ies of Connecticut and Rhode Island, and had
by his letters in 1662 and 1664, and subsequently, forbidden religious
persecution and prescribed religious toleration as a condition of the
continuance of the Charter in Massachusetts Bay Colony.[155]

I will give in a note, from the records of their own Court, their
persecuting proceedings against certain Baptists in April, 1666, six
years after the Restoration.[156]

The Puritan historian, Neal, writing under date three years later,
1669, says: "The displeasure of the Government ran very high against the
Anabaptists and Quakers at this time. The Anabaptists had gathered one
Church at Swanzey, and another at Boston, but the General Court was very
severe in putting the laws in execution against them, whereby many
honest people were ruined by fines, imprisonment, and banishment, which
was the more extraordinary because their brethren in England were
groaning under persecution from the Church of England at the same time.
Sad complaints were sent over to England every summer of the severity of
the Government against the Anabaptists, which obliged the dissenting
ministers in London to appear at length in their favour. A letter was
accordingly sent over to the Governor of Massachusetts, signed by Dr.
Goodwin, Dr. Owen, Mr. Nie, Mr. Caryl, and nine other ministers,
beseeching him to make use of his authority and interest for restoring
such to their liberty as were in prison on account of religion, and that
their sanguinary laws might not be put in execution in future." [Mr.
Neal gives the letter, and then proceeds.] "But the excellent letter
made no impression upon them; the prisoners were not released, nor the
execution of the laws suspended; nay, so far from this, that ten years
after, in the year 1679, a General Synod being called to inquire into
the evils that provoked the Lord to bring his judgments on New England,
they mention these among the rest, 'Men have set up their thresholds by
God's threshold, and their posts by God's post; Quakers are false
worshippers, and such Anabaptists as have risen up among us, in
opposition to the Churches of the Lord Jesus,' etc., etc."

"Wherefore it must needs be provoking to God if these things be not duly
and fully testified against by every one in their several capacities
respectively."[158]

The present of two large masts and a ship-load of timber; successive
obsequious and evasive addresses; explanations of agents; compliance in
s