the armor of an English courtier, as shown in his several portraits extant, surrounded by councillors, who were required, by command of the proprietary, to wear some distinguishing mark either in costume or badge. (See Kilty and also original records.)

That Charles Calvert kept his retinue about him none can question who had read his letter to his father in the year 1664, in which he says: "I have 30 to provide victuals for, which does putt me to some care and trouble, besides the expense, which is the least." As Governor Calvert was at that time a widower without children, his niece, Anne Calvert, having charge of his household, it is evident that the other 28 persons were his official and household retainers.

That the Calverts instituted at their capital city a government more feudal in its form and customs than we have realized is now for the first time called to our attention, for, while it has long been known that Maryland was feudal in government, it has been claimed by one of her best local authorities in a review that Lord Baltimore never imposed any tenure by service in Maryland. So emphatic is his statement on this point that it is particularly interesting in view of evidence to the contrary. "If this be the meaning," he says, "I can only say that I see no intimation anywhere that so preposterous an idea ever entered Baltimore's mind, nor can I imagine how he could have carried it out if it had."

Yet our published archives are full of evidences that Lord Baltimore did require feudal service, known as "fiance," or obligation to serve the Lord in his court of justice.

According to the most eminent authorities on feudal service, "the Lord summoned his men to attend, either to serve him with their advice or to take part in the judging of disputes."

From this we turn to our own colonial state papers and find, among many other references which leave no doubt as to the exercise of Lord Baltimore's summoning his men "by writ.”

On page 389 of volume 1, Maryland Archives, "Thomas Gerrard, his opinion being demanded, as a private man, 'summoned by writt' not one of his Lops (Lordship's) council, but hath formerly been as lord of a manor."

From this it appears that the lords of manors were, therefore, thus summoned to the upper house of the Assembly by the Proprietary, as were the barons of England to Parliament by the king of England. For further proof that the Proprietary "summoned by special writt" those whom he wished to give their feudal "fiance" service we will quote only a few references to show, and that they were "amerced," or fined, for not performing this service when summoned all know who know the Maryland records, and hence the wonder that no one has ever before noted the significance of the fact.

In old Liber M. C. of the Provincial Records, the system is fully proven. On page 155-dated at St. Maries July 28, 1641-is a typical "summons by writt," "Cæcilius, etc., to Thomas Gerard, Lord of the Mannor of Saint Clements, Gent. Greeting: We do hereby authorize and withall will and require you that you repair in person to the House of General Assembly, held at St. Johns by Prorogation on Monday next, there to take and have voice and seat and to give us your advice touching

such important affairs of our Province as shall then and there be consulted of, whereof fail not."

A similar one to Giles Brent may be seen on page 136, dated October 12, 1640. Another to Thomas Cornwallis January 18, 1638, and so all through the early records.

On page 90, volume 1, Maryland Archives, at an Assembly held at "St. Johns" October 12, 1640, is this confirmatory statement: "Then the house being called all the Gentlemen summoned by special writt, and all the Burgesses that were returned from the several hundreds appeared," etc.

Even the old feudal custom of paying their tribute at a feast day was observed by the Calverts, all grants specifying that the quit rent, whether in silver, gold, tobacco and ear of Indian corn or whatever specified, was "to be paid to us at the two most usual feasts of the year-the Feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and St. Michael the Archangel-at our citie of St. Maries," etc.

We can imagine the scene at the "Palace of St. John" when all who held lands of his Lordship had repaired to the capital city to pay their tribute and to participate in the "feast" prepared by his Lordship for his "tenants."

This partaking of the feast is known in feudal annals as "dining with the king," as the king furnished the banquet. And so in a lesser degree it was the same in old Maryland.

CHAPTER XXV

SOMERSET COUNTY AND THE PRESBYTERIANS

LET us turn our backs upon the scene of Colonial courtiers and gay cavaliers in drooping plume and velvet doublet at "ye citie of St. Marie's" and wing our way across the "Mother of Waters" into the dim-lit lowlands of the Pocomoke, along its fern-fringed banks, to the scene of the first coming of the Presbyterians on the restful shores of old Somerset. Because ours is a peaceful mission today it must not be forgotten that this quiet shadowy river was the scene of the first naval battle in Maryland, when Lieutenant Raddcliffe Warren commanding the pinnace Longtail, manned by thirteen armed men, invaded the Pocomoke river, in response to Captain William Claiborne's orders, only to be pursued by his Lordship's pinnaces, the St. Helen and the St. Margaret. A lively engagement resulted, and three of the men on the Longtail, including its commander, and one of Lord Baltimore's men were killed in the encounter.

After this the country intersected by the many lovely rivers, with their curious Indian names, was left to the tribes which inhabited it until gradually the persecuted Presbyterians from Scotland and Ireland sought the welcoming seclusion of Somerset in preference to the Catholic stronghold on the Western Shore.

There were, however, a few white settlers here previous to the erection of Somerset County in the year 1666-but it was not until the latter half of the century

that the charms of this far southern end of the Eastern Shore were fully enjoyed by those who had left the mother country in the interest of religion.

With the coming of Francis Makemie, the young Scotch divine, the scattered members of the faith were gathered together, and the occasional sermons delivered on the various plantations by traveling ministers became things of the past.

At Rehoboth, the plantation of Judge William Stevens, young Makemie preached his first sermon to the Presbyterian flock driven from Ireland and Scotland by the persecutions of a king without any religion of his own. The appropriateness of the Scriptural name "Rehoboth" as the site for a house of worship to those who had been driven to and fro is apparent. In Genesis xxvi, 22, we find: "And he removed from thence and digged another well, and for that they strove not, and he called the name of it Rehoboth, and he said for now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

There were four strong Presbyterian churches planted by Francis Makemie in Somerset County, which at the time of his arrival (1680) embraced all the country between the Nanticoke River and the northern line of Accomac County, Virginia, now including the three counties of Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester.

These churches were Rehoboth, Manokin, Snow Hill and Wicomico. The first-named was, as we have seen, the oldest, and near it was the largest settlement on the Pocomoke River. Situated about ten miles from the mouth of the river, it was in the heart of a fine agricultural country.