Virginia 350th Anniversary Celebration Corporation

“ And we do hereby ordain that the Governors house in James town, first built by Sir Thomas Gates, Knight, at the charges and by the servants of the Company, and since enlarged by others by the very same means, be and continue for ever the Governors house, any pretended undue grant made by misinformation and not in a general and quarter court to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding. ”

“ The second, principally the work of the liberal Sir Edwin Sandys with the approving participation of Sir Francis Bacon, great exponent of natural law, marks a transition from government by arbitrary royal authority to the concept that government rests on the consent of the governed and on the fundamental right of man to enjoy the fruits of his labor. ”

“ You shall take principall order and care for the true and reverent worship of God that his worde be duely preached and his holy sacraments administred accordinge to the constitucions of the Church of England in all fundamentall pointes, and his ministers had in due observance and respecte agreeable to the dignity of their callinge. And that all atheisme, prophanes, popery, or schisme be exemplarily punished to the honor of God and to the peace and safety of his Church, over which, in this tendernes and infancy, you must be especially solicitous & watchefull. ”

“ And that for all such planters as were brought thither at the Companies charge to inhabit there, before the coming away of the said Sir Thomas Dale, after the time of their service to the Company on the common Land agreed shall be expired, there be set out one hundred acres of land for each of their personal adventurers to be held by them, their heirs and assigns, for ever; paying for every fifty acres the yearly free rent of one shilling to the said Treasurer and Company and their successors, at one entire payment on the feast day of St Michael the Archangel, for ever. ”

“ Articles, instructions and orders made, sett down and established by us the twentieth day of November, in the year of our raigne of England, France and Ireland the fourth and of Scotland the fortieth, for the good order and government of the two several Colonies and plantations to be made by our loving subjects in the country commonly called Virginia and America, between 34 and 45 degrees from the aequinoctial line. ”

“ You shall, for the choice of plantacions observe two generall rulles: that you rather seeke to the sun then from it, which is under God the first cause both of health and riches; and that such places which you resolve to build and inhabite uppon have at the leaste one good outlett into the sea & fresh water to the land; that it be a dry and wholesome earth and as free from woode as possiblie you may, whereby you may have roome to discover about you and unshady ground to plant nere you. ”

“ If you make freindship with any of these nations, as you must doe, choose to doe it with those that are farthest from you and enemies unto those amonge whom you dwell, for you shall have least occasion to have differences with them and by that meanes a suerer league of amity, and you shalbe suer of their trade partely for covetousnes and to serve their owne ends, where the copper is yett in his primary estimacion which Pohaton hath hitherto engrossed and partely for feare of constrainte. ”

“ First wee requier you in gennerall take into spetiall regard and estimation the service of Almightie God and observance of his divine lawes and that the people in Virginia bee trained up in true religion, god lives and vertue, that ther example may be a meanes to winn the infidells to God: wherin wee pray you especiallie to have in daly rememberance that the patterne which you shall give in your owne persons & in your families wilbee of singular and chief moment whatt may soever itt shall propend. ”

“ And our will is that such of the Companies tenants as already inhabite in those several cities or burroughs be not removed to any other city or burrough but placed on the Companies Lands belonging to those cities or burroughs where they now inhabite; provided alwaies, that if any private person, without fraud or injurious intent to the public at his own charges, have freed any of the said lands formerly appointed to the Governor, he may continue and inhabite there till a valuable recompence be made him for his said charges. ”

“ Wee, greately commending and graciously accepting of theire desires to the furtherance of soe noble a worke which may, by the providence of Almightie God, hereafter tende to the glorie of His Divine Majestie in propagating of Christian religion to suche people as yet live in darkenesse and miserable ignorance of the true knoweledge and worshippe of God and may in tyme bring the infidels and salvages living in those parts to humane civilitie and to a setled and quiet govermente, doe by theise our lettres patents graciously accepte of and agree to theire humble and well intended desires ”

“ The Company provided an agency for assembling adventure capital and supplying able management to enterprises of great moment. It offered an invitation to the industrious to participate in the growing wealth and expanding power of the great English middle class. ”

“ Such trade as you shall finde necessary or profitable for you with the Indians you shall endeavour to drawe them to seeke of you and to bringe their commodities into your forte, which will greatly ease the imployment of many men, and this you may bringe to passe by seeminge to make litle estimacion of trade with them and by pretendinge to be so able to consist within your selves as that you neede care for nothinge of theires, but rather that you doe them a curtesy to spare such necessaries as they want as leetle iron tooles, or copper, or the like such as are convenient for traffique ”

“ Wherefore, if you perceave that they, uppon your landinge, fly up into the countrey and forsake their habitacion, you must seise into your custody half there corne and harvest and their Weroances and all other their knowne successors at once whom, if you intreate well and educate those which are younge and to succeede in the governement in your manners and religion, their people will easily obey you and become in time civill and Christian. ”

“ Provided that in all thinges herein contained, except onely the succession, wee doe by these our lettres instruccions binde you to nothinge so strictely but that uppon due consideracion and good reason, and uppon divers circumstances of time and place wherein we cannot here conclude, you may in your discrecion departe and dissent from them and change, alter or establishe, execute and doe all ordinances or acts whatsoever that may best conducte to the glory of God, the honor of our Kinge and nation to the good and perfect establishement of our Colony. ”

“ These three habitations seeme enoughe for the nomber of the people nowe transported, over every one of which you must appointe a discreete commaunder that shall sett your men to severall workes accordinge to their undertakings in the bookes by which they were receaved; in every one of these there must be builte a church and a storehowse and a parte of land sett out for corne for the publique and some allotted to the care of manuringe and preparinge thereof. In buildinge your towns you shall as easily keepe decorous and order as confusion ”

“ Whereas wee, by our letters patents under our Great Seale of England bearing date the tenth day of April last past, have given licence to sundry our loving subjects named in the said letters patents and to their associates to deduce and conduct two several Colonies or plantations of sundry our loving people willing to abide and inhabit in certaine parts of Virginia and America with divers preheminences, priviledges, authorities and other things, as in and by the said letters patents more particularly it appeareth ”

“ You shall for the more regard and respect of your place, to begett reverence to your authority and to refresh their mindes that obey the gravity of those lawes under which they were borne; at your discrecion use such fourmes and ensignes of governement as by our lettres pattents wee are enabled to grant unto you; as also the attendance of a guarde uppon your person, and in all such like cases you shall have power to make, adde or distinguishe any lawes or ordinances at your discrecion accordinge to the authority limited in your comission. ”

“ The Governor for the time being shall have absolute power and authoritie according to the implicacion of his particular commission to direct, determine and punish at his good discretion any emergent buissnes, neglect or contempt of authority in any kind or what soever negligence or contempt may bee found in any person ther residing or being, except only those of the Counsell for ther on persons whoe are in such cases to bee summoned to appeare at the next quarter session of the Counsell holdne ther abide ther censure ”

“ Wee praie you likewise take care, that the people now ther or hereafter inhabitinge bee kept in due obedience to His Majestie and that they all take the oaths of supremacie and allegiance; and that you provide that justice bee equallie administered to all His Majesties subjects ther resideing, and as neare as may be after the forme of this realme of England, wherin you are to have a vigilant care to prevent corruption amongst your inferior officers tending to the perverting or delaying of justice ”

“ Last of all, for temporall goverment & perticuler proceedinge in your plantacion, in respect of the shortnes of time, we commende unto your Lordship the copie of some of the cheifest of the old instruccions before mencioned to have bene formerly delivered to Sir Thomas Gates, to be used or refused as you shall in your wisdome thinke fitt, neither is or meanes to tie your Lordship to the stricte perfourmance of theis newe instructions but as occasion of time, place or necessetie shall requir your Lordship may doe therein as shall seeme best in your owne discretion. ”

“ Your enemies can be but of two sortes, straungers and natives; for the first, your defence must be uppon advauntage of the place and way unto it, for fortes have no other use but that a fewe men may defend and dispute their footinge with them against a greater nomber and to winne time which, if you can do, a stranger cannot longe abide where he must bringe all his releis [relief?] with him, and he shall have no way to beseidge you but by blockinge you in and plantinge between you and the sea, to which if you have two outeletts he must be very able and powerfull that can do it ”

“ Every lord of a province shall pay you and send you into your forte where you make your cheif residence so many measures of corne at every harvest, soe many basketts of dye, so many dozens of skins, so many of his people to worke weekely, and of every thinge somewhat, accordinge to his proporcion in greatenes of territory and men ”

“ Thomas James, of our citty of Bristol, merchant; and James Bagge, of Plymouth in our county of Devon, merchant; should be our Councel for all matters which should happen in Virginia or any the territories of America aforesaid, or any actions, businesse or causes for and concerning the same, which Councel is from time to time to be encreased, altered or changed att the nomination of us, our heires and successors, and att our and their will and pleasure ”

“ Item: a gentleman's great dilligence in our affaires, accompaned with extreordinarie capacity and judgement, haveing proceeded the treatise of the buissnes belonging to the plantacion, approved by us to bee full of exellent observances for those that are emmenly employd in Virginia, as well for us here, wee sent a coppy to ly amongst the records of your Counsell from whence, from the often veiw of former passadgs, wee wish every Counsellor may make permanent instructions, and no doubt much helps and furtherance may bee produced in most occasiones for the advancement of the plantacion. ”

“ Wee commend unto your especiall regard the providing for such persons as have already bin sent or are now or shall be hereafter entertained for the erecting of iron works; that all possible meanes bee used for ther encouradgment & for the performing of generall contracts here made with the Company wherby justice unto them and profitt to the plantation may arise. ”

“ Item: that the best meanes bee used to draw the better disposed of the natives to converse with our people and labor amongst them with convenient reward that therby they may growe to a likeing and love of civility and finallie bee brought to the knowledge and love of God and true religion, which may prove also of great strength to our people against the savages or other invadors, whatsoever; and they may bee fitt instruments to assist afterwards in the more gennerall conversion of the heathen people which wee somuch desier. ”

“ Counsell for the said First Colonie in Virginia and to nominate and appoint such officers as theie shall thinke fitt and requisit for the government, managing, ordring and dispatching of the affaires of the said Companie; and shall likewise have full power and authority to ordaine and make such lawes and ordinances for the good and wellfare of the said plantacion as to them from time to time shalbe thought requisite and meete: soe allwaies as the same be not contrary to the lawes and statutes of this our realme of England ”

“ The second enemy is the natives who can no way hurte you but by fire or by destroyinge your catle, or hinderinge your workes by stealth or your passages in small nombers; and in this sorte of warr there is most perill if you be not very carefull, for if they may destroy but one harvest or burne your townes in the night they will leave you naked and exposed to famine and cold, and convey themselves into wodes where revenge wilbe as difficult as unnecessary; to prevent that you must keepe good watches in the fielde and suffer none of them to come nere your corne in those daungerous seasons ”