After this marriage, they took up their residence at Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire. : Though possessed of ample means for enjoying a life of retirement and leisure, WILLIAM PENN was far from partaking of its allurements; for, having entered on the important office of a minister of the gospel, he was far from seeking to escape its fatigues his time was spent in preaching, writing, and vindicating the cause of the oppressed. Amongst his writings at this time are two letters written to two women of quality, in Germany, who had shewn great liberality in granting asylums to persons that had been persecuted for their religion, as well as having evinced great seriousness of disposition themselves. These ladies were the princess Elizabeth, daughter of the deceased Frederic the fifth prince palatine of the Rhine and king of Bohemia and granddaughter of king James the first; and Anna Maria de Hornes, countess of Hornes, the friend and companion of the former. In addition to his other avocations, he about this time became a manager of colonial concerns in New Jersey in North America; a situation which proved of the utmost importance in bringing him, by degrees, to the formation of a colony of his own. The nature of his situation was that of joint trustee for a person of the name of Byllinge, who had purchased Lord Berkeley's share of the above mentioned colony, but who, having impoverished himself by the purchase, was obliged to deliver over his property in trust for his creditors, and had earnestly solicited WILLIAM PENN to accept the charge in conjunction with Gawen Laurie of London and Nicholas Lucas of Hertford, two of the creditors. His new office required great exertion, and, with his usual alacrity, he immediately plunged into business. His first step was to agree with sir George Carteret, the proprietor of the other half of New Jersey, about the division of the province. The eastern half, which was tolerably well peopled, was allotted to the latter, and the western, in which no settlements had yet been made, was reserved for Byllinge: from this division they took the names of East and West New Jersey. It was now necessary to form a constitution for those who might settle in the new colony, and this task fell almost exclusively upon WILLIAM PENN. The great outline of his laws may not be uninteresting, as a specimen of the liberality and good sense of their framer. The people were to meet annually to choose one honest man for each proprietary. Those who were thus chosen were to sit in assembly, and were there to make, alter, and repeal laws. They were there also to choose a governor or commissioner with twelve assistants, who were to execute those laws, but only during the pleasure of the electors. Every man was to be capable both of choosing and being chosen. No man was to be arrested, imprisoned, or condemned in his estate or liberty but by twelve men of the neighbourhood. No man was to be imprisoned for debt. but his estate was to satisfy his creditors as far as it would go, and then he was to be set at liberty to work again for himself and family. No man was to be interrupted or molested on account of his religion. By these simple outlines," he hoped that he had laid a foundation for those in after ages to understand their liberty both as men and Christians, and by an adherence to which they could never be brought into bondage but by their own consent." Having made these and other arrangements, he and his colleagues circulated a letter, in which they particularly invited those of their own religious society to become settlers. We shall give an extract of this letter as an illustration of that conscientious integrity for which WILLIAM PENN was so remarkable, as well as that liberality and tenderness towards the feelings and opinions of others which he not only always inculcated but invariably practised. After a concise description of the place and an explanation of their right and title, this letter proceeds thus "As to the printed paper, some time since set forth by the creditors as a description of that province, we say, as to two passages in it, they are not so clearly and safely worded as ought to have been, particularly in seeming to hint, the winter season to be so short time, when, on further information, we hear it is sometimes longer, and sometimes shorter, than therein expressed : and the last clause, relating to liberty of conscience, we would not have any to think that it is promised or intended, to maintain the liberty of the exercise of religion by force of arms; though we shall never consent to any the least violence on conscience, yet it was never designed to encourage any to expect by force of arms to have liberty of conscience fenced against invaders thereof. "And be it known unto you all, in the name and fear of Almighty God, his glory and honour, power and wisdom, truth and kingdom, is dearer to us than all visible things; and as our eye has been single, and our hearts sincere, in the living God, in this, as in other things, so we desire all whom it may concern, that all groundless jealousies may be judged down and watched against; and that all extremes may be avoided on all hands by the power of the Lord; that nothing which hurts or grieves the holy life of truth in any that goes or stays may be adhered to, nor any provocation given to break precious unity. "This am I, WILLIAM PENN, moved of the Lord to write unto you, lest any bring a temptation upon themselves or others; and, in offending the Lord, slay their own peace. Blessed are they that can see and behold him their leader, their orderer, their preserver, and conducter in staying and going, whose is the earth and the fulness thereof, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. And, as we formerly writ, we cannot but repeat our request unto you, that, in whomsoever a desire is to be concerned in this intended plantation, such would weigh the thing before the Lord, and not headily or rashly conclude on any such remove; and that they do not offer violence to the tender love of their near kindred and relations, but soberly and conscientiously endeavour to obtain their good will, the unity of friends, where they live, that, whether they go or stay, it may be of good favour before the Lord, and good people, from whom only can all heavenly and earthly blessings come." The spirit of forbearance and kindness that is here displayed cannot be too deeply studied, or too closely imitated, by all the friends of peace of the present day. For if there was a danger of its being violated at that time, when but a few friends were to be associated together in a place where they would be removed almost beyond the reach of temptation, how much more must there now be when a numerous population produces |