visited Sir John Danvers, and mentioned that three London merchants had lately called upon him to obtain information. A clerk of Collingwood was immediately secured as copyist, and, to preclude discovery, was locked up in a room of Danver's house, while he transcribed the minutes. After the transactions were copied on folio paper, to prevent interpolation, each page carefully compared with the originals by Collingwood and then subscribed "Con. Collingwood," Danvers took them to the President of the Company, Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. The Earl was highly gratified in the possession of a duplicate copy of the Company's transactions, and expressed it by throwing his arms around the neck of Sir John, and then turning to his brother, said: "Let them be kept at my house at Tichfield; they are the evidences of my honor, and I value them more than the evidences of my lands." During the same year Southampton died; and Thomas, his son, was heir and successor to the title, and became Lord High Treasurer of England, and lived until 1667. Shortly after the death of the latter, William Byrd of Virginia, the father of Hon. William Byrd of Westover, purchased the manuscript records from the executors of the Earl for sixty guineas. Rev. William Stith, who subsequently became President of William and Mary College, while living at Varina, on James river, the old settlement of Sir Thomas Dale, better known since the civil war as Dutch Gap, obtained these records from the Byrd library at Westover; and most of the material of his History of Virginia, completed in 1746, was drawn therefrom. Stith's brother-in-law, Peyton Randolph, became the first President of the Continental Congress, and while visiting a friend at his seat near Philadelphia, in October, 1775, suddenly died. When his library was sold it was purchased by Thomas Jefferson, and among the books were the manuscript records of the London Company, that had been used by Stith. The United States having purchased the books of President Jefferson, these manuscripts are now preserved in the library of Congress. They are bound in two volumes, and contain the Company's transactions from April 28, 1619, until June 7, 1624. The first volume contains 354 pages, and concludes with this statement: "Memorandū that wee, Edward Waterhouse and Edward Collingwood, secretaries of the Companies for Virginia and the Sumer Ilands, have examined and compared the Booke going before, conteyning one hundred seventy-seven leaues from Page 1 to Page 354, with the originall Booke of Courts itself. And doe finde this Booke to be a true and pfect copie of the said originall Courte Booke, sauinge that there is wanting in the copie, of Court of the 20th May, 1620, and the beginning of the Qr Court held 22nd; but as farre as is here entered in this copie doth truly agree with the originall itself. "And to every page I, Edward Collingwood, haue sett my hand and both of us do hereby testifie as above that it is a true copie. "Jan. 28, 1633 [1634 N. S.] "EDW: WATERHOUSE, Secret. "ED: COLLINGWOOD, Secret." The second volume contains 387 pages, and is concluded with the following note: "Memorand. That wee Edward Collingwood, Secretary of the Company for Virginia, and Thomas Collett, of the Middle Temple, gentleman, have perused, compared and examined this present booke, begininge att page 1, att a Preparatiue Court held for Virginia the 20th of May, 1622, and endinge at this present page 387 att a Preparatiue Court held the 7th of June, 1624. And wee doe finde that this coppie doth perfectlie agree with the originall books of the Court belonging to the Company in all things, saue that in page 371, the graunt of 800 acres to Mr. Maurice Berkley is not entred, and save that in page 358 we wanted the Lord's letter to Mr. Deputy Ferrar, so that we could not compare itt and likewise sauing that in Page 348 wee wanted the Gouernor and Counsell's Letter from Virginia in w'ch respect I, Edward Collingwood, haue not sett my hand to those three pages, but to all the rest I haue sett my hand severally to each in confirmacon, that they agree truly with the Originalls. And in witness and confirmacon that this booke is a true coppy of the Virginia Courts, wee have hereunder ioyntly sett our hands the 19th day of June, 1624. "THOMAS COLLETT.1 "EDWARD COLLINGWOOD, Seer." Judgment against the Virginia Company had been pronounced only three days before the last note was written, by that Lord Chief Justice Ley, called by John Milton the "old man eloquent," in a sonnet to the Judge's daughter — "honour'd Margaret." On the 15th of July the King ordered all their papers to be given to a Commission, which afterwards met weekly at the house of Sir Thomas Smith. The entries in the minutes were damaging to the reputation of Smith and others of the Commission, and it is presumed that no great effort was made to preserve the originals. Repeated searches have been made for them in England, but they have not been discovered. Prefixed to the minutes of each meeting are the names of the principal lords, knights, gentlemen and merchants present. In some cases more than one hundred are recorded, and it is regretted that the limits of the work prevented the publication of some of these lists, showing the presence of Generals Cecil and Horatio Vere; men of letters like Edward Herbert, afterwards Lord Cherbury; eminent 1 Thomas Collett was a nephew of John and Nicholas Ferrar. physicians, as Gulston and Anthony; the poets, John Donne and George Sandys; and divines, as Samuel Purchas and others. Besides the journals of the Company, use has also been made of a large folio manuscript volume, containing the letters of the Company and the Colony, with other papers from the year 1621 to 1625, and a smaller folio also in manuscript, but prepared at a later period, containing copies of early papers. The effort has been to reproduce the actors, and the spirit of the age in which they lived. Allusions in stage-plays, the letters of friends, and notices in the chronicles of the period, have been interwoven with the narrative wherever practicable. No one can read the correspondence of that era without being impressed that the colonization of Virginia interested the public mind of England as much as the gold discoveries and settlement of the Pacific coast has occupied the American mind during the last quarter century. The return of Gosnold in 1602, with the announcement that he had found a short, direct northern route to America, avoiding the diseases and delay incident to the circuitous voyage by way of the West Indies, created an excitement at the London Exchange akin to the laying of the transatlantic cable in modern days, and was talked over at the fireside, and referred to on the stage. Marston's play of Eastward Ho, written in 1605, and popular for years, act III, scene 2d, introduces a talk about Virginia, in the Blue Anchor Tavern, by Billingsgate : Seagull. "Come, drawer, pierce your neatest hogshead, and let's have cheare not fit for your Billingsgate taverne, but for our Virginian Colonel; he will be here instantly. Drawer. You shall have al things fit, sir; please you have any more wine? Spendal. "More wine, Slave! whether we drinke it or no, spill it, and drawe more. 66 Seagull. Come, boyes, Virginia longs till we share the rest of her maiden head. Spendal. "Why, is she inhabited alreadie with any English? Seagull. "A whole countrie of English is there, man, bread of those that were left there in '79; they have married with the Indians, and make 'hem bring forth as beautifull faces as any we have in England; and therefore the Indians are so in love with 'hem, that all the treasure they have, they lay at their feete. Scapethrift. But is there, such treasure there Captaine as I have heard? Seagull. "I tell thee, golde is more plentifull there, then copper is with us; and for as much redde copper as I can bring, I'le have thrise the weight in gold. Why, man, all their dripping pans and chamber-potts are pure gould; and all the chaines with which they chaine up their streets are massie gold; all the prisoners they take are fetered in gold; and for rubies and diamonds they goe forth in holydayes and gather 'hem by the sea-shore, to hang on their childrens coates, and sticke in their childrens caps, as commonly as our children weare saffron gilt brooches, and groates with holes in 'hem. Scapethrtfl. "And is it a pleasant countrie withall? Seagull. "As ever the sunne shin'd on; temperate and ful of all sorts of excellent viands; wild bore is as common there as our tamest bacon is here; venison as mutton. And then you shall live freely there, without sargeants or courtiers, or lawyers or intelligencers. Then for your meanes to advancement, there it is simple, and not preposterously mixt. You may bee an alderman there, and never be scavenger; you may bee any other officer, and never be a slave. You may come to preferment enough and never be a pandar; to riches and fortune enough and have never the more villanie nor the lesse witte. Besides, there wee shall have no more law than conscience, and not too much of eyther; serve God enough, eate and drinke enough, and 'enough is as good as a feast.' Spendthrift. "God's me! and how farre is it thither? Seagull. "Some six weekes saile, no more, with any indifferent good winde. And if I get to any parte of the Coast of Africa, i'le saile thither with any winde; or when I come to Cape Finister, there's a foreright winde continually wafts us, till we come to Virginia." The interest in America at that period, will also be seen by the perusal of the following Bibliotheca Virginiana; A list of books published by direction or during the existence of the Virginia Company: 1608. A True Relation of such occurrences and accidents of noate as hath hapned in Virginia since the first planting of that Collony, which is now resident in the South part thereof, till the last returne from thence. Written by Captaine Smith, Coronell of the said Collony, to a worshipfull friend of his in England. London: Printed for John Tappe, and are to bee solde at the Grey-hound in Paules-Church-Yard, by W. W. 1608. Quarto, black letter. The editor, J. H., in his Preface says: Some of the bookes were printed under the name of Thomas Watson, by whose occasion I know not unlesse it were the ouerrashnesse or mistakinge of the workemen." 1609. Virginia Richly Valued,1 by the description of the maine land of Florida, her next neighbour; etc. Written by a Portugall gentleman of Elvas, emploied in all the action and translated out of Portuguese by Richard Hakluyt. At London: 1 See page 26. Printed by Felix Kyngston for Matthew Lownes, and are to be sold at the signe of the Bishop's head in Paul's Church yard. 1609. 4to. pp. 180. A Sermon Preach'd at White Chappel, in the Presence of many Honourable and Worshipfull the Adventurers and Planters for Virginia, 25 April, 1609. Published for the benefit and use of the Colony, planted and to be planted there, and for the advancement of their Christian purpose. By William Symondes, Preacher at Saint Saviours in Southwarke. The Epistle Dedicatory is to the "right noble and worthie Advancers of the Standard of Christ among the Gentiles, the Adventurers for the Plantation of Virginia." Nova Britannia, Offeringe most excellent Fruites by Planting in Virginia. Exciting all such to be well affected to further the same. London: Printed for Samuel Macham. 1609. 4to, black letter. Saules Prohibition Staid, a reproof to those that traduce Virginia. A Good Speed to Virginia. Esay 42. 4. "He shall not faile nor be discouraged, till he have set judgement in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law." London: Printed by Felix Kyngston for William Welbie, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Grey-hound in Paul's Church-yard, 1609. 4to, Black letter, 15 leaves. The "Epistle Dedicatorie," to the Lords, Knights, Merchants and Gentlemen adventurers for the plantation of Virginia, is subscribed R. G., and dated "From mine house at the North-end of Sithe's lane, London, April 28, Anno 1609." The writer regretted that he was able "neither in person, nor purse to be a partaker in the businesse." 1610. A Sermon preached in London, before the right honorable the Lord La Warre, Lord Governour and Captaine Generall of Virginea, and others of his Majesties Counsell for that kingdome, and the rest of the Aduenturers in that Plantation at the said Generall his leaue taking of England his native countrey, and departure for Virginea, February 21, 1609. By W. Crashaw. Bachelor of Divinitie and Preacher at the Temple.1 London: Printed for William Welby, and are to be sold in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the Swan, 1610. A true and sincere declaration of the purpose and ends of the Plantation begun in Virginia, of the degrees which it hath received; and means by which it hath For complete title see pp. 34, 35, |