eir proceedings and
treatment, and the petition which they presented, as follows:

"A great disturbance was caused in the colony this year [1646] by a
number of persons of figure, but of different sentiments, both as to
civil and ecclesiastical government, from the people in general. They
had laid a scheme for petition of such as were non-freemen to the courts
of both colonies, and upon the petitions being refused, to apply to the
Parliament, pretending they were subjected to arbitrary power,
extra-judicial proceedings, etc. The principal things complained of by
the petitioners were:

"1st. That the fundamental laws of England were not owned by the Colony,
as the basis of their government, according to the patent.

"2nd. The denial of those civil privileges, which the freemen of the
jurisdiction enjoyed, to such as were not members of Churches, and did
not take an oath of fidelity devised by the authority here, although
they were freeborn Englishmen, of sober lives and conversation, etc.

"3rd. That they were debarred from Christian privileges, viz., the
Lord's Supper for themselves, and baptism for their children, unless
they were members of some of the particular Churches in the country,
though otherwise sober, righteous, and godly, and eminent for knowledge,
not scandalous in life and conversation, and members of Churches in
England.

"And they prayed that civil liberty and freedom might be forthwith
granted to all truly English, and that all members of the Church of
England or Scotland, not scandalous, might be admitted to the privileges
of the Churches of New England; or if these civil and religious
liberties were refused, that they might be freed from the heavy taxes
imposed upon them, and from the impresses made of them or their children
or servants into the war; and if they failed of redress there, they
should be under the necessity of making application to England, to the
honourable Houses of Parliament, who they hoped would take their sad
condition, etc.

"But if their prayer should be granted, they hoped to see the then
contemned ordinances of God highly prized; the Gospel, then dark, break
forth as the sun; Christian charity, then frozen, wax warm; jealousy of
arbitrary government banished; strife and contention abated; and all
business in Church and State, which for many years had gone backward,
successfully thriving, etc.

"The Court, and great part of the country, were much offended at this
petit