Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1698.     7

       To his Excellency Francis Nicholson Esqr Capt Gen' & Lib. X.

     Commander in chief of this his Majestys Province of Mary

     land

       Whereas there have of late been many Scandalous &

     Defamatory Rumors & Storys stirred up in this Province but

     more particularly in St Marys County tending to the disquiet

     & trouble of this his Majestys happy Government & with

     which false Reports its much doubted many of his Majestys

     good & peacable Subjects have been much abused &

     amused by false Notions & Apprehensions which if not

     Speedily removed may tend to the great Damage & Punish- p. 156

     ment of those persons no less then disquiet the province the

     same things havg already brought to Condign punishment &

     will undoubtedly be the portion of all that shall persist in

     such evils

       And forasmuch as your Excellency hath of your Goodness

     Condescended so far as to lay before the Court & Country

     lately present at Annapolis to a very great number the sev

     eral Rumors & Reports that have of late been Invented &

     spread abroad against this his Majestys Govt & made them

     all appear by records & other undeniable proofs to be some

     false some scandalous & all malitious to the full Satisfac

     tion & beyond contradiction in the minds of all persons

     present & to the Conviction of those Concerned insomuch

     that it hath been represented to your Excellency & your

     Excellency prayed to issue forth proclamation through this

     province thereby to disabuse his Majestys Good Subjects &

     to settle them in peace & quiet & also to Caution & leave

     without excuse all such who by those gentle admonitions

     will not be reclaimed & to let all know those very persons

     who were the actors & principles therein are so sensible

     of the falsitys & evil thereof that they have made a publick

     acknowledgment & entred into Solemn Engagements to

     avoid & abandon the like for the future

       We do therefore humbly pray your Excellency that it may

     be published proclamed & made known that all the said

     Rumors & Storys are false feigned Scandalous & Malitious

     Invented & spread abroad by John Cood as principal Au

     thor & others that have suffered thereby & so probably

     would the said Cood but that he is fled into Virginia & P 157

     there hanboured with whom his Majestys good subjects may

     be commanded & required not only to forbear associating &

     Combining but to Seize & apprehend him whenever found

     in this province & Convey to the next Iustice of peace to be

     sent to the Shen of the County according to a former Procla

     mation & we do hope and expect that all persons will take

     warning & be thereby Cautioned against such practices for