dustry, they have not only been preserved to admiration, but have increased and profpered, and are seized and poffelfed, by purchafe and confent of the faid natives, to their full content, of such lands, islands, rivers, harbours, and roads, as are very convenient both for plantations, and also for building of ships, supply of pipe-staves, and other merchandise, and which lye very commodious in many respects for commerce, and to accommodate our fouthern plantations, and may much advance the trade of this our realm, and greatly enlarge the territories thereof; they having, by near neighbourhood to, and friendly society with, the great body of the Narraganset Indians, given them encouragement, of their own accord, to subject themselves, their people and lands, unto us; whereby, as is hoped, there may, in time, by the bleffing of God upon their endeavours, be laid a fure foundation of happiness to all America. And whereas, in their humble address, they have freely declared, That it is much on their hearts (if they be permitted) to hold forth a lively experiment, that a most flourishing civil state may stand, and best be maintained, and that among our English subjects, with a full liberty in religious concernments; and that true piety, rightly grounded upon gospel principles, will give the best and greatest security to sovereignty, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to true loyalty: Now, know ye, That we being willing to encourage the hopeful undertaking of our faid loyal and loving subjects, and to secure them in the free exercise and enjoyment of all their civil and religious rights appertaining to them, as our loving subjects; and to preserve unto them that liberty in the true Chriftian faith and worship of God which they have fought with fo much travail, and with peaceable minds and loyal subjection to our royal progenitors and ourselves, to enjoy; and because some of the people and inhabitants of the same colony cannot, in their private opinion, conform to the public exercise of - religion, according to the liturgy, form, and ceremonies of the church of England, or take or subscribe the oaths and articles made and established in that behalf; and for that the fame, by ⚫reason of the remote distances of those places, will, as we hope, be no breach of the unity and uniformity established in this nation, have therefore thought fit, and do hereby publish, grant, ordain, and declare, that our royal will and pleasure is, That no person within the said colony, at any time hereafter, shall be anywise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any differences in opinion in matters of religion, who do not actually disturb the civil peace of our faid colony; but that all and every person and perfons may, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and fully have and enjoy his and their own judgements and confciences, in matters of religious concernments, throughout the track of land hereafter-mentioned, they behaving themselves of 1 themselves peaceably and quietly, and not using this liberty to licentiousness and profaneness, nor to the civil injury or outward disturbance of others, any law, statute or clause therein contained, or to be contained, usage, or custom of this realm, to the contrary hereof, in any wife notwithstanding. And that they may be in the better capacity to defend themselves in their just rights and liberties, against all the enemies of the Christian faith, and others, in all respects, we have further thought fit, and at the humble petition of the perfons aforesaid, are gracioufly pleased to declare, That they shall have and enjoy the benefit of our late act of indemnity, and free pardon, as the reft our subjects in other our dominions and territories have; and to create and make them a body politic or corporate, with the powers or privileges herein after-mentioned: And accordingly, our will and pleasure is, and of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, we have ordained, constituted and declared, and by these presents for us, our heirs and successors, do ordain, constitute, and declare, That they the faid William Brenton, William Codington, Nicholas Easton, Benedict Arnold, William Boulston, John Porter, Samuel Gorton, John Smith, John Weekes, Roger Williams, Thomas Olney, Gregory Dexter, John Cogeshall, Joseph Clarke, Randall Houlden, John Greene, John Roome, William Dyre, Samuel Wildbore, Richard Tew, William Field, Thomas Harris, James Williams, and John Nickson, and all such others as are now, or hereafter shall be admitted, free of the company and society of our colony of Providence Plantations, in the Narraganset Bay, in NewEngland, shall be, from time to time, and for ever hereafter, a body corporate and politic, in fact and name, by the name of the Governor and Company of the English Colony of Rhode Island, and Providence Plantations, in New-England, in America; and that by the fame name, they and their successors shall and may have perpetual succession, and shall and may be persons able and capable in the law to fue and be sued, to plead and be impleaded, to answer and to be answered unto, to defend and to be defended, in all and fingular suits, causes, quarrels, matters, actions, and things, of what kind or nature foever; and also to have, take, poffefs, acquire, and purchase lands, tenements, or hereditaments, or any goods or-chattels, and the fame to lease, grant, demise, alien, bargain, fell, and dispose of, at their own will and pleasure, as other our liege people of this our realm of England, or any corporation or body politic within the fame, may lawfully do: and further, That they the faid governor and company, and their fuccessors, shall and may, for ever hereafter, have a common feal, to serve and use for all matters, causes, things, and affairs whatfoever, of them and their successors, and the same seal to alter, change, Barker, Rainsborrow, : : change, break, and make new from time to time, at their will and pleafure, as they shall think fit. And further, we will and ordain, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, do declare and appoint, That for the better ordering and managing of the affairs and business of the faid company and their successors, there shall be one governor, one deputy-governor, and ten afsistants, to be from time to time conftituted, elected, and chofen, out of the freemen of the faid company, for the time being, in such manner and form as is hereafter in these presents expressed; which faid officers shall apply themselves to take care for the best disposing and ordering of the general business and affairs of and concerning the lands and hereditaments herein aftermentioned to be granted, and the plantation thereof, and the government of the people there. And for the better execution of our royal pleasure herein, we do for us, our heirs and successors, assign, name, constitute and appoint, the aforesaid Benedict Arnold to be the first and present governor of the said company, and the faid William Brenton to be the deputy-governor, and the said William Boullton, John Porter, Roger Williams, Thomas Olney, John Smith, John • Greene, John Cogeshall, James Barker, William Field, and Joseph Clarke, to be the ten present afsistants of the faid company, to continue in the faid several offices respectively, until the first Wednesday which shall be in the month of May now next coming. And further, we will, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and fucceffors, do ordain and grant, That the governor of the faid company, for the time being, or in his absence, by occafion of fickness, or otherwise, by his leave or permiffion, the deputygovernor, for the time being, shall and may, from time to time, upon all occafions, give order for the assembling of the faid company, and calling them together, to confult and advise of the business and affairs of the faid company; and that for ever hereafter, twice in every year, that is to say, on every first Wednesday in the month of May, and on every last Wednesday in October, or oftener, in case it shall be requifite, the assistants, and such of the freemen of the faid company, not exceeding fix persons for Newport, four perfons for each of the respective towns of Providence, Portsmouth, and Warwick, and two persons for each other place, town or city, who shall be from time to time thereunto elected or deputed by the major part of the freemen of the respective towns or places, for which they shall be so elected or deputed, shall have a general meeting or affembly, then and there to confult, advise and determine, in and about the affairs and business of the faid company and plantations. And further, we do of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, give and grant unto the faid governor and company of the English colony of RhodeIfland and Providence Plantations, in New-England in America, and their fuccessors, That the governor, or in his abfence, or by his permiffion, the deputy governor, of the faid company for the time being, the affistants, and fuch of the freemen of the faid H com company, as shall be so aforesaid elected or deputed, or so many of them as shall be present at such meeting or assembly, as aforesaid, shall be called the General Assembly; and that they, or the greatest part of them then present, whereof the governor, or deputygovernor, and fix of the assistants at least, to be seven, shall have, and have hereby given and granted unto them, full power and authority, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, to appoint, alter, and change such days, times and places of meeting, and general assembly, as they shall think fit, and to chuse, nominate, and appoint such and fo many persons as they shall think fit, and shall be willing to accept the fame, to be free of the faid company and body politic, and them into the same to admit, and to elect, and conftitute such offices and officers, and to grant fuch needful commiffions as they shall think fit and requifite, for ordering, maraging, and dispatching of the affairs of the faid governor and company, and their successors; and, from time to time, to make, ordain, conftitute, or repeal, such laws, statutes, orders and ordinances, forms and ceremonies of government and magistracy, as to them shall seem meet, for the good and welfare of the faid company, and for the government and ordering of the lands and hereditaments herein after mentioned to be granted, and of the people that do, or at any time hereafter shall inhabit, or be within the fame; so as fuch laws, ordinances, and constitutions, so made, be not contrary and repugnant unto, but as near as may be, agreeable to the laws of this our realm of England, confidering the nature and conftitution of the place and people there; and alfo, to appoint, order, and direct, erect and settle such places and courts of jurifdiction, for hearing and determining of all actions, cafes, matters and things, happening within the faid colony and plantation, and which shall be in difpute, and depending there, as they shall think fit; and alfo to diftinguish and fet forth the several names and titles, duties, powers and limits, of each court, office and officer, superior and inferior; and also, to contrive and appoint such forms of oaths and attestations, not repugnant, but as near as may be agreeable, as aforesaid, to the laws and statutes of this our realm, as are convenient and requifite, with respect to the due administration of justice, and due execution and discharge of all offices and places of trust, by the persons that shall be therein concerned; and also to regulate and order the way and manner of all elections to offices and places of truft, and to prescribe, limit and distinguish the number and bounds of all places, towns and cities, within the limits and bounds herein after mentioned, and not herein particularly named, who have or shall have the power of electing and sending of freemen to the faid general assembly; and also to order, direct and authorife, the impofing of lawful and reasonable fines, mulcts, imprifonments, and executing other punishments, pecuniary and corporal, upon offenders and delinquents, according to the course of other corporations, within this our kingdom of England; and again, : to to alter, revoke, annul or pardon, under their common feal, or otherwise, such fines, mulets, imprisonments, fentences, judgments and condemnations, as ihall be thought fit; and to direct, rule, order and dispose of all other matters and things, and particularly that which relates to the making of purchases of the native Indians, as to them shall seem meet; whereby our faid people and inhabitants in the said plantations, may be so religioufly, peaceably, and civilly governed, as that by their good life and orderly conversation they may win and invite the native Indians of the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Saviour of mankind; willing, commanding, and requiring, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and fucceffors, ordaining and appointing, that all such laws, statutes, orders, and ordinances, instructions, impositions, and directions, as shall be so made by the governor, deputy, assistants, and freemen, or such number of them as aforesaid, and published in writing under their common feal, shall be carefully and duly observed, kept, performed, and put in execution, according to the true intent and meaning of the fame. And these our letters patent, or the duplicate or exemplification thereof, shall be to all and every fuch officers, fuperior or inferior, from time to time, for the putting of the fame orders, laws, statutes, ordinances, instructions, and directions, in due execution against us, our heirs, and fucceffors, a sufficient warrant and discharge. And further, our will and pleasure is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs, and successors, establish and ordain, that yearly, once in the year for ever hereafter namely, the aforesaid Wednesday in May, and at the town of Newport or elsewhere, if urgent occafion do require, the governor, deputy governor, and affiftants of the said company, and other officers of the faid company, or such of them as the general assembly shall think fit, shall be in the faid general court or af sembly, to be held from that day or time, newly chofen for the year enfuing, by the greater part of the said company for the time being as shall be then and there present. And if it shall happen that the present governor, deputy-governor, and affiftants, by these presents appointed, or any such as shall hereafter be newly chosen into their rooms, or any of them, or any other the officers of the faid company, shall die, or be removed from his or their several offices or places, before the faid general day of election (whom we do hereby declare for any misdemeanour or default to be removable by the governor, assistants, and company, or such greater part of them, in any of the faid public courts to be afsembled as aforesaid), that then, and in every such cafe, it thall and may be lawful to and for the said governor, deputy-governor, affiftants, and company aforesaid, or such greater part of them fo to be affembled, as is aforesaid, in any of their afsemblies, to proceed to a new election of one or more of their company, in the room or place, rooms or places, of fuch officer or officers so dying or removed, according to their directions. And immediately upon and H 2 |