declared that the beheading of the King
was an indefensible act of treason, under
penalty of death, the number of Puri-
tans in Maryland increased to more than
one thousand.
Apparently the Puritans were neither
satisfied with the tolerant society into
which they fled, nor content to live
peacefully with those of different theo-
logical views. Reports filtered to Eng-
land that the Puritans were not being
fairly treated by the Maryland govern-
ment. They persuaded the Crown to
send over Parliamentary commissioners.
Governor Stone of Maryland immedi-
ately acknowledged the new Common-
wealth of England, but refused to issue
warrants and writs in the name of the
"Keepers of the Liberty of England"
instead of under Lord Baltimore. On
this basis, Stone was removed from
office and a provisional government
established.
A unanimously Protestant assembly
was installed and in 1654, the "Act
Concerning Religion" was repealed and
"popery" outlawed. Cromwell himself
was by no means satisfied when he heard
of these things. He ruled that Cecil
Calvert's charter was valid and intact,
and ordered Stone to resume leadership
of the colony. Stone evidently felt that
he had to retake the reigns of govern-
ment by force, and the Puritans were
not averse to an open conflict. The
battle of the Severn was fought in
March of 1655, and Stone was soundly
defeated. Cromwell, too busy with af-
fairs at home to recognize the victors'
insubordination, merely ordered them to
cease all persecution of Catholics and
fully restore Baltimore's province to
him.47
47 See riley, supra note 7 at 51-55, and
browne, supra note 20 at 147-55.
22
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Once again under the second Lord
Baltimore, policies of toleration were
reestablished. At once Cecil Calvert
granted immunity to all offenders in the
Puritan rebellion, and permitted them
to either keep their lands or leave the
colony, whichever course they wished
to follow. Even the right to hold office
was not denied. Calvert displayed a
characteristic magnanimity as a reaction
to the Puritan uprising, "the basest act
of ingratitude and intolerance in the
annals of American history."48
A PEACEFUL REIGN
1659-1688
"History has little to record of the
daily life of the colonists in times of
peace and quiet."49 When Lord Balti-
more was able to administer the affairs
of Maryland without hindrance, Protes-
tants and Catholics lived together in
admirable harmony, unique among the
several colonies. An indentured Mary-
land servant, writing home in London
in 1666, had this to say about his
adopted colony:
"Here the Roman Catholic and
the Protestant Episcopal, whom the
world would persuade, have pro-
claimed open wars irrevocably
against each other, contrarywise
concur in an unanimous parallel
of friendship and inseparable love
unto one another; all inquisition,
martyrdom and banishments are
not so much as named but unex-
pressibly abhorred by each other
.... And I really believe this land
or government of Maryland may
boast that she enjoys as much quiet-
ness from the disturbance of rebel-
lious opinions as most states or
48 Ivrs, supra note 7 at 234. See generally
id. at 233-39.
49 Id. at 240.
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