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same year the colonists bought twenty of burial sequestered and paled in." negro slaves of a Dutch trader, and so Absence from public worship "without slavery was introduced (see SLAVERY). On allowable excuse" incurred the forfeiture July 24, 1621, the London Company of a pound of tobacco, or 50 lbs. if the granted the colonists a written constitu- absence were persisted in for a month. tion for their government, which provided Divine public service was to be in confor the appointment of a governor and formity to the canons of the Church of council by the company, and a representa- England. In addition to the Church festive assembly, to consist of two burgesses tivals, March 22 (O. S.) was to be annuor representatives from each borough, to ally observed in commemoration of the be chosen by the people and clothed with escape of the colony from destruction by full legislative power in connection with the Indians. No minister was allowed to the council. This body formed the Gen- be absent from his parish more than two eral Assembly. Sir Francis Wyatt was months in a year, under pain of forfeiting appointed governor, and brought the con- one-half of his salary, or the whole of it, stitution with him. and his spiritual charge, if absent four The first laws of the commonwealth months. He who disparaged a minister were thirty-five in number, concisely ex- without proof was to be fined 500 lbs. pressed, repealed all former laws, and of tobacco, and to beg the minister's parclearly showed the condition of the col- don publicly before the congregation. The ony. The first acts related to the Church. minister's salary was to be paid out of the They provided that in every plantation first-gathered and best tobacco and corn; there should be a room or house "for the and no man was to dispose of his tobacco worship of God, sequestered and set apart before paying his church-dues, under pain for that purpose, and not to be for any of forfeiting double. Drunkenness and temporal use whatsoever "; also a place swearing were made punishable offences.

The levy and expenditure were to be go to work in the fields without being

made by the Assembly only; the governor armed, nor to leave his house exposed to might not draw the inhabitants from their attack; no powder was to be spent unprivate employments to do his work; the necessarily, and each plantation was to whole council had to consent to the levy be furnished with arms. Persons of of men for the public service; older set- "quality" who were delinquent might not tlers, who came before Sir Thomas Gates undergo corporal punishment like "com(1611), “and their posterity" were to be mon people, but might be imprisoned exempt from personal military service; the and fined. Any person wounded in the burgesses were not to be molested in going military service was to be cured at the to, coming from, or during the sessions of public charge, and if permanently lamed the Assembly; every private planter's was to have a maintenance according to lands were to be surveyed and their bounds his "quality"; and 10 lbs. of tobacco recorded; monthly courts were to be held were to be levied on each male coloby special commissioners at Elizabeth nist to pay the expenses of the war. This City, at the mouth of the James, and at war was that with the Indians after the Charles City, for the accommodation of massacre in 1622, and much of the legismore distant plantations; the price of lation had reference to it, such as an

order for the inhabitants, at the beginning of July, 1624, to fall upon the adjoining savages as they did last year."

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corn was to be unrestricted; in every parish was to be a public granary, to which each planter was to bring yearly a bushel of corn to be disposed of for public use by In 1624, of the 9,000 persons who had a vote of the freemen, and if not disposed been sent to Virginia, only a little more of to be returned to the owner; every set- than 2,000 remained. The same year the tler was to be compelled to cultivate corn London Company was dissolved by a writ • enough for his family; all trade in corn of quo warranto, and Virginia became a with the Indians was prohibited; every royal province. George Yeardly was apfreeman was to fence in a garden of a pointed governor, with twelve councillors. quarter of an acre for the planting of He died in 1627, and was succeeded by Sir grape-vines, roots, herbs, and mulberry- John Harvey, a haughty and unpopular trees; inspectors, or "censors." of to- ruler. Harvey was deposed by the Virbacco were to be appointed; ships were ginians in 1635, but was reinstated by to break bulk only at James City; weights Charles I., and ruled until 1639. Sir Willand measures were to be sealed; every iam Berkeley became governor in 1641, at house was to be palisaded for defence the beginning of the civil war in Engagainst the Indians, and no man was to land, and being a thorough loyalist, soon

came in contact with the republican Par- ginia. That was Washington's first apliament. The colonists, also, remained pearance in public service. He performed loyal, and invited the son of the behead- the duty with so much skill and prudence ed King to come and reign over them. that he was placed at the head of a miliCromwell sent commissioners and a fleet tary force the next year, and fought the to Virginia. A compromise with the French at and near Fort Necessity. Durloyalists was effected. Berkeley gave way ing the French and Indian War that ento Richard Bennett, one of the commis- sued, Virginia bore her share; and when sioners, who became governor. But when England began to press her taxation Charles II. was restored, Berkeley, who schemes in relation to the colonies, the had not left Virginia, was reinstated; the Virginia House of Burgesses took a patrilaws of the colony were revived; restric- otic stand in opposition, under the leadertive revenue laws were enforced; the ship of PATRICK HENRY (q. v.). From Church of England-disestablished in Vir- that time until the breaking out of the ginia-was re-established, and severe legis- Revolutionary War the Virginians were lative acts against Non-conformists were conspicuous in maintaining the rights of passed. Berkeley proclaimed Charles II. the colonies. "King of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Virginia,” and ruled with vigor. Under Berkeley, the colonists had become discontented, and in 1676 they broke out into open rebellion, led by a wealthy and enterprising young lawyer named NATHANIEL BACON (q. v.).

On March 20, 1775, a convention of delgates from the several counties and corporations of Virginia met for the first time. They assembled in St. John's Church in Richmond. Among the conspicuous members of the convention were Washington and Patrick Henry. Peyton Randolph was chosen president and John Tazewell clerk. A large portion of the members yearned for reconciliation with Great Britain, while others saw no ground for hope that the mother-country would be just. Among the latter was Patrick Henry. His judgment was too sound to be misled by mere appearances of justice, in which others trusted. The convention expressed its unqualified approbation of the proceedings of the Continental Congress, and warmly thanked their delegates for the part they had taken in it. They thanked the Assembly of the island of Jamaica for a sympathizing document, and then proceeded to consider resolutions that the colony should be instantly put in a state of defence by an immediate organization of the militia.

Charles II. had given a patent for Virginia (1673) to two of his rapacious courtiers (Arlington and Culpeper), and in 1677 the latter superseded Berkeley as governor. He arrived in Virginia in 1680, and his rapacity and profligacy soon so disgusted the people that they were on the verge of rebellion, when the King, of fended at him, revoked his grant and his commission. He was succeeded by an equally unpopular governor, Lord Howard of Effingham, and the people were again stirred to revolt; but the death of the King and other events in England made them wait for hoped-for relief. The Stuarts were driven from the throne forever in 1688, and there was a change for the better in the colonies. In 1699 Williamsburg was founded and made the capital of Virginia, where the General Assembly This meant resistance, and the resolumet in 1700. The code was revised for tions alarmed the more timid, who opthe fifth time in 1705, when by it slaves posed the measure as rash and almost were declared real estate, and this law impious. Deceived by a show of justice continued until 1776. Hostilities with the on the part of Great Britain, they urged French broke out in 1754, they having delay, for it was evident that the numerbuilt a line of military posts along the ous friends of the colonists in England, western slope of the Alleghany Moun- together with the manufacturing interest, tains, in the rear of Virginia, and at the would soon bring about an accommodahead-waters of the Ohio. To one of these tion. This show of timidity and temporposts young George Washington was sent izing roused the fire of patriotism in the on a diplomatic mission towards the close bosom of Henry, and he made an impasof 1753, by Dinwiddie, governor of Vir- sioned speech, which electrified all hear

ers and has become in our history an admired specimen of oratory. The resolutions to prepare for defence were passed,

tainder, with those of Randolph, Jefferson,
the two Adamses, and Hancock.
Governor Dunmore soon called a meet-
ing of the Virginia
Assembly to con-
sider a conciliatory
proposition made
by Lord North.
They rejected it,
and in his anger
he fulminated
proclamations
against Henry and
the committees of
vigilance which
were formed in
every county in
Virginia. He
declared that,
should one of his
officers be molested
in the performance
of his duty, he
would raise the
royal standard,
proclaim freedom
to the slaves, and
arm them against
their masters. He
sent his family
(May 4) on board
the British man-of-

and Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, war Fowey, in the York River, fortified Robert C. Nicholas, Benjamin Harrison, his "palace," and secretly placed powder Lemuel Riddick, George Washington, Adam under the magazine at Williamsburg, Stephen, Andrew Lewis, William Chris- with the evident intention of blowing it tian, Edmund Pendleton, Thomas Jeffer- up should occasion seem to require it. son, and Isaac Lane were appointed a The discovery of this "gunpowder plot" commitee to prepare a plan accordingly. Their plan for embodying the militia was adopted, and Virginia prepared herself for the conflict. Provision was made for the enrolment of a company of volunteers in each county. The convention reappointed the Virginia delegates to seats in the second Continental Congress, adding Thomas Jefferson, "in case of the nonattendance of Peyton Randolph." Henry had said, prophetically, in his speech, The next gale that comes from the North will bring to our ears the clash of arms!" This prophecy was speedily fulfilled by the clash of arms at Lexington. His bold proceedings and utterances in this convention caused his name to be presented to the British government in a bill of at

greatly irritated the people. A rumor came (June 7) that armed marines were on their way from the Fowey to assist Dunmore to enforce the laws. The people flew to arms, and the governor, alarmed, took refuge on the manof-war. He was the first of the royal governors who abdicated government at the beginning of the Revolution. From the Fowey Dunmore sent messages, addresses, and letters to the burgesses in session at Williamsburg, and received communications from them in return. When all bills passed were ready for the governor's signature, he was invited to his capitol to sign them. He declined, and demanded that they should present the papers at his residence on shipboard. Instead of this,