OCR Text |
Show cit. IV. 1'40 ACTS RELATING 14.: Part 11. The refervation, it feems, gave great offence; {'0 much, that the agents thought it necelTary to go into arguments to juttify them for having accepted the charter with fuch a clog to it. In the courfe of thofe arguments, the idea of exemption from parliamentary taxation is t/zcre broached. To THE COLONIES‘. \Ve {hall fee how it was lime received. Confider, fay they to their confiituents; confider, tho' ture was ({2in Mr. Hutchinfon s) a fort of lVIagna Charta, aiTertiiig their claims, and privileges; among which this was not forgotten. It is among the principal of thefe af- fertions, " that no aid, tax, tallage, alibi"- " ments, cufloni, loan, benevolence, or " iinpoiition whatever, {hail he laid, alleli- " ed, iinpofed, or levied on any of their " majeftics fubjefts, or their eflates, on any " pretence whatloever, but by the aft and you have not thofe powers, how ample " confent of the governor, council, and are thefe you have. " reprelbntatives of the people, aficiiihletl i " The general court has," (by this charter) " with the king's approbation, as "MIC/1 "power in New England, as the king and " parliament have in England. They " have (77/ Englilh liberties :--can he touch" ed by no law: by 720 tax, but of their " own making *1" i The province caught up the idea. Ac- " in general court." That the preview 70516551] to have the cordingly the firl't act of the new legifla~ charter interpreted in the fenfe their agents put upon it, is abundantly apparent. Did the king then interpret it in that fenfe? \Ve (hall foon fee. He dyZz/[oww' [/16 1267. It was exprefsly put to him, whether that, which they wifhcd for, was his meaning? and his anfwer was as exprefsly in the '5‘ See Nealc's Hillory of New England, vol. ii. p. 479. Bay, vol, ii. p. 64. i * See Hutchinfon's 7 ture Hifiory of h'IaiTachufet's negative. |