D IS c o V E R 1 E s and Settlements Book I. 
fliift to keep them in fome Order while he remained 
among them, for otherwife the Colony had been deferr- 
ed over and over *, but as this Gentleman was extremely 
aflive, and almoft continually employed in fome Service 
or othetj he had the Misfortune to be blown up by Ac- 
cident ; which, though it did not coft him his Life, yet 
he was fo wounded and maimed thereby, that it was 
found abfolutely neceiiary for him to return to England 
with the Veffels that failed not long after ; a thing, 
happy for himfelf, but extremely difadvantageous for 
the Settlement; fince he was rto fooner on Ship-board 
than every Man took upon him to do what feemed right 
in his own Eyes, which had defperate Confequences, 
fo that thofe who had given him moft Trouble while he 
was amongftthem, deeply regretted the Lofs of him ; and 
yet this Senfe of their own bad Behaviour did not at all 
incline them to Amendment, or to the fetting up any other 
Perfon with fuch Powers as might enable him to do what 
Captain Smith had done. 
On the contrary, they emptied their Magazines and 
' lived in the greateft Profufion, till that brought on ¥/ant ; 
and then they rambled without Order, and under no Com- 
mand, through the Country •, taking Provifions by Force 
from the Natives, who failed not to employ all their 
Cunning, of which they had enough, to deftroy and cut 
them off ; fo that when the Deputy-Governors arrived, 
in two Sloops which they had built in Bermudas^ they 
found them in a moft deplorable Condition ; War, Sick- 
nefs, and Famine, having reduced them from upwards 
of four hundred, to fewer than fourfcore, and thefe too 
uneafy and difcontented. Sir Thomas Gates, and Sir 
George Summers, took all the Pains they could to quiet 
thefe Uneafineffes, and to bring things once more into 
Order *, but it was all in vain ; and the People fhewing 
their empty Warehoufes, their ruined Settlements, and 
the Number of Sick amongft them, induced thofe Gen- 
tlemen to confent to their embarking for England, as the 
only Means of faving thofe who were left ; which they 
accordingly did, to the great Joy, no doubt, of the In- 
dians. 
4. But juft as they were falling out of the Bay of 
Chefepeak, they met with their new Governor, who ob- 
liged them to return to James-To’wn to repair their Ha- 
bitations and Forts there, and to difpofe every thing for 
maintaining the Settlement. This worthy Governor 
was the Right Honourable Thomas Weft, Lord de la 
War, of an ancient, as well as noble. Family ; in which 
Prudence feems to have been hereditary, as well as Ti- 
tle. He was endued with the Virtues moft requifite for 
his Station, as Governor of an infant Colony ; for, with 
great Mildnefs and Humanity, he had the warmeft Cou- 
rage and the greateft Firmnefs of Mind, and was equally 
capable of perfuading by Words, animating by Exam- 
ple, and awing by the juft Ufe of his Authority. He 
accepted of this Commifllon from the Company, with a 
View of putting an End to thefe Diftracftions, which had 
hitherto difappointed all their Expedations, and defeated 
all their Endeavours, and which they juftly attributed to 
the Want of having there fome Perfon in fupreme Au- 
thority •, who might be able to dired the Induftrious, 
encourage the Deferving, and punifh the Fadious and 
Difobedient. ' 
As foon therefore as thefe old, or rather new. Planters, 
were once on fhore again, his Lordfhip, in a free and 
plain Difcourfe, fet before them the Folly and Madnefs 
of their Proceedings, reproving them for their Divifions, 
Idlenefs, and ill Condud, which had occafioned their 
Misfortunes ; advifmg them to reform, or he fhould be 
compelled to draw the Sword of Juftice, and cut off the 
Delinquents ; declaring, however, he had much rather 
draw his own Sword in their Defence •, and telling 
them for their Encouragement, that he had brought 
them fuch Plenty of Provifions,_ that they would be in 
no Danger of wanting for the future, if they were not 
wanting to themfelves, in providing fuch things as the 
Country produced ; then he proceeded to conftitute a 
Council, confifting of Sir Thomas Gates, his Lieutenant 
General ; Sir George Summers, his Admiral ; the honour- 
able George Piercy, one of his Captains ; Sir Ferdinand 
W mman his Mafter of the Ordnance, and Chrifiopher 
Newport his Admiral: Thefe, and the reft of his Officers, 
having taken the Oaths to the Government, and entered 
on their feveral Employments ; his next Care was,, to fur- 
niffi his People with Flefli, for notwithftanding there were 
not lefs than five or fix hundred Hogs in the Plantation, 
v^^hen Capt. Smith went to England, there was not one left 
alive at this time ; they had either been eat by the Colony, 
or deftroyed by the Indians, who, to diftrefs them, had 
driven all the Deer, and other Game, out of the Country ; 
and the FMgliJh were fo ill provided with Nets, that 
though there was Plenty of Fifti in the Rivers, they knew 
not how to take them. 
The Company had fent over a Supply of Cloathing, 
Bifket, Flower, Beer, and other Liquors ; but, taking it 
for granted, that they had Hogs, Venifon, Fowl, and 
Fiffi enough in the Country, had made no Provifion of 
Fleffi ; whereupon Sir George Summers, the Admiral, was 
difpatched to Bermudas, to bring over live Hogs from 
thence, for of thofe Sir George found Plenty in that Ifland 
when he was call away there, though there were no Peo- 
ple upon it. The Governor alfo fet fome to fiffiing within 
the Bay, and others without, where there were Shoals of 
Cod-fiffi ; but their Nets and Tackle were fo defedtive, 
that they could not catch any. Hereupon he endeavoured 
to fettle a Correfpondence with Powhatan and other Indian 
Princes, that he might purchafe Flefh of them for 
EngliJJd Goods ; and in fome of thefe Negotiations he 
fucceeded, particularly with the King of Patowmack, one 
of the moft potent of the Indian Princes •, but notwith- 
ftanding he reprefented to Powhatan that he had already 
promifed to acknowledge the King of England for liis 
Sovereign, accepted of a Crown and Sceptre, and other 
Enfigns of Royalty from him ; with Prefents of great 
Value ; this Prince would give him no other Anfwer, 
but. That he expedted the Englijh fhould depart his 
Country, or confine themfelves within the Limits of fames- 
Town Illand, and not range through every Part of the 
Country, as they continued to do, only with a View of fub- 
duing it, as he apprehended ; threatening to ilTue his Or- 
ders to cut them off and deftroy them, if ever they were 
found without the Limits he prefcribed them ; and com- 
manded the Meffengers his Lordfhip fent to him, not to 
fee his Face again unlefs they brought him a Coach and 
fix Horfes ; for in thefe, he had been informed by fome 
Indians who had been in England, their great Weroances 
were drawn. 
The Lord de la War finding he was to expedl no 
Friendfhip from Powhatan, determined he fhould fear 
him : Having taken an Indian Prifoner, therefore, he cut 
off his Right-hand, and fent him to his Mafter Powhatan, 
letting him know, that he would fend all his Subjefls in 
that manner, and burn all the Corn in his Country (which 
was ripe at this time) if he did not forbear all Acfts of 
Hoftility for the future *, which had fo good an Effe6t, 
that the Colony lived in Peace and Plenty for fome time, 
every Day making frefh Difcoveries, and forming new 
Alliances with fome Indian Princes. 
And thus the Company’s Affairs being happily efta- 
bliftied again by theCondufl of Lord de la War, Sie Thomas 
Gates was fent to England, to give an Account of the State 
of the Colony ; the Ships being freighted home with Cedar, 
black Wallnut, and Iron Ore ; which Returns appeared 
fo inconfiderable, that the Company were in Sufpence, 
whether they fhould not fend for the Lord de la War and 
the Colony home. However, they firft defired Sir Thomas 
Gateses Opinion upon it ; who told them that thefe were 
not the only Returns they were to expeft ; that if they 
would fend over Men who underftood how to make Pitch 
and Tar, and plant Hemp and Flax, they might furnifii 
England with all manner of naval Stores ; and that it 
would be very eafy alfo to fet up a Manufacture of Silk, 
the Country abounding in Mulberry Trees as well as Silk 
Grafs; that the Soil was exceeding fruitful, producing 
Corn, Grafs, Grapes, and other Fruits in abundance ; that 
European Cattle and Corn multiplied prodigioufiy *, and 
that there was great Plenty of Venifon, Fifh and Fowl, 
which they would never want when they could be pro- 
vided with Boats, Nets, and Engines to take t»hem. The 
Company 
