312 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1654-1657.

Liber B.

a late Proclamation dated the 4^th of this Month published in the
Said Province, both the Commission^rs and the people (who ad-
hered to their engagem^t to the Commonwealth of England and
refused to own or acknowledge any other Name or Authority
(as to Governm^t) or to take any other oath but what they had
already taken to that power) were charged that they drew
away the people, and led them into faction, Sedition & Re-
bellion against the Lord Baltemore, whereby not onely the
Lands houses and plantations of many hundreds of people,
but also their Estates and lives were liable to be taken away at
the pleasure of the aforesaid Lord Baltemore and his officers;
by all which unjust and Unreasonable proceedings the people

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were put upon a Necessity of Standing upon their own defence
for the Vindication of their Just rights & Liberties & freeing
themselves from those great oppressions whereby the whole
Province was very much threatned & apparently endangered
For the prevention whereof as alsoe for the Reliefe of those
that were So deeply distressed, and for the Settlement of the
Province in peace and in their due obedience under his highness.
The Said Commissioners by authority derived to them from his
Highness the Lord Protector applyed themselves unto Cap^t
William Stone the Governour & the Counsell of Maryland,
according to a Declaration of the 15^th of this Month herewith
published, who returning onely opprobious & uncivill Language,
presently Mustered his whole power of men & Soldiers in Armes
intending to Surprize the Said Commissioners and (as could
be imagined) to destroy all those that had refused the Said un-
lawfull Oath, & onely kept themselves in their due obedience
to the Commonwealth of England Under which they were
reduced and Settled by the Parliaments Authority and Com-
mission Then the Said Commission^rs in quiet & peaceable
Manner with Some of the people of Putuxent & Severne went
over the River of Putuxent, and there at length received a
Message from the Said Cap^t Stone, that the next day he would
meet and treat in the woods, And thereupon being in Some
fear of a party to Come from Virginia he Condescended to lay
down his Power lately assumed from the Lord Baltemore, and
to Submitt (as he had once before done) to Such Government
as the Commissioners Should appoint under his Highness the
Lord Protector.
It is therefore Ordered and declared by the aforesaid Com-
missioners, That for the Conservation of the peace and publick
Administracon of Justice within the aforesaid Province of
Maryland Cap^t William Fuller m^r Richard Preston, m^r William
Durand m^r Edward LLoyd Cap^t John Smith, m^r Leonard

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Strong m^r Lawson m^r John Hatch m^r Richard Wells
and m^r Richard Ewen or any four of them whereof Cap^t