myself to have offended, and in
way of satisfaction not only to the authority of this jurisdiction, but
also to any others that shall take notice thereof, I do hereby
acknowledge to this General Court, that such expressions as do too
manifestly scandalize the Government of England, by King, Lords and
Commons, as anti-christian, and justify the late innovators, I do
sincerely bear testimony against, and acknowledge it to be not only a
lawful but eminent form of government.

"2nd. All forms of civil government, deduced from Scripture, I
acknowledge to be of God, and to be subscribed to for conscience sake;
and whatsoever is in the whole epistle or book inconsistent herewith, I
do at once and most cordially disown.

"JOHN ELIOT."[115]

It must have been painful and humiliating to John Eliot to be brought to
account for and compelled to recant the sentiments of a book which had
been in circulation eight or nine years, and much applauded by those who
now arraigned and made a scapegoat of him, to avert from themselves the
consequence and suspicion of sentiments which they had held and avowed
as strongly as Eliot himself.

It has been said that the Government of Massachusetts Bay had desisted
from acknowledging and addressing Charles the Second as King, until they
found that their silence endangered their interests. Mr. Holmes, in his
Annals, speaking under the date of May, 1661 (a year after Charles had
entered London as King), says: "Charles II., had not yet been proclaimed
by the colony. The Governor (Endicot), on receiving intelligence of the
transactions that were taking place in England to the prejudice of the
colony, judged it inexpedient longer to delay that solemnity. Calling
the Court together, a form of proclamation was agreed to, and Charles
was acknowledged to be their sovereign Lord, and proclaimed to be the
lawful King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, and all other
territories thereto belonging." An address to the King was agreed to,
and ordered to be sent to England.[116]

In this remarkable address (given in a note) the reader will be struck
with several things which appear hardly reconcilable with words of
sincerity and truth.

First, the reason professed for delaying nearly a year to recognise and
address the King after his restoration. Nearly thirty years before, they
had threatened the King's Royal father with resistance, since which time
they had greatly increased in wealth and population; bu