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THE SOUTHERN

LITERARY MESSENGER.

JANUARY, 1845.

THE COLONIAL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA.

Washington, December 12, 1844.

I alsoe, Mr. Speaker, have my pressing feares too, SIR:-The enclosed papers relate to an interest-and am seriously afraid to offend him, who by all ing period in the History of Virginia, and have Englishmen is confessed to be in a naturall politinot, I believe, heretofore appeared in print. They que capacity of being a Supreame power. I have show the time and the manner of Sir William bin once already outed by a Supreame power; I Berkeley's appointment by the Assemby, in 1660; doe therefore in the presence of God and you make his reasons for accepting it; the date of his ap-this safe protestation for us all, that if any Supointment by Charles II.; and the powers confer- preame settled powert appeares, I will imediately red upon him and the Council by the Royal Com- lay down my comission, but will live most subOn these several points Mr. Hening missively obedient to any power God shall set over had no precise information. (See Statutes at Large, me, as the experience of eight yeares have shewed vol. I. p. 526, &c.) They also prove the correctI have done. When this is recorded, and you are ness of Hening's opinions and the incorrectness still in the same mind, I am ready, most thankfully of the statements of Beverley, Robertson, Chal- and acknowledgingly to serve you; in which alsoe mers and Grahame, in regard to the election of Sir I shall desire to receive the concurrence of the William Berkeley as Governor, and the acknow- Councill. ledgement and proclamation of Charles II. in Virginia, before he was acknowledged or proclaimed King in England.

mission.

If these come within the range of your publication, they are at your service.

Respectfully, &c.,

PETER FORCE.

B. B. MINOR, Esq., Editor S. L. Messenger.

The Rt. Honble. Sr. William Berkeley's Speech to the Grand Assembly on their proffer of the Government.* Ao. 1659. [1660.]

His Speech to the Councill.
GENT:

Ao. 1659. [1660.]

If ever any man of my condition had reason to have another speake for him, it is I; for your favours have bin soe to me, that the words which I shall use to returne my thankfullness, I much feare will express and discover my vanitie: for should I say they are without example, too quickly would pride mix itselfe with the breath that tells them soe; should I say they are beyond my deserts, who would not glory to have the concurrent loves of soe many worthy men; should I say I would enWee have all had great and pressing feares of of-deavor to deserve them, pride, arrogance, and ignofending a Supreame power which neither by pre-rance too, would sitt most justly on my forehead. sent possession is soe, nor yet has a publiquely con- What, shall I then say? I must turn my thankfullfessed politique capacity to be a Supreame power. ness into complaints and tell you, you have made

MR. SPEAKER:

* See "an Act for Sir William Berkeley being Governor." Hening, I., 530.

VOL. XI-1

+See "an Act for taking the Power into the Assemblies hands." Hening, I., 530.

:

me the generall hope of all this Colony, but have unwilling one they thought faithfull to him should taken away my owne libertie; you have removed remaine in any jurisdiction they could call theires, the sollicitude of a necessitous family, but have by the instigation of some other intent sent a small made my cares extend to all the families of the power to force my submission to them, which findCountry you have made me to command over all, ing me defenceless, was quietly, (God pardon me,) but have imposed on me to be servant to every effected. But this parliament continued not long man. But it is to early to expostulate after guifts after this, but another supream power outed them, soe litely rec'd. What shall I then say? I will mix whoe remained not long neither, nor his sonne my thankfullness and my complaints togeather and after him. But then were coagulated together tell you, you have given me a great Treasure but some of the former Parliament, whoe for a short in vaine, except you helpe me to carry it to a place time held the supremacy, but they alsoe were of safetie; you have raised a high expectation of quickly outed and now my intelligence is not me, but you must instruct and prompt me how to enough to tell me what incorporate, mixt, or indisatisfye it; you have layd high honours on me, but viduall power there is: And I believe, Mr. Speaker, except you helpe to supporte me under them, they you think if my voice had been prevalent in most will sink me into disgrace. But most Hon'd Gent of their elections, I would not voluntarily have I will passionately speake this last truth; I doe made choice of them for my Supreames. But, Mr. give thanks to God, I doe give thanks to you, and Speaker, all this I have said, is onely to make this pray that this admirable Harmony of consents, truth apparent to you, that in and under all these which you have shewed to be in you all, may be mutable governments of divers natures and constiominous and exemplary to our nation, that peace tutions, I have lived most resigningly submissive : may at last returne to our long afflicted, miserable, But, Mr. Speaker, it is one dutie to live obedient to distracted Country: and let every one say, Amen. a government, and another of a very different nature to Command under it. If you had told me, Mr. Speaker, what this Supreame was, or had denoted to me the Ensignes by which I might know him, you had quickly had my assent or negative. But indeed I want the Spirit of Prophecy to offitiate to me what this Supreame power in time may bee, which, for ought I know, is as indefinite as the persons of booth sexes in England are. Our antient

Mr. Speaker, and the rest of my Hon'd Friends the Burgesses.

:

He that is not transported with soe high honours as you have showne me, doth not deserve them; and indeed they have bin soe great that they are able to make a soberer and modester man then I, proud, but I have this allay to qualify that riseing passion, to believe that it is rather a mercifull as-histories tell us of many Supreame powers in our pect on my former endeavors to serve you than a sence, in the Kingdome of England, under whose strict intuition and contemplation of my present displeasure and power at once I should never volabilities much more my gratitude suggests to me untarie put my selfe; you have, Mr. Speaker, with to say to you, But you have too great and press- great wisdome and providence taken care for my ing cares to be troubled with impertinencies. Yett obedient prostrating to the Supreame power the aubefore I come to speake of the present overtures Ithoritie you would entrust me with, for which I give must leave for this antecedent narration, which you my humble thanks; for this wisdome of yours will smoth and enlighten the way to my subse- hath animated my caution of assumeing that burquent apolegie. When I came first into this Coun-ben, which is so volatile, slippery, and heavy, that trie, I had the Commicon and Comands of my I may justly feare it will breake my Limbs in the most gracious master King Charles of ever blessed memory, whoe was soe severe a punisher of all negligence and injustice of his ministers, that the feare and reverence I had of him made me, (with addition of some small portion of pietie, God hath blessed mee with,) doe all those things which you were pleased to accept of, and to his memorie is the praise of them due, and escapes to my owne innate weakness. When God's wrath lay heavie on us for the sins of our nation my ever honoured Master was put to a violent death, and immediately prescribed boasts; wee may think, Mr. Speaker, after his Royall Sonne (whom I beseech God soe we act innocently and necessarily in many of our to bless that he might exceed his admired Father emergencies, but the power we once acknowledged in wisdome, pietie and justice,) resigning his judg- will judge and interprett that innocence a nement to his Father's choice, sent me a Commicon cessitie, and then if his information be disadto governe here under him, which I exercised with vantagious to us, or his severitie great, in what all faithfullness and humilitie to his commands. condition are we that the Difference of an indeBut the Parliament, after the defeate at Worcester, 'pendent partie even to extremitie is much more

discent of it; if we were in the condition of some of our neighbouring Colonyes the difficulties nor hazard was not great, for at the worst it was but an ill choice, and the honour and authoritie being both cumbersome and laborious, it would be most willingly resigned. But now, Mr. Speaker, to assume a power under a Spirituall Supreame power, without his assent, may be in the condition we put ourselves irresistably. And you know whoe feared to have his eares placed in the number of the

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