in the Years 1689-90. 179

have endeavored to create a prepossession of greate Plunders
and rapins committed by the protestants upon the Papists
here may have no Credit with his Majestie or your Lordshipps
which is as false as wee shall allways be readie to answeare
our Proceedings before God and the King. Wee have onely
to Petition his Majestie would be graciously pleased to com-
mand the speedie Bringing to tryall the murtherers of M^r Iohn
Paine his Majestie's late Collector who are now in Virginia,
humbly begging your Lordshipps pardon for this trouble

I subscribe

Your Lordshipps most obedient humbly
devoted Servant
Iohn Coode.
(Endorsed)
Maryland 1690.
From M^r Coode to the Secretarys of State

P. R. O.

Maryland
B. I. Vol. 2,
B. E.

M^r Coode's letter to Captain Nicholsen

Maryland May the 19 1690.
May it please your Honor,
Haveing the Chiefe command for his Majesty's service in
this province, I thought it my duty to make this address, not
only to congratulate your Honor's safe arrivall but to present
an earlye tender of my due servince and respects Wee of this
Province have with longing expected your comeing into Vir-
ginia hopeing thereby to have some account of the Royall
pleasure concerning this their Majestys' Province of Mary-
land at least some sattisfaction for the innocent blood of his
Majesty's late Collector here inhumanlye and barbarously
murthered by some conscious and profligate papists lately fled
into Virginia, I have rather presumed to trouble your Honor's
patience with the inclosed (which is matter of fact th^t hath past
between the government of Virginia and this Province since
our late irruption, to which with all humility referr) then that
your Honor should be in anything unacquainted from us of
our circumstances or prepossesst by their Majestie's Enemies,
who will omitt noe sort of artifice to appear innocent the
greate encouragement (I presume these Gentlemen at first had
in Virginia was from the Interest of one Coll: W^m Digges, a
native and formerly an inhabitant there, one of the late secre-
tary's and deputy Governor here, a profest enemie and lately
in armes with the rest) against the regalitye of his Majestie
which not onely his late words and actings in that quality but
his own treasonable letter under his owne hand (which I
have to show) will justifie against all whom wee are and shall

p. 16