“Finally it was not till 1620, after so many abortive efforts had been made both by Government and powerful bodies to form an establishment in North Virginia, that at length it received, under unexpected circumstances, an influx of settlers which soon rendered it by far the most prosperous of all colonies in North America.  This was the emigration of a large band of Puritans, who suffering under the intolerance of the English Government, on account of non-conformity, first passed into Holland, and afterward found an asylum in America.”

The “Historie” very properly begins with a description of the land.-the fruitfulness of which is dwelt on; and a hint is given of the probability that even gold may be discovered,—­and “sure it is that some mineralls have ben there found.”  “The temperature of the country” “doth well agree with the English constitutions;” and moreover, not only all “needful fruits and vegetables which we transport from hence and plant there thrive and prosper well,” but vines and tobacco and oranges, and probably sugar-canes, will grow there,—­for the soil is “aromaticall,” and moreover abounds with medicinal plants and drugs.  All this is the favorable side of the picture;—­but then, “the savages and men of Ind” whose strange appearance and barbarous usages had excited so much fearful curiosity at home!—­Why, says Master Strachey. “let me truly saie, how they never killed man of ours, but by our men’s owne folly and indiscretion, suffering themselves to be beguiled and enticed up into their howses without their armes; for fierce and cunning as they are, still they stand in great awe of us.”  Among them the Sasquesahanougs “came to the discoverers with skynns, bowes, arrowes, and tobacco pipes”—­doubtless the calumet of peace “for presents.”  But the chief object of interest is, “the great King Powhatan.”—­already well known by the name as the father of the interesting Indian girl, Pocahontas; “the greatnes and boundes of whose empire, by reason of his powerfulnes and ambition in his youth, hath larger lymitts than ever had any of his predicessors.”

“The great King” was not deficient in that important mark of royalty-and which doubtless corroborated the opinion, then widely prevailing, that these Indians were of eastern origin—­a goodly number of wives.  Indeed, “he is supposed to have many more than one hundred, all of which he doth not keepe, yet as the Turk, in one seraglia or howse, but hath an appointed number, which reside still in every their severall places, amongst whome, when he lyeth on his bedd, one sittith at his head and another at his feet; but when he sitteth at meat, or in presenting himself to any straungers, one sittetn on his right hand, and another on his leaft.”  And here we have the picture of the great Powhatan, sitting pipe in hand, “the very moral,” feather-head-dress and all, of the protecting genius of the tobacconist’s shop, with a rather pretty-looking wife on each side and twenty more, laughingly huddled