ufually practifed on in the courts of law, shall still remain and be in full force, until altered or repealed by the legiflature; fuch parts, only excepted as are repugnant to the rights and liberties contained in this Constitution.

VII. The privilege and benefit of the writ of habeas-corpus fhall be enjoyed in this Commonwealth, in the most free, easy, cheap, expeditious and ample manner; and shall not be fufpended by the legislature, except upon the most urgent and preffing occafions, and for a limited time not exceeding twelve months.

VIII. The enacting ftyle in making and paffing all acts, ftatutes, and laws, fhall be, Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court affembled, and by the authority of the fame."

IX. To the end there may be no failure of juftice, or danger arife to the Commonwealth from the change of the form of governmentall officers, civil and military, holding commiffions under the Government and People of Maffachusetts-Bay in New-England, and all other officers of the faid Government and People, at the time this Conftitution fhall take ef

fect, fhall have, hold, use, exercise, and enjoy all the powers and authority to them granted or committed, until other perfons fhall be appointed in their stead : and all courts of law fhall proceed in the execution of the business of their respective departments; and all the executive and legislative officers, bodies, and powers, shall continue in full force, in the enjoyment and exercife of all their trufts, employments, and authority, until the General Court, and the fupreme and executive officers under this Constitution, are defignated and invested with their respective trufts, powers and authority.

X. In order the more effectually to adhere to the principles of the Constitution, and to correct thofe violations which by any means may be made therein, as well as to form fuch alterations as from experience fhall be found neceffary, the General Court which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand feven hun-dred and ninety- five fhall iffue precepts to the Selectmen of the feveral towns, and to the Affeffors of the unincorporated plantations, directing them to convene the qualified voters of their refpective towns and plantations, for the purpose

purpose of collecting their fentiments on the neceffity or expediency of revifing the Conftitution, in order to amendments.

And if it shall appear by the returns made, that two-thirds of the qualified voters throughout the State who fhall affemble and vote in confequence of the faid precepts are in favour of fuch revifion and amendment, the General Court fhall iffue precepts, or direct them to be iffued from the Secretary's office, to the several towns to elect Delegates to meet in convention, for the purpose aforesaid.

The faid Delegates to be chofen in the fame manner and proportion as their Representatives in the fecond branch of the legislature are by this Conftitution to be chofen.

XI. This Form of Government fhall be enrolled on parchment, and deposited in the Secretary's office, and be a part of the laws of the land; and printed copies thereof shall be prefixed to the book containing the laws of this. Commonwealth, in all future editions of the faid laws.

JAMES BOWDOIN, PRESIDENt.

Atteft. SAMUEL BARRET, Secretary.

Quintadecima pars Patentium Anno Regni Regis Caroli Secundi Quintodecimo.

HARLES the Second, by the grace of

CH

God, &c. To all to whom these prefents fhall come, greeting. Whereas we have been informed by the petition of our trusty and well-beloved fubjects, John Clarke, on the behalf of Benedict Arnold, William Brenton, William Codington, Nicholas Easton, William Boulton, John Porter, John Smith, Samuel Gorton, John Weekes, Roger Williams, Thomas Olney, Gregory Dexter, John Cogeshall, Jofeph Clarke, Randall Houlden, John Greene, John Roome, Samuel Wildbore, William Field, James Barker, Richard Tew, Thomas Harris, and William Dyre, and the reft of the purchasers and free inhabitants of our island called

called Rhode-Inland, and the rest of the colony of Providence Plantations, in the NarragansetBay, in New England, in America, That they, pursuing with peace and loyal minds their sober, serious, and religious intentions, of godly edifying themfelves and one another in the holy Christian faith and worship as they were perfuaded, together with the gaining over and converfion of the poor ignorant Indian natives in those parts of America to the fincere profeffion and obedience of the fame faith and worship, did not only by the consent and good encouragement of our royal progenitors, tranfport themselves out of this kingdom of England into America; but also fince their arrival there, after their first settlement among other our subjects in those parts, for the avoiding of difcord and those many evils which were likely to enfue upon those our subjects not being able to bear in those remote parts their different apprehenfions in religious concernments; and in pursuance of the aforefaid ends did once again leave their defirable stations and habitations, and with exceffive labour and travail, hazard and charge, did tranfplant themselves into the midst of the Indian natives, who, as we are informed, are the most potent princes and people of all that H 3

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