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fancyes) have taken upon themselves to declare your Lord-
ship's charter forfeited as your Lordship may see by their
malitious declaration (which the Bearer will shew your Ldp)
They have further taken upon themselves to give Cofnissions
to Sheriffs and Justices of their own stamp and constitute other
Officers both civill and military utterly excluding not only all
Roman Catholiques from bearing any office whatsoever (con-
trary to an express act of Assembly) but alsoe all Protestants
that refuse to joyne with them in their irregularities, imprison-
ing such of them as declare against their illegal proceedings,
and arbitrarily threatening to hang any man that takes upon
him to justify your Lordship's right. They have assumed the
power of calling an Assembly the Election of which was in most
Countyes awed by their souldiers, one County disowned their
power and would chuse noe members but in fine they have
packed up an Assembly after the most irregular manner that
ever was knowne, wherein they have layd down the methods
of their future conduct, but is as yet kept private, but I am
informed that your Lordship shall speedily have sent you a
Copy of their Journall But soe it is that neither Catholique
nor honest Protestant can well call his life or estate his own
and if your Lordship (according to your wonted care & ten-
derness of your people) by a speedy application and true rep-
resentation to His Majesty of these most inhuman actions doe
not procure some orders whereby to allay their fury a little all
your friends here will be reduced to a miserable condition, for
dayly their cattle are killed, their horses prest and all the
injury imaginable done to them, and to noe other, certainly
your Lordship's charter is not such a trifle as to be annulled
by the bare allegations of such profligate wretches and men of
scandalous lives, as Code, Thurling, Jowles and such fooles as
they have poysoned by the most absurd lyes that ever were
invented. If the King think that your Ldp or your Deputy
Governors have done anything that may render your charter
forfeited His Majesty & His Councill know the way of trying
it is by a quo warranto which way of proceeding (as I under-
stand) is not much favoured by the King or Parliament much
less I believe will they approve of such unheard of actions as
were committed against your Lordship & Governmt by these
evill speritts without Commission or order from any superior
power, whereby they have not only rebelled against your
Lordship but alsoe committed high Treason in takeing up
armes as they have done without warrant from His Majesty
or your Lordship. I fear I have been too tedious upon this
ungratefull subject, yet I could enlarge much more, and would
but that the Bearer can informe your Lordship to the full
much better then I can he haveing been no small sharer in the
grate calamity whereof likewise I had my parte mingled with
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P. R. O.
Colonial
Papers.
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