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poor, and no widowers or widows (for in that case they belong to their respective choir houses) then their families are dealt with as other poor are, and if private persons give any assistance, it is not to be mentioned, for the left hand is not to know what the right does. If any strangers go among them, they have what they call the congregation inn, for such as are wealthy who are to pay, except they have friends among them, in which case they take care of them, other strangers are divided among the congregation families or accommodated in the choir houses. The society give their people orders to behave in common life void of all singularity, and to be an honest people in the hearts of all men, but they say their people are apt to carry their heartiness too far, which sometimes occasions such failures as nobody is able to excuse, but one who knows them thoroughly, as to inheritances, they follow the hereditary succession as it is in the law of Moses, except in cases where the laws of the realm where they live make it otherwise, and except the debts of the deceased are neglected to be paid, in which case the wife is the husbands heir and the child the mothers and vice versa. The ordinary used formerly to alter the legal course of inheritances more than he does now, but an attempt being made to disinherit a person on the score of being a brother, hath since made him more cautious in that respect; their handicrafts men, are mostly in companies, over which is a master who is a kind of little magistrate to take care that none stand in each others way, that none want work, and that every one makes their work good in kind, and he also sets the respective prices thereon.

Under these are petty masters who cut out the work for the workmen, or direct it and pay them by the piece, the journeymen work usually in the choir houses, whither the masters, bring their work to them. Their apprentices are bound at what is called their monthly tradesmens conference, and in the presence of the congregation committee for outward affairs, after a boy has been at least three months

upon tryal. It is common amongst them, and an established rule, that their bishops, teachers, seniors political, and the rulers of the respective choirs, should on the second and fifth days in every week, wash the feet of all that they call the Lords supper, bretheren and sisters, "First a suitable discourse is kept, then certain collects composed from John 13th are sung, during which the priests go round and absolve the people by imposition of hands, and in the mean time the feet washers fetch their vessels, if not already there. Then about twelve in number go in one line and begin and end at the same time, the usual collect for the feet washing being sung at every division." I For the propagation of the gospel among nations which never heard it, they say they have undertaken within these twenty years, two expeditions to the east, seven to the south, and southeast, three to the northeast, nine to the west and northwest, two to the southwest; in all twenty five having crossed the seas backwards and forwards about a thousand times, and employed near three hundred persons, betwixt 80 and 100 of whom have died in the service.

"Marriage (says the Compendious Manual before referred to) are of two sorts, the whole civil matrimonial regulation as practised in the civilized world, both in its entrance and continuance is still in force among them, from whence the notions of the adversaries concerning pilgrim and common marriages may possibly have arose, but as this is a pure flight of imagination, so the matter according to the true state of the case is thus, the quite extraordinary liberty of conscience which is no where so absolutely true, as in our congregations, prevents all enquiry a priori into matrimonial affairs, and all private intimations to any in this case, except they are seriously disquieted, & from true concern ask advice about it. The principles left us by Jesus and Paul of christian marriage are regularly inculcated, and ' Compendious Manual.

in speaking upon them are reduced to practice so near, that a half solid understanding may easily attain enough both for heart and body:-but as to our young people, those born and brought up amongst us, they being like white paper will to be sure rather chuse to be directed immediately and at the begining in a quite Bible and Jesus-like manner, than for want of solid instruction and nursing be brought into the right track by circular and many hurtful ways, therefore we must suppose that no young prince and princess can be treated with more circumspection and regard in the same circumstances, than every country boy and girl, who among us step out of their choirs into the marriage state. 236, Are they lotted together?"

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'No-never, this cannot be acknowledged as fact in any point of view whatsoever, but yet there were people who asserted it; the case, in this respect is this, either such people have told downright lies, or supposed it to be so, because they had all their days heard it so reported, or they have made two cases extraordinary, the rule, the first of which is this, viz: that two persons were desirous to marry one woman, and afterwards put it upon this issue, that he should have the preference upon whom that office should fall on the side of the bretheren which she had amongst the sisters-and as the congregation could not determine as to the preference, so to avoid evil consequences, it was thought proper to draw the lot with respect to the office.

"The other case was that a labourer, and at the same time a young man of consideration had an inclination to marry a truly well qualified person, but of a different rank from him, the ordinary indeed is of opinion that when two

• The Compendious Manual from which this article is taken consists of near 300 questions, proposed and answered in the manner of this:—their ordinary owns the book by a note at the latter end, dated 20 Sept 1753 & acknowledges the whole to be his work, 'tis much too long to be introduced here, otherwise there are answers to a number of questions equally significant.

ranks are only among the lower class of people, such a punctillio is quite ridiculous, and therefore not at all to be countenanced in our congregations, but as first our congregation in general takes care to match like with like, lest the supposed more worthy person be discomposed and ashamed of his mate, and the inferior person be drawn out of her beneficial mediocrity into a silly pride, which we look upon as a real misfortune, and secondly that this case might decide other such before they happened, so it was tried by lott whether the consideration of a persons suitableness to the purpose for which she was desired as a help mate, ought to outweigh the consideration of a man of the low class of citizens under-matching himself with a farmers daughter, and the lott decided that such like scrupulosity is of no manner of signification."

Thus much may suffice of the Moravians who are not more singular in some of their doctrines than in many of their practices. Their history were it practicable to give it in all its revolutions and particularities would make a volume of a large size-all the accounts they have hitherto thought fit to publish of themselves, are in part unintelligible, and it is neither fair nor safe to take the accounts of their adversaries, they appear to be mostly such, who have hitherto wrote about them. By the stat. 22 Geo. 2. C. 30. encouragement is given them to settle in the plantations in America, by allowing them to take a solemn affirmation in lieu of an oath, and dispensing with being concerned in military affairs, on payment of a rate assessed.

CHAPTER XVIII.

SIR WILLIAM KEITH'S FIRST SPEECH TO THE ASSEMBLY-THEIR ADDRESS TO HIM-SUBSTANCE OF OTHERS AT A SUCCEEDING SESSION-THE JOINT REPRESENTATION OF GOVERNOR & ASSEMBLY TO THE KING ON THE SUBJECT OF THE AFFIRMATION-KEITHS SPEECH AT THE CONCLUSION OF THAT ASSEMBLY-DEATH OF THE PROPRIETARY WILLIAM PENN.

Sir William Keith first met the assembly of Pennsylvania in the summer 1717 and made the following speech:

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Mr. speaker, and gentlemen of the assembly.

Being informed upon my arrival here, that the season of harvest then at hand, could not well permit you to meet me in your respective capacity until that busy time be over, I did out of a tender regard to your interests, then delay the satisfaction I still propose to myself in meeting with this present assembly, and I will always endeavor to make the time you must necessarily bestow on the public service as easy and pleasant to yourselves as I hope it will be profitable and satisfactory to the country in general.

"If an affectionate desire to oblige and serve the people of this province can qualify me in their good opinions for the station wherein I am now placed, I may then expect that the Countrys and the governors interest will be so effectually established upon one bottom, as that he who truly wishes well to either cannot but find himself engaged to serve both; and you, yourselves may easily infer the warmth of my inclinations towards the service and prosperity of this country.

"First from the expensive application last year by which I carefully introduced to his royal highness the prince of Wales, then regent, the humble address of the assembly of this province to the king, in such manner as freely to obtain his royal highnesses most gracious assurance that the people called Quakers were a body of loyal subjects for

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