conclusion "February, 10. anno 1633", doubtless the
time of the composition of the document, and that the
reference is to the year 1633 rather than to the year
1633/34 is obvious for two reasons: the first sentence of
the document refers to the passage of the Charter under
the Great Seal of England "in June last, 1632."; the
closing paragraph of the appended note announces the
sailing of the "Arke" from London for Portsmouth on
the 20th of August, and from Portsmouth for Maryland
"about the Eight of September next, 1633". The date,
February 10, 1633, lies between June, 1631, and August,
1633, whereas if February 10, 1633/34, had been in-
tended, the composition of the pamphlet would not
have occurred until several months after the expedition
it was intended to advertise had sailed from Ports-
mouth. It will become clear later that the document
was almost certainly of Jesuit authorship, and as
Catholic and continental Europe at this time had been
using the Gregorian calendar for half a century, this
fact may account for the new style having been em-
ployed in an English publication. Indeed the use of the
new style was occasional at this period even in England,
where it did not become official until the year 1751. We
may safely think of the tract, therefore, as having come
from the press about March 1, 1633, new style, or cer-
tainly before July of the same year, unless, of course,
that phrase, "in June last, 1632", was put in to create
difficulties for the bibliographer. Charity forbids us to
give credence to that suggestion. But even if the evi-
dence of the dates mentioned in the text failed to sup-
port the claim of priority of this tract over the Relation
of 1634, there would still have to be explained the ab-
sence of purpose in issuing a Declaration of a proposed

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