inge from
head to foot. Being seated, the chairman asked her "How many men she
would lend the English for guides and allies?" She referred him to her
son, who understood English, being the reputed son of an English
colonel. But he declining to answer, she burst forth in an impassioned
speech of a quarter of an hour's length, often repeating the words,
"Totopotomoi dead," referring to her husband, who, as has been seen, had
fallen while fighting under Colonel Hill, the elder. The chairman,
untouched by this appeal, roughly repeated the inquiry, how many men she
would contribute. Averting her head with a disdainful look she sate
silent, till the question being pressed a third time, she replied in a
low tone, "Six." When still further importuned she said "Twelve,"
although she had then one hundred and fifty warriors in her town. She
retired silent and displeased.

The assembly went on to provide for the Indian war, and made Nathaniel
Bacon, Jr., general and commander-in-chief, which was ratified by the
governor and council. An act was also passed indemnifying Bacon and his
party for their violent acts; and a highly applausive letter was
prepared, justifying Bacon's designs and proceedings, addressed to the
king and subscribed by the governor, council, and assembly. Sir William
Berkley at the same time communicated to the house a letter addressed to
his majesty, saying: "I have above thirty years governed the most
flourishing country the sun ever shone over, but am now encompassed with
rebellion like waters, in every respect like that of Massaniello, except
their leader." Massaniello, or Thomas Anello, a fisherman of Naples,
born 1623, exasperated by the oppressive taxes imposed by Austria upon
his countrymen, at the head of two thousand young men, armed with canes,
overthrew the viceroy, seized upon the supreme power, and after holding
it for some years, fell by the hands of assassins in 1647. Some of the
burgesses also wrote to the king, setting forth the circumstances of the
outbreak. The amnesty extended from the 1st day of March to the 25th day
of June, 1676, and excepted only offences against the law concerning the
Indian trade.[296:A] The assembly did not restrict itself to measures
favorable to Bacon. According to the letter of the law, at least, he had
been guilty of rebellion in assuming a military command and marching
against the savages without a commission, and he had so acknowledged.
Yet he was not more guilty