All these men made major commitments of purse and
person to the Maryland enterprise. All were eligible
through their financial investment for manorial grants.
All had long-standing connections with the Calvert fam-
ily, a fact that doubtless influenced their decision to join
the adventure and possibly encouraged their loyalty to
Lord Baltimore. With men like these to lead his settle-
ment, even though he could not be there himself to
direct them, Lord Baltimore felt confident of success.

   What induced men to commit their fortunes and pos-
sibly their lives to make Lord Baltimore's colony a real-
ity? Undoubtedly hopes of profit and honor were the
strongest incentives. Lord Baltimore's Declaration
acknowledged that the "saving of Soules" among the
Indians would make this "a most glorious Enterprise,"
but "all men are not so nobleminded...." In general
"Pleasure, wealth and honour, are Adamants that draw
them."¹³ Pleasure, wealth, and honor, coupled with the
planting of God's word in new soil, especially the word
of a Catholic God, proved attractive to the first gentle-
men adventurers. They were young—only Hawley is
known to have been over 30—and ready for profitable,
noble, and godly adventure. Whether they were as ready
for the tedious work of carving out manors from virgin
forest is another matter.

   Of these young adventurers, only Leonard Calvert
and Thomas Cornwallis have left much impression of
their personalities. Leonard was a youth of twenty-three
when he assumed leadership of the expedition. The pub-
lic records of early Maryland and a letter he sent his
brother provide clues to his qualities as a leader. He had
to cope with a series of difficulties that required both
firm assertion of authority and careful diplomacy. Wil-