Sir WILLIAM Purps was commissioned Governor by William and Mary on December 12, 1691. Arriving in Boston on May 14, 1892, he was worn on May 16. Sewall writes:

May 14th 1602. Sir William arrives in the Nonsuch Frizat: Candles are lighted before He gets into Town-house. Eight Companies wait on Him to kia house, and then on Mr. Increase] Mather to his. Made no volleys because 'twas Satterday night....

Monday, May 16. Eight Companies and two from Charlestown guard Sir William and his Councillors to the Townhouse, where the Comissions were read out and Oaths taken.7

Court of this Province, in the Sixty Ninth Year of his Age" (Boston News Letter, January 14, 1712, p. 2/2).

1 "Tenday, May 14th [1689], Mr. Richard Wharton dyes about 10 post merid" (Hewall's Diary, i. 255).

About 2 post merid, Mr. Adam Winthrop dies" (Sewall,

Boston, Nom. 27. About four a Clock this morning the Honourable John Winthrop Feqr, Governour of Her Majesties Colony of Connecticut, Departed this Life in the Sixty Ninth Year of his Age; being Born at Ipswich in New England the 14th day of March, Anno 1638" (Boston News Letter, December 1, 1707, p. 2/1). He was the son of Gov. John Winthrop, Jr., of Connecticut.

4 "Boston, On Thursday the 7th Currant died here the Honourable Major General WAIT WINTHROP Esq; Aged 76 Years, Justly Dear to his Country for his Honourable Descent... but dearer yet for his personal Character and Vertues" (Boston News Letter, November 18, 1717). He was the son of Gov. John Winthrop, Jr., of Connecticut

*

"Young" (C).

His will, dated February 20, 1697, was proved May 28, 1698 (Collections New York Historical Society for 1892, pp. 292-293). On October 17, 1700, Bellomont wrote: "To instance, in some of those false articles, I am accus'd of having remov'd Coll. Young with others from the Council, and Coll: Young was dead two years before my coming into this country" (New York Colonial Documents, iv. 726). Bellomont reached New York April 2, 1698 (see p. 49 note 2, below).

7 Diary, i. 360.

The following extracts are from the Council Records of May 16th:

Their Majesties Royal Charter for the Erecting Uniting and Incorporating of their Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New-England, and for settling of Government within the said Province, under the great seal of England, was read and published.

Their Majesties Letters Pattents under the great seal of England, for constituting and appointing S William Phips knt to be Captain General and Governour in Chief in and over their Majties Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England; as also for the Constituting and appointing of the said Sr William Phips to be their Majties Lieutenant and Commander in Chief of the Militia Forces, Forts and places of strength within their Majties several Colonies of Connecticutt, Rhode Island & Providence Planta con the Narragansett Country or Kings Province, & the Province of New Hampshire, was read and published.

Their Majesties Letters Patents under the great seal of the Supreme Court of Admiralty of England granting unto Sr William Phips knt the Office of Vice Admiral within the Province and Territory of the Massachusetts Bay, and the sea parts belonging and adjoyning thereto whatsoever, was also shewn forth and published.

His Excellency the Gov" tooke his oath for the due & faithful performance of his Office or place of Governour; as also the Oaths appointed by Act of Parliament made in the first year of their present Majties Reign, Entituled an Act for the abrogating of all the Oaths of Supremacy & Allegiance, and appointing other Oaths, being administred unto him, by William Stoughton Esqre Lt Governour.

The Members of the Council then present: vizt John Richards Wait Winthrop, John Phillips, James Russell, John Joyliffe, Adam Winthrop, Rich Middlecutt, John Foster, Peter Sergeant, Joseph Lynde, Samuel Hayman, & Silvanus Davis Esqrs each one severally for himselfe tooke his Oath for the due and faithful performance of his Office or place of a Councellor or Assistant, and the Oaths appointed to be taken instead of the Oaths of Allegiance & Supremacy. Before the Governour & Lt Governour.1

The oath taken by the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary, and Councillors is as follows:

We S William Phips Kat Governor &ca of their Majties Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England William Stoughton Esq Lieutenant Governour And the Councellors or Assistants of their Maties 1 Council Records, ii. 166-168.

said Province, and Secretary, Each one particularly and severally for Our Selves, Do make, repeat and subscribe the following Declaration in the words thereof,- Mutatis Nominibus Vizt

I, William Phips, do solemnly and sincerly in the presence of God, profess, Testify and declare. That I do believe, That in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, there is not any Transubstantiation of the Elements of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, at or after the Consecration thereof by any person whatsoever, and that the Invocation or Adoration of the Virgin Mary, or any other Saint, and the Sacrifice of the Mass as they are now used in the Church of Rome are Superstitious and Idolatrous. And I do solemnly in the presence of God profess, testify and declare, That I do make this Declaration and every part thereof in the plain and Ordinary Sense of the words read unto me, as they are commonly understood by English Protestants, without any Evasion, Equivocation or Mental Reservation whatsoever, And without any dispensation already granted me for this purpose by the Pope, or any Authority, or Person whatsoever, Or without any hope of any such dispensation from any Person, or Authority whatsoever, Or without thinking that I am or can be Acquitted before God or man, Or absolved of this Declaration, Or any part thereof, Although the Pope, or any other person or persons whatsoever should dispense with, or annul the same, Or declare that it was Null and void from the begining.

ISAAC ADDINGTON 1 JOHN HATHORNE

JOHN RICHARDS
JAMES RUSSELL
NATH: SALTONSTALL
PETER SERGEANT
SAMUEL SEWALL
WILLIAM STOUGHTON
JOHN WALLEY
ADAM WINTHROP
WAIT WINTHROP2

1 For convenience these names are arranged alphabetically.

2 Public Record Office, Colonial Office, Class 5, Vol. 785, p. 172. (A copy is in Council Records, ii. 165-166.) The signatures to this document are not autographs, as I am informed by Miss Lucy Drucker, who also says that "the original ought to be among the Oath Rolls (Chancery Petty Bag), of which however very few have been preserved, and I have found none of the various colonies among them." Nor is the original at the Boston State House. Phips's Commission was approved December 3, and he himself took the oaths in London on December 31, 1691 (Acts of the Privy Council, Colonial, ii. 799). Many oaths, however, have been preserved at the State House. The oath taken by the Representatives on

1

On November 15, 1694,

Upon the motion of his Excelloy the Governour that he had some things material to offer, relating to the complaints exhibited against him by

June 8, 1692 (Massachusetts Archives, xlviii. 188), is written and is like the oath printed in the text. The oaths taken by the Councillors in May, 1693, are printed on a broadside to which the signatures are attached, and read as follows (Massachusetts Archives, xlviii. 212):

A TRUE COPY

OF THE

OATHS

That are appointed by Act of Parliament, made in the First Year of Their present Majesties Reign; to be Taken instead of the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance, and the Declaration appointed to be made, Repeated and Subscribed

A. B. do sincerely Promise and Swear, That I will be Faithful, and bear true

So help me God, &c.

A. B. do Swear, That I do from my Heart Abhor, Detest, and Abjure, as Im

communicated or Deprived by the Pope, or any Authority of the See of Rome, may be Deposed or Murthered by their Subjects, or any other whatsoever.

And I do Declare, That no Foreign Prince, Person, Prelate, State, or Potentate, hath, or ought to have any Jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, Preeminence, or Authority Ecclesiastical or Spiritual within this Realm.

To these oaths were added in May, 1699, what was called the Association, which in that year was written (Massachusetts Archives, cvi. 450). This, taken from a printed broadside, signed in 1700, reads as follows (Massachusetts Archives, xlviii. 317):

Association.

HEREAS there has been a horrid and detestable Conspiracy formed and carried on by Papists and other wicked and traiterous persons for Assassinating His Majesties Royal Person, in order to encourage an Invasion from France, to subvert our Religion, Laws and Liberty. We whose Names are hereunto subscribed, Do heartily, sincerely and solemnly profess, testify and declare, That His present Majesty KING WILLIAM is rightful and lawful KING of the Realms of England, Scotland and Ireland: And we do mutually promise and engage to stand by and assist each other to the utmost of our power, in the support and defence of His Majesties most Sacred Person and Government, against the

Mr Brenton & Capt. Short, whereof he was not before advised, several papers and affidavits were presented by Mr Benjamin Jackson on that occasion, and sworn unto by him.1

On November 17th,

The Lieut Gov' and the members of the Council then in Town waited upon his Exey at his house & accompanied him to the Waterside, who embarqued, and that evening set saile onwards of his Voyage to England.2

Thus Phips's term of office lasted only two and a half years-from May 16, 1692, to November 17, 1694, as he did not return to Boston and died suddenly in London on February 18, 1695.3

Upon the departure of Phips, Lieutenant-Governor William Stoughton became Acting Governor on December 4, 1694, on which day the following proceedings took place in Council:

This being the first sitting of the Council since the Gov's departure, the Lieut Gov proposed to have the opinion of the Council, whether it be necessary, that he be sworne to see to the observance of the Acts of Trade relating to the Plantations as the Act of the 12th of King Charles the Second directs that all Governours of the Plantations be.

The Council Advised it as necessary, whereupon the Lt Gov' was sworn to do his utmost to see to the observance thereof.5

late King James and all his Adherents. And in case His Majesty come to any violent or untimely Death (which GOD forbid) We do hereby further freely and unanimously oblige our selves, to unite associate and stand by each other in revenging the same upon His Enemies and their Adherents, and in supporting and defending the Succession of the Crown, according to an Act made in the first year of the Reign of King WILLIAM and Queen MARY, Intituled, An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, and settling the Succession of the Crown. (Cf. Publications of this Society, x. 384–386, xiii. 119–126.)

It will be observed that the oath in the text has twenty-eight signatures attached -those of the three Crown officials and of twenty-five Councillors. There were, however, twenty-eight Councillors named in the Province Charter (p. 35, above). Simon Bradstreet, Thomas Hinckley, and Stephen Mason, the remaining three Councillors, do not appear to have qualified.

1 Council Records, ii. 293.

2 ii. 293.

3 On May 5, 1695, Sewall wrote: "About 3 hours News comes to Town of the death of Sir William Phips, Feb. 18th at which people are generally sad" (Diary, i. 404).

4 The names of Acting Governors are printed in italics.

Council Records, ii. 294.