oided
and delayed" from time to time, until the King, getting so entangled
with his Scottish subjects and Parliament, became unable to pursue his
inquiries into the proceedings of the Massachusetts Bay Plantation; and
the Congregational Church rulers there had, for more than twenty years,
the luxury of absolute rule and unrestricted persecution of all that
dissented from their newly set up Church polity and worship.

Sir Richard Saltonstall, as well as Sir Henry Vane, and doubtless many
others of the Puritan party in England, could not endure in silence the
outrageous perversions of the Charter, and high-handed persecutions by
the Congregational rulers of Massachusetts Bay.[105] Sir R. Saltonstall
therefore wrote to Cotton and Wilson, who, with Norton, were the ablest
preachers among the "Elders," and were the fiercest persecutors. The
letter is without date, but is stated by Mr. Hutchinson, in his
Collection of Massachusetts State Papers, to have been written "some
time between 1645 and 1653." Sir R. Saltonstall's indignant and noble
remonstrance is as follows:

"Reverend and deare friends, whom I unfaynedly love
and respect:

"It doth not a little grieve my spirit to heare what sadd things are
reported day by day of your tyranny and persecutions in New England as
that you fine, whip and imprison men for their consciences. First, you
compell such to come to your assemblys as you know will not joyne, and
when they show their dislike thereof or witness against it, then you
stirre up your magistrates to punish them for such (as you conseyve)
their publicke affronts. Truly, friends, this your practice of
compelling any in matters of worship to do that whereof they are not
fully persuaded, is to make them sin, for so the apostle (Rom. xiv. 23)
tells, and many are made hypocrites thereby, conforming in their outward
man for feare of punishment. We pray for you and wish you prosperity
every way; we hoped the Lord would have given you so much light and love
there, that you might have been eyes to God's people here, and not to
practise those courses in the wilderness, which you went so far to
prevent. These rigid ways have laid you very lowe in the hearts of the
saints. I do assure you I have heard them pray in the public assemblies
that the Lord would give you meeke and humble spirits, not to strive so
much for uniformity as to keepe the unity of the spirit in the bond of
peace."

Addressed: "For my reverend and w