of
our felues neede nothing at all to be feared.

Thebeftneuerthelefleinth.ts.as in all actions befides
is to be endeuoured and hoped 5 & of the worft that may
happen notice to bee taken with confederation, and as
much as may be efchewed.

The Conclnjion,

NO w I haue as Ihopernade relation not of fbfewe
and fmal things but that the countrcy of men that
are indifferent & weldifpofed maiebe fufficiently
liked : If there were no more knowen then I haue menti-
oned, which doubtlefle and in great reafon is nothing
to that which remaineth to bee difcouered, neither the
foiIe,nor commodities. As we haue reafon fo to gather
by the dirferece we found in our trauails; for although all
which I haue before fpoke of,haue bin difcouered &.esr-
perimentednot far firothefcacoaftwherewas our abode
& raoft of our trauailing : yet fbmtimes as wemade our
iourneies farther into the maine and countrcyswe found
the foyle to bee fatters the trees greater and to growe

thinner

of the newfiundiandofUirginia.

thinners the grounde more firme and deeper mould?
more and larger champions; finer grafle and as good as
euer we faw any in England; in fome places rockieand
farremorehighandhilliegroundimofeplentie of their
fruites; more abundance of beaftess the-more inhabited
with people,and of greater pollicie & larger dominions,
with greater townes and houfes.

Why may wee not thenlooke for in good hope from
theinner parts of more and greater plentie, as wellof o-
ther things, as ofthofe which wee haue alreadie difco-
uered? Vnto the Spaniardes happened the like in dftco-
uering the maine of the Weft Indies. The maine alio of
this countrey of /^^/»^,extendingfome wayes fo many
hundreds of leagues,as otherwife then by the relation of
the inhabitants wee haue molt certaine knowledge of,
where yet no Chriftian Prince hath any poflelfion or
dealing,cannot but yeeld many kinds of excellent com-
modities , which we in our difcouerie haue not yet feene.

Whathopethereiselsto be gathered of the nature
of the climate,beinganfwerable to the Hand oflapan 3 thc
land of Chma^PerJia^lury, the Ilandes of; Cyprus and Ca»dj 9
the South parts of Greece , Italy 3 and Spaine 3 and of many
other notable and famous countreis, becaufelmeanc
not to be tedious,I Ieaue to your owne confideration.

Whereby alfb the excellent temperature of the ayre
there at all feafbns, much warmer then in England, and
neuer Co violently hot,as fometimes is vnder & between
the Tropikesjornere them; cannot bee vnknowne vnta
youwithout farther relation.

For the holfomnefle thereof I needetofaybutthus
much: that for all the want of prouifion,asfirft of Eng*
lifh victuallj excepting for twentie daies, wee h'ued only
by drinking water and by the vj&uall of the countrey , of

F3. which

Abriefc and true report

which (brae forts were very ftraunge vnto vs, and might
haue bene thought tohaue altered our temperatures ira
fuch fort as to haue brought vs into fbmc grceuous and
dangerous difeafes:(ec5dly thewant of Englifh meanes,
for the taking of beaftes,fifhe,and foule, which by the
help e only orthe inhabitants and their meanes,coulde
notbeefofuddenlyandea'filyprouidcdfoj: vs,norin lb
great numbers& quantities, nor of that choife as other-
wife might haue bene to our better fatisfa&ion and con-
tentment. Some want alfb wee had of clothes. Further-
more, in all our trauailes which were rnoft fpecialfand
often in the time of winter, ourlodgingwasintheopen
aire vpon the grounde. And yet I fay for all this, there
werebutfoureofourwhole,company(beingonehundr>
drcd and eight J that died all the yeere and that but ae
the latter ende thereof and vpon none of the aforefaide:
caufes. For all foure efpecially three were feeble, weake,
and fickly perfons before euer they came thither, and
thofe that knew« them much marueyled that they Ji-
uedfblong beeing in that cafe, or had aduentured to
trauaile.

Seeing therefore the ayre there is fo temperate and
holfbme, the fbylefo fertile and yeelding fuch commo-
dities as I haue before mentioned, the voyage alfo thi*
ther to and fro beeing fufficiently experimented, tobefe
perfourmed thrife a yeere with eafe and at any feafbti
thereof: And the dealing of Sir water Raleigh fb Iiberall
in large giuing and graunting landethere, asisalreadie
knowen,withmanyhelpes and furtherances els : (The
kaft that hee hath graunted hath beene Hue hundred
acre3toaman onely for the aduenture of hisperfon):
I hope there remaine no caufe wherby the attion fhoiHd
bemifliked.

If

of the new found land of Virginia.

If that thofe which (hall thither trauaile to inhabitd
and plant bee but rcafonably prouided forthefirftyere
as thofe are which were tranfported'the laft,andbee-
ing there doe vfe but that diligence and care as isre-
qui(ite,andas they may with eale : There is no doubt
but for the time following they may haue victuals that
is excellent good and plentie enoughs fome more Eng-
Kfhe fortes of cattaile alfo hereafter.asfbme hauebene
before, and are there yet remaining, may and (hall bee
God willing thither tranfported : Solikcwifeourkindc
of fruites,rootes ,and hearbes may bee there planted
and fowed,as (bme haue bene alreadie, and proue wel.
And in (horctime alfo they mayraife of thofe fortes of
commodities which I haue fooken of as (hall both en-
rich themfelucs , as alio others that (hall deale with
them.

And this is all the fruites of our labours,that I haue
thought ncceilary to aduertife you of at this prefent:
what els concerneth the nature and manners of the
inhabitants of Virginia :The number with the particu-
larities of the vovages thither made* and of the acti-
ons of fuch that haue bene by Sir water Raleigh therein
and there imploded, many worthy to bee remembredj
as ofthefirftdifcouerersoftheCountrey: of ourGe-
nerali for the time Sir Richard Greimilei and after his
departure, of our Gouernour there Matter RafeLane m y
with diuers other directed and imployed vnder theyr
gouernement : Of the Captaynes and Matters of the
voyages made fince for tranlportationj of the Gouer-
nour and affiftants of thofe alredie tranfported,as of ma-
ny pcrfons,accidents,ahd thinges els, I haue ready in a
difcourfe by it felf in maner ofa Chronicle according to

the

Abriefimdtvucrefort

to the eourfe of times, and when time (hall bee thought
conuenientftattbe'alfo publiflied,.

Thusreferringiny relation to yourfauourablc con*

ftra£tions,expe&inggood fiicceflcof the aftion^from

hiro which is to be acknowledged the authour and go-*

uernour not only of this but of all things els,I

take my leaue of you jthls moneth of

February. I 5 % 8.

FINIS.

Faufoeftaped
Bq.fag. I Jin. lO.fertTaHgomocfyahgtr&uleyTaitgoutQe*
9gm0i*dge.B.4fag&$v,lQifi^ffitoti^^fitMffe-
Q,%.fag.2~Ma,%i.forgodintaJle:readegoodintflfte.
The reft ifaty be the dfireete Reader may eajtlj amend*

iii m In I

i i i i hi i h m