第 17 节
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疯狂热线 更新:2021-12-07 09:33 字数:9322
Indian village and a small Algonquin group; in the course of extinction by
their formidable Iroquois neighbors; the giant Susquehannocks。 The white
men landed; bearing a store of hatchets; gewgaws; and colored cloth。 The
first Lord Baltimore; having had opportunity enough for observing savages;
had probably handed on to his sagacious sons his conclusions as to ways of
dealing with the natives of the forest。 And the undeniable logic of events
was at last teaching the English how to colonize。 Englishmen on Roanoke
Island; Englishmen on the banks of the James; Englishmen in that first New
England colony; had borne the weight of early inexperience and all the
catalogue of woes that follow ignorance。 All these early colonists alike
had been quickly entangled in strife with the people whom they found in the
land。
First they fell on their knees;
And then on the Aborigines。
But by now much water had passed the mill。 The thinking kind; the wiser
sort; might perceive more things than one; and among these the fact that
savages had a sense of justice and would even fight against injustice; real
or fancied。
The Calverts; through their interpreter; conferred with the inhabitants of
this Indian village。 Would they sell lands where the white men might
peaceably settle; under their given word to deal in friendly wise with the
red men? Many hatchets and axes and much cloth would be given in return。
To a sylvan people store of hatchets and axes had a value beyond many
fields of the boundless earth。 The Dove appeared before them; too; at the
psychological moment。 They had just discussed removing; bag and baggage;
from the proximity of the Iroquois。 In the end; these Indians sold to the
English their village huts; their cleared and planted fields; and miles of
surrounding forest。 Moreover they stayed long enough in friendship with the
newcomers to teach them many things of value。 Then they departed; leaving
with the English a clear title to as much land as they could handle; at
least for some time to come。 Later; with other Indians; as with these; the
Calverts pursued a conciliatory policy。 They were; aided by the fact that
the Susquehannocks to the north; who might have given trouble; were
involved in war with yet more northerly tribes; and could pay scant
attention to the incoming white men。 But even so; the Calverts proved; as
William Penn proved later; that men may live at peace with men; honestly
and honorably; even though hue of skin and plane of development differ。
Now the Ark joins the Dove in the River St。 George。 The pieces of ordnance
are fired; the colonists disembark; and on the 27th of March; 1634; the
Indian village; now English; becomes St。 Mary's。
On the whole how advantageously are they placed! There is peace with the
Indians。 Huts; lodges; are already built; fields already cleared or
planted。 The site is high and healthful。 They have at first few dissensions
among themselves。 Nor are they entirely alone or isolated in the New World。
There is a New England to the north of them and a Virginia to the south。
From the one they get in the autumn salted fish; from the other store of
swine and cattle。 Famine and pestilence are far from them。 They build a
〃fort〃 and perhaps a stockade; but there are none of the stealthy deaths
given by arrow and tomahawk in the north; nor are there any of the Spanish
alarms that terrified the south。 From the first they have with them women
and children。 They know that their settlement is 〃home。〃 Soon other ships
and colonists follow the Ark and the Dove to St。 Mary's; and the history of
this middle colony is well begun。
In Virginia; meantime; there was jealousy enough of the new colony; taking
as it did territory held to be Virginian and renaming it; not for the old;
independent; Protestant; virgin queen; but for a French; Catholic; queen
consorteven settling it with believers in the Mass and bringing in
Jesuits! It was; says a Jamestown settler; 〃accounted a crime almost as
heinous as treason to favour; nay to speak well of that colony。 〃Beside the
Virginian folk as a whole; one man; in particular; William Claiborne;
nursed an individual grievance。 He had it from Governor Calvert that he
might dwell on in Kent Island; trading from there; but only under license
from the Lord Proprietor and as an inhabitant of Maryland; not of Virginia。
Claiborne; with the Assembly at Jamestown secretly on his side; resisted
this interference with his rights; and; as he continued to trade with a
high hand; he soon fell under suspicion of stirring up the Indians against
the Marylanders。
At the time; this quarrel rang loud through Maryland and Virginia; and even
echoed across the Atlantic。 Leonard Calvert had a trading…boat of
Claiborne's seized in the Patuxent River。 Thereupon Claiborne's men; with
the shallop Cockatrice; in retaliation attacked Maryland pinnaces and lost
both their lives and their boat。 For several years Maryland and Kent Island
continued intermittently to make petty war on each other。 At last; in 1638;
Calvert took the island by main force and hanged for piracy a captain of
Claiborne's。 The Maryland Assembly brought the trader under a Bill of
Attainder; and a little later; in England; the Lords Commissioners of
Foreign Plantations formally awarded Kent Island to the Lord Proprietor。
Thus defeated; Claiborne; nursing his wrath; moved down the bay to Virginia。
CHAPTER X。 CHURCH AND KINGDOM
Virginia; all this time; with Maryland a thorn in her side; was wrestling
with an autocratic governor; John Harvey。 This avaricious tyrant sowed the
wind until in 1635 he was like to reap the whirlwind。 Though he was the
King's Governor and in good odor in England; where rested the overpower to
which Virginia must bow; yet in this year Virginia blew upon her courage
until it was glowing and laid rude hands upon him。 We read: 〃An Assembly to
be called to receive complaints against Sr。 John Harvey; on the petition of
many inhabitants; to meet 7th of May。〃 But; before that month was come; the
Council; seizing opportunity; acted for the whole。 Immediately below the
entry above quoted appears: 〃On the 28th of April; 1635; Sr。 John Harvey
thrust out of his government; and Capt。 John West acts as Governor till the
King's pleasure known。〃*
* Hening's 〃Statutes〃 vol。 I p。 223。
So Virginia began her course as rebel against political evils! It is of
interest to note that Nicholas Martian; one of the men found active against
the Governor; was an ancestor of George Washington。
Harvey; thrust out; took first ship for England; and there also sailed
commissioners from the Virginia Assembly with a declaration of wrongs for
the King's ear。 But when they came to England; they found that the King's
ear was for the Governor whom he had given to the Virginians and whom they;
with audacious disobedience; had deposed。 Back should go Sir John Harvey;
still governing Virginia; back without audience the so…called
commissioners; happy to escape a merited hanging! Again to Jamestown sailed
Harvey。 In silence Virginia received him; and while he remained Governor no
Assembly sat。
But having asserted his authority; the King in a few years' time was
willing to recall his unwelcome representative。 So in 1639 Governor Harvey
vanishes from the scene; and in comes the well…liked Sir Francis Wyatt as
Governor for the second time。 For two years he remains; and is then
superseded by Sir William Berkeley; a notable figure in Virginia for many
years to come。 The population was now perhaps ten thousand; both English
born and Virginians born of English parents。 A few hundred negroes moved in
the tobacco fields。 More would be brought in and yet more。 And now above a
million pounds of tobacco were going annually to England。
The century was predominantly one of inner and outer religious conflict。
What went on at home in England reechoed in Virginia。 The new Governor was
a dyed…in…the…wool Cavalier; utterly stubborn for King and Church。 The
Assemblies likewise leaned that way; as presumably did the mass of the
people。 It was ordered in 1631: 〃That there bee a uniformitie throughout
this colony both in substance and circumstance to the cannons and
constitutions of the church of England as neere as may bee; and that every
person yeald readie obedience unto them uppon penaltie of the paynes and
forfeitures in that case appoynted。〃 And; indeed; the pains and forfeitures
threatened were savage enough。
Official Virginia; loyal to the Established Church; was jealous and fearful
of Papistry and looked askance at Puritanism。 It frowned upon these and
upon agnosticisms; atheisms; pantheisms; religious doubts; and alterations
in judgmentupon anything; in short; that seemed to push a finger against
Church and Kingdom。 Yet in this Virginia; governed by Sir William Berkeley;
a gentleman more cavalier than the Cavaliers; more royalist than the King;
more churchly than the Church; there lived not a few Puritans and
Dissidents; going on as best they might with Established Church and fiery
King's men。 Certain parishes were predominantly Puritan; certain ministers
were known to have leanings away from surplices and genuflections an