nature of it from some of his answers to Thomas Lloyd, the President of answe his Council, which have been preserved. He insisted upon it, that the number of ordinaries or drinking-houses should be immediately reduced, and this without respect of persons, those only being allowed to continue them who had given proofs of their fitness for the situation by their conduct. All persons also, who had made the Caves in the bank of the river, before mentioned, receptacles for improper company, were forthwith to be ordered to get up their houses elsewhere. The above Caves were to be reserved, when empty, for the accommodation of such poor families as might go over. He deprecated the heavy charges to which individuals had been subjected during his absence for the title to their lands. "It is an abominable thing," says he, "to have three warrants for one purchase. It is oppression, which my soul loathes. I do hereby require, that 'P. L.' be called to account for requests and warrants for Town-lot, Liberty-lot, and the rest of the purchase. Why not one warrant for all, at least for Liberty-lot and the remainder? This is true and right oppression. Besides, several things and sums are set down, which are neither in law nor in my regulations." He was displeased also with T. Holme for improper charges in his department. He instructed the President to speak earnestly to him of the reports that had come over of his drinking collations, by which he felt himself much distressed and his government dishonoured. A bill of twelve pounds had been sent in to a purchaser of land for expenses incurred in this manner. This sum, together with the charge for the survey, amounted to one quarter of the whole purchase of the land. But, above all, he was grieved to find that animosities had begun to creep in on the score of government. "I am sorTY at heart," says he, "for these. Cannot more friendly and private courses be taken to set matters right in an infant province, whose steps are numbered and watched ? He entreated them, for the love of God, of himself, and the poor country, that they would not be so open in their dissatisfactions." Having explained his mind in these particulars, he held out the expectation, that, if not prevented, he should return to Pennsylvania and resume the government in the course of the next fall. It appears, from the above extracts, that he had not long left the colony before it fell into disorder, which shows how much his presence had been the life and support of it. And this disorder, which began with one or two individuals of looser character, spread to the bodies politic. The Assembly, where the animosities above mentioned first showed themselves, proceeded so far as to impeach one of their members, and to arrest another. Having done this, they instructed their Speaker, John White, to inform the Governor of the fact; which he did in the following letter: "MOST EXCELLENT GOVERNOR-We, the Freemen of the Province of Pennsylvania and Territories, do, with unfeigned love to your person and government, with all due respect acquaint you, that we have, this last day of our session, passed all such bills as we judged meet to pass into laws, and impeached Nicholas Moore, a member of the Assembly, of ten articles, containing divers high crimes and misdemeanours, and, in the presence of the President and Provincial Council, made very clear proof of the said articles. "We have had the person of Patrick Robinson under restraint for divers insolencies and affronts to the Assembly;but there was a right and good understanding betwixt the President, Council, and Assembly, and a happy and friendly farewell. Dear and honoured Sir, the honour of God, the love of your person, and the preservation of the peace and welfare of the government, were, we hope, the only centre to which all our actions did tend. And, although the wisdom of the Assembly thought fit to humble that aspiring and corrupt minister of state, Nicholas Moore, yet to you, dear Sir, and to the happy success of your affairs, our hearts are open, and our hands ready at all times to subscribe ourselves, in the name of ourselves and all the Freemen we represent, your obedient and faithful Freemen, "JOHN WHITE, Speaker." "P. S.-Honoured Sir-We know your wisdom and goodness will make a candid construction of all our actions, and that it shall be out of the power of malicious tongues to separate betwixt our Governor and his Freemen, who extremely long for your presence, and speedy arrival of your person." This letter, though it had the appearance of being both affectionate and respectful, was yet the cause of great uneasiness to William Penn; for Moore had conducted himself so well, not only as a private man, but in his office as President of the Free Society of Traders of Pennsylvania, that the Governor had made him one of the Provincial Judges before his departure for England, as was mentioned in the last chapter. He feared, therefore, that the public disgrace brought upon him might lessen the weight and character of the magistracy. He believed, too, that Moore had been far too rigidly dealt with, the reputed misdemeanours being of a political and not of a moral nature; and, believing this, he foresaw that he should be obliged to signify his opinion to the Assembly, by which the first stone would be cast, as it were, for at least a temporary disagreement between them. CHAPTER XXII. "A A. 1686.-CRY OF PAPIST AND JESUIT CONTINUED-FURTHER CORRE- WILLIAM PENN and Dr. Tillotson had visited each other, since the interchange of the letters mentioned in the last chapter, in the most friendly manner, the Doctor having been fully satisfied that there was no foundation for the charge either of Papist or Jesuit. William Penn resided at that time in a house at Charing Cross. Since these letters, however, the belief that he was of the Roman Catholic persuasion had not abated in the public mind. On the other hand, it had become more general; and, as it was still increasing, and several continued to use the name of Dr. Tillotson to strengthen it, William Penn thought he might appeal with propriety to the Doctor to give him a letter, in which he should express that assurance of his own conviction on this subject, which he had acknowledged in the friendly intercourse which had taken place between them. For doing this a favourable opportunity offered; for a letter having been written to William Penn, in which the Doctor's name had been improperly used again, he sent it enclosed to him in the following short note: WORTHY FRIEND-This should have been a visit; but, being of opinion that Dr. Tillotson is yet a debtor to me in this way, I chose to provoke him to another letter by this, before I made him one; for, though he was very just and obliging when I last saw him, yet, certainly, no expression, however kindly spoken, will so easily and effectually purge me from the unjust imputation some people cast upon me in his name as his own letter will do. The need of this he will better see when he has read the enclosed, which, coming to hand since my last, is, I presume, enough to justify this address, if I had no former pretensions. And, therefore, I cannot be so wanting to myself, as not to press him to a letter in my just defence, nor so uncharitable to him as to think he should not frankly write what he has said, when it is to right a man's reputation and disabuse the too credulous world. For to me it seems from a private friendship to become a moral duty to the public, which, with a person of so great morality, must give success to the reasonable desire of thy very real Friend, “WILLIAM PENN.” Dr. Tillotson, in answer to the above letter, expressed himself thus :“SIR-I am very sorry that the suspicion I had entertained concerning you, of which I gave you the true account in my former letter, hath occasioned so much trouble and inconvenience to you and I do now declare, with great joy, that I am fully satisfied that there was no just ground for that suspicion, and, therefore, do heartily beg your pardon for it. And ever since you were pleased to give me that satisfaction, I have taken all occasions to vindicate you in this matter; and shall be ready to do it to the person that sent you the enclosed, whenever he will please to come to me. I am very much in the country, but will seek the first opportunity to visit you at Charing Cross, and renew our acquaintance, in which I took great pleasure. -I rest your faithful Friend, “JO. TILLOTSON.” This letter was very satisfactory to William Penn, and he showed it to great advantage whenever Dr. Tillotson had been quoted as either believing or promoting the report. In the meantime he had been diligently employed as an author. The first fruits of his labour in this department were "A Further Account of Pennsylvania." This was followed by a publication of a very different sort. The Duke of Buckingham had written a book in favour of liberty of conscience, for which he had long been a known advoeate. An anonymous writer had attempted to answer it, and, in this answer, had reflected upon the Duke, by saying that "the Pennsylvanian had entered him with his Quakeristical doctrine." This second publication, then, by William Penn, was "A Defence of the Duke of Buckingham's Book from the Exceptions of a Nameless Author." Soon after this he ushered into the world a third work, called "A Persuasive to Moderation to Dissenting Christians, in Prudence and Conscience, humbly submitted to the King and his Great Council.” As the "Persuasive to Moderation" was designed to produce an effect on the rulers of the land in favour of religious toleration; and as the arguments contained in it may be supposed to be important on that account; and as the said arguments, if well founded, will always carry their weight with them in similar circumstances and cases, I shall stop awhile to submit them to the consideration of the reader. William Penn, after a proper introductory epistle, reduced the objections to religious toleration, which were then afloat, to these two points: First, Toleration, say some, of Dissenting worships from the Established one is not practicable without danger to the State, with which it is interwoven." This is political. Secondly: Admitting Dissenters to be in the wrong which is always premised by the National Church), such latitude, that is, toleration to them, would be the way to keep up the disunion, and would, instead of compelling them into a better way, leave them in the possession and pursuit of their old errors.” This is religious, After certain observations he took up the first objection. He denied that toleration endangered any state. "For this, my opinion," says he, "we have the first and last, the best and greatest evidence, which is fact and exexperience, the wisdom of sages, and the journal and resolves of time. "For, first, the Jews, who had the most to say for their religion, and whose religion was twin to their state (both being enjoined and sent with wonders from Heaven), indulged strangers in their religious dissent. They required but the belief of the Noahchical principles, which were common to the world. No idolater, and but a moral man, and he had his liberty—aye, and some privileges too; for he had an apartment in the Temple, and this without danger to the government. Thus Maimonides, and others of their own rabbis, and Grotius out of them. "The wisdom of the Gentiles was also very admirable in this, that, though they had many sects of philosophers among them, each dissenting from the other in their moral principles, as well as discipline, yet they indulged them and the best livers with singular kindness, the greatest statesmen and captains often becoming patrons of the sects they best affected, honouring. their readings with their presence and applause. So far were those ages, which we have made as the original of wisdom and politeness, from thinking toleration an error of state, or dangerous to the government. Thus Plutarch, Strabo, Laertius, and others. "To these instances I may add the latitude given by the government of old Rome, that had almost as many deities as houses: for Varro tells us of no less than thirty thousand several sacra or religious rites among her people, and yet without a quarrel. Unhappy fate of Christianity, the best of religions! and yet her professors maintain less charity than idolaters, while it should be peculiar to them. I fear it shows us to have little of it at heart. "But, nearer home, and in our own time, we see the effects of a discreet indulgence, even to emulation. Holland, that bog of the world, neither sea nor land, now the rival of tallest monarchs, not by conquests, marriages, or accession of royal blood, the usual ways to empire, but by her own superlative clemency and industry; for the one was the effect of the other: she cherished her people, whatever were their opinions, as the reasonable stock: of the country, the heads and hands of her trade and wealth; and, making them casy in the main point, their consciences, she became great by them. This made her fill with people, and they filled her in return with riches and strength." After the mention of Holland, he proceeded to an argument which he supposed might be drawn against his conclusions with respect to that country; namely, that though his position might be true in a commonwealth, where every individual thought he had a share in the government, it might not be so in a monarchical state. In reply to this he maintained, that almost every age of monarchy afforded a cloud of witnesses, that religious toleration was no more dangerous in this than in the other case. To confirm this he |