"Repofing special confidence in your juftice, 1684. wisdom and integrity, I do, by virtue of the King's authority, derived unto me, conftitute you, Provincial Judges, for the province and territories, and any legal number of you, a provincial court of judicature, both fixt and circular, as is by law directed; giving you, and every of you, full power to act therein according to the fame, ftrictly charg ing you, and every of you, to do juftice to all, and of all degrees, without delay, fear, or reward; and I do hereby require all persons within the province and territories aforefaid, to give you due obedience and refpect, belonging to your ftation, in the discharge of your duties: This commiffion to be in force during two years, enfuing the date hereof; you, and every of you, behaving yourselves well therein, and acting according to the fame. "Given at Philadelphia, the 4th. of the Sixth vernment, "WILLIAM PENN." Other off Thomas Lloyd, James Claypoole* and Robert Turner were empowered to fign patents, and grant cers apwarrants for lands; and William Clark had a gene- pointed ral commiffion, to be justice of the peace throughout the province and territories. Other Juftices The Probeing likewise appointed, and all things fettled in prietary a promifing and profperous condition, the Proprie- fails for tary, on the 12th. of the Sixth month, 1684, failed for England.† * James Claypoole had been a merchant in London. But, † Oldmixon, mentioned in the notes, page 244, fays, "This friendship and civility of the Pennfylvanian Indians are imputed to Mr. Penn, the Proprietor's extreme humanity and bounty to them; he having laid out fome thousands of pounds, to inftruct, fupport and oblige them. There are ten Indian nations within the limits of his province; and the number of fouls of these barbarians is computed to about 6000.-The number of the inhabitants of Swedish, or Dutch, extraction, may be about 3000 fouls."—" Having made a league of amity with nineteen Indian nations, between them and all the English in Ame England. 1684. from on But prior to his entirely leaving the country, he writ from on board the fhip, in which he failed, He writes the following most affectionate farewell, to be comboard the municated to those, whom he left behind; which, fhip, &c. as a memorial of the father of this country, among many others, may, in part, fhew to pofterity, his real concern for the true happiness of the people, both in their temporal and fpiritual capacity, and the prosperity of the country in every refpect, viz. "For Tho. Lloyd, J. Claypoole, J. Simcock, Ch. Taylor and F. Harrison, to be communicated in meetings in Pennsylvania, &c. among friends: "Dear Friends, His vale ter, &c. "MY love and my life is to you, and with you; dictory let- and no water can quench it, nor diftance wear it out, or, bring it to an end:-I have been with you, cared over you, and ferved you with unfeigned love; and you are beloved of me, and near to me, beyond utterence. I blefs you, in the name and power of the Lord; and my God bless you with his righteousness, peace and plenty, all the land over. Oh, that you would eye him, in all, through all, and above all the works of your hands; and let it be your first care, how you may glorify God in your undertakings: for to a bleffed end are you brought hither; and if you and keep but in the fenfe of that Providence, your coming, ftaying and improving will be fanctified; but if any forget God, and call not upon his name, in truth, he will pour out his plagues upon them; and they fhall know who it is, that judgeth the children of men. fee "Oh, now you are come to a quiet land, provoke not the Lord to trouble it: And now liberty and rica; having established good laws, and feen his capital fo well inhabited, that there were then near 300 houses, and 2500 fouls in it, besides twenty other townships, he returned to England, leaving William Markham, Efquire, Secretary, Mr. Thomas Holme, Surveyor-General; and the administration in the hands of the Council, whofe prefident was Thomas Lloyd, Efquire, who, by virtue of his office, held the government several years," &c. OLDMIXON. valedictory letter. and authority are with you, and in your hands, let 1684. the government be upon his fhoulders, in all your fpirits; that you may rule for him, under whom W. Penn's the princes of this world will, one day, efteem it their honor to govern and serve, in their places. I cannot but fay, when these things come mightily upon my mind, as the Apostles did, of old, "What manner of perfons ought we to be, in all godly converfation!" Truly, the name and honour of the Lord are deeply concerned in you, as to the discharge of yourselves, in your present stations; many eyes being upon you; and remember, that, as we have been belied about difowning the true religion, fo, of all government, to behold us exemplary and chriftian, in the ufe of that, will not only stop our enemies, but minifter conviction to many, on that account, prejudiced. Oh, that you may fee and know that fervice, and do it, for the Lord, in this your day: "And, thou, Philadelphia, the virgin fettlement of this province, named before thou wert born, what love, what care, what fervice, and what travail has there been, to bring thee forth, and preferve thee from fuch as would abuse and defile thee! He prays "Oh, that thou mayft be kept from the evil, that would overwhelm thee; that, faithful to the God of thy mercies, in the life of righteoufnefs, thou mayst be préferved to the end:-My foul prays to God for thee, that thou mayst stand in for Philathe day of tryal, that thy children may be bleffed delphia,&c. of the Lord, and thy people faved by his power;-my love to thee has been great, and the re[37] membrance Note, In the year 1684, among other friends and fettlers, from Weftmoreland, Thomas Langhorne arrived in Pennsylvania, and fettled in Bucks county, about Middletown; where then dwelt Nicholas Walne and others. He was an eminent preacher among the Quakers; and of whom there is a very excellent and extraordinary character, in M. S. from Friends at Kendal in Weftmoreland, by way of certificate, on his removal to this country. He died a few years after his arrival.-His fop, Jeremiah Langborne was afterwards Chief Justice of the province. valedictory 1684. membrance of thee affects mine heart and mine eye!-the God of eternal ftrength keep and preW. Penn's ferve thee, to his glory and thy peace. letter. "So, dear friends, my love again falutes you all, wishing that grace, mercy and peace, with all temporal bleffings, may abound richly among you;-fo fays, fo prays, your friend and lover in the truth, Death of "From on board the Ketch Endea vour, the Sixth month, 1684." "WILLIAM PENN. In England, on the fixth of the Twelfth month K. Charles this year (1684) died King Charles the fecond; the fecond, and was fucceeded by his brother, James, Duke &c. of York, a profeffed Papift.*-The people were there *The Proprietary in a letter to Thomas Lloyd, President of the Council, dated, "London the 16th. of the First month, 1684-5," writes thus on this affair, viz. -"The King is dead; and the Duke fucceeds peaceably. He was well on the First-day night, being the first of February (fo called;) about eight next morning, as he fat down to fhave, his head twitched both ways, or fides; and he gave a fhriek, and fell as dead; and fo remained fome hours; they opportunely blooded and cupped him, and plied his head with red-hot frying-pans :-He returned, and continued till Sixth-day noon; but mostly in great tortures. He feemed very penitent, afking pardon of all, even the pooreft fubject he had wronged; prayed for pardon, and to be delivered out of the world; The Duke appearing mighty humble and forrowful;-'twas a lofs, with his gain:He was an able man for a divided and troubled kingdom. The prefent King was proclaimed about three o'clock that day; a proclamation fołlowed, with the King's fpeech, to maintain the church and state, as eftablifhed; to keep property and ufe clemency.-Tonnage and poundage, with the excife, are revived, de bene effe, till the parliament meet.-One is now chufing;-The people of Weftminfter just gone by, to chufe.—It fits the 19th. of the third month next. In Scotland, one next month.-Severities continue ftill; but fome ease to us faintly promised.-Be care ful that no indecent fpeeches pafs against the government; for the King going, with his Queen, publickly to Mafs, in Whiteball, gives occafion.He declared he concealed himself, to obey his brother, and that now he would be above board; which we like the better, on many accounts.I was with him and told him fo;-but withall, hoped We fhould come in for a share;—He smiled, and said, he defired not that peaceable people fhould be disturbed for their religion:-And till his coronation, the 23d. when he and his confort are together, to be crowned, no hopes of releafe; and till the Parliament no hopes of any fixt liberty.-My bufinefs, I would hope, is better.-The late King, the papifts will have, died a Roman Catholic; for he refufed (after his ufual way of evading uneasy things, with unpreparedness firft, and then weaknefs) the church of England's communion. Bishop Ken, of Wells, preffing him, that it thereupon filled with great apprehenfions and 1684. fears, left, according to the ufual practice of thofe religious devotees, who would compel all people under their power, to their own mode of religion, as in the perfecuting days of Queen Mary, he fhould endeavour, by the ruin of the Proteftant, would be to his comfort, and that of his people, to fee he died of that religion, he had made profession of living; but it would not do:~and once all but the duke, Earl of Bath, and Lord Feverfbam, were turned out, and one Huddleflone, a Romish Priest, was feen about that time, near the chamber. This is moft of our news.-The popish lords and gentry go to Whitehall, to mafs, daily; and the Tower, (or Royal Chapel) is crammed (by vying) with the proteftant lords and gentry :-The late King's children, even, by the Dutchefs of Portsmouth, go thither.-Our King ftands more upon his terms, than the other, with France; and tho' he has not his brother's abilities, he has great discipline and industry.Alas! the world is running over to you; and great quantities together is to put the fale of lauds out of my own hands, after I have spent what I got by my own, on the public fervice: for I am £3,000 worse in my eftate, than at firft; I can fay it before the Lord; I have only the comfort of having approved myself a faithful steward, to my understanding, and ability; and yet, I hope, my children shall receive it, in the love of yours, when we are gone." The reft of this letter confifts principally of falutations to the people, in general, both of Pennsylvania and New Jerfey, and also to divers particulars, by name; with fome inftructions or directions of a more private nature; but as the names of fuch families as the Proprietary expreffed this particular respect to, may, at this time, be acceptable to fome, now to fee, they here follow, as transcribed from his own hand, omitting the reft, viz. "Dearly falute me to dear friends, in their meetings, and particularly to dear John Simcock, Chriftopher Taylor, J. Harrison, J. Claypoole, T. Janny, William Yardley, Thomas Brasby, William Wood, Thomas Ellis, J. Songhurst, John Moon, J. Blunfton, Jofeph Growden, J. Head, G. Jones, G. Painter, H. Lewis, T. Howell, J. B. and the reft of the Welsh Friends;-Captain Owen, &c.-Thomas Fitzwater, James Barnes, B. Wiicocks, J. Goodfon, Thomas Bowman, Widow Fincher, W. Salloway, J. Alloway, R. Wade, R. Turner, Samuel Carpenter, J. Southern, William Clark, with their families; and all friends on our fide, and the other too (viz. Jerfey) particularly, J. Gofling, Anne Jennings, S. Budd, W. Biddle, S. Cooper, R. Stacy and Mahlon, T. Lambert, and widow Welsh.-Dr. Moore, J. C. A. Man, P. Aldricks, W. Gueft, J. White, W. Durvall.-Salute me to the Swedes, Captain Cock, old Peter Cock, and Rambo, and their fons, the Swansons, Andrew Binkfon, P. Yoakum and the reft of them:-Their ambassadour here dined with me the other day."-&c. "Keep up the people's hearts and love," &c.-" I hope to be with them next fall, if the Lord prevent not;-I long to be with you; No temp. tations prevail to fix me here;-the Lord fend us a good meeting, Amen."&c. Note, By a warrant to Prefident Lloyd and the Council, dated at London, the 18th. of the First-month, 1684-5, William Penn authorized them to commiffion his coufin, William Markham, to be fecretary of the province and territories, and his fecretary, as proprietary, |