a Native American chief of the Narragansett people. Although wary of the European newcomers, he bowed before superior armaments and surrendered a portion of the territory of his people to the immigrants without war. He ultimately proved to be a firm friend of Roger Williams and other English settlers. In the words of historian Benjamin Lossing, Canonicus "regarded the advent of the white men with a jealous fear" and in 1622 he challenged the Plymouth colony, in front of a force of about 5,000 men.
