Statutes of his Kingdom of England And whereas the said late King Charles the first by his said Letters Patents for him his heires and Successors had established and ordained That once in every yeare Yearely for ever (to witt) in the last Wednesday in Easter Terme yearely the Governor Deputy Governor and Assistants of the said Company and all other Officers thereof should be a new elected in the generall Court or Assembly to be held for that day and time for the Yeare ensueing by such major part of the said Company for the time being then and there present as aforesaid And if it should happen that the then present Governor Deputy Governor and Assistants by the said Letters Patents appointed or such who then after should be new chosen into their places or any of them or any other Officers to be appointed for the said Company dye or be removed from his or their severall Offices or places before the said generall day of Eleccon which the said late King Charles the first by the said Letters Patents declared for any misdemeanor or default should be removed by the Governor Deputy Governor Assistants and Company or such major part of them to be assembled in any publique Court as aforesaid That then and in every such case it should and might be lawfull to and for the Governor Deputy Governor Assistants and Company aforesaid or such major part of them so to be assembled as aforesaid in any their Assemblyes to proceed to a new Eleccon of one or more others of their Company into the place or places of such Officer or Officers so dyeing or amoved according to their Discretions And imediately upon and after such eleccon and eleccons made of such Governor Deputy Governo' Assistant or Assistants or any other Officer of the said Company in manner and forme aforesaid the authority office and power then before given to the former Governor Deputy Governor or other Officer or Offic's soe removed in whose stead and place new should be so chosen as to him them and every of them should cease and determine Provided alwaies and the Will and pleasure of the said late King Charles the first was That as well those who were by the said Letters Patents appointed to be the then present Governor Deputy Governor and Assistants of the said Company as

those who should succeed them and all other Officers to be appointed and elected as aforesaid before their takeing upon them the execucon of their said Offices and places should respectively take their corporall oathes for the due and faithfull performance of their duties in their severall Offices and places before such person or persons who should by the said Letters Patents be afterwards appointed to administer and receive the same To witt the said Mathew Cradock who thereby was nominated and appointed the then present Governor of the said Company should take the said oathes before [one] or more of the Masters of the said late Kings Court of Chancery for the time being To which said Master or Masters of his Chancery the said late king Did thereby give full power and authority to take and administer the said Oath to the said Governor And after that the said Governor should be soe sworne then the said Deputy Governor and Assistants before therein named and appointed should take the said severall Oathes respectively appurteyning to their Offices and places before the said Mathew Cradock then present Governor then before sworne as aforesaid And that every such person who att the time of the Anuall eleccon or otherwise by death or removall should be appointed to be a new Governor of the said Company should take the oathes belonging to the said place before the Deputy Governor or two Assistants of the said Company at the least for the time being and a new Deputy Governor and Assistants and all other Officers then after to be chosen as aforesaid from time to time should take the oathes respectively belonging to their places before the Governor of the said Company for the time being To which said Governor Deputy Governor and Assistants the said late king by his said Letters Patents did giue full power and authority to giue and administer the said Oathes respectively according to the true intent of the said late King before in the said Letters Patents declared without any Comission or further Warrt to be had and obtained from him his heires and SuccessoTM in that behalfe As by the said Letters Patents to gether with severall priviledges franchizes Liberties and Imunityes to the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid made and granted therein specified

before Vs in our Chancery inrolled relacon being thereunto had more fully doth and may appeare And Causes of forfeit whereas also wee are given to vnderstand ure viz. That the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay assuming on themselues vnder colour of the said Letters Patents power to assemble to make good and whollsome Laws and Ordinances not repugnant or contrary to the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdome of England for the better governing and Ruleing of the Inhabitants within the bounds lymitts and premisses aforesaid in the said Letters Patents aboue specified and granted They the said Governor and Company vnder colour and pretext thereof respecting only their owne private gaine and proffitt contrary to the Trust in the body Corporate and politique by Vs and the Lawes of this Realme of Eng- Levying Money land reposed haue assumed the vnlawfull and without Authority. vnjust power and authority to leauy money of our Subjects and leige people to the vse of them the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid vnder colour of Lawes or Ordinances by them de facto ordained and established wthout any other right title or Authority whatsoever And in prosecucon and execucon of such illegall and vnjust power and authority soe by them vsurped They the said Governor and Company in their generall Court or Assembly aforesaid held att New England aforesaid to witt att Westm aforesaid in the County of Middx aforesaid did make and publish certaine Lawes by them de facto enacted for the leauying of severall sumes of money of all our Subjects & liege People as well freemen as not freemen of the said Company & other strangers (meaning the places lymitts bounds and premisses aforesaid in the said Letters Patents aboue expressed and granted) Inhabitants and those The Rate of 20d that come to them That is to say of every man of the age of sixteene Yeares there inhabitting (excepting the Magistrates and Elders of Churches) One shilling & eight pence a head yearely to be paid and also for all goods merchandizes and provisions of all sorts (excepting Fish sheep's Wooll Cotton Wooll salt and such other things as by former Laws are exempted or otherwise provided for (meaning the Lawes and Ordinances 4TH S. · VOL. II. 35

p head for every man of the age of

16.

pd Value for Mer

ed

nage

by the Governor and Company aforesaid made) which from any forreigne part or other Jurisdiccon should be imported into any Ports Shores or elcewhere within that Jurisdiccon (meaning the places lymitts bounds and premisses aforesaid in the said Letters Patents aboue specified and A Duty of Id p. granted) for the vallue of every Twenty shillings chandize Import- one penny in money wch penny by Twenty shillings should be paid by the Agent, ffactor, Owner or other person by whome they are brought or to whome they are sent or consigned And soe according to that proporcon for all greater or lesser quantities whatsoever And also of all Merchants or Masters of Strangers A Duty of Tun- shipps who should arrive with merchandize in any of the Ports of Boston or Charles Towne and make sale therefor the greater part thereof by way of Custome or Imposicon according to the rate of Six pence per Tun for every ship to be paid out of the Merchandize And of all Masters of every such shipp Ten shillings And of every English ship or other ship laden in England by any English man arriveing in their Ports Tenn shillings for every ship aboue the Burthen of Two hundred Tuns and six shillings Eight pence for every Vessell vnder that Burthen, and divers other sumes of money of divers persons inhabitting or trafficking in those parts And that the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid vnder colour and pretence of the Orders and Ordinances aforesaid soe by them for their private lucre and gaine illegally made and without any other right title or authority whatsoever for the space of seaven Yeares last past haue exacted and leavyed and caused to be exacted divers great sumes of money in the whole amounting to Fifty Thousand pounds per ann of all the persons aforesaid inhabitting and Trafficking within the places Lymitts bounds & premisses and the same money converted and disposed to their owne vse that is to say att Westm aforesaid To the subversion of the good ruleing and Government of the Company aforesaid and to the great oppression & impoverishing of our Subjects inhabitting and trafficking there And that the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay afores vnder collour and pretext aforesaid and respect

Coyning Money.

ing their private lucre and gaine in their publique Court or Assembly aforesaid held att New England aforesaid that is to say att Westm' aforesaid did make and publish one other Law or Ordinance by them de facto enacted to the effect following that is to say That there should be erected a Mint house att Boston (meaning a certaine Towne called Boston in New England aforesaid, And that the Master of the said Mint and all Officers there should be sworne and allowed of by the said Court or such who should be authorized to that purpose and that all persons whatsoever should haue liberty to bring into the said Mint all Bullion Plate or Spanish money there to be melted and brought to Allay of Sterling money by the Master of the said Mint and his sworne Officers from time to time by him and them to be Coyned into Twelue penny Six penny and Three penny peeces which should be stamp'd with a double Ring on either side with this Inscripcon Massachusetts and a Tree in the Center of the one side New England with the Yeare of our Lord and the Figure XH. VI. H according to the vallue of each peece on the other side together with a private mark which should be appointed every three moneths by the Governor and knowne only to him and the sworne officers of the Mint_And_further the Master of the Mint aforesaid was by the Law and Ordinance aforesaid required to coyne all the said money of good silver of the just Allay of new Sterling English money and for vallue two pence in the shilling of lesser vallue then the then present English Coyne and the lesser peeces proporconably And that all such Coyne as aforesaid should be acknowledged to be the Current money of that Comonwealth (meaning the said Governor and Company aforesaid) and to passe from man to man in all payments accordingly within that Jurisdiccon And that the said Master and Company of Mattachusetts Bay aforesaid in execucon of the Law and Ordinance aforesaid did erect the said Minthouse att Boston that is to say att Westm aforesaid and for the space of seaven Yeares last past without any other right and against Our Will did coyne and cause to be coyned divers sumes of money And that the said Governor and Company of Mattachusetts Bay afore