As they took their seats—hats on, according to an ancient custom—let us have a closer look at these Englishmen chosen by their fellows to make a beginning of self-government in the country known throughout the world to-day as the Land of the Free.
Governor Yeardley's knighthood has been earned. He is a trained soldier—having been an officer in the wars of Holland against Spain. He has already served Virginia well as a member of the Council of State and as Acting Governor. The marriage, after a while, of his cousin to the mother of a little boy by the name of John Harvard will give him for future readers of history a slight, but interesting, link with New England.
Among members of the Council, Captain Francis West is a son of Lord Delaware. He settled West Hundred—the plantation to become widely known as: historic Master Ralph Hamer has been Secretary of State for the colony, and is the author of a ''Relation,"' which is to be a valuable source of information for future students of early settlement days.
Master John Rolfe has made himself famous by marrying Pow-batan's daughter, and useful and successful] experiments in tobacco culture. A sword, or to be more a tomahawk, hangs over his head, though happily for his peace of mind he does not know it —for notwithstanding his connexion with the Indians, he will be murdered by them in the massacre of March, 1622.
Captain Nathaniel Powell was a "first settler." He explored York River with Smith, and Chesapeake Bay with Newport—making notes which were used by Captain Smith in his celebrated ''Historic of Virginia.'' Both he and his wife will be victims of the massacre.
Captain Samuel Maycock is "a Cambridge scholar.'' For this inoffensive lover of books also, the red man gleefully whets his deadly tomahawk.
The Rev. William Wickham is a gentleman of good family and a clergyman of the Church of England.
The Secretary-Speaker, John Pory, is a Master of Arts of Cambridge. As he has been a member of the House of Commons, his knowledge of parliamentary law and proceedings is to prove valuable in helping the councillors and burgesses to conduct the Assembly according to form.
The First 'Slacker' Law.
The Assembly opened upon friday, July 30, and sat through the following Wednesday—five sweltering midsummer days. But notwithstanding temperature which caused the alteration of the healthes of divers present,'? much interesting business was transacted. Laws which smack of our recent war measures regulated planting and trade, fixed the price of tobacco, and made the killing of cattle illegal. And now was laid down America's first slacker' law. If any man in the colony should be known to live in idleness the court was to appoint for him''a master whom he was to serve for wages until he shews apparent signes of amendment."
To prevent extravagance in dress, every man was to be taxed according to the value of the clothes he wore to church. "Tf he be unmarried, according to his own apparel; if he be married, according to his own and his wife's."
"On Sundays," declared another law, ''all persons whatsoever must frequent divine service and sermons, both forenoon and afternoon, and all such as bear arms shall bring their pieces, swords, powder and shot.'' This was, of course, by way of preparedness against Indian surprise. It was enacted that ''no injury or oppress sion be wrought by the English against the Indians whereby the present peace might be disturbed and ancient quarrels might be revived."' Also that each town, city, borough and particular plantation do obtain unto themselves by just means a certain number of the natives' children to be educated by them in true religion and civil course of life—of which children the most towardly boys in wit and graces of nature to be brought up by them in the first elements of literature so as to be fitted for the college intended for them."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.