Captain John Smith’s A Map of Virginia (1612)

Of such things which are naturall in Virginia and how they use them.

Virginia doth afford many excellent vegitables and living Creatures, yet grasse there is little
or none but what groweth in lowe Marishes: for all the Countrey is overgrowne with trees,
whose droppings continually turneth their grasse to weedes, by reason of rancknesse of the
ground; which would soone be amended by good husbandry. The wood that is most common
is Oke and Walnut: many of their Okes are so tall and straight, that they will beare two foot
and a halfe square of good timber for 20 yards long. Of this wood there is 2 or 3 severall
kinds. The Acornes of one kind, whose barke is more white then the other, is somewhat
sweetish; which being boyled halfe a day in severall waters, at last afford a sweete oyle,
which they keep in goards to annoint their heads and joints. The fruit they eate, made
in bread or otherwise.
There is also some Elme, some black walnut trees, and some Ash: of Ash and Elme they make
sope Ashes. If the trees be very great, the ashes will be good, and melt to hard lumps: but if
they be small, it will be but powder, and not so good as the other.
Of walnuts there is 2 or 3 kindes: there is a kinde of wood we called Cypres, because both the
wood, the fruit, the leafe did most resemble it; and of those trees there are some neere 3
fadome about at the root, very straight, and 50, 60, or 80 foot without a braunch.
By the dwelling of the Savages are some great Mulbery trees; and in some parts of the
Countrey, they are found growing naturally in prettie groves. There was an assay made to
make silke, and surely the wormes prospered excellent well, till the master workeman fell
sicke: during which time, they were eaten with rats.
In some parts, were found some Chestnuts whose wild fruit equalize the best in France,
Spaine, Germany, or Italy, to their tasts that had tasted them all.

William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation (1856)

“Being thus arived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees &
blessed ye God of heaven, who had brought them over ye vast & furious ocean, and delivered
them from all ye periles & miseries therof, againe to set their feete on y e firme and stable
earth, their proper elemente. […]
But hear I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amased at this poore peoples
presente condition; and so I thinke will the reader too, when he well considers y e same. Being
thus passed ye vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation (as may be
remembred by yt which wente before), they had now no freinds to wellcome them, nor inns to
entertaine or refresh their weatherbeaten bodys, no houses or much less townes to repaire too,
to seeke for succoure. It is recorded in scripture as a mercie to ye apostle & his shipwraked
company, yt the barbarians shewed them no smale kindnes in refreshing them, but these
savage barbarians, when they mette with them (as after will appeare) were readier to fill their
sids full of arrows then otherwise. And for y e season it was winter, and they that know y e
winters of yt cuntrie know them to be sharp & violent, & subjecte to cruell & feirce stormes,
deangerous to travill to known places, much more to serch an unknown coast. Besids, what
could they see but a hidious & desolate wildernes, full of wild beasts & willd men? […]
If they looked behind them, ther was ye mighty ocean which they had passed, and was now as
a maine barr & goulfe to seperate them from all ye civill parts of ye world. […]
What could now sustaine them but the spirite of God & his grace? May not & ought not the
children of these fathers rightly say: Our faithers were Englishmen which came over this
great ocean, and were ready to perish in this willdernes; but they cried unto ye Lord, and he
heard their voyce, and looked on their adversitie, Let them therfore praise y e Lord, because

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he is good, & his mercies endure for ever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of y e Lord,
shew how he hath delivered them from y e hand of ye oppressour. When they wandered in y e
deserte willdernes out of ye way, and found no citie to dwell in, both hungrie, & thirstie, their
sowle was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before y e Lord his loving kindnes, and his
wonderfull works before ye sons of men.”

Anne Bradstreet’s The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650)

“To My Dear and Loving Husband”

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741)

“There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure
of God. By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will,
restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else
but God’s mere will had in the least degree or in any respect whatsoever any hand in the
preservation of wicked men one moment. (...)”
“So that thus it is, that natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell; they have
deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his
anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the
fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that
anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold ’em up one moment; the devil
is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and
would fain lay hold on them and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is
struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within
reach that can be any security to them. In short they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of;
all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged
forbearance of an incensed God.”
“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome
insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath towards you burns like
fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer
eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times so abominable in his
eyes, as the most hateful and venomous serpent is in ours.”