216 



tvas the chief of the nation, and whose proper name is 

 said to have been Wahunsonacock) respecting the suc- 

 cession, the ohi chief informed him, " tliut lie was very 

 old, and had seen the death of all his people thrice;* 

 that not one of these generations were then living ex- 

 cept himself; that he nnist soon die, and the succes- 

 sion descend in order to his brothers Opichapan, Ope- 

 chancanough, and Catatangh, and then to his two sis- 

 ters, and their two daughters." But these were 

 appellations designating the tribes in the confederacy. 

 For the persons named are not his real brothers, but the 

 chiefs of different tribes. Accordingly in ]G18, when 

 Powhatan died, he was succeeded by Opichapan, and 

 after his decease Opeohancanough became chief of the 

 nation. I need only mention another instance to show 

 that the chiefs of the tribes claimed this kindred with 

 the head of the nation. In 1622, when Raleigh Cras- 

 haw was with Japazaw, the Sachem or chief of the 

 Patomacs, Opechancanough, who had great power and 

 influence, being the second man in the nation, and next 

 in succession to Opichapan, and who was a bitter but 

 secret enemy to the English, and wanted to engage his 

 nation in a war with them, sent two baskets of beads 

 to the Patomac chief, and desired him to kill the En- 

 glishman that was with him. Japazaw replied, ;hat the 

 English were his friends, and Opichapan his brother, 

 and that therefore there should be no blood shed be- 

 tween them by his means. It is also to be observed, 



♦ This is one generation more than the poet ascribes to the 

 life of Nestor, 



To d' ede duo men geneai meropb anthropon 

 Ephthiaih oi oi prosthen ama traphen ed' egneonto 

 En Pulb egathee, meta de tritatoisiu anassen. 



I. HoM. II. 250. 



Two gpnerations now had passed away, 

 Wise b)' his rules, and happy by his sway j 

 Two ages o'er his native realm he reign'd, 

 And now th' example of the third remain'd. 



Pope. 



