ing these people, appears in the following letter, 1681. which he fent them, on this occafion, by his deputy and commiffioners; wherein, without perplexing and confufing their untutored ideas, with fine-fpun and unintelligible notions, and forms of belief, fo common to fome ecclefiaftics, he adapts his fubject to their understandings, in the following plain and fimple manner. "London, the 18th. of the Eighth month 1681. My Friends, 66 His let "There is a great God and power, that hath made the world, and all things therein; to whom you and I, and all people owe their being, and ter to them. well-being; and to whom you and I must one day give an account, for all, that we do in the world. "This great God hath written his law in our hearts, by which we are taught and commanded to love and help, and do good to one another. Now this great God hath been pleased to make me concerned in your part of the world; and the King of the country, where I live, hath given me a great province therein; but I defire to enjoy it with your love and confent; that we may always live together, as neighbours and friends; else what would the great God do to us, who hath made us, not to devour and destroy one another, but to live foberly and kindly together, in the world? now I would have you well obferve, that I am very fenfible of the unkindness and injustice, that have been too much exercifed towards you, by the people of these parts of the world; who have fought themselves, and to make great advantages by you, rather than to be examples of goodness and patience unto you; which I hear hath been a matter of trouble to you, and caufed great grudging and animofities, fometimes to the fhedding of blood; which hath made the great God angry. But I am not fuch a man; as is well known in my 1681. my own country. I have great love and regard towards you; and defire to win and gain your love Penn's let Indians. and friendship, by a kind, juft and peaceable life; William and the people I fend, are of the fame mind, and ter to the fhall, in all things, behave themselves accordingly; and, if in any thing, any fhall offend you, or your people, you shall have a full and fpeedy fatif faction for the fame, by an equal number of juft men, on both fides; that, by no means you may have juft occafion of being offended against them. 1682. "I fhall fhortly come to you myself; at which time, we may more largely and freely confer and discourse of these matters; in the mean time I have fent my commiffioners to treat with you about land, and a firm league of peace; let me defire you to be kind to them, and the people, and receive thefe prefents and tokens, which I have sent you, as a teftimony of my good will to you, and my refolution to live juftly, peaceably and friendly with you." "I am your loving friend, In the beginning of the year 1682, William Penn published his frame of government, and certain William laws, agreed on, in England, by himself and the Penn pub- purchafers under him, entitled, "The frame of frame of the government of the province of Pennsylvania, in lifhes a govern ment and laws. America; together with certain laws, agreed upon, in England, by the Governor, and divers freemen of the aforefaid province. To be further explained and confirmed there, by the first Provincial Council, that fhall be held, if they fee meet." Which frame, &c. may be seen in the appendix, No. II. In the preface to this frame is exhibited a sketch of the author's fentiments on the nature of government, in general, his reflections on the different modes of it, and his inducement for forming his. It may ferve to give some idea of the judgment of the Quakers, in general, on this fubject, refpecting refpecting which they have frequently been mifre- 1682. presented; I fhall, therefore, here give the following extract from it.-The author, after having quoted feveral parts of the facred fcriptures, relative to government, proceeds, in the following words: ment. "This fettles the divine right of government Part of the preface to beyond exception, and that for two ends; firft, his frame of to terrify evil doers; fecondly, to cherish thofe, Governthat do well; which gives government a life beyond corruption; and makes it as durable, in the world, as good men fhall be. So that government seems to me a part of religion itself; a thing facred, in its inftitution and end. For, if it does not directly remove the caufe, it crushes the effects of evil; and is, as fuch, a lower, yet an emanation of the fame divine power, that is both author and object of pure religion; the difference lying here; that the one is more free and mental, the other more corporal and compulsive, in its operation: but that is only to evil-doers; government itself being otherwife as capable of kindness, goodness and charity, as a more private fociety. "They weakly err, that think there is no other ufe of government, than correction; which is the coarseft part of it: daily experience tells us, that the care and regulation of many other affairs, more foft, and daily neceffary, make up much the greater part of government; and which muft have followed the peopling of the world, had Adam never fallen; and will continue among men, on earth, under the highest attainments, they may arrive at, by the coming of the bleffed fecond Adam, the Lord from Heaven." Of modes of Govern As to the modes, he further obferves,-" I do not find a model in the world, that time, place, and fome fingular emergencies, have not neceffa- ment in gerily altered; nor is it easy to frame a civil government, that fhall ferve all places alike;"" Any government, neral. 1682. government is free to the people under it (whatever be the frame) where the laws rule, and the people are a party to thofe laws; and more than this is tyranny, olygarchy, or confufion." "There is hardly one frame of government, in the world, fo ill defigned by its first founders, that, in good hands, would not do well enough; and hiftory tells us, the beft, in ill ones, can do nothing, that is great and good; Witnefs, the Jewish and Roman ftates. Governments, like clocks, go from the motion, men give them; and as governments are made and moved by men, fo by them are they ruined too. Wherefore, governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. But, if men be bad, let government be never fo good, they will endeavour to warp and preface to fpoil it to their turn."-" That, therefore, which makes a good government, muft keep it, viz. Penn's Men of wifdom and virtue; qualities, that, because they descend not with worldy inheritances, must be carefully propagated by a virtuous education of youth; for which after ages will owe more to the care and prudence of founders, and the fucceffive Magiftracy, than to their parents, for their private patrimonies." Part of the William frame Government. of "Thefe confiderations," (feveral of which, for brevity, are here omitted) of the weight of government, and the nice and various opinions about it, made it uneafy to me to think of publishing the enfuing frame, and conditional laws, forefeeing both the cenfures, they will meet with, from men of differing humours and engagements, and the occafion they may give of difcourfe beyond my defign." "But, next to the power of neceffity (which is a follicitor, that will take no denial) this induced me to a compliance, that we have, (with reve Reafon for rence to God, and good confcience to men) to the 1682. beft of our skill, contrived and compofed the frame and laws of this government, to the great publishing end of government, viz. To fupport power in reve- his frame rence with the people, and to fecure the people from and laws. the abuse of power; that they may be free by their juft obedience, and the Magiftrates honourable, for their juft administration; for liberty without obedience is confufion; and obedience without liberty is flavery. To carry this evennefs, is partly owing to the conftitution, and partly to the Magiftracy: where either of thefe fail, government will be fubject to convulfions; but where both are wanting, it must be totally fubverted: then, where both meet, the government is like to endure; which I humbly pray, and hope, God will please to make the lot of this of Pennsylvania. Amen." the frame The frame itself confifted of twenty-four arti- Purport of cles; and the laws were forty. By the former of governthe government was placed in the Governor and ment. Freemen of the province, in the form of a provincial council, and General Assembly. By them conjunctively all laws were to be made, all officers appointed, and all public affairs tranfacted. Seventy-two was the number of the Council, to be chofen by the freemen; and though the Governor, or his deputy, was to be perpetual Prefident, he had but a treble vote. One-third part of them was, at firft, to be chofen for three years, onethird for two years, and one-third for one year; in fuch manner, that there might be an annual fucceffion of twenty-four new members, each to continue three years, and no longer.-The General Af fembly was, the first year, to confift of all the freemen, afterwards of two hundred, and never to exceed five hundred. And this charter, or form of government, was not to be altered, changed, or diminished, in any part, or claufe of it, without the confent of the Governor, his heirs, or affigns, and |