be joined with any other province." Such profeffed fubmiffion probably prevented the quo warranta's being profecuted with effect; and produced an order to Andros to accept the furrender of the charter and the fubmiffion of the colony. Sir Edmund went to Hartford in October; but when at night he expected the charter would have been furrendered into his hands, the candle was blown out, and the charter withdrawn from the table, carried off and fecreted by one of the company: whose extraordinary service was afterward rewarded, by the general affembly with five fhillings, agreeable to the plain fimple manners of the people. He however pub. lifhed in the general court his orders and commifion, which every one tacitly obeyed. He diffolved the former government, and affumed the adminiftration, receiving into his legislative council the late governor and fecretary, for the better carrying on the bufinefs of the colony. The fubfequent revolution in England brought matters back, after a while, to their former courfe; as the legal validity of the charter was admitted.

The peopling of these three laft colonies was owing chiefly to the Puritan Minifiers, who, being filenced at home, repaired to New England, that they might enjoy liberty of confcience; and drew after them valt numbers of their friends and favorers. They amounted to feventy-feven before 1641; and though all were not perfons of the greatest learning and abilities, they had a better fhare of each than most of their neighbouring clergy at that period; and were men of eminent fobriety and virtue, plain, ferious, affectionate preachers, exactly conformable to the doctrines of the church of England, and labored much to promote a reformation of manners in

their feveral parishes. Many planters, who accompanied or followed them, were gentlemen of confiderable fortunes and of no mean education, who spent their eftates in New England, and were at the charge of bringing over many poor families, that were not able of themfelves to bear the expenfe *. The body of laity and clergy, collectively confidered, furnishes fuch a glorious conftellation of characters, as would employ the pen of a first-rate writer to do them justice; notwithftanding what has been above remarked of their governmental mistakes.

The dangers to which the New England colonies were early expofed, induced them to think of confederating for their mutual fafety. Articles were drawn up in 1638; but they were not finished and ratified till the 1643. feventh of September 1643; from which time we are Sept. to look upon Plymouth, Maffachusetts, Connecticut and New Haven as one body, in regard to all public tranf actions with their neighbours, though the private affairs of each colony were ftill managed by their own courts and magiftrates.

7.

Pafs we on to the fettlement of the other New England

colonies.

Mr. Roger Williams, who fucceeded Mr. Skelton, upon his decease, as paftor of the church at Salem, being banished from the Maffachusetts, repaired with twelve 1635. companions to the Narraganfet country, and had land given him by the Indian Sachem Canonicus; of whom he afterward purchased the large tract, lying between Pawtucket and Pawtuxet rivers (the great falls and the little falls; as the Indian names fignify,) and ftiled it Neale's Hiftory of New England, Vol. I. 214-217.

Providence

Providence" from a fenfe of God's merciful Providence to him in his diftrefs." The authority and power of Miantonomy, another Sachem, and his uncle Canonicus, awed all the Indians round to affift him and his few affociates. When the determinations of the Massachusetts general court (occafioned, by what they called antinomian difputes) banished many and induced others to leave the colony, the heads of the party were entertained in a friendly manner by Mr. Williams; who advised 1638. them to feek a fettlement on Rhode Island, and was very inftrumental in procuring it of the Indian Sachems.

Mar.

16.

They, to the number of eighteen, incorporated themfelves, and began fettling the island. The plantations there and at Providence increafed apace, owing to the liberal fentiments of the first fettlers: and in 1643 Mr. Williams went to England as agent, and obtained " a 1644. free and abfolute charter of incorporation of Providence and Rhode Island Plantations, empowering them to rule themselves, by that form they might voluntarily agree upon." They agreed upon a democratic. Mr. Williams justly claims the honor of having been the firft legiflator in the world, in its latter ages, who effectually provided for, and established, a free, full, and abfolute liberty of confcience. This was the chief caufe that united the inhabitants of Rhode Island and those of Providence, and made them one people, and one colony. The foundation principle on which this colony was first fettled, was, that "every man who fubmits peaceably to the civil authority, may peaceably worship God according to the dictates of his own confcience without moleftation." When the colony was applied to in 1656 by the four United Colonies to join them in taking effectual methods to

fupprefs the quakers, and prevent their pernicious doctrines being propagated in the country;" the affembly returned for anfwer We fhall ftrictly adhere to the foundation principle on which this colony was first fettled,"

1663, King Charles II, granted an ample charter, whereby July the colony was made a body corporate and politic, by the name of the Governor and Company of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England in America, The charter referved only allegiance to the king, without the fmalleft fhare of the le giflative or executive powers.

$685.

A writ of quo warranto was iffued out against the colony, which was brought June 26, 1686. The affembly determined not to ftand fuit. After the revolution, they were allowed by government to refume their charter, no judgment having been given against it.

New Hampshire and the Main were fettled about the fame time with the Maffachusetts, by different proprietors who had obtained patents; and whofe views were to enrich themselves, by the fifhing trade at fea, and the beaver trade afhore. Religion had little concern in the fettlements: but it had fome in the plantation of Exeter, on the river Pafcataqua; which was began by Mr. Wheelwright (a minifter banished from the Maffachusetts, on account of the antinomian diffenfions with which the colony was convulfed,) and by a number of his adherents. They formed themfelves into a body politic. Three other diftinct governments were also eftablished on the branches of the faid river. Thefe governments, being altogether voluntary, had no fecutity as to their continuance, and the feveral fettlers were

too divided in opinion to form any good general plan of permanent administration. Therefore the more confiderate among them treated with the Maffachusetts, about taking them under its protection; which fully fuited the wishes of that colony, as it afforded the heads of it the opportunity of realizing the construction they had put upon a claufe of their charter, by which they extended their line, fo as to comprehend both New Hampfbire and the Main. The bufinefs terminated in the incorportion of the two colonies, on condition that the inhabitants of each fhould enjoy equal privileges. They continued long united, and were of one heart and mind in civil and religious affairs. When feparated by the king's commiffion for the government of New Hampshire, the new affembly at their first meeting, in a letter of March 25, 1680, to the governor of the Maf 1680. fachusetts, to be communicated to the general court, expreffed their full fatisfaction in the past connection; a grateful fenfe of the care that had been exercised over them; and of their having been well governed; and an unfeigned defire, that a mutual correfpondence between them might be fettled †.

The towns in the province of Main, after a time, fell into a ftate of confufion. The Maffachusetts took that opportunity, for encouraging the difpofition which prevailed in many of the inhabitants to fubmit to their jurifdiction; and, to forward their compliance, granted 1652. the people larger privileges than were enjoyed by their own; for they were all freemen upon taking the oath, whereas every where elfe no one could be made free, unless he was a church member. The province was

• Hutchinson's Hiftory, Vol. I. p. 268.

Ibid. p. 328.

D 4

made