THAT whilst we contemplate the Won­derful and Glorious Appearance of the Most High God, by whom Kings Reign and Princes decree Acts of Justice, in raising up your Majesties in that No­ble and Illustrious, though Hazardous Undertaking, to preserve the Three Kingdoms from Arbitrary Po­wer, Popery, and Slavery, and therein made You their Saviour, through his Presence with You, and so mov­ed the Hearts of the People to say, as sometimes they did to Gideon. Do thou Rule over us, for thou hast deliver­ed us, &c. We, whose Good is wrapt up in their [...], can­not but according to our Duty, render our unfeigned Thanks, first, to Almighty God the Author thereof, and then to your Majesties, as the Happy Instrument in his Blessed Hand, and take this first Opportunity to Congratulate Your Excellent Majesties quiet Accession to the Crown; Humbly I Imploring the God of all Grace to be with You, Guiding, Protecting, Blessing, and making both Your Majesties a Blessing to the Na­tions over whom he hath or may set You, to lay the Foundation of Happiness for many Generations: and as Duty binds us, we Humbly Signifie to Your Maje­sties the ready Allegiance and Obedience which our People bear unto You, who on the first intelligence of what was done by the Parliament of England, did with the greatest Joy and Solemnity our mean Con­dition would capacitate us unto, Proclaim Your Ma­jesties King and Queen of England, &c. Which being first done, they proceeded to the Election of the Go­vernour and Assistants, according to their former and accustomed way and order from the first Constitution of the Government in this Colony, which we have enjoyed for more than Threescore and six years, and therefore humbly conceive, we have good Title there­unto by Prescription, which according to Cook (that Oracle of the Law) is one of those ways whereby Corporations or Bodies Politick do commence and are established. Besides that, we have been from time to time owned and acknowledged therein as such by King Charles the Second in sundry of his Royal Letters unto us, ass [...]ing us, that we should enjoy all our [...] ▪ without the [...] that he would always remember the ready manifestations, upon all occasions of the Loyalty, Duty, and Affection of his good Subjects of this Colony for their advantage; with many other Expressions of great Grace and Favour, as in his Roy­al Letters of the 23d. of April, 1664. and of the 10th of April, 1666. and 12th of Feb. 1680. may more fully appear. And by King James the Second in his Royal Letters of the 20th of June, 1685, promising at all times to extend his Royal Care and Protection of us in the preservation of our Rights, &c. which we also quietly enjoyed without any interruption, till after the sixty six years aforesaid, they were in the Year 1686 injuriously taken from us by Sir Edmond Andross his Illegal Arbitrary Government over us, which now being ceased by the surrender of hi [...] Go­vernment, and his Person with other ill Instruments seized by sundry Gentlemen, lovers of their Country, encouraged by your Princely Declarations, and Noble Example, &c. In doing of which, though we had no hand, yet do partake of the Benefits thereof, in being freed from many Arbitrary, Tyrannical Invasions we were exposed unto, on our Persons, Lands, Rights, and Liberties, and we being left without Govern­ment, were humbly Confident, that it would not in the least be displeasing to Your Gracious Majesties for us to resume a Government on our former Foundation so surreptiously taken from us, without the least inti­mation of any Misgovernment, or direct Notice to us from His Majesty of his Pleasure for our Surrender.

We now further also become Your Majesties most Humble Suppliants, That the bright Rays of Your Princely Favour may be cast on this Your poor Nurs­ling, being the first English Plantation erected in New-England, whose Predecessors, that they might enjoy the Liberty of their Consciences in the pure Scriptu [...] Worship of God (without Offence to other worthy Persons of a Different Perswasion) under the desira­ble Protection of their Soveraign, and the [...] of his Dominions, did at their own proper Cost and Charge, r [...]n that Hazardous, Amazing Adventure with their Wives and Children, first to break the [...] into this vast American Desart, where they had no Friend nor House to shelter them from the Extremi­ties of Hunger and Cold, nor from Wild Men and Wild Beasts, which they had to conflict with, arriv­ing here in November 1620. That now they may be Cherished by the Influence of your Favourable Grant and Confirmation of all our former Liberties, (espe­cially Religious, the main End of that Great Adven­ture) either by a Charter or Act of Parliament, as to Your Princely Wisdom and Clemency seems [...] for the good Government and Wel [...]-fare of [...] Your Majesties Colony, for which we crave Your Princely Clemency, and prostrate our selves Humble Petition­ers on your behalf unto Heaven's Soveraign, that Your Majesties may be under a Confluence of such Divine Blessings, as may make [...]our [...] Prosperous.

In the Name, and by the Appointment of Your Majesties said General Court.