NOTE.

There are, among others, accounts of two visits to Plymouth harbor before the coming of the Mayflower, one by Martin Pring in 1603, and the other by Champlain in 1605. Pring commanded a small ship, the Speedwell, sent out by some merchants and inhabitants of Bristol to make a farther discovery of the northern part of Virginia. As Sir Walter Ralegh had "a most ample Patent" of all those parts from Queen Elizabeth, permission was first obtained from him, and sailing from Kingroad in March, the ship was detained at Milford Haven until after the death of the Queen. In June Pring fell in with a "multitude of islands" in 43° of latitude, and sailing to the southwest without finding any people, he turned to find the Savage Rock" of Gosnold, where the desired sassafras could be obtained. The story is thus related in Purchas, Pilgrimes, IV. 1654:

"Departing hence we bare into that greate Gulfe which Captaine Gosnold ouer-shot the yeere before, coasting and finding people on the North side thereof. Not yet satisfied in our expectation, we left them and sailed ouer, and came to an Anchor on the South side in the latitude of 41. degrees and odde minutes: where we went on Land in a certaine Bay, which we called

England. The bay of Plymouth was "a most hopefull place," compassed with a goodly land, containing two well-wooded islands, and well stocked with fish and game. The soil was rich and the plant life abundant. Some advantages of this kind were needed to remove the bad impression raised by the accounts of actual suffering encountered by the settlers in their first year at New Plymouth, and by the complaining letters of such as had expected far easier conditions or a richer return in trading commodities. The harbor proved such that the Mayflower was obliged to lie off a mile and a half from the place selected for settlement. Mourt, *25.

The similarity of language used in describing the expedition in Bradford and in Mourt points to a common authorship.

Captain Smith describes Accomac as "a excellent harbor, good land; and no want of any thing, but industrious people." He had a somewhat serious affair with the natives, fought forty or fifty of them, killed some and wounded others, "yet within an houre after they became friendes." Description of New England, *45.

Smith claims that the mariners and sailors on these voyages found it their interest to conceal the miserable conditions of the colonists, for they "had alwayes both good fare, and good pay for the most part, and part out of our owne purses, never caring how long they stayed upon their voyage, daily feasting before our faces, when wee lived upon a little corne and water, and not half enough of that, the most of which we had from amongst the Salvages." Advertisements for the Unexperienced Planters, *6.

Whitson Bay, by the name of the Worshipfull Master Iohn Whitson then Maior of the Citie of Bristoll, and one of the chiefe Aduenturers, and finding a pleasant Hill thereunto adioyning, wee called it Mount Aldworth, for Master Robert Aldworth's sake a chiefe furtherer of the Voyage, as well with his Purse as with his trauell. Here we had sufficient quantitie of Sassafras.

"At our going on shore, vpon view of the people and sight of the place, wee thought it conuenient to make a small baricado to keepe diligent watch and ward in, for the aduertizement and succour of our men, while they should worke in the Woods.1 During our abode on shore, the people of the Countrey came to our men sometimes ten, twentie, fortie or threescore, and at one time one hundred and twentie at once. We vsed them kindly, and gaue them diuers sorts of our meanest Merchandize. They did eat Pease and Beanes with our men. Their owne victuals were most of fish.

"We had a youth in our company that could play vpon a Gitterne, in whose homely Musicke they tooke great delight, and would giue him many things, as Tobacco, Tobacco-pipes, Snakes skinnes of sixe foot long, which they vse for Girdles, Fawnes skinnes, and such like, and danced twentie in a Ring, and the Gitterne in the middest of them, vsing many Sauage gestures, singing Io, Ia, Io, Ia, Ia, Io; him that first brake the ring, the rest would knocke and cry out vpon. Some few of them had plates of Brasse a foot long, and halfe a foote broad before their breasts. Their weapons are Bowes of fiue or sixe foot long of Witch-hasell, painted blacke and yellow, the strings of three twists of sinewes, bigger then our Bow-strings. Their Arrows are of a yard and an handfull long not made of Reeds, but of a fine light wood very smooth and round with three long and deepe black feathers of some Eagle, Vulture, or Kite, as closely fastened with some binding matter, as any Fletcher of ours can glue them on. Their Quiuers are full a yard long, made of long dried Rushes wrought about two handfuls broad aboue, and one handful beneath with prettie workes and compartiments, Diamant wise of red and other colours.

"We carried with vs from Bristoll two excellent Mastiues, of whom the Indians were more afraid, then of twentie of our men. One of these Mastiues would carrie a halfe Pike in his mouth. And one Master Thomas Bridges a Gentleman of our company accompanied only with one of these Dogs, and passed sixe miles alone in the Countrey hauing lost his fellowes, and returned safely. And when we would be rid of the Sauage's company wee would let loose the Mastiues, and suddenly with out-cryes they would flee

1 See p. 169, supra.

away. These people in colour are inclined to a swart, tawnie, or Chestnut colour, not by nature but accidentally, and doe weare their haire brayded in foure parts, and trussed vp about their heads with a small knot behind: in which haire of theirs they sticke many feathers and toyes for brauerie and pleasure. They couer their priuities only with piece of leather drawne betwixt their twists and fastened to their Girdles behind and before: whereunto they hang their bags of Tobacco. They seeme to bee somewhat jealous of their women, for we saw not past two of them, who weare Aprons of Leather skins before them downe to the knees, and a Beares skinne like an Irish Mantle ouer one shoulder. The men are of stature somewhat taller then our ordinary people, strong, swift, well proportioned, and giuen to treacherie, as in the end we perceiued.

"Their Boats, whereof we brought one to Bristoll, were in proportion like a Wherrie of the Riuer of Thames, seuenteene foot long and foure foot broad, made of the Barke of a Birch-tree, farre exceeding in bignesse those of England: it was sowed together with strong and tough Oziers or twigs, and the seames couered ouer with Rozen or Turpentine little inferiour in sweetnesse to Frankincense, as we made triall by burning a little thereof on the coales at sundry times after our comming home: it was also open like a Wherrie, and sharpe at both ends, sauing that the beake was a little bending roundly vpward. And though it carried nine men standing vpright, yet it weighed not at the most aboue sixtie pounds in weight, a thing almost incredible in regard of the largenesse and capacitie thereof. Their Oares were flat at the end like an Ouen peele, made of Ash or Maple very light and strong, about two yards long, wherewith they row very swiftly: Passing vp a Riuer we saw certaine Cottages together, abandoned by the Sauages, and not farre off we beheld their Gardens and one among the rest of an Acre of ground, and in the same was sowne Tobacco, Pompions, Cowcumbers and such like; and some of the people had Maiz or Indian Wheate among them. In the fields we found wild Pease, Strawberries very faire and bigge, Goose-berries, Raspices, Hurts and other wild fruits.

"Hauing spent three Weekes vpon the Coast before we came to this place where we meant to stay and take in our lading, according to our instructions giuen vs in charge before our setting forth, we pared and digged vp the Earth with shouels, and sowed Wheate, Barley, Oates, Pease, and sundry sorts of Garden Seeds, which for the time of our abode there, being about seuen Weeks, although they were late sowne, came vp very well, giuing certain testimonie of the goodnesse of the Climate and of the Soyle. And it seemeth

that Oade, Hempe, Flaxe, Rape-seed and such like which require a rich and fat ground, would prosper excellently in these parts. For in diuers places here we found grasse aboue knee deepe.

"As for Trees the Country yeeldeth Sassafras a plant of souereigne vertue for the French Poxe, and as some of late haue learnedly written good against the Plague and many other Maladies; Vines, Cedars, Okes, Ashes, Beeches, Birch trees, Cherie trees bearing fruit whereof wee did eate, Hasels, Wichhasels, the best wood of all other to make Sope-ashes withall, Walnut-trees, Maples, holy to make Bird-lime with, and a kinde of tree bearing a fruit like a small red Peare-plum with a crowne or knop on the top (a plant whereof carefully wrapped vp in earth, Master Robert Salterne brought to Bristoll). We found also low trees bearing faire Cheries. There were likewise a white kind of Plums which were not growne to their perfect ripenesse. With diuers other sorts of trees to vs unknowne.

"The Beasts here are Stags, fallow Deere in abundance, Beares, Wolues, Foxes, Lusernes, and (some say) Tygres, Porcupines, and Dogges with sharpe and long noses, with many other sorts of wild beasts, whose Cases and Furres being hereafter purchased by exchange may yeeld no smal gaine to vs. Since as we are certainly informed, the Frenchmen brought from Canada the value of thirtie thousand Crownes in the yeere 1604, almost in Beuers and Otters skinnes only. The most vsuall Fowles are Eagles, Vultures, Hawkes, Cranes, Herons, Crowes, Gulls, and great store of other Riuer and Seafowles. And as the Land is full of God's good blessings, so is the Sea replenished with great abundance of excellent fish, as Cods sufficient to lade many ships, which we found vpon the Coast in the moneth of Iune, Seales to make Oile withall, Mullets, Turbuts, Mackerels, Herrings, Crabs, Lobsters, Creuises, and Muscles with ragged Pearles in them.

"By the end of Iuly we had laded our small Barke called the Discouerer, with as much Sassafras as we thought sufficient, and sent her home into England before, to giue some speedie contentment to the Aduenturers: who arriued safely in Kingrode aboue a fortnight before vs. After their departure we so bestirred our selues, that our shippe also had gotten in her lading, during which time there fell out this accident. On a day about noone tide while our men which vsed to cut downe Sassafras in the Woods were asleepe, as they vsed to doe for two houres in the heat of the day, there came downe about seuen score Sauages armed with their Bowes and Arrowes, and enuironed our House or Barricado, wherein were foure of our men alone with their Muskets to keepe Centinell, whom they sought to haue come downe vnto them, which