VI MEMOIR OF COLONEL 



sign. This the greater part of the Commissioners 

 judged was to be extended to all sorts of pillage. Ve- 

 nables thought it was meet to interpret it only of ships 

 and their lading, and large quantities of treasure and 

 goods in towns and forts : and that to extend it to all 

 booty, by whomsoever got, would be both impossible 

 to put in execution, and hugely disgustful to the sol- 

 dier to attempt. When he could not prevail to have 

 his sense of this hard clause pass, he propounded a 

 middle way: that none should conceal or retain any 

 arms, money, plate, jewels, or goods, to his private 

 use, on pain of forfeiting his share in the whole, &c. 

 but that all should be brought in unto officers, chosen 

 by mutual consent, and sworn to be faithful therein ; 

 and then distribution to be made to each man accord- 

 ing to his quality and desert. And agreeably thereto 

 he framed both an order for the Commissioners to sign, 

 and a declaration for the officers of the army to sub- 

 scribe, testifying their submission to the order, and 

 that they would endeavour that all under their re- 

 spective commands should observe it 5 and further, 

 that when their several pays should be discharged, they 

 would acquiesce in the disposal of the surplus by the 

 Commissioners, either in rewards to the deserving, or 

 in necessaries for the public service, &c. This the 

 Commissioners so far approved as to appoint it to be 

 writ fair, and copies made, for each regiment one. The 

 officers and soldiers were also content, and satisfied 

 therewith; but when it came to the point, only Vena- 

 blee and Penn signed the order, and so the declaration 



