The Lower House. 61

that we may not be wanting to our Selves and Country shall Heartily
Concur with you not only in a Loyal Address to his Majesty to be
Presented as you advise but in Doing Every Other thing that may
Manifest our Just Sense of the Innumerable Blessings we Enjoy
Under the Present most happy Establishment.
The Satisfaction you are Pleas'd to Express Your Reception in
this Province affords us the Greatest Joy and Encourages us to
Persist in our Loyalty to our Soveraign, Our Duty to our Lord
Propry, and you their Favourable and worthy Representative,
whereby we hope we shall be so fortunate as to Preserve Your
Esteem.

L. H. J.

The Hon^r and Service of Almighty God and his Holy Religion
is what we have [the greatest Inclination] to Promote and Doubt
not [but with your Excellency's assistance] we shall find ways [to
encourage as well the Clergy as] the Laity to be [more exemplary
in their Lives and] Conversations [than they now are.]
[The Improvement of Our Staple has often been attempted, tho'
with little Success; but since Your Honour's pleas'd to recommend
it to Us, We shall in that and the other Things taken Notice of in
your Speech, exert Ourselves to advance the real Interest of our
Lord Proprietor and Country.
The kind Caution You gave, concerning our Publick Records, is
what We shall always gratefully remember; and take Care to have
the Records so far separated, that both the Old and New may not
be subjected to Loss by one Fire or other fatal Accident.]
We Acknowledge [ourselves to be very much indebted to] Your
Honour for [so earnestly recommending to Us the] Pursuit of our
Real Interest [and avoiding Strife] & Contention, and we Assure
your Honours [We will] follow the Wholesome Advice given us
[therein], as well as Discountenance to the Utmost of our Power;
such as would Create Misunderstandings & Differances between the
Lord Proprietor and the People being Convinced that such are not
friends to Either, Let their Pretences be what they will. We Con-
fess that his Lordship has frequently declared his having the Good
of the Province at heart and that he was Resolved to Support the
People in their Just Rights & Priviledges and we Question not the
Sincerity of his Lordships Intentions; Yet we Cannot but with
Grief Observe that such is the Power of the Enemies of our Consti-
tution & Happiness, with his Lordship, that his Most Generous and
best Inclinations towards us have been Frustrated by their Malig-
nant Influence and Pernicious Counsels.

p. 12

This may it Please Your honour is a Melancholy truth & too
Manifestly Proved by his Lpps Dissent to the Law Prescribing the
Oath of Judge within this Province & the Attempting to Deprive
us of the benefit [of the English] Statutes tho' Essential to the very
being of [our Liberties and Properties] should we Pass these things

p. 13