WHat were the grounds and in­ducements that moved us to seize on the Governour and other principall Persons con­cerned in the Government under King James, and that we unanimously declared for the Prince of Orange shall not need here to be mentioned, I'm sure our Intention was never to depart from our Loyalty & Allegiance to the Crown of England, which now since it hath pleased God to place on the Heads of our Soveraign Lord and Lady, King William and Queen Mary, who are owned & proclaimed as such thro' out all their Majesties Kingdomes, Territories & Domi­nions, and perticularly by us; we are the more firmly obleiged to testify and bear Obedience to them in the best and most dutifull manner we can.

And therefore tho' upon misinformations or mis­taken notions of things, we have for sometime suf­fered many inconveniencies (which have produced great losse and dammage to our Countrey and per­sons) in hopes of some Directions from England for our firmer Settlement, yet since those hopes by the Circumstances of Affairs in Europe, have hi­therto fail'd us; & many things have by our search and enquiry into matters of the Government and actions of several persons, appear'd to us much o­therwise than they were represented, and since tho' we have had in our hands and keeping all publique papers, and acquainted our selves with the Letters and Correspondency which those in Office and Go­vernment had, both at home and in forreign parts; we cannot finde any grounds to charge the Plott or Designe on them of indeavouring to sell the Country, or procure any Violence to be done to, or acted upon the Inhabitants as was suggested: It is highly necessary and propper for us (not regard­ing our past actions which speedy Amendment may the easier passe by) to consider in what state and condition we now stand with respect to our Du­ty & Allegiance to the King and Queen of England, as becometh good Christians and loyall Subjects; and therein these two things offer themselves prop­perly for our Consideration.

1. What is required of us by our Allegiance, and whether there be not a lawfull Authority, or Per­sons well & sufficiently authorized from that crown to rule & govern us, and whom we ought to submit to, assist and obey, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake.

2. Whether the seeming Government now im­posed on us be any wayes lawfull, or such as with our Allegiance and a good Conscience we ought to yeild obedience to, or whether it be not in the law meer usurpation and tyranny.

And in the first place we must know that it is required of us by our Allegiance, that we bear a true and faithful obedience and subjection to our Soveraign, This obedience is an incident insepera­ble to every Subject; for as soon as he is born he oweth by birth right Legiance and obedience to his Soveraign. [...] vinculum [...]. As the ligatures or strings do knit together the joints of all parts of the body, so doth Legiance join toge­ther the Soveraign and all his subjects, and there­fore subjects are bound to obey their Soveraign, and he is called their Leige Lord, because he should maintain and defend them.

We are not only to submit and yield obedience to the King as Supream, but unto Governours as them that are sent by him, and unto all other Offi­cers and Ministers lawfully placed in Authority under him.

It is very well known to us all that Sr. Edmond Andros is a Governour sent by the King, appoint­ed and Authourized by Letters Patents under the great Seal of England, to exercise authority and Government over us in this their Majesties Terri­tory and Dominion of New-England. And we must also know for a certain truth, That that power and authority given to him, cannot determine or be superseded by the Death or Removall of the late King James, but by their Majesties express com­mand, and the Grant of the Government by Let­ters Patents to some other person. And tho' force and violence may restrain and hinder his person from the Discharge of his duty, yet the power and authority vested in him is not thereby lessened or diminished; tis we are onely wanting in our duty and Allegiance, and so far put our selves out of the Kings protection as we deny or refuse the means or authority he has appointed for the same.

The King in his politicall Capacity never dyes. Therefore is there no time when it can be said there is no King, the inconveniency would be too great if it were, and we never know the Death or Removall of one but by the proclaiming of the o­ther, and then our Allegiance becomes due to him that is seated on the Throne: and so it is with Go­vernours and other Officers in Government as well as private subjects. Their Allegiance and Duty is transferr'd to the Successour as well as ours, and they become servants of him who sits on the throne, and want no new orders or authority to maintaine the Government committed to their Charge under the Successor, as well as under that prince who gran­ted the powers, for it must never be admitted that any place or people can be without Government by Reason of the Succession of the Supream.

It is he then only that is vested with lawfull Power from our Soveraign, him therefore we ought in duty and conscience to obey, and all Officers and Ministers authorized under him: for they are not his but the Kings Officers and ministers, the King being the Head of the Government, and the Go­vernour onely his chief Officer or minister here in­trusted [Page] and authorized to act in their Majesties name and behalfe, and this we must do if we either regard Loyalty or Conscience, which out of Love to you all, cannot forbear to presse and move you to.

In the second place, the seeming Government now imposed upon us, as it hath no foundation or Authority, so cannot be able to support it self: and if we indeavour by force and Violence to keep it up, we both wrong our consciences before God, and make our selves criminall to our Soveraign in the highest nature, and at once divest their Ma­jesties of the Chiefest Jewell of their Crown, which is Power, they having the command of all their Peo­ple to rule and govern, and not they them. Shep. grand Abridgem't. Besides, another great mark of their Soveraignty, is Omnipresence, for they are present in all their Courts and with all their Officers and Ministers in their Offices, and therefore any abuse or contempt offered to them is done to the King and Queen, in respect of the Authority they are clothed with.

The Pretence of power to govern by vertue of the Charter granted to the late Governour & Company of the Massachusets Bay in N. England, is most weak & groundlesse, for that Charter was severall years since by due Course of Law in the Kings Courts at Westminster, Condemn'd, made Null, and Cancell'd, and on an Exemplification of the Judg­ment against it under the broad Seal of England and power of Government given to a President and Councill, Anno 1686. The then Governour and Company layd down the Government and left it to the President and Councill who took upon them the Government accordingly: by vertue whereof the body politick of that Corporation was dissolv'd, and the Succession determined. And there is no possibility by law for any that were formerly Members of that Corporation, to take upon them that Government, untill they are a­gain lawfully established into their former politicall Capacity, which they cannot be, without their Majesties new Grant, and so are now in no other capcity but as private persons; and as such to take upon them the Government, and to make Rates and Taxes upon the people, is but meer Ursurpation and Tyranny, which none ought to submit to or obey but declare and protest against and indeavour to apprehend and secure the Actors as the greatest Traitors and Criminalls to their Majestyes and Countrey.

The Vote or Consent of Ten Thousand tho it may give greater force and Violence, yet gives no more right or power in Law than the Vote or Consent of one private person; and therefore there can be no colour of Authority for Govern­ment but such as is lawfully derived from the Su­pream head.

Tis not too late to think of these things, for we have suffered enough already for want of being in the right way and haveing a lawful power over us. If any thing in the Governours Commission seem to absolute, or that which we understand not well, or that possibly may be amiss, it is not our interests to condemn the Whole for that for doubtlesse the power of Government is in the King and Queen onely, and all inferiour Officers and Ministers ought to be appointed by them, therefore we must not lay them all aside at once and [...] without any Authority or [...]. The worst Government is better than none; and we had better support that which hath real Authority, and may help to protect us, than that which is only imaginary, without any Authority, and can onely hurt and insnare us, and bring miseries on ourselves and posterity.

These Things are well worth our Considera­tion seasonably; and if well Resolv'd and put in practise may help to glosse and excuse any past mistaken Actions, save our Country from further spoil & Desolation, and in great measure regaine our good names and Credit abroad, and put us and our Neighbors into a firm Unity whereby we may be enabled not onely to protect and de­fend our selves against the French, but to An­noy them, of which never was greater need than at this Time, when our Weaknesse in Government and Divisions expose us to imminent Danger in case of an Attack, as we heare hath been allready made on other of their Majesties Dominions.

I have no other end herein than to bring you into the wayes of God & Peace; to which, Obedi­ence to lawfull Government & Authority, I'me sure is a principal step, and which, in my Opinion (considering the face of things in Europe, and the latest News we have from our friends there) can onely give present Ease to our injured & Di­stressed Countrey.