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hands, without any suit of law, either with my superiours or with them; to have maintained this survey stiff and stanch against the impugnation of some thousand diligent find-faults; to have freed my selfe and suretyes by the consent and mediation of ffourty-five officers of the army, a greater number, Mr. Speaker, then usually voucheth any act called the armyes; to have assigned satisfaction for above twenty thousand debentures in such away as hath admitted of noe chopping and changing afterwards, and soe as a slight coppy out of our booke is accepted in courts of justice as a good evidence, meerly by virtue of the naturall justice and validity whereuppon itt stands. To have done this under the eye of the cheife authority, without ever receiving any checque or reproofe for what was done, or without being bid soe much as to take heed, or doe soe noe more, and, which is more than all, Mr. Speaker, that God gave me courrage to oppose the greatest persons, though allways with due respect to their condition, meerly to maintaine strickness of rule, allthough, Sir, those worthy persons have afterwards accompted our severity their security, and have thanked us for itt. The truth of it is, Mr. Speaker, this kind of severity to those that could not beare it hath made us enemyes, whereas corrupt partiallity would have made us a kind of friends: and this is not the course of corrupt and guilty ministers.
And as to the two last, which concerne the other Commissioners as well as my selfe, and indeed soe doe many of the others, I shall say nothing to them more then to tell you that my fellow Commissioners are grave persons, men of tryed knowledge and integrity, not apt to deceive, or easy to be deceived. Mr. Speaker, they are men that scorne to bee lead by the nose by any man, much less by such a youngster as I am. I will not deprive them of the honour to vindicate themselves, if there be occasion, only I shall say a word to the last of these articles, which indeed is more capable of answer then any of the rest.
Tis said that all the security of the army is totally disposed of, but is notoriousely knowne, that of lands good and bad three hundred thousand acres yet remaine; and whereas tis said the debt is still left uppon the State, I tell you that the lands which have been sett out have paid as much debt as is chargeable uppon them by the law; insoemuch as my enemyes, whose ignorance is of a contrary nature to this gentlemans, complain that the lands sett out have been extended to pay too much debt.
Here you have, Sir, my generall observations uppon this generall charge; I have given you allegation against allegation, allthough, Sir, I am ashamed to
