s, it was deliberated in council whether he
had not committed high treason by so doing, that is marrying an Indian
princesse."
It was like James to think so. His interest in the colony was never
the most intelligent, and apt to be in things trivial. Lord Southampton
(Dec. 15, 1609) writes to Lord Salisbury that he had told the King of
the Virginia squirrels brought into England, which are said to fly. The
King very earnestly asked if none were provided for him, and said he was
sure Salisbury would get him one. Would not have troubled him, "but that
you know so well how he is affected to these toys."
There has been recently found in the British Museum a print of a
portrait of Pocahontas, with a legend round it in Latin, which is
translated: "Matoaka, alias Rebecka, Daughter of Prince Powhatan,
Emperor of Virginia; converted to Christianity, married Mr. Rolff; died
on shipboard at Gravesend 1617." This is doubtless the portrait engraved
by Simon De Passe in 1616, and now inserted in the extant copies of the
London edition of the "General Historie," 1624. It is not probable that
the portrait was originally published with the "General Historie." The
portrait inserted in the edition of 1624 has this inscription:
Round the portrait:
"Matoaka als Rebecca Filia Potentiss Princ: Pohatani Imp: Virginim."
In the oval, under the portrait:
"Aetatis suae 21 A.
1616"
Below:
"Matoaks als Rebecka daughter to the mighty Prince Powhatan Emprour of
Attanoughkomouck als virginia converted and baptized in the Christian
faith, and wife to the worth Mr. job Rolff. i: Pass: sculp. Compton
Holland excud."
Camden in his "History of Gravesend" says that everybody paid this
young lady all imaginable respect, and it was believed she would have
sufficiently acknowledged those favors, had she lived to return to her
own country, by bringing the Indians to a kinder disposition toward the
English; and that she died, "giving testimony all the time she lay sick,
of her being a very good Christian."
The Lady Rebecka, as she was called in London, died on shipboard at
Gravesend after a brief illness, said to be of only three days, probably
on the 21st of March, 1617. I have seen somewhere a statement, which
I cannot confirm, that her disease was smallpox. St. George's Church,
where she was buried, was destroyed by fire in 1727. The register of
that church has this record:
"1616, May 21 Rebecca Wrothe
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