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P. R. O.
Colonial
Papers.
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conjectur'd that the conceit of his confinement was the chief
cause of his death which soon after happened. The latter was
barbarously murthered upon the execucon of his office by one
that was an Irish papist and our Cheif Governor.
Allegiance here by those persons under whom wee suffer
is little talked of, other then what they would have done and
sworn to, to his Lordship the Lord Proprietary, for it was very
lately owned by the President himselfe, openly enough in the
Upper House of Assembly, that fidelity to his Lordshipp was
allegiance and that the denying of the One was the same thing
with the refusall or denyall of the other. In that very Oath of
Fidelity, that was then imposed under the penalty of banish-
ment there is not so much as the least word or intimation of
any duty, fayth or allegiance to be reserved to our Sovereign
Lord the King of England.
How the jus regale is improved here, and made the prorog-
ative of his Lordshipp, is so sensibly felt by us all in that abso-
lute authority exercised over us, and by the greatest part of
the Inhabitants in the service of their persons, forfeiture and
loss of their goods, chatteles, freeholdes and inheritances.
In the next place Churches and Chappels, which by the said
Charter should be built and consecrated according to the
Ecclesiastical lawes of the Kingdom of England, to our greate
regrett and discouragement of our religion, are erected and
converted to the use of popish Idolatary and superstition,
Jesuits and seminarie preists are the only incumbents; (for
which there is a supply provided by sending our popish youth
to be educated at St Omers) as also the Chief Advisers and
Councellors in affaires of Government, and the richest and
most fertile land sett apart for their use and maintenance,
while other lands that are piously intended, and given for the
maintenance of the Protestant Ministry, become escheats, and
are taken as forfeit, the ministers themselves discouraged, and
noe care taken for their subsistance.
The power to enact Laws is another branch of his Lord-
shipp's authority, but how well that has been executed and
circumstances is too notorious. His present Lordshipp, upon
the death of his father, in order thereunto, sent out writts for
four (as was over the usage) for each County to serve as Rep-
resentatives of the people, but when elected there were two of
each respective four pickt out and sumoned.to that con-
vencon, whereby many Laws were made, and the greatest
leavy yet known layd upon the Inhabitants. The next Ses-
sion the house was filled up, with the remaining two that was
left out of the former in which there were many and the best
of our Laws enacted to the great benefit and satisfacon of the
people but his Lordship soon after dissolved and declared the
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