Lot 196

Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 196
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4
Roger Williams, Rhode Island Founder, Faces Dissent in His Colony Based on Liberty of Conscience, Incredible Fair Copy
Roger Williams, Rhode Island Founder, Faces Dissent in His Colony Based on Liberty of Conscience, Incredible Fair Copy
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4
Description:

Rhode Island

Roger Williams, Rhode Island Founder, Faces Dissent in His Colony Based on Liberty of Conscience, Incredible Fair Copy

In this remarkable document, Roger Williams defends himself against the attacks of William Harris, another original settler of Providence, with whom Williams quarreled for decades. Popular in the other settlements that combined to form Rhode Island, Harris seemed to enjoy controversy and frequently led the discontented outcasts in a colony largely settled by dissenters from Massachusetts and Connecticut. Harris pressed liberty of conscience to a point that Williams described as “unbounded license for individuals.” This document opens a fascinating window on seventeenth-century New England and the limits of dissent, even among dissenters.

[ROGER WILLIAMS.] Manuscript Document, Answer to Plea of William Harris, to the Assembly of Commissioners, [November 17,] 1677, [Providence, Rhode Island]. This document is a copy likely made in the late eighteenth century in an unknown hand. 4 pp., 7.75" x 12.75".  Edge tears affecting a few words, especially last lines; small fold tears, foxing, and toning.

Excerpts

“The Answer of Roger Williams a part to the Declaration of W. Harris against the Town of providence, in what particularly by name the said Wm H falsely & simply accuseth the said Roger Williams—First he chargeth R Williams for takeing the Land of providence in his own name which Should have been taken in the names of those that came up with him. 2d he Sold the Land of Providence for more than it cost him, 3d he promised Pawtuxet for £5, and took 20£, 4th he Stirred up Providence men to rise tumultuously against Pawtuxet men.” (p1)

“I Answer It pleased the most high to direct my steps into this bay by the loveing private advice of that ever honourd Soul Mr John Winthrop the grandfather who ’tho he was carried with the stream for my Banishment, yet he personaly and tenderly loved me to his last breath. It is no new thing for me to bear all Sorts of reproaches Slanders &C  In particular I Should Saith W Harris have taken Providence in their names that came up with me; I Question not but this honourd and prudent Assembly will see this Charge Unrighteous & Ridiculous  For first it is not true that I was Imployed by Any, made Covenant with any, was supplyd by any, or desired any to come with me into these parts: My Soules desire was to do the natives good, and to that End to Learn their Language (which I afterward printed) and therefore desired not to be troubled with English Company yet out of Pitty I gave leave to W. Harris, then poor and destitute, to come along in my company....” (p1)

“The Truth in the Holy presence of the Lord is this, W. Harris pretending religion wearied me with desires that I would admit him & others into fellowship of my purchase  I yielded and agreed that the place should be for such as were destitute (especially for Conscience)....” (p2)

“he declares that I stirred up Providence men against Pa[w]tuxet; I reply I have been allways blamed for being too mild and the Truth is Chad Brown a wise and Godly Soul (now with God) with myself brought the murmering after comers and the first monopolizing 12 to a Oneness by Arbitrators Chosen Out of Ourselves....” (p3)

Chad Brown (ca. 1600-1650) was one of the original founders of Providence and succeeded Williams as pastor of the First Baptist Church there in 1639.

“Gentlemen where you find Wickedness it is your duty to terrifye and use your sword the Sword of God & the King of New-England; where you find well doing as this poor Town of Providence some in it troden under feet of Pride above 40 years Commend them, praise them & Relieve them so will not the Judge of the World be a Terror to you in the day of your Trials but be a bosome of Consolation to your Souls for which Earnestly Cries to Heaven your most unworthy Servant. R Williams.” (p4)

“Postscr. Sr If there be any difference between W Harris & me I humbly Offer to End it by Arbitration which I humbly Conceive also will be the only medium for this Long and Multiplied Dissease now before you, and best answer his Majesties & all Desires in this Business, by this means the Country will be Inhabited with Joy and Speed” (p4)

Full text of Answer, but this copy contains some text not reproduced there (in bold above).

There are many small and some significant differences that suggest that this copy is closer to the original than the copy reproduced in Rhode Island Historical Tracts in 1877.

Historical Background

William Harris had an excellent mind for business and understood legal principles and methods better than any other early settler of Rhode Island. However, he also had very liberal views of liberty of conscience, which put him in conflict with Roger Williams. In 1656, Williams as President of the colony issued a warrant for Harris’s arrest for high treason against the Commonwealth of England for an attack on Oliver Cromwell, then Lord Protector of England. At the trial, the court decided that the matter had to be sent to England for decision and placed Harris under bond. Ultimately, authorities in England ruled in Harris’s favor.

The result of this trial was a personal animosity between the two men. In February 1672, the sheriff arrested Harris on the testimony of Williams and Phillip Tabor and imprisoned him. In 1677, Harris made formal charges against Williams, and this document is Williams’ answer to these charges.

This personal suit came in the context of a land dispute between Providence and Pawtuxet over a tract of land acquired from the Narragansetts. Harris filed a bill against the Town of Providence regarding lands he claimed on behalf of Pawtuxet on August 25, 1677. On the same date as this answer, Roger Williams, Gregory Dexter, and Arthur Fenner offered a separate answer to the court sitting in Providence, declaring that Harris “did by his humble petition sett forth, that he & twelve others his partners neer forty years since, purchased from Certaine Indians a parcel of Land called Pawtuxett, And now ye sd William Harris declareth yt [that] they bought Pawtuxett of Mr Williams who is noe indian, alsoe William Harris further Saith that Pawtuxett was Given unto Mr Williams & they gave him 20£ Sterling & sd land was not bought but Given. More things we have to prSent, if we be not barred from appearing to Answer to his declaration against us.”

According to a history of the dispute, the controversy was not finally settled until 1712, and then “adverse to the men of Pawtuxet.”

Roger Williams (1603-1683) was born in London to a merchant tailor and his wife. He received an education at Charterhouse School and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he displayed a talent for languages. He took holy orders in the Church of England, but became a Puritan at Cambridge. In 1629, he married Mary Bernard, the daughter of a Puritan preacher, and they had six children. They left England for the Massachusetts Bay Colony late in 1630. After some controversy in Massachusetts Bay, Williams moved to Plymouth Colony, where he regularly preached. His views of the rights of Native Americans, and his religious views on freedom of conscience soon forced Williams to leave Plymouth, and he returned to Massachusetts Bay in 1633. Within two years, the General Court convicted him of sedition and heresy and banished him from the colony. In 1636, he and a dozen others established a settlement he called Providence on land purchased from the Narragansetts. He and others established the colony on the principals of religious liberty, separation of church and state, and majoritarian democracy. Williams founded the first Baptist Church in America in Providence in 1638. He gained the trust of local Native Americans and mediated disputes between European settlers and Native Americans for nearly four decades. In 1643, he traveled to England to obtain a charter for the colony, arriving in the midst of the English Civil War. He obtained a charter from the Puritans and published his first book A Key into the Language of America, which gave him a favorable reputation. His second book The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience, published in 1644, was much less popular, and Puritan authorities burned copies in London. In 1647, he assisted in uniting the four settlements around Narragansett Bay into the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, over which he became President in 1654. During King Philip’s War in the mid-1670s, Williams served as captain of Providence’s militia in a war against the Native Americans with whom he had developed good relations, a very bitter experience for him. The war resulted in the burning of Providence, and Williams’s house, in March 1676.

William Harris (1610-1681) was born in Northbourne, Kent, England, and his father died when he was young. He and two of his siblings belonged to the dissenting church of John Lothropp in London. In 1634, he married Susan Hyde, and they left England in 1634 or 1635 to settle in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1638, Harris was one of the twelve original proprietors of Providence, and a year later was one of the founding members of the first Baptist Church in America. Over the next decade, Harris accumulated considerable land in the colony of Providence Plantations. From 1660 to 1676, Harris served in a variety of offices in Providence, including commissioner, assistant magistrate, general solicitor, and member of the town council. In 1663, 1675, and 1679, Harris made trips to England as an agent for Pawtuxet settlers and for the colony of Connecticut in land disputes. On the third voyage, his ship was commandeered by an Algerian ship, and Harris was enslaved in Algiers. By the summer of 1681, he had been successfully ransomed, and he crossed the Mediterranean Sea, Spain, and France to get back to London. He died three days after arriving in London.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000