pioneers of the old south-第13节

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government　and　the　young　upas…tree　of　slavery。　A　contradiction　in　terms
was　set　to　resolve　itself；　a　riddle　for　unborn　generations　of　Americans。

Presently　there　happened　another　importation。　Virginia；　under　the　new
management；　had　strongly　revived。　Ships　bringing　colonists　were　coming　in；
hamlets　were　building；　fields　were　being　planted；　up　and　down　were　to　be
found　churches；　a　college　at　Henricus　was　projected　so　that　Indian　children
might　be　taught　and　converted　from　〃heathennesse。〃　Yet　was　the　population
almost　wholly　a　doublet…and…breeches…wearing　population。　The　children　for
whom　the　school　was　building　were　Indian　children。　The　men　sailing　to
Virginia　dreamed　of　a　few　years　there　and　gathered　wealth；　and　then　return
to　England。

Apparently　it　was　the　new　Treasurer；　Sir　Edwyn　Sandys；　who　first　grasped
the　essential　principle　of　successful　colonization：　Virginia　must　be　HOME
to　those　we　send！　Wife　and　children　made　home。　Sandys　gathered　ninety
women；　poor　maidens　and　widows；　〃young；　handsome；　and　chaste；　〃　who　were
willing　to　emigrate　and　in　Virginia　become　wives　of　settlers。　They　sailed；
their　passage　oney　was　paid　by　the　men　of　their　choice；　they　marriedand
home　life　began　in　Virginia。　In　due　course　of　time　appeared　fair…haired
children；　blue　or　gray　of　eye；　with　all　England　behind　them；　yet
native…born；　Virginians　from　the　cradle。

Colonists　in　number　sailed　now　from　England。　Most　ranks　of　society　and　most
professions　were　represented。　Many　brought　education；　means；　independent
position。　Other　honest　men；　chiefly　young　men　with　little　in　the　purse；
came　over　under　indentures；　bound　for　a　specified　term　of　years　to　settlers
of　larger　means。　These　indentured　men　are　numerous；　and　when　they　have
worked　out　their　indebtedness　they　will　take　up　land　of　their　own。

An　old　suggestion　of　Dale's　now　for　the　first　time　bore　fruit。　Over　the
protest　of　the　〃country　party〃　in　the　Company；　there　began　to　be　sent　each
year　out　of　the　King's　gaols　a　number；　though　not　at　any　time　a　large
number；　of　men　under　conviction　for　various　crimes。　This　practice
continued；　or　at　intervals　was　resumed；　for　years；　but　its　consequences
were　not　so　dire；　perhaps；　as　we　might　imagine。　The　penal　laws　were
execrably　brutal；　and　in　the　drag…net　of　the　law　might　be　found　many　merely
unfortunate；　many　perhaps　finer　than　the　law。

Virginia　thus　was　founded　and　established。　An　English　people　moved　through
her　forests；　crossed　in　boats　her　shining　waters；　trod　the　lanes　of　hamlets
builded　of　wood　but　after　English　fashions。　Climate；　surrounding　nature；
differed　from　old　England；　and　these　and　circumstance　would　work　for
variation。　But　the　stock　was　Middlesex；　Surrey；　Devon；　and　all　the　other
shires　of　England。　Scotchmen　came　also；　Welshmen；　and；　perhaps　as　early　as
this；　a　few　Irish。　And　there　were　De　La　Warr's　handful　of　Poles　and
Germans；　and　several　French　vinedressers。

Political　and　economic　life　was　taking　form。　That　huge；　luxurious；
thick…leafed；　yellow…flowered　crop；　alike　comforting　and　extravagant；　that
tobacco　that　was　in　much　to　mould　manners　and　customs　and　ways　of　looking
at　things；　was　beginning　to　grow　abundantly。　In　1620；　forty　thousand　pounds
of　tobacco　went　from　Virginia　to　England；　two　years　later　went　sixty
thousand　pounds。　The　best　sold　at　two　shillings　the　pound；　the　inferior　for
eighteen　pence。　The　Virginians　dropped　all　thought　of　sassafras　and
clapboard。　Tobacco　only　had　any　flavor　of　Golconda。

At　this　time　the　rich　soil；　composed　of　layer　on　layer　of　the　decay　of
forests　that　had　lived　from　old　time；　was　incredibly　fertile。　As　fast　as
trees　could　be　felled　and　dragged　away；　in　went　the　tobacco。　Fields　must
have　laborers；　nor　did　these　need　to　be　especially　intelligent。　Bring　in
indentured　men　to　work。　Presently　dream　that　ships；　English　as　well　as
Dutch；　might　oftener　load　in　Africa　and　sell　in　Virginia；　to　furnish　the
dark　fields　with　dark　workers！　In　Dale's　time　had　begun　the　making　over　of
land　in　fee　simple；　in　Yeardley's　time　every　〃ancient〃　colonistthat　is
every　man　who　had　come　to　Virginia　before　1616was　given　a　goodly　number
of　acres　subject　to　a　quit…rent。　Men　of　means　and　influence　obtained　great
holdings；　ownership；　rental；　sale；　and　purchase　of　the　land　began　in
Virginia　much　as　in　older　times　it　had　begun　in　England。　Only　here；　in
America；　where　it　seemed　that　the　land　could　never　be　exhausted；　individual
holdings　were　often　of　great　acreage。　Thus　arose　the　Virginia　Planter。

In　Yeardley's　time　John　Berkeley　established　at　Falling　Creek　the　first
iron　works　ever　set　up　in　English…America。　There　were　by　this　time　in
Virginia；　glass　works；　a　windmill；　iron　works。　To　till　the　soil　remained
the　chief　industry；　but　the　tobacco　culture　grew　until　it　overshadowed　the
maize　and　wheat；　the　pease　and　beans。　There　were　cattle　and　swine；　not　a
few　horses；　poultry；　pigeons；　and　peacocks。

In　1621　Yeardley；　desiring　to　be　relieved；　was　succeeded　by　Sir　Francis
Wyatt。　In　October　the　new　Governor　came　from　England　in　the　George；　and
with　him　a　goodly　company。　Among　others　is　found　George　Sandys；　brother　of
Sir　Edwyn。　This　gentleman　and　scholar；　beneath　Virginia　skies　and　with
Virginia　trees　and　blossoms　about　him；　translated　the　〃Metamorphoses〃　of
Ovid　and　the　First　Book　of　the　〃Aeneid〃；　both　of　which　were　published　in
London　in　1626。　He　stands　as　the　first　purely　literary　man　of　the　English
New　World。　But　vigorous　enough　literature；　though　the　writers　thereof
regarded　it　as　information　only；　had；　from　the　first　years；　emanated　from
Virginia。　Smith's　〃True　Relation〃；　George　Percy's　〃Discourse〃；　Strachey's
〃True　Repertory　of　the　Wracke　and　Redemption　of　Sir　Thomas　Gates〃；　and
his　〃Historie　of　Travaile　into　Virginia　Brittannia〃；　Hamor's　〃True
Discourse〃；　Whitaker's　〃Good　News〃other　letters　and　reportshad　already
flowered；　all　with　something　of　the　strength　and　fragrance　of　Elizabethan
and　early　Jacobean　work。

For　some　years　there　had　seemed　peace　with　the　Indians。　Doubtless　members
of　the　one　race　may　have　marauded；　and　members　of　the　other　showed
themselves　highhanded；　impatient；　and　unjust；　but　the　majority　on　each　side
appeared　to　have　settled　into　a　kind　of　amity。　Indians　came　singly　or　in
parties　from　their　villages　to　the　white　men's　settlements；　where　they
traded　corn　and　venison　and　what　not　for　the　magic　things　the　white　man
owned。　A　number　had　obtained　the　white　man's　firearms；　unwisely　sold　or
given。　The　red　seemed　reconciled　to　the　white's　presence　in　the　land；　the
Indian　village　and　the　Indian　tribal　economy　rested　beside　the　English
settlement；　church；　and　laws。　Doubtless　a　fragment　of　the　population　of
England　and　a　fragment　of　the　English　in　Virginia　saw　in　a　pearly　dream　the
red　man　baptized；　clothed；　become　Christian　and　English。　At　the　least；　it
seemed　that　friendliness　and　peace　might　continue。

In　the　spring　of　1622　a　concerted　Indian　attack　and　massacre　fell　like　a
bolt　from　the　blue。　Up　and　down　the　James　and　upon　the　Chesapeake；
everywhere　on　the　same　day；　Indians；　bursting　from　the　dark　forest　that　was
so　close　behind　every　cluster　of　log　houses；　attacked　the　colonists。　Three
hundred　and　fortyseven　English　men；　women；　and　children　were　slain。　But
Jamestown　and　the　plantations　in　its　neighborhood　were　warned　in　time。　The
English　rallied；　gathered　force；　turned　upon　and　beat　back　to　the　forest
the　Indian；　who　was　now　and　for　a　long　time　to　come　their　open　foe。

There　followed　upon　this　horror　not　a　day　or　a　month　but　years　of　organized
retaliation　and　systematic　harrying。　In　the　end　the　great　majority　of　the
Indians　either　fell　or　were　pushed　back　toward　the　upper　Pamunkey；　the
Rappahannock；　the　Potomac；　and　westward　upon　the　great　shelf　or　terrace　of
the　earth　that　climbed　to　the　fabled　mountains。　And　with　this　westward　move
there　passed　away　that　old　vision　of　wholesale　Christianizing。



CHAPTER　VIII。　ROYAL　GOVERNMENT

In　November；　1620；　there　sailed　into　a　quiet　harbor　on　the　coast　of　what　is
now　Massachusetts　a　ship　named　the　Mayflower；　having　on　board　one　hundred
and　two　English　Non…conformists；　men　and　women　and　with　them　a　few
children。　These　latest　colonists　held　a　patent　from　the　Virginia　Company
and　have　left　in　writing　a　statement　of　their　object：　〃We　。　。　。　having
undertaken；　for　the　glory　of　God　and　advancement　of　the　Christian　faith；
and　honor　of　our　King　and　Country；　a　voyage　to　plant　the　first　colony　in
the　northern　parts　of　Virginia〃。　The　mental　reservation　is；　of　course；
〃where　perchance　we　may　serve　God　as　we　will！〃　In　England　there　obtained　in
some　quarters　a　suspicion　that　〃they　meant　to　make　a　free；　popular　State
there。〃　FreePopular…Public　Good！　These　are　words　that　began；　in　the
second　quarter　of　the　seventeenth　century；　to　shine　and　ring。　King　and
people　had　reached　the　verge　of　a　great　struggle。　The　Virginia　Company　was
divided；　as　were　other　groups；　into　factions。　The　court　party　and　the
country　party　found　themselves　distinctly　opposed。　The　great；　crowded
meetings　of　the　Company　Sessions　rang　with　their　divisions　upon　policies
small　and　large。　Words　and　phrases；　comprehensive；　sonorous；　heavy　with　the
future；　rose　and　rolled　beneath　the　roof　of　their　gr