2. Whereas there are many thousands in these Plantations of the English Nation free-born, quiet peaceable men, righteous in their dealings, forward with hand, heart and purse to advance the publike good, known friends to the honourable and victorious Houses of Parliament, lovers of the Nation, &c. Who are debarred from all Civil imployment (without any just cause that we know) not being permitted to beare the least office (though it cannot be denied but some are well qualified.) No not so much as to have any Vote in choosing Magistrates, Captains, or other Civil or Military Officers; notwithstanding they have here expended their youth, born the burthen of the day, wasted much of their estates for the subsistence of these poor Plantations, paid all assesments, taxes, rates, at least equal, if not exceeding others: Yea, when the late War was denounced against the Naraganset Indians, without their consent; their goods were seised on for the service, themselves and servants especially forced and imprest to serve in that war, to the hazarding of all things most neer and dear unto them. Whence issue forth many great inconveniences, secret discontents, murmurings, rents in the Plantations, discouragements in their callings, unsetlednesse of minde, strife, contention, (and the Lord only knows to what a flame in time it may kindle) also jealousies of too much unwarranted power and dominion on the one side, and of perpetuall slavery and bondage to them and their posterity on the other, and which is intolerable, even by them who ought to love and respect them as brethren, &c.

We therefore desire, that Civil liberty and freedome be forthwith granted to all truly English, equall to the rest of their Country-men, as in all Plantations is accustomed to be done, and as all Free-borne enjoy in our native Country; we hoping here in some things to enjoy greater liberties then elswhere, counting it no small losse of liberty to be as it were banished from our native home, and enforced to lay our bones in a strange wildernesse. Without imposing any Oaths or Covenants on them, which we suppose cannot be warranted by the Letters Patents, and seem not to concurre with the Oath of Allegiance formerly enforced on all, and later Covenants lately imposed on many here present by the honourable Houses of Parliament; or at least to detract from our native Country, and Laws, (which by some are stiled Foraign, and this Place termed rather a Free State, then a Colony or Corporation of England.) All of us being very willing to take such Oaths and Covenants, as are expressions of our desires of advancing the glory of God

and

and good of this place, of our duties to the State of England and love to our Nation, being composed according to the laws and customes of other Corporations of England. But all of us are exceedingly unwilling, by any policies whatsoever, to be rent from our Native country, though far distant from it; valuing our free Denizations, the Immunities and Priviledges which we and our posterity do, and we hope shall alwayes enjoy, above the greatest Honours of this Country not cemented to the State of England; and glory to be accounted though but as Rushes of that Land, and yet that we may continue to write, that we and ours are English. Or at least we intreat, that the Bodies of us and ours (English subjects possessing here on priviledges) may not be imprest, nor Goods forcibly taken away; lest we not knowing the justnesse of the war, may be ignorantly and unwillingly inforced upon our own destructions. And that all Assesments, Taxes, Impositions, (which are many and grie-. vous) if Civil liberty be not granted) may be taken off, that in all things we may be Strangers: otherwise we suppose our selves in a worse case here, and lesse free, then the Natives amongst whom we live, or any Aliens. Further, that none of the English nation (who at this time are too forward to be gone, and very backward to come hither) be banished, unlesse they break the known Lawes of England in so high a manner, as to deserve so high a punishment. And that those few that come over, may settle here without having two Magistrates hands, which sometime not being possible to obtain, hath procured a kind of banishment to some, who might have been serviceable to this place, as they have been to the State of England, &c.

3. Whereas there are divers sober, righteous, and godly men, eminent for knowledge, and other gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit, no ways scandalous in their lives and conversations, Members of the Churches of England (in all Ages famous for piety and learning) not dissenting from the late and best Reformation of England, Scotland, &c. Yet they and their posterity are detained from the Seals of the Covenant of Free-grace, because (as it is supposed) they will not take these Churches Covenants, for which as yet they see no light in Gods word, neither can they cleerly perceive what they are, every Church having their Covenant differing from anothers, at least in words, yea some Churches sometime adding, sometimes detracting, calling it sometime the Covenant of Grace, sometime a Branch of it, sometime a Profession of the Free-Covenant,

&c.

&c. Notwithstanding they are compelled, under a severe Fine, every Lords day to appeare at the Congregation, and notice is taken of such who stay not till Baptisme be administered to other mens children, though denied to their own; and in some places forced to contribute to the maintenance of those Ministers, who vouchsafe not to take them into their Flock, though desirous of the Ordinances of God, &c. yet they are not accounted so much as Brethren, nor publikely so called; nor is Christian vigilancie (commanded to all) any way exercised to them. Whence (as we conceive) abound an ocean of inconveniences; Dishonour to God and his Ordinances, little profit by the Ministery, increase of Anabaptism, and of those that totally contemn all Ordinances as vain, fading of Christian graces, decrease of Brotherly love, Heresies, Schisms, &c. The whole body of the Members of the Churches of England, like sheep scattered in the wildernesse without a shepherd, in a forlorne sad condition. We therefore humbly intreat you, in whose hands it is to help, and whose judicious eyes discern these great inconveniences; for the glory of God, and the comfort of your Brethren and Countrymen, to give liberty to the Members of the Churches of England not scandalous in their lives and conversations (as Members of those Churches) to be taken into your Congregations, and to enjoy with you all those liberties and ordinances Christ hath purchased for them, and into whose Name they are baptized; That the Lord may be one, and his Name one amongst us in this place; That the Seals of the Covenant may be applied to them and their posterity, as we conceive they ought to be, till inconveniences hereby be found prejudiciall to the Churches, or Colonie (which we hope shall never be.) Not doubting but the same Christian favour will be shewed to all the Members of these Churches, when they shall retire to our deare native Country, (if their conversations be righteous and holy); Or otherwise to grant liberty to settle themselves here in a Church-way according to the best Reformations of England and Scotland. If not, we and they shall be necessitated to apply our humble desires to the Honourable Houses of Parliament, who we hope will take our sad conditions into their serious considerations, to provide able Ministers for us, (this place being not so well provided as to spare any); Or else out of their charity (many estates being wasted) to transport us to some other place, where we may live like Christians, and not be accounted burthens, but serviceable both to Church and State.

These

These things granted, by the blessing of God to us in Christ, we hope to see the now contemned Ordinances of God, highly prized; the Gospel much darkned, break forth as the sun at noon-day; Christian charity & brotherly love almost frozen, wax warm; Zeal and holy emulation, more fervent; Jealousies of Arbitrary Government, the bane of all Commonwealths, quite banished; The wicked, if any such be found, in their courses disheartned; The righteous actors, in their wayes, encouraged; Secret discontents fretting like cankers, remedied; Merchandizing, shipping, by speciall Providence wasted, speedily increased; Mines undertaken with more cheerfulnesse, Fishing with more forwardnesse; Husbandry, now withering, forthwith flourishing; Villages and Plantations, much deserted, presently more populous; All mechanicall Trades, the great enrichers of all Commonwealths, bravely going on; Staplecommodities, the life of States, presently raised; Our almost lost credit regained; Our brethren of England's just indignation, and therefore as from a pest flying from us, turned to imbraces; The honourable Houses of Parliament, Patrons of Piety, under their wings, in these dangerous times, with all alacrity shrowding us; The Priviledges and Immunities which we and ours enjoy in our native Land, more firmly setled; Foraign enemies daily threatning, totally discouraged; Unsetled men now abounding, firmely planted, that the prosperity of England may not be the ruine of this Plantation, but the contrary; Hands, hearts, and purses now straightned, freely opened for publick and honorable services; Strife and contention now rife, abated; Taxes and sesses, lightned; The burthens of the State, but pleasure. To conclude, all businesses in Church and Common wealth which for many years have seemed to goe backward, beyound our desert, yea expectation, the good hand of our God going along with us, succesfully thriving.

And shall alwayes pray the Almighty the only wise God, to guide you with his wisedome, strengthen you with his power, in all your undertakings, that all may be to his glory, and good of his people; and that he would blesse your Wisdomes with the blessings of peace, plenty, and long dayes, &c.

Robert Child, Tho. Fowle, Samuel Maverick, Thomas
Burton, David Yale, John Smith, John Dand.

This Petition was presented to the Generall Court held at Boston,

May 19, 1646.

A

A Relation of the effects this Petition produced.

Hough this Petition of Dr. Child was in a peaceable way presented, only by two of the Subscribers; yet it produced these effects, and thus it wrought

First, the Elders, (not all, some few being silent) in their Congregations publikely using severall Expressions, but to one and the self-same end; as, That it was a seditions Petition full of malignancie, subvertive both to Church and Commonwealth in their foundations; Some calling those that so Petitioned, or comparing them to Sons of Belial, Judasses, Sons of Corah with sundry appellations of that nature, with some such applications, which seemed not to arise from a Gospel spirit; usually ekeing out their Sermons in large and defamatory declamations both against their Persons and Petition, yea sometimes a whole Sermon, and that not very short neither, being spent in enlarged sentences to denote the destructivenesse thereof to Church and Commonwealth; yea publikely exhorting Authority to lay hold upon those Petitioners, which the same night they did.

Nor were the Magistrates in the mean season altogether silent, but spake in the same key; yea, One publikely in open Court gave charge to the Jury to take notice of such a Petition, and of such as were that way affected, for they were both Presentable and punishable by their Law; for he said it was a wicked Petition, full of malignancie, subverting the very foundations both of Church and Commonwealth, or words to that effect; And how far it reached, he knew not, pointing (as was apprehended) at a Capital Law there made, here reprinted.

Now at the next sitting of the General Court, six of the seven that Petitioned, were sent for by the Marshall to come to the Court, where they were charged ore tenus, with great offences contained in their Petition and Remonstrance, against the Court and Government; and that such of them as were bound out of the Jurisdiction, should enter into Bond with security, to stand and abide the Judgement of the Court, and the rest were confined, and charged to attend the Court to the same end. The Petitioners desired to have their Charge in writing, which was then denied; and some added, That was but a trick of them that they might carry it and shew it in England:

They