TEXT SOURCE:  Major, R.H., ed.  The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia; Expressing the Cosmographie and Comodities of the Country, Togither with the Manners and Customes of the People.  Gathered and Observed as well by those who went first thither as collected by William Strachey, Gent., the First Secretary of the Colony.  London: Hakluyt Society (Vol. 6), 1849.  pp. 1, 15-16, 18-19, 50-51.

A Praemonition to the Reader.

The many mouthes of ignorance and slaunder which are ever too apt to lett fall the venome of theire worst and most depraved envies uppon the best and most sacred workes, and soe not afrayd to blast both this enterprize and the devoutest labowrers therein, wringes from me the necessity of this imperfect defence....

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But perhappes there be those who will graunt that what they have read in those discourses delivered to the world may be true, but will they say, What open and actuall injury shall we doe to the poore and innocent inhabitaunts to intrude uppon them?  I must aske them againe, In which shall we offer them injurye?  for proffering them trade, or the knowledge of Christ?  From one of these two or both the injury must proceede.  Why?  what injury can it be to people of any nation for Christians to come unto their ports, havens, or territoryes, when the lawe of nations (which is the lawe of God and man) doth priviledge all men to doe soe, which admitts it lawfull to trade with any manner of people, in so much as no man is to take uppon him (that knoweth any thing) the defence of the salvadges in this point, since the salvadges themselves may not impugne or forbid the same, in respect of common fellowship and community betwix man and man; albeit I will not deny but that the salvadges may (without peradventure) be ignorant of as much, and (alas) of more graces beside, and particularities of humanity, the reason whereof being, because (poor sowles) they knowe not the good which they stand in neede of; but we that are Christians doe knowe howe this lawe (enriching all kingdomes) gives privileges to ambassadours, keepes the seas common and safe, layes open ports and havens, and allowes free scales and liberal accesse for whosoever that will import unto them such commodities as their countreyes have, and they want; or export from them some of their plentye (duties and customs provinciall observed).  If this be so for the first, concerning the other it may fully be answeared with this demaund, shall it not followe, if traffique be thus justifiable (which intended nothing but transitory profitt and increase of temporall and worldly goodes) shall not plantinge the Christian faith be much more?....

....What shall I say, saieth St. Jerom, of other nations, since that, when I was a boy, I saw, in Fraunce, Scotts, a people of Britannia, eate man's flesh .... as they did in Peru and Mexico, at what tyme Ferdinando Cortez reduced them to Christianity:  and as the Quiyoughquisocks (or priests) doe to the idolls of the salvadges here [Virginia], albeit I hope they will not long doe soe, if by a gentle and faire entreaty we may win them to be willing to heare and learne of us and our preachers, the more civile use of every particular in which they nowe too rudely and beastly doe amisse.

All the injury that we purpose unto them, is but the amendment of these horrible heathenismes, and the reduction of them to the aforesaid manly dutyes, and to the knowledg (which the Romans could not give us) of that God who must save both them and us, and who bought us alike with a deare sufferaunce and pretious measure of mercy.

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Caput III.  Of the begynning and originall of the people; the great King Powhatan, his description, and sale of his birthright to the English.

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Watchfull he [Powhatan] is over us, and keepes good espyall upon our proceedings, concerning which he hath his sentinells, that at what tyme soever any of our boats, pinacies, or shippes, come in, fall downe, or make up the river, give the alarum, and take it quickly one from the other, untill it reach and come even to the court or hunting howse, wheresoever he and his cronoccoes, that is, councellours, and priests are, and then he calls to advise, and gives out direccions what is to be done, as  more fearing than harmed, at any tyme, with the danger and mischief which he saith we intend unto him, by taking awaye his land from him and conspiring to surprize him, which we never yet imagined nor attempted, and yet, albeit, the conceipt of as much strongly possesseth him:  he doth often send unto us to temporize with us, awayting perhapps a fit opportunity (inflamed by his furious and bloudy priests) to offer us a tast[e] of the same cuppe which he made our poore countrymen drinck of at Ronoak, not yet seeming willing to hold any open quarrell or hostility with us; but in all advantages which he sometymes takes against our credulous and beguiled people, he hath yet alwaies so carried as, uppon our complaint to him, it is rather layed uppon some of his worst and unruly people of which he tells us; even our King James (commaunding so many divers men) must have some irregular and unruly people, or ells uppon some of his pettie weroances, whome, peradventure, we have attempted (saieth he) with offences of the like nature, than that it is any act of his, or done by his command, or according to his will, often flattering us that he will take order that it shall be no more soe, but that Tassantasses, that is, the stranger King James his people, and his people shalbe all one, brothers and friends; and thus he served us, at what time he wrought the Chickahamines (a nation, as we have learned before the cominge in of us, so far from being his subjects, as they were ever his enemies) into a hatred of us (being a mighty people and our neighbours), and us into the suspition of them, by urging them to betray such of our men as traded with them for corne, three whereof (yt is true) they slew without cause or offence given, and had done as much for the rest, had not their owne feare and cowardize withheld them, and this he wholly laid uppon them, excusing himself to us by their nomber and unrulines, yea, soe far he will goe herein sometyme, that when some of his people have done us wrong, and by his provoking too, he will not faile underhand, after the fact, to tell us the authers of our wrong, giving us leave, and bidding us revendge us upon them, of such subtile understanding and pollitique carriage is he.

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