Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

As y^e great and wonderfull successes of y^e Arms
of your Majty and your Allies, against y^e Enimys of yo^r Majty,
your people, and y^e true and holy protestant Religion, have
renderd y^e beginning of yo^r Majtys reign prosperous and glorious
to yo^r royal self, and your people; so must y^e hearts of all yo^r
Majtys faithfull subjects be full charged with gratitude
to y^e divine Providence for those Signal Blessings vouchsa-
fed to yo^r Majty, and for y^e happy influences of yo^r most
gracious Reign: therefore we your Majtys most dutifull and
loyal subjects y^e Burgesses in y^e general Assembly of your
Colony and Dominion of Virginia, convened, doe most
humbly presume to congratulate your Majty upon this
occasion, and to represent to yo^r Majty our most dutifull and
fervent Zele for y^e service of yo^r sacred person & governm^t.

We are very sensible of y^e happiness yt we and all yo^r
Majtys Subjects doe injoy under your royal Protection, &
we hope yt none of yo^r good Subjects will ever fail of making
suitable returns of their duty and obedience.

And for our selves, we doe most humbly assure your
Majty, yt we will upon all occasions signalize our fide-
lity and loyalty to yo^r Majty, as far as our poor Circum-
stances will enable us to doe it.

But since y^e benign Influences of mercy and Compassion
doe far excell y^e most glorious Lustre of y^e greatest military At-
chievements; and since yo^r Majty is not only o^r powerfull De-
fend^r against forreign Enimys, but our mercifull Deliverer
from all other misfortunes; therefore we humbly hope
yo^r Majty will be graciously pleasd to pardon us, when by
reason of our poverty and necessity we shall not be capable
of performing such Actions as might best testify y^e syncere
and zealous loyalty of o^r hearts.

(2) His Excellency Francis Nicholson Esq^r. your Majtys Lieu-
tenant and Governor general of this your Colony and Dominion of
Virginia, having laid before us your Majtys royal Commands,
requiring a Contribution of money, and a quota of men (or mo-
ney in lieu thereof) towards y^e defence of yo^r Provinse of New York;

In answer thereto having first made our most humble at-
knowledgements for yo^r Majtys Grace and Goodness to us, in proceeding
with us in so parlimentary a way, whereby we have an oppor-
tunity of laying y^e true state of our Case before yo^r Majty; we pre-
sume to represent to yo^r Majty, yt his late Majty of glorious me-
mory, in y^e 12^th. Year of his Reign, by his royal Letters did signify his
pleasure, yt we should make a like Contribution of men and money
for y^e assistance of New York; upon consideration whereof, in a general
Assembly held in y^e 13^th. Year of his Reign, we did humbly repre-
sent to his Majty y^e true state of this Dominion, and of y^e Provinse of
New York; whereby it appeared yt y^e great Charges y^e Country was then
burthenned with, made it impossible for us to comply with his Majtys
Commands: And by reason of y^e Many Inconveniences y^t would
necessarily ensue, it was not for y^e interest or service of his Majty, that
we should fournish y^e men & money required of us: All which proceed-
ings are hereunto annexed; and since y^e same reasons continue, y^t are
therein mentioned; We humbly pray your Majtys gracious considera-
tion thereof.

And moreover we humbly presume to add, yt now yo^r Majty is
actually engaged in a War with France and Spain, we are
more exposed to danger than before. For when their ships sail
through y^e Gulph of Florida towards Europe, they keep a great
way along our Coasts, and may easily put into our Harbours, and
insult our poor, open, defenseless Country at pleasure, and we shall
not be able to defend our selves.

It is a great Affliction to us, yt it is not in our power to perform
what yo^r Majty is pleased to require of us: But since our unhappy
Circumstanses doe make us incapable of giving any greater Testi-
monys of our Zele for yo^r Majtys service, than by this Address,—
therefore We humbly pray your Majtys favorable acceptanse &
consideraton of this true representaton of o^r Case; and yt You will be
graciously pleased to supersede yo^r Commands for any Contribution of
(3) men or money to new York from this poor Country which is
in more want of assistanse our selves, than capable to give it to
others. And as in duty bound, we shall ever pray yt yo^r Majestys
Reign over us, may be long and prosperous, as y^e beginning of it
hath been successfull and glorious