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An authentic Copy of the CHARTER granted by their Majefties King William and Queen Mary, to the Inhabitants of the Province of the Maffachusetts Bay, in New England.

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ILLIAM and Mary, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King and Queen, defenders of the faith, &c. To all to whom thefe prefents fhall come, greeting. Whereas his late Majesty King James the Firft, our royal predeceffor, by his letters patents under the great feal of England, bearing date at Westminster the third day of November, in the eighteenth year of his reign, did give and grant unto the council eftablished at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering, and governing of New-England, in America, and to their fucceffors and affigns, all that part of America lying and being in breadth from forty degrees of northerly latitude, from the equinoctial line, to the forty-eighth degree of the faid northerly latitude, inclufively, and in length of and within all the breadth aforefaid, throughout all the main lands, from fea to fea, together also with all the firm lands, foils, grounds, havens, ports, rivers, waters, fifhings, mines, and minerals, as well royal mines of gold and filver, as other mines and minerais, precious ftones, quarries, and all and fingular other commodities, jurifdictions, royalties, privileges, franchises, and preheminences, both within the faid tract of land upon the main, and alfo within the iflands and feas adjoining. Provided always, that the faid lands, iflands, or any the premiffes, by the faid letters patents intended and meant to be granted, were not then actually poffeffed or inhabited by any other Chriftian prince or ftate, or within the bounds, limits, or territories of the fouthern colony, then before granted by the faid late King James the First, to be planted by divers of his fubjects in the fouth parts. To

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have and to hold, poffefs and enjoy, all and fingular the aforefaid continent, lands, territories, iflands, hereditaments, and precincts, feas, waters, fifhings, with all and all manner of their commodities, royalties, liberties, preheminences, and profits, that should from thenceforth arise from thence, with all and fingular their appurtenances, and every part and parcel thereof, unto the faid council, and their fucceffors and affigns, for ever, to the fole and proper use and benefit of the faid council, and their fucceffors and affigns, for ever to be holden of his faid late Majefty, King James the Firft, his heirs and fucceffors, as of his manor of EastGreenwich, in the county of Kent, in free and common foccage, and not in capite, nor by knights fervice. Yielding and paying therefore to the faid late king, his heirs and fucceffors, the fifth part of the ore of gold and filver, which fhould, from time to time, and at all times then after happen, to be found gotten, had, and obtained, in, at, or within any of the faid lands, limits, territories, or precincts, or in, or within any part or parcel thereof, for or in respect of all and all manner of duties, demands, and fervices whatfoever, to be done, made, or paid to the faid late King James the First, his heirs and fucceffors, (as in and by the faid letters patents, amongst fundry other clauses, powers, privileges, and grants therein contained, more at large appeareth). And whereas the faid council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering, and governing of New England, in America, did by their deed indented under their common feal, bearing date the nineteenth day of March, in the third year of the reign of our royal grandfather King Charles the Firft, of ever bleffed memory, give, grant, bargain, fell, infeoff, alien, and confirm to Sir Henry Rofwell, Sir John Young, Knights, Thomas Southcott, John Humphreys, John Endicott, and Simon Whetcombe, their heirs and affigns, and their affociates, for ever, all that part of New England, in America aforefaid, which lies and extends between a great river there, commonly called Monomack, alias Merimack, and a certain other river there, called Charles River, being in a bottom of a certain bay there, commonly called Maffachufets, alias Mattachusetts, alias Maffatufetts Bay. And alfo, all and fingular thofe lands and hereditaments whatsoever, lying within the space of three English miles, on the fouth part of the faid Charles River, or of any and every part thereof. And

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alfo, all and fingular the lands and hereditaments whatsoever, lying and being within the space of three English miles to the fouthward of the fouthermoft part of the said bay called Maffachufets, alias Mattachuferts, alias Maffatufetts Bay. And alfo, all those lands and hereditaments whatsoever, which lie and be within the space of three English miles to the northward of the faid river called Monomack, alias Merimack, or to the northward of any and every part thereof; and all lands and hereditaments whatfoever, lying within the limits aforefaid, north and fouth in latitude, and in breadth, and in length, and longitude, of and within all the breadth aforefaid, throughout the main lands there, from the Atlantick and Western Sea and Ocean on the east part, to the South Sea on the weft part; and all lands and grounds, place and places, foil, woods, and wood-grounds, havens, ports, rivers, waters, fifhings, and hereditaments whatfoever, lying. within the faid bounds and limits, and every part and parcel thereof. And also, all islands lying in America aforefaid, in the said feas, or either of them, on the western or eastern coafts or parts of the faid tracts of land, by the faid indenture mentioned to be given and granted, bargained, fold, enfeoffed, aliened, and confirmed, or any of them. And alfo, all mines and minerals, as well royal mines of gold and filver, as other mines and minerals whatsoever, in the faid lands and premiffes, or any part thereof; and all jurisdictions, rights, royalties, liberties, freedoms, immunities, privileges, franchifes, preheminences, and commodities whatfoever, which they the faid council, established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering and governing of New-England, in America, then had, or might ufe, exercife, or enjoy, in or within the faid lands and premiffes, by the fame indenture mentioned to be given, granted, bargained, fold, enfeoffed, and confirmed, in or within any part or parcel thereof. To have and to hold the faid part of New-England, in America, which lies and extends, and is abutted, as aforefaid, and every part and parcel thereof; and all the faid iflands, rivers, ports, havens, waters, fifhings, mines, minerals, jurisdictions, franchises, royalties, liberties, privileges, commodities, hereditaments, and premiffes whatfoever, with the appurtenances, unto the faid Sir Henry Rofwell, Sir John Young, Thomas Southcott, John Humphreys, John Endicott, and Simon Whitcombe, their heirs and affigns, and their affoci

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ates for ever, to the only proper and abfolute use and behoof of the faid Sir Henry Kofwell, Sir John Young, Thomas Southcott, John Humphreys, John Endicott, and Simon Whitcombe, their heirs and affigns, and their affociates, for evermore. To be holden of our faid royal grandfather, King Charles the Firft, his heirs and fucceffors, as of his manor of Eaft-Greenwich, in the county of Kent, in free and common foccage, and not in capite, nor by knights fervice; yielding and paying therefore, unto our faid royal grandfather, his heirs and fucceffors, the fifth part of the ore of gold and filver, which fhould, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, happen to be found, gotten, had, and obtained in any of the faid lands within the faid limits, or in or within any part thereof, for and in fatisfaction of all manner of duties, demands, and fervices whatfoever, to be done, made, or paid to our faid royal grandfather, his heirs and fucceffors, (as in and by the faid recited indenture may more at large appear). And whereas our faid royal grandfather, in and by his letters patents, under the great feal of England, bearing date at Westminster the fourth day of March, in the fourth year of his reign, for the confideration therein mentioned, did grant and confirm nnto the faid Sir Henry Rofwell, Sir John Young, Thomas Southcott, John Humphreys, John Endicott, and Simon Whetcombe, and to their affociates after named, viz. Sir Richard Saltenftall,. Knight, Ifaac Johnson, Samuel Alderfey, John Ven, Matthew Craddock, George Harwood, Increafe Nowell, Richard Perry, Richard Bellingham, Nathanial Wright, Samuel Vaffall, Theophilus Eaton, Thomas Goffe, Thomas Adams, John Brown, Samuel Brown, Thomas Hutchins, William Vaffall, William Pincheon, and George Foxcroft, their heirs and affigns, all the faid part of New-England, in America, lying and extending between the bounds and limits in the faid indenture expreffed, and all lands and grounds, place and places, foils, woods, and wood grounds, havens, ports, rivers, waters, mines, minerals, jurifdictions, rights, royalties, liberties, freedoms, immunities, privileges, franchifes, prehem nences, and hereditaments, whatfoever, bargained, fold, enfeoffed, and confirmed, or mentioned or intended to be given, granted, bargained, fold, enfeoffed, aliened, and confirmed to them the faid Sir Henry Rofwell, Sir John Young, Thomas Southcott, John Humphreys, John Endicott, and Simon Whetcombe,

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