Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 1.djvu/119

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COLONIAL COUNXILLORS OF STATE


This fight caused great excitement and reports of it were published in London and Amster- dam. L'pon July i6, 1621, the Virginia Com- pany had received news of the death of "Dr. Bohun of the Counsel in \'irginia." and on Oct. 3, of that year, his widow, Mrs. Alice Bohun. petitioned the company that, "as her husband in his lifetime was at great cliarge, as she supposes for the providing and trans- porting of servants into Virginia," she might be allowed some annual contribution, and also that her son. Edward Barnes, who was bound to serve the company for seven years, might be released. Both applications were rejected, the company stating that it, and not Dr. Bohun was at the said costs and charges, and that Edward Barnes was the company's servant nnd could not be set free.

Smith, Capt. Roger, who "served for twelve or thirteen years in the wars in the Low Countries," is first known to us as commanding a company of infantry under Sir Francis Vere. in 1592. His earliest voyage to \'irginia was in the year 1616. In November. 16 19, when he had been in the colony "about some three years" he sailed thence for England again, and while there made complaint to the Virgin-a Company of Sir George Yeardley's treatment of him. At a meeting of the company Dec 13. 1620, an entry was made that Capt. Roger Smith being desirous to go this pre-cnt voyage to Virginia, moved that he might have the charge of some of those people now sent to the company's tenants, and further, that the company would be pleased to bestow upon him some means to make him the better fit for the said voyage : for as much therefore as the said Captain Smith is recommended to be a gentleman very fitting for that employment, and in regard to his good experience already


(Laving been heretofore in \'irginia about three years) might thereby do the company great service, the court was pleased for his better encouragement to give him £30 treely, to furnish him with necessarys, and ordered that he should have the command of fifty per- sons now transported to \'irginia to be tena.its upon the Company's land." Captain Smith sailed for the colony in Feb., 162 1. and on Julv 24, of the same year, he was appointed a member of the council there. On March 22, 1623, the Indians killed five men near his plan- tation in Charles City county, and in April he was engaged in building a block house. Smith married Jane Pierce the widow of John Rolfc and, with his wife, was living in James City in 1625. The last mention of him is on Nov. 30, 1629, where he was still a member of the council.

Sandys, George, was the youngest son of Dr. Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York, and was born in the archiepiscopal palace of Bish- opsthorpe, near York. His godfathers were George, Earl of Cumberland and \\'illiam, Lord Ewer, and his godmother. Catherine, Countess of Huntington. In England. Sandys wa= one of the most distinguished men of letters of his time, and he has the honor of having produced the first book ever written on American soil, a translation of parts of Ovid and \'ergil. He was an unusually precocious student and entered Oxford University at the age of twelve. In 1610 he started on a two years' journey through the East, visiting Italy, Turkey, Greece, Egypt and the Holy Land. Upon his return to England, he published an account of his travels which he dedicated to "The Prince" as he always called Charles I. who had then been reigning about a year. This work became ver/ popular and in 1673