THAT the late King Charles the Second favouring the good Purpose of our late Proprietary William Penn, and ha­ving Regard to the Memory and Merits of his deceased Father, in [Page 2] divers Services, was pleased by his Royal Charter to grant and confirm this Country, with certain Priviledg­es and Jurisdictions requisite for the good Government thereof, to him the said Proprietary and his Heirs for ever; Whereupon an ample Co­lony of honest, industrious and weal­thy Persons, removed themselves and Families into this Province, and by the great Favour and Blessing of Divine Providence upon their En­deavours, made this considerable Ad­dition to the English Empire, with­out any Charge to the Crown, ho­ping to enjoy not only the Fran­chises and Immunities granted them by the said Charter, but such fur­ther Rights and Priviledges, as may best suit their Circumstances, as dif­fering in some Points from other Pro­testants, particularly in the Case of Swearing, which the said Proprieta­ry and first Purchasers (some of whom were not Quakers) on the Fifth Day of the Month called May, [Page 3] Anno Domini 1682 in London, did conclude should be supply'd by So­lemnly Promising to speak the Truth, &c. And at the first General Assem­bly, held at Chester, for this Pro­vince and the Counties annexed, on the Seventh of December in the said Year 1682, the same passed into a Law; and on the Tenth Day of the Month called March 1682-3, it was by the Proprietor, with the Advice and Consent of the Freemen of this Province and Territories, declared to be a Fundamental Law of this Pro­vince and Territories, not to be al­ter'd or repeal'd without the Consent of the Governour, and Six Parts in Se­ven of the Council and Assembly: And afterwards when Col. Fletcher was Go­vernour, under the immediate Direc­tion of the Crown, the same Form of Affirmation by a Solemn Promise was establish'd here, and confirm'd at Home in the Year 1694, instead of an Oath; and so it was and prac­tised in all Cases after our Proprie­tary [Page 4] was restored to his Government in the Year 1696, which was since the Statute that first enacted the Af­firmation in England.

After the Proprietary's reassuming his Government, the Laws were re­vised in 1700 and 1701, and this a­bout the manner of giving Evidence, with divers others, were remitted to the Queen and Council in 1705, and was referr'd to the Consideration of Northy, then Attorney General, who did not object to the Form of Words, or legal Effect of Solemnly Promi­sing, &c. instead of an Oath, or o­ther Affirmation, but his Opinion was to repeal the said Act, because the Punishment of Wilfully Falsify­ing that Solemn Promise, was exten­ded further than the Law of Eng­land required, which thereupon was repeal'd accordingly.

Our Friends continued in the En­joyment of this Fundamental Right [Page 5] for above Twenty Years with good Success, until the said Repeal; since which we have labour'd under many Difficulties, and divers Essays have been made for reviving the aforesaid Priviledge, which hitherto have pro­ved ineffectual: And now understan­ding that our Representatives in As­sembly, have laid before the Gover­nour a Bill relating the Forms of Affirmation, &c. lately granted to our Brethren in Great Britain and Ireland, and the said Bill being fra­med, as we concieve, agreeable to the Governour's own Proposal, and the Circumstances of this Province, We humbly intreat that he will be pleas'd to pass the said Bill, now before him, into a Law, whereby we may all be render'd useful, not only to each other, but to others our Neighbours who may stand in need of our Evidence, &c.

For however it may be objected by some, that they are not sufficient­ly [Page 6] secured in submitting the Tryal of their Lives and Estates to a Qua­lification, wherein the Name of God is not mentioned; we account it a sure Rule that the Chief Motives in a Christian to speak Truth, are, first the Fear of God in his Heart and Love of Truth, or secondly, the Fear of Punishment.

And it is evident, that the King and Parliament of Great Britain are of the same Opinion concerning us in this Case, otherwise after an Ex­perience of Twenty-five Years, they would not so generally accept our Solemn Promise in so important a Matter as a Test of our Allegiance and Fidelity to the King, and for abjuring the Pretender, at a Time when new Engagements are required of other Subjects in the same Cases; And therefore, we hope our Fellow-Subjects will Acquiesce in the same Security, and not affect a great Dif­fidence than our Superiours. And [Page 7] [...]ince the Act of the Eighth of King George was made for the Ease of the People called Quakers, we con­ceive less can be said in Opposition [...]o the Bill now petition'd for, espe­cially considering it is only to restore [...]o us a discontinued Right, so So­lemnly settled and vested in us as above set forth, which the first Pur­chasers and Adventurers into this Province expected to enjoy, as invio­lably as the Lands they bought.