ROGER WILLIAMS IN SALEM. 81 



to appear at the General Court in Newtown, now Cam- 

 bridge. Whatever occurred at Salera displeasing to the 

 ministers or magistrates of the Colony was attributed 

 to Williams and he was held accountable. He continued 

 to preach what seemed to him the truth. He objected to 

 an oath being required of any man, particnhirly an unre- 

 generate man, as taking the name of God in vain. He 

 denounced, as an open violation of natural rights, the law 

 which reqnired every man to attend public worship and 

 to contribute to its support. ''No one," said he, "should 

 be bound to maintain a worship against his own consent." 



While in Plymouth he had written a treatise which he 

 had presented to the Governor there, showing that kings 

 and countries had no right to claim a land by right of diy- 

 Coveiy ; that, if the land was owned at all, it was by the 

 native inhabitants and should be bought of them ; thai 

 patents and grants were of no value unless paid for ; 

 that King James had no right to call Europe Christendom 

 or the Christian ^7orld. The great point which lay heavy 

 on his mind was that, according to the patents, " Christian 

 Kings (so called) are invested with a right by virtue of 

 their Christianity to give and take away the lands and 

 countries of other men." '' If the King possesses no juris- 

 diction over the Indians he could not of course convey 

 a title to their lands." 



This paper had not been published and was not intend- 

 ed for the ''public eye," but the magistrates averred that 

 it contained " heresy and sedition," and arbitrarily sum- 

 moned him to appear before them and receive censure. 

 He complied, and wrote letters to the magistrates alleging 

 that his treatise had been written " only for the private 

 satisfaction of the Governor of Plymouth " and with 

 expressions of penitence if he had done anything wrong ; 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXVIH 6 



