Page:A Description of New England - Smith (1616).djvu/68

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by Captaine Iohn Smith.
47

uours. But I honor, with all affection, the counsell and instructions of iudiciall directions, or any other honest aduertisement; so farre to obserue, as they tie mee not to the crueltie of vnknowne euents.

These are the inducements that thus drew me to ne glect all other imployments, and spend my time and best abilities in these aduentures. Wherein, though I haue had many discouragements by the ingratitude of some, the malicious slanders of others, the falsenesse of friendes, the trechery of cowards, and slownesse of aduenturers; but chiefly by one Hunt, who was Master of the ship, with whom oft arguing these proiects, for a plantation, howeuer hee seemed well in words to like it, yet he practiced to haue robbed mee of my plots, and obseruations: and so left mee alone in a desolate Ile, to the fury of famine, and all other extreamities (lest I should haue acquainted Sir Thomas Smith, my Honourable good friend, & the Councell of Virginia) to the end, he and his associates, might secretly ingrosse it, ere it were knowne to the State: Yet that God that alway hath kept me from the worst of such practices, delivered me from the worst of his dissimulations. Notwithstanding after my departure, hee abused the Saluages where hee came, and betrayed twenty seauen of these poore innocent soules, which he sould in Spaine for slaues, to mooue their hate against our Nation, as well as to cause my proceedings to be so much the more difficult.

Now, returning in the Bark, in the fift of Au-gust