Rolph's Letter to Sir Thomas Dale
The coppie of this Gentleman's Letter to Sir Thomas Dale, that after married Powhatan's
daughter, containing the reasons that moved him thereunto.
"Honorable Sir, and Most Worthy Governor:--When your leasure shall best serve you to
peruse these lines, I trust in God the Beginning will not strike you into greater
admiration than the end will give you good content. It is a matter of no small moment,
concerning my own particular, which here I impart unto you, and which toucheth me so
nearly as the tenderness of my salvation. Howbeit, I freely subject myself to your great
and mature judgment, deliberation, apporbation, and determination; assuring myself of your
zealous admonition and godly comforts, either persuading me to desist, or encouraging me
to persist therein, with a religious fear and godly care, for which (from the very instant
that this began to roote itself within the secrete bosome of my breast) my daily and
earnest praiers have bin, still are, and ever shall bee poored forthwith, in as sincere a
goodly zeal as I possibly may, to be directed, aided, and governed in all my thoughts,
words, and deedes, to the glory of God and for my eternal consolation; to perservere
wherein I had never had more neede, nor (till now) could ever imagine to have bin moved
with the like occasion. But (my case standing as it doth) what better worldly refuge can I
here seeke, than to shelter myself under the safety of your favorable protection? And did
not my case proceede from an unspotted conscience, I should not dare to offer to your view
and approved judgment these passions of my troubled soule; so full of feare and trembling
is hypocrisie and dissimulation. But, knowing my own innocency and godly fervour in the
whole prosection hereof, I doubt not of your benigne acceptance and clement construction.
As for malicious depravers and turbulent spirits, to whom nothing is tasteful but what
pleaseth their unsavory pallate, I passe not fot them, being well assurred in my
persuasion by the often trial and proving of myselfe in my holiest meditations and
praises, that I am called hereunto by the Spirit of God; and it shall be sufficient for me
to be protected by yourselfe in all virtuous and pious endeavours. And for my more happy
proceedings herein, my daily oblations shall ever be addressed to bring to passe to goode
effects, that yourselfe and all the world may truly say, 'This is the works of God, and it
is marvellous in our eies.'
"But to avoide tedious preambles, and to come nearer the matter: first, suffer with
your patience to sweepe and make cleane the way wherein I walke from all suspicions and
doubts, which may be covered therein, and faithfully to reveale unto you what whould move
me hereunto.
"Let, therefore, this my well-advised protestations, which here I make before God and
my own conscience, be a sufficient witnesse at the dreadful day of judgment, when the
secret of all living harts shall be opened, to dondemn me herein, if my deepest intent and
purpose be not to strive with all my power of body and minde, in the undertaking of so
mighty a matter, for the good of this plantation, for the honour of our countrie, for the
glory of God, for my own salvation, and for the converting to the true knowledge of God
and Jesus Christ an unbelieving creature,--viz.: Pokahontas. To whom my hartie and best
thought are and have a long time bin so intangled and inthralled in so intricate a
labyrinth, that I was even awearied to unwinde myself thereout. But Almighty God, who
never aileth his that truly invocate his holy name, hath opened the gate and led me by the
hand that I might plainly see and discerne the safe pathes wherein to treade.
"To you, therefore, (most noble sir) the patron and father of us in this countrie,
doe I utter the effects of this my settled and long-continued affection, (which hath made
a mightie warre in my meditations;) and here I do truly relate, to what issue this
dangerous combat is come unto, I have not only examined, but thouroughly tried and pared
my thoughts, even to the quicke, before I could finde any fit, wholesome, and apt
applications to cure so dangerous an ulcer. I never failed to offer my daily and faithful
praiers to God for his sacred and holy assistance. I forgot not to set before mine eies
the frailtie of mankind, his proneness to evill, his indulgence of wicked thoughts, with
many other imperfections, wherein man is daily insnared and oftentimes overthrown, and
them compared to my present estate. Nor was I ignorant of the heavie displeasure which
Almightie God conceived against the sonnes of Levie and Israel for marrying strange wives,
nor of the inconveniences which may thereby arise, with other the like good notions, which
made me look about warily and with good circumspection into the grounds and principall
agitations, which thus provoke me to be in love with one whose education hath been rude,
her manners barbarous, her generation accursed, and so discrepant in all nurtreture from
myself, that oftentimes with fear and trembling I have ended my private controversie with
this:--'Surely these are wicked instigations, hatched by him who seeketh and delighteth in
man's destruction;' and so with fervent praiers to be ever preserved from such diabolical
assults (as I tooke those to be) I have taken some rest.
"Thus when I thought I had obtained some peace and quietness, behold, another but
more gracious tentation hath made breaches into my holiest and strongest meditations, with
which I have been put to a new triall, in a straighter manner than the former; for besides
the many passions and sufferings which I have daily, hourly, year, and in my sleepe
indured, even awaking me to astonishment, taxing me with remisness and carelessness,
refusing and neglecting to performe the duties of a good Christian, pulling me by the
eare, and crying, 'Why dost not thou indeavour to make her a Christian?' And these have
happened to my greater wonder even when she hath bin furthest separated from me, which in
common reason (were it not an undoubted work of God) might breede forgetfulness of a fare
more worthy creature. Besides, I say, the Holy Spirit hath often demanded of me, why I was
created, if not, for transitory pleasure and worldly vanities, but to labour in the Lord's
vineyard, there to sow and plant, to nourish and increase the fruits thereof, daily
adding, with the good husband in the gospel, somewhat tot the talent, that in the end the
fruits may be reaped, to the comfort of the labourer in this life and his salvation in the
world to come? And if this be, as undoubtedly this is, the service Jesus Christ requireth
of his best servant, wo unto him that hath these instruments of pietie put into his hands,
and wilfully despiseth to worke with them! Likewise adding hereunto her great appearance
of love to me, her desire to be taught and instructed in the knowledge of God, her
capablenesse of understanding, her ap0tness and willingnesse to receive anie good
impression, and also the spirtuall, beside her own incitements hereunto stirring me up.
What should I doe? Shall I be of so untoward a disposition as to refuse to leade the blind
into the right way? Shall I be so unnaturall as not to give bread to the hungrie, or
uncharitable as not to cover the naked? Shall I despise to actuate these pious duties of a
Christian? Shall the base feare of displeasing the world overpower and withhold me from
revealing unto man these spirituall works of the Lord, which in my meditations and praiers
I have daily made known unto him? God forbid! I assuredly trust he hatn thus delt with mee
for my eternal felicitie and for his glorie; and I hope so to be guarded by his heavenly
grace, that in the end, by my faithfull praiers and christianlike labour, I shall attaine
to that blessed promise pronounced by the holy prophet Daniell unto the righteous that
bring many unto the knowledge of God,--namely: that 'they shall shine like the stars
forever and ever.' A sweeter comfort cannot be to a true Christian, nor a greater
incouragement to him to labour all the daies of his life in the performance thereof, to be
desired at the hour of death and in the day of judgment. Again, by my reading and
conference with honest and religious persons, have I received no small encouragement;
besides mea serena conscientia, the cleannesse of my conscience, clean from the
filth of impurity, quoe est instar muri ahenei, which is to me a brazen wall. If I
should set down at large the perturbations and godly motions which have striven within
mee, I should make but a tedious and unnecessary volume. But I doubt not these shall be
sufficient, both to certify you of my true intent, in discharing of my duties to God and
to yourselfe, to whose gracious Providence I humbly submit myself, for his glory, your
honour, my countrie's good, the benefit of this Plantation, and for the coverting of one
unregenerate to regeneration, which I beseech God to grant for his dear Sonne Christ Jesus
his sake. Nor am I in so desperate an estate that I regard not what becometh of mee; nor
am I out of hope but one day to see my countrie nor so void of friends, nor mean in birth,
but there to obtain a match to my great content; nor have I ignorantly passed over my
hopes there, nor regardlessly seek to lose the love of my friends by taking this course: I
know them all, and have not rashly overslipped any.
"But shall it please God thus to dispose of me (which I earnestly desire to fulfill
my end before set down) I will hearily accept of it, as a godly taxe appointed me, and I
will never cease (God assisting me) until I have accomplished and brought to perfection so
holy a worke, in which I will daily pray God to bless mee, to mine and her eternal
happiness. And thus desiring no longer to live, to enjoy the blessing of God, than this is
my resolution doth then to such godly ends, as are by me before declared, not doubting
your favourable acceptance, I take my leave, beseeching Almight God to rain down upon you
such plenitude of his heavely graces as your heart can wish and desire; and so I rest,
"At your command, most willingly to be disposed off,
"John Rolph."
________
Meade, Bishop William. Old Churches Ministers and Families of Virginia,
Volume I, pp 126-129. Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, MD, 1966. First
published, 1857.