together in James River. Whereby besides that it was a continuall terror to the Natives it would have bin a difficult thinge to endamage the Colonie, wthout the power both of many shipps, and many souldiers, Wch was amongst divers others, a very mayne securitie and encouragement to persuade men boldly to goe to Virginia. But that and all other helpes being now foyled or much empayred although the nomber of men be at least Three tymes as many as when wee undertooke the Governem*; yet will wee Ingenuously yield, that equall thanks and equall honour wil be due to them, who shall now recover and restore it to that prosperous and flourishing estate to wch by Gods blessinge o cares and labours had brought it, untill it was marred by them, who as appeares never loved it, but for their owne indirect ends, wch they have industriously pursued. Thus much touching the present estate of the Plantation, and the late generall decay thereof.

Wherein wee hope yo' Lop" will excuse both our playnes and prolixitie, tending to no other end, but only to present unto yo' Lop viewe the cleare state and true neture of the Disease; that so yo' Lop" in yo' great wisdome may the better discerne and provide the proper remedies. Towards wch since yo' Lop' have bin also pleased to require some preparative as it were of o' opinions: wee will now humbly apply our selves to that consideration wthout weh all the rest were but griefe and labour.

And here first wee are in duety forced to deliver unto yo' Lops, that the restoring, supporting and re advancem* of that Plantation, wee hold to bee a worke, though of great necessitie for the honour, yea and service of his Matie, these tymes considered: yet wth all of soe extreame difficultie, that it is not to be rashly and unadvisedly undertaken, but wth great circumspection, care, and preparacon, with assurance also of great assistance.

For not to insist much, upon the nature and greatnes of the worke, so remote from the favourers, so vicine2 to mighty maligners of it and inded fitter for the power and purse of a "Neighboring.

'Plainness.

Great Prince and State, then of private Adventure", and those allready exhaust and tyred; the wounds weh since that great wound of the Massacre, it hath more lately receaved, from their handes whome it least beseemed, are still so wide and bleedinge, that unlesse his Matie, and yo' LoPs as deputed from him, shall vouchsafe to apply a soveraine hand for the healing of them, wee are resolute of opinion, that it is impossible, the Plantation carried as formerly by private persons, should either prosper or long subsist: Those woundes wee conceave are these. First the generall disreputacon of the Business (Reputation being a principall pillar of all great actions) and that partly by some errors, neglects and disasters, but principally by the late faction, though of a few and small Adventurers yet strongly and strangely inanimated and supported agaynst the great Body of Companie: whereof in fien also by undermining misinformacons they have wrought the Disolucon; and consequently lefte all, both Adventurers and Planters, in an utter uncertaynty of their Rights, Titles and Possessions: though promise was made that they should be reassured to them, wch these men have neglected to see performed.

Secondly the great discouragem of sundry not of the meanest both Adventurers and Planters, some of them persons, and others also of good qualitie: by whose cares and labours, together wth their friends and purses, the Plantation having formerly receaved no small encrease and benefit, to the Planters great comfort and content (wch they have not forborne from tyme to tyme to declare): yet have they by the unjust calumnies and clamors of these men, bin continually prosecuted wth all variety of extremitie, to the rewarding of them with evill for their good deservings, and to the disheartening of all other, to succeed in like care and industry.

Thirdly the present extreame povertie and consumpcon of the Plantacion being for want of the accustomed yearly supplies, reduced to that paucetie of men and want of all sorts well neere of necessary provision, that it cannot be restored but wth an huge expence, no less allmost then to sett up a new Plantation.

Nowe touching the disreputacon of the Action, and the generall dishearteninge of the Adventurers and Planters, such especially as have spared neither paynes nor expence, for the recovering, supporting and advancinge the Plantation: We humbly crave yo' Lop" favourable patience, though wee somewhat enlarge our selves in this place, to present in part the Injustice and greaveousnes of those wounds to the honoble minds and skillfull hands of yo' Lop: Seeing that in our understandinge the curing of them by yo' Lop, may be a meanes to revive agayne the generally deaded hearts of both Adventurers and Planters and to adde a new lustre and grace to the Action.

Amongst the many glorious workes of the late Kinge, there was none more eminent, then his Gracious enclination, together wth the propagation of Christian Religion, to advance and sett forward a new Plantacion in the new world, Wch purpose of his continued till the last, manifested by his Ma' many publique and private speeches by divers L'res of his, and by his sundry Proclamacons, so that their faults are farr the greater, who, as imediatly shal be declared, did malitiously and cunningly pervert those Gracious intencons of his Matie by scandalizing the Government as it then stood, as neither convenient here nor likely there to advance the prosperitie of the Colonie; and by insinuating assurances, that they themselves would mayntayne that worke by better meanes. Which his Matie conceavinge (as it was reason) they would not so boldly have promised of themselves, being so great a worke unlesse they had had both knowledge and meanes to goe thorough wth it; did also believe: and so they became the undertakers. And now, as it hath bin ever farr from o' practize and agaynst o' present desires to fall upon the persons of any men, where necessitie and justice of the cause doth not necessarilie require it: yet at this tyme it is impossible to cleare this pointe to yo' Lop" without naming some of their persons and particularizing their Actions. About six yeares agoe, when by reason of the apparant misprosperinge of the Plantation, and the fowlnes of the Accounts here, (the then Treasurer being Governour

of ffower or ffive other Companies,' wch excused his neglect of attending this business,) the Governem of the Companie was translated from St Thomas Smith and Alderman Johnson, into S Edwin Sandis, and after into the Earle of Southampton's hands and their deputies: it is notoriously knowne how they wth Captayne Argoll and other friends, partly peradventure through discontent for being removed from their places, but principally through feare, (their accounts, depredacons, Piracies and misgovernem being now questioned before the Counsell and in the Companies Courts) perpetuall disturbed and disgraced by severall wayes, both to his Matie and to the world, all the present proceedings of the Companie, to the great disheartninge of the Companie here, and no small disadvantage of the Colonie. And of this, and of the bad effects of it, all our bookes and memories are full. But yet by God's assistance, and the unwearied courage of the Companie; wee ridd out this storme. The next blowe, as wee had reason to believe, proceeding by their underhand raysinge of new spiritts, drawne to disturbe us for their owne gayne was the bringing in of new and severall projects concerning Tobacco: wch was for the instant the only comoditie whereby the Planters mayntayned themselves, and so under colour of advancing profitt to his Matie sometimes (as hath been before touched) wee were forbidden to bring in any Tobacco, sometimes to bring in but a small quantitie, and sometimes comaunded to bring in all. Wch varying directions did so distract and confound the Adventurers and Planters, that it had in a manner ruyned the Plantation.

But yet by Gods assistance, and the constancy of the Companie, wee ridd out this storme also. The instruments in this worke that especiallie appeared, were the then S Lionell Cranfield, Mr. Jacob and some others: to the extreame damage of the Company, enrichement of themselves, and deceyt of his Matie as was at large expressed and offered to be proved in the

'Sir Thomas Smith was presiding officer of the East India, Muscovy, Northwest Passage, and Somers Islands companies, as well as of the Virginia Company. 'Afterward Earl of Middlesex and lord high treasurer.

last Parliament. Thirdly by the procurement of that part, divers scandalous peticons agayns the company in generall, and many in perticuler did putt us to much vexacon and trouble. But their accusacons were so fals, that wee also overcame this Third assault.

After this another stratagem was obtruded upon us, under pretence of friendship and love of the Plantation. The Earle of Middlesex then Lo: high Treasurer of England who in respect of his place, was to take into his consideracon all thinges that had relacon to his Mat revennue, did first propound to S Edwin Sandis, and afterwards to the Ea: of Southampton, the Lo: Cavendish and S Edwin Sandis together that the King, he knewe, had by S Thomas Smithes meanes and Alderman Johnsons, and some great friends and instruments of theires bin strangely possessed agaynst the forme of our Government, and the consequences of it: and particularly that they had made such advantage by traducing the names of the Earle of Southampton and S Edwin Sandis, that the business of the Plantacon fared the worse for their sakes. That he had already in Generall spoken wth his Matie and assured him, that the whispers and relacons of those men, had an eye to their owne safetie, and not the Colonie's good; and that thereupon the King referred the whole consideracon of the Plantation, and what was best to be done, to his care.

Upon this he propounded unto those before named, that the best way to engage the Kinge in his care of the Plantations, and to make it impossible for any hereafter to disturbe the Companie, as they had formerly done, was to thinke of some such meanes, whereby the profit of his Matie, and the good of the Plantation, might hand in hand goe together. And to speake truth; though those he spoke wth all, were at first very unwilling to swallowe this guilded pill, as having heard of the stile he used in negotiating other businesses of this nature: yet he was so full of protestacons in it, ever pretending the Companies good, and wth all procured further intimacon to the Earle of Southampton, that no service of his could be more acceptable to his Matie then this now propounded: that upon