What I at first declared for, and have already ventured my Eftate for, that Iftill will, and fhall maintain to the utmost drop of my Blood, viz. to defend the Privileges of Parliament, without infringing the Royal Prerogative, to endeavour the maintaining the King, his Pofterity, according to the Solemn League and Covenant; this I think (my Lord) was the firft Pretence of these Mens railing War against his late Majefty, which at firft drew fo many honeft Men to their Party; but what hath been the Iffue of these Pretences, we have feen by 100 fad Experience.

I think it was therefore the Duty, my Lord, of every honeft Man to ftand to thole first Principles that he undertook, and not with the Multitude (blinded 'by the Ambition and Self-Interests of fome particular Men) run into thofe Wickedneffes and Mischiefs which they have fince perpetrated, and I think you, my Lord, and the rest of my Brethren and Fellow Citizens here, ought to take these things into Confideration, and remember that Oath which I prefume most of you took in the Solemn League and Covenant.

I think, my Lord, I need make no further Apology, either for myfelf, or the Caufe I plead for, there is fo much of Juftice in it, that it needs no Oratory to confirm, nor could that Cause be ever confuted but by the Sword, whofe tyrannical Power we have fufficiently felt, and feen the Difference, between a Government by ufurping and perjured Perfons, and the Clemency of a too mild and gracious Prince.

I fhall my Lord, add no further, but only conclude with this Prayer, that the God of Heaven would open your Eyes, and the Eyes of this whole Nation, and ftrengthen your Hands in the Settlement of these three diftreffed Nations in Peace and Quietnefs, which can no better be done than by your hearty Prayers and Endeavours for the Reftauration of the lawful Heir to his Right: for how can we expect that he will ever let Juftice flourish amongst us, whilft we deny Justice to our Sovereign.

The Humble PETITION and ADDRESS of the General Court fitting at Bofton in New-England, unto the High and Mighty Prince CHARLES the Second. And prefented unto his Moft Gracious Majefty, Feb. II. 1660. Printed the fame Year.

To the High and Mighty Prince CHARLES the Second, by the Grace of God King of Great Brittain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith;

Moft Gracious and Dread Soveraign,

M

AY it please your Majefty (in the Day wherein you happily fay, you now know that you are again King over your Brittish Ifrael) to caft a favourable Eye upon your poor Mephibofbeths now, and by reafon of Lameness in VOL. III. C

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refpect of Distance, not until now appearing in your Prefence, we mean NewEngland, kneeling with the rest of your Subjects, before your Majefty, as her restored King. We forget not our Ineptnefs as to thefe Approaches. We at present own fuch Impotency, as renders us unable to excufe our Impotency of Speaking unto our Lord the King: yet contemplating fuch a King who hath alfo feen Adverfity, that he knoweth the Heart of Exiles, who himself hath been an Exile; the Afpect of Majefty thus extraordinary circumftanced, influenceth, and animateth exanimated Out-cafts (yet Out-cafts as we hope for the truth) to make this Addrefs unto their Prince, hoping to find Grace in your Sight; we prefent this Script, the Tranfcript of our loyal Hearts, into your royal Hands, wherein we crave leave:

To fupplicate your Majefty for your gracious Protection of us, in the continuance both of our civil Privileges, according to (and of our religious Liberties, the Grantees known end of fuing for) the Pattent conferred upon this Plantation by your Royal Father: This, this, viz. our Liberty to walk in the Faith of the Gofpel, with all good Confcience, according to the Order of the Gospel (unto which the former in thefe Ends of the Earth is but fubfervient) was the Cause of our tranfporting Ourfelves, with our Wives, little Ones, and aur Subftance, from that pleafant Land over the Atlantic Ocean, into this vast, and wafte Wilderness: Chuling rather the pure Scripture Worship with a good: Confcience, in this poor remote Wilderness, amongst the Heathens, than the Pleafures of England, with Subjection to the Impofition of the then to difpofed, and fo far prevailing Hierarchy, which we could not do without an evil Confcience For this Caufe wetare do this day in a Land, which lately was not fown, wherein wahavei conflicted with the Sufferings thereof much longer then Jacobr was in Syria; our Witness is in Heaven, that we left not our Country upon any Diffatisfaction as to the Conftitution of the Civil State; our Lot after the Example of the good old Non Conformist, hath been only to act a paffive parc throughout thefe late Viciffitudes and fucceffive Overturnings of State; our Se paration from our Brethren in this Defart, hath been, and is a fuffering, bringing to mind the Affliction of Jofeph, but the providential Exception of us thereby from the date Wars, and Temptations of either Party, we account as & Favour from God, the former cloathes us with Sackcloth, the latter with Innoveneyda gol gol vy

What Reception, Courtefy, and Equanimity thofe Gentlemen, and other! Adherers to the Royal Intereftain their adverfe Changes vifited these Parts were entertained with amongst us: according to the Meaness of our Conditions, we appeal to their own Reports. As w

Touching Complaints put in against us, our humble Requeft only is, that for the Interim, wherein we are dumb, by reason of Abfence, your Majefty would permit nothing to make an Impreffion upon your Royal Heart against us, until we have Opportunity and Licence to answer for ourselves; few will be Nocent, faid that Impleader, it it be enough to deny ; few will be Innocent, replied the then Emperour,if it be enough to accufe.

Concerning the Quaker's, Jopen Capital Blafphemers, open Seducers from the Glorious Trinity, the Lord's Chrift, our Lord Jefus Chrift, the bleffed Gospel, and from the Holy Scriptures, as the Rule of Life,pen Enemies to Govern

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ment

ment itself, as established in the Hands of any but Men of their own Principles, malignant and affiduous Promoters of Doctrines, directly tending to fubvert both our Churches and State: After all other means for a long time ufed in vain, we were constrained, for our own Safety, to pass a Sentence of Banishment against them upon Pain of Death; fuch was their dangerous, impetuous and defperate Turbulency to Religion, and to the State Civil and Ecclefiaftical, as that how unwilling foever, could it have been avoided, the Magiftrate at least, in Confcience both to God and Man, judged himself, called for the Defence of all, to keep the Paffage with the Point of the Sword held toward them; thiscould do no harm to him that would be warned thereby, they willingly rushing themselves thereupon was their own Act, and we with all Humility conceive a Crime bringing their Bloods upon their own Heads. The Quakers died not becaufe of their other Crimes how capital foever, but upon their fuperadded prefumptuous, and incorrigible Contempt of Authority, breaking in upon us, noce withstanding the Sentence of Banifhment made known unto them; had they not been restrained fo far as appeared, there was too much Caufe to fear that we ourselves-muft quickly have died, or worse; and fuch was their Infolency, that they would not be restrained but by Death; nay, had they at laft but promised to depart the Jurifdiction, and not to return without leave from Authority, we fhould have been glad of fuch an Opportunity to have faid they should not die.

Let not the King hear Men's Words, your Servants are true Men, Fearers of God and the King, and not given to change, zealous of Government and Order, orthodox and peaceable in Ifrael, we are not feditious to the Intereft of Cæfar, no Schifmaticks as to the matters of Religion, we diftinguish between Churches and their Impurities; between a living Man, though not without Sickness or Infirmities, and no Man; Irregularities either in ourselves or others, we defire may be amended; we could not live without the publick Worship of God, we were not permitted the Ufe of publick Worship, without fuch a Yoke of Subfcription and Conformity, as we could not confent unto without Sin: That we might therefore enjoy Divine Worship without human Mixtures; without Offence either to God or Man, or our own Confciences; we with leave (but not without Tears) departed from our Country, Kindred and Father's Houle, into this Pathmos; in relation whereunto we do not fay, our Garments are become old, by reafon of the very long Journey, but that ourfelves, who came away in our Strength, are by reafon of very long Abfence, many of us become grey-headed, and fome of us ftooping for Age, the Omilfion of the prementioned Injunctions, together with the walking of our Churches, as to the point of Order in the congregational way, is all wherein we differ from our Orthodox Brethren.

Sir, we lye not before your Sacred Majefty, the Lord God of Gods, the Lord God of Gods he knoweth, and Ifrael he fhall know, if it were in Rebellion or Schifme that we willingly left our dwelling in our own,, or continue our dweling in the ftrange Land, fave us not this Day..

Royal Sir, if according to our humble Petition, and good Hope, the God of the Spirits of all Flesh, the Father of Mercies (who comforteth the Abject) fhall make the Permiffion of the Bereavement of that All, for which we have and do fuffer the Lofs of All, precious, fo precious in your Sight, as that your C 2 Royal

Deliberation; it is that upon which the Honour or eternal Reproach of the Na tion abroad, and its Happiness or Confufion at home, feems (next under God's infcrutable Providence) moft principally to depend. For on the one fide, how abhorred a Nation muft we be to all others, if the Infamy of our Sovereign's Murther fhould not be throughly washed away by Juftice in the Blood of the Guilty? And on the other, what Happiness or Quiet can we hope for at home; nay, what new Combustions ought we not to apprehend, if the Criminal and the Milled (between whom the Eye of the Law can make little Diftinction) making up fo numerous a Part of the Nation, their Fears, which might urge them to new Crimes, fhould not be fecured by the firmeft Affurances of Impunity? Punishing and fecuring, are certainly the two principal Ends of this Bill, and wherein as certainly every one of your Lordships doth concur; but whether the means of attaining thofe Ends, have been fufficiently lighted upon by the Houfe of Commons in this Bill, that I fuppofe is the prefent Queftion; and wherein I think myfelf in Duty obliged to exprefs unto your Lordships with Freedom and Sincerity my Judgment, in, all humble Submiffion unto yours.

As for that Part of the Bill which relates to our Sovereign's Murder, I find it fo fhort, and fo much out of the way, of what we owe, both to the Severity and Solemnity of that Revenge, that I cannot but think it in fome fort (pardon the Expreffion) a Prophanation of the due Rites of that facred Expiation, to handle it in the fame Bill promifcuously with other more vulgar things.

My Motion therefore fhall be, that there be forthwith a Committee appointed, to confider of all things fit to be done for the wathing away of that Stain from the Nation, and from the Age wherein we live; and to draw up an Act purposely and folely for that end. In Confidence, that this Motion will either be embraced by your Lordships, or that, if it be oppofed, I fhall have the liberty to fortify it by my Reasons, I fhall fet that Business apart, and apply my Dif courfe to what concerns this Bill in all other relations: In which I fhall not make nice to tell your Lordships, that I think it defective in many things reasonable, and redundant in fome things unreasonable; and yet, notwithstanding, not only my humble Motion, but my most earnest Preffure, as far as with Humility I may, shall be, that we may proceed immediately to the paffing of this Bl, with little or no Alteration.

This, my Lords, may appear a furprising Motion from a Perfon thought to be, as indeed I am, as much inflamed as any Man living, with Indignation at the deteftable Proceedings of the late ufurped Power, fo pernicious to the Pub lick, and fo injurious to my own particular; in whom, the Motion may feem yet more furprising, when I fhall have told you with truth, that I am irrepar ably ruined in my Fortune for my Loyalty, (if this Bill of Indemnity to others. for their Difloyalty fhould pafs, as it is here offered unto your Lordships) but the Ground. I go upon is this received Maxim as to all publick Sanctions, Better a Mischief, than an Inconvenience: Yea, better innumerable Mischiefs to 1articular Perfons and Families, than one heavy Inconvenience to the Publick. My Lords, I profefs unto you I find myself set on fire, when I think that the Blood of fo many vertuous and meritorious Peers, and Perfons, and others of all Ranks, fo cruelly and impioufly fhed, fhould cry fo loud for Vengeance, and not find it from us.

That