"When I first went to Virginia, I well remember, we did hang an awning (which is an old saile) to three or foure trees to shadow us from the Sunne, our walls were rales of wood, our seats unhewed trees, till we cut plankes, our Pulpit a bar of wood nailed to two neighboring trees, in foule weather we shifted into an old rotten tent, for we had few better, and this came by the way of adventure for me; this was our Church, till we built a homely thing like a barne, set upon Cratchets, covered with rafts, sedge and earth, so was also the walls: the best of our houses of the like curiosity, but the most part farre much worse workmanship, that could neither well defend wind nor raine, yet we had daily Common Prayer morning and evening, every day two Sermons, and every three moneths the holy Communion, till our Minister died, [Robert Hunt] but our Prayers daily, with an Homily on Sundaies."It is due to Mr.Wingfield, who is about to disappear from Virginia, that something more in his defense against the charges of Smith and the others should be given.It is not possible now to say how the suspicion of his religious soundness arose, but there seems to have been a notion that he had papal tendencies.His grandfather, Sir Richard Wingfield, was buried in Toledo, Spain.His father, Thomas Maria Wingfield, was christened by Queen Mary and Cardinal Pole.
These facts perhaps gave rise to the suspicion.He answers them with some dignity and simplicity, and with a little querulousness :
"It is noised that I combyned with the Spanniards to the distruccion of the Collony; that I ame an atheist, because I carryed not a Bible with me, and because I did forbid the preacher to preache; that Iaffected a kingdome; that I did hide of the comon provision in the ground.
"I confesse I have alwayes admyred any noble vertue and prowesse, as well in the Spanniards (as in other nations): but naturally I have alwayes distrusted and disliked their neighborhoode.I sorted many bookes in my house, to be sent up to me at my goeing to Virginia;amongst them a Bible.They were sent up in a trunk to London, with divers fruite, conserves, and preserves, which I did sett in Mr.
Crofts his house in Ratcliff.In my beeing at Virginia, I did understand my trunk was thear broken up, much lost, my sweetmeates eaten at his table, some of my bookes which I missed to be seene in his hands: and whether amongst them my Bible was so ymbeasiled or mislayed by my servants, and not sent me, I knowe not as yet.
"Two or three Sunday mornings, the Indians gave us allarums at our towne.By that tymes they weare answered, the place about us well discovered, and our devyne service ended, the daie was farr spent.
The preacher did aske me if it were my pleasure to have a sermon: hee said hee was prepared for it.I made answere, that our men were weary and hungry, and that he did see the time of the daie farr past (for at other tymes bee never made such question, but, the service finished he began his sermon); and that, if it pleased him, wee would spare him till some other tyme.I never failed to take such noates by wrighting out of his doctrine as my capacity could comprehend, unless some raynie day hindred my endeavor.My mynde never swelled with such ympossible mountebank humors as could make me affect any other kingdome than the kingdom of heaven.
"As truly as God liveth, I gave an ould man, then the keeper of the private store, 2 glasses with sallet oyle which I brought with me out of England for my private stoare, and willed him to bury it in the ground, for that I feared the great heate would spoile it.
Whatsoever was more, I did never consent unto or know of it, and as truly was it protested unto me, that all the remaynder before mencioned of the oyle, wyne, &c., which the President receyved of me when I was deposed they themselves poored into their owne bellyes.
"To the President's and Counsell's objections I saie that I doe knowe curtesey and civility became a governor.No penny whittle was asked me, but a knife, whereof I have none to spare The Indyans had long before stoallen my knife.Of chickins I never did eat but one, and that in my sicknes.Mr.Ratcliff had before that time tasted Of 4 or 5.I had by my owne huswiferie bred above 37, and the most part of them my owne poultrye; of all which, at my comyng awaie, I did not see three living.I never denyed him (or any other) beare, when Ihad it.The corne was of the same which we all lived upon.
"Mr.Smyth, in the time of our hungar, had spread a rumor in the Collony, that I did feast myself and my servants out of the comon stoare, with entent (as I gathered) to have stirred the discontented company against me.I told him privately, in Mr.Gosnold's tent, that indeede I had caused half a pint of pease to be sodden with a peese of pork, of my own provision, for a poore old man, which in a sicknes (whereof he died) he much desired; and said, that if out of his malice he had given it out otherwise, that hee did tell a leye.
It was proved to his face, that he begged in Ireland like a rogue, without a lycence.To such I would not my nam should be a companyon."The explanation about the Bible as a part of his baggage is a little far-fetched, and it is evident that that book was not his daily companion.Whether John Smith habitually carried one about with him we are not informed.The whole passage quoted gives us a curious picture of the mind and of the habits of the time.This allusion to John Smith's begging is the only reference we can find to his having been in Ireland.If he was there it must have been in that interim in his own narrative between his return from Morocco and his going to Virginia.He was likely enough to seek adventure there, as the hangers-on of the court in Raleigh's day occasionally did, and perhaps nothing occurred during his visit there that he cared to celebrate.If he went to Ireland he probably got in straits there, for that was his usual luck.