Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 1.djvu/40

 their money in the enterprises which Gilbert and Raleigh set on foot for the exploration and colonization of the country along the Atlantic coast of North America. Although the confidence of Gilbert and Lane as to the presence of the precious metals in the respective territories which they were occupying at the time they yielded to seductive dreams of inexhaustible mines, proved to be without foundation, the hope nevertheless lingered in the English mind that gold and silver would yet be found in Virginia. The well-known passage in the play of Eastward Ho! expressed in extravagant language the popular notion in England as to the physical character of that country; this play was written in 1605, about twelve months previous to the grant of the first charter of the Companies of London and Plymouth, but many years after the schemes of Gilbert and Raleigh for the promotion of colonization in America had ended in failure. &#8220;I tell thee,&#8221; exclaimed one of the personages, &#8220;golde is more plentifull in Virginia than copper is with us, and for as much redde copper as I can bring, I will have thrice the weight in gold. All their dripping pans and chamber potts are pure gould, and all the chaines with which they chaine up their streets are massie gould; all the prisoners they take are fettered in golde, and for rubies and diamonds, they goe forth in holidays and gather them by the seashore to hang on their children&#8217;s coates and sticke in their children&#8217;s caps as commonally as our children wear saffron, gilt brooches and groates with boales in them.&#8221;

In the letters patent of 1606, special provision was made for the proportion in which the gold, silver, and copper that might be found in Virginia should be divided; one-fifth part of the two metals first named and one-fifteenth part of the third were to be reserved for the use of the King. In his spirited invocation addressed to the