ppears, by subsequent proceedings, that they wished to
fasten upon him the charge of embezzlement, the responsibility of the
sufferings of the colony, and to mulct him in fines. He was arrested,
and confined on the pinnace. Mr. Ratcliffe was made President.

On the 11th of September Mr. Wingfield was brought before the Council
sitting as a court, and heard the charges against him. They were, as Mr.
Wingfield says, mostly frivolous trifles. According to his report they
were these:

First, Mister President [Radcliffe] said that I had denied him a penny
whitle, a chicken, a spoonful of beer, and served him with foul corn;
and with that pulled some grain out of a bag, showing it to the company.

Then starts up Mr. Smith and said that I had told him plainly how he
lied; and that I said, though we were equal here, yet if we were in
England, he [I] would think scorn his man should be my companion.

Mr. Martin followed with: "He reported that I do slack the service in
the colony, and do nothing but tend my pot, spit, and oven; but he hath
starved my son, and denied him a spoonful of beer. I have friends in
England shall be revenged on him, if ever he come in London."

Voluminous charges were read against Mr. Wingfield by Mr. Archer,
who had been made by the Council, Recorder of Virginia, the author,
according to Wingfield, of three several mutinies, as "always hatching
of some mutiny in my time."

Mr. Percy sent him word in his prison that witnesses were hired to
testify against him by bribes of cakes and by threats. If Mr. Percy,
who was a volunteer in this expedition, and a man of high character, did
send this information, it shows that he sympathized with him, and this
is an important piece of testimony to his good character.

Wingfield saw no way of escape from the malice of his accusers, whose
purpose he suspected was to fine him fivefold for all the supplies whose
disposition he could not account for in writing: but he was finally
allowed to appeal to the King for mercy, and recommitted to the pinnace.
In regard to the charge of embezzlement, Mr. Wingfield admitted that it
was impossible to render a full account: he had no bill of items from
the Cape Merchant when he received the stores, he had used the stores
for trade and gifts with the Indians; Captain Newport had done the same
in his expedition, without giving any memorandum. Yet he averred that he
never expended the value of these penny whittles [small pocket-k