^°-'.^. .*^°<^ o V ^^-^^^ W,f - ^. ij^^". o ?s^gK%iV/^ " ° ~^^^^i£' ■^. 3 ^ ■<{, ■^c i:^\y:?^fM ^-;-^; .^' QV ^ " O 4' " ^'^k\'-^^ -> o V , !By^^ came to me, and in the name of the King saluted me ; then took me by the hand, and told me that he was ordered by his King to speak to me ; and that now, it was not he, but the King that spoke, because what he should say, was the King's mind. He first prayed me to excuse them, that they had not complied with me the last time. He feared there might be some fault in the interpreter, being neither Indian nor Eng- lish. Besides, it was the Indian custom to deliberate and take up much time in council before they resolved ; and that if the young people and owners of the land had been as ready as he, I had not met with so much delay. Having thus in- troduced his matter, he fell to the bounds of the lands they had agreed to dispose of, and the price. During the time that this person spoke, not a man of them was observed to whisper or smile — the old grave, the young reverent, in their deportment. They speak little, but fervently, and with ele- (29 ) gance. I have never seen more natural sagacity, considerino- tliem without the help, (I was going to say, the spoil,) of tra- dition ; and he will deserve the name of wise, who outwitg them in any treaty, about a thing they understand. When the purchase was agreed, great promises passed between us of kindness and good neighborhood, and that the English and Indians must live in love, as long as the sun gave light ; which done, another made a speech to the Indians, in the name of all the Sachamakers or kings — ^first, to tell them what was done ; next, to charge and command them to love the Christians, and particularly to live in peace with me and the people under my government; that many governors had been in the river, but that no governor had come himself to live and stay here before ; and having now such an one, who had treated them well, they should never do him or his any wrong. At every sentence of which they shouted, and said, Amen, in that way." When William Penn had been about two years in this country, he was obliged to return to England, where his per- sonal affairs and his estate required his presence and immedi- ate attention. He had always generously contributed from his large means, to the relief of his friends in distress and under oppression. Hehad expended liberally in forwarding the settlement of the Province, and had readily declined the voluntary offer of the colonists to furnish him with a revenue from imposts — and from the quit rents little or nothing had been received. His generosity exceeded his income, great as that was. In addition to embarrassments of this kind, he had a controversy with Lord Baltimore about their bounda- ries, which was then under the consideration of the Privy Council. Having arrived in England and rejoined his family, he, a few days after, repaired to Court, and was kindly received, not only by the King and the Duke of York, but by the Ministers. But he soon found his position embarrassing. He had been attached to the Whigs, who were now under the odium of the Court. The Friends had been persecuted with increased rigor, and many were in prison and otherwise suf- ( 30 ) fering the penalties of the laAvs. Whilst the condition of his dispute with Lord Baltimore made it necessary for him to be near the Court, the situation of his friends determined him to exert himself for their relief. He found the King much ex- asperated and sternly resolved against the non-conformists in religion ; though his brother, the Duke of York, was more disposed to be tolerant. William Penn began cautiously by using his good officesvin particular cases ; and by engaging the friendly aid of the Duke, he succeeded in most of his efforts for the relief of the oppressed who were in bonds. He had removed to Kensington, His influence was known to be great, and his house was frec[uently crowded by persons solicit- ing favors from the Court. As many as two hundred were said to have visited him in one day. In, the midst of these cares, he and the nation were startled with the intelligence, that the King was mortally stricken. " He was well at night, on the 1st of February," (wrote Wm. Penn to Thomas Lloyd,) " but about 8 o'clock next morning, as he sat down to shave, his head twitched both ways or sides, he gave a shriek and fell as dead, and so remained some hours ; they opportunely blooded and cupped him, and plied his head with red-hot frying pans. He survived some days, but mostly in great tortures, appearing very penitent, and. praying for pardon and to be delivered out of the world." The Duke of York, who succeeded as James II., was an avowed Catholic ; but he professed to be in ftivor of universal toleration, and with apparent sincerity ; and, indeed, through the influence of William Penn, for whom, on his own account as well as on account of his late father, he entertained a warm regard, he relieved many who were suffering for con- science' sake. The Friends sent in a brief address to the new King accompanied by a statement, that more than four- teen hundred of their Society, male and female, continued in imJDrisonment in England and Wales, for no other cause than for worshiping God, according to their sense of duty> and refusing to swear. Among those whom Wm. Penn endeavored effectually to serve, was his old friend and fellow-student, John Locke, the ( 31 ) philosopher, an exile in Holland on account of his opposition to Popery and arbitrary power. He was authorized by the King to inform Locke, that he should be pardoned ; but the latter expressing his grateful sense of his friend's kindness, declined the proffered pardon, for which he said he had no occasion, as he had not been guilty of any crime. In the meantime Wm. Penn was diligent in his efforts to bring his controversy with Lord Baltimore to a close, and at length on the 25th of October, 1685, he wrote to James Harrison : " After a full hearing before the lords of the committee of trade and plantations, with Lord Baltimore, he was cast, and the lands in dispute adjudged to be none of his right, and not within his patent " The condition of the public mind, in relation to religious dissent, was such as to engage the continued efforts of Wm. Penn in behalf of the cause of a free toleration of religious faith ; and he prepared a treatise, entitled " A Persuasive to Moderation," for the purpose of allaying the prevailing excitement. " Moderation, the subject of this discourse," he says, " is, in plainer English, liberty of conscience to church dissenters : a cause I have, with ail humility, undertaken to plead against the prejudices of the times." "By conscience, I understand the apprehension and persuasion a man has of his duty to God ; by liberty of conscience, I mean a free and open profession and exercise of that duty, especially in worship." Soon after the publication of this appeal, King James II. issued his proclamation for a general pardon to all who were in prison on account of conscientious dissent. Among the thousands of worthy persons, who were in consequence there- of discharged from the jails of England, there were more than thirteen hundred Friends, some of whom had been separated for twelve or fifteen years from their families and homes. This measure was generally and justly attributed to the efforts of Wm. Penn, and his influence with the govern- ment. But the penal laws against dissenters were still in force, and during the year in which this proclamation was issued, many under those laws were prosecuted and despoiled (32 ) of their goods by greedj informers. The King, therefore, when apprised of these proceedings, directed that the judges aiid magistrates should discountenance the informers, and put a stop to their legalized plunder. William Penn's presence was greatly desired now, as in- deed at all times, in Pennsylvania, and most happy would it have been if he, having obtained a decision in his favor of the disputed boundary, and succeeded in restoring his friends in England to liberty, and relieving all dissenters from the power of religious persecution, had complied with the wishes of his people, and returned to his Province. He would have preserved them from many troubles which they encountered in after years by reason of his absence, and he would have avoided the misfortunes and misery to which he was sub- jected on account of his personal attachment to the unfortu- nate James II., and his supposed connection with his admin- istration of the government. In answer to the solicitations for his speedy return to America, he wrote to a friend as fol- lows : " For my coming over, cheer up the people ; I press what I can, but the great undertakings that crowd me, and to raise money to get away, hinder me yet ; but my heart is with you, and my soul and love are after you."' There can be no question that the cause of his detention was chiefly in these " great undertakings." The exigency of the times, in reference to the. interests of religion and civil and religious liberty, to which he had devoted himself, seemed to fix him at his post, within reach of the Court. To a correspondent in America, he writes: "The King has discharged all Friends by a general pardon, and is courteous to me, though as to the Church of England, things seem pinching. Several Eoraan Catholics get much into places in the army, navy, and court." He again visited Holland and Germany ; and the King gave him a commission to consult the Prince of Orange, who had married his daughter, the heir presumptive to the Crown of England, in order to obtain his concurrence in a general tol- eration of religious faith and worship, and the removal of tests. This great undertakimj^ which proceeded in all proba- bility from his own suggestion, was but partially successful. (33 ) He had several interviews with the Prince, who expressed himself in favor of toleration, but was opposed to the removal of tests^ which excluded tha dissenters from Parliament. Here, too, unfortunately, Wm. Penn was a century in advance of his age. From the Ilague ho went to Amsterdam, and thence into Germany, meeting and giving comfort to many English and Scottish exiles in those countries ; and after his return he visited the northern parts of England. Added to the causes of his continued detention from a return to his Province, he was informed that Lord Baltimore had not com- plied with the order in council. " I cannot come," said he, "this fall, for to leave that unfinished I came for, and so re- turn, by his obstinacy, when wife and family are there, will not be advisable. Wherefore, I think to see an end of that before I go." Besides, he complained that he had no returns from the Province ; that his quit rents remained unpaid ; and that he was more than five thousand pounds out of pocket, having expended that sum over and above anything received by him for land therein. But King James II. was not the sovereign the times re- quired. He was surrounded by Koman Catholic counsellors, and even his best measures were misinterpreted. Disaffec- tion to his government spread widely over England. All who were friendly to him passed under the cloud of general discontent, and the most invidious and ridiculous slanders were made current in relation to "Wm. Penn. It was said he was a Papist, a Jesuit in disguise, that he had officiated in the King's Chapel, and that he had been ordained a Priest at Rome, and was still one — and had been educated for the iniesthoad at St. Omer's. So great were the industry and malice with which these reports were circulated, that many persons of rank and intelligence were induced to give them credit, and were led to believe that he actually influenced the King in some of his most obnoxious measures. He felt that he was called upon to defend himself from those charges ; which he did, in an admirable letter written in 1688. This letter is a perfect refutation of the now over-stale calumnies which Macaulay, the Essayist, in his recent history of England, has (U) raked out from the rubbish of two centuries, with the ma- levolent, but vain intent, of giving new vitality to their ex- tinct virulence and venom. In relation to the particular charges before mentioned, he said, " It is fit that I contra- dict them as particularly as they accuse me. I say, then, solemnly, I am so far from having been bred at St. Omer'a, and received Orders at Eome, that I never was at either place; nor do I know any body there ; nor had I ever any corres- pondence with any body in those places. And as for ray officiating in the King's chapel, or any other, it is so ridicu- lous, as well as untrue, that besides that nobody can do it but a priest, and that I have been married to a woman of some condition above sixteen years, which no priest can be by any dispensation whatever, I have not so much as looked into any chapel of the Roman religion, and consequently not the King's, though a common curiosity warrants it daily to people of all persuasions. " And once for all, I do say, that I am a Protestant Dis- senter, and to that degree such, that I challenge the most celebrated Protestant of the English church or any other, on that head, be he layman, or clergyman, in public or private. For I would have such people know, it is not impossible for a true Protestant Dissenter to be datifal, thankful, and serviceable to the King, though he be of the Roman Catho- lic communion. We hold not our property or protection from him by our persuasion, and therefore his persuasion should not be the measure of our allegiance." Very soon after this the disaffection to the King culmi- nated ; resulting in his abdication of the throne in favor of his daughter Mary, wife of William, Prince of Orange ; an event which materially affected the affairs and fortune of William Penn. His enemies were numerous and active ; malicious and unprincipled, of course, for their opposition had no other basis than envy — his whole life had been spent in doing good to others — he had sought neither place nor preferment for himself, nor emolument or remuneration for his time and services ; but had freely expended his own fortune and means without any hope of return. Embarrassment and wrongs (35) succeeded, his goverment was taken from him, and he was accused of treason. For a time he deemed it prudent to re- tire from public view. At length he solicited a hearing' which was granted. lie was vindicated and cleared from all censure before the King in Council ; but although the King was willing to discharge him, yet at the instance of some of the Council, he was ordered to give bail for his appearance at the ensuing Trinity Term in the King's Bench. lie was present at the time appointed, but no one appearing against him, he was discharged by the Court. He then commenced preparations for his voyage .to America, but was again arrested and lodged in prison, to await his trial. He was brought before the Court of King's Bench, Westminster, and was once more discharged, for want of evidence or accuser. Before the vessels in which he intended to embark were ready to sail, he learned that further proceedings had been instituted against him ; he therefore concluded to defer his purpose of returning to Pennsylvania, and allowed them to depart without him. Vexations and prosecutions were re- peated, and he was bafHed and delayed by the unsatisfactory state of his aftairs until the year 1699, when, on the 10th of December, he arrived after a tedious voyage of three months, with his family, at Chester, lie had been absent for fifteen years; and his return was a matter of exultation to the in- habitants, for they understood that he had now come to make Pennsylvania his permanent home. That was undoubtedly his intention ; but he had not been two years resident in his Province, before he was apprised of designs against his rights and interests, which made his immediate presence in England indispensable. lie was informed that a bill was before the House of Lords for annexing the several proprietary gov- ernments to the Crown; that it had been twice read, and it would probaby pass at the next session, if not before, unless he would appear in person, and answer the charges brought against his government by evil-minded persons. Ilis friends in England strongly urged his coming with the least possi- ble delay : the welfare of the province, as well as his own (36) interest, seemed to require it; and he therefore reluctantly determined to leave his adopted country, once more to re sume his post near the English Court. But so resolved was he that his absence should be temporary, and only for a short period, that he endeavored to prevail upon his wife to remain. This, however, she would not consent to do. Having completed his preparations, he therefore .embarked with his family in October, 1701, and arrived in England about the beginning of the year 1702. King William the III. died in the spring of this year ; a sincere friend of toleration, among whose last acts was his signature to the law allowing the affirmation of Friends, instead of an oath. Queen Anne succeeded him, and publicly declared her in- tention to maintain the Act of toleration in favor of the dis- senters. William Penn, heading a deputation of Friends, pre- sented an address expressive of their acknowledgments. The Queen received them very graciously, and after the address was read, returned this answer : " Mr. Penn, I am so well pleased that what I have said is to your satisfaction, that you and your friends may be as- sured of my protection." It does not appear that he hadvmuch trouble with the pro- ceeding in the House of Lords, in relation to the proprietary governments ; which was defeated soon after his arrival, though the measure was not abandoned. Those who had urged it, said that they would next introduce it into the House of Commons ; so that continued vigilance, on his part, was still required to avert the design, which seemed indeed t«0 be favored by some of the statesmen of England, who be- lieved that it would conduce to the safety of the Colonies as well as the prosperity of the kingdom. From this period to the close of his life, he remained in England, employing his tongue and his pen in the cause of civil and religious liberty, which he had so early espoused, and maintaining an active correspondence with his represen- tatives and agents in his provincial government, the affairs of which demanded his constant and watchful care. Towards (37 ) the close of his long life, his memory declined, but his cheer- ful and benevolent disposition and the amenity of his conver- sation, were apparent to the last. ]t was in the seventy-fourth year of his age, on the 80th of July, A. D. L718, that this great and good man departed to his rest, without pain or regret — regretted by all. Among the expressions of sorrow for this event, was the affecting address of condolence of the Indians of Pennsylva- nia to the widow, with the accompanying present of furs and skins, to form, as they said, a garment for traveling through a ihormj wilder7iess,repTesent'mg by this symbol, the difficul- ties in her path, and their wish that she might pass through them in safety. Such was William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania ; a Christian wearing the broad mantle of universal charity, a sincere lover of his race, an advocate and defender of the largest liberty consistent with the order and happiness of society. He was a true, constant, and never-failing friend, an excellent son, a most tender husband, the best of fathers, a loyal subject, a profound legislator, a wise, just, and gener- ous ruler of his people. In the whole range of biography, we may seek in vain for a gentler spirit, combined with unswerving loyalty to principle, for a greater measure of human kindness united to matchless wisdom and a determined will to do justice, though the heavens fall, for a more genial temper blended with firm resolve, and a courage unmoved by the frowns of power or the fury of wicked men. The finest intellects have done homage to his virtues and character. Dr. Marsillac, before the National Assembly of France in 1791, said : "After so many acts of violence and oppression, so many robberies and murders, committed by the Europeans in the New World, the heart finds some con- solation in pausing over the part which William Penn acted there. Like an angel from heaven, he presented the olive branch to those afflicted people, and by acts of godlike jus- tice laid the foundation of extensive liberty and happiness. He was, perhaps, the first that ever built one of the fairest (38) empires of the world on the sole basis of general good ; and bj assuring universal toleration and community of rights, offered a happy asylum to persecuted innocence throughout the earth. Despising, on the one hand, all the pomps of the falsely great, and filling up life, on the other, with the most beneficent labors, he came to the grave in a good old age, eulogized by the greatest philosophers, honored above the proudest kings, and to this day revered by the Indians, as a benevolent spirit sent down from heaven to establish the reign of peace and happiness below." President Montesquieu said of him : " A very honest legis- lator has formed a people to whom probity seems as natural as bravery to the Spartans. William Penn is a real Lycur- gus ; and though, the former made peace his principal aim, as the latter did war, yet they resemble one another, in the ascendant they gained over freemen, in the prejudices they overcame, and in the passions they subdued." The celebrated Edmund Burke said : " 'Tis pleasing to do honor to those great men, whose virtues and generosity have contributed to the peopling of the earth and to the freedom and happiness of mankind. William Penn, as a legislator, deserves great honor among all men. He created a Common- wealth which, from a few hundreds of indigent refugees, has in seventy years grown to a numerous and flourishing peo- ple. But what crowned all, was the noble charter of privi- leges, by which he made them more free, perhaps, than any people on earth, and which, by securing both civil and re- ligious liberty, caused the eyes of the oppressed from all parts of the world, to look to his country for relief. This one act of godlike wisdom and goodness, has settled Peun's coun- try in a more strong and permanent manner than the wisest regulations could have done on any other plan." " His name," says Bancroft, the historian, " was sacredly cherished as a household word in the Cottages of Wales and Ireland, and among the peasantry of Germany; and not a ten- ant of a wigwam from the sea to the Susquehanna, doubted his integrity. His fame is now wide as the world ; he is one of the few Avho have gained abiding glory." (39) Even Macaulay, in contradiction to his " counterfeit pre- sentment" of "William Penn, gives the following as the ap- proved picture : " Eival nations and hostile sects have agreed ill canonizing him. England is proud of his name. A great Commonwealth beyond the Atlantic regards him with a rev- erence similar to that which the Athenians felt for Theseus, and the Eomans for Quirinus. The respectable Society of which he was a member, honors him as an apostle. By pious men of other persuasions, he is generally regarded as a bright pattern of Christian virtue. Meanwhile, admirers of a very different sort have sounded his praises. The French philosophers of the eighteenth century have pardoned what they regarded as his superstitious fancies,, in consideration of his contempt for priests, and of his cosmopolitan benevo- lence, extended to all races and all creeds. His name has thus become, throughout all civilized countries, a synonym for probity and philanthropy. Nor is this high reputation altogether unmerited. Penn was without doubt a man of eminent virtues. He had a strong sense of religious duty, and a fervent desire to pro- mote the happiness of mankind. On one or two points of high importance, he had notions more correct than were in his day common, even among men of enlarged minds ; and as the proprietor and legislator of a province which, being almost uninhabited when it came into his possession, afforded a clear field for moral experiments, he had the rare good for- tune of being able to carry his theories into practice without any compromise, and yet without any shock to existing in- stitutions. He will always be mentioned with honor as the founder of a colony, who did not, in his dealings with a sav- age people, abuse the strength derived from civilization, and as a lawgiver, who, in an age of persecution, made religious liberty the corner-stone of a polity." AHK 4 1904 P D "^ W" xV^ '^^ •- J. .r. TT V)^ -loo, '^ > y#i^ 'b V*^ ^.° ?v^ -n^i- (-"V, .0' ^. • :;<^M5^-- \,^^ :»&• \/ .-^m %/■■ ;» 'oV V £>^ ^ >S •^Ao^ >0 ^^-^^ ^¥||S^^ t-ii;' :^/\>^^?_^o^'^^^^ "^ .^:^-€)?;^^ -^ .^ ;> %/ .-life'-. "^^...^* .-I^^IM. 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