Governor Andros was at the fort with some soldiers, and sent for the
clergymen to come to him, who declined. The people and train-bands rallied
together at the Town House, where old Governor Bradstreet and some other
principal men met to consult as to what should be done. The King's frigate
in the harbor ran up her flags, and the lieutenant swore he would die
before she should be taken, and he opened her ports and ran out her guns;
but Captain George (prisoner in Boston) sent him word not to fire a shot,
for the people would tear him in pieces if he did. In the afternoon the
soldiers and people marched to the fort, took possession of a battery,
turned its guns upon the fort and demanded its surrender. They did not wait
for its surrender, but stormed in through the portholes, and Captain John
Nelson, a Boston merchant, cried out to Andros, "I demand your surrender."
Andros was surprised at the anger of an outraged people, and knew not what
to do, but at last gave up the fort, and was lodged prisoner in Mr. Usher's
house.
The next day he was forced to give up the castle in the harbor, and the
guns of the battery from the shore were brought to bear upon the frigate.
But the captain prayed that she might not be forced to surrender, because
all the officers and crew would lose their wages; so she was dismantled
for present security. All through the day people came pouring in from the
country, well armed and hot with rage against Andros and his confederates;
and the cooler men trembled lest some unnecessary violence might be done;
so Captain Fisher, of Dedham, led Andros by the collar of the coat back to
the fort for safety.
On the 20th Bradstreet and other leading men met, and formed a kind of
provisional council. They carefully abstained from resuming their old
charter, partly from fear and partly from doubt, and called upon the
towns to send up deputies. When these met, on May 22, 1689, forty out of
fifty-four were for "resuming," but a majority of the council opposed
it, and time was spent in disputes; but at last the old Governor and
magistrates accepted the control of affairs, though they would not consent
to resume the charter. Thus the moment for action passed, and the colony
lost that chance for reestablishing its old rights.
Rhode Island and Connecticut resumed their charters, which had never
been legally vacated. Mr. Threat was obliged to take again the office of
governor of Connecticut, when the amazing reports of the revolution and
seizure of the Governor in Massachusetts reached them. They issued loyal
addresses to William and Mary, in which they said: "Great was that day when
the Lord who sitteth upon the floods did divide his and your adversaries
like the waters of Jordan, and did begin to magnify you like Joshua, by the
deliverance of the English dominions from popery and slavery."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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