and other American Plantations in expectation to be added therâuntoâ from the ampliâude of a lââeâ Patânâ fâr comprâhending a âumbâr of othâr Islands as well as the Bermudas within the limitation of the Virginia Plantation And now it was advertised from the E. of Somerset the then Favourite and Favourâr of the Englâsh râghts that he understood by confident intelligence that the Spaniards hâd a design about a certain time of thaâ yeer to attâmpt the seizing of that ââland because it was wholly unprovidâd of powder and ammunition apprâhended as at this time wiâhout viâible possibility of present suppliesâ But it plâasâd God through the neâlective way of Sir Tho. Smith the goveânmânt of the Island was disposed into the hands of one Mâre who upon sight of two Spanish Vessells of good burden approaching towaâds the chiâf Castle at the entrance of the Port got powder and shot for the charging only of two peeces of Artillery which levelled and discharged neer at once upon those ships The Commander thinking himself betrayâd because he was assured hee should find no manner of ammunition weighs anchor and seâs sail away from thenceâ as the first return of shipping ârom the âârmudas made clâer unto the Company c. This happy escape aggravating the omission or corruption of Sir Tho. Smith seemed to revive and give a new vigour âo the Partners in this Plantation and there being nothing of more speâdy advantage on the place for return to the owners and adventurers then the planting and transporting of Tobacco whilst it might be imported as from Virginia for 5 percentâ for their custome great store thereof was made and preparing when upon some tender of a large rânt for the sole sale of Tobacco an order of the Councell Bord did impose paymânt of the highest custome as to thirty or forty in the hundred upon the Bermudas Tobacco proportionably with all other notwithstanding the ââemption within their Paâânt which with other things much intrânching upon the âightâ and priviledges of the Adventurers gave occasion of a through consultation of the Earls Lords Gentlâmen and âârâhantâ concerned and in conclusion caused an addresse of themsâlveâ personally desiring audience of K. Iames which being attained and prosecutâd by the society oâ the Earlâs of Pembrooke Southamptân and othârs the Lord Cavendish being appointed to expresse the nature of complaint and appeale to the King his Lordship had no sooner eââred into the matter but that his Majâsty began to shew much discontent and with much adoe was drawn to any patience which gave much disâouragemânt in the case and prevented the declaring of the most just cause of importunity appointed to my Lord Cavendish when Sir Iohn Danâers fell on his knee and besought the King to hear him as the first time hee ever had the honour to speak unto his Majesty in a serious businesse and having leave he stoutly inculcated that point of justice which could not be denyed at which the King flang away in greater passion insomuch that the Prince who is now King drew Sir I. Danvers aside as in favor to him desiring he would urge the King no furâher and undertâok to speak with Sir I. Danvers and accordingly to move the King at some other time which was unperformed though more then once desired by Sir I. Danvers According to which course or vogue of State some Lords and others though Members of the same Company tâok up speciouâly the corrupt interest of those that had been formerly âonstituted and imployed in places aâfairs oâ trust belonging to these Plantaâions as some of the former Governours sent in time of Sir Thomas Smiths Government either to Virginia or the Bermudas c. who bâing concurrently obnoxious in point of Account were as firmly supported by him and his friends with the Spanniolized âaction of the Councell Bord and the Kingâ Bed-chamber Which proceedings excited the better and more consâant faithfull party to the more carefull and laborious peâseverance when the prospering of the undertaking towards so great an addition of Dominion was from time to timâ interrupted as about this time by Quaeres to the number oâ two or three and thirty from the Councell Bord by the Kings speciall appointmentâ pretending great care that such numbers oâ his subjectâ gone to the Plantations might bee circumstantially providâd âor in their laws freedomes c. These Quaeres sent on the Saâuâday were to bee satisâied the Tuesday followingâ at sitting of the Councell in the afternoon The Loâd Caâeâdâshâ Sir âdwin Sandysâ Sir Iâhn Danvers and Mr. Niâhâlaâ Farrar meeâing by appointment of the Company with power to cânâider and present what they should âind pertinent therein âound a hard âaâke to answer so many particulars in so sââât time Yet âinding that the truths câuchâd or exemâliââed in the âeiger-books of the Company would sâtiâââe the Qâaeres and objâctiâns thereupon Mr. Farrar desired the buâineâââând sâârch might be divided into 4 partsâ wherein hee would take that of greatest labour which waâ concluded bâ the other thrâe and accordingly brought togeâher the Tueâdây morningâ and presented to the Counââll Bord in the âfternoon and gave the Lordâ a most unexpected satisfaction as was confessed When by way of congratulation it was proposed that now there was so great numbers and Trade like to follow in that Plantation some care might be taken for their safety by special fortifications an account thereof made to the King Whereupon it was ordered at the Bord that William Earl of Pembrooke Southampton and other Lords of the Councell and Company for Virginia should make enquiry and acquaint his Majesty of what was and would be done in that point for preservation of the lives of his subjects against enemies either Natives of Virginia or others since hee had vowed that if he had not satisfaction therein he would think himself bound to take the whole government and the appointing of Governours into his own hands Which occasioned the calling together of a Councell for Virginia of all that were neer who as they cleerly saw the desperate malignity of the Secret-Court-Spanish party so often appearing in persecution of this Plantation so had they a great apprehension the King could not be easily satisfied since the Companies treasure was exhausted and there was little hopes of more contribution or Adventurers whilst they lay under such discouragement Sir Iohn Danvers remembring some notion of hope and looking over the books of Letters from Virginia hee observed that throughout the year past there was never lesse then 17 saile of shipping in Iames River the heart of the Plantation inferring that if the Kings fairer complyance should keep the Company in the same encouragement the strength of so many floting Forts in that flat scituation would be equivalent to if not exceeding any possible speedy fortification which the E. of Pembrooke c. conceived fully sufficient to satisfie the King if he had not an inveterate
disaffection to the work and this proved an answer appearingly well received by the King Now had the Company a little leasure from the stormes or inquisition of the Councell Bord whilst neverthelesse particular persons of all ranks and divers under the countenance of those disaffected Lords others were faln from the true sense and justice of the work chiefly intended But it was not long before Sir Lionel Cranfield presently after E. of Middlesex about the time of his approaching to be L. Treasurer seemed seriously to renue his former professed contemplation of affection to the work of this Plantation with many reasons and instances of his well-wishing and ât last made this specious overture It is a misfoâtune saies he not to be avoided that whilst the Plantations in their present infancy have their whole subsistence by the trade of tobacco the Kings necessities casting him upon all and any ways for advancement of his revenue a tender is made of more then 20000. l. per annum for the whole importing and sale thereof and when the Virginia or Summer-Islands Company offer to plead their freedom in the case the Lawyers say it is a poisonous drug which the King might justifie to banish or burn and not to be accounted as a staple or nationall commodity in which case it was in the Kings power to doe his pleasure in any sort concerning the same But to comply for the advantage of the Plantation the Company might and should if they pleased have the sole importation to them and in their mannaging for 20000. l. per ann. And to make his zeale and care appeare for the prosperity of this great and pious work he would put the Company into a way whereby 200000. l. more should bee gained over and above the Rent to recompense their want of supplies by the Lottery or by the freedome of their owne Tobacco from the necessitated height of custome And further declares that their providing for the Kings interest in so fixed a rent would make him every way capable and assistant to all their future endeavoursâ which by some collaterall means bending a great part of the most diligent adventurers of the Company to comply with this Proposition some conceiving they should find a better glyde in the businesse others to have some advantagious imployment in the mânaging of the Tobacco farmeâ and these considerations by way of result promoted by severall stirring spiritâ on Middlesex his grounds the contract seemed concluded and the managing paâts designed to special persons When assoon almost it was appârent that nothing of good was intended towards the Company for now many base false suggestions were raised against the E. of Southampt Sir E. Sandys and others not a little aggravating in the minds of many ingenuous persons who had no beleef in such loosening of legal interest by Patent the just ground of the whole undertaking which with many lurking and distributed inventions diverted and broke the contract whilst the subtilty of Cranfield advanced the same fârm with avowed neglect of the Company and persons adhering therâunto And when the greatest disturbance on this and other occasions had wrought the members of this Company into eminent distraction a Commiââion and Instructions by way of inquisition were issued with power âo Judg Iânes Sir Henry Spiller c. to examine the proceedings of the Viâginia and Sommer-Iâlands Company as especially of the E. of Southampton and Sir E. Sandys which howsoever strictly and strangely carried as when a Noble person asked the Judge how he that was sworn to the laws durst own proceedings in that nature his answer was openly There was one law of the land but another law of the Kings Commissions yet many days and weeks of the inquiââtion or persecution discovered no unworthinesse against them or any other of their consorts After this the Councell Company Adventurers and Planters for Virginia conceiving their estate and condition grown more hopefull having pâst through the fire of such severall rigorous inquisitions and the undertakârâ having farre engaged therein a great rise of confidânce and assurance appeared generally as a renewing incouragement But their sedulity and fervency was suddenly quasât by a Quo Wârranto brought in the Kings Bench against their Pâtent And notwithstanding it was more then presumed by some that the most rightfull contest or waging in a legal way would be fruitlesse yet the Company by vote and order thereupon entertained counsell of the best Lawyers they could get and resolved to spend the remaining part of their stock and cash to plead their cause to a due issue when also some good number of unknown persons sent in mony plate and jewels to animate and assist so just a defence as this Companies right and interest whilst many could not but conceive and fear the example might be most pernicious in other cââes Yet nevertheless before the end of the same term a judgment was declared by the Lord Chief Justice Ley against the Company and their Charter only upon a failer or mistake in pleading Which destroyed the hopes of all that lookt in a just righteous way towards that pious and publick work of Plantations What was after prosecuted by force of the Kings Commissions may appear by others who have thought fit to embrace hope under such constitutions Through the calamity of the forementioned sentence very many honest and worthy persons declining to act under the Kings âommissâoÌ-laws suââcased from their exemplary industây towards Plantations only the Company of Bermudas dependent and derived by particular purchase and for valuable consideration from the Virginia Company with conâirmation by speciall Charter under the great Seal persisted in greater hope and confidence by reason their chief undertakers were Eârls Lords and others of qualiây but most of them failing in short time either by complyance or neglect the care of this Plantation fell into the hands of some Members of the Company lesse considerable as to Court-interest and qualification noâ without discouragement in the generall which was the more dispersed by divers suggestions as that those Islands had been declined or forsaken by the Spaniards because they had found the place to bee only a âhell or shoale of âocks that had contracted a small thicknesse of earth by the falling of leavââ from the trees and hearbs growing up between the rocks which a short time would wear outâ and quickly discover the folly of those that pretended to plant upon that soil and that if any further thought should be to fortifie thereon or have shipping there in probability to offend or interrupt the Spaâiards interest or trading in those parts their power in the Wâst-Indies would be sure to ruin all that the English had effected bâ whatsoever charge of any particular Company unless the King would undertake to back them with his power whereunto hee seemed utterly averse Neverthelesse by the incessant good indeavours of some few worthy Patriots seasonably assisted by Sir Iâhâ
crafty to put his own ambitious design into any other hand or move it otherwise then by his own mouth from whom he had received such encroaching importunities as had utterly destroyed any interest hee might ever expect in his good opinion and so the King fell off in so great a fury and with such imprecations from Mr. Carr that hee meeting with Sir I. Danvers bewailed the case with a very great doubtfulnesse what to think moving questions about the integrity of Sir Edw. Sandys which had been so much declared and beleeved and so Sir I. Danvers and Mr. Carr parted much wondring at this Not long after the Court being removed to Greenwich Sir Edw. Sandys having some businesse with my Lord Privy-Sâale repaired thither and being espyed by Sir I. Danvers neer to the Privy-chamber who went to salute him he demanded what room that was so full of company and Sir I. Danvers telling him it was the Kings Privy-chamber where many staid to see the King at dinner he said he would fâân see the King too so as the King might not see him because as he said he had understood by his best friends the Kings impatience would wrong him should hee come neer him Whereupon Sir Iohn Danvers told him he would warrant to stand so before him in the throng that he might have full view of the King without being discovered by him which was accordingly performed for about a quarter of an hour and so both retired out of that room And afterwards Sir Edwin Sandys wondring that the King was so much altered in body and countenance since he had seen him last which was when he came first out of Scotland where he was with him Is it possible said Sir Iohn Danvers thinking of the passage Mr. Carr had told him that you having been so much in Parliament and about London should never have seen the King in so long a time it seems almost past beleef Sir Edwin assuredly affirmed it adding that from some apprehension given the King from his being in Scotland when he had discourse with him but of nothing that might give any offence he had been warned by entire friends and had observed by many passages in his owne particular that it would neither be âit nor safe for him to come in his sight The same day towards evening Sir Iohn Danvers meeting with Mr. Carr told him of this encounter in matter and circumstance who lifting up his hands and eyes said Now God blesse all good men for my Master is a very â All which endeavour with Mr. Carr's leave was made known to Sir Edwin who dâubtlesse made a right use of thiâ discovery These instances with others of like nature too large to be remembred here confirm the observation of those two worthy Gen. Mr. Iâhn and Nichâlâs Farrars the one a Merchant of known honeâây and the other eminent in all kind of learning and true piety who with their most vertuous Mother deserve an honorable memory for their deserts by laying out a good part of their plentifull fortune in piously advancing the undertaking for the Virginia and Bermudâs Plantation That the Earl of Southampton was a noble person of true honour and impartiall justice Sir Edwin Sandys a man of great worth learnâng and knowledg but Sir Iohn Danâers of a single entire heart and firm in friendship POSTSCRIPT I Desâre my Cousen Will Woodnoth to offer this seasonably according to the communicaâion had thereof between us and if in the meân time he can get to view the Coâââ hââââs of the Virginia Company and the Orders of the Councel Bord he shâl doe weâl to add the yeer of our Lord in the Maâgent aâ eveây main Transaction A. W. FINIS