Bancroft's History of the United States, Part II [pp. 252-277]

I883.~ BANcROFT'S HJsToRY OF THE UAr!TED S7ATEs. 25~
there are no such divers other professions of Religion in England, although
they be as different from the doctrine of the Protestant Church, established
by Law in this Kingdome, as that of the Roman Catholiques is: And the
Reason of State appears also in the Nature of those Lawes, for they expresse great doubts and jealousies of the said Roman Catholiques affection
to, and dependenc~ on, a foraigne power, and tend therefore, most of them,
to disenable them (by confining, disarming, etc.) from plotting or doing any
mischief to the King or State, and to Secure their allegiance to the King
by oathes, etc., and the penalties of divers of them are abjuration of the
Realme, which puts them out of the way of Conformity to the Church of
England. Moreover, Conversion in matters o~ Religion, if it bee forced,
should give little satisfaction to a wise state, of the conversion of such
convertites. for those who for worldly respects will break their faith with
God doubtless, will do it upon a fit occasion much sooner with men; and
for voluntary conversions such Lawes could be of no use, wherefore certainly the safety of King and Kingdome was the sole ayme and end of
them.
"Object. II. Such a licence will seem to be a kind of toleration of (at
least a connivance at) Popery, which some may find a scruple of Conscience to allow of in any part of the King's Dominions, because they estee me it a kind of idolatry, and may therefore conceive that it would
scandalize their Brethren and the common people here.
"Answer. Such scrupulous persons may as well have a scruple to let
the Roman Catholickes live here, although it be under Persecution, as to
give way to such a licence, because such banishment from a pleasant, plentiful, and one's own native Countrey, into a Wilderness among savages and
wild beasts, although it proceed in a manner from one's own election, yet,
in this case, when it is provoked by other wayes of persecution, is but a
change rather than a freedom of punishment, and perhaps, in some men's
opinions, from one persecution to a worse. For divers Malefactors in this
Kingdome have chosen rather to be hanged than to goe into Virginia,
when upon that condition they have been offered their lives, even at the
place of Execution; and they may with more ground have a scruple of Conscience to let any of the said Roman Catholiques to go from hence unto
France, which few or none certainely can have in contemplation of religion
only, and this Parliament hath given passes to divers of them for that purpose, that being more properly the Kings Dominion than is all that great
part of North America, wherein Maryland is included, unto which the
crown of England lays claim, upbn the Title of discovery only, except such
part thereof as is actually seated and possessed by some of his Subjects;
and therefore in the Preamble of the Lord Baltimores Patent of Maryland
the enlargement of the Kings Dominions is recited as the motive of the
grant, which inferres that it could not so properly be esteemed his dominions before as when by virtue,of such a grant it should be planted by
some of his subjects, and if it be all the Kings Dominions notwithstanding; then why have not such scrupulous persons a scruple to suffer the
Indians (who are undoubted idolators), as they do, to live there, which if
they cannot conveniently prevent, as without question they cannot, unless
it be by granting such a licence, they may as well suffer those whom they
esteeme Idolators, as those whom they and all other Christians whatsoever