ceth
that the King is come in Peace to his own house. Now the Lord hath dealt
well with our Lord the King. May New England, under your Royal
Protection, be permitted still to sing the Lord's song in this strange
Land. It shall be no grief of Heart for the Blessing of a people ready
to perish, daily to come upon your Majesty, the blessings of your poor
people, who (not here to alledge the innocency of our cause, touching
which let us live no longer than we subject ourselves to an orderly
trial thereof), though in the particulars of subscriptions and
conformity, supposed to be under the hallucinations of weak Brethren,
yet crave leave with all humility to say whether the voluntary quitting
of our native and dear country be not sufficient to expiate so innocent
a mistake (if a mistake) let God Almightie, your Majesty, and all good
men judge.

"Now, he in whose hands the times and trials of the children of men are,
who hath made your Majesty remarkably parallel to the most eminent of
kings, both for space and kind of your troubles, so that vere day cannot
be excepted, wherein they drove him from abiding in the inheritance of
the Lord, saying, 'Go, serve other gods; make you also (which is the
crown of all), more and more like unto him, in being a man after God's
own heart, to do whatsoever he will.' Yea, as the Lord was with David,
so let him be with your most excellent Majesty, and make the Throne of
King Charles the Second both greater and better than the Throne of King
David, or than the Throne of any of your Royal Progenitors. So shall
always pray,

"Great Sir,

"Your Majesty's most humble and loyal subjects.

"JOHN ENDICOT, _Governor_."

(Hutchinson's Collection of Original Papers, etc., pp. 341, 342.
Massachusetts Records, August 7, 1661.)]

[Footnote 121: The Government of New England received a letter from the
King, signifying his pleasure that there should be no further
prosecution of the Quakers who were condemned to suffer death or other
corporal punishment, or who were imprisoned or obnoxious to such
condemnation; but that they be forthwith sent over to England for trial.
The Massachusetts General Court, after due consideration of the King's
letter, proceeded to declare that the necessity of preserving religion,
order, and peace had induced the enactment of laws against the Quakers,
etc., and concluded by saying, "All this, notwithstanding their restless
spirits, have moved some of them to return, and ot