First, men of good working, and contriving heads, a well experienced common wealths man for the good of the body politicke in matters of advice and counsell, a well skilled and industrious husbandman, for tillage and improvements of grounds; an ingenious Carpenter, a cunning Ioyner, a handie Cooper, such a one as can make strong ware for the use of the countrie, and a good Brickmaker, a Tyler and a Smith, a Leather dresser, a Gardner, and a Taylour: one that hath good skill in the trade of fishing, is of speciall use, and so is a good Fowler, if there be any that hath skill in any of these trades, if he can transport himselfe, he needs not feare but he may improve his time and endeavours to his owne benefit, and comfort; if any cannot transport himselfe, he may provide himselfe of an honest master, and so may doe as well. There is as much freedome and liberty for servants as in England and more too; a wronged servant shall have right volens nolens from his injurious master, and a wronged master shall have right of his injurious servant, as well as here: Wherefore let no servant be discouraged from the voyage, that intends it. And now whereas it is generally reported, that servants and poore men grow rich, and the masters and Gentrie grow poore; I must needs confesse that the diligent hand makes rich, and that labouring men having good store of employments, and as good pay, live well, and contentedly; but I cannot perceive that those that set them aworke are any way impoverished by them; peradventure they have lesse monie by reason of them, but never the lesse riches; a mans worke well done being more beneficiall than his monie, or other dead commodities, which otherwise would lye by him to no purpose. If any men be so improvident as to set men about building of Castles in the Aire, or other unnecessary employments, they may grow poore; but such as employ labourers about planting of Corne, building of houses, fenceing in of ground, fishing, and divers other necessary occasions, shall receive as much or more by poore mens labours, than those that live in England doe from the industrie of such as they hire: Wherefore I doe suppose this to be but the surmisings of some that are ignorant of the state of the countrey, or else misinformed by some ill willers to the plantations. Many objections I know are daily invented, to hinder the proceedings of these new plantations, which may dampe the unsetled spirits of such as are not greatly affected with those undertakings; Some say the Spaniard layes claime to the whole country, being the first discoverer hereof, and that he may make invasion upon those parts as well as he hath done upon S. Christophers, and S. Martins, and those places: but it doth not follow that because he tooke such places as lay just in his way to the West Indies, that he should come thousands of miles with a great Navie to plantations, as yet not worth the pillage: and when the plantations are growne noted in the eyes of the common foes for wealth, it is hoped that when the Bees have Honie in their Hives, they will have stings in their tailes. Hath not Virginia beene planted many yeares which is foure hundred miles nearer the Spaniards course, and yet never met with any affrontments; so that this scruple smells of feare and pusill-animitie. To wipe away all groundlesse calumniations, and to answer to every too curious objections, and frivolous question (some so simple as not ashamed to aske whether the Sunne shines there or no) were to run in infinitum; but I hope that the severall manuscripts and letters, and informations by word of mouth from such of our honest countrimen which daily have recourse unto us, have given full satisfaction to such as are well willers to the plantations: and for such as are estranged to it in affection, if every word that hath beene eyther writ or spoken were a forcive argument, yet would it be too little to steddie their beleefe in any one particular concerning the country. Some are nimble eared to heare faults, and so ready tongued to publish them, yea often times with strained constructions; a false asseveration usually winneth more beleefe than two verifying negatives can resettle: Some there are who count with Claudian that it is an incomparable happinesse to have their birth, life & burying in the same place: these are never likely to remove further than the shell of their owne countrie. But because there are some noble spirits that devote their states, and their persons, to the common good of their king and country, I have therefore for their direction and delight made this relation: For as the end of my travell was observation, so I desire the end of my observation may tend to the information of others: As I have observed what I have seene, and written what I have observed, so doe I desire to publish what I have written, desiring it may be beneficiall to posteritie; and if any man desire to fill himselfe at that fountaine, from whence this tasting cup was taken, his owne experience shall tell him as much as I have here related, and thus I passe from the country as it stands to the English, and come to discourse how it stands to the old Natives, and they to it, as followeth.
THE
SECOND
PART.
Of the Indians, their persons, cloathings,
diet, natures, customes, lawes,
mariages, worships, conjurations,
warres, games, huntings, fishings,