Little more remains to be said of Raleigh’s Magi who have been thus shown to be hand and glove in working out these interesting episodes of French and English colonial history. To Hakluyt, Le Moyne, White, De Bry and Hariot, Raleigh owes an undivided and indivisible debt of gratitude for the prominent niche which he achieved in the world’s history, especially in that of England and America ; while to Raleigh’s liberal heart and boundless enterprise must be ascribed a generous share of the reputation achieved by his Magi in both hemispheres.
Of Hakluyt and De Bry little more need be said here. They both hewed out their own fortunes and recorded them on the pages of history, the one with his pen, the other with his graver. If at times ill informed bibliographers who have got beyond their depth fail to discern its merits, and endeavour to deny or depreciate De Bry’s Collection, charging it with a want of authenticity and historic truth, it is hoped that enough has been said here to vindicate at least the first two parts, Virginia and Florida. The remaining parts, it is believed, can be shown to be of equal authority.
Whoever compares the original drawings of Le Moyne and White with the engravings of De Bry, as one may now do in the British Museum, must be convinced that, beautiful as De Bry’s work is, it seems tame in the presence of the original water-colour drawings. There is no exaggeration in the engravings.
Le Moyne’s name has not found its way into modern dictionaries of art or biography, but he was manifestly an artist of great merit and a man of good position. In addition to what is given above it may be added that a considerable number of his works is still in existence, and it is hoped will hereafter be duly appreciated. In the print-room of the British Museum are two of his drawings, highly finished in water-colours, being unquestionably the originals of plates eight and forty-one of De Bry’s Florida. They are about double the size of the engravings. They came in with the Sloane Collection. There is also in the Manuscript Department of the British Museum a volume of original drawings relating chiefly to Florida and Virginia (Sloane N° 5270) manifestly a mixture of Le Moyne’s and White’s sketches. They are very valuable. There is also in the Museum library a printed and manuscript book by Le Moyne, which speaks for itself and tells its own interesting story. It is in small oblong quarto and is entitled ‘La/ Clef des Champs,/ pour trouuer plusieurs Ani-/maux, tant Bestes qu’Oyseaux, auec/ plusieurs Fleurs & Fruitz. . . / Anno. I586./ ¶ Imprimé aux Blackfriers, pour Jaques/ le Moyne, dit de Morgues Paintre/’. The book consists of fifty leaves, of which two are preliminary containing the title and on the reverse and third page a neat dedication in French ‘A Ma-dame Madame/ De Sidney.’/ Signed’ Voftre tres-affectionne,/ JAQVES LE MOINE dit
de/ MORGVES Paintre.’/ This dedication is dated ‘Londres/ ce xxvi. de Mars.’/ On the reverse of the second leaf, also in French, is ‘¶ A Elle Mesme,/ Sonet’ with the initials I.L.M.
Then follow forty-eight leaves with two woodcuts coloured by hand on the recto of each leaf, reverse blank. These ninety-six cuts sum up twenty-four each of beasts, birds, fruits and flowers, with names printed under each in English, French, German and Latin. Although the book is dated the 26th of March 1586, it was not entered at Stationers’ Hall until the 31st of July 1587. It there stands under the name of James Le Moyne alias Morgan. Madame Sidney is given as Mary Sidney. She was sister of Sir Philip, countess of Pembroke, ‘Sidney’s sister, Pembroke’s mother.’ There is no allusion to Sir Philip in the dedication, and therefore we may infer that it was penned before the battle of Zut-phen. Both the dedication and the sonnet show the artist’s intimacy and friendship with that distinguished family.
There are two copies of this exceedingly rare book in the British Museum, both slightly imperfect, but will together make a complete one, but the more interesting copy is that in 727 c/2 31, in the Sloane Collection. It has bound up with it thirty-seven leaves on which are beautifully drawn and painted flowers, fruits, birds &c. There can be little doubt that these are Le Moyne’s own paintings. It is curious to find that all these scattered works in the different departments came in with the Sloane Collection which formed the nucleus of the British Museum. It is to be hoped that other samples of Le Moyne’s art may be found or identified, and that all of them may be brought together or be described as the ‘Le Moyne Collection.’ How Sir Hans Sloane became possessed of them does not yet appear.
Capt. John White’s name in the annals of English art is destined to rank high, though it has hitherto failed to be recorded in the art histories and dictionaries. Yet his seventy-six original paintings in water-colours done probably in Virginia in 1585-1586 while he was there with Hariot as the official draughtsman or painter of Raleigh’s ‘First Colonie’ entitle him to prominence among English artists in Elizabeth’s reign. There are some other works of his in the Manuscript department mingled with those of his friend and master Le Moyne.
As Raleigh’s friend and agent White’s name deserves honorable mention in the history of ‘Ould Virginia.’ He was an original adventurer in the ‘First Colonie’ and was one of the hundred and nine who spent a whole year at and about Roanoke and returned with Drake in 1586. He went again to Virginia in April 1587 as Governor of Raleigh’s’ Second Colonie,’ consisting of one hundred and fifty persons in three ships, being the fourth expedition. Raleigh appointed to him twelve assistants ‘to whome he gave a Charter, and incorporated them by the name of Governour and Assistants of the Citie of Raleigh in Virginia,’ intended to be founded on the Chesapeake Bay. It never became more than a ‘paper city.’
This Second Colony landed at Roanoke the 20th of July, but finding themselves disappointed and defeated in all points, the colonists joined in urging the Governor to return to England for supplies and instructions. He reluctantly departed the 27th of August from Roanoke, leaving there his daughter, who was the mother of the first child of English parents born in English North America, Virginia Dare. He intended immediately to return to Virginia with relief, but the embarrassments of Raleigh, the
stirring times, and the ‘Spanish Armada’ defeated Sir Walter and frustrated all his plans.