removed according to their discretions And imediately upon & after such eleccon and eleccons made of such Governor Deputy Governor Assistant or Assistants or any other Officer of the said Company in manner and forme aforesaid, The authority Office & power then before given to the former Governor Deputy Governor or other Officer and Officers so removed in whose stead and place new should be so chosen as to him them and every of them should cease and determine Provided alwaies and the Will and pleasure of the said late king Charles the First was that as well those who were by the said Letters Patents appointed to be the then present Governor Deputy Governor and Assistants of the said Company as those who should succeed them and all other Officers to be appointed and elected as aforesaid before their taking upon them the Execucon of their said Offices and places should respectively take their Corporall Oathes for the due and faithfull performance of their Duties in their severall Offices and places before such person or persons who should by the said Letters Patents be afterwards appointed to administer and receive the same (To witt the said Mathew Cradock who was thereby nominated and appointed the then p'sent Governor of the said Company should take the said Oathes before one or more of the Masters of the said late Kings Court of Chancery for the time being To which siad Ma' or Masters of his Chancery the said late king Did thereby giue full power and authority to take and administer the said Oath to the said Governor And after that the said Governor should be soe sworne then the said Deputy Governor and Assistants before therein named and appointed should take the said severall Oathes respectively appurteyning to their Offices and places before the said Mathew Cradock then present Governor then before sworne as aforesaid And that every such person who att the time of the Annuall ellecon or otherwise by death or removall should be appointed to be a new Governor of the said Company should take the oathes belonging to the said place before the Deputy Governor or two Assistants of the said Company att least for the time being and a new Deputy Governor and Assistants and all other Officers then after to be chosen as aforesaid

from time to time should take the oathes respectively belonging to their places before the Governor of the sd Company for the time being To which said Governor Deputy Governor & Assistants the said late king by his said Letters Patents did giue full power and authority to giue and administer the said Oathes respectively according to the true intent of the said late king before in the said Letters Patents Declared without any Comission or further Warr to be had and obtained from him his heires & Successors in that behalfe As by the said Letters Patents together with severall priviledges franchises libertyes and Imunityes to the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid made and granted therein specified before Vs in Our Chancery inrolled relacon being thereunto had more fully doth & may appeare And Under Colour of whereas also wee are given to vnderstand Makeing laws That the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay assumeing on themselues vnder colour of the said Letters Patents power to assemble to make good and wholesome Lawes and Ordinances not repugnant or contrary to the Laws and statutes of this Kingdome of England for the better governing & Ruleing of the Inhabitants within the bounds lymitts and premisses aforesaid in the said Letters Patents aboue specified & granted They the said Governor and Company vnder colour and pretext thereof respecting only their owne private gaine and proffitt contrary to the Trust in the Body Corporate and pollitique by Vs and the Lawes of this Realme of Eng- they Levy Money land reposed aue assumed the vnlawfull without Authority and vnjust power and authority to Levy money of our Subjects and leige people to the vse of them the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid vnder colour of Lawes or Ordinances by them de facto Ordained and established without any other right title or Authority whatsoever And in prosecucon and execucon of such illegall and vnjust power and authority by them so vsurped, They the said Governor and Company in their Generall Court or assembly aforesaid held att New England aforesaid to witt att Westm' aforesaid in the County of Middx aforesaid did make & publish certaine Lawes by them de facto enacted for the leauying of severall sumes

men of the age of

16.

chandise Import

ed.

of money of all our Subjects and leige people as well Freemen as not Freemen of the said Company and other strangers (meaning the places lymitts bounds and premisses aforesaid in the said Letters Patents aboue exviz, the Rate of pressed and granted) Inhabitants and those 20d p head of all that come to them (that is to say) Of every man of the age of sixteene yeares there inhabitting (Excepting the Magistrates and Elders of Churches) One shilling and eight pence a Head yearely to be paid, and also for all goods Merchandizes and provisions of all sorts (excepting Fish, Sheeps Wooll Cotton Wooll Salt and such other things as by former Lawes are exempted or otherwise provided for (meaning the Lawes and Ordinances by the Governor and Company aforesaid made) wch from any Forreigne part or other Jurisdiccon should be Imported into any Ports Shores or elcewhere within that Jurisdiccon (meaning the places lymitts bounds and premisses aforesaid in the said Letters Patents aboue specified and the Duty of Id p granted) for the vallue of every Twenty shillings pd Value for Mer One penny in money, Which penny by Twenty shillings should be paid by the Agent Factor Owner or other person by whome they are brought or to whome they are sent or Consigned And so according to that proporcon for all greater or lesser quantities whatsoAnd also of all Merchants or Masters of Strangers The Duty of Tun- shipps who should arive with merchandize in any the Ports of Boston or Charles Towne and make sale thereof or the greater part thereof by way of Custome or Imposicon according to the rate of six pence per Tunn for every ship to be paid out of the Merchandize And of all Masters of every such Shipp Tenn shillings and of every English shipp or other shipp laden in England by any English man arriveing in their Ports Ten shillings for every shipp aboue the Burthen of Two hundred Tuns, and six shillings eight pence for every Vessell vnder that Burthen, and divers other sumes of money of divers persons inhabitting or Trafficking in those parts And that the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid vnder colour and pretence of the Orders and Ordinances aforesaid so by them for their private Lucre and gaine illegally made and without any other right title

ever,

nage.

.

Coyning Money

or authority whatsoever for the space of seaven yeares last past haue exacted and leauyed and caused to be exacted divers great sumes of money in the Whole amounting to Fifty Thousand pounds per ann of all the persons aforesaid inhabitting and trafficking within the places lymitts bounds and premisses and the same money converted and disposed to their own vse, (That is to say att Westm aforesaid) To the subversion of the good ruleing and Government of the Company aforesaid and to the great oppression and impoverishing of our Subjects inhabitting and Trafficking there And that the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid under colour & p'text aforesaid and respecting their private lucre and gaine in their publique Court or Assembly aforesaid held att New England aforesaid That is to say att Westm' aforesaid did make and publish one other Law or Ordinance by them de facto enacted to the effect following that is to say That there should be a Mint house erected att Boston (meaning a certaine Towne called Boston in New England aforesaid) And that the Master of the said Mint and all Officers there should be sworne and allowed of by the said Court or such who should be Authorized to that purpose And that all persons whatsoever should haue Liberty to bring into the said Mint all Bullion plate or Spanish money there to be melted and brought to Allay of sterling money by the Master of the said Mint and his sworne Officers from time to time by him and them to be Coyned into Twelue penny, six penny and Three penny peices which should be stamp'd wth a Double Ring on either side wth this Inscripcon Massachusetts and a Tree in the Center of the one side New England with the yeare of our Lord and the Figure XII. VI. * according to the vallue of each peece on the other side together wth a priuate mark which should be appointed every Three moneths by the Governor and knowne only to him and the sworne Officers of the Mint And further the Master of the Mint aforesaid was by the Law and Ordinance aforesaid required to coyne all the said money of good silver of the just Allay of new sterling English money and for vallue Two pence in the shilling of lesser

vallue then the then present English Coyne and the lesser peeces proporconably And that all such Coyne as aforesaid should be acknowledged to be the Current money of that Commonwealth (meaning the said Governor and Company aforesaid) and to passe from man to man in all payms accordingly within that Jurisdiccon And that the said Master and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid in execucon of the Law and Ordinance aforesaid did erect the said Mint house att Boston That is to say att Westm aforesaid and for the space of seaven Yeares last past without any other right and against Our Will did Coyne and cause to be coyned divers sumes of money And that the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid vnder the colour and pretext aforesaid and respecting only their owne private Lucre and gaine in their publiq Court or Assembly aforesaid held att New England aforesaid to witt att Westm' aforesaid Did make and publish one other Law or Ordinance by them de facto Enacted to the effect following that is to say That noe man should be vrged to take an Oath or subscribe to any Articles Covenants or Remonstrances of publique and Civill nature but such as the Generall Court (meaning the publique Assembly aforesaid) had Considered allowed and required And that noe oath of any Magistrate or other Officer should bind him any further or longer then hee was resident or reputed an Inhabitant of that Jurisdiccon (meaning the bounds and premisses in the said Letters Patents aboue specified and granted And forasmuch as Imposing an Oath of fidelity to ye divers Inhabitants of that Jurisdiccon who had Governmt. long continued amongst them receiving protec con from that Governm' had as they were informed vttered Offensiue speeches whereby their fidelity to that Government might justly be suspected and also that divers strangers of Forreigne parts did repaire to them of whose fidelity they had not that assurance which was comonly required of all Governments tt was therefore Ordered by that Court and the authority thereof That the County Courts or any one Magistrate out of Court should haue power and were thereby authorized to require the oath of fidelity of all setled Inhabitants amongst them who had not already taken the same as also to require the