Of the nature and manners of the people
It resteth I speake a word or two of the naturall inhabitants, their natures and maners, leauing large discourse thereof vntill time more conuenient hereafter: no|we onely so farre foorth, as that you may know, how that they in respect of troub|ling our inhabiting and planting, are not to be feared; but that they shall haue cau|se both to feare and loue vs, that shall inhabite with them.
They are a people clothed with loose mantles made of Deere skins, & aprons of the same rounde about their middles; all els naked; of such a difference of statu|res only as wee in England; hauing no edge tooles or weapons of yron or steele to offend vs withall, neither know they how to make any: those weapōs that they ha|ue, are onlie bowes made of Witch hazle, & arrowes of reeds; flat edged trunche|ons also of wood about a yard long, neither haue they any thing to defend them|selues but targets made of barcks; and some armours made of stickes wickered to|gether with thread.
Their townes are but small, & neere the sea coast but few, some cōtaining but 10. or 12. houses: some 20. the greatest that we haue seene haue bene but of 30. hou|ses:if they be walled it is only done with barks of trees made fast to stakes, or els with poles onely fixed vpright and close one by another.
Their houses are made of small poles made fast at the tops in rounde forme af|ter the maner as is vsed in many arbories in our gardens of England, in most tow|nes couered with barkes, and in some with artificiall mattes made of long rushes; from the tops of the houses downe to the ground. The length of them is common|ly double to the breadth, in some places they are but 12. and 16. yardes long, and in other some wee haue seene of foure and twentie.