144 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1667-75.

P. R. O.
Colonial
Papers.

the proprietarys pocket, is truth, and thether thy stretch all their
law proceedings and Acts of Assembly.
O Hypocrits, you whitlime your fals metle Actions over with
my Lord's and y^r glisteringe paternall care, m a late remon-
strance throughout the province published under protestation,
wherein yourselfe aknowledge the peoples grievances, and
now the chop is done promise that all foure elected Burgesses
shall com to the Assembly That Davis was Captain of as an
ill branch of a tree (a the like smoth (a turnnip) Attorny's
speaches againt which wee declare and protest, that all the
good you and my Lord heas done to the Country common
good, by exactinge and forcing from the people, so many
hundred thousands pound of tobacco, takinge awaye especially
within this two years, the fourth parts of poore peoples lively-
hood and yearly produce out of their labour, and with som
that haes greater charges then workers more is That y^u have
destroyed therewith many 100 of the king's subjects; shewed
your folly to the very Indians originated the distractions in
Virginia and Maryland, and make us and owr wyffs and
children crye, flye, trye, pye, paye, suffer and curss you for it.
O yee Assembly men, you have no power to yeeld to all
their perswasions and subtelties, to enslave us and our posterity,
to give owr labours and substance away with the Customs
mony from the Merchants, to maintain my lord a prince and
his upstarts Lords here ? Have wee not given him gratitud and
doth his quitt rent not amount to a vast sum of mony, besides
port dutys, fines, escheats, entring, clearing and takeing of ships
and vessells, item licences, fees, merchandizing: and a great
many other imunities besides a number of mannours, iff he
would improve them and plantations &c. All this is yearly
extracted out of the Country to particular uses, and the poore
people left, to maintain themselves and all other publiq charges,
so that there is little difference between them and bondslaves
that work 3 days for themselves and 3 days to maintaine others,
for set the inland store keepers: the ordinary Keepers; At-
tournys: and fee officers, aside, which feed upon the people
(as the woolves uppon the sheepe) no other is the condition of a
poore planter that haes nothing els to trust to, which perhaps
from the beginninge havinge worked from hand to mouth for his
wyff and children, becoms at length able to buye him a servant
or two, may bee 3. Which hee must cloath, dyed and season to
the Country and to lerne how to worke and live: and pay
taxes and Country leavis for, and may bee, is sikly all the
yeare and at laest dyeth, and if his catle and hoghs, most
comonly in hard winters, dyes too, away is the planters
Estate gone and hee must shuffle and cut amongst the great
ones, to begin againe. Others make a fayre outside, whilst