Captain John Smith

A classic history of Captain John Smith an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and his friend M#65533;zes Sz#65533;kely. He was considered to have played an important part in the establishment of the first permanent English settlement in North America.From the preface:This volume is an effort to put in popular form the truth about Smith's adventures, and to estimate his exploits and character. For this...
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A classic history of Captain John Smith an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and his friend M#65533;zes Sz#65533;kely. He was considered to have played an important part in the establishment of the first permanent English settlement in North America.From the preface:This volume is an effort to put in popular form the truth about Smith's adventures, and to estimate his exploits and character. For this purpose I have depended almost entirely upon original contemporary material, illumined as it now is by the labors of special editors. I believe that I have read everything that is attributed to his pen, and have compared his own accounts with other contemporary narratives, and I think I have omitted the perusal of little that could throw any light upon his life or character. For the early part of his career-before he came to Virginia-there is absolutely no authority except Smith himself; but when he emerges from romance into history, he can be followed and checked by contemporary evidence. If he was always and uniformly untrustworthy it would be less perplexing to follow him, but his liability to tell the truth when vanity or prejudice does not interfere is annoying to the careful student.