"DEAR SIR:

THE REV. THOROWGOOD MOORE.

Mr. Moore to Mr. Hodges.

N. York, Nov. 14, 1705.

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"I have now left Albany and the Indians without any thought of returning. * * I left Albany 12th the last and have since been in the Jerseys seeing where I may be most servicable and how I may regain the time. I have lost. I find there great want of ministers and therefore shall spend my time chiefly there till I hear from the Society and particularly at Burlington the chief town there during the Rev'd Mr. Talbots absence I have proposed to the society my being Missionary ad Libitum and that they would allow another for some time till there are Missionarys sent to supply all places. Mr. Talbot is now going for England chiefly for the good of the Church and therefore I hope he will have your particular friendship and all the favour the society can give him. I can't say I ever saw a man of greater zeal and industry for the glory of God, and the good of his Church. I am &c &c

"THO: MOORE."

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MR. TALBOT IN ENGLAND.

Mr. Talbot to the Society for Propagating the Gospel.

May it please the Reverend and

"London, March 14, 1706.

Right Honorable Society for Propagating the Gospel: "After I had travelled with Mr. G. Keith through nine or ten Provinces between New England and North Carolina, I took my leave of him in Maryland. The Assembly then sitting offered me £100 sterling to go and Proselite their Indians; but my call was to begin at home, and to teach our own People first, whose Language we did understand; so I returned to Burlington to finish the Church which was happily begun there. Mr. Sharpe came to my assistance where I left him to supply that hopeful and infant Church, whilst I went to East Jersey for Amboy, Elizabeth Town, Woodbridge and Staten-Island. This we did by turns about half a year till Mr. Mott dyed who was

Chaplain of the Queen's Fort and Forces at New York. I was offered this place also, where I should have Board and Lodging and £130 per annum, paid weekly; but nothing could tempt me from the service of the Society who were pleased to adopt me into their service, before I had the honour to know them. Mr. Sharpe was glad to embrace this offer; so I travelled alone, doing what good I could, till last Summer, I met with Mr. John Brook who brought me a letter from my Lord of London and orders to fix at Burlington, as I did till November last. There was a general meeting of the Missionarys who resolved to address the Queen for a suffragan Bishop, that I should travel with it, and make known the requests of some of the Brethren abroad, whose case we had recommended formerly by Letter to the Venerable Society, but without success. It will be four years next June since I associated with Mr. Keith. I was allowed £60 per annum for three years, but for the last I had nothing neither here nor there. I have no Business here but to solicit for a Suffragan, Books and Ministers for the propagating the Gospel. God has so blessed my Labors and Travels abroad that I am fully resolved by his Grace to return, the sooner the better, having done the Business that I came about; meanwhile my Living in Gloucestershire is given away, but I have no reason to doubt of any Encouragement from this famous Society who have done more in four years for America than ever was done before; and your Petitioner will ever pray. God bless all our Benefactors in Heaven and Earth, and reward them for ever, for all the Good they have done to the Church in general and in particular to

"Your most humble servant and

"Obedient Missionary,
"JOHN TALBOT."

MR. TALBOT EAGER TO RETURN.

"HONORED SIR:

Mr. Talbot to the Secretary.

"London, April 16th, 1707.

"I have received several letters from my friends in America who long for my return, which I was forward to do once and

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again, but Satan hindered me by raising lies and slanders in my way. But I have cleared myself to all that have heard me, and I hope you will satisfy the Honorable Society that I am not the man to whom that dark character did belong. Mr. Keith has known my doctrine and manner of life some years, what I have ventured, suffered and acted for the Gospel of Christ abroad and at home. I desire his letter may be read to the Honorable Board, and that they will be pleased to dispatch me, the sooner the better, for the season is far spent, and the ships are going out, and if I go at all, I would go quickly. I know the wants of the poor people in America. They have need of me or else I should not venture my life to do that abroad which I could do more to my own advantage at home. I should be glad to see somebody sent to North Carolina. I hope the Planters' letters are not quite forgotten. 'Tis a sad thing to live in the wilderness like the wild Indians without God in the world.

"Your humble Servant,

"JOHN TALBOT."

"SIR,

A PRISONER IN FORT ANNE.

Mr. Moore to the Secretary.

"Fort Anne, Augst 27th 1707.

"This comes to inform you of what at first without doubt will be no small surprise to you and that is that one of the Society's Missionaries is no other than a prisoner and his mission confined within the walls of a Fort. The missionary is myself, who am now a prisoner in Fort Anne in the city of New York; but how I came into this province and what is my crime you can't I believe but be impatient to know: be pleased then to take the following acc' and to communicate it to the Society.

"As to the first I was brought hither by force which was after this manner, (viz) about a month ago his Excellency my Lord Cornbury Gov' in chief of the Province of N. Jersey, N. York, &c, being then at York sent a summons for me to appear before him at N. York to answer to such things as should be alleged against me.

"I was not long considering what to do, being only to consult the legality of the summons and whether the law commanded my obedience, which, if it did not, I knew of no other obligation, but had many reasons to the contrary; as the leaving my charge without any to supply my place, and the uncertainty indeed of my return (I being well satisfied that my Lord had often declared that he would remove me out of the province for reasons scarce worth while troubling the Society with) &c, so that I say I had only to consider whether my Lord had that power to summon me out of the province, and a little consideration was sufficient to satisfy me he had not; N. Jersey being certainly a distinct province from this of New York, as Virginia. is; and the power of Government (I am well informed and it necessarily must be so) upon the death or absence of my Lord Cornbury to be lodged in the Lieutenant Governor and upon the death or absence of the Lieutenant Governor, in the council. But upon my not obeying this summons, His Excellency, the Lord Cornbury sends a warrant dated from N. York, to the Sheriff of Burlington, to bring me safe to his Lordship's house, at Amboy, about 50 miles from Burlington, in the same province, which accordingly he executed. He took me into his custody the 15th and brought me to Amboy the 16th inst., being Saturday, where we found his excellency arrived from N. York. His excellency told the Sheriff he had done very well in bringing me thither and ordered him (by word of mouth) to secure me and bring me before him on Monday morning, which accordingly he did, but his Excellency, it is to be supposed, being otherways busy'd that morning, ordered I should be brought in the afternoon and then the next morning when he was pleased to send for me into a private room where were only the Lieutenant Governor and himself. His excellency, after some words of anger, not worth mentioning, and which if I did, would oblige me to say a great deal more in the order to explaining them, began to condemn my behaviour to him ever since my first arrival into America, siding with his and the Government's enemies; and that I was a preacher of Rebellion (which I think he seemed to intimate I did by my conversation and not by my sermons, though I think he might have said the one as well as the other)

and that I had shown my rebellious temper particularly in not obeying the Lieutenant Governor's suspension of me. But this now obliges me to say something of that matter which in short shall be this: Upon my not obeying my Lord's summons to York (which I told you I received about a month since) the Lieutenant Governor, Coll: Ingoldsby told me before two or three persons that for that reason he suspended me from preaching or performing any divine service in Burlington; but I told him I did not think he had that power and so I left him. But he I suppose, thinking that that was not sufficient, was resolved to publish it by writing and so ordered the secretary of the province to draw up a form which accordingly he did and the Lieutenant Governor signed it and commanded him to take care that it was set up at the churches doors; but the Secretary considering that he had no sufficient warrant for so unaccountable proceedings went to him the next day and told him that he did not think he could safely do it; but that if it was to be set up it was, he thought, the church wardens business, accordingly he ordered the paper to be directed to the church wardens and delivered to them. The secretary himself was one and went with the paper to the other church warden to know his mind, but he being more than ordinary averse to it, they agreed not to set it up, so that I believe I can obtain the original paper signed by the Lieutenant Governor, but however I can get a copy of it attested by the church wardens. But to return; His Excellency, my Lord Cornbury told me the Lieutenant Governor had done very well in suspending me-that he confirmed hist suspension and discharged me from preaching any more in that or the neighboring province. I told his Excellency that I was very sorry to hear that and beg'd his Excellency would judge favorably of me if I did not obey him in that particular, and believe that it proceeded from a sense of duty that I ought not and not out of obstinacy, but however I would take the best advice I could get about this and act according to my conscience. He told me that he would be obeyed, that my conscience should not rule him. I told him I could not expect that, but begged I might be excused if it did me. He told me that he would be obeyed and that if I did not he would use me like other Rebels.