the quaker colonies-第9节

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　the　King；　in　whose　political　policy　he　gradually　became　more　and　more　involved。

James　was　a　Roman　Catholic　and　soon　perfected　his　plans　for　making　both　Church　and　State　a　papal　appendage　and　securing　for　the　Crown　the　right　to　suspend　acts　of　Parliament。　Penn　at　first　protested；　but　finally　supported　the　King　in　the　belief　that　he　would　in　the　end　establish　liberty。　In　his　earlier　years；　however；　Penn　had　written　pamphlets　arguing　strenuously　against　the　same　sort　of　despotic　schemes　that　James　was　now　undertaking；　and　this　contradiction　of　his　former　position　seriously　injured　his　reputation　even　among　his　own　people。

Part　of　the　policy　of　James　was　to　grant　many　favors　to　the　Quakers　and　to　all　other　dissenting　bodies　in　England；　to　release　them　from　prison；　to　give　them　perfect　freedom　of　worship；　and　to　remove　the　test　laws　which　prevented　them　from　holding　office。　He　thus　hoped　to　unite　them　with　the　Roman　Catholics　in　extirpating　the　Church　of　England　and　establishing　the　Papacy　in　its　place。　But　the　dissenters　and　nonconformists；　though　promised　relief　from　sufferings　severer　than　it　is　possible　perhaps　now　to　appreciate；　refused　almost　to　a　man　this　tempting　bait。　Even　the　Quakers；　who　had　suffered　probably　more　than　the　others；　rejected　the　offer　with　indignation　and　mourned　the　fatal　mistake　of　their　leader　Penn。　All　Protestant　England　united　in　condemning　him；　accused　him　of　being　a　secret　Papist　and　a　Jesuit　in　disguise；　and　believed　him　guilty　of　acts　and　intentions　of　which　he　was　probably　entirely　innocent。　This　extreme　feeling　against　Penn　is　reflected　in　Macaulay's　〃History　of　England；〃　which　strongly　espouses　the　Whig　side；　and　in　those　vivid　pages　Penn　is　represented；　and　very　unfairly；　as　nothing　less　than　a　scoundrel。

In　spite　of　the　attempts　which　James　made　to　secure　his　position；　the　dissenters；　the　Church　of　England；　and　Penn's　own　Quakers　all　joined　heart　and　soul　in　the　Revolution　of　1688；　which　quickly　dethroned　the　King；　drove　him　from　England；　and　placed　the　Prince　of　Orange　on　the　throne　as　William　III。　Penn　was　now　for　many　years　in　a　very　unfortunate；　if　not　dangerous；　position；　and　was　continually　suspected　of　plotting　to　restore　James。　For　three　years　he　was　in　hiding　to　escape　arrest　or　worse；　and　he　largely　lost　the　good　will　and　affection　of　the　Quakers。

Meantime；　since　his　departure　from　Pennsylvania　in　the　summer　of　1684；　that　province　went　on　increasing　in　population　and　in　pioneer　prosperity。　But　Penn's　quitrents　and　money　from　sales　of　land　were　far　in　arrears；　and　he　had　been　and　still　was　at　great　expense　in　starting　the　colony　and　in　keeping　up　the　plantation　and　country　seat　he　had　established　on　the　Delaware　River　above　Philadelphia。　Troublesome　political　disputes　also　arose。　The　Council　of　eighteen　members　which　he　had　authorized　to　act　as　governor　in　his　absence　neglected　to　send　the　new　laws　to　him；　slighted　his　letters；　and　published　laws　in　their　own　name　without　mentioning　him　or　the　King。　These　irregularities　were　much　exaggerated　by　enemies　of　the　Quakers　in　England。　The　Council　was　not　a　popular　body　and　was　frequently　at　odds　with　the　Assembly。

Penn　thought　he　could　improve　the　government　by　appointing　five　commissioners　to　act　as　governor　instead　of　the　whole　Council。　Thomas　Lloyd；　an　excellent　Quaker　who　had　been　President　of　the　Council　and　who　had　done　much　to　allay　hard　feeling；　was　fortunately　the　president　of　these　commissioners。　Penn　instructed　them　to　act　as　if　he　himself　were　present；　and　at　the　next　meeting　of　the　Assembly　to　annul　all　the　laws　and　reenact　only　such　as　seemed　proper。　This　course　reminds　us　of　the　absolutism　of　his　friend；　King　James；　and；　indeed；　the　date　of　these　instructions　（1686）　is　that　when　his　intimacy　with　that　bigoted　monarch　reached　its　highest　point。　Penn's　theory　of　his　power　was　that　the　frame　or　constitution　of　government　he　had　given　the　province　was　a　contract；　that；　the　Council　and　Assembly　having　violated　some　of　its　provisions；　it　was　annulled　and　he　was　free；　at　least　for　a　time；　to　govern　as　he　pleased。　Fortunately　his　commissioners　never　attempted　to　carry　out　these　instructions。　There　would　have　been　a　rebellion　and　some　very　unpleasant　history　if　they　had　undertaken　to　enforce　such　oriental　despotism　in　Pennsylvania。　The　five　commissioners　with　Thomas　Lloyd　at　their　head　seem　to　have　governed　without　seriously　troublesome　incidents　for　the　short　term　of　two　years　during　which　they　were　in　power。　But　in　1687　Thomas　Lloyd；　becoming　weary　of　directing　them；　asked　to　be　relieved　and　is　supposed　to　have　advised　Penn　to　appoint　a　single　executive　instead　of　commissioners。　Penn　accordingly　appointed　Captain　John　Blackwell；　formerly　an　officer　in　Cromwell's　army。　Blackwell　was　not　a　Quaker　but　a　〃grave；　sober；　wise　man；〃　as　Penn　wrote　to　a　friend；　who　would　〃bear　down　with　a　visible　authority　vice　and　faction。〃　It　was　hoped　that　he　would　vigorously　check　all　irregularities　and　bring　Penn　better　returns　from　quitrents　and　sales　of　land。

But　this　new　governor　clashed　almost　at　once　with　the　Assembly；　tried　to　make　them　pass　a　militia　law；　suggested　that　the　province's　trade　to　foreign　countries　was　illegal；　persecuted　and　arrested　members　of　the　Assembly；　refused　to　submit　new　laws　to　it；　and　irritated　the　people　by　suggesting　the　invalidity　of　their　favorite　laws。　The　Quaker　Assembly　withstood　and　resisted　him　until　they　wore　him　out。　After　a　year　and　one　month　in　office　he　resigned　at　Penn's　request　or；　according　to　some　accounts；　at　his　own　request。　At　any　rate；　he　expressed　himself　as　delighted　to　be　relieved。　As　a　Puritan　soldier　he　found　himself　no　match　for　a　peaceable　Quaker　Assembly。

Penn　again　made　the　Council　the　executive　with　Thomas　Lloyd　as　its　President。　But　to　the　old　causes　of　unrest　a　new　one　was　now　added。　One　George　Keith；　a　Quaker；　turned　heretic　and　carried　a　number　of　Pennsylvania　Quakers　over　to　the　Church　of　England；　thereby　causing　great　scandal。　The　〃Lower　Counties〃　or　Territories；　as　the　present　State　of　Delaware　was　then　called；　became　mutinous；　withdrew　their　representatives　from　the　Council；　and　made　William　Markham　their　Governor。　This　action　together　with　the　Keithian　controversy；　the　disturbances　over　Blackwell；　and　the　clamors　of　Church　of　England　people　that　Penn　was　absent　and　neglecting　his　province；　that　the　Quakers　would　make　no　military　defense；　and　that　the　province　might　at　any　time　fall　into　the　hands　of　France；　came　to　the　ears　of　King　William；　who　was　already　ill　disposed　toward　Penn　and　distrusted　him　as　a　Jacobite。　It　seemed　hardly　advisable　to　allow　a　Jacobite　to　rule　a　British　colony。　Accordingly　a　royal　order　suspended　Penn's　governmental　authority　and　placed　the　province　under　Benjamin　Fletcher；　Governor　of　New　York。　He　undertook　to　rule　in　dictatorial　fashion；　threatening　to　annex　the　province　to　New　York；　and　as　a　consequence　the　Assembly　had　plenty　of　trouble　with　him。　But　two　years　later；　1694；　the　province　was　returned　to　Penn；　who　now　appointed　as　Governor　William　Markham；　who　had　served　as　lieutenant…governor　under　Fletcher。

Markham　proceeded　to　be　high…handed　with　the　Assembly　and　to　administer　the　government　in　the　imperialistic　style　of　Fletcher。　But　the　Assembly　soon　tamed　him　and　in　1696　actually　worried　out　of　him　a　new　constitution；　which　became　known　as　Markham's　Frame；　proved　much　more　popular　than　the　one　Penn　had　given；　and　allowed　the　Assembly　much　more　power。　Markham　had　no　conceivable　right　to　assent　to　it　and　Penn　never　agreed　to　it；　but　it　was　lived　under　for　the　next　four　years　until　Penn　returned　to　the　province。　While　it　naturally　had　opponents；　it　was　largely　regarded　as　entirely　valid；　and　apparently　with　the　understanding　that　it　was　to　last　until　Penn　objected　to　it。

Penn　had　always　been　longing　to　return　to　Pennsylvania　and　live　there　for　the　rest　of　his　life；　but　the　terrible　times　of　the　Revolution　of　1688　in　England　and　its　consequences　had　held　him　back。　Those　difficulties　had　now　passed。　Moreover；　William　III　had　established　free　government　and　religious　liberty。　No　more　Quakers　were　imprisoned　and　Penn's　old　occupation　of　securing　their　protection　and　release　was　gone。

In　the　autumn　of　1699　he　sailed　for　Pennsylvania　with　his　family　and；　arriving　after　a　tedious　three　months'　voyage；　was　well　received。　His　political　scrapes　and　mistakes　in　England　seemed　to　be　buried　in　the　past。　He　was　soon　at　his　old　enjoyable　life　again；　traveling　actively　about　the　country；　preaching　to　the　Quakers；　and　enlarging　and　beautifying　his　country　seat；　Pennsbury；　on　the　Delaware；　twenty　miles　above　Philadelphia。　As　roads　and　trails　were　few　and　bad　he　usually　traveled　to　and　from　the　town　in　a　barge　which　was　rowed　by　six　oarsmen　and　which　seemed　to　give　him　great　pride　and　pleasure。

Two　happy　years　passed　away　in　this　manner；　during　which　Penn　seems　to　have　settled；　not　however　without　difficulty；　a　great　deal　of　business　with　his　people；　the　Assembly；　and　the　Indian　tribes。　Unfortunately　he　got　word　from　England　of　a　bill　in　Parliament　for　the　revocation　of　colonial　charters　and　for　the　establishment　of　royal　governments　in　their　place。　He　must　needs　return　to　England　to　fight　it。　Shortly　before　he　sailed　the　Assembly　presented　him　with