I have informed you of the Country in generall and of every plantation in particular, with their commodities and wherein one excelleth another. Now that I may be every way faithfull to my reader in this worke, I will as fully and truely relate to you what is evill, and of most annoyance to the inhabitants. First: those which bring most prejudice to their estates are the ravenous Woolves, which destroy the weaker Cattell, but of these you have heard before: that which is most injurious to the person and life of man is a rattle snake which is generally a yard and a halfe long, as thicke in the middle as the small of a mans legge, she hath a yellow belly, her backe being spotted with blacke, russet, yellow, and greene colours, placed like scales; at her taile is a rattle, with which she makes a noyse when she is molested, or when she seeth any approach neere her, her necke seemes to be no thicker than a mans thumbe yet can she swallow a Squerill, having a great wide mouth, with teeth as sharpe as needles, wherewith she biteth such as tread upon her: her poyson lyeth in her teeth, for she hath no sting. When any man is bitten by any of these creatures, the poyson spreads so suddenly through the veines & so runs to the heart, that in one houre it causeth death, unlesse he hath the Antidote to expell the poyson, which is a root called snakeweed, which must be champed, the spittle swallowed, and the root applyed to the sore; this is present cure against that which would be present death without it: this weede is ranck poyson, if it be taken by any man that is not bitten: whosoever is bitten by these snakes his flesh becomes as spotted as a Leaper until hee be perfectly cured. It is reported that if the party live that is bitten, the snake will dye, and if the partie die, the snake will live. This is a most poysonous and dangerous creature, yet nothing so bad as the report goes of him in England. For whereas he is sayd to kill a man with his breath, and that he can flye, there is no such matter, for he is naturally the most sleepie and unnimble creature that lives, never offering to leape or bite any man, if he be not troden on first, and it is their desire in hot weather to lye in pathes, where the sunne may shine on them, where they will sleepe so soundly that I have knowne foure men stride over one of them, and never awake her; 5 or 6 men have beene bitten by them, which by using of snake weede were all cured, never any yet losing his life by them. Cowes have beene bitten, but being cut in divers places, and this weede thrust into their flesh were cured. I never heard of any beast that was yet lost by any of them, saving one Mare. A small switch will easily kill one of these snakes. In many places of the Countrie there bee none of them, as at Plimouth, Newtowne, Igowamme, Nahant, &c. In some places they will live on one side of the river, and swimming but over the water, as soone as they be come into the woods, they turne up their yellow bellies and dye. Vp into the Countrey westward from the plantations is a high hill, which is called rattlesnake hill, where there is great store of these poysonous creatures. There be divers other kinde of snakes, one whereof is a great long blacke snake, two yards in length which will glide through the woods very swiftly; these never doe any hurt, neither doth any other kinde of snakes molest either man or beast. These creatures in the winter time creepe into clifts of rockes and into holes under ground, where they lie close till May or Iune. Here likewise bee great store of frogs, which in the Spring doe chirpe and whistle like a bird, and at the latter end of summer croake like our English frogges. Heere be also toades which will climbe the topes of high trees where they will sit croaking, to the wonderment of such as are not acquainted with them. I never saw any Wormes or Moles, but pismires and spiders be there. There are likewise troublesome flies. First there is a wilde Bee or Waspe, which commonly guards the grape, building her cobweb habitation amongst the leaves: secondly a great greene flye, not much unlike our horse flyes in England; they will nippe so sore that they wil fetch blood either of man or beast, and be most troublesome where most Cattle be, which brings them from out of the woods to the houses; this flye continues but for the Moneth of Iune. The third is a Gurnipper which is a small blacke fly no bigger than a flea; her biting causeth an itching upon the hands or face, which provoketh scratching which is troublesome to some; this fly is busie but in close mornings or evenings, and continues not above three weekes, the least winde or heate expells them. The fourth is a Musketoe which is not unlike to our gnats in England; In places where there is no thicke woods or Swampes, there is none or very few. In new Plantations they be troublesome for the first yeare, but the wood decaying they vanish: these Flies cannot endure winde, heate or cold, so that these are onely troublesome in close thicke weather, and against raine many that be bitten will fall a scratching, whereupon their faces and hands swell. Others are never troubled with them at all: those likewise that swell with their biting the first yeare, never swell the second: for my owne part I have bin troubled as much with them or some like them, in the Fen country of England as ever I was there: Here be the flies that are called Chantharides, so much esteemed of Chirurgions, with divers kinds of Butterflies. Thus have you heard of the worst of the countrey: but some peradventure may say no, and reply that they have heard that the people have beene often driven to great wants and extremities; To which I answer, it is true that some have lived for a certaine time with a little bread, other without any, yet all this argues nothing against the countrey in it selfe, but condemnes the folly and improvidence of such as would venture into so rude and unmanaged a countrey, without so much provisions as should have comfortably maintained them in health and strength till by their labours they had brought the land to yeeld his fruite. I have my selfe heard some say that they heard it was a rich land, a brave country, but when they came there they could see nothing but a few Canvis Boothes & old houses, supposing at the first to have found walled townes, fortifications and corne fields, as if townes could have built themselves, or corne fields have growne of themselves, without the husbandrie of man. These men missing of their expectations, returned home and railed against the Country. Others may object that of late time there hath beene great want; I denie it not, but looke to the originall, and tell me from whence it came. The roote of their want sprung up in England, for many hundreds hearing of the plenty of the Country, were so much their owne foes and Countries hindrance, as to come without provision; which made things both deare and scant: wherefore let none blame the Country so much as condemne the indiscreetnesse of such as will needs runne themselves upon hardship. And I dare further assure any that will carrie provision enough for a yeare and a halfe, shall not neede to feare want, if he either be industrious himselfe, or have industrious agents to mannage his estate and affaires. And whereas many doe disparrage the land saying a man cannot live without labour, in that they more disparage and discredit themselves, in giving the world occasion to take notice of their droanish disposition, that would live of the sweate of another mans browes: surely they were much deceived, or else ill informed, that ventured thither in hope to live in plenty and idlenesse, both at a time: and it is as much pitty as he that can worke and will not, should eate, as it is pitty that he that would worke and cannot, should fast. I condemne not such therefore as are now there, and are not able to worke; but I advise for the future those men that are of weake constitutions to keepe at home, if their estates cannot maintaine servants. For all new England must be workers in some kinde: and whereas it hath beene formerly reported that boyes of tenne or a twelve yeares of age might doe much more than get their living, that cannot be, for he must have more than a boyes head, and no lesse than a mans strength, that intends to live comfortably; and hee that hath understanding and Industrie, with a stocke of an hundered pound, shall live better there, than he shall doe here of twenty pound per annum. But many I know will say if it be thus, how comes it to passe then that they are so poore? To which I answere, that they are poore but in comparison, compare them with the rich Merchants or great landed men in England, and then I know they will seeme poore. There is no probability they should be exceeding rich, because none of such great estate went over yet; besides, a man of estate must first scatter before he gather, he must lay out monies for transporting of servants, and cattle and goods, for houses and fences and gardens, &c. This may make his purse seeme light, and to the eye of others seeme a leaking in his estate, whereas these disbursments are for his future enrichments: for he being once well seated and quietly setled, his increase comes in double; and howsoever they are accounted poore, they are well contented, and looke not so much at abundance, as a competencie; so little is the poverty of the Country, that I am perswaded if many in England which are constrained to begge their bread were there, they would live better than many doe here, that have money to buy it. Furthermore when corne is scarse, yet may they have either fish or flesh for their labour: and surely that place is not miserably poore to them that are there, where foure Egges may be had for a Penny, and a quart of new Milke at the same rate: Where Butter is sixe-pence a pound, and Cheshire-Cheese at five pence; sure Middlesex affords London no better penny-worths. What though there be no such plenty, as to cry these things in the streetes? yet every day affords these penny-worths to those that neede them in most places. I dare not say in all: Can they be very poore, where for foure thousand soules, there are fifteene hundred head of Cattle, besides foure thousand Goates, and Swine innumerable? In an ill sheepe-yeare I have knowne Mutton as deere in Old-England, and deerer than Goates-flesh is in New-England, which is altogether as good if fancy be set aside.