A true relation of the proceedings against certain Quakers, at the generall court of the Massachusets holden at Boston in New-England October. 18. 1659.

A true Relation of the Proceedings against certain QUAKERS, at the generall Court of the Massachusets holden at Boston in New-England October. 18. 1659.

ALthough the Justice of our proceedings against William Robinson, Marmaduke Steavenson, and Mary Dyer, supported by the Authority of this Court, the lawes of the Country, & the law of God may rather perswade us to expect incouragement and commendation from all prudent & pious men, than convince us of any necessity to Apollogize for the same; yet for as much as men of wea∣ker parts, out of pitty and commiseration (a Commendable and Christian virtue, yet easily abused, and susceptible of sinister and dangerous impressions) for want of full information, may be less satis∣fied, and men of perverser principles, may take occasion hereby to caluminate us, and render us as bloody persecutors to satisfy the one, and stop the mouthes of the other, we thought it requisite to declare;

THat about 3. yeares since divers persons professing themselves Quakers, of whose pernicious opinions and practices, we had received intelligence from good hands from Barbadoes and England (arrived at Bo∣ston) whose persons were only secured, to be sent away by the first oportunity without censure or punish∣ment, although their professed tenents, turbulent and contemptuous behaviour to authority would have justified a severer animadversion, yet the Prudence of this Court was exercised, onely in making provision to secure the peace and order here established against their attempts, whose designes (we were well assured of by our own ex∣perience, as well as by the example of their predecessours in Munster) was to undermine and ruine the same. And accordingly a law was made and published, prohibiting all Masters of Ships to bring any Quakers into this Jurisdi∣ction, and themselves from coming in, on penalty of the house of Correction, till they could be sent away: notwith∣standing which, by a back dore, they found entrance, and the penalty inflicted on themselves proving insufficient to restraine their impudent and insolent obstructions, was increased by the losse of the eares of those that offended the second time, which also being too weak a defence against their impetuous frantick fury, necessitated us to endeavour our security, and upon serious consideration, after the former experiments by their incessant assaults, a law was made that such persons should be banished, on pain of death, according to the example of England in their provision a∣gainst Jesuits, which sentence being regularly pronounced, at the last Court of assistants against the parties above na∣med, and they either returning, or continuing presumptuously in this Jurisdiction, after the time limited, were appre∣hended, and owning themselves to be the persons banished, were sentenced (by the Court) to death, according to the law aforesaid, which hath been executed upon 2. of them, Mary Dyer upon the petition of her Son and the mercy and clemency of this Court, had liberty to depart within two dayes, which shee hath accepted of. The Considera∣tion of our graduall proceeding will vindicate us from the clamorous accusations of severity; our just and necessary defence, calling upon us (other meanes failing) to offer the point which these persons have violently and wilful∣ly rushed upon; And thereby become felons de se, which might it have been prevented, and the Soveraign law Sa∣lus populi been preserved, our former proceedings, as well as the sparing of Mary Dyer upon an inconsiderable inter∣cession, will manifestly evince, we desire their lives absent rather than their death present.

EDWARD RAWSON Secret.