he was arrested on the charge that he designed to kill his fellow-leaders and make himself "king of Virginia"; but he was released when the shores of Jamestown were reached, thereby, he assures us, escaping the "gallows," but temporarily losing his membership in the council of seven managers. He carefully explored interior Virginia and Chesapeake Bay; quarrelled with, sued, or executed several prominent colonists; and once more narrowly escaped condemnation to death. He finally quit Virginia in September, 1609, after two years of zeal, turmoil, and discovery, in which his services to the colony were great and of lasting value. Five years later he explored the New England coast, of which he made a map, and started to return thither with the idea of founding a colony in New England, in 1615. But captured by a French man-of-war off Flores, he was transported to Rochelle, after which his immediate career is doubtful. In 1616, having escaped, and receiving from James I. the title of "Admiral of New England," he actively turned his attention to book-making, chiefly with the unselfish idea of furthering schemes of American colonization. His influence upon subsequent Pilgrim and Puritan settlement in New England was considerable, but he reaped little material advantage from his incessant labors. He died in London in 1631, aged fifty-two, after a brave, intensely active, romantic, tolerably chivalrous, and, on the whole, decidedly useful life. His zeal was greater than his discretion, and his industry was often fruitless; but as an explorer and describer of American men, soil, and possibilities

his service to the nascent colonies was unquestionable. This bald list of his adventures, discoveries, and doings explains his prominence in the American history of the seventeenth century.

His voluminous writings deserve but a humble place in literature. Strictly speaking, they are a part of English, not American, literature, for Smith's continuous residence on American soil was a matter of but two years' lasting; and, all told, he was in the New World but two years and eight months. It is uncertain what share Smith had in the writing of the works passing under his name; some of his assertions (as the famous legend of the rescue of his life by Pocahontas) are questionable, and others demonstrably false. At their best, his books lack high literary merit, and are material for the historian. rather than the critic. The list of productions under his name is as follows:

A True Relation of such occurrences and accidents of noate as hath hapned in Virginia since the first planting of that Collony, which is now resident in the South part thereof, till the last return from thence. [Final title-page.] Written by Captain Smith, Coronell of the said Collony, to a worshipfull friend of his in England. London, 1608. A Map of Virginia. With a Description of the Countrey, the Commodities, People, Government, and Religion. Written by Captaine Smith, sometimes Governour of the Countrey. Whereunto is annexed the proceedings of those Colonies, since their first departure from England, etc., by W. S[immonds, D.D.]. Oxford, 1612.

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 Iohn 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 Iohn Smith, somtimes Gouernour of Virginia, and Admirall of New England. The second edition. London, 1622.

The Generall 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