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been for these two yeares allwayes patient under the frequent irregularities and disorderly impositions of the army, and the exigence of publicke affaires, whereby your petitioners contract hath been often violated; whilst your petitioner, in the first of all the afforementioned difficultyes and intricases, hath not failed in a punctilio, and hath given far greater testimony of his performance then was ever heard of or mentioned in former undertakings of this nature; and hath managed the whole business, both of the survey and setting out lands, in a manner alone, without any just complaint or imputation: all exasperated and discontented persons, whether souldiers or surveyors, having not been able to make good any charge, neither against your petitioners personall actings, nor even against all that unruly multitude of instruments which he hath been forced to imploy.
Soe that your petitioner, having behaved himselfe as aforesaid, and consequently, as he humbly conceiveth, having in some measure deserved favour and indulgence, if not connivance at the lessor sort of ffailings, humbly desireth that he may at least have justice; and that the rumors of his gaine, which will not prove, all engagements cleared, above a third part what is noised abroad, may not incline your Lordshipps to unnecessary severity and strictness against him. To which purpose he humbly desires your Lordshipps to remember, that after his contract was signed and sealed, he offered to performe the same for one thousand pounds absolute reward; but was held to his contract by your Lordshipps, noe man being found at that time who, otherwise then in boasting and bravadoes, durst undertake this worke uppon cheaper terms. And your petitioner assureth your Lordshipps that, notwithstanding, by the great mercy of God, he hath run through his whole engagement; yet his advantage therby will not be more then many officers of the army have gotten in a moment, by the bare advantage of a lott, without any trouble or hazard whatsoever.
4thly. The discharge your petitioner desireth neither is nor can be any prejudice to your Lordshipps; ffor —
1st. In the first distributions in 1655, which is about nineteene moneths since; nor that of July, which is nine moneths since; nor in that last made in November, five moneths since, hath there appeared above three complaints, nor those satisfactorily proved, notwithstanding readmeasurements have been generally made since uppon all the lands att those three times distributed. From whence your Lordshipps may rationally collect, that there are not likely to
