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CAPUT VIII - Their manner of warrs, and consultations thereabout; of certain prophesies amongst them; of Powhatan's auncient enemies, and how they maie be wrought into league with us, and turned against him, whereby we maie bring him likewise to be in freindship with us; of their bowes, arrowes, and swordes, targetts, drumes; of their phisick and chirurgery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2011

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Summary

When they intend any warrs, the weroances usually advise with their priests or conjurers, their allies and best trusted chauncellors and freinds; but comonly the priests have the resulting voice, and determyne therefore their resolutions. Eyther a weroance or some lustie fellowe is appointed captaine over a nation or regiment to be led forth; and when they would presse a number of soldiers to be ready by a day, an officer is dispacht awaye, who comyng into the townes, or otherwise meeting such whome he hath order to warne, to strike them over the back a sound blow with a bastinado, and bidds them be ready to serve the great king, and tells them the randevous, from whence they dare not at any tyme appointed be absent. They seldome make warrs for lands or goods, but for women and children, and principally for revenge, so vindicative and jealous they be to be made a dirision of, and to be insulted upon by an enemy.

There be at this tyme certayne prophesies afoot amongst the people enhabiting about us, of which Powhatan ysnot meanly jealous and careful to divert the construction and danger which his priests contynually put him in feare of. [It is] not long since that his priests told him how that from the Chesapeack Bay a nation should arise which should dissolve and give end to his empire, for which, not many yeares since (perplext with this divelish oracle, and divers understanding thereof), according to the ancyent and gentile customs, he destroyed and put to sword all such who might lye under any doubtful construccion of the said prophesie, as all the inhabitants, the weroance and his subjects of that province, and so remaine all the Chessiopeians at this daye, and for this cause, extinct.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010
First published in: 1849

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