INTRODUCTION nobility GEORGE PERCY was the eighth son of Henry, eighth earl of Northumberland, by his wife Catherine, eldest daughter of John Neville, Lord Latimer. He was born September 4, 1580; served for a time as a soldier in the Netherlands; sailed for Virginia in the first expedition, December 20, 1606, and was president during the terrible time from September, 1609, to the arrival of Gates in May, 1610. When Lord Delaware left Jamestown in March, 1611, Percy was again placed at the head of the colony until the arrival of Dale in May following. He left Virginia April 22, 1612, and reached England in the following summer. He never returned to Virginia, but about 1625, when war was declared with Spain, he went again to the Netherlands, where as captain of a company he distinguished himself, and lost a finger in battle. He died unmarried in 1632. The fact that he was three times trusted with the supreme command in Virginia attests the good opinion entertained of his character, courage, and abilities. The Observations, etc., gives in minute detail the incidents of the first voyage to Virginia, and is the straightforward account of an eye-witness and prominent actor. The original manuscript is not preserved, and what has come down to us is only an abridgment published for the first time in 1625 by Samuel Purchas, who assigns as a reason for the omissions he made in it that "the rest is more fully set downe in Cap. Smiths Relations." The narrative is to be found in Purchas his Pilgrimes, IV. 1685-1690, of the original edition. It presents the fullest account we have of the voyage and of the first events of the settlement, to Newport's departure, June 22, 1607. Of the other accounts of the earliest months of the colony, Wingfield's Discourse of Virginia, printed in the fourth volume of the Archaeologia Americana and separately (Worcester, 1860), begins at that point; but it is too largely a partisan account of the author's quarrels with his fellow-members of the council to have the same sort of value as Percy's story. There is also the Relatyon called Newport's, though perhaps written by Archer, likewise printed in the Archaeologia, Vol. IV.; but this is almost confined to the exploration of James River, May 2127. Captain John Smith's True Relation, the most important narrative of the early days, which begins to be explicit about where what we have of Percy leaves off, is printed next after it in this volume. Purchas's text was reprinted by Edward Arber in his edition of Smith's Works (Birmingham, 1884), to which Wingfield and Archer are also prefixed. It has also, of course, been reprinted in the edition of Purchas which has now (July, 1907) just finished passing through the press. L. G. T. OBSERVATIONS BY MASTER Observations gathered out of a Discourse of the Plantation of the Southerne Colonie in Virginia by the English, 1606. Written by that Honorable Gentleman, Master George Percy. On Saturday the twentieth of December in the yeere 1606. the fleet fell from London,1 and the fift of January we anchored in the Downes: but the winds continued contrarie so long, that we were forced to stay there some time, where wee suffered great stormes, but by the skilfulnesse of the Captaine wee suffered no great losse or danger. The twelfth day of February at night we saw a blazing Starre, and presently a storme. The three and twentieth day 2 we fell with the Iland of Mattanenio, in the West Indies. The foure and twentieth day we anchored at Dominico,' within fourteene degrees of the Line, a very faire Iland, the Trees full of sweet and good smels; inhabited by many Savage Indians. They were at first very scrupulous to come aboord us. Wee learned of them afterwards that the Spaniards had given them a great over The fleet sailed down the Thames from London. The Downs is a celebrated roadstead for ships, extending six miles along the seacoast of Kent in England, protected on the sea side by the Goodwin Sands. ' Of March. 3 ' Martinique. 'Dominica. Purchas says at this point in the margin, "Captaine Smith was suspected for a supposed Mutinie, though never no such matter." Smith says in his Generall Historie, folio 43, that "all this time from their departure from the Canaries" to June 10, he "was restrained as a prisoner upon the scandalous suggestions of some of the chiefe, who fained he intended to usurp the government, murther the Councell, and make himselfe King." throw on this Ile, but when they knew what we were, there came many to our ships with their Canoas, bringing us many kindes of sundry fruites, as Pines, Potatoes, Plantons, Tobacco, and other fruits, and Roane Cloth abundance, which they had gotten out of certaine Spanish ships that were cast away upon that Iland. We gave them Knives, Hatchets for exchange, which they esteeme much. Wee also gave them Beades, Copper Jewels which they hang through their nostrils, eares, and lips, very strange to behold. Their bodies are all painted red to keepe away the biting of Muscetos. They goe all naked without covering. The haire of their head is a yard long, all of a length, pleated in three plats hanging downe to their wastes. They suffer no haire to grow on their faces. They cut their skinnes in divers workes. They are continually in warres, and will eate their enemies when they kill them, or any stranger if they take them. They will lap up mans spittle, whilst one spits in their mouthes, in a barbarous fashion like Dogges. These people and the rest of the Ilands in the West Indies, and Brasill, are called by the names of Canibals,' that will eate mans flesh. These people doe poyson their Arrow heads, which are made of a fishes bone. They worship the Devill for their God, and have no other beliefe. Whilest we remayned at this Iland we saw a Whale chased by a Thresher and a Sword-fish. They fought for the space of two houres. We might see the Thresher with his flayle lay on the monstrous blowes which was strange to behold. In the end these two fishes brought the Whale to her end. The sixe and twentieth day we had sight of Marigalanta,3 and the next day, wee sailed with a slacke saile alongst the Ile of Guadalupa, where we went ashore, and found a Bath which was so hot, that no man was able to stand long by it. Our Admirall, Captaine Newport, caused a piece of Porke to be put in it; which boyled it so in the space of halfe an houre, 1 Tattoo. 'See The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, in this series, p. 289, note 2. Marie Galante, a French possession. as no fire could mend it. Then we went aboord and sailed by many Ilands, as Mounserot and an Iland called Saint Christopher, both uninhabited. About two o'clocke in the afternoone wee anchored at the Ile of Mevis.2 There the Captaine landed all his men being well fitted with Muskets and other convenient Armes; marched a mile into the Woods; being commanded to stand upon their guard, fearing the treacherie of the Indians, which is an ordinary use amongst them and all other Savages on this Ile. We came to a Bath Bath standing in a Valley betwixt two Hils, where wee bathed our selves; and found it to be of the nature of the Bathes in Eng-leni land, some places hot and some colder: and men may refresh themselves as they please. Finding this place to be so convenient for our men to avoid diseases which will breed in so long a Voyage, wee incamped our selves on this Ile sixe dayes, and spent none of our ships victuall, by reason our men some went a hunting, some a fouling, and some a fishing, where we got great store of Conies, sundry kinds of fowles, and great plentie of fish. We kept Centinels and Courts de gard at every Captaines quarter, fearing wee should be assaulted by the Indians, that were on the other side of the Iland. Wee saw none, nor were molested by any; but some few we saw as we were a hunting on the Iland. They would not come to us by any meanes, but ranne swiftly through the Woods to the Mountaine tops; so we lost the sight of them; whereupon we made all the haste wee could to our quarter, thinking there had beene a great ambush of Indians there abouts. We past into the thickest of the Woods, where we had almost lost our selves. We had not gone above halfe a mile amongst the thicke, but we came into a most pleasant Garden, being a hundred paces square on every side, having many Cotton-trees growing in it with abundance of Cotton-wooll, and many Guiacum trees. Wee saw the goodliest tall trees growing so thicke about the Garden, as though they had beene set by Art, which made us marvell very much to see it, 3 |