The third and last part of such other things as are
behovefull for those which shall plant and inhabite to
know of, with a description of the nature and maners
of the people of the Countrey.
Of commodities for building and other necessary uses.
THOSE other things which I am more to make rehearsal
of, are such as concerne building, & other mechanicall
necessary uses, as divers sorts of trees for house and
ship-timber, and other uses else: Also lime, stone, and
bricke, least that being not mentioned some might have
bene doubted of, or by some that are malitious the
contrary reported.
Okes there are as faire, straight, tall, and as good
timber as any can be, and also great store, and in some
places very great.
Walnut trees, as I have said before very many, some
have bene seene excellent faire timber of foure and five
fadome, and above fourescore foote streight without
bough.
Firre trees fit for masts of ships, some very tall and
great.
Rakiock, a kinde of trees so called that are sweete
wood, of which the inhabitants that were neere unto
us doe commonly make their boates or Canoas of the
forme of trowes, onely with the helpe of fire, hatchets
of stones, and shels: we have knowen some so great
being made in that sort of one tree, that they have caried
well 20. men at once, besides much baggage: the timber
being great, tall, streight, soft, light, and yet tough
ynough I thinke (besides other uses) to be fit also for
masts of ships.
Cedar, a sweete wood good for seelings, chests, boxes,
bedsteads, lutes, virginals, and many things els, as I
have also said before. Some of our company which have
wandered in some places where I have not bene, have
made certaine affirmation of Cyprus
, which for such and
other excellent uses is also a wood of price and no small
estimation.
Maple, and also Wich-hazle, whereof the inhabitants
use to make their bowes.
Holly, a necessary thing for the making of birdlime.
Willowes good for the making of weares and weeles
to take fish after the English maner, although the
inhabitants use onely reedes, which because they are so
strong as also flexible, doe serve for that turne very well
and sufficiently.
Beech and Ashe, good for caske-hoopes, and if neede
require, plowe worke, as also for many things els.
Elme.} { Sassafras trees.
Ascopo a kinde of tree very like unto Lawrell, the
barke is hot in taste and spicie, it is very like to that
tree which Monardes describeth to be Cassia Lignea of
the West Indies.
There are many other strange trees whose names I
know not but in the Virginian language, of which I am
not now able, neither is it so convenient for the present
to trouble you with particular relation: seeing that for
timber and other necessary uses, I have named sufficient.
And of many of the rest, but that they may be applied
to good use, I know no cause to doubt.
Now for stone, bricke, and lime, thus it is. Neere
unto the Sea coast where wee dwelt, there are no kinde
of stones to be found (except a few small pebbles about
foure miles off) but such as have bene brought from
further out of the maine. In some of our voyages we
have seene divers hard raggie stones, great pebbles, and
a kinde of gray stone like unto marble of which the
inhabitants make their hatchets to cleave wood. Upon
inquirie wee heard that a little further up into the
Countrey were of all sorts very many, although of
quarries they are ignorant, neither have they use of any
store whereupon they should have occasion to seeke any.
For if every housholde have one or two to cracke nuts,
grinde shels, whet copper, and sometimes other stones
for hatchets, they have ynough: neither use they any
digging, but onely for graves about three foote deepe:
and therefore no marveile that they know neither quarries,
nor lime-stones, which both may be in places neerer then
they wot of.
In the meane time until there be discovery of sufficient
store in some place or other convenient, the want of
you which are & shalbe the planters therein may be as
well supplied by bricke : for the making whereof in divers
places of the Countrey there is clay both excellent good,
and plentie, and also by lime made of oyster shels, and
of others burnt, after the maner as they use in the
Isles
of Tenet and Shepy, and also in divers other places of
England
: Which kinde of lime is well knowen to be as
good as any other. And of oyster shels there is plentie
ynough: for besides divers other particular places where
are abundance, there is one shallow Sound along the
coast, where for the space of many miles together in
length, and two or three miles in breadth, the ground is
nothing els, being but halfe a foote or a foote under
water for the most part.
Thus much can I say furthermore of stones, that about
120. miles from our fort neere the water in the side of
a hill, was found by a Gentleman of our company, a
great veine of hard ragge stones, which I thought good
to remember unto you.
Of the nature and maners of the people.
IT resteth I speake a word or two of the naturall inhabitants, their natures and maners, leaving large discourse
thereof until time more convenient hereafter: nowe onely
so farre foorth, as that you may know, how that they in
respect of troubling our inhabiting and planting, are not
to be feared, but that they shall have cause both to feare
and love us, that shall inhabite with them.
They are a people clothed with loose mantles made of
deere skinnes, and aprons of the same round about their
middles, all els naked, of such a difference of statures
onely as wee in England
, having no edge tooles or
weapons of yron or steele to offend us withall, neither
knowe they how to make any: those weapons that they
have, are onely bowes made of Witch-hazle, and arrowes
of reedes, flat edged truncheons also of wood about a
yard long, neither have they any thing to defend themselves but targets made of barkes, and some armours
made of sticks wickered together with thread.
Their townes are but small, and neere the Sea coast
but fewe, some contayning but tenne or twelve houses;
some 20. the greatest that we have seene hath bene but
of 30. houses: if they bee walled, it is onely done with
barkes of trees made fast to stakes, or els with poles
onely fixed upright, and close one by another.
Their houses are made of small poles, made fast at
the tops in round forme after the maner as is used in
many arbories in our gardens of England
, in most townes
covered with barkes, and in some with artificiall mats
made of long rushes, from the tops of the houses downe
to the ground. The length of them is commonly double
to the breadth, in some places they are but 12. and 16.
yards long, and in other some we have seene of foure
and twentie.
In some places of the Countrey, one onely towne
belongeth to the government of a Wiroans or chiefe
Lord, in other some two or three, in some sixe, eight,
and more: the greatest Wiroans that yet wee had dealing
with, had but eighteene townes in his government, and
able to make not above seven or eight hundreth fighting
men at the most. The language of every government
is different from any other, and the further they are
distant, the greater is the difference.
Their maner of warres amongst themselves is either
by sudden surprising one an other most commonly about
the dawning of the day, or moone-light, or els by
ambushes, or some subtile devises. Set battels are very
rare, except it fall out where there are many trees, where
either part may have some hope of defence, after the
delivery of every arrow, in leaping behind some or other.
If there fall out any warres betweene us and them,
what their fight is likely to bee, wee having advantages
against them so many maner of wayes, as by our discipline, our strange weapons and devises else, especially
Ordinance great and small, it may easily bee imagined:
by the experience wee have had in some places, the
turning up of their heeles against us in running away
was their best defence.
In respect of us they are a people poore, and for want
of skill and judgement in the knowledge and use of our
things, doe esteeme our trifles before things of greater
value: Notwithstanding, in their proper maner (considering the want of such meanes as we have), they seeme
very ingenious. For although they have no such tooles,
nor any such crafts, Sciences and Artes as wee, yet in
those things they doe, they shew excellencie of wit. And
by how much they upon due consideration shall finde
our maner of knowledges and crafts to exceede theirs in
perfection, and speede for doing or execution, by so much
the more is it probable that they should desire our friendship and love, and have the greater respect for pleasing
and obeying us. Whereby may bee hoped, if meanes of
good government be used, that they may in short time
bee brought to civilitie, and the imbracing of true
Religion.
Some religion they have already, which although it be
farre from the trueth, yet being as it is, there is hope
it may be the easier and sooner reformed.
They beleeve that there are many gods, which they
call Mantoac, but of different sorts & degrees, one onely
chiefe and great God, which hath bene from all eternitie.
Who, as they affirme, when hee purposed to make the
world, made first other gods of a principall order, to
be as meanes and instruments to be used in the creation
and government to follow, and after the Sunne, moone,
and starres as pettie gods, and the instruments of the
other order more principal. First (they say) were made
waters, out of which by the gods was made all diversitie
of creatures that are visible or invisible.
For mankinde they say a woman was made first, which
by the working of one of the gods, conceived and brought
foorth children: And in such sort they say they had their
beginning. But how many yeeres or ages have passed
since, they say they can make no relation, having no
letters nor other such meanes as we to keepe Records
of the particularities of times past, but onely tradition
from father to sonne.
They thinke that all the gods are of humane shape,
and therefore they represent them by images in the formes
of men, which they call Kewasowok, one alone is called
Kewas: them they place in houses appropriate or temples,
which they call Machicomuck, where they worship, pray,
sing, and make many times offring unto them. In some
Machicomuck we have seene but one Kewas, in some
two, and in other some three. The common sort thinke
them to be also gods.
They beleeve also the immortalitie of the soule, that
after this life as soone as the soule is departed from the
body, according to the workes it hath done, it is either
caried to heaven the habitacle of gods, there to enjoy
perpetuall blisse and happinesse, or els to a great pitte
or hole, which they thinke to be in the furthest parts of
their part of the world toward the Sunne set, there to
burne continually: the place they call Popogusso.
For the confirmation of this opinion, they tolde me
two stories of two men that had bene lately dead and
revived againe, the one happened but few yeeres before
our comming into the Countrey of a wicked man, which
having bene dead and buried, the next day the earth
of the grave being seene to move, was taken up againe,
who made declaration where his soule had bene, that
is to say, very neere entring into Popogusso, had not
one of the gods saved him, and gave him leave to returne
againe, and teach his friends what they should do to
avoyd that terrible place of torment. The other happened
in the same yeere we were there, but in a towne that
was 60. miles from us, and it was told me for strange
newes, that one being dead, buried, and taken up againe
as the first, shewed that although his body had lien dead
in the grave, yet his soule was alive, & had travailed
farre in a long broad way, on both sides whereof grew
most delicate and pleasant trees, bearing more rare and
excellent fruits, then ever hee had seene before, or was
able to expresse, and at length came to most brave and
faire houses, neere which he met his father that had
bene dead before, who gave him great charge to goe
backe againe, and shew his friendes what good they
were to doe to enjoy the pleasures of that place, which
when he had done he should after come againe.
What subtiltie soever be in the Wiroances and priestes,
this opinion worketh so much in many of the common
and simple sort of people, that it maketh them have great
respect to their Governours, and also great care what
they doe, to avoyd torment after death, and to enjoy
blisse, although notwithstanding there is punishment
ordeined for malefactours, as stealers, whoremongers,
and other sorts of wicked doers, some punished with
death, some with forfeitures, some with beating, according to the greatnesse of the facts.
And this is the summe of their Religion, which I
learned by having speciall familiaritie with some of their
priests. Wherein they were not so sure grounded, nor
gave such credite to their traditions and stories, but
through conversing with us they were brought into great
doubts of their owne, and no small admiration of ours,
with earnest desire in many, to learne more then wee
had meanes for want of perfect utterance in their language
to expresse.
Most things they sawe with us, as Mathematicall
instruments, sea Compasses, the vertue of the load-stone
in drawing yron, a perspective glasse whereby was shewed
many strange sights, burning glasses, wilde firewoorkes,
gunnes, hookes, writing and reading, spring-clockes that
seeme to goe of themselves and many other things that
wee had were so strange unto them, and so farre exceeded
their capacities to comprehend the reason and meanes
how they should be made and done, that they thought
they were rather the workes of gods then of men, or at
the leastwise they had bene given and taught us of the
gods. Which made many of them to have such opinion
of us, as that if they knew not the trueth of God and
Religion already, it was rather to bee had from us whom
God so specially loved, then from a people that were so
simple, as they found themselves to be in comparison
of us. Whereupon greater credite was given unto that
wee spake of, concerning such matters.
Many times and in every towne where I came, according as I was able, I made declaration of the contents of
the Bible, that therein was set foorth the true and onely
God, and his mightie workes, that therein was conteined
the true doctrine of salvation through Christ, with many
particularities of Miracles and chiefe points of Religion,
as I was able then to utter, and thought fit for the time.
And although I told them the booke materially and of
it selfe was not of any such vertue, as I thought they
did conceive, but onely the doctrine therein conteined:
yet would many be glad to touch it, to embrace it, to
kisse it, to holde it to their breastes and heads, and
stroke over all their body with it, to shew their hungry
desire of that knowledge which was spoken of.
The Wiroans with whom we dwelt called Wingina,
and many of his people would bee glad many times to
be with us at our Prayers, and many times call upon
us both in his owne towne, as also in others whither hee
sometimes accompanied us, to pray and sing Psalmes,
hoping thereby to be partaker of the same effects which
we by that meanes also expected.
Twise this Wiroans was so grievously sicke that he
was like to die, and as he lay languishing, doubting of
any helpe by his owne priestes, and thinking hee was
in such danger for offending us and thereby our God,
sent for some of us to pray and bee a meanes to our
God that it would please him either that he might live,
or after death dwell with him in blisse, so likewise were
the requests of many others in the like case.
On a time also when their corne began to wither by
reason of a drought which happened extraordinarily,
fearing that it had come to passe by reason that in some
thing they had displeased us, many would come to us
and desire us to pray to our God of England
, that he
would preserve their Corne, promising that when it was
ripe we also should be partakers of the fruit.
There could at no time happen any strange sicknesse,
losses, hurts, or any other crosse unto them, but that
they would impute to us the cause or meanes thereof,
for offending or not pleasing us. One other rare and
strange accident, leaving others, wil I mention before
I end, which moved the whole Countrey that either knew
or heard of us, to have us in wonderfull admiration.
There was no towne where wee had any subtile devise
practised against us, wee leaving it unpunished or not
revenged (because we sought by all meanes possible to
win them by gentlenesse) but that within a few dayes
after our departure from every such Towne, the people
began to die very fast, and many in short space, in some
Townes about twentie, in some fourtie, and in one sixe
score, which in trueth was very many in respect of their
numbers. This happened in no place that we could
learne, but where we had bin, where they used some
practise against us, & after such time. The disease also
was so strange, that they neither knewe what it was,
nor how to cure it, the like by report of the oldest men
in the Countrey never happened before, time out of
minde. A thing specially observed by us, as also by
the naturall inhabitants themselves. Insomuch that when
some of the inhabitants which were our friends, and
especially the Wiroans Wingina, had observed such
effects in foure or five Townes to followe their wicked
practises, they were perswaded that it was the worke
of our God through our meanes, and that we by him
might kill and slay whom we would without weapons,
and not come neere them. And thereupon when it had
happened that they had understanding that any of their
enemies had abused us in our journeys, hearing that we
had wrought no revenge with our weapons, and fearing
upon some cause the matter should so rest: did come
and intreate us that we would be a meanes to our God
that they as others that had dealt ill with us might in
like sort die, alleadging how much it would bee for our
credite and profite, as also theirs, and hoping furthermore
that we would doe so much at their requests in respect
of the friendship we professed them.
Whose entreaties although wee shewed that they were
ungodly, affirming that our God would not subject himselfe to any such prayers and requests of men: that
indeede all things have bene and were to be done
according to his good pleasure as he had ordeined: and
that we to shewe our selves his true servants ought
rather to make petition for the contrary, that they with
them might live together with us, be made partakers
of his trueth, and serve him in righteousnesse, but notwithstanding in such sort, that wee referre that, as all
other things, to bee done according to his divine will
and pleasure, and as by his wisedome he had ordeined
to be best.
Yet because the effect fell out so suddenly and shortly
after according to their desires, they thought neverthelesse it came to passe by our meanes, & that we in using
such speeches unto them, did but dissemble the matter,
and therefore came unto us to give us thankes in their
maner, that although we satisfied them not in promise,
yet in deedes and effect we had fulfilled their desires.
This marveilous accident in all the Countrey wrought
so strange opinions of us, that some people could not
tell whether to thinke us gods or men, and the rather
because that all the space of their sicknes, there was no
man of ours knowen to die, or that was specially sicke:
they noted also that we had no women amongst us,
neither that we did care for any of theirs.
Some therefore were of opinion that we were not borne
of women, and therefore not mortal, but that we were
men of an old generation many yeeres past, then risen
againe to immortalitie.
Some would likewise seeme to prophecie that there
were more of our generation yet to come to kill theirs
and take their places, as some thought the purpose was,
by that which was already done. Those that were
immediatly to come after us they imagined to be in the
aire, yet invisible and without bodies, and that they by
our intreatie and for the love of us, did make the people
to die in that sort as they did, by shooting invisible
bullets into them.
To confirme this opinion, their Phisitions (to excuse
their ignorance in curing the disease) would not be
ashamed to say, but earnestly make the simple people
beleeve, that the strings of blood that they sucked out
of the sicke bodies, were the strings wherewithall the
invisible bullets were tied and cast. Some also thought
that wee shot them our selves out of our pieces, from
the place where wee dwelt, and killed the people in any
Towne that had offended us, as wee listed, howe farre
distant from us soever it were. And other some said,
that it was the speciall worke of God for our sakes, as
we our selves have cause in some sort to thinke no lesse,
whatsoever some doe, or may imagine to the contrary,
specially some Astrologers, knowing of the Eclipse of
the Sunne which we saw the same yeere before in our
voyage thitherward, which unto them appeared very
terrible. And also of a Comet which began to appeare
but a fewe dayes before the beginning of the saide sicknesse. But to exclude them from being the speciall
causes of so speciall an accident, there are further reasons
then I thinke fit at this present to be alleadged. These
their opinions I have set downe the more at large, that
it may appeare unto you that there is good hope they
may be brought through discreete dealing and government to the imbracing of the trueth, and consequently to
honour, obey, feare and love us.
And although some of our company towards the end
of the yeere, shewed themselves too fierce in slaying
some of the people in some Townes, upon causes that
on our part might easily ynough have bene borne withall:
yet notwithstanding, because it was on their part justly
deserved, the alteration of their opinions generally and
for the most part concerning us is the lesse to be doubted.
And whatsoever els they may be, by carefulnesse of our
selves neede nothing at all to be feared.
