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；〃　by　Thomas　Fuller；　D。D。；　London；　1662。

Old　Fuller's　schoolmaster　was　Master　Arthur　Smith；　a　kinsman　of　John；　who　told　him　that　John　was　born　in　Lincolnshire；　and　it　is　probable　that　Fuller　received　from　his　teacher　some　impression　about　the　adventurer。

Of　his　〃strange　performances〃　in　Hungary；　Fuller　says：　〃The　scene　whereof　is　laid　at　such　a　distance　that　they　are　cheaper　credited　than　confuted。〃

〃From　the　Turks　in　Europe　he　passed　to　the　pagans　in　America；　where　towards　the　latter　end　of　the　reign　of　Queen　Elizabeth　＇it　was　in　the　reign　of　James＇　such　his　perils；　preservations；　dangers；　deliverances；　they　seem　to　most　men　above　belief；　to　some　beyond　truth。　　Yet　have　we　two　witnesses　to　attest　them；　the　prose　and　the　pictures；　both　in　his　own　book；　and　it　soundeth　much　to　the　diminution　of　his　deeds　that　he　alone　is　the　herald　to　publish　and　proclaim　them。〃

〃Surely　such　reports　from　strangers　carry　the　greater　reputation。　However；　moderate　men　must　allow　Captain　Smith　to　have　been　very　instrumental　in　settling　the　plantation　in　Virginia；　whereof　he　was　governor；　as　also　Admiral　of　New　England。〃

〃He　led　his　old　age　in　London；　where　his　having　a　prince's　mind　imprisoned　in　a　poor　man's　purse；　rendered　him　to　the　contempt　of　such　as　were　not　ingenuous。　　Yet　he　efforted　his　spirits　with　the　remembrance　and　relation　of　what　formerly　he　had　been；　and　what　he　had　done。〃

Of　the　〃ranting　epitaph；〃　quoted　above；　Fuller　says：　〃The　orthography；　poetry；　history　and　divinity　in　this　epitaph　are　much　alike。〃

Without　taking　Captain　John　Smith　at　his　own　estimate　of　himself；　he　was　a　peculiar　character　even　for　the　times　in　which　he　lived。　　He　shared　with　his　contemporaries　the　restless　spirit　of　roving　and　adventure　which　resulted　from　the　invention　of　the　mariner's　compass　and　the　discovery　of　the　New　World；　but　he　was　neither　so　sordid　nor　so　rapacious　as　many　of　them；　for　his　boyhood　reading　of　romances　had　evidently　fired　him　with　the　conceits　of　the　past　chivalric　period。　This　imported　into　his　conduct　something　inflated　and　something　elevated。　　And；　besides；　with　all　his　enormous　conceit；　he　had　a　stratum　of　practical　good　sense；　a　shrewd　wit；　and　the　salt　of　humor。

If　Shakespeare　had　known　him；　as　he　might　have　done；　he　would　have　had　a　character　ready　to　his　hand　that　would　have　added　one　of　the　most　amusing　and　interesting　portraits　to　his　gallery。　　He　faintly　suggests　a　moral　Falstaff；　if　we　can　imagine　a　Falstaff　without　vices。　　As　a　narrator　he　has　the　swagger　of　a　Captain　Dalghetty；　but　his　actions　are　marked　by　honesty　and　sincerity。　　He　appears　to　have　had　none　of　the　small　vices　of　the　gallants　of　his　time。　　His　chivalric　attitude　toward　certain　ladies　who　appear　in　his　adventures；　must　have　been　sufficiently　amusing　to　his　associates。　There　is　about　his　virtue　a　certain　antique　flavor　which　must　have　seemed　strange　to　the　adventurers　and　court　hangers…on　in　London。　Not　improbably　his　assumptions　were　offensive　to　the　ungodly；　and　his　ingenuous　boastings　made　him　the　object　of　amusement　to　the　skeptics。　Their　ridicule　would　naturally　appear　to　him　to　arise　from　envy。　　We　read　between　the　lines　of　his　own　eulogies　of　himself；　that　there　was　a　widespread　skepticism　about　his　greatness　and　his　achievements；　which　he　attributed　to　jealousy。　　Perhaps　his　obtrusive　virtues　made　him　enemies；　and　his　rectitude　was　a　standing　offense　to　his　associates。

It　is　certain　he　got　on　well　with　scarcely　anybody　with　whom　he　was　thrown　in　his　enterprises。　　He　was　of　common　origin；　and　always　carried　with　him　the　need　of　assertion　in　an　insecure　position。　　He　appears　to　us　always　self…conscious　and　ill　at　ease　with　gentlemen　born。　　The　captains　of　his　own　station　resented　his　assumptions　of　superiority；　and　while　he　did　not　try　to　win　them　by　an　affectation　of　comradeship；　he　probably　repelled　those　of　better　breeding　by　a　swaggering　manner。　　No　doubt　his　want　of　advancement　was　partly　due　to　want　of　influence；　which　better　birth　would　have　given　him；　but　the　plain　truth　is　that　he　had　a　talent　for　making　himself　disagreeable　to　his　associates。　　Unfortunately　he　never　engaged　in　any　enterprise　with　any　one　on　earth　who　was　so　capable　of　conducting　it　as　himself；　and　this　fact　he　always　made　plain　to　his　comrades。　Skill　he　had　in　managing　savages；　but　with　his　equals　among　whites　he　lacked　tact；　and　knew　not　the　secret　of　having　his　own　way　without　seeming　to　have　it。　　He　was　insubordinate；　impatient　of　any　authority　over　him；　and　unwilling　to　submit　to　discipline　he　did　not　himself　impose。

Yet　it　must　be　said　that　he　was　less　self…seeking　than　those　who　were　with　him　in　Virginia；　making　glory　his　aim　rather　than　gain　always；　that　he　had　a　superior　conception　of　what　a　colony　should　be；　and　how　it　should　establish　itself；　and　that　his　judgment　of　what　was　best　was　nearly　always　vindicated　by　the　event。　　He　was　not　the　founder　of　the　Virginia　colony；　its　final　success　was　not　due　to　him；　but　it　was　owing　almost　entirely　to　his　pluck　and　energy　that　it　held　on　and　maintained　an　existence　during　the　two　years　and　a　half　that　he　was　with　it　at　Jamestown。　　And　to　effect　this　mere　holding　on；　with　the　vagabond　crew　that　composed　most　of　the　colony；　and　with　the　extravagant　and　unintelligent　expectations　of　the　London　Company；　was　a　feat　showing　decided　ability。　　He　had　the　qualities　fitting　him　to　be　an　explorer　and　the　leader　of　an　expedition。　　He　does　not　appear　to　have　had　the　character　necessary　to　impress　his　authority　on　a　community。　　He　was　quarrelsome；　irascible；　and　quick　to　fancy　that　his　full　value　was　not　admitted。　　He　shines　most　upon　such　small　expeditions　as　the　exploration　of　the　Chesapeake；　then　his　energy；　self…confidence；　shrewdness；　inventiveness；　had　free　play；　and　his　pluck　and　perseverance　are　recognized　as　of　the　true　heroic　substance。

Smith；　as　we　have　seen；　estimated　at　their　full　insignificance　such　flummeries　as　the　coronation　of　Powhatan；　and　the　foolishness　of　taxing　the　energies　of　the　colony　to　explore　the　country　for　gold　and　chase　the　phantom　of　the　South　Sea。　　In　his　discernment　and　in　his　conceptions　of　what　is　now　called　〃political　economy〃　he　was　in　advance　of　his　age。　　He　was　an　advocate　of　〃free　trade〃　before　the　term　was　invented。　　In　his　advice　given　to　the　New　England　plantation　in　his　〃Advertisements〃　he　says：

〃Now　as　his　Majesty　has　made　you　custome…free　for　seven　yeares；　have　a　care　that　all　your　countrymen　shall　come　to　trade　with　you；　be　not　troubled　with　pilotage；　boyage；　ancorage；　wharfage；　custome；　or　any　such　tricks　as　hath　been　lately　used　in　most　of　our　plantations；　where　they　would　be　Kings　before　their　folly；　to　the　discouragement　of　many；　and　a　scorne　to　them　of　understanding；　for　Dutch；　French；　Biskin；　or　any　will　as　yet　use　freely　the　Coast　without　controule；　and　why　not　English　as　well　as　they？　　Therefore　use　all　commers　with　that　respect；　courtesie；　and　liberty　is　fitting；　which　will　in　a　short　time　much　increase　your　trade　and　shipping　to　fetch　it　from　you；　for　as　yet　it　were　not　good　to　adventure　any　more　abroad　with　factors　till　you　bee　better　provided；　now　there　is　nothing　more　enricheth　a　Common…wealth　than　much　trade；　nor　no　meanes　better　to　increase　than　small　custome；　as　Holland；　Genua；　Ligorne；　as　divers　other　places　can　well　tell　you；　and　doth　most　beggar　those　places　where　they　take　most　custome；　as　Turkie；　the　Archipelegan　Iles；　Cicilia；　the　Spanish　ports；　but　that　their　officers　will　connive　to　enrich　themselves；　though　undo　the　state。〃

It　may　perhaps　be　admitted　that　he　knew　better　than　the　London　or　the　Plymouth　company　what　ought　to　be　done　in　the　New　World；　but　it　is　absurd　to　suppose　that　his　success　or　his　ability　forfeited　him　the　confidence　of　both　companies；　and　shut　him　out　of　employment。　　The　simple　truth　seems　to　be　that　his　arrogance　and　conceit　and　importunity　made　him　unpopular；　and　that　his　proverbial　ill　luck　was　set　off　against　his　ability。

Although　he　was　fully　charged　with　the　piety　of　his　age；　and　kept　in　mind　his　humble　dependence　on　divine　grace　when　he　was　plundering　Venetian　argosies　or　lying　to　the　Indians；　or　fighting　anywhere　simply　for　excitement　or　booty；　and　was　always　as　devout　as　a　modern　Sicilian　or　Greek　robb