to those of England, imposed illegal fines upon the inhabitants, enforced an oath of fidelity to their charter, neglecting the oaths of supremacy and allegiance with having forbidden the worship of the Church of England, denied justice in the courts, and discouraged and excluded from the government all gentlemen of known loyalty, keeping it in the hands of the Independent party. In the next spring, soon after the charters of Massachusetts and Rhode Island were vacated and the provisional government of New England was set up under Joseph Dudley, Randolph sent word to the Connecticut Colony that writs of quo warranto had been issued against them also, and the time for them to appear in defence had expired by reason of the length of his voyage. He said: "His Majesty intends to bring all New England under one government; and nothing is now remaining on your part but resignation of your charter. I expect not that you trouble me to enter your colony as a herald to announce war." He advised them not to be "such a scarecrow as to affright men out of their estates and liberties rather than to submit to be happy. .

Sirs, bless not yourselves with vain expectations of advantage, and spinning out of time by my delay. I will engage, though the weather be warm, the writs will keep sound and good as when first landed."

The Assembly made him no answer, but besought the King's discontinuance of the proceedings, taking great care to appear dutiful, but engaging an agent in England to work for them. By their masterly delays and successive accidents, the legal

proceedings were never brought to an issue, although in due time Sir Edmund Andros descended upon them as Governor-General of New England, attended by a showy company of some sixty gentlemen and grenadiers. At Wethersfield, where he crossed the ferry, he was met by a troop of horse,

which escorted him to Hartford, where, says a friendly report, the train-bands of divers towns united to pay him their respects, the Governor and Assistants greeted and caressed him; and there was some treaty between his Excellency and them that evening. When he attended the General Assembly to make his demand for the charter, Governor

66

Treat and others kept the matter in suspense by courteous expostulations, says old Trumbull,

"until the evening, when the charter [in fact a copy] was brought in and laid upon the table where the Assembly were sitting. By this time, great numbers of people were assembled, and men sufficiently bold to enterprise whatever might be necessary or expedient. The lights were instantly extinguished and one Captain Wadsworth, of Hartford, in the most silent and secret manner, carried off the charter, and secreted it in a large hollow tree, fronting the house of the Hon. Samuel Wyllys, then one of the magistrates of the colony. The people appeared all peaceable and orderly. The candles. were officiously relighted; but the patent was gone, and no discovery could be made of it or the person who conveyed it away."

That is the tradition. The record reads:

"His Excellency, Sir Edmund Andros, Knight, Captain-General and Governor of his Majesty's Territory and Dominion in New England, by order from his. Majesty James the Second, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, the 31st of October, 1687, took into his hands the government of this colony of Connecticut, it being by his Majesty annexed to the Massachusetts and other colonies under his Excellency's government.FINIS."

Palfrey quotes an elaborate account of how in the presence of the entire Court and throngs of people, the magistrates conducted his Excellency into the Court Chamber, and the Governor led him to his own seat, where he assumed the government, nam

VOL. II.-18

ing some of the former leaders to his Council. Then he retired to his onerous duties in Boston and elsewhere, and the Connecticut people suffered for nineteen months, till suddenly, in April, 1689, "the amazing news did soon fly like lightning" of England's rebellion against James II. and Boston's outbreak against his Governor. Thereupon, by some general understanding, a number of delegates from the principal towns and other leading men, with wonderful swiftness and smoothness restored the entire government, ordained a day of fasting, and then adjourned to meet again in June and proclaim the accession of William and Mary. A day of thanksgiving was then appointed, and an address sent congratulating the new sovereigns, making a brief statement of the recent proceedings-dwelling on the point that they had not surrendered their charter, and praying for its ratification, which their Majesties granted.

The five years' reign of William and Mary and the eight years that William III. was alone on the throne were remarkable in America for what they did not impose upon Connecticut and Rhode Island. While shearing all the other colonies of more or less of their powers, he even allowed these two commonwealths to choose their own judges annually, although, as Bancroft says, "the Crown by reserving to itself the right of appeal, had a method of interfering in the internal concerns."

During the King's war the colony was not invaded, but, in aid to those that were, the towns not only required military service of every able-bodied