I.

Because no People can be truly happy, though under the greateft Enjoyment of civil Liberties, if abridged of the Freedom of their Confciences, as to their religious Profeffion and Worship: And Almighty God being the only Lord of Confcience, Father of Lights and Spirits, and the Author as well as Object of all divine Knowledge, Faith and Worship, who only doth enlighten the Minds, and perfuade and convince the Understandings of People, I do hereby grant and declare, That no Perfon or Perfons, inhabiting in this Province or Territories, who fhall confefs and acknowledge One Almighty God, the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World; and profefs him or themselves obliged to live quietly under the civil Government, shall be in any Cafe molefted or prejudiced, in his or their Perfon or Eftate, becaufe of his or their confcientious Perfuafion or Practice, nor be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious Worfhip, Place or Ministry, contrary to his or their Mind, or to do or fuffer any other Act or Thing, contrary to their religious Perfuafion.

And that all Perfons who alfo profefs to believe in Jefus Chrift, the Saviour of the World, fhall be capable (notwithstanding their other Perfwafions, and Practices in Point of Confcience and Religion) to ferve this Government in any Capacity, both legislatively and executively, he or they folemnly promifing, when lawfully required, Allegiance to the King as Sovereign, and Fidelity to the Proprietary and Governor, and taking the Attefts as now eftablished by the Law made at Newcastle in the Year one Thousand and feven Hundred, entitled, An Act directing the Attefts of feveral Officers and Minifters, as now amended and confirmed by this prefent Affembly,

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II. For

II.

For the well governing of this Province and Territories, there shall be an Affembly yearly chofen, by the Freemen thereof, to confift of four Perfons out of each County, of moft Note for Virtue, Wisdom and Ability, (or of a greater Number at any Time, as the Governor and Affembly fhall agree) upon the first Day of October for ever; and fhall fit on the fourteenth Day of the fame Month, at Philadelphia, unless the Governor and Council for the Time being, fhall fee Caufe to appoint another Place within the faid Province, or Territories: Which Affembly fhall have Power to chufe a Speaker, and other their Officers; and fhall be Judges of the Qualifications and Elections of their own Members; fit upon their own Adjournments; appoint Commitees; prepare Bills in order to pafs into Laws; impeach Criminals, and redrefs Grievances; and fhall have all other Powers and Privileges of an Affembly, according to the Rights of the free-born Subjects of England, and as is ufual in any of the King's Plantations in America.

And if any County or Counties, fhall refufe or neglect to chufe their refpective Representatives as aforefaid, or if chosen, do not meet to ferve in Affembly, thofe who are fo chofen, and met, shall have the full Power of an Affembly, in as ample Manner as if all the Reprefentatives had been chofen and met, provided they are not less than two Thirds of the whole Number that ought to meet.

And that the Qualifications of Electors and Elected, and all other Matters and Things relating to Elections of Reprefentatives to ferve in Affemblies, though not herein particularly expreffed, fhall be and remain as by a Law of this Government, made at Newcastle in the Year One Thousand feven Hundred, entitled, An Act to afcertain the Number of Members of Assembly, and to regulate the Elections.

III.

That the Freemen in each refpective County, at the Time and Place of meeting for electing their Reprefentatives to ferve in Affembly, may, as often as there shall be Occafion, chufe a double Number of Persons to prefent to the Governor for Sheriffs and Coroners, to ferve three Years, if fo long they behave themselves well; out of which refpective Elections and Prefentments, the Governor fhall nominate and commiffionate one for each of the faid Offices, the third Day after fuch Prefentment, or elfe the first named in fuch Prefentment, for each Office as aforefaid, fhall ftand and ferve in that Office for the Time before respectively limited; and in Cafe of Death or Default, fuch Vacancies shall be supplied by the Governor, to ferve to the End of the faid Term.

Provided always, that if the faid Freemen fhall at any Time neglect or decline to chufe a Perfon or Perfons for either or both the aforefaid Offices, then and in fuch Cafe, the Perfons that are or fhall be in the refpective Offices of Sheriffs or Coroners, at the Time of Election, shall remain therein, until they fhall be removed by another Election as aforefaid.

And that the Juftices of the respective Counties fhall or may nominate and prefent to the Governor three Perfons, to ferve for Clerk of the Peace for the faid County, when there is a Vacancy, one of which the Governor fhall commiffionate, within ten Days after fuch Prefentment, or elfe the first nominated shall serve in the said Office during good Behaviour.

IV.

That the Laws of this Government shall be in this Stile, viz. By the Governor, with the Confent and Approbation of the Freemen in general Affem

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bly met; and fhall be, after Confirmation by the Governor, forthwith recorded in the Rolls-office, and kept at Philadelphia, unless the Governor and Affembly fhall agree, to appoint another Place.

V.

That all Criminals fhall have the fame Privileges of Witneffes and Council as their Profecutors. VI.

That no Perfon or Perfons fhall or may, at any Time hereafter, be obliged to anfwer any Complaint, Matter or Thing whatsoever, relating to Property, before the Governor and Council, or in any other Place, but in ordinary Courfe of Justice, unless Appeals thereunto shall be hereafter by Law appointed.

VII.

That no Perfon within this Government fhall be licenced by the Governor to keep an Ordinary, Tavern, or House of publick Entertainment, but fuch who are first recommended to him, under the Hands of the Juftices of the refpective Counties, figned in open Court; which Juftices are and fhall be hereby impowered, to fupprefs and forbid any Perfon, keeping fuch Publick-house as aforefaid, upon their Mifbehaviour, on fuch Penalties as the Law doth or fhall direct; and to recommend others from Time to Time, as they fhall fee Occafion.

VIII.

If any Perfon, through Temptation or Melancholy, fhall deftroy himself, his Eftate, real and perfonal, fhall notwithstanding defcend to his Wife and Children, or Relations, as if he had died a natural Death; and if any Perfon fhould be deftroyed or killed by Cafualty or Accident, there fhall be no Forfeiture to the Governor by Reafon thereof.

And no Act, Law or Ordinance whatfoever, fhall at any Time hereafter, be made or done, to

alter,

alter, change or diminish the Form or Effect of this Charter, or of any Part or Claufe therein, contrary to the true Intent and Meaning thereof, without the Confent of the Governor for the Time being, and fix Parts of feven of the Affembly met.

But because the Happiness of Mankind depends fo much upon the enjoying of Liberty of their Confciences as aforefaid, I do hereby folemnly declare, promife and grant, for me, my Heirs and Affigns, that the first Article of this Charter, relating to Liberty of Confcience, and every Part and Clause therein, according to the true Intent and Meaning thereof, fhall be kept and remain without any Alteration, inviolably for ever.

And Laftly, I the faid William Penn, Proprietary and Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, and Territories thereunto belonging, for myself, my Heirs and Affigns, have folemnly declared, granted and confirmed, and do hereby folemnly declare, grant and confirm, That neither I, my Heirs or Affigns, fhall procure or do any Thing or Things, whereby the Liberties in this Charter contained and expreffed, nor any Part thereof, fhall be infringed or broken: And if any Thing fhall be procured or done, by any Perfon or Perfons, contrary to these Presents, it shall be held of no Force or Effect.

In Witness whereof, I the faid William Penn, at Philadelphia in Pennfylvania, have unto this prefent Charter of Liberties fet my Hand and Broad Seal, this twenty-eighth Day of October, in the Year of our Lord One Thoufand feven Hundred and One, being the thirteenth Year of the Reign of King WILLIAM the Third, over England, Scotland, France and Ireland, &c. and the twenty-first Year of my Government.

And notwithstanding the Clofure and Teft of this prefent Charter as aforefaid, I think fit to add this following Provifo thereunto, as Part of the

fame,