PENN'S LETTER IN REFERENCE TO THE SUPPRESSION OF VICE, THE PROSECUTION OF THE CAVE PEOPLE, AND FORBIDDING THE CHOPPING DOWN OF TREES IN THE TOWN. Autograph Letter, signed at the top, "Wm. 4 pp., folio. Holland House near London, Short extract printed in Proud's "History of Pennsylvania," Vol. 2, page 308. "I have writt to you as to the Prov. Council formerly, but never could obtain any answer but from Perticulers, which tho very wellcome, yet it would be much more satisfactory to have all subscribe, yt I may know your unity: And first, I recommend to you the vigorous suppression of vice, & that without respect to persons or Persuasions, Lett no foolish petty rob Justice of its due, & the people of proper examples. I know wt malice & prejudice say, but they move me not, I know how to allow for new Colonys tho others dont, Nevertheless, double your dilligence. "2ly Pray take course with the cave people, who are intruders, & if they strive, they shall finde no mercy from me, also see the banck made good, yt I hear is tumbling. "3ly I would have ye underwood Grubd up where the greatwood has been cutt down, tis but just ye town be at yt charge of ye one, yt has had ye Proffitt of ye other. '4ly Lett the Poor Woodman have Justice done him, and forbid cutting any more trees in the town, & lett transgressions be punisht. 64 5ly as I have given you a large and full power, I hope & expect you will use the Same to gods Glory, ye Countrys good, & yt will be ye lasting honour, now whereas it has been suggested yt the Govermt was chainged by myn by Ed. Black, I take all such suggestions to be foolish and Seditions, for it is not chainged & such as either repine or rejoice as if it were so are both to blame & deserve your Rebuke, & lett no consideration stop your plain dealing in the matter. We hope here for a Parl, to settle a great charter for Liberty of conscience, things are well disposed towards it." Etc. PENN'S LETTER REBUKING HIS COMMISSIONERS FOR DERELICTION OF DUTY. 19 PENN, WM. Autograph Letter, signed at the top, "Wm. Penn, Pr. Gr." 3 pp., folio. Holland House, 21st, 10 mo. 1687. "I have wondred much since myn by Ed. Blackfan, that I relied so much upon, to be strickly comply'd with, that I have not heard a word from you. If you have not enter'd upon ye commission, that may be a reason for ye silence, but a reason why you would not, had been but proper & fitt for you to do, because my expectations have been great about it. But I hope & desire to attribute it to some other cause, for it would be a grief to me, more then I can express at this time, if so visible a neglect or dissent from my sence & orderings should be found among men I personally have served so well, and vallu'd above others. Presumeing then, you have enter'd upon the commission of five, I think fitt to lett you know that I expect by the first ship from ye parts, or New York, or Maryland an exact transcript of the laws as they were Reviv'd & enacted to Continue the last Session, in which any new laws were made & the former continued. Leave the title for me to write here, only send me in a loos paper by it, ye place & date of ye last session, I say once more, the laws as they now stand, as if they had never been made before, and not an history of ye laws, recounting the severall Places & assembly Gen'lls that have successively been since the beginning of ye Govermt, as that I brought with me was drawn. Next, I would have you draw up a short sort of Declamation, or Remonstrance to give the lye to thos vile & repeated slanders cast on ye Province, or you rather & the rest of ye Magistracy, whom they represent, Ist as ambitious, Seeking preheminence, 2ly as partiall, to offenders, yt profess truth, no ye same punishmts as to others, witness J. Morris' case, 3ly Causes given to ym for their profession sake agst justice, 4ly Loosness not strickly punisht, 5ly an unwarranted prerogative to pardon where example requires execution for the sake of others. 6. Quarrels among the Magistrates whereby they make them selves cheap to the people they should be awfull to. 7. The Scandall upon us all about ye Society affaires, I say, these & ye like things ought to be most solemnly consider'd by you & answered as afore said. I have formerly writt to this effect. Friends, I am sorry, my Condition will not lett me allow you 100 lb pp and a peice, yt you might follow ye publick more saveingly & cherefully. And if the country can do anything, I am willing you should have ye one half of it among you to defray charges, but who shall defray myn, ye Lord only knows. "I shall say no more at present, till I hear from you, & how things are, only that as much as I am reputed in favour here & as great as I am sayd I might be if I would, nothing, has weaken'd my love or desires towards poor Pensilvania, & there pray to goe in Gods time and hope it is not far off." Etc. PENN'S LETTER REQUESTING THOS. LLOYD TO ACCEPT 20 PENN, WM. Autograph Letter, signed. 3 pp., folio. London. 28th, 1 mo., 1688. To Thos. Lloyd. Not in print. Fine specimen. "My endeared love in ye truth yt never ends, Salutes ye & thyn, & all yt Love god in thos parts, assuring thee & them, that no honour, Interest or pleasure in this part of ye world shall be able to check my desires to live & dye among you, & tho to grief, my stay is yet prolonged on private & publick accounts, yet depend upon it, Pennsilvania is my worldly delight & end of all places on ye earth, Now tho I have to please ye, given ye a quietus from all publick business, my intention is to constitute thee Dept. Gov'r & two in ye character of assistants, either of whom & thy self to be able to do all as fully as I my self can do, only I want thy consent to ye employmt, of wch advise me p. first & in ye interim pray keep it to thy self, for poor J Clay, thy expression & his wifes, about my letter, has been exposed, as if I had kill'd him, who only checkt, as I would do again his invective letter agst others, with very gross reflections upon my selfe for suffering such officers, while they perhaps thought as hardly of him, tho they spoak softer, that is past. Thomas, by all yt is reverent, tender & friendly I beseech thy care condescention & help for yt poor Province. I am here serveing god. . . . . I hope ye season following to be with you." Etc. PENN'S LETTER IN REFERENCE TO THE APPOINTMENT OF A DEPUTY GOVERNOR FOR THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA. 21 22 PENN, WM. Autograph Letter, signed. 2pp., 4to. Hamersmyth 30th, 10 mo., 1689. With signature on address. To "Thos Lloyd Jo. Simcock, Thos. Janney, Robt. Turner, John Eccle, Ar. Cook, Samll. Richardson-and Saml Carpenter or any three of them." Extracts published in Proud's History of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 340. "The enclosed is to the church of god amongst you, let it be read. Now to you a word, whom I love in ye love of god, & desire you may never err to offend god or justly grieve any of his little ones. Since no friend would undertake ye Gov'rs place, I took one yt was not a stranger, yt he might be impartiall & more reverenced, he is in England & Ireland of great repute, for ability and integrity & virtue. I thought I did well, it was for good, the Lord knows it, & no end of me my own. You see wt I have done upon ye complaints but I must say, I fear his peevishness to some friends, has not rise out of the Past, without occasion, & if any were, lett it be searcht out & Judged, The Lord Keep us all in ye gentle minde, yt is easy to be entreated, it is a precious frame, a noble frame, a conquering frame; other victorys are not gott by ye door, & will turn upon those yt obtain them, bear with me, god he knows if I love you or no, or desire my lott to be with you. I have thought fitt to use ye man in things proper for him, to take off ye edge, in wch I have saught ye province more then myself, The Lord have you all in his keeping, my love salutes you all, be of one minde, be sober, watch & pray & watch to ye end." PENN, WM. Autograph Letter, signed. 3 pp., 4to. Eng. 10th, 4 mo., 1691. Short extract published in Proud's History of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 202. "I was not willing to slip the opertunity. It is so rare to finde one in this troublesome time. "You will by this ship understand, if you have not already, the circumstance I am under, but I hope in yt god who has hetherto delivered me from all my perrills & yt a little time and patience will ware off this as it hath done former Reflections and charges of ye same nature, & yt It will please him to lett me see your faces again to our mutuall satisfac tion. Be you so much the more dilligent & faithfull & you will not only gain ye reputation of Just Stewards, but of true friends, if anything be put upon you either as to ye Province or lower country, by any of your neighbours, be exceeding discreet & take time to deliberate ye |