In South Carolina. 29 



country themselves," passed an act against blasphemy 

 and profaneness, with the view of bringing reproach 

 upon Dissenters, and declared, Nov. 4, 1704, the 

 Church of England the established religion of the 

 province, and appointed twenty lay commissioners — 

 eleven of whom had never been known to take the 

 sacrament — with full powers to exercise ecclesiastical 

 jurisdiction, and deprive at pleasure ministers of their 

 livings. "It is stupendous to consider," said John 

 Archdale, the Quaker Governor of 1695, in review of 

 this work of legislation, " how passionate and prepos- 

 terous zeal not only veils but stupefies oftentimes the 

 rational powers." 



From these illegal and oppressive acts the Dissent- 

 ers appealed to the Parliament of England. The 

 grounds of their appeal were duly considered by the 

 House of Lords. The acts in question were adjudged 

 to be in violation of the charter, and therefore illegal 

 and arbitrary, and they voted an address to the " good 

 Queen Anne," humbly beseeching her majesty "to 

 use the most effectual methods to deliver the said 

 province from the arbitrary oppressions under which 

 it now lies," to which the queen graciously responded, 

 signifying her readiness "to do all in her power to 

 relieve her subjects," and accordingly declared, June 

 10, 1706, the acts to be null and void, and even di- 

 rected the crown lawyers to inform themselves fully 

 concerning the necessary measures for revoking the 

 charter. 



When the Assembly, which had been chosen for 

 1706, under the qualifying act which excluded Dis- 

 senters, had learned the action of the home govern- 

 ment, they repealed the oppressive acts of 1701, but 

 passed a new Church Act (Statutes, Yol. II., p. 282), 



