Vergil in the "Wracke" and the "Comming to Virginia": The Indictment and Rebirth of Jamestown in William Strachey's A True Reportory

Abstract:This article investigates William Strachey's use of Vergilian epic in his forthright, firsthand account of the Jamestown colony in 1610. By relying on the Aeneid as a classical colonial predecessor, Strachey justifies the difficulties occurring in the colony as a necessary component of colonial success, reflected by Aeneas's suffering prior to his divinely foretold foundation of Rome. In particular, Strachey utilizes the Aeneid's split travel-foundation structure, its use of the Muse as a figure conferring divine authority, and its procolonial ideologies presented in the foundations of both Rome and Carthage. In doing so, Strachey both critiques the governance of Jamestown before the arrival of Lord de la Warre in 1610 and figures de la Warre's arrival as a moment of rebirth for the colony. Strachey's creation of the colony's rebirth allows him to highlight the assured successes of Jamestown while further urging his audience to participate in the colonial project.