chasing of & amonst ye said Natives, some other places wch may be convenient both for plantation, and also for Building of shipps, supply of pipe staves, & other Marchandice; And whereas ye said English have represented their desires to ye said Earle and Comms to have their hopeful beginnings approved and confirmed by granting unto ym a free charter of civel incorporation and Gouvornment, yt they may order and govern their plantations, in such manner as to maintain justice, & peace both amongst themselves and towards almen, wth whom they shall have to doe; In due consideration of ye Premises ye said Robert Earle of Warwick Governr in Chiefe, Lord High Admirall of ye said Plantations, and ye greater Number of ye said Commissionours, whose names and seales are her under written and subjoyned out of a desire to incourage ye good beginnings of ye said Plantations, doe by ye authority of yo aforesaid ordinance of Lords & comons give grant & confirm to ye aforesaid Inhabitants of ye Towns of Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport, a free and absolute Charter, of civel incorporation, to be known, by ye name of the Incorporation of Providence Plantations, in the Narraganset bay in New England, together with full power and authority, to Govern and rule themselves, and such others as shall hereaftere inhabitt wthin any part of y said tract of Land by such a forme of Civel Govermnt as by voluntary consent of all or ye greatest part of thTM shall be found most serviceable in their Estates and condition and to that end, to make and ordain such civel Laws and constitutions and to inflict such Punishmts uppon transgressors and for execution thereof soe to place & displace, Officers of Justice, as they or ye greatest part of ym shall by free consent agree unto Provided nevertheless yt ye said Laws, Constitutions and Punishments for ye civell Governmt of ye said Plantation be conformable to ye Lawes of England, soe farre as ye nature & Constitution of ye place will admitt;

And always reserving to ye said Earle and CommTMs and there successors power and authority soe to dispose ye General Govermt of yt as it stands in refferance to y rest of ye Plantations in America, as they shall commissionate from time to time most conducing to ye Generall good of ye said Plantations, ye Honour of his Magisty, & ye sarvice of this State, and ye said Earll & Commrs doe further authorice ye aforesaid Inhabitants, for y better transacting of there Publique affaires to make and use a Publique seale as ye knowne seale of Providence Plantations in ye Narragansetts Bay in New England, in Testimony whereof ye said Robert Earle of Warwick & commrs have hereunto set there hands and seales y seventeenth day of March ye nineteenth year of ye Raine of our Soveraine Lord King Charles and in ye yeare of our Lord GOD 1643.

ROBERT WARWICK.

Phillip Pembrook, Say & Seale, P. Whartone, Arthur Helsrige, Cor. Holland, Hen. Vane, Sam Vassell, John Rool, Miles Corbet.

CHARTER GRANTED BY KING CHARLES II.

Charles, the Second, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c., to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Whereas we have been informed by the humble petition of our trusty and well-beloved subject, John Clarke, on the behalf of Benedict Arnold, William Brenton, William Coddington, Nicholas Easton, William Boulston, John Porter, John Smith, Samuel Gorton, John Weeks, Roger Williams, Thomas Olney, Gregory Dexter, John Coggeshall, Joseph Clarke, Randall Holden, John Greene, John Roome, Samuel

Wildbore, William Field, James Barker, Richard Tew, Thomas Harris, and William Dyre, and the rest of the purchasers and free inhabitants of our island, called Rhode Island, and the rest of the colony of Providence Plantations, in the Narragansett Bay, in New England, in America, that they, pursuing, with peaceable and loyal minds, their sober, serious, and religious intentions, of godly edifying themselves, and one another, in the holy Christian faith and worship, as they were persuaded; together with the gaining over and conversion of the poor ignorant Indian natives, in those parts of America, to the sincere profession and obedience of the same faith. and worship, did, not only by the consent and good encouragement of our royal progenitors, transport themselves out of this kingdom of England into America, but also, since their arrival there, after their first settlement amongst other our subjects in those parts, for the avoiding of discord, and those many evils which were likely to ensue upon some of those our subjects not being able to bear, in these remote parts, their different apprehensions in religious concernments, and, in pursuance of the aforesaid ends, did once again leave their desirable stations and habitations, and with excessive labor and travel, hazard and charge, did transplant themselves into the midst of the Indian natives, who, as we are informed, are the most potent princes and people of all that country; where, by the good Providence of God, from whom the Plantations have taken their name, upon their labor and industry, they have not only been preserved to admiration, but have increased and prospered, and are seized and possessed, by purchase and consent of the said natives, to their full content, of such lands, islands, rivers, harbors and roads, as are very convenient, both for plantations, and also for building of ships, supply of pipe staves, and other merchandise: and which lie very commodious, in many respects, for commerce, and to accommodate our

southern plantations, and may much advance the trade of this our realm, and greatly enlarge the territories thereof; they having, by near neighborhood to and friendly society with the great body of the Narragansett Indians, given them encouragement, of their own accord, to subject themselves, their people, and lands unto us; whereby, as is hoped, there may, in time, by the blessing of God upon their endeavors, be laid a sure foundation of happiness to all America: and whereas, in their humble address, they have freely declared, that it is much on their hearts (if they may be permitted) to hold forth a lively experiment, that a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained, and that among our English subjects, with a full liberty in religious concernments; and that true piety, rightly grounded upon gospel principles, will give the best and greatest security to sovereignty, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to true loyalty: Now know ye, that we, being willing to encourage the hopeful undertaking of our said loyal and loving subjects, and to secure them in the free exercise and enjoyment of all their civil and religious rights, appertaining to them as our loving subjects; and to preserve unto them that liberty, in the true Christian faith and worship of God, which they have sought with so much travail, and with peaceable minds, and loyal subjection to our royal progenitors and ourselves, to enjoy and because some of the people and inhabitants of the same colony cannot, in their private opinions, conform to the public exercise of religion, according to the liturgy, forms, and ceremonies of the Church of England, or take or subscribe the oaths and articles made and established in that behalf; and for that the same, by reason of the remote distances of those places, will (as we hope) be no breach of the unity and uniformity established in this nation: Have therefore thought fit, and do hereby publish, grant, ordain, and declare, that our

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royal will and pleasure is, that no person within the said colony, at any time hereafter, shall be any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any differences in opinion in matters of religion, and do not actually disturb the civil peace of our said colony; but that all and every person and persons may, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and fully have and enjoy his and their own judgments and consciences, in matters of religious concernments, throughout the tract of land hereafter mentioned, they behaving themselves peaceably and quietly, and not using this liberty to licentiousness and profaneness, nor to the civil injury or outward disturbance of others any law, statute, or clause, therein contained, or to be contained, usage or custom of this realm, to the contrary hereof, in any wise, notwithstanding. And that they may be in the better capacity to defend themselves, in their just rights and liberties, against all the enemies of the Christian faith, and others, in all respects, we have further thought fit, and, at the humble petition of the persons aforesaid, are graciously pleased to declare, that they shall have and enjoy the benefit of our late act of indemnity and free pardon, as the rest of our subjects in other our dominions and territories have; and to create and make them a body politic or corporate, with the powers and privileges hereinafter mentioned. And accordingly our will and pleasure is, and of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, we have ordained, constituted, and declared, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, do ordain, constitute, and declare, that they, the said William Brenton, William Coddington, Nicholas Easton, Benedict Arnold, William Boulston, John Porter, Samuel Gorton, John Smith, John Weeks, Roger Williams, Thomas Olney, Gregory Dexter, John Coggeshall, Joseph Clarke, Randall Holden, John Greene, John Roome, William Dyre, Samuel Wildbore, Richard Tew,