Old Virginia and her neighbours

BACON'S REBELLION. 81When he had launched this manifesto Baconcalled for a meeting of notables at Middle Plantation,to concert measures for making it effective.There on August 3, accordingly, were assembled" most of the prime gentlemen of those parts,"including four members of tlie council. The dis-atcussion lasted all day, and was kept up by thelight of torches until midnight. There were manywho were not willing to go all lengths• 1WithT>rJacon.* nAll-ITwere willing to,®1sub-The oathMiddlePlantation.scribe an agreement not to. , ,aid Jierkeleyinmolesting Bacon and his men, but all were notprepared to promise military aid to Bacon inresisting Berkeley. Bacon insisted upon this andeven more. It was not unlikely that the king,influenced by calumnies and misrepresentations,might send troops to Virginia tosuppress the socalled" rebellion."opposing the royal forces untilIn that case all must unite inhis Majesty shouldbe brought to see these matters in their true light.Many demurred at this. It was equivalent toarmed rebellion. They would sign the first partof the agreement, but not this. Bacon repliedthat the governor had already proclaimed themrebels, and would hang them forsigning any partof the agreement ; one might as well be hanged fora sheep as for a lamb, and as for himself he wasnot going to be satisfied with half support. Theymust choose between Berkeley and himself. It issaid that they might have argued all that summernight but for a sudden Indian scare which emphasizedthe need for prompt action. Then the hesitatinggentlemen came forward and signed theVOIi. u.