et they profess not to know "what is laid to their charge," and are
"grieved that their Lordships should now demand the patent," as if the
production of it had never before been demanded. It will be seen by the
letter of their Lordships, given in a note on p. 77, that they refer to
this treatment of their former order, and say, in the event of "further
_neglect and contempt_" a strict course would be taken against them.

The authors of the Address profess that the cancelling of their Charter
would involve the loss of their labours, their removal from
Massachusetts, the exposure of the country to the invasions of the
French and Dutch, the forfeiture of their allegiance, and their setting
up a new government. It was a mere pretext that the Plantation becoming
a Crown colony, as it would on the cancelling of the Charter, would not
secure to the planters the protection of the Crown, as in the
neighbouring Plymouth settlement, which had no Royal Charter. They knew
that, under the protection of the King and laws of England, their
liberties and lives and properties would be equally secure as those of
any other of his Majesty's subjects. They twice repeat the misstatement
that "nothing had been laid to their charge," and "no fault found upon
them;" they insinuate that they would be causelessly denied the
protection of British subjects, that their allegiance would be
renounced, and they with the greater part of the population would
establish a new government, which would be a dangerous precedent for
other colonies. These denials, professions, insinuations, and threats,
they call "opening their griefes," and conclude in the following
obsequious, plaintive, and prayerful words:

"If in any thing wee have offended his Majesty and your Lordships, wee
humbly prostrate ourselves at the footstool of supreme authority; let us
be made the objects of his Majestie's clemency, and not cut off, in our
first appeal, from all hope of favour. Thus with our earnest prayers to
the King of kings for long life and prosperity to his sacred Majesty and
his Royall family, and for all honour and welfare to your Lordships."

The Lords Commissioners replied to this Address through Mr. Cradock,
pronouncing the jealousies and fears professed in the Address to be
groundless, stating their intentions to be the regulation of all the
Colonies, and to continue to the settlers of Massachusetts Bay the
privileges of British subjects. They repeated their command