Ch. VIII. SOUTH AMERICA. sgt 



moft northvs^ard, which lies in 45 deg. by the names 

 of New-England, New- York, Pennfylvania, Maryland, 

 and the mod fouthern retained its original name of 

 Virginia. This laft was the chief objc(^l of the atten- 

 tion of Raleigh, and afterwards of England : no mea- 

 fures were negle6led for the peopling and profperity of 

 it. Hither particularly fled the unfortunate friends of 

 Charles I. as an afylum from the cruelties of Crom- 

 well and his parliament, v/ho, not fatisfied with having 

 cmbrued their hands in the blood of that monarch, by 

 caufing his head to be ftruck off on a public fcaf- 

 fold, and by this aclion cafting a (hade over the ho- 

 nour of the nation ; now endeavoured to wafli off that 

 horrid ftain by the blood of others : and to palliate 

 their tyranny, and give a colour bf juftice to their re- 

 folutions, they pretended that ail who did not conform 

 to their pleafure, were the king's adherents and malig- 

 riants. In this dangerous fituation, great numbers of 

 honourable families were obliged to feek in other cli- 

 mates that fecurity, which they could no longer enjoy 

 in their native country. 



These numerous emigrations not only enlarged the 

 firfl: towns in Virginia, but alfo occafioned the building 

 of many others. The royalifts had made choice of 

 Virginia preferably to any other parr, as being fure of 

 the protedion and countenance of Sir William Berk- 

 ley, governor of that province, who abhorring the pro- 

 cedure againfl: his fovereign, maintained his loyalty 

 unfliaken ; refufing obedience to Cromwell, and im- 

 mediately declaring for the fon of the late unfortunate 

 monarch, as his rightful fovercign : but though Vir- 

 ginia had received liich large additions by feveral vafl 

 emigrations of people, and though companies were 

 ereded in England for the fupport of it, yet not re- 

 ceiving the neceffaries wanted both for cultivation and 

 defence, they had the mortification of feeing the pro- 

 vince of New-York taken from them by the Dutch; 

 who, defirous of a fettlement on this coaft, twice dif- 



C c 4 lodged 



