A Description of New England: or the observations, and Discoueries, of Captain Iohn Smith (Admirall of that Country) in the North of America, in the year of our Lord 1614: with the successe of sixe Ships, that went the next yeare 1615; and the accidents befell him among the French men of warre with the proofe of the present benefit this Countrey affoords; whither this present yeare, 1616, eight voluntary Ships are gone to make further tryall. London, 1616.

New Englands Trials. Declaring the successe of 26. Ships employed thither within these sixe yeares: with the benefit of that Countrey by sea and land : and how to build threescore sayle of good Ships, to make a little Navie Royal. Written by Captaine John Smith. London, 1620.

New Englands Trials. Declaring the successe of 80 Ships employed thither within these eight yeares; and the benefit of that countrey by Sea and Land. With the present estate of that happie Plantation, begun but by 60 weake men in the yeare 1620. And how to build a Fleete of good Shippes to make a little Nauie Royall. Written by Captain John Smith, somtimes Gouernour of Virginia, and Admirall of New England. The second edition. London, 1622.

The General Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, with the names of the Adventurers, Planters, and Governours from their first beginning An: 1584, to this present 1624, with the Proceedings of those Severall Colonies and the Accidents that befell them in all their Journeys and Dis

coueries. Also the Maps and Descriptions of all those Countryes, their Commodities, people, Government, Customes, and Religion yet knowne. Divided into sixe Bookes. By Captaine Iohn Smith, sometymes Governour of those Countryes & Admirall of New England. London, 1624.

An Accidence or the Path-way to Experience. Necessary for all Young Sea-men, or those that are desirous to goe to Sea, briefly shewing the Phrases, Offices, and Words of Command, Belonging to the Building, Ridging, and Sayling a Man of Warre; and how to manage a Fight at Sea. Together with the Charge and Duty of every Officer, and their Shares: also the Names, Weight, Charge, Shot, and Powder, of all sorts of great Ordnance. With the use of the Petty Tally. Written by Captaine Iohn Smith sometimes Governour of Virginia, and Admirall of New England. London, 1626.

The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captaine Iohn Smith, in Europe, Asia, Affrica, and America, from Anno Domini 1593 to 1629. His Accidents and Sea-fights in the Straights; his Service and Stratagems of warre in Hungaria, Transilvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia, against the Turks, and Tartars; his three single combats betwixt the Christian Armie and the Turkes. After how he was taken prisoner by the Turks, sold for a Slave, sent into Tartaria; his description of the Tartars, their strange manners and customes of Religions, Diets, Buildings, Warres, Feasts, Ceremonies, and Living; how hee slew the Bashaw of Nalbrits in Cambia, and escaped from the Turkes and Tartars. Together

with a continuation of his generall History of Virginia, Summer-Isles, New England, and their proceedings, since 1624. to this present 1629; as also of the new Plantations of the great River of the Amazons, the Isles of St. Christopher, Mevis, and Barbados in the West Indies. All written by actuall Authours, whose names you shall finde along the History. London, 1630.

Advertisements For the unexperienced Planters of New-England, or any where. Or The Path-way to experience to erect a Plantation. With the yearely proceedings of this Country in Fishing and Planting, since the yeare 1614. to the yeare 1630. and their present estate. Also how to prevent the greatest inconveniences, by their proceedings in Virginia, and other Plantations, by approved examples. With the Countries Armes, a description of the Coast, Harbours, Habitations, Land-markes, Latitude and Longitude with the Map, allowed by our Royal King Charles. By Captaine Iohn Smith, sometimes Governour of Virginia, and Admirall of New England. London, 1631.

These cumbersome and almost illiterate title-pages are here reproduced because they sufficiently indicate, perhaps, the extent and range of the author's literary productions, and are also an index to his character, and an epitome of his life. The "Generall Historie of Virginia" comes the nearest to the border-line of pure literature, while the "Accidence for Young Seamen" is the farthest from that line. Sometimes Smith's narrative is strong, and it could not fail to be picturesque on occasion; but its main

value is that of historical material. When we consider that Smith wrote in the time of Bacon and Shakespeare (one of his letters to "Sir Ffrances Bacon" has been preserved) we perceive that so rude a writer could hardly hope to do more than interest his contemporaries by his matter rather than his manner. Indeed, the literary quality of his thousand printed pages is inferior to that of "The Voiage and Travaile of Sir John Maundevile, Kt., which treateth of the way to Hierusalem, and of marvayles of Inde, with other ilands and countryes," written three hundred years before, in a period of depression in English literature. Smith and Maundevile were alike in their tendency to embellish and magnify the magna pars fui, and both made up by touches of romance for what they lacked in the sober field of history.

A passage from New England's Trials may be cited, as affording a fair example of Smith's method and style:

Here I must intreate a little your fauours to digresse. They did not kill the English because they were Christians, but for their weapons and commodities, they were rare nouelties; but now they feare we may beate them out of their dens, which Lions and Tygers would not admit but by force. But must this be an argument for an English man, or discourage any other in Virginia or New England? No: for I haue tried them both.

For Virginia, I kept that country with 38, and had not to eate but what we had from the sauages. When I had ten men able to go abroad, our common wealth was very strong with such a number I ranged that vnknown country 14 weeks; I had but 18 to subdue them all, with

which great army I stayed six weekes before their greatest Kings habitations, till they had gathered together all the power they could; and yet the Dutch-men sent at a needlesse excessiue charge did helpe Powhatan how to betray me.

Of their numbers we were vncertaine; but them two honorable gentlemen (Captaine George Percie and Captaine Francis West, two of the Phittiplaces, and some other such noble gentlemen and resolute spirits bore their shares with me, and now liuing in England) did see me take this murdering Opechankanough now their great King by the long locke on his head; with my pistole at his breast, I led him among his greatest forces, and before we parted made him fill our Bark of twenty Tuns with corne. When their owne wants was such, I haue giuen them part againe in pittie, and others haue bought it againe to plant their fields.

For wronging a souldier but the value of a peny, I haue caused Powhatam send his owne men to Iames Towne to receiue their punishment at my discretion. It is true in our greatest extremitie they shot me, slue three of my men, and by the folly of them that fled tooke me prisoner; yet God made Pocahontas the Kings daughter the meanes to deliuer me: and thereby taught me to know their trecheries to preserue the rest.

It was also my chance in single combat to take the King of Paspahegh prisoner: and by keeping him, forced his subiects to worke in chaines till I made all the country pay contribution; hauing little else whereon to liue.

Twise in this time I was their President, and none can say in all that time I had a man slaine: but for keeping them in that feare I was much blamed both there and here: yet I left 500 behind me that, through their confidence, in six months came most to confusion, as you may reade at large in the description of Virginia.

When I went first to these desperate designes, it cost me many a forgotten pound to hire men to go, and pro