378 Assembly Proceedings, October 6-November 6, 1725.

L. H. J.

I will maintain the King and My Lord Proprietors
Prerogative.
I will Support you in your Rights and Priviledges, and I
do not Intend to alter our old forms of Judicature without
the Consent of both Houses, in a Parliamentary Way.
Cha: Calvert
Gentlemen.
I cannot help taking particular Notice, of that part of your
address, Relating to the Justices of Ann Arrundell County,
because it seems design'd to Reflect upon me. I did meet
the Justices at M^r Bowes House, I did Inform them of the
Statute of the fourth of our Present Sovereign Relating to
Convicts, and I did Command the Justices to obey it, and
whoever will not do so, flyes in the face of his Majesty's
Authority.
I am afraid some Evil Spirits walk among us, and it would
be matter of Great pleasure to such, to have your house and
me att Variance, but for my own part, I defye the Devill
and his Works to do it, and Shall use those most Excellent
Words in the Litany, "Abate their pride, Asswage their
Malice, and Confound their Devices."
I am Gentlemen
Your Very hum^ble Serv^t Cha: Calvert

Thereupon the following Message is prepared, viz:

To the Hono^ble the Lieu^t Governour
May it please Your Honour.

p. 79

Your Honours decla[ra]tion that you will Maintain his
Majesty's and his Lordships Prerogative is no less En-
dearing to us than that of Supporting our own Rights and
priviledges. We Cannot Expect to be protected in the one
without the prosperity and good Success of the other which
we shall ever Chearfully do our Endeavours to promote; and
Inseparable from these is, in our most humble Opinion, the
Continuance of our old forms of Judicature, which we are
therefore the more Solicitous to preserve. The Judges Oath
is Essentiall to this, and the Old form tho full in substance,
we find to be too Generall in its Expressions not to be Mis-
understood by some who take it, and we take it to be for this
Reason that both Houses of Assembly Last Sessions Con-
curr'd in a more Expressive form, agreeable to the true In-
tent of the Old one and more Conformable to the Oath of
Judges in England as directed by Statute; but whether this
Concurrence were such a parliamentary assent of both