d if it be a sufficient accusation against a government that
there are some such, who will be innocent? Yet, through the favour of
God, there are but few amongst us that are malcontent, and fewer that
have cause to be so.

"Sir, the all-knowing God knows our greatest ambition is to live a poor
and quiet life, in a corner of the world, without offence to God or man.
We came not in this wilderness to seek great things for ourselves; and
if any come after us to seek them here, they will be disappointed. We
keep ourselves within our line, and meddle not with matters abroad; a
just dependence upon and subjection to your Majesty, according to our
Charter, it is far from our hearts to disacknowledge. We so highly prize
your favourable aspect (though at so great a distance), as we would
gladly do anything that is within our power to purchase the continuance
of it. We are willing to testify our affection to your Majesty's
service, by answering the proposal of your honourable Commissioners, of
which we doubt not but that they have already given your Majesty an
account. We are carefully studious of all due subjection to your
Majesty, and that not only for wrath, but for conscience sake; and
should Divine Providence ever offer an opportunity wherein we might, in
any righteous way, according to our poor and mean capacity, testify our
dutiful affection to your Majesty, we hope we should most gladly embrace
it. But it is a great unhappiness to be reduced to so hard a case, as to
have no other testimony of our subjection and loyalty offered us but
this, viz., to destroy our own being, which nature teacheth us to
preserve; or to yield up our liberties, which are far dearer to us than
our lives, and which, had we had any fears of being deprived of, we had
never wandered from our fathers' houses into these ends of the earth,
nor laid our labours or estates therein; besides engaging in a most
hazardous and difficult war, with the most warlike of the natives, to
our great charge and the loss of some of the lives of our dear friends.
Neither can the deepest invention of man find out a more certain way of
consistence than to obtain a Royal donation from so great a prince under
his great seal, which is the greatest security that may be had in human
affairs.

"Royal Sir, it is in your power to say of your poor people in New
England, they shall not die. If we have found favour in the sight of our
King, let our life be given us at our petition (