62 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1687/8-89.

Liber B.
P. R. O.

Ordered that a letter be writt of from the Governm^t to the
R^t Hon^ble the Lord propre^ry giving him an account of all pro-
ceeding of the last Assembly and of other publick Affaires
and send to his Lordps the journall of the upper house of
Assembly also a coppy of the proposalle relateing to money
and the reasons of the Governm^t for such their proposalle
The Letter followed.

May it please your Lordsp.
Wee herewith (to your Lordsp) transmit a perticular of our
proceeding in the last sessions of Assembly not onely by this
our accompt thereof but by the journall of each dayes passages
which with these your Lordsp will wee hope receive In the
beginning whereof your Lordsp will find the heates and de-
bates wee had with the Lower House about the oath of fidelity
to your Lordsp which wee insisted upon the rather and indeed
cheifely for that your Lordsps last expressions to the Assembly
in 84 was that for the future your Lordsp did expect that
every member of Assembly should take the oath of fidelity
before they should be Admitted to sit, In pursuance whereof
the Government did in the Assembly of 1686 propose the said
oath of fidelity to the Lower House who excused it at that
time saying that had it been proposed to them in time they
would have taken it, but that then they were Entered upon
other business and the like for which and other reasons the
Governmt did not then further presse the same, But at open-
ing this Assembly wee humbly conceived it was our duty to
cause complyance to your Lordsp said demands in 84 and in
order thereunto wee resolved to be early with them in this
And accordingly it was by the presidents speech To both

p. 198

houses given them in charge To which the upper house readily
obeyed But the Lower house would by noe meanes Comply
upon which hot and high debates did arrise and the more they
refused to sweare fidelity to your Lordsp the more reason wee
had to distrust 'em But all mild perswasions failing wee sent
for 'em up to the upper house which they refused saying if his
Lordsp were there in person they would attend and indeed
they endeavoured all they could to lay asside your Lordsps
upper house upon which wee thought of a dissolution but
tried them the second time and they refused and the third
time and then they came to whome the president made a
short speech wherein he told them that wee were sorry to find
such early disturbances that the occassion wee sent for them
was about the oath of fidelity That fidelity was Allegiance
which by the Lawes of England might be proposed even to
the house of Comons in parliament sitting And that the refuse-
ing of Allegiance did Imply Rebellion and the like as your