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For The Colony in Virginea Britannia. Lavves Diuine, Morall and Martiall, &c

Peter Force, Washington, D.C.

Original publisher's beige paper pamphlet. Text printed in black ink. Several pages unopened. Small piece of string at center near spine binds the separate signatures; pamphlet is presumed complete. No date, circa 1836-1846. 6 1/2" x 9 3/4." Sixty-eight pages, presumed complete. Pages are clean and intact overall except for dampstaining near fore-edge, tiny spots of mold along spine, light age toning, slight wear to extremities, and occasional spots of foxing or discoloration. A Good copy. "Vol. III.--No. 2" of Peter Force's Collection of Historical Pamphlets. This is a pamphlet published by Peter Force that reprints the first collection of laws to govern Jamestown in response to the destitute state of the settlement discovered by Thomas Gates (?-1622) who became Governor of Jamestown. Gates had set out for Virginia on behalf of the Virginia Company which had established Jamestown. After recovering from the Sea Voyage wreckage on Bermuda, Gates and his party landed in Virginia but found that only sixty of the 500 Jamestown colonists had surviving the infamous "Starving Time" of 1609-1610. Most of the colonists had succumbed to starvation and disease brought on by the harsh environment and winter, incompetent leadership by then-Jamestown governor George Percy, and sieges by the Powhatans. Gates implemented strict and effective civil (and possibly military) laws that helped the Jamestown settlement survive. After Gates temporarily left, Thomas Dale (c. 1570-1619) arrived in 1611 and became deputy-governor of Jamestown. He implemented military laws that dictated soldiers' behavior and responsibilities in Virginia Colony. Both Dale and Gates helped re-establish Jamestown through their laws and expeditions that refortified the settlement with supplies. The compilation of Gates's and Dale's laws were first published in 1612 under the name, For The Colony in Virginea Britannia, which is reprinted herein. Some examples of Jamestown's civil laws include keeping one's residence clean, tradesmen being required to work, no colonists running away to the Powhatans, and no colonists conspiring against Jamestown officials. Examples of military laws in Jamestown: soldiers who abandon their watch will be put in prison, any soldier who speaks "injurious words" to the Court of the Guard in his first offense shall beg for forgiveness upon his knees in front of all of the officers, and any soldier who draws his sword upon the Court of the Guard will be put to death by his own arms. Peter Force (1790-1868) was an American printer, publisher, editor, and historian. Force is perhaps best-known for his comprehensive collection of early American historical documents and for publishing them. This pamphlet is an example of one of Force's publications that became a part of a his four-volume publication of reprinted historical documents titled, Tracts and Other Papers, Relating to the Origin, Settlement, and Progress of the Colonies in North America, that was published between 1836 and 1846.. Book. Book Condition: Good. Binding: No Binding

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