20 Letter to his Father and Mother
Richard Frethorne
(April 2, 1623)
Loveing and kind father and mother my most humble duty remembred to you hopeing in God of yor good health, as I my selfe am at the makeing hereof, this is to let you vnderstand that I yor Child am in a most heavie Case by reason of the nature of the Country is such that it Causeth much sicknes, as the scurvie and the bloody flix, and divers other diseases, wch maketh the bodie very poore, and Weake, and when wee are sicke there is nothing to Comfort vs; for since I came out of the ship, I never at anie thing but pease, and loblollie (that is water gruell) as for deare or venison I never saw anie since I came into this land, ther is indeed some foule, but Wee are not allowed to goe, and get yt, but must Worke hard both earelie, and late for a messe of water gruell, and a mouthful of bread, and beife, a mouthfull of bread for a pennie loafe must serve for 4 men wch is most pitifull if you did knowe as much as I, when people crie out day, and night, Oh that they were in England without their lymbes and would not care to loose anie lymbe to bee in England againe, yea though they beg from doore to doore, for wee live in feare of the Enimy eurie hower, yet wee haue had a Combate with them on the Sunday before Shrovetyde, and wee tooke two alive, and make slaves of them, but it was by pollicie, for wee are in great danger, for our Plantacon is very weake, by reason of the dearth, and sicknes, of our Companie, for wee came but Twentie for the marchaunt, and they are halfe dead Just; and wee looke everie hower When two more should goe, yet there came some for other men yet to lyve with vs, of which ther is but one alive, and our Leiften^nt is dead, and his ffather, and his brother, and there was some 5 or 6 of the last yeares 20 of wch there is but 3 left, so that wee are faine to get other men to plant with vs, and yet wee are but 32 to fight against 3000 if they should Come, and the nighest helpe that Wee haue is ten miles of vs, and when the rogues ou9came this place last, they slew 80 Persons how then shall wee doe for wee lye even in their teeth, they may easilie take vs but that God is mercifull, and can save with few as well as with many; as he shewed to Gylead and like Gilead Souldiers if they lapt water, wee drinkee water wch is but Weake, and I haue nothing to Comfort me, nor ther is nothing to be gotten here but sicknes, and death, except that one had money to lay out in some thinges for profit; But I haue nothing at all, no not a shirt to my backe, but two Ragges nor no Clothes, but one poore suite, nor but one paire of shooes, but one paire of stockins, but one Capp, but two bands, my Cloke is stollen by one of my owne fellowes, and to his dying hower would not tell mee what he did with it but some of my fellows saw him have butter and beife out of a ship, wch my Cloke I doubt paid for, so that I have not a penny, nor a a penny Worth to helpe me to either spice, or sugar, or