had been settling in the province. One of William's oldest
friends, George Keith, who had accompanied him on his religious mission
to Holland, had gone into the Episcopal ministry. Logan says, in a
letter to Penn, that "not suffering them to be superior" was accounted
by the churchmen as the equivalent of persecution.

Colonel Quarry, a judge of the admiralty, appointed by the British
government to enforce the navigation laws in the colony, was responsible
to the Board of Trade in London, and independent of the governor and of
the assembly. He exercised his office of critic and censor to the
annoyance of Penn.

To these various sources of trouble was added an unending strife between
the governor's deputy and the people. Penn's habit of looking always on
the best side made him a bad judge of men, and the deputies whom he sent
were few of them competent; some were not even respectable. Penn, with
his characteristic invincible blindness, took their part.

Finally, the disputations, protests, and complaints, with direct attacks
upon Penn's interests, and even upon his character, got to such a pass
that he addressed a letter of expostulation to the people. "When it
pleased God to open a way for me to settle that colony," he wrote, "I
had reason to expect a solid comfort from the services done to many
hundreds of people.... But, alas! as to my part, instead of reaping the
like advantages, some of the greatest of my troubles have sprung from
thence. The many combats I have engaged in, the great pains and
incredible expense for your welfare and ease, to the decay of my former
estate ... with the undeserved opposition I have met with from thence,
sink into me with sorrow, that, if not supported by a superior hand,
might have overwhelmed me long ago. And I cannot but think it hard
measure, that, while it has proved a land of freedom and flourishing, it
should become to me, by whose means it was principally made a country,
the cause of grief, trouble, and poverty."

So heavy was the financial burden, and so vexatious and disheartening
the bickering and ingratitude, that Penn thought seriously of selling
his governorship; and it was in the market for several years awaiting a
purchaser. Indeed, in 1712, he had so far perfected a bargain to
transfer his proprietary rights to the crown for L12,000, that nothing
remained to be done save the affixing of his signature. Before his name
was signed, he fell suddenly ill, and the transac