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May it Please Your Excellency

With Submission, I must once more make bold to trouble Your Excellency, and after Asking Pardon for the same, beg leave to Acquaint Your Excellency, of the true State of the Company of Foot Under my Command, I knowing Some Seditious Persons in my sd Company have got a Petition to be Exhibited to your Excellency, thō for no other Reason, but my Strictness in learning them the Discipline, and Mustering

Oftner then the Law Directs, for which they have been so free, as to threaten to Sue me, not regarding the words in Your Excellency's Commission, which I took, and always Shall, to be Authority sufficient for me, I am Sure if ever the Service required the Training the Militia, it Greatly does now, when the Enemy is at our Neighbours door, and know not how Soon they may be at ours.

May it Please Your Excellency, on my first having the Honour of the Care of the Company, Confer'd [upon] me, I caused a Muster to be call'd when [many] of the Company Appear'd without any Arms, I would Cut them Clubs to Perform the Exercise, which was before there Usal Custom, and is this day, of Chief Part of Regiment, which is wink'd at, by the Officer Commanding them, in Order to Curry favour (to get there Votes at Elections) with the People.

May it Please Your Excellency, I knowing it was my Duty to Discharge the Trust reposed in me, then by his Honour the President, & since by Your Excellency, strove to do it by fair means, but finding that would not do, was forced to proceed to threats and frequent Musters, which at last made them Appear, as well Arm'd as the Poverty of the Country will Admit off, and has likewise caused the Seditious Part, to raise great Disturbance in the Company Perswaiding the People, to Sign a Petetion, to Your Excellency, for a New Capt, as Such they Promise there Selves one Jonathan White, who they say, will not call upon them so Often, which I rearly beleive for may it Please Your Excellency, he is (thō a Very Honest) a very Indolent Man, and no way Quallified, he is in the Commission of the Peace and has refused to Quallifie These two Years, thō, may it Please Your Excellency, there mentioning that Man I beleive to be but a blind, for there is Some of the Petetioners has the Aspiring thoughts themselves the Chief of which, is Robert Hicks, William Hicks Benjn Ryan, And Anthony Garnet, who all wants to be Capts and Lieuts, that being the chief affront because I would not recommend those men for Officers, thō, may it Please Your Excellency, I hear Since that, the Above Robert Hicks is, or will be, Recommended to Your Excellency, for Capt of a Troop, thō I can't see with what face any Gentleman can Recommend Such a Man. I Assure Your Excellency he is a Most Tyrannical Neighbour, in his Private Station, and it is for Nothing but to Clear him from bearing Arms for I am well assured, there is not ten Men in the County would list in his Troop,

May it Please Your Excellency, Your Excellency very well knows that when any one falls into Disgrace theres few, but whats for bringing him quite down thats my case at Present, for had I not been left out the Commission of the Peace, they'd Aim'd at no Petetion, nor now,

was they not Incourag'd by Lieut. Col: Paine who has lately takein a Disgust against me thō for no reason may it Please Your Excellency, but Speaking my mind freely, which if Commissions is to hinder, I am at a loss to know how to keep them, & hope I ever shall, As to my conduct, I am Confident, on a fair hearing before Your Excellency, or any Impartial Judge I should rather gain Applause in both Stations, then be left out of Either,

May it Please Your Excellency I return you my hearty and Sincere thanks, for doeing me the Justice in laying my Case before his Majesties Honble Council.

May it Please Your Excellency, I humbly Ask Your Excellencys Pardon, & would not have been so troublesome but will never suffer my Self to be abused, for [mutilated] no one dare blemish my Conduct, where I [mutilated] them.

May it Please Your Excellency with the Greatest Submission to Your Excellency as his Majesties Capt General, & Representative of his Majesties Royal Person, in this Province & the Greatest Respect to Your Excellencys Person I humbly beg leave to subscribe my Self

May it Please Your Excellency Your Excellencys Dutifull Most Obedt and Most Hble Servt

P S May it Please Your Excellcy to Ask Mr Robt Jones, as to Caracter, as a Majestrate, that is my behaviour on the bench, and the bearer hereof, Mr Robert Harris, as a Capt, thō he is so Unhappy as to have Incur'd Your Excellencys Displeasure, I beleive all Men that knows him, will say he is to be rely'd on, & being frequently in my Musters, & Acquainted with the people and there behaviour, can better Acquaint Your Excellency. I am with Greatest Respect as before

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