is wished by me! In Februarie next he purposes to sett sayle towardes his golden myne, whereof he is extremely confident. The allarme of his jorney is flowne into Spayne, and, as he tells me, sea forces are prepared to lye for him, but he is nothinge appalled with the report, for he will be a good fleet and well-manned; and number and names of his shipps, captens, and forces, you shall receve with these. I amm sure he will be able to land 500 men, which is a competent armye to performe any exploite uppon the continent of America, the Spaniards (and especiallye about Orinoque) beinge so poorelye planted as they are. . . . The 5. the Vicecount Villiers was at Whitehall created Erle January 5, of Buckingham; the Erle of Montgomerie carried his robes, 1617 the Erle of Dorset his sword, the Duke of Lennox, as Erle of Richmond, his cappe, the Lord Admiral his coronet, and supported by the Erle of Suffolk, Lord Threasurer, and the Erle of Worcester, Lord Privie Seale. . . . This 28. Marche Sir Walter Raleghe's shippe fell downe the March 28, river unto the Downes, and himselfe is gone overland to Dover. 1617 Untill he come to Plimouthe (where is the rendevous of his little fleet) I cannot exactlye send you a report either of his shippes, captens, or men. He goes for the Orenoquen myne. God graunt he may retourne deepe loden with Guianian gold oure! V. THE SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA The following extracts are from the diary of George Percy, kept during the voyage of the ships that carried the first colonists to Jamestown. On Saturday the twentieth of December in the yeere 1606 264. Extracts the fleet fell from London, and the fift of January we anchored from the diary of one of the first in the Downes; but the winds continued contrarie so long, that we were forced to stay there some time, where wee suffered colonists of great stormes, but by the skilfulnesse of the Captaine wee suffered no great losse or danger. . . . The twelfth day of February at night we saw a blazing Starre, and presently a storme. The three and twentieth day Virginia we fell with the Iland of Mattanenio in the West Indies. The foure and twentieth day we anchored at Dominico, within fourteene degrees of the Line, a very faire Iland, the trees full of sweet and good smels, inhabited by many Savage Indians.... April 26, 1607 The six and twentieth day of April about foure a clocke in the morning, wee descried the Land of Virginia: the same day we entred into the Bay of Chesupioc directly, without any let or hindrance; there wee landed and discovered a little way, but wee could find nothing worth the speaking of, but faire meddowes and goodly tall Trees, with such Fresh-waters running through the woods, as I was almost ravished at the first sight thereof. May 12, 1607 At night, when wee were going aboard, there came the Savages creeping upon all foure, from the Hills, like Beares, with their bowes in their mouthes, charged us very desperately in the faces, hurt Captaine Gabrille Archer in both his hands, and a sayler in two places of the body very dangerous. After they had spent their arrowes, and felt the sharpnesse of our shot, they retired in to the woods with a great noise, and so left us.... Wee rowed over to a point of Land, where wee found a channel and sounded six, eight, ten, twelve fathom: which put us in good Comfort. Therefore wee named that point of Land, Cape Comfort. The nine and twentieth day we set up a Crosse at Chesupioc Bay, and named that place Cape Henry. . . . The twelfth day we went backe to our ships, and discovered a point of Land, called Archers Hope, which was sufficient with a little labour to defend our selves against any Enemy. The soile was good and fruitfull, with excellent good timber. There are also great store of Vines in bignesse of a mans thigh running up to the tops of the trees in great abundance. We also did see many squirrels, Conies, Black Birds with crimson wings, and divers other fowles and birds of divers and sundrie colours of crimson, watchet, yellow, greene, murry, and divers other hewes naturally without any art using. We found store of Turkie nests and many egges. If it had not beene disliked, because the ship could not ride neere the shoare, we had setled there to all the Collonies contentment. Jamestown The thirteenth day we came to our seating place in Paspi- Establishhas Countrey some eight miles from the point of Land, which ment of I made mention before: where our shippes doe lie so neere (May 13, the shoare that they are moored to the trees in six fathom 1607) water. The fourteenth day we landed all our men which were set to worke about the fortification, and others some to watch and ward as it was convenient. . . . The foure and twentieth day wee set up a Crosse at the head An exploring of this River, naming it Kings River, where we proclaimed voyage up the James River James, King of England, to have the most right unto it. When wee had finished and set up our Crosse, we shipt our men and made for James Fort. By the way wee came to Pohatans Towne where the Captaine went on shore, suffering none to goe with him; hee presented the Commander of this place with a Hatchet which hee tooke joyfully, and was well pleased. . . . ... The fifteenth day of June we had built and finished our June 15, Fort, which was triangle-wise, having three bulwarkes at every 1607 corner like a halfe moone, and foure or five pieces of artillerie mounted in them. We had made our selves sufficiently strong for these Savages, we had also sowne most of our Corne on two mountaines; it sprang a mans height from the ground. This countrey is a fruitfull soile, bearing many goodly and fruitfull trees, as mulberries, cherries, walnuts, ceders, cypresse, sassafras, and vines in great abundance. Two of the most prominent of the early "Pilgrim Fathers," Bradford and Winslow, left narratives of their experiences and those of their people in England, Holland, and America. The following extracts from these narratives extend from the beginning of the persecution of the Separatists by the authorities of the established church in England, through their period of exile in Holland to their final arrival and first settlement in New England. The early part of the story is best told in Bradford's History. 265. Brad- History of isters re quired to subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles When as by the travail and diligence of some godly and zealous preachers in the parish churches, and God's blessing on their labours; as in other places of the land of England so in the north parts, many became inlightened by the word of God; and had their ignorance and sins discovered unto them; and began by his grace to reform their lives and make conscience of their ways: the work of God was no sooner manifest in them, but presently they were both scoffed and scorned Puritan min by the profane multitude; and the ministers urged with the yoke of subscription, or else must be silenced. And the poor people were so vexed with apparitors and pursuivants, and the commissary courts; as truly their affliction was not small : which notwithstanding they bore, sundry years, with much patience, till they were occasioned, by the continuance and increase of these troubles, and other means which the Lord raised up in those days, to see further into things, by the light of the word of God; how not only these base and beggarly ceremonies were unlawful; but also that the lordly and tyrannous power of the prelates ought not to be submitted unto : which thus, contrary to the freedom of the gospel, would load and burden men's consciences; and, by their compulsive power, make a profane mixture of persons and things in the worship of God. And that their offices and callings, courts and canons, were unlawful and antichristian: being such as have no warrant in the word of God; but the same were used in popery and still retained. . . . Formation of congregations So many of these professors as saw the evil of these things, in these parts; and whose hearts the Lord had touched with heavenly zeal for his truth; they shook off the yoke of Christian bondage; and, as the Lord's free people, joined themselves by a covenant of the Lord, into a church estate, in the fellowship of the gospel, to walk in all his ways made known, or to be made known, unto them, according to their best endeavours; whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them. And that it cost them something, this ensuing history will declare. . . But, after these things, they could not long continue in any peaceable condition; but were hunted and persecuted on every side; so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of these which now came upon them. For some were taken and clapt up in prison. Others had their houses beset and watched, night and day; and hardly escaped their hands and the most were fain to fly and leave their houses and habitations, and the means of their livelihood. Yet these and many other sharper things which afterwards befell them were no other than they looked for; and therefore were they the better prepared to bear them by the assistance of God's grace and spirit. Yet seeing themselves molested; and that there was no hope of their continuance there as a church; by a joint consent, they resolved to go into the Low Countries, where they heard was freedom of religion for all men ; as also how sundry, from London and other parts of the land of England, had been exiled and persecuted for the same cause, and were gone thither, and lived at Amsterdam and in other places of the land of Holland. So, after they had continued together about a year; and kept their meetings every Sabbath in one place or another, exercising the worship of God amongst themselves, notwithstanding all the diligence and malice of their adversaries; they, seeing they could no longer continue in that condition, resolved to get over in Holland as they could. Which was in the years 1607 and 1608. . . . Being now come into the Low Countries, they saw many Emigration goodly and fortified cities strongly walled and guarded with to Holland troops of armed men. Also they heard a strange and uncouth language; and beheld the different manners and customs of the people, with their strange fashions and attires; all so far differing from their plain country villages, wherein they were bred and had lived so long, as it seemed they had come into a new world. . . . ... And when they had lived at Amsterdam about a year, Master Amsterdam (1607-1609) Robinson, their pastor, and some others of best discerning, seeing how Master John Smith and his company were already fallen into contention with the church that was there before them; and no means they could use, would do any good to |