have seene, so that the Thames is but a little finger to it,
there are noe marshes or swampes about it, but solid firme
ground, with great variety of woode, not choaked vp with
vndershrubs, but commonly so farre distant from each other
as a coach and fower horses may travale without molestation;
at our first comeing we found (as we were told) all in armes;
the king of Pascatoway had drawne together 500 bowmen,
great fires were made by night over all the Country, and the
biggnesse of our ship made the natives reporte, we came in a
Canow as bigg as an Iland, with so many men, as trees were
in a wood, with great terrour vnto them all: thus we sailed
some 20 leagues vp the river to Herne=Iland, so called for
infinite swarmes of hernes thereon, this we called S' Clements,
here we first came ashoare; here by the overturning of a
shallop w^ch we had allmost lost our mades which wee brought
along, the linnen, they went to wash was much of it lost,
which is noe small matter in these parte: the ground is heare,
(as in very many places covered with pokiberies, (a little
wilde walnut hard of shell, but with a sweet kernell) with
ackhornes, black walnut, cedar, saxafras, vines, salladherbes,
and such like; it is not above 400 acres, and therefore too
little to seat vpon for vs: therefore they have designed it for
a fort to Command the river, meaneing to raise another on
the maine land against it, and soe to keep the river from
forraigne trade, here being the narrowest of the river: in this
place on our b: Ladies day in lent, we first offered, erected a
crosse, and with devotion tooke solemne possession of the
Country: here our governour was aduised not to settle him-
selfe, till he spoake with the emperour of Pascatoway, and
told him the cause of his comeing (to wit) to teach them a
divine doctrine, whereby to lead them to heaven, and to
enrich with such ornaments of civill life as our owne country