That Clause in their Charter for this Country, _viz._ (Provided that no other Christian Prince be prepossest of it) being a tacit acknowledgment, that before settlement no one Christian Prince had any right thereto more than another. During this time of _New-England's_ Prosperity, the Government here were very sparing of Granting Freedoms, except to such as [148] were so and so qualfied. Whereby the number of _Non_-Freemen[149] being much increas'd, they were very uneasie, by their being shut out from having any share in the Government, or having any Votes for their Representatives, _&c._ it rendred many of them ready to join with such as were undermining the Government, not duly considering that it had been far more safe to have endeavoured to prevail with the Legislators for an enlargement. So that it will not be wonder'd at that in the latter end of the Reign of King _Charles_ the II. and of King _James_, (when most of the Charters in _England_ were vacated) that this was _quo warranto'd_ and finally Judgment entered up against it, and the Country was put into such a form of Government as was most agreeable to those times, _viz._ A Legislative pow'r was lodg'd in the Governour (or President) and some few appointed to be of his Counsel, without any regard therein, either to the Laws of _England_, or those formerly of this Colony: Thus rendering the Circumstances of this Country beyond comparison worse than those of any Corporation in _England_. The People of those Corporations being acknowledged still to have a right to _Magna Charta_, when their particular Charters were made void. But here when _Magna Charta_ has been pleaded, the People have been answered, that they must not expect that _Magna Charta_ would follow them to the end of the World: not only their Estates, but their Lives being thereby rendered wholly precarious. And Judge _Palmer_[150] has set forth in Print, that the King has power to grant such a Commission over this People. It is not hard to imagine that under such a Commission, not only the People were liable to be opprest by Taxes, but also by Confiscations, and Siezing of Lands, unless Patents were purchased at Excessive prizes, with many other Exorbitant Innovations. The first that accepted this Commission was Mr. _Dudley_, a Gentleman born in this Country, who did but prepare the way for Sir _Edm. Andros_. In whose time things being grown to such Extremities, not only here, but in _England_, as render'd the succeeding Revolution absolutely necessary; the Revolution here being no other than an acting according to the Precedent given by _England_.