exceedingly ignorant. One of these was said to have fasted John Evelyn, Memoirs (edited by William Bray, London, 1819), 8. Reasons for Emigration (1641) By REV- WHEN /HEN a Kingdom beginneth to be over-burthened a clergyman a land now do) to have a convenient place where to send of the Church of England, who was much interested in the colonization version of of America and the conthe Indians there. The from a petiParliament. -For other colonization, extract is tion to reasons for see Contemporaries, I, ch. vi. From 25° to 450 = from Florida to southern Maine. Found in later. For opinions time in due recompence of their setting forth, returne this Kingdome store of silver and gold, pearles and precious two centuries stones; for undoubtedly (if there be not a generall mistake in all Authors, who have written of these places) such treasure is to bee had, if not there, yet in places not farre remote, where (as yet) the Spaniard hath nothing to doe. And in case the Spaniard will bee troublesome to our Plantations, or shall (as it is generally conceived) bee found an Enemy to this Kingdome, there is no way more likely to secure England, then [than] by having a strong Navie there; hereby wee may come to share, if not utterly to defeat him of that vaste Indian Treasure, wherewith hee setteth on fire so great a part of the Christian World, corrupteth many Counsellors of state, supporteth the Papacie, and generally perplexeth all reformed Churches. of Spain, see Contemporaries, 1, Nos. 25, 30, 46. Ultimately the ruin of Spain. Bull of 1494. -See Contemporaries, I, No. 18. Nor need any scrupulous quere [query] bee made, whether wee may not assault an enemy in any place, or not esteeme them such as shall assault us in those places, where wee have as much to doe as they. The Spaniard claimeth indeed an Interest, little lesse then hereditarie in almost all America, and the West Indies, but it is but by vertue of the Popes grant, which is nothing worth, as was long since determined by Queene Elizabeth, and her Councell; so as for the Spaniard to debarre us in the liberty of our Plantations, or freedome of commerce in those spacious countries, were over proudly to take upon him; and for us to permit it were over-much to yeeld of our own right. Especially, when we may, as now we may, so easily helpe our selves: For your Petitioner conceiveth there is no great difficulty in the preparation here, or tediousnesse in the passage thither, or hazard when wee come there. The preparation of men and shipping, in respect of the daily happy expected accord betweene us and the Scots, is (upon the matter) already made; and as for money it is in the power of this Honourable House to give sufficient, without any grievance, or dislike of the Commonwealth, who (undoubtedly) in the generall will thinke nothing grievous, which shall bee concluded by your wisedomes, expedient to such a pious and charitable worke. And as for the passage, how can it be thought either tedious or dangerous. it being ordinarily but six weekes sayle, in a sea much more secure from Pirats, and much more free from shipwrack, and enemies coasts, then [than] our ten or twelve moneths voyage into the East-Indies. And as for our good successe there, wee need not feare it. The natives being now every where more then [than] ever, out of an inveterate hatred to the Spaniard, ready and glad to entertaine us. Our best friends the Netherlanders being with eight and twenty ships gone before to assist and further See below, us. And which is much more, our going with a generall consent in Gods cause, for the promoting of the Gospel, and inlarging of his Church, may assure us of a more then [than] ordinary protection and direction. That hitherto wee have beene lesse successefull in our voyage that way, wee may justly impute it to this, that as yet they have not beene undertaken with such a generall consent, and with such a full reference to Gods glory as was requisite. A Petition of W. C. exhibited to the High Court of Parliament T 9. Indian Life (1609-1613) No. 16. By HENRY SPELMAN (1600-1622), who came to Virginia as a tured by the Indians in giue sum [some] satisfaction to my frends and contentment unto others, weh wish well to this viage [voy-boy, was capage], and are desir[o]us to heare ye fashions of that cuntrye : I haue set doune [down] as well as I can, what I obserued in ye time I was amonge them. And therfore first concerninge ther [their] gods, yow [you] must understand that for ye 1614, and them for sev eral years. lived among He thus acquired an intimate per most part they worship ye diuell [devil], weh ye couniurers [conjurers] who are ther preests, can make apeare untó sonal knowl- them at ther pleasuer, yet neuer ye less [nevertheless] in euery cuntry they haue a seuerall Image whom they call ther god. edge of their ways. - For Indians and their relations with the colonists, see Contemporaries, I, Nos. 40, 60, 91, 92, 123, 127, 133, 134, 147, 162; II, ch. xviii. This would of the Indians of Mexico and Central America. PLACES LACES of Habitation they haue but feaw [few] for ye greatest toune [town] haue not aboue 20 or 30 houses in it, Ther Biuldinge [buildings] are made like an ouen wt [with]a litell [little] hole to cum [come] in at But more spatius [spacious] wt in [within] hauinge a hole in the midest of ye not hold true house for smoke to goe out at, The Kinges houses are both broader and longer then ye rest hauinge many darke windinges and turnings before any cum wher the Kinge is, But in that time when they goe a Huntinge ye weomen goes to a place apoynted before, to biuld houses for ther husbands to lie in att night carienge [carrying] matts wt them to couer ther houses wt all [withal], and as the men goes furthur a huntinge the weomen follows to make houses, always carrienge ther mattes wt them ther maner of ther Huntinge is thiss they meett sum 2 or 300 togither and hauinge ther bowes and arrows and euery one wt a fier [fire] sticke in ther hand they besett a great thikett round about, wch dunn [done] euery one sett fier on the ranke grass wch ye Deare seinge [seeing] fleeth from ye fier, and the menn cumminge [coming] in by a litell and litle [little and little] incloseth ther game in a narrow roome, so as wt ther Bowes and arrowes they kill them at ther pleasuer takinge ther skinns wch is the greatest thinge they desier, and sume flesh for ther prouision. The English THE HE King is not know[n] by any differenc[e] from other of ye chefe sort in ye cuntry but only when he cums to any of ther howses they present him wt copper Beads or Vitall [victual]. and shew much reuerence to him among the The preest are shauen on ye right side of ther head close to the scull only a litle locke leaft [left] at ye eare and sum of thes haue beards But ye common people haue no beards So to-day at all for they pull away ther hares [hairs] as fast as it growes Indians. And they also cutt ye heares on ye right side of ther heade that it might not hinder them by flappinge about ther bow stringe, when they draw it to shoott, But on ye other side they lett it grow and haue a long locke hanginge doune [down] ther shoulder, As S for Armoure or dissipline in ware [war] the[y] haue not any. The weopons they vse for offence are Bowes and Arrowes wt a weapon like a hammer and ther Tomahaucks for defence wch are shi[e]lds made of the barke of a tree and hanged on ther leaft shoulder to couer that side as they stand forth to shoote They neuer fight in open fields but always e[i]ther amonge reede or behind trees takinge ther oportunitie to shoot at ther enimies and till they can nocke [notch] another arrow they make the trees ther defence In ye time that I was ther I sawe a Battell [battle] fought betwene the Patomeck [Potomac] and the Masomeck, ther place wher they fought was a marish [marsh] ground full of Reede Beinge in the cuntry of the Patomecke the peopel of Masomeck weare [were] brought thether in Canoes wch is a kind of Boate they haue made in the forme of an Hoggs A dugout. trowgh [trough] But sumwhat more hollowed in, On Both sid[e]s they scatter them selues sum litle distant one from the other, then take they ther bowes and arrows and hauinge made ridie [ready] to shoot they softly steale toward ther enimies, Sumtime squattinge doune and priinge [prying] if they can spie any to shoot at whom if at any time he so Hurteth that he can not flee they make hast[e] to him to knock him on the heade .. ... |