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assistinge, and will not obye or assist any here in opposition to
them. Item, article 7. that no mans arms and ammunition
should bee pressed away except those that should appear in a
hostill manner. And it was enacted then by that Assembly,
viz. findinge these articles greatly conduceing to the honor of
his Lordship and the peace of the province, as also tendinge
to the removall of those feares and jealousies, and to aid the
whole inhabitants, have therefore enacted, that the said articles
bee to all intent and purposes inviolable observed and con-
firmed.
Our great King and Parliament, judge now between your
loyall subjects and my Lord Baltemore and his Champions
and favorits in Maryland are wee Rebells because wee will not
submit to their arbitrary government and entangle our innocent
posterity under that tyranicall yoake of papacy? (pray was it
not a cruel act to turne a few poore harmles inhabitants out of
all thy hath in the midle of a hard winter at the wherekyll,
that never hath done any harm to Maryland but submitted
imediately, without the least resistance under promised good
quarter and save guarde, which was after shamefully broak
and the poore people ruynated ? To such and many the like
rigours (the Lord Proprietary's naturall tyrannycall disposi-
tion) under the cloake of mutiniers and disaffected persons,
thy attempt to force us to bee their asses with their sword-
lawes and popish inquisition, which if wee, (and marke wee
doe not protest against reall but partiall justice) repulse with
owr English retortsion, pray who gives occasion to it? and
therefore with all humility, cry and flye to owr gratious Kinge
and parliament for relief and protection.
For onely to terrify others, did ye cause William Davis and
to bee fetched bake againe from New Castle uppon
delowar, out of his royal Highnes government by force; and
hanged them up as if thy hath been ring leaders to a raising
in denyall and opposition of the abovesaid oath, uppon the
cliffts, not absolutely prooved to what intent, neither confessed,
neither absolute found guilty by a jury, onely suppository
(viz. if the Court found them guilty thy found them guilty, and
if the Court did not find them guilty, thy did not find them
guilty) and so where executed uppon a stretcht forth chancellors
lawe; which wel examined in England, is questionable whether
thy would bee condemned as Traytors to the Lord proprietary,
because thy would not acknowledge and swear to him for
their souveraigne, but decleared themselves onely freeborn
subjects to the King and Kingdom of England. But that thy
under that Cullour have taxed the Country with a 100 lbs
tobacco for every tythable, and fined the conspirators unmerci-
fully exactinge many 1000 of pounds of tobacco into their and
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P. R. O.
Colonial
Papers.
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