He seldom writes a book, or a tract, without beginning it or working into it a resume of his life.The only exception to this is his "Sea Grammar." In 1626 he published "An Accidence or the Pathway to Experience, necessary to all Young Seamen," and in 1627 "A Sea Grammar, with the plain Exposition of Smith's Accidence for Young Seamen, enlarged." This is a technical work, and strictly confined to the building, rigging, and managing of a ship.He was also engaged at the time of his death upon a "History of the Sea," which never saw the light.He was evidently fond of the sea, and we may say the title of Admiral came naturally to him, since he used it in the title-page to his "Description of New England," published in 1616, although it was not till 1617 that the commissioners at Plymouth agreed to bestow upon him the title of "Admiral of that country."In 1630 he published " The True Travels, Adventures and Observations of Captain John Smith, in Europe, Asia, Affrica and America, from 1593 to 1629.Together with a Continuation of his General History of Virginia, Summer Isles, New England, and their proceedings since 1624to this present 1629: as also of the new Plantations of the great River of the Amazons, the Isles of St.Christopher, Mevis and Barbadoes in the West Indies." In the dedication to William, Earl of Pembroke, and Robert, Earl of Lindsay, he says it was written at the request of Sir Robert Cotton, the learned antiquarian, and he the more willingly satisfies this noble desire because, as he says, "they have acted my fatal tragedies on the stage, and racked my relations at their pleasure.To prevent, therefore, all future misprisions, Ihave compiled this true discourse.Envy hath taxed me to have writ too much, and done too little; but that such should know how little, I esteem them, I have writ this more for the satisfaction of my friends, and all generous and well-disposed readers: To speak only of myself were intolerable ingratitude: because, having had many co-partners with me, I cannot make a Monument for myself, and leave them unburied in the fields, whose lives begot me the title of Soldier, for as they were companions with me in my dangers, so shall they be partakers with me in this Tombe." In the same dedication he spoke of his "Sea Grammar" caused to be printed by his worthy friend Sir Samuel Saltonstall.
This volume, like all others Smith published, is accompanied by a great number of swollen panegyrics in verse, showing that the writers had been favored with the perusal of the volume before it was published.Valor, piety, virtue, learning, wit, are by them ascribed to the "great Smith," who is easily the wonder and paragon of his.
age.All of them are stuffed with the affected conceits fashionable at the time.One of the most pedantic of these was addressed to him by Samuel Purchas when the "General Historie " was written.
The portrait of Smith which occupies a corner in the Map of Virginia has in the oval the date, "AEta 37, A.16l6," and round the rim the inscription: " Portraictuer of Captaine John Smith, Admirall of New England," and under it these lines engraved:
"These are the Lines that show thy face: but those That show thy Grace and Glory brighter bee:
Thy Faire Discoveries and Fowle-Overthrowes Of Salvages, much Civilized by thee Best shew thy Spirit; and to it Glory Wyn;So, thou art Brasse without, but Golde within, If so, in Brasse (too soft smiths Acts to beare)I fix thy Fame to make Brasse steele outweare.
Thine as thou art Virtues JOHN DAVIES, Heref."In this engraving Smith is clad in armor, with a high starched collar, and full beard and mustache formally cut.His right hand rests on his hip, and his left grasps the handle of his sword.The face is open and pleasing and full of decision.
This "true discourse" contains the wild romance with which this volume opens, and is pieced out with recapitulations of his former writings and exploits, compilations from others' relations, and general comments.We have given from it the story of his early life, because there is absolutely no other account of that part of his career.We may assume that up to his going to Virginia he did lead a life of reckless adventure and hardship, often in want of a decent suit of clothes and of "regular meals." That he took some part in the wars in Hungary is probable, notwithstanding his romancing narrative, and he may have been captured by the Turks.But his account of the wars there, and of the political complications, we suspect are cribbed from the old chronicles, probably from the Italian, while his vague descriptions of the lands and people in Turkey and "Tartaria" are evidently taken from the narratives of other travelers.It seems to me that the whole of his story of his oriental captivity lacks the note of personal experience.If it were not for the "patent" of Sigismund (which is only produced and certified twenty years after it is dated), the whole Transylvania legend would appear entirely apocryphal.