Sandys, George
Brief Biography:
George Sandys was best known as a poet, a philosopher, and a participant in the Jamestown settlement in Virginia. Sandys, born in England on 2 March, 1577/8, was the youngest son of Edwin Sandys, archbishop of York. In 1589 at the age of 11, George Sandys entered St. Mary's Hall at the University of Oxford, then transferred to Corpus Christi college. At the age of 18, he transferred to Middle Temple where he may have earned his legal degree. His family arranged his marriage to Elizabeth Norton. When Sandys started his travels in 1610, some said it was to escape his estranged wife and related legal troubles. Relatives of his wife had taken him to court for desertion and lack of financial support. His travels to the East ended in 1612. . In 1607, Sandys became involved with the Virginia Company of London and the Bermuda Company. After his trip abroad, he became an active stockholder in the Virginia Company of London. In August of 1621, George Sandys came to America as treasurer of the Virginia Company in Jamestown. He was at Jamestown during the massacre of 1622. Sandys led the avenging party at Tappahannocks across the river from Jamestown. Sandys left America June 25, 1625, arriving in London before the 1 of September. George Sandys died in March of 1643/4. He was buried on March 7th 1643/4 at Boxley in Kent.

Brief Itinerary:
Sandys departed from London in 1610 on board "The Little Defence" of London. He traveled to Venice, Italy and arrived in Constantinople on the 27th of September. After spending four months in Constantinople, he sailed for Egypt aboard the "Trinity" of London. He left Cairo by camel for the Holy Land on March 4th, 1611. After three weeks in the Holy Land he rejoined the "Trinity" and eventually made his way back to Italy where he spent some time before returning to England.

Brief History of the Text:
A Relation of a Journey was first published in 1615 in London by R. Field for W. Barrett bookseller and continued to be available in London bookshops into the 1670s. The work was translated into Dutch in 1653 and into German in 1669. Reprints appeared in English as late as the 1970s.
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