Chap. Ill of the E N G L I S H A M E R I G A, lif 
Company need then to be at very little Charge to fupport 
the Colony i on the contrary, they would in afhort time 
meet with Returns anfwerable to their Rxpv-dtationSi 
Whereupon the Patentees refolved to proceed with Ala- 
crity to improve their Virginia Plantation, in which Re- 
folution they were confirmed by the Lord de la War ^ who 
returned to England about this time (i6io) for the Re- 
covery of his Health. ^ 
He left behind him the honourable Mr. Piercy^ as his 
Deputy •, and, while he refided in England.^ took as much 
Care of this Plantation as if it had been his paternal Eflate 5 
and was no lefs follicitous about the Welfare of its In- 
habitants than if they had been his neareft Relations : To 
fay the Truth •, it was to the Wifdom and Forefight of 
this worthy Lord that this Nation owes the preferving fo 
great and fo beneficial an Acquifition j as it was to his 
Courage and Steadinefs they were indebted for the Planta- 
tion itfelf. In fliort, he fpent the whole remainder of his 
Life, which was about eight Years, in the Service of the 
Company and the Colony, and adlually died in his Voyage 
back to Virginia in 1618, with a great Supply of People, 
Cloathing, and Goods, for that Settlement, which, how- 
ever, arrived fafe. As I have now given an Account of 
the fettling this Country, I have executed all that falls 
within the Compafs of my Defign •, but, as I apprehend 
that it may be both entertaining to the Reader, and better 
anfwer the Defign of this Colledlion, I fliall juft run over 
a few of the principal Fa£ts relating to the Hiftory of 
this Province, and then give a fliort Defcription of it as it 
ftands at prefent •, in order to fliew what Advantages have 
accrued 'to the Nation from an Fftablifhment v/hich itcoft 
fo much Labour and Pains to effed : And the fame Me- 
thod I fliall take in regard to other Plantations, as moft 
earneftly defiring to render this Work as agreeable, as ufe- 
ful, and as perfed, as it is in my Power to make it. 
While Lord de la War was in England the Colony was 
governed by his Deputies, who, applying themfelves to 
bring about a peaceable Correfpondence with the Natives, 
ad.vanced it at laft fo far, that feveral Intermarriages took 
Place, and amongft thefe the Indian Princefs Pacahunta 
efpoufed Mr. John Rolf^ an Englijh Gentleman, whole 
Pofterity enjoy, at this Day, the Lands defcended to them 
from this Lady. In the Year 1 6 1 6 one Captain Tardly 
was at the Head of Affairs ; and the Reafon I take notice 
particularly of his Adminiftration is, becaufe under it they 
firft began to cultivate Tobacco, which is fince become 
the Staple Commodity of the Colony. He was fuc- 
ceeded by Capt. Argoll, afterwards Sir Samuel Argoll 
who was a Man of a military Turn, whom we fliall have 
Occafion to mention frequently hereafter : He repaired 
the Forts that had run to ruin, and put the Colony into 
fuch a State of Defence, that there was no great Danger 
of any Attempts that could be made againft them by the 
Indians. 
After the Death of Lord Cz^t. Tardly, who 
was likewife in England, and who, being knighted by 
King James, had the Title of Sit George Tardly, was fent 
over with the Title of Governor ; and a very good Go- 
vernor he proved, for to him the People owed their being 
made as free as their Countrymen in this Ifland, finde he 
augmented the Number of the Council, and allowed the 
Planters to fend their Reprefentatives to the Affembly, the 
firft of which fat ztJames-Town, m May 1620. In his 
Time Negroes were firft brought into Virginia, the Lands 
divided. Salt-works eredted at Cape Charles, and an Iron 
Mine wrought with good Effedt. He was fucceeded, in 
162 1, by Sir Francis Wyat, a young Gentleman of a very 
good Difpofition, who endeavoured all he could to pro- 
mote the Welfare of the Colony, yet in his Time it was 
that this Settlement ran a very great Hazard of being 
totally deftroyed •, for the Indians, who had lived amongft 
them now for feven or eight Years with great Freedom and 
Familiarity, formed a Defign of extirpating them entirely, 
on account of one of their War-Captains being killed, 
though he had committed Murder and Robbery, and died 
in defending himfelf from falling into the Hands of 
Juftice. The Method they took to revenge this was, by 
a general Maffacre, which they fixed for Friday, the 2 2d 
Pi March, 1622, and, in all probability, it had effeflqally 
ahfwered their End if it had not been difcovcfed by a 
converted Indian, the very Day on v/hich it was to have 
taken place *, Ib-^iat the advanced Plantations could not 
receive Intelligence time enough, which gave the Natives 
an Opportunity of cutting off three hundred and thirty- 
four Perfons. .The Englijh revenged this in a manner very 
unbecoming them, fince, pretending to be reconciled to 
tho Indians, and thereby gaining their Cqnfidence,they maf- 
facred likewife in their Turn, and purlued their firft Blow 
fo effeftually as to drive moft of thefe poor People to feek 
for new Habitations. 
But it was not long before the Englijh gave them an 
Opportunity of fatisfying that Vice which is deepeft 
rooted in their Nation, I mean Revenge •, for dividing 
amongft themfelves, and falling into Faftions and Par- 
ties j and, at the fame Time, running out new Settle- 
ments •, the Indians fell upon them again, and cut them 
off in great Numbers. As this Misfortune was chiefly 
owing to the imprudent Grants made in England 5 it oc- 
cafioned loud Complaints ; and the fatal Confequences of 
the Company’s Mai- Adminiftration cried fo loud, that 
King Charles I. coming to the Crown of England, ex- 
preSd a tender Concern for the poor People that had 
been betrayed thither, and loft ; upon which Confidera- 
tion he diffolved the Company in the Year 1626, reduce- 
ing the Country and Government under his own imme- 
diate Direftion, appointing the Governor and Council 
himfelf, and ordering all Patents and Procefs to iffue 
in his own Name, refer ving to himfelf a Quit-Rent of 
Two Shillings for every hundred Acres of Land, and fo 
pro rata. The Country being thus taken into the King’s 
Elands, his Majefty was pleafed to re-eftabliflr the Con- 
ftitution by a Governor, Council, and Affembly, and to 
confirm the former Methods and Jurildidtions of feveral 
Courts, as they had been appointed in the Year 1620, 
and placed the laft Refort in the Affembly ; he likewife 
confirmed the Rules and Orders made by the firft Affem- 
bly, for apportioning of Land, and granting Patents tO‘ 
particular Adventurers. 
This was a Conftitution according to their Hearts 
Defire, and things feemed now to go on in a happy 
Courfe, for Encouragement of the Colony ; People 
flocked thither apace, every one took up Land, by Pa- 
tent, to his liking i and. Hot minding any thing but to 
be Mafters of great Trails of Land, they fettled them- 
felves feparately on their feveral Plantations. Nor did they 
fear the Indians, but kept them at a greater Diftance than 
formerly •, and they, for their Parts, feeing the Englijh 
fo fenfibly increafe in Number, were glad to keep their 
Diftance, and be peaceable. This Liberty of taking up 
Land, and the Ambition each Man had of being Lord 
of a vaft, though unimproved Territory, together with 
the Advantage of the many Rivers, which afforded a com- 
modious Road for Shipping, at every Man’s Door, has 
made the Country fall into fuch an unhappy Settlement 
and Courfe of Trade •, that, to this Day, they have not 
any one Place of Cohabitation among them that may rea- 
fonably bear the Name of a Town. The next Governor 
after the fettling of this new Conftitution, v/as Sir John 
Harvey, who proved of a Spirit very improper for fuch 
an Employment, fince he began early to differ with his 
Council and foon after oppreffed the People to fuch a 
Degree, that they were refolved to be rid ot him, at all 
Events •, and accordingly in 1639 they feized him, and 
fent him Home Prifoner, with a long Charge againft 
him, accompanied by two of the Council, appointed to 
manage the Profecution againft him. But as foon as he 
came to London, the King, who highly refented this 
Outrage on his Prerogative, fent Sir John back again, 
with the fame Authority as before i but the very next 
Year removed that oppreffive Governor, and appointed 
Sir William Berkley to fucceed him. 
This Gentleman held the Government longer than all 
his Predeceffors put together, and deferved it -, he was, in all 
Refpedls, an excellent Governor v fo careful of the Colony, 
and fo kind to the People, that he preferVed Loyalty in 
Virginia long after it was loft at Home •, nor did he 
fubmit to the Rump, till he was forced to it ; and then 
withdrew to his own Plantation, where he lived as a 
privai^ 
