And cheerefully at sea,
Successe you still intice,
To get the pearle and gold,
_And ours to hold_,
=Virginia=,
Earth's only Paradise.
* * * * *
And in regions farre,
Such heroes bring yee forth
As those from whom we came;
And plant our name
Under that starre
Not knowne unto our north.
5. Goodspeed to Virginia, 1609
This pamphlet (by Robert Gray) contains about 9000 words. It was
never printed. Extracts are given in Brown's _Genesis of the United
States_, 293 ff. It was written to encourage the reorganization
of the Virginia Company in 1609. (Cf. _American History and
Government_, # 25.) The first of the extracts below comes from the
"Epistle Dedicatory."
_To the Right Noble and Honorable Earles, Barons, and Lords, and to the
Right Worshipfull Knights, Merchants, and Gentlemen, Adventurers for
the plantation of Virginea, all happie and prosperous successe, which
may either augment your glorie, or increase your wealth, or purchase
your eternitie._
Time ... consumes both man and his memorie. It is not brasse nor marble
that can perpetuate immortalitie of name upon the earth. [But] A right
sure foundation ... have you (My Lords and the rest of the most Worthie
Adventurers for Virginia) laid for the immortalitie of your names and
memorie, which, for the advancement of Gods glorie, the renowne of his
Majestie, and the good of your Countrie, have undertaken so honourable
a project, as all posterities shall blesse: and Uphold your names and
memories so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth: Whereas they which
preferre their money before vertue, their pleasure before honour, and
their sensuall securitie before heroicall adventures, shall perish with
their money, die with their pleasures, and be buried in everlasting
forgetfulnes....
And therefore we may justly say, as the children of Israel say here to
Joshua, we are a great people, and the lande is too narrow for us; so
that whatsoever we have beene, now it behooves us to be both prudent
and politicke, and not to deride and reject good powers of profitable
and gainefull expectation; but rather to embrace every occasion which
hath any probabilitie in its future hopes: And seeing there is neither
preferment nor employment for all within the lists of our Countrey,
we might justly be accounted as in former times, both imprudent and
improvident, if we will yet sit with our armes foulded on our bosomes,
and not rather seeke after such adventers whereby the Glory of God
may be advanced, the teritories of our Kingdome inlarged, our people
both preferred and employed abroad, our wants supplyed at home, His
Majesties customes wonderfully augmented, and the honour and renown of
our Nation spread and propagated to the ends of the World....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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