As Powhatan may be regarded as the most prominent personage in the
poem, the author has thought proper to give the following
well-drawn sketch of his character a place at the commencement of
the work, rather than among the notes at the end. It is extracted
from Burk’s “History of Virginia,” and will serve to show that
grave and sober history assigns to the Indian chieftain a rank no
less elevated and dignified than is given him in the following
poem.
“The greater part of his life was passed in what is generally termed
glory and good fortune. In the cant of civilization, he will doubtless
be branded with the epithets of tyrant and barbarian. But his title to
greatness, although his opportunities were fewer, is to the full as fair
as that of Tamerlane or Kowli Khan, and several others, whom history has
immortalized as conquerors; while the proofs of his tyranny are by no
means so clear and unequivocal.
“Born to a slender patrimony, in the midst of numerous tribes more
subtle than the Arabs of the desert, and whose independence spurned even
the shadow of restraint, he contrived, by his valor and address, to
unite them in one firm and indissoluble union, under his power and
authority; giving his name to the new empire which his wisdom had
erected, and which continued to flourish under his auspices and
direction.
“As a warrior, bold, skilful, and enterprising, he was confessedly
without rival or competitor; inspiring with respect or terror even the
formidable enemies who dared to make head against his encroachments. The
powerful confederacy of the Manakins and Manahoacks, and the more
distant inhabitants of the lakes, heard the name of Powhatan with
uneasiness and alarm.
“At the coming of the English he had reached the advanced age of sixty
years, and enjoyed in the bosom of his family the fruits of his long and
glorious exertions. The spectacle of men who came from beyond the sea,
in floating and winged houses, and who fought with thunder and
lightnings, could not fail to strike him by its grandeur and novelty.
The intent of the strangers appeared, at first view, to be friendly; and
he received them with courtesy. But his sagacious mind quickly developed
the motives, and foresaw the consequences, of their arrival. He looked
forward with regret to a renewal of his labors; and, at the age of
sixty, he resolved to fight over again the battles of his youth. He
might have lived in peace. He was aware of the superiority of his new
enemy in the machines and instruments of battle, as well as in their
discipline and experience; but these cold calculations vanished before
his sense of honor and independence. Age could not chill the ardor of
his heroic bosom.
“In the private circle of his family, who appears to greater advantage
than Powhatan?--what affection for his brothers! how delicate and
considerate his regard for his children! what moderation and pity does
he not manifest towards Captain Smith, when, subdued by the tears of
Pocahontas, and touched, perhaps, with compassion for the bravery and
misfortunes of his captive, he consented to spare his life!
“Powhatan comes before us without any of those mortifying and abasing
circumstances which, in the eye of human respect, diminish the lustre of
reputation. History records no violence offered to his person; no
insulting language used in his presence. Opechancanough had been dragged
by the hair, at the head of hundreds of Indians; but never had the
majesty of Powhatan been violated by personal insult.
“In all disputes and conferences with the English, he never once forgets
that he is a monarch; never permits others to forget it. ‘If your king,’
said he to Smith, ‘has sent me presents, _I too am a king, and I am in
my own land_.’ No matter who the person is whom the partiality of the
historian may think proper to distinguish as his hero; we never lose
sight of the manly figure and venerable majesty of the Indian hero. He
is always the principal figure in the group; and in his presence, even
the gallant and adventurous Smith is obliged to play a second part; and
all others are forgotten.
“Owing to that obscurity in which, unhappily, every thing relating to
this people is involved, we know little of the dawn of Powhatan’s
glory--little of his meridian. Those particular traits which would have
enabled us accurately to estimate the character and capacity of his
mind, have felt the fate of oral record and remembrance. The exploits of
his youth and his manhood have perished, for the want of a poet or
historian. We saw him only for a short time, on the edge of the
horizon; but, from the brightness of his departing beams, we can easily
think what he was in the blaze of his fame.
“If we view him as a statesman, a character which has been thought to
demand a greater comprehension and variety of talents, where shall we
find one who merited in a higher degree the palm of distinction and
eminence? ’Tis true the theatre of his administration was neither wide
nor conspicuous. He is not set off by the splendid machinery of palaces
and courtiers, glittering with gold and precious stones; or the costly
equipage of dress. He had no troops in rich uniform; he had no treasury;
he maintained no ambassadors at foreign courts. Powhatan must be viewed
as he stands in relation to the several Indian nations of Virginia. To
judge him by European ideas of greatness would be the climax of
injustice and absurdity.”