WHereas many thousands of the natives and good Subjects of this Kingdome of Eng­land, through the oppression of the Pre­lates, and other ill affected Ministers and Officers of State, have of late yéeres to their great griefe and miserable hardship bin inforced to Transplant themselves and their families into severall Islands, and other remote & desolate parts of the West-Indies. and having there through excéeding great labour and industry (with the blessing of God) obtained for themselves and their families some competent and convenient meanes of maintenance and subsistance, so that they are now in a reasonable well setled and peace­able condition. But fearing least the outragious ma­lice of Papists and other ill affected persons should reach unto them in their poore and low, (but as yet peaceable [Page 2] condition,) and having béene informed, that there hath béene lately procured from His Majesty severall grants under the great Seale for erecting some new Gover­nours and Commanders amongst the said Planters in their aforementioned Plantations; Whereupon the said planters, Adventurers, and Owners of Land in the said forraign Plantations, have preferred their Petition unto this present Parliament, that for the better securing of them and their present Estates, there obtained through so much extreame labour and difficulty, they might have some such Governours and government as should be approved of and confirmed by the authority of both Houses of Parliament. Which petition of theirs the Lords and Commons having taken into consideration, and finding it of great importance both to the safety and preservation of the aforesaid Natives and Subjects of this Kingdome, as well from all forraigne invasions and oppressions, as from their owne intestine distracti­ons and disturbances, as also much tending to the ho­nour and advantage of His Majesties Dominions, have thought fit, and doe hereby Constitute and Or­daine Robert Earle of Warwicke Governour in chiefe, and Lord high Admirall of all those Islands, and other plantations, inhabited, planted, or belonging to any His Majesties the King of Englands Subjects, or which hereafter may be inhabited, planted, or belonging to them, within the bounds, and upon the coasts of Ame­rica. And for the more effectuall, spéedier, and easier transaction of this so weighty and important a businesse, which concernes the wel-being and preservation of so many of the distressed Natives of this and other His Majesties Dominions, The Lords and Commons [Page 3] have thought fit that Philip Earle of Pembrooke, Ed­ward Earle of Manchester, William Viscount Say and Seale, Phillip Lord Wharton, Iohn Lord Roberts, Members of the House of Peeres, Sir Gil­bert Gerard Knight and Baronet, Sir Arthur Heselrigg Baronet, Sir Henry Vane junior Knight, Sir Benja­min Rudyer Knight, Iohn Pym, Oliver Cromwell, Dennis Bond, Myles Corbet, Cornelius Holland, Sa­muel Vassall, Iohn Rolls, and William Spurstow, Esq. Members of the House of Commons, shall be Com­missioners to joyne in ayd and assistance with the said Earl of Warwicke chiefe Governor and Admirall of the said plantations, which chiefe Governour, together with the said Commissioners or any foure of them, shall here­by have power and authority to provide for, order, and dispose all things which they shall from time to time find most fit and advantagious to the wel-governing, secu­ring, strengthning and preserving of the said Planta­tions, and chiefely to the preservation and advancement of the true protestant Religion amongst the said plan­ters, inhabitants, and the further enlargement and spreading of the Gospell of Christ amongst those that yet remain there in great and miser [...]ble blindnesse and ig­norance. And for the better advancement of this so great a work, It is hereby further ordained by the said Lords and Commons, That the aforesaid Governour & Com­missioners shall hereby have power and authority up­on all weighty and important occasions which may concerne the good and safety of the aforesaid Planters, to call unto their advice and assistance therein any other of the aforesaid Planters, Owners of Land, or Inhabitants of the said Islands and Plantations, [Page 4] which shall then be within twenty miles of the place where the said Commisioners shall then be; And shall have power and authority to send for, view, and make use of all such Records, Books, and Papers which doe or may concerne any of the said Plantations: And because the well-setling and establishing of such Offi­cers and Governours as shall be laborious and faith­full in the right governing of all such persons as bée resident in or upon the said Plantations, and due or­dering and disposing all such Affaires as concerne the safety and welfare of the same, is of very great advan­tage to the publique good of all such remote and new Plantations.

It is thereby further Ordained and Decréed, That the said Robert Earle of Warwick, Governour in chiefe, and Admirall of the said Plantations, toge­ther with the aforesaid Commiss oners, Philip Earle of Pembroke, Edward Earle of Manchester, William Viscount Say and Seale, Philip Lord Wharton, John Lord Roberts, Sir Gilbert Gerard Knight and Ba­ronet, Sir Arthur Heselrigge Baronet, Sir Henry Vane junior, Knight, Sir Benjamin Rudyer Knight, John Pym, Oliver Cromwell, Dennis Bond, Miles Cor­bett, Cornelius Holland, Samuel Vassall, John Rolls, and William Purstowe, Esquires, or the greater num­ber of them shall have power and authority from time to time to nominate, appoint, and constitute all such subordinate Governours, Councellors, Commanders, Officers and Agents as they shall judge to be best af­fected, and most fit and serviceable for the said Islands and Plantations; And shall hereby have power and authority upon the death or other avoydance of the [Page 5] aforesaid chiefe Governour and Admirall, or any the other Commissioners before named, from time to time to nominate and appoint such other chiefe Governour and Admirall, or Commissioners, in the place and room of such as shall so become void. And shall also hereby have power and authority to remove any of the said subordinate Governours, Councellors, Commanders, Officers, or Agents, which are, or shall be appointed to Governe, Councell, or Negotiate the publike Affaires of the said Plantation, and in their place and roome to appoint such other Officers as they shall judge fit. And it is hereby ordained, That no subordinate Governours, Councellors, Commanders, Officers, Agents, Plant­ers, or Inhabitants whatsoever, that are now resident in or upon the said Islands or Plantations, shall ad­mit or receive any other new Governours, Councel­lors, Commanders, Officers, or Agents whatsoever, but such as shall be allowed and approved of under the Hands and Seales of the aforesaid chiefe Governour and high Admirall of the said Plantation, together with the Hands and Seales of the aforementioned Commissioners, or any six of them, or under the Hands and Seales of such as they shall authorize thereunto.

And whereas for the better government and security of the said Plantations and Islands, and the Owners and Inhabitants thereof, there may be just and fit oc­casion to assigne over some part of the power and au­thority (granted in this Ordinance to the chiefe Go­vernor and Commissioners aforenamed) unto the said Owners, Inhabitants, or others; It is hereby Or­dained, That the said chiefe Governour and Commis­sioners before mentioned, or the greater number of [Page 6] them, shall hereby be authorized to assigne, ratifie, and confirme so much of their aforementioned authority and power, and in such manner, and to such persons as they shall judge to be fit for the better governing and preserving of the said Plantations and Islands from open violence and private disturbance and distractions.

And lastly, That whosoever shall doe, execute, or yéeld obedience to any thing contained in this Ordi­nance, shall by vertue hereof bee saved harmelesse and indempnified.