USA > Pennsylvania > Lives of the governors of Pennsylvania : with the incidental history of the state, from 1609 to 1873 > Part 7
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In one of the purchases made from the Indians it was stipu- lated that it should extend " as far back as a man could walk in three days." Tradition relates that William Penn himself, with some of his friends and a number of Indian chiefs, "began to walk out this land at the mouth of the Neshaminy, and walked up the Delaware; that in one day and a half they got to a spruce-tree near the mouth of Baker's Creek, when Penn concluding this would include as much land as he would want at present, a line was run and marked from the spruce-tree to Neshaminy, and the remainder left to be walked out when it should be wanted for settlement." It is said they walked leisurely, after the Indian manner, sitting down some- times to smoke their pipes, to eat biscuit and cheese, and drink a bottle of wine. It is certain they arrived at the spruce-tree in a day and a half, the whole distance rather less than thirty miles. The remainder of the line was not run till the 20th of Septem- ber, 1733, when the Governor of Pennsylvania employed three of the fastest walkers that could be found, one of whom, Ed- ward Marshall, walked in a day and a half sixty miles. The name of William Penn has by some persons been unjustly coupled with this disgraceful transaction, which did not take place till many years after his death. The Indians felt them- selves much aggrieved by this unfair admeasurement of their lands : it was the cause of the first dissatisfaction between them and the people of Pennsylvania; and it is remarkable that the first murder committed by them in the province, seventy-two years after the landing of Penn, was on this very ground which had been taken from them by fraud.
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While the colonists of Pennsylvania were enjoying the blessings of civil and religious liberty, they were deeply grieved to hear of the severe persecution inflicted on their brethren in Great Britain. The laws against non-conformity were executed with rigor; the meetings of Friends were broken up by armed troops ; and many hundreds of men and women, separated from their families, were confined for years in noisome prisons, or only released by death. As the Duke of York was then supposed to have great influence with his brother, the King, and had always manifested much friendship for William Penn, it was supposed that his return to England and appearance at court might be instrumental in mitigating the sufferings of Friends.
Another reason for his return was a controversy respecting the boundary -line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, which was soon to be brought before "the Lords of the Committee of Trade and Plantations," and it was deemed necessary that Penn should be in attendance to sustain his rights.
These reasons, together with a desire to join his family, from which he had been separated nearly two years, deter- mined him to leave for a while his thriving colony, and he accordingly embarked for England in the Sixth month, 1684. Before his departure he commissioned the provincial Council to act in his stead; and to Thomas Lloyd, its presi- dent, he entrusted the keeping of the Great Seal. After a passage of about seven weeks, he landed within seven miles of his own residence, and found his family in the enjoyment of health.
In the winter of 1684-5, King Charles II. died of apoplexy, and his brother, James, Duke of York, succeeded to the throne under the title of James II. He was at first received with favor by the nation, although his profession of the Catholic religion was incompatible with his station as head of the Established Church.
Long before his accession to the throne he had declared to William Penn that he was opposed to persecution on account
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of religion ; and after attaining to power he professed to hold the same views. On the first day of his reign he made a speech, disclaiming all arbitrary principles in government, and promising protection to the Church of England, which gave general satisfaction, and he soon received congratulatory addresses from all parts of the kingdom.
It does not appear that the Society of Friends offered at that time any congratulations ; but, soon after, they waited on him with an address, asking the exercise of his clemency, and showing that upwards of 1,400 members of the Society, of both sexes, were continued prisoners in England and Wales, only for worshipping God according to their sense of duty, and for conscientiously refusing to swear. The libera- tion of these prisoners did not take place for a year after their case was brought before the King, and it was then done chiefly through the personal influence and intercession of William Penn. As his object in returning to England was to solicit the liberation of his friends and to obtain a favorable settlement of the boundary question, it became necessary for him to appear frequently at court ; he therefore took lodgings for himself and family at Kensington.
. The zeal manifested by the King in favor of the Roman Catholic Church, the high tone he assumed with regard to the royal prerogative, and the judicial murders perpetrated in his name by Jeffreys and others, were rapidly alienating the affec- tions of the people.
The odium of his proceedings attached to all who were known to enjoy his confidence, and, among others, Penn was accused of favoring the Catholic religion and the arbitrary measures of the court. The old charge of his being bred at St. Omer's, and a Jesuit in disguise, was revived, and, owing to the highly excited state of the public mind, was believed by many. There is, however, abundant evidence to show that Penn, though on intimate terms with the King, opposed his arbitrary measures, and boldly remonstrated against them .*
* See Lawton's Memoir, in Janney's Life of Penn, pp. 301-7. The Memoir
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His object in frequenting the court was, to obtain justice for his province in the boundary question; to plead the cause of innocent sufferers of all religious persuasions; to extend the hand of mercy to those who fell under the displeasure of the government; and to advise the King to those measures of clemency and moderation which would have established his throne.
The charges brought against Penn in Macaulay's History of England have no foundation in fact, and have been thoroughly disproved. The limits of this paper not being sufficient for an examination of them, the reader is referred to other works relating to the life and character of Penn .*
The work of J. Paget is the most recent of the vindications of P'enn, and being written by a churchman, cannot be sus- pected of any bias in his favor arising from religious affinity. By reference to its pages, the reader will see that the first charge of Macaulay, relating to the " Maids of Taunton," is utterly without foundation ; that the second, Penn's presence at the execution of Cornish and Gaunt, relates to conduct that was prompted by a pure motive, and served a good pur- pose; he regarded them as innocent sufferers, and bore wit- ness to their constancy ; that the third, relating to Kiffin, is founded on a misconstruction of the authority quoted, and an interpolation ; that the fourth, relating to Magdalen College, rests on a perversion of the testimony and the suppression of an important fact; that the fifth, the alleged communication of Penn with James while in Ireland, has no support save a misquotation of the authority cited; that the sixth, Penn's alleged falsehood in a supposed interview with William III., is unsupported by testimony, and evidently a fiction ; that the seventh and eighth, relating to Penn's alleged share in Pres-
was communicated by Granville Penn to the Hist. Society of Penna., and pub- lished in their Memoirs, Vol. iii., Part ii.
* See W. E. Forster's Preface to Clarkson's Life of Penn; W. Hepworth Dixon's Historical Biography of Penn ; Janney's Life of Penn, chapter xxii., and Ap- pendix to 4th edition, published by Lippincott & Co., Philada., 1856. An In- quiry into the Evidence relating to the charges brought by Lord Macaulay · against William Penn by John Paget, Esq., Barrister-at-Law, London, 1858.
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ton's plot and his interview with Sidney, rest upon a perver- sion of facts, and an unfair quotation; and lastly, that his ninth charge, relating to Penn's alleged message to James, exhorting him to invade England with 30,000 men, is abso- lutely false .*
Those who examine this question impartially, can hardly fail to arrive at the conclusion expressed by a British critic in the Westminster Review : - " Induced," he says, " by the voice of the calumniator to give the character of Penn a searching and uncompromising scrutiny, we rise from the task under the firm conviction that he was one of the best and wisest of men."
On the abdication of James II., and the accession of William and Mary, all the friends or intimates of the exiled monarch fell under public odium, most of them deservedly, but, in the case of Penn, the abuse heaped upon him arose from a mis- apprehension of his motives and conduct, and from the asper- sions of his enemies. On the 10th of December, 1688, he was sent for by the Lords of the Council then sitting. In reply to their questions, he assured them that "he had done nothing but what he could answer for before God and all the princes in the world; that he loved his country and the Protestant religion above his life, and never acted against either; that all he ever aimed at in his public endeavors was no other than what the Prince [William] declared for; that King James was always his friend and his father's friend, and in gratitude he was the King's, and did ever, as far as in him lay, influ- ence him to his true interest." Although nothing appeared against him, he was required to give sureties for his appear- ance the first day of the next term.
At the next term his case was continued to the Easter term following, when nothing being laid to his charge, he was cleared in open court.
In the year 1690 he was again arrested and brought before the Lords of the Council. ITis answer, as before, was manly, candid, and wise. IIe was ordered to give bail to appear at
* J. Paget's Inquiry, pp. 15, 27, 37, 57-9, 79, 87, 94, 101, 102, 109.
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the next Trinity term, which he did; and at the time ap- pointed he appeared in court, and was honorably discharged. Soon afterward, his name was included in a proclamation issued for the arrest of eighteen persons supposed to be dis- affected to the Government. He was again apprehended, and lodged in prison to await his trial; and when brought before the Court of the King's Bench, there being no evidence against him, he was discharged.
Being now at liberty, he made preparations for a voyage to America ; and while thus engaged, he learned that an infa- mous wretch, named William Fuller, whom the Parliament afterwards declared was " a cheat and a notorious impostor," had, under oath, accused him to the Government, and that a warrant was issued for his apprehension. This vexatious pro- ceeding deranged all his plans; for, to leave England while he was under suspicion and subject to arrest, would be con- strued by his enemies as evidence of his guilt; and if he surrendered himself for trial, he would probably be exposed to danger from the oaths of a profligate villain, and even an acquittal, as he had frequently experienced, was no security against fresh accusations. In this sad dilemma, feeling like one hunted for his life, he concluded to defer his cherished purpose of returning to Pennsylvania. He allowed the ships to depart without him, and having taken private lodgings in London, he lived in seclusion. If the Government had been desirous for his apprehension, doubtless the officers could readily have found him at his lodgings; but it appears prob- able that the King and Queen were satisfied of his inno- , cence, and only permitted his name to be inserted for effect, to satisfy popular clamor.
When the Yearly Meeting of Friends assembled in Lon- don, Penn wrote them from his retreat a touching and affec- tionate letter, in which he says: " My privacy is not because men have sworn truly, but falsely against me." During his seclusion of nearly three years, he was frequently visited by his friends, among whom were John Locke and others emi- nent for their worth. IIis time was usefully occupied in
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study and writing religious works. The dates of these works and of his letters yet extant, prove that the story of his flight to France was a sheer fabrication.
In the autumn of 1692, a commission was granted by the sovereigns, William and Mary, to Benjamin Fletcher, Gov- ernor of New York, directing him to take under his jurisdic- tion the Province of Pennsylvania and the Territories annexed. This step was urged by the enemies of Penn as necessary for the safety of the colony. It was said that the French and Indians threatened the frontier settlements, that no defence had been provided by the Colonial Government, and that the Province and the Territories being at variance, no efficient administration of the laws could be expected.
In the latter part of the year 1693, through the intercession of some noblemen who had long been his friends, the case of William Penn was again brought before King William, who being satisfied of his innocence, signified his wish that he should consider himself entirely at liberty. This pleasing change in his affairs, and the circumstances attending his in- terview with the Secretary of State, are related in a letter of Penn's to Thomas Lloyd and others in Pennsylvania. His wife, who had tenderly sympathized with him in all his trials, was permitted to see him again restored to liberty; but in the following month she was removed by death. He has left an affectionate tribute to her worth in a touching and beauti- ful memorial.
By a patent from the King and Queen, dated August, 1694, the government of Pennsylvania was restored to William Penn. IIe was now earnestly desirous of removing to the Province; but the situation of his domestic affairs, and prob- ably the state of his finances, obliged him to defer it. He ap- pointed Capt. William Markham his Lieutenant-Governor,- Thomas Lloyd, his former deputy, having died a few months previously. From the time Penn was reinstated in his gov- ernment until his arrival in the Province in 1699, a period of five years, there are few incidents of importance on re- cord concerning the colony, which appears to have enjoyed peace and prosperity.
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After Penn's acquittal and restoration to his proprietary rights, there was in the public mind a reaction in his favor, and he rose higher than ever in the estimation of his friends. There is now extant a small volume of his sermons, delivered at different meeting-houses in London about this time, which having been taken in short-hand and published, afford evi- dence that he had again become an object of public interest.
In the spring of 1696, he again entered the married state. IIe chose for his second wife, Hannah, the daughter of Thomas Callowhill, and grand-daughter of Dennis Hollister, both respectable merchants of Bristol, and members of the Society of Friends. She proved to be a true help -meet for him, being a woman of superior understanding and great prudence.
On the 9th of September, 1699, he embarked for Pennsyl- vania, and brought with him certificates from Friends in England, addressed to the meetings of Friends in Pennsylva- nia, showing that he was in full unity with the meetings of his own Society, and greatly beloved among them.
It was a joyful day to the inhabitants of Pennsylvania when the ship Canterbury was announced, bearing to their shores the illustrious founder of the colony ; who, after an absence of fifteen years, had come with his family, intending to make it bis permanent home. After a tedious voyage of more than three months, the ship arrived at Chester on the 1st of De- cember, 1699, and soon after proceeded on her way to Phila- delphia, where the Governor was greeted by the inhabitants with joy and respect.
In the spring or summer of the year 1700, William Penn and his family settled on Pennsbury Manor, a beautiful estate situated in Bucks County, four miles above Bristol, on the river Delaware.
It appears from the Colonial Records that Penn, in the spring of 1700, brought before the Provincial Council a law for regulating the marriages of negroes, which was approved by that body, but lost in the popular branch. It is stated that he mourned over the state of the slaves, but his attempts to
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improve their condition by legal enactments were defeated in the House of Assembly. His efforts were more successful in his own religious Society; for, upon his suggestion, the Monthly Meeting of Philadelphia made a minute expressive of the concern they felt for the negroes and Indians; that Friends should be very careful in discharging a good con science towards them in all respects, but more especially for the good of their souls; and with this view religious meetings should be held among them. It is manifest that the first con- cern for their slaves, on the part of the Friends in that day, was to promote their spiritual welfare; and as they attended to this, their minds were gradually opened to see that slave- holding is inconsistent with Christianity. It was not, how- ever, until after many years of persevering religious effort that the Society was enabled to free itself from a practice that had, in an unwatchful hour, been permitted to take root.
Penn, at one time, owned a few slaves, but when his eyes were opened to see the evils of the system, he liberated all that were in his possession. This fact is substantiated by a will he made in 1701, which is still extant, and contains this clause : " I give to my blacks their freedom, as is under my hand already, and to old Sam 100 acres, to be his children's after he and his wife are dead, forever."
At several meetings of the Governor and Council the sub- ject of the Indian trade was discussed, and it was resolved that a company be formed, " who should take all measures to induce the Indians to a true value and esteem of the Chris- tian religion, by setting before them good examples of pro- bity and candor, both in commerce and behaviour, and that care should be taken to have them duly instructed in the fun- damentals of Christianity."
While Penn was earnestly engaged in devising measures to promote the prosperity of his province, he received letters from his friends in England, stating that "strenuous endeav- ors were used by several united interests, to procure an act of Parliament for annexing to the Crown the several propri-
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ctary governments; for which purpose a bill was then before the House of Lords, which had been twice read, and though not likely to pass that session, there was no hope of staving it off longer than the next, unless the Proprietary would make his appearance in person, and answer the charges brought against his government by evil-minded persons." His friends in England urged the necessity of his coming with as little delay as possible; the welfare of the Province as well as his own interest seemed to require it, and he re- luctantly consented to leave his adopted country to appear once more at his old post near the British Court.
The Indians being informed of his expected departure, waited upon him in large numbers to express their affection and confidence. They said " they never first broke covenant with any people, for they did not make them in their heads but in their hearts."
The constitution having been relinquished by the Assem- bly, from dissatisfaction with some of its provisions, a new one was prepared, and read to that body, " and every part thereof approved, agreed to, and thankfully received." It was the last one granted to the Province and Territories, and in some respects was even more liberal than those which preceded it. The principal change was in allowing the As- sembly to originate bills and to sit on its own adjournments. It made no provision for the election of a Council, which was appointed by the Governor, and prohibited from taking cog- nizance of any complaint relating to property, unless appeals should be provided by law. In regard to civil and religious liberty, the new Constitution was as comprehensive as the old one. By a supplementary article, the Province and Terri- tories were allowed to dissolve their union at any time within three years by giving due notice.
The Proprietary, by letters-patent, appointed a Council of State, consisting of ten members, mostly Friends, who were to advise and assist him or his deputy, and in case of the deputy's absence or death, to exercise the executive functions.
The ship be ng ready to sail, Penn convened the inhabi- 7
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tants of Philadelphia on the 29th of October, in order to take leave of them and present them a charter for the city. On the 30th, he appointed Andrew Hamilton, formerly Gov ernor of East and West Jersey, to be his Lieutenant-Gov ernor, and James Logan he made Provincial Secretary and Clerk of the Council.
On Penn's arrival in England, he was successful in warding off the blows aimed at his proprietary interests ; but the enor- mous expenses he had incurred in the planting of his colony and defending its interests, involved him in pecuniary embar- rassment, which was greatly enhanced by the treachery of his steward. On the large sums of money that passed through his hands, he charged exorbitant commissions, and on his advances he calculated compound interest every six months at eight per cent., which was one-third more than the law allowed. Although he had received £17,000, and expended £16,000 only, he brought the Proprietary in his debt to the amount of ten thousand five hundred pounds. Penn having confidence in him, accepted his accounts without sufficient examination, and finally, to secure the debt, gave him a lien upon his Province in the form of a deed of conveyance.
After the death of the steward, his heirs brought suit, and Penn being arrested, became a prisoner for debt. He offered, for " peace sake," to pay such a sum as disinterested men might award, but the prosecutors were inexorable, and he con- tinued about nine months within the prison bounds. During his imprisonment his friends exerted themselves for his relief, and the sum of seven thousand six hundred pounds being raised, it was accepted in liquidation of the claim, and he was again set at liberty.
In addition to his pecuniary difficulties, Penn had to suffer from anxiety on account of his Province. IIis Lieutenant- Governors were frequently injudicious in their measures, and the Colonial Assemblies unreasonable in their complaints ; hence dissensions arose between the legislative and executive departments, which impaired the reputation and interests of the colony.
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These dissensions were doubtless exaggerated in the reports sent over to England, and increased the embarrassments of the Proprietary. Another cause of anxiety to Penn arose from the proceedings of a British court of Admiralty established in the Province, which endeavored to exact the use of oaths, and otherwise interfered with his government. In his cor- respondence with his faithful friend and secretary, James Logan, he expresses, in touching terms, his affectionate in- terest in the colony, and his solicitude for its welfare. At length he came reluctantly to the conclusion, in which Logan and others of his friends concurred, that it would be best for ' him to sell to the British crown his right of government in the Province, retaining his landed estate in it. His negotia- tions with the ministry were delayed by his determination to secure religious liberty and political privileges to the people. In the summer of 1712 the terms of the surrender were agreed upon, but he was then taken ill of a fever, and the measure was never consummated.
When he had partially recovered, he went to Bristol, where he had a second attack of a disease which his wife, in her letter to Logan, called "a lethargic illness." It came upon him suddenly while he was writing to Logan, - so suddenly, that his hand was arrested by paralysis in the beginning of a sen- tence which he never completed.
During six years he lingered an invalid, gradually sinking to the grave. ITis memory was impaired, his noble intellect was clouded; but the sweetness of his temper remained, and he was favored to retain the highest and best of his endow- ments, - a sense of spiritual enjoyment, and a heart over -. flowing with love to God and man. He died the 30th of the Fifth month, 1718, in the 74th year of his age, and was buried at Jordan's, in Buckinghamshire, where his first wife and several of his family had been interred.
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