TO THE

RIGHT WORSHIPFULL

MASTER JOHN FITZ-JAMES, ESQUIRE,

ONE OF HIS MAJESTIES CHIEFE JUSTICES OF PEACE,

WITHIN THE

COUNTIE OF DORSET.

SIR,-Amongst all the Sinnes, that humane nature doth stand possest with, ingratitude doth challenge a propertie in man, although it bee a thing repugnant to reason, and disagreeing with all mutuall societie. To free myself from this vitium naturæ, I am bold in these fewe lines to dedicate my loue to you for it were too tedious to use many wordes, where good will is the bond of loue. This smal gift I would intreate you to accept, if not for the quantitie, yet for the qualitie. From London the thirteenth of October, 1610.

Your Worships to command,

SIL. FOURDAN.

BEING in Ship called the Seauenture, with Sir Thomas Gates, our Gouernour, Sir George Sommers, and Captaine Newport, three most worthy honoured. Gentlemen, (whose valour and fortitude the world. must needes take notice off, and that in most honourable designes) bound for Virginia, in the height of thirty degrees of northerly latitude, or thereabouts: we were taken with a most sharpe and cruell storme upon the fiue and twentieth day of July, Anno 1609, which did not only seperate us from the residue of our fleete, (which were eight in number) but with the violent working of the seas, our ship became so shaken, torne, and leaked, that shee receiued so much water, as couered two tire of hogsheads aboue the ballast; that our men stoode up to the middles, with buckets, baricos, and kettles, to baile out the water, and continually pumped for three dayes, and three nights together, without any intermission; and yet the water seemed rather to increase then to diminish: in so much that all our men, being utterly spent, tyred, and disabled for longer labour, were euen resolued, without any hope of their liues,

to shut up the hatches, and to haue committed themselues to the mercy of the sea, (which is said to be mercilesse) or rather to the mercy their mighty God and Redeemer, (whose mercies exceed all His works) seeinge no helpe, nor hope, in the apprehension of mans reason, that any mothers child should escape that ineuitable danger, which euery man had proposed and digested to himselfe, of present sinking. So that some of them hauing some good and comfortable waters in the ship, fetcht them, and drunke one to the other, taking their last leaue one of the other, untill their more joyfull and happy meeting, in a more blessed world; when it pleased God out of his most gracious and mercifull prouidence, so to direct and guide our ship, (being left to the mercy of the sea) for her most aduantage; that Sir George Sommers (sitting upon the poope of the ship,) where he sate three dayes and three nights together, without meales meate, and little or no sleepe, coursing the shippe to keepe her as upright as he could, (for otherwise shee must needes instantly haue foundred) most wishedly happily discryed land; whereupon he most comfortably encouraged the company to follow their pumping, and by no meanes to cease bayling out of the water with their buckets, varicos, and kettles; whereby they were so ouer wearied, and their spirits so spent with long fasting, and continuance of their labour, that for the most part they were fallen asleepe in corners, and wheresoeuer they chanced first to sit or lie: but hearing news of land, wherewith they grew to be somewhat reuived, being carried with wil and desire beyond their strength, euery man busled up, and gathered his strength and feeble spirits together, to perform as much as their weake force would permit him through which weake meanes it pleased God to worke so strongly as the water was staide for that little time, (which as we all much feared, was the last period of our breathing) and the ship kept from present sinking, when it pleased God to send her within halfe an English mile of that land that Sir George Sommers had not long before descryed: which were the Ilandes of the Barmudas. And there neither did our ship sincke, but more fortunately in so great a misfortune, fell in between two rockes, where shee was fast lodged and locked, for further budging : whereby we gayned, not only sufficient time, with the present helpe of our boate, and skiffe, safely to set, and convey our men ashore

(which were one hundred and fifty in number) but afterwards had time and leasure to saue some good part of our goodes and prouision, which the water had not spoyled, with all the tackling of the ship, and much of the yron about her, which were necessaries not a little available, for thebuilding and furnishing of a new ship and pinnis, which we made there, for the transporting and carrying of us to Virginia. But our delivery was not more strange in falling so opportunely, and happily upon the land, as our feeding and preseruation, was beyond our hopes, and all mens expectations most admirable. For the Ilands of the Barmudas, as every man knoweth that has heard or read of them, were never inhabited by any Christian or heathen people, but euer esteemed, and reputed, a most prodigious and inchanted place, affording nothing but gusts, stormes, and foule weather; which made every Nauigator and Mariner to avoid them, as Scylla and Charibdis; or as they would shunne the Deuill himself; and no man was euer heard, to make for the place, but as against their wils, they have by stormes and the dangerousnesse of the rocks, lying seuen leagues into the sea, suffered shipwrecke; yet did we finde there the ayre so temperate and the Country so aboundantly fruitful of all fit necessaries, for the sustentation and preseruation of mans life, that most in a manner of all our prouisions of bread, beare, and victuall, being quite spoyled, in lying long drowned in salt water, notwithstanding we were there for the space of nine months (few days ouer or under) not only well refreshed, comforted, and with good satiety contented, but of the aboundance thereof, prouided us some reasonable quantity and proportion of prouision, to carry us for Virginia, and to maintaine ourselues, and that company we found there, to the great releefe of them, as it fell out in their so great extremities, and in respect of the shortnesse of time, untill it pleased God, that by my Lords comming thither, their store was better supplyed, and greater, and better prouisions wee might haue made, if we had had better meanes for the storing and transportation thereof. Wherefore my opinion sincerely of this Island is, that whereas it hath beene, and is still accounted, the most dangerous, infortunate, and most forlorne place of the world, it is in truth the richest, healthfullest, and pleasing land, (the quantity and bignesse thereof considered) and meerely naturall, as euer set foote upon the particular profits