THE DIVIDING LINE. 
7 
The Jerseys continued ^nder the government of these proprietors till 
the year 1702, when they made a formal surrender of the dominion to the 
queen, reserving however the property of the soil to themselves. So soon as 
the bounds of New Jersey came to be distinctly laid off, it appeared there was 
still a narrow slip of land, lying betwixt that colony and Maryland. Of this, 
William Penn, a man of much worldly wisdom, and some eminence among 
the quakers, got early ndtice, and, by the credit he had with the duke of York, 
obtained a patent for it, dated March the 4th, 1680. 
It was a little surprising to some people how a quaker should be so much 
in the good graces of a popish prince ; though, after all, it may be pretty 
well accounted for. This ingenious person had not been bred a quaker ; but, 
in his earlier days, had been a man of pleasure about the town. He had 
a beautiful form and very taking address, which made him successful with 
the ladies, and particularly with a mistress of the duke of Monmouth. By 
this gentlewoman he had a daughter, who had beauty enough to raise her to 
be a dutchess, and continued to be a toast full 30 years. But this amour had 
like to have brought our fine gentleman in danger of a duel, had he not dis- 
creetly sheltered himself under this peaceable persuasion. Besides, his father 
having been a flag-officer in the navy, while the duke of York was lord high 
admiral, might recommend the son to his favour. This piece of secret history 
I thought proper to mention, to wipe off the suspicion of his having been 
popishly inclined. 
This gentleman’s first grant confined him within pretty narrow bounds, 
giving him only that portion of land which contains Buckingham, Philadel- 
phia and Chester counties. But to get these bounds a little extended, he 
pushed his interest still further with his royal highness, and obtained a fresh 
grant of the three lower counties, called Newcastle, Kent and Sussex, which 
still remained within the New York patent, and had been luckily left out of 
the grant of New Jersey. The six counties being thus incorpo^'‘ated, the pro- 
prietor dignified the whole with the name of Pennsylvania. 
The quakers flocked over to this country in shoals, being averse to go to 
heaven the same way with the bishops. Amongst them were not a few of 
good substance, who went vigorously upon every kind of improvement ; and 
thus much I may truly say in their praise, that by diligence and frugality, for 
which this harmless sect is remarkable, and by having no vices but such as 
are private, they have in a few years made Pennsylvania a very fine country. 
The truth is, they have observed exact justice with all the natives that border 
upon them ; they liave purchased all their lands from the Indians ; and though 
they paid but a trifle for them, it has procured them the credit of being more 
righteous than their neighbours. They have likewise had the prudence to 
treat them kindly upon all occasions, which has saved them from many wars 
and massacres wherein the other colonies have been indiscreetly involved. 
The truth of it is, a people whose principles forbid them to draw the carnal 
sword, were in the right to give no provocation. 
Both the French and Spaniards had, in the name of their respective mon- 
archs, long ago taken possession of that part of the northern continent that 
now goes by the name of Carolina ; but finding it produced neither gold nor 
silver, as they greedily expected, and meeting such returns from the Indians 
as their own cruelty and treachery deserved, they totally abandoned it. In 
this deserted condition that country lay for the space of ninety years, till king 
Charles II., finding it a derelict, granted it away to the earl of Clarendon and 
others, by his royal charter, dated March the 24th, 1663. The boundary of 
that grant towards Virginia was a due west line from Luck island, (the same 
as Colleton island,) lying in 36 degrees of north latitude, quite to the 
Bouth sea. 
