COLONIAL COUNCILLORS OF STATE
13;
erley and, coming to Virginia about 1663, set-
tled in Middlesex county, of which he was a
justice in 1673. ^^^ rapidly attained great
l)rominence in colonial affairs and was one
01 the most i^opular men of his period with
the rank and tile of the colonists. The situa-
tion at the time was a peculiar one. In 1670
Beverley had been elected clerk of the house
o: burgesses and soon became the leader of
the majority of that body, and it was they
who, at the outbreak of Bacon's rebellion,
were, with the Ludwells and Thomas Ballard
in the council, the strongest supporters of Gov.
Berkeley in his efforts to suppress the up-
rising. It seems surprising that the popular
I'.ouse with their chosen leader should have
been so strong in support of the governor and
that the only effective aid wdiich the rebels
received should have come from members of
the aristocratic council. Beverley himself
was very active in the field against Bacon's
follow-ers. and, in 1676, Berkeley appointed
him commander of all his forces, and finally
a member of the council. Lpon the arrival of
the commissioners, sent from England to sup-
])ress the rebellion, there was introduced
another element into the dispute. Gov. Berke-
ley, resenting the intrusion of these strangers
to the colony, was not disposed to yield any
of liis authority or prerogatives to them or to
aid them in their task, and in this he was
again strongly sup])orte(l by the house of
burgesses under I'everley's leadership, who.
with the governor, were disposed" to regard
the commissioners as interlopers. Beverley
thus incurred the enmity of those who were
later to possess the authority in the colony,
and especially of Jeft'reys, soon to be the gov-
ernor. Beverley was accused to the commis-
sioners of plundering during his activities
against Bacon, but Berkeley was able to save
him from punishment for the time. During
the governorship of Chicheley, however, Bev-
erley was accused of inciting the rioting
tobacco planters and was imprisoned on ship-
board. He escaped a number of times, but
was recommitted, while other charges were
trumi)ed up against him by his powerful
enemies and carried to England. Gov. Cul-
peper, being at that time in England, the King
directed him, upon returning to \'irginia, to
I)ut Beverley out of all his public offices. He
was finally released from prison ui)on his
humbly asking pardon for his past oft'ences
and giving security for In.s future good be-
liavior. His popularity had not waned in the
meantime and the house of burgesses imme-
diately elected him their clerk. But with Bev-
erley's sturdy independence of spirit, position
could only be the prelude of misfortune. The
creatures of King James were now securely
intrenched in their hold on the colony, and the
only power with the inclination to resist them
was the house of burgesses. The opportunity
soon came, for at the session next following
Beverley's reelection the governor and council
made the illegal recjuest of the assembly to be
empowered to levy a tax upon the colony.
This the house at once and firmly refused,
and, according to Gov. Effingham, even dis-
])uted the right of the King himself to use the
veto. Beverley seems to have been a leader
in this action and thus incurred the anger of
the throne, which ordered him to be disabled
from holding any public office and prosecuted
to the full extent of the law as Effingham
should deem advisable. It is illustrative of
the fact that the political questions of that
time were by no means simple, that the same
man should have been at once a royalist and
a champion of the people, and, furthermore,
that the democratic Beverlev should have so
