T’he Discoveries and Settlements Book I 
wholefomei the Woods and Soil fo charming and fmit:- 
ful, and all other Things fo agreeable, that Paradife it- 
felf feemed to be there in its native Luftre. They gave 
particular Accounts of the Variety of good Fruits, fom-e 
Whereof they had never feen before j efpecialiy, that 
there were Grapes in fuch abundance as were never any 
where known % ftately tall large Oaks, and other Timber ; 
red Cedar, Cyprefs, Pines, and other Ever-greens and 
, fweet W oods, for T allnefs and Largenefs exceeding all they 
had ever heard of. Wild Fowl, Deer, Fifh, and other 
Game, in fuch Plenty and Variety that no Epicure could 
defire more than this new World feemed naturally to 
afford. T. q make it yet more defireabie they reported, 
that the Native Indians^ who were then the only Inha- 
bitants, v/ere fa affable, kind and good-natured ; fo 
tradfable in learning Tracies and Fafhions •, fo innocent 
and ignorant in all manner ot Tricks and Cunning, and 
fo deiirous of the Englijh^ that they rather feemed ready 
to take any ImpreJffon, than any ways like to oppofe the 
fettling of the Englijh near them. 
Upon this fair Reprefentation of the Effedts of their 
Voyage, and of the noble Difcovery that had attended it, 
Qtieen Elizaheth was pleafed to promife what Affiftance 
it fhould'^ be neceffary for the Crown to give for pro- 
moting and perfedfing this Settlement ; and fhe was 
likewife pleafed to beftow the Name of Virginia upon 
this new found Country*, ’but whether, as is commonly 
believed, in regard to its being difcovered under a Virgin 
<^een, or in allufion to the uncorrupted State of the 
Land and its Inhabitants, is a Queftion I will not pretend 
to decide; but perhaps the former was the Senfe impofed 
by Sir W liter ^ the compleateft Courtier fhall I fay, or 
rather the compleateft Man, of his Time ; and the latter 
the Senfe in which the Qiieen v/ould have had it under- 
ftood : But however that matter be, we muft not confound 
the Virginia of Sir W alter Raleigh with the Province now 
fo called; for, without all queff on, it was in thofeDays 
a very different Thing, and comprehended tire whole 
Country claimed by the Crown of England^ from the 
Southern Limits of the new Province of Georgia, to the 
utmoft Extent of our Difcoveries Northwards, agreeable 
to the two Patents granted to Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and 
to his Brother Sir Walter Raleigh. 
It was not long before the Proprietor refolved to 
fit out a much more confiderable Fleet than had hither- 
to been employed in fuch Undertakings, that fomething 
might be done worthy of the Nation, on whofe Be- 
half this Settlement was to be made, of the power- 
ful Queen who had protedled it, and \ of himfelf, who 
was the Author and Patron of this Scheme ; -Sir Wal- 
ter intended to have commanded in this Expedition 
himfelf, and to have carried with him a fufficient Num- 
■ ber of Forces to have completed this Defign of make- 
ing a Settlement there; but being at that time jea- 
lous that his Abfence might be prejudical to his Intereft 
at Court, which the Earl cf Leicefier fought all Occafions 
to leffen, he committed the Conduct of this fecond En- . 
terprize to his Lieutenant, Sir Richard Greenville ; who, 
on the 8th of April, fet fail from Plymouth with feven 
Ships fitted out by the Company, of v/hich himfelf and 
feveral Gentlemen were Members ; and this Company 
was the firft of that kind that was eftabliflred in Europe : 
Thefe King James incorporated by the Name of the 
Governor and Company of the Weft Indies; which, for 
their Mal-adminiftration, was diffolved by his Son King 
Charles I. 
On the 26th of June, 1585, Richard Greenville 
anchored at Wokoken, and in Augufi following they began 
to plant on the Bland of Roenocke, five Miles diftant from 
the Continent, where Sir Richard landed one hundred 
and eight Men, wvAtx GoYtmoc Ralph Lane, and Captain 
Philip Amadas, who was conftituted Admiral of the new 
Colony, tho’ I do not find he had fo much as a Bark left- 
with him. 
Sir Richard did not remain above three Weeks longer 
in thofe Seas ; but having made fome Difcoveries to the 
Southward, and having traded with the Indians for Skins, 
Furs, Pearls, and other Commodities, he failed on the 
2 ^th. ok Atigufi on \iis Rttarn' io England, in which he 
took a very rich Prize ; fo that this Voyage appeared to 
the Eyes of the Nation no lefs profperous than the former^ 
and the new Virginia Company began to entertain very 
fanguine Hopes of their Undertaking. Let us now re- 
turn to fhe firft Planters in Virginia, and give an Ac- 
count of what happened to the firft Colony the EngliJfj 
eftablifhed there, or rn any Part of America. Sir Richard 
Greenville was no fooner failed, than the People whom he 
left behind applied themfelves with Diligence to what had 
been recommended to them by Sir Walter Raleigh, which 
was the difeovering the Continent, and with this View 
they travelled eighty Miles South, and one hundred and 
thirty North from that Part of the Main oppofite to their 
Bland ; but in thefe Expeditions, venturing indifcreetly 
too high up the Rivers, and too far into the Country, 
the Indian Governors grew jealous of their Defigns, 
and began firft to be weary of their Company, and then 
to cut off their Stragglers when they fell into their Hands 
and they alfo formed a Confpiracy to deftroy the reft, 
but w^ere happily prevented. 
The Journals of the Colony’s Proceedings were duly 
entered, and afterwards delivered to the Company in Eng- 
land, who were not fo careful as they fliould have been 
t6 fend them Supplies of Provifions, and t\\oE 7 igliJh, not 
underftanding the Nature of the Climate, negledted to 
gather Food in Seafon as the Indians by which Means 
they were reduced to great Streights. The Natives never 
after kept Faith with them, but v/atched all Opportunities 
to cut them off. And as this obliged them to be more wary 
in their Enterprizes on the Main, fo it hindered them from 
having any Supply from thence ; however, 'they endured 
all with incredible Refolution, and extended their Difeo- 
verics near a hundred Miles along the Sea-coafts. They 
kept the Indians in Awe by threatening them with the Re- 
turn of their Cpmpanions and the Reinforcement of Men; 
but no Ships coming from England in all that Winter, 
nor in the Spring following, nor in Summer, they dif- 
paired of being able to fupport themfelves any longer, the 
Natives beginning to defpifethern, when they faw them as 
it v/ere abandoned by their Countrymen ; and the Englijh ex- 
pedted every Day to be facrificed to their Cruelty. In this 
Diftrefs their chief Blmployment was to look out to Sea, 
in hopes of finding fome Means of Efcape, or Recruit ; 
and, when they were almoft fpent with Want and Watch- 
ing, Hunger and Cold, in Augiiji they difcovered Eir Francis 
Hrake^s Fleet, who was returning from an Expedition 
againft the Spajiiards in North America, and had been 
commanded by the Queen to vifit this Plantation in his 
Way, and fee what Encouragement or Affiftance they 
wanted. 
The Sight of Sir FrancN^ Fleet was moft joyful to 
thefe poor People : Their firft Petition to him, was to 
grant them a Supply of Men and Provifions, with afmali 
Ship or Bark to attend them, that, in cafe they could not 
maintain themfelves where they were, they m^ight embark 
in it for England. Sir Francis granted their Requeft ; and 
they fet all Hands to work to fit the Ship he had given 
them, and furnifh her with ail manner of Stores for a long 
Stay ; but a Storm arifing, which drove the Veffel from 
her Anchor to Sea, and the Ship fuffering fo much in it 
that fhe was not fit for their Ufe, they were fo difeou- - 
raged, that, notwithftanding Sir Francis offered them an- 
other Ship, they were afraid to ftay, and earneftly in- 
treated him to take them with him, which he did : And 
this put an End to the firft Settlemient. 
It was not at all owing to any Negligence in Sir 
Walter Raleigh that this Misfortune happened ; for he 
continually preffed the Company to refledt on the Neceffity 
of fupporting the Colony in time, and fo follicitous he 
was in this Bufmefs, that, finding the Fleet which was pre- 
paring under the Command of Sir Richard Greenville 
went on but (lowly, he propofed that the firft Ship that 
was completely manned and equipped, fhould be fent, 
without ftaying for the reft, which was done ; but when flie 
arrived at the Bland Roenocke, fhe found it deferred. A 
few Days after came Sir Richard Greenville v/ith his 
Squadron of three fmall Veffels, and found not a Man 
upon the Place, to his great Difappointment ; however, 
he refolved to fettle again, and therefore left behind him 
fifty Men, with Diredtions to build a Houfe, or rather 
I Fort, 
