COLONIAL COUNCILLORS OF STATE
83
tlie council in 1614, and at this time succeeded
Ralph Hamor, recorder of the colony, an office
which he held till the office of secretary of
state was created in 1619. But in spite of
Rolfe's virtues, his fame rests largely upon his
romantic marriage with Pocahontas, the In-
dian maiden, whose story has justly gained so
wide a fame. The account of Capt. John
Smith's deliverance by this "Guardian Angel
of \irginia" was for long accepted without
tiuestion and has grown to be a part of the
nation's treasured lore. Of recent years, how-
ever, there has been an effort on the part of
some eminent historians to discredit the tale
and set it down as a mere invention of Smith.
They point out that in a published letter of
Smith to a friend in England, written shortly
after his release by Powhatan, nothing w^as
said of his fair rescuer, nor, indeed, is she
mentioned in his first historical accounts. It
is answered, however, by the no less eminent
opponents of those idol breakers, that the
publisher of the letter exjilicitly states that he
has omitted a portion as being of a private
nature, that his first history is admittedly in-
complete, and that Smith told the tale unre-
futed at the time of Pocahontas' visit to Lon-
don, when there were many there besides her-
self who were familiar with the facts and
might have exjiosed the gallant captain had
his account not tallied with them. However
this may be, there is no doubt that, even ex-
cluding this episode, the story of Pocahontas
i.i a most romantic one or that she rendered
the colony a great service by means of her
friendship. At the age of fifteen she was ap-
parently married to an Indian chief called
Kocoum, with whose people she was found
by Gov. Argall, who bribed an Indian to de-
liver her a captive to him for the gift of a
copper kettle. Argall's purpose in holding
Pocahontas prisoner was that she might act as
hostage for her father Pow^hatan's good be-
havior. An entirely new turn was given the
matter by an attachment which grew up be-
tween her and John Rolfe. Rolfe hesitated
for some time both on account of the eltect on
his fellow colonists and because he shrank
from marrying a heathen princess unless he
could make it the occasion of saving her soul.
The latter scruple was soon removed by the
conversion of Pocahontas, and the favor of
Sir Thomas Dale being secured, the pic-
turesque marriage was celebrated in the little
church at Jamestown in Apr., 1614. The
great Powhatan also smiled on the union and
two of the bride's brothers were present.
There can be little doubt that it served as Sir
Thomas hoped it would to cement more closely
the friendship of the English and Indians and
postpone violence for a time. A year later
Rolfe and Pocahontas sailed for England with
Sir Thomas Dale, who took with him also, a
number of young Indians, both men and
maidens. Pocahontas was royally received
and feted, entertained by the great, both secu-
lar, who treated her as a princess, and the
clergy, who regarded her as the first fruit of
the church in the New World. While in Lon-
don, she saw Ben Jonson's "Christmas . his
Mask" played at court, had her portrait
painted and was altogether the center of atten-
tion. But while Pocahontas thus found favor,
poor Rolfe's experience was not so pleasant.
It is said that King James was envious of his
marriage to a foreign princess and feared that
h.e might attempt to establish himself King of
America. The council of the company in Eng-
land, when news of his marriage first reached
them, actually considered, it is said, whether
Rolfe might not be guilty of high treason in
marrying a foreign king's daughter, and if
