A TRVE DECLARATION OF THE estate of the Colonie in VIRGINIA With a confutation of such scandalous reports as haue tended to the disgrace of so worthy an enterprise Published by aduise and direction of the Councell of VIRGINIA LONDON Printed for William Barret and are to be sold at the blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard 1610. A true declaration of the estate in VIRGINIA THERE is a great distance betwixt the vulgar opinion of men and the iudicious apprehension of wise men Opinion is as blind Oedipus who could see nothing but would heare all things Hinc aucupari verba rumoris vagi to hawke after the winged report of a vagabond rumor But iudgement is as Salomon in his throne able by the spirit of wisedome to discerne betwixt contesting truth and falshood neither depending on the popular breath of fame which is euer partiall nor vpon the euent of good designes which are euer casuall These two commanders of our affections haue diuided the vniuersall spirits of our land whilst in the honorable enterprise for plantation in Virginia some are caried away with the tide of vulgar opinion and others are encouraged by the principles of religion and reason But because it is for hawkes and not for men to build their nests in aires and because the honor and prosperity of this so noble an action is eclipsed by the interposition of clamorous tragicall narrations the compiler of this relation endeuoureth to wash away those spots which foule mouths to iustifie their owne disloialty haue cast vpon so fruitfull so fertile and so excellent a country Wherein he professeth that he will relate nothing concerning Virginia but what he hath from the secrets of the iudiciall councell of Virginia from the letters of the Lord La Ware from the mouth of Sir Thomas Gates whose wisedomes he conceiueth are not so shallow as easily to be deceiued of others nor consciences so wretched as by pretences to deceiue others But when a matter of such consequence is not to be shufled ouer with supine negligence and when no man raiseth a faire building that laith not a firme foundation it will not be impertinent to dig a little deeper that we may build a great deale higher and from the vniuersall policie of all ciuill states in replenishing the world with colonies of domesticall subiects to deriue this wisedome to our populous state and country That which Origen said of Christs actions in vertues morall holdeth proportion with Gods actions in gouernment politicall Dei facta sunt nostra praecepta Gods actions are our instructions who in the eleuenth of Genesis turned the greatest cursing into the greatest blessing and by confusion of tongues kept them from confusion of states scattering those clouen people into as many colonies ouer the face of the earth as there are diuersities of languages in the earth Now if Tertullians rule be true Omne genus ab origine censendum that euery action is most beutifull in the originall Can there be a better beginning then from God whose wisedome is not questioned and whose footsteps in all succeeding ages haue beene followed Search the records of diuine truth and humane monuments of state you shall find Salmanasar transporting the Babilonians and other Gentiles to Samaria and replenishing with the captiues of Israell the dispeopled confines of Media You shall find that 140. yeeres after the destruction of Troy the Ionian colony was carried from Greece to Asia by which that famous City of Ephesus was first builded and inhabited You shall find the Egiptians planted Babilon Argos and Athens The Phenicians first inhabiting Carthage Vtica and Thebes That Timolcon and the city of Corinth at one time repeopled Sicilie with 10000. soules That the Romans deduced 53. colonies out of the City of Rome into the wombe of Italy That Bremius an Englishman by birth but sonne in law to the King of France with an equall third part of the kingdome entred into the hart of Italy gaue the prime sacke to the City of Rome and diuerted from thence to Gallograecia whose ofspring possesse that land vnto this day That the Admirall of France among all the feares and discouragements of ciuill wars neuer gaue ouer the proiect of plantation in Florida Which heroicall actions haue not beene vndertaken by so mighty states and Princes vpon triuiall and vulgar motiues when by these courses that first blessing of crescite and multiplicamini increase and multiplie hath beene sanctified the meaner sorte haue beene prouided the matter of plagues famine and sedition hath beene exhausted the fennes of a state politique were drained the enemies of their peace were bridled the reuenues of their treasury were augmented and the limites of their dominions were enlarged Which diuine humane externall and domesticall examples doe shine before vs as a Pharaoes towre that wee should not make shipwracke of our intentions concerning Virginia Blacke enuie and pale feare being not able to produce any arguments why that should bee lawfull for France which is in vs vnlawfull that which to Rome was possible to vs is impossible that which to others is honourable and profitable in vs should bee traduced as incommodious base and contemptible wherefore vnder these three heads of lawfulnesse possibility and commoditie will I marshall all those reasons which may resolue the religious encourage the personall confirme the noble and satisfie the timorous aduenturer First if it bee vnlawfull it must be so either in respect of the law of God or in regard of the lawe of man If in respect of Gods lawe considering our primarie end is to plant religion our secondarie and subalternate ends are for the honour and profit of our nation I demand a resolution of this plaine question whether it bee not a determinated truth that the Gospell should bee preached to all the world before the end of the world If it must bee preached as heauen and earth must passe awaie but Gods word shall not passe awaie then must it bee preached one of these three waies Either meerly Apostolically without the helpe of man without so much as a staffe or meerely imperiallie when a Prince hath conquered their bodies that the Preachers may feede their soules Or mixtly by discouerie and trade of marchants where all temporall meanes are vsed for defence and security but none for offence or crueltie For the first to preach Apostolicallie it is simplie impossible except wee had the gift of tongues that euerie nation might heare the word of God in their owne language or the guift of miracles that it might be confirmed with wonders from heauen which two beeing ceased questionlesse the identicall commission of the Apostles is expired Or if yet the matter bee vrged that God by fishers did conuert Emperors and therefore that wee must aduenture our liues without humane helpe yet must it bee remembred that there is no Apostolicall preaching but where wee may expect eitheir their conuersion or our martyrdome But we can expect neither
not their conuersion who cannot vnderstand vs nor our martyrdome when the people of Florida did deuoure the Preachers of the word without speaking any word Non quia Christiani sed quia homines not because they were christian men but because they were men wee cannot be said to be martyrs when wee are not killed because wee are christians And therefore the Iesuite Acosta confesseth notwithstanding Bellarmines relation of Indian miracles that they haue no tongues they haue no signes from heauen and they can haue no martyrdome and by consequent there is no meanes left of Apostolicall preaching For the second to preach the Gospell to a nation conquered and to set their soules at liberty when we haue brought their bodies to slauerie It may be a matter sacred in the Preachers but I know not how iustifiable in the rulers Who for their meere ambition doe set vpon it the glosse of religion Let the diuines of Salamanca discusse that question how the possessor of the west Indies first destroied and then instructed The third belongs to vs who by way of marchandizing and trade doe buy of them the pearles of earth and sell to them the pearles of heauen which action if it be vnlawfull it must proceede from one of these three grounds either because we come to them or trade with them or tarrie and dwell and possesse part of their country amongst them Is it vnlawfull because wee come to them why is it not a dutie of christianitie to behold the imprinted footsteps of Gods glorie in euery region vnder heauen Is it not against the lawe of nations to violate a peaceable stranger or to denie him harbour The Ethiopians Egyptians and men of China are branded with a foule marke of sanguinarie and barbarous inhumanity for blessing their Idols with the bloud of strangers It is not vnlawfull to trade with them except Salomon shall bee condemned for sending for gold to Ophir Abraham for making a league with Abimelech and all christendome shall bee traduced for hauing comerce with Turks and miscreants Finallie it is not vnlawfull that wee possesse part of their land and dwell with them and defend our selues from them Partlie because there is no other moderate and mixt course to bring them to conuersion but by dailie conuersation where they may see the life and learne the language each of other Partlie because there is no trust to the fidelitie of humane beasts except a man will make a league with Lions Beares and Crocodiles Partlie because there is roome sufficient in the land as Sichem sometime said for them and vs the extent of an hundred miles being scarce peopled with 2000. inhabitants Partlie because they haue violated the lawe of nations and vsed our Ambassadors as Ammon did the seruants of Dauid If in him it were a iust cause to warre against the Ammonites it is lawfull in vs to secure our selues against the infidels But chieflie because Paspehay one of their Kings sold vnto vs for copper land to inherit and inhabite Powhatan their chiefe King receiued voluntarilie a crowne and a scepter with a full acknowledgement of dutie and submission Principallie when Captaine Newport was with Powhatan at Warow a comaco hee desired him to come from Iames towne as a place vnholesome and to take possession of an other whole kingdome which he gaue vnto him If any man alleadge that this was done in subtlety not that they euer meant we should possesse them but that they might first gaine by vs and then destroy vs. This makes our cause much the iuster when God turned their subtletie to our vtilitie giuing vnto vs a lawfull possession as Pharaoe gaue Goshen to Israell or Ephron sold his caue to Abraham and freeing vs from all impious and sinister construction If anie man alleadge that yet wee can possesse no farther limits than was allotted by composition and that fortitudo sine iustitia est iniquitatis Materia fortitude without iustice is but the firebrand of iniquitie Let him know that Plato defineth it to bee no iniustice to take a sword out of the hand of a mad man That Austen hath allowed it for a lawfull offensiue warre quod vlciscitur iniurias that reuengeth bloudie iniuries So that if iust offences fhall arise it can bee no more iniustice to warre against infidells than it is when vpon iust occasions wee warre against Christians And therefore I cannot see but that these truths will fanne away all those chaffie imputations which anie Romish boasters that challenge a monopolie of all conuersions will cast vpon it or any scrupulous conscience can impute vnto it Certainlie the Church of Geneua in the yeere 1555. determined in a Synode whereof Caluine was president to send Peter Richier and William Quadrigarius vnder a French Captaine to Brasilia who although they were supplanted by the comming of the Cardinall of Loraine and the trecherie of their double hearted leader yet would not the Church of Geneua after a Synodicall consultation haue sent their ministers to such an aduenture had not all scruples in their iudgement beene cleared by the light of Scripture When therefore it is a sweete smelling sacrifice to propagate the name of Iesus Christ when the Babylonish Inchantresse if her owne Calenders are to bee credited hath compassed sea and land to make sixe eight or ten millions of Romish proselites When there is no other mixt moderate course to transport the Virginian soules to heauen When there hath beene a reall concession from their rurall Emperour that hath licensed vs to negotiate among them and to possesse their countrie with them When there is more vnpeopled continent of earth than wee and they before the dissolution of the pillars of heauen can ouerburden with multitude When we neuer intend to play the Rehoboams and to scourge them with scorpions It is not good to create more sinnes then God euer censured nor to brand that action with impietie which God hath begun for promulgating of his glorie Nunquid ideo deforme est quia figura mentitur is the action therefore deformed because a false glasse doth slaunder it Concerning the other braunch of this discourse wherein some slie whisperers would seeme to cast an aspersion of iniustice vpon the action supposing some forraine Prince to haue a former interest Certainlie hee is but a rotten subiect that quarells the actions of his countrie descrying a serpentine stinge vnder the faire leaues of pietie And though it bee not for a theoreticall Schollar to circumscribe the dominions of Princes yet a few proofes from antiquitie shall suffice to controwle ignorant or presumptuous follie In the yeere 1170. Madocke the sonne of Owen Guyneth Prince of Northwales leauing the land in contention betwixt his two brethren Howell and Dauid sailed into the West Indies and after a second and a third returne and supplie setled himselfe in those dominions In the yeere 1495. Iohn Cabot a Venetian but the indenized subiect of King Henrie the seauenth discouered the North
read his Commission and entred into consultation for the good of the Colony In which secret counsell I will a little leaue his Lordship that wee may duly obserue the reuealed counsell of God He that shal but turne vp his eye and behold the spangled Canopie of heauen shall but cast down his eye and consider the imbroidered Carpet of the earth and withall shall marke how the heauens heare the earth the earth heare the corne and oyle and they relieue the necessities of man that man wil acknowledge Gods infinite prouidence But hee that shall further obserue how God inclineth all casuall euents to worke the necessary helpe of his Saints must needs adore the Lords infinite goodnesse Neuer had any people more iust cause to cast themselues at the foot-stoole of God and to reuerence his mercy then our distressed Colony for if God had not sent Sir Thomas Gates from the Bermudos within foure daies they had all beene famished if God had not directed the heart of that worthy Knight to saue the Fort from fire at their shipping they had been destitute of a present harbor and succor if they had abandoned the Fort any longer time and had not so soone returned questionlesse the Indians would haue destroied the Fort which had beene the meanes of our safety among them and a terrour vnto them If they had set Saile sooner and had lanched into the vast Ocean who could haue promised that they should haue encountred the Fleet of the Lo. La-ware especially when they made for the New-found land a course contrary to our Nauies approaching If the Lord La-ware had not brought with him a yeares prouision what comfort could those soules haue receiued to haue beene relanded to a second destruction Brachium Domini this was thearme of the Lord of Hosts who would haue his people to passe the redde Sea and Wildernesse and then to possesse the land of Canaan It was diuinely spoken of heathen Socrates Si Deus sit solicitus prote cur tu tibi sis solicitus if God for man be carefull why should man be ouer distrustfull The noble Lord gouernor after mature deliberation deliuered some few words to the company laying iust blame vpon them for their haughty vanities and sluggish idlenesse earnestly entreating them to amend those desperate follies lest he should be compelled to draw the sword of Iustice and to cut off such delinquents which he had rather draw euen to the shedding of his vital blood to protect them from iniuries heartning them with relation of that store hee had brought with him constituting officers of all conditions to rule ouer them alotting euery man his particular place to watch vigilantly and worke painefully This Oration and direction being receiued with a generall applause you might shortly behold the idle and restie diseases of a diuided multitude by the vnity and authority of this gouernment to be substantially cured Those that knew not the way to goodnes before but cherished singularity and faction can now chalke out the path of all respectiue duetie and seruice euery man endeuouring to out-strip each other in diligence the French preparing to plant the Vines the English labouring in the woods and groundes euery man knoweth his charge and dischargeth the same with alacrity Neither let any man be discouraged by the relation of their daily labor as though the sappe of their bodies should be spent for other mens profite the setled times of working to effect all themselues or the Aduenturers neede desire requiring no more pains then from sixe of clocke in the morning vntill ten and from two of the clocke in the afternoone till foure at both which times they are prouided of spiritual and corporall relieâ—e First they enter into the Church and make their prayers vnto God next they returne to their houses and receiue their proportion of foode Nor should it be conceiued that this busines excludeth Gentlemen whose breeding neuer knew what a daies labour meant for though they cannot digge vse the square nor practise the axe and chizell yet may the stayde spirits of any condition finde how to employ the force of knowledge the exercise of counsell the operation and power of their best breeding and qualities The houses which are built are as warme and defensible against winde and weather as if they were tiled and slated being couered aboue with strong boordes and matted round within according to the fashion of the Indians Our forces are now such as are able to tame the fury and treachery of the Sauages our Forts assure the Inhabitants and frustrate all assailants And to leaue no discouragement in the heart of any who personally shall enter into this great action I will communicate a double comfort first Sir George Summers that worthy Admiral hath vndertaken a dangerous aduenture for the good of the Colony Vpon the fifteenth of Iune accompanied with Captaine Samuel Argoll he returned in two Pinaces vnto the Bermudos promising if by any meanes God will open a way to that Iland of Rockes that he would soone returne with sixe moneths prouision of flesh and with liue Hogges to store againe Virginia It is but eleuen daies saile and we hope that God will send a pillar of fire to direct his iourney The other comfort is that the Lord gouernour hath built two new Forts the one called Fort Henry and the other Fort Charles in honor of our most noble Prince and his hopefull brother vpon a pleasant hill and neere a little riuelet which we call South hampton riuer They stand in a wholsome ayre hauing plenty of springs of sweete water they command a great circuit of ground containing wood pasture and meadow with apt places for vines corne and gardens In which Forts it is resolued that all those that come out of England shall be at their first landing quartered that the wearisomnes of the sea may bee refreshed in this pleasing part of the countrey The fertility of the soile the temperature of the climate the form of gouernment the condition of our people their daily inuocating of the name of God being thus expressed Why should the successe by the rules of mortall iudgement be despaired Why should not the rich haruest of our hopes be seasonably expected I dare say that the resolution of Caesar in Fraunce the designes of Alexander in Greece the discoueries of Hernando Cortes in the West and of Emanuel King of Portugale in the East were not incouraged vpon so firme grounds of state and possibility All which I could demonstrate out of their owne Records were I not preuented with hast to satisfie their longings who with an open care hearken after the commodities of the countrey whose appetites I will no longer frustrate then their eyes can runne ouer this succinct Narration I called it a succinct Narration because the commodities in former Treatises haue beene largely described which I will only here epitomise lest any man should change his resolution when the same grounds remaine