Myth, Ritual, and Religion, vol 1 | Page 9

S.," that is, NOT
William Strachey, but Dr. William Symonds. In the same year, 1612, or
in 1611, William Strachey wrote his Historie of Travaile into Virginia
Britannia, at least as far as page 124 of the Hakluyt edition of 1849.[1]
[1] For proof see p. 24. third line from foot of page, where 1612 is
indicated. Again, see p. 98, line 5, where "last year" is dated as "1610,
about Christmas," which would put Strachey's work at this point as
actually of 1611; prior, that is, to Smith's publication. Again, p. 124,
"this last year, myself being at the Falls" (of the James River), "I found
in an Indian house certain clawes . . . which I brought away and into
England".
If Strachey, who went out with Lord De la Warr as secretary in 1610,
returned with him (as is likely), he sailed for England on 28th March,
1611. In that case, he was in England in 1611, and the passages cited
leave it dubious whether he wrote his book in 1611, 1612, or in both
years.[1]
[1] Mr. Arber dates the MS. "1610-1615," and attributes to Strachey
Laws for Virginia, 1612.
Strachey embodies in his work considerable pieces of Smith's Map of
Virginia and Description, written in 1608, and published in 1612. He
continually deserts Smith, however, adding more recent information,
reflections and references to the ancient classics, with allusions to his
own travels in the Levant. His glossary is much more extensive than
Smith's, and he inserts a native song of triumph over the English in the
original.[1] Now, when Strachey comes to the religion of the natives[2]
he gives eighteen pages (much of it verbiage) to five of Smith's.[3]
What Smith (1612) says of their chief god I quote, setting Strachey's
version (1611- 1612) beside it.

[1] Strachey, pp. 79-80. He may have got the song from Kemps or
Machumps, friendly natives.
[2] Pp. 82-100.
[3] Arber, pp. 74-79.
SMITH (Published, 1612).
But their chiefe God they worship is the Diuell. Him they call Oke, and
serue him more of feare than loue. They say they haue conference with
him, and fashion themselues as neare to his shape as they can imagine.
In their Temples, they have his image euile favouredly carved, and then
painted, and adorned with chaines, copper, and beades; and couered
with a skin, in such manner as the deformity may well suit with such a
God. By him is commonly the sepulcher of their Kings.
STRACHEY (Written, 1611-12).
But their chief god they worship is no other, indeed, then the divell,
whome they make presentments of, and shadow under the forme of an
idoll, which they entitle Okeus, and whome they worship as the
Romans did their hurtful god Vejovis, more for feare of harme then for
hope of any good; they saie they have conference with him, and fashion
themselves in their disguisments as neere to his shape as they can
imagyn. In every territory of a weroance is a temple and a priest,
peradventure two or thrie; yet happie doth that weroance accompt
himself who can detayne with him a Quiyough- quisock, of the best,
grave, lucky, well instructed in their misteryes, and beloved of their
god; and such a one is noe lesse honoured then was Dianae's priest at
Ephesus, for whome they have their more private temples, with
oratories and chauneells therein, according as is the dignity and
reverence of the Quiyough-quisock, which the weroance wilbe at
charge to build upon purpose, sometyme twenty foote broad and a
hundred in length, fashioned arbour wyse after their buylding, having
comonly the dore opening into the east, and at the west end a spence or
chauncell from the body of the temple, with hollow wyndings and
pillers, whereon stand divers black imagies, fashioned to the shoulders,

with their faces looking down the church, and where within their
weroances, upon a kind of biere of reedes, lye buryed; and under them,
apart, in a vault low in the ground (as a more secrett thing), vailed with
a matt, sitts their Okeus, an image ill-favouredly carved, all black
dressed, with chaynes of perle, the presentment and figure of that god
(say the priests unto the laity, and who religiously believe what the
priests saie) which doth them all the harme they suffer, be yt in their
bodies or goods, within doores or abroad; and true yt is many of them
are divers tymes (especyally offendors) shrewdly scratched as they
walke alone in the woods, yt may well be by the subtyle spirit, the
malitious enemy to mankind, whome, therefore, to pacefie and worke
to doe them good (at least no harme) the priests tell them they must do
these and these sacrifices unto [them] of these and these things, and
thus and thus