A Voyage to Virginia in 1609: Two Narratives: Strachey's "True Reportory" and Jourdain's Discovery of the Bermudas

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~ II ~ JIctions and occurrents while they continued in the islands: 'R.gvens sent for Virginia; divers mutinies; Paine executed; two pinnaces built i\i~~W 0 soon as we were a little settled after ~* : *~ our landing, with all the conveniency ~: S :~ we might and as the place and our IR~ :~_ many wants would give us leave, we ~!C:~)~ made up our longboat (as Your Ladyship hath heard) in fashion of a pinnace, fitting her with a little deck, made of the hatches of our ruined ship, so close that no water could go in her, gave her sails and oars, and entreating with our master's mate, Henry Ravens (who was supposed a sufficient pilot), we found him easily won to make over therewith as a bark of avis058 for Virginia, which, being in the height of 37 degrees, five degrees from the island which we were, might be some 140 leagues from us or thereabouts (reckoning to every degree that lies northeast, and westerly twenty-eight English leagues); who the twenty-eighth of August, being Monday, with six sailors 58Bark of aviso: advice boat. 35 36 A VOYAGE TO VIRGINIA IN 1609 and our cape merchant,59 Thomas Whittingham, departed from us out of Gates his bay, but to our much wonder returned again upon the Wednesday night after, having attempted to have got clear of the island from the north-northeast to the southwest but could not, as little water as she drew (which might not bt; above twenty inches), for shoals and breaches. So as he was fain to go out from Somers' Creeks (and the same way we came in) on the south-southeast of the islands, and from thence he made to sea the Friday after, the first of September, promising if he lived and arrived safe there to return unto us the next new moon with the pinnace belonging to the colony there. According unto which instructions were directed unto the new lieutenant governor and council from our governor here, for which the islands were appointed carefully to 59Item 22 of "Instructions, Orders, and Constitutions to Sir Thomas Gates, ·Governor of Virginia," as printed in The Records of the Virginia Company of London, edited by Susan Myra Kingsbury (Washington , D. C., 1933), III, 20, reads, in part, as follows: "One officer or two in every fort, whom you must only appoint to be truncmasters [ ? truckmasters], may dispatch the whole business of trade. . . . And ... you must by proclamation or edict publicly affixed prohibit and forbid upon pain of punishment of your discretion all other persons to trade or exchange for anything but such as shall be necessary for food or clothing. . . . Over this truncmaster there must be appointed a cape merchant or officer belonging to the store or provision house, that must deliver by book all such things as shall be allowed for trade and receive and take an account of whatsoever is returned, according to the prices therein set, and, so being booked, must store them up to the public use of the colony." "A TRUE REPORTORY" 37 be watched and fires prepared as beacons to have directed and wafted him in. But two moons were wasted upon the promontory before mentioned and gave many a long and wished60 look round about the horizon, from the northeast to the southwest, but in vain, discovering nothing all the while, which way soever we turned our eye, but air and sea. You may please, excellent Lady, to know, the reason which moved our governor to dispatch this longboat was the care which he took for the estate of the colony in this his enforced absence. For by a long practiced experience foreseeing and fearing what innovation6l and tumult might happily62 arise amongst the younger and ambitious spirits of the new companies to arrive in Virginia, now coming with him along in this same fleet, he framed his letters to the colony and by a particular commission confirmed Captain Peter Wynne his lieutenant governor, with an assistance of six councilors, writing withal to divers and such gentlemen of quality and knowledge of virtue and to such lovers of goodness in this cause whom he knew, entreating them, by giving examples in themselves of duty and obedience, to assist likewise the said lieutenant governor against such as should attempt the innovating of the person (now named by him) or form of government which in some...