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uts；　berries；　now　and　then　a　little　fish；　they　that　had　starch　in　these　extremities　made　no　small　use　of　it；　yea；　even　the　very　skinnes　of　our　horses。　　Nay；　so　great　was　our　famine；　that　a　salvage　we　slew　and　buried；　the　poorer　sort　took　him　up　again　and　eat　him；　and　so　did　divers　one　another　boyled；　and　stewed　with　roots　and　herbs。　　And　one　amongst　the　rest　did　kill　his　wife；　poudered　her　and　had　eaten　part　of　her　before　it　was　knowne；　for　which　he　was　executed；　as　he　well　deserved；　now　whether　she　was　better　roasted；　boyled；　or　carbonaded；　I　know　not；　but　of　such　a　dish　as　powdered　wife　I　never　heard　of。　This　was　that　time；　which　still　to　this　day　we　called　the　starving　time；　it　were　too　vile　to　say　and　scarce　to　be　believed　what　we　endured；　but　the　occasion　was　our　owne；　for　want　of　providence；　industrie　and　government；　and　not　the　barreness　and　defect　of　the　country　as　is　generally　supposed。〃

This　playful　allusion　to　powdered　wife；　and　speculation　as　to　how　she　was　best　cooked；　is　the　first　instance　we　have　been　able　to　find　of　what　is　called　〃American　humor；〃　and　Captain　Smith　has　the　honor　of　being　the　first　of　the　〃American　humorists〃　who　have　handled　subjects　of　this　kind　with　such　pleasing　gayety。

It　is　to　be　noticed　that　this　horrible　story　of　cannibalism　and　wife…　eating　appears　in　Smith's　〃General　Historie〃　of　1624；　without　a　word　of　contradiction　or　explanation；　although　the　company　as　early　as　1610　had　taken　pains　to　get　at　the　facts；　and　Smith　must　have　seen　their　〃Declaration；〃　which　supposes　the　story　was　started　by　enemies　of　the　colony。　　Some　reported　they　saw　it；　some　that　Captain　Smith　said　so；　and　some　that　one　Beadle；　the　lieutenant　of　Captain　Davis；　did　relate　it。　　In　〃A　True　Declaration　of　the　State　of　the　Colonie　in　Virginia；〃　published　by　the　advice　and　direction　of　the　Council　of　Virginia；　London；　1610；　we　read：

〃But　to　clear　all　doubt；　Sir　Thomas　Yates　thus　relateth　the　tragedie：

〃There　was　one　of　the　company　who　mortally　hated　his　wife；　and　therefore　secretly　killed　her；　then　cut　her　in　pieces　and　hid　her　in　divers　parts　of　his　house：　when　the　woman　was　missing；　the　man　suspected；　his　house　searched；　and　parts　of　her　mangled　body　were　discovered；　to　excuse　himself　he　said　that　his　wife　died；　that　he　hid　her　to　satisfie　his　hunger；　and　that　he　fed　daily　upon　her。　　Upon　this　his　house　was　again　searched；　when　they　found　a　good　quantitie　of　meale；　oatmeale；　beanes　and　pease。　　Hee　therefore　was　arraigned；　confessed　the　murder；　and　was　burned　for　his　horrible　villainy。〃

This　same　〃True　Declaration；〃　which　singularly　enough　does　not　mention　the　name　of　Captain　Smith；　who　was　so　prominent　an　actor　in　Virginia　during　the　period　to　which　it　relates；　confirms　all　that　Smith　said　as　to　the　character　of　the　colonists；　especially　the　new　supply　which　landed　in　the　eight　vessels　with　Ratcliffe　and　Archer。　〃Every　man　overvalueing　his　own　strength　would　be　a　commander；　every　man　underprizing　another's　value；　denied　to　be　commanded。〃　　They　were　negligent　and　improvident。　　〃Every　man　sharked　for　his　present　bootie；　but　was　altogether　careless　of　succeeding　penurie。〃　　To　idleness　and　faction　was　joined　treason。　　About　thirty　〃unhallowed　creatures；〃　in　the　winter　of　1610；　some　five　months　before　the　arrival　of　Captain　Gates；　seized　upon　the　ship　Swallow；　which　had　been　prepared　to　trade　with　the　Indians；　and　having　obtained　corn　conspired　together　and　made　a　league　to　become　pirates；　dreaming　of　mountains　of　gold　and　happy　robberies。　　By　this　desertion　they　weakened　the　colony；　which　waited　for　their　return　with　the　provisions；　and　they　made　implacable　enemies　of　the　Indians　by　their　violence。　　〃These　are　that　scum　of　men；〃　which；　after　roving　the　seas　and　failing　in　their　piracy；　joined　themselves　to　other　pirates　they　found　on　the　sea；　or　returned　to　England；　bound　by　a　mutual　oath　to　discredit　the　land；　and　swore　they　were　drawn　away　by　famine。　　〃These　are　they　that　roared　at　the　tragicall　historie　of　the　man　eating　up　his　dead　wife　in　Virginia〃〃scandalous　reports　of　a　viperous　generation。〃

If　further　evidence　were　wanting；　we　have　it　in　〃The　New　Life　of　Virginia；〃　published　by　authority　of　the　Council；　London；　1612。　　This　is　the　second　part　of　the　〃Nova　Britannia；〃　published　in　London；　1609。　　Both　are　prefaced　by　an　epistle　to　Sir　Thomas　Smith；　one　of　the　Council　and　treasurer；　signed　〃R。　I。〃　　Neither　document　contains　any　allusion　to　Captain　John　Smith；　or　the　part　he　played　in　Virginia。　　The　〃New　Life　of　Virginia；〃　after　speaking　of　the　tempest　which　drove　Sir　Thomas　Gates　on　Bermuda；　and　the　landing　of　the　eight　ships　at　Jamestown；　says：　〃By　which　means　the　body　of　the　plantation　was　now　augmented　with　such　numbers　of　irregular　persons　that　it　soon　became　as　so　many　members　without　a　head；　who　as　they　were　bad　and　evil　affected　for　the　most　part　before　they　went　hence；　so　now　being　landed　and　wanting　restraint；　they　displayed　their　condition　in　all　kinds　of　looseness；　those　chief　and　wisest　guides　among　them　（whereof　there　were　not　many）　did　nothing　but　bitterly　contend　who　should　be　first　to　command　the　rest；　the　common　sort；　as　is　ever　seen　in　such　cases　grew　factious　and　disordered　out　of　measure；　in　so　much　as　the　poor　colony　seemed　（like　the　Colledge　of　English　fugitives　in　Rome）　as　a　hostile　camp　within　itself；　in　which　distemper　that　envious　man　stept　in；　sowing　plentiful　tares　in　the　hearts　of　all；　which　grew　to　such　speedy　confusion；　that　in　few　months　ambition；　sloth　and　idleness　had　devoured　the　fruit　of　former　labours；　planting　and　sowing　were　clean　given　over；　the　houses　decayed；　the　church　fell　to　ruin；　the　store　was　spent；　the　cattle　consumed；　our　people　starved；　and　the　Indians　by　wrongs　and　injuries　made　our　enemies。。。。　As　for　those　wicked　Impes　that　put　themselves　a　shipboard；　not　knowing　otherwise　how　to　live　in　England；　or　those　ungratious　sons　that　daily　vexed　their　fathers　hearts　at　home；　and　were　therefore　thrust　upon　the　voyage；　which　either　writing　thence；　or　being　returned　back　to　cover　their　own　leudnes；　do　fill　mens　ears　with　false　reports　of　their　miserable　and　perilous　life　in　Virginia；　let　the　imputation　of　misery　be　to　their　idleness；　and　the　blood　that　was　spilt　upon　their　own　heads　that　caused　it。〃

Sir　Thomas　Gates　affirmed　that　after　his　first　coming　there　he　had　seen　some　of　them　eat　their　fish　raw　rather　than　go　a　stone's　cast　to　fetch　wood　and　dress　it。

The　colony　was　in　such　extremity　in　May；　1610；　that　it　would　have　been　extinct　in　ten　days　but　for　the　arrival　of　Sir　Thomas　Gates　and　Sir　George　Somers　and　Captain　Newport　from　the　Bermudas。　　These　gallant　gentlemen；　with　one　hundred　and　fifty　souls；　had　been　wrecked　on　the　Bermudas　in　the　Sea　Venture　in　the　preceding　July。　　The　terrors　of　the　hurricane　which　dispersed　the　fleet；　and　this　shipwreck；　were　much　dwelt　upon　by　the　writers　of　the　time；　and　the　Bermudas　became　a　sort　of　enchanted　islands；　or　realms　of　the　imagination。　　For　three　nights；　and　three　days　that　were　as　black　as　the　nights；　the　water　logged　Sea　Venture　was　scarcely　kept　afloat　by　bailing。　　We　have　a　vivid　picture　of　the　stanch　Somers　sitting　upon　the　poop　of　the　ship；　where　he　sat　three　days　and　three　nights　together；　without　much　meat　and　little　or　no　sleep；　conning　the　ship　to　keep　her　as　upright　as　he　could；　until　he　happily　descried　land。　The　ship　went　ashore　and　was　wedged　into　the　rocks　so　fast　that　it　held　together　till　all　were　got　ashore；　and　a　good　part　of　the　goods　and　provisions；　and　the　tackling　and　iron　of　the　ship　necessary　for　the　building　and　furnishing　of　a　new　ship。

This　good　fortune　and　the　subsequent　prosperous　life　on　the　island　and　final　deliverance　was　due　to　the　noble　Somers；　or　Sommers；　after　whom　the　Bermudas　were　long　called　〃Sommers　Isles；〃　which　was　gradually　corrupted　into　〃The　Summer　Isles。〃　　These　islands　of　Bermuda　had　ever　been　accounted　an　enchanted　pile　of　rocks　and　a　desert　inhabitation　for　devils；　which　the　navigator　and　mariner　avoided　as　Scylla　and　Charybdis；　or　the　devil　himself。　　But　this　shipwrecked　company　found　it　the　most　delightful　country　in　the　world；　the　climate　was　enchanting；　delicious　fruits　abounded；　the　waters　swarmed　with　fish；　some　of　them　big　enough　to　nearly　drag　the　fishers　into　the　sea；　while　whales　could　be　heard　spouting　and　nosing　about　the　rocks　at　night；　birds　fat　and　tame　and　willing　to　be　eaten　covered　all　the　bushes；　and　such　droves　of　wild　hogs　covered　the　island　that　the　slaughter　of　them　for　months　seemed　not　to　diminish　their　number。　　The　friendly　disposition　of　the　birds　seemed　most　to　impress　the　writer　of　the　〃True　Declaration　of　Virginia。〃　　He　remembers　how　the　ravens　fed　Elias　in　the　brook　Cedron；　〃so　God　provided　for　our　disconsolate　people　in　the　midst　of　the　sea　by　foules；　but　with　an　admirable　difference；　unto　Elias　the　ravens　brought　meat；　unto　our　men　the　foules　brought　（themselves）　for　meate：　for　when　they　whistled；　or　made　any　strange　noyse；　the　foules　would　come　and　sit　on　their　shoulders；　they　would　suffer　themselves　to　be　taken　and　weighed　by　our　men；　who　would　make　choice　of　the　fairest　and　fattest　and　let　flie　the　leane　and　lightest；　an　accident　＇the　chronicler　exclaims＇；　I　take　it　＇and　everybody　will　take　it＇；　that　cannot　be　paralleled　by　any　Hi