Wee doe here sweare by the Great and dreadful name of y^e high God,
maker and Gouern^r of Heaven & earth and by the Lord Jesus X y^e
King & Savio^r of his people that in his name & fear we will submitt
o^r selves to be ruld & gouerned by, according to y^e will & Word of
God and such holsome Laws & ordinances as shall be derived theire
from by O^r honr^d Rulers and y^e Lawfull assistance with the
consent of y^e people and y^t wee will be ready to assist them by
the helpe of God in the administration of Justice and p^rservacon of
peace with o^r bodys and goods and best endeavo^{rs} according to
God, so God protect & saue us and O^{rs} in Christ Jesus. [1640.]
THE COMBINATION OF THE PEOPLE OF DOVER TO ESTABLISH
A FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Whereas sundry Mischiefes and inconveniences have befaln us, and
more and greater may in regard of want of Civill Government, his
Gratious Matie haveing hitherto settled no Order for us to our
knowledge:
Wee whose names are underwritten being inhabitants upon the River
Piscataquack have voluntarily agreed to combine our selves into a
Body Politique that wee may the more comfortably enjoy the benefit
of his Maties Lawes. And do hereby actually ingage our Selves to
Submit to his Royal Maties Lawes together with all such Orders as
shalbee concluded by a Major part of the Freemen of our Society, in
case they bee not repugnant to the Lawes of England and administered
in the behalfe of his Majesty.
And this wee have mutually promised and concluded to do and so to
continue till his Excellent Matie shall give other Order concerning
us.
In Witness wee have hereto Set our hands the two & twentieth day of
October in the sixteenth yeare of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord
Charles by the grace of God King of Great Brittain, France & Ireland
Defender of the Faith &c. Annoq Domi, 1640. [John Follett, and
forty-one others.]
Under these forms the administration of the affairs of Exeter, and
Dover, went on satisfactorily until, together with Hampton and
Portsmouth, they came under the sway of Massachusetts-Bay in 1643; a
part of the price the latter were ready to pay for the extension of
their jurisdiction was that the citizens of the New Hampshire towns were
to be allowed the elective franchise without reference to their being
church members. This arrangement continued under the Laws of
Massachusetts-Bay, as a part of Norfolk County, until New Hampshire
became, in 1680, a Royal Province.
In the Generall Lawes and Liberties of the Province of New
Hampshire, made by the Generall Assembly in Portsm^o the 16th of
March, 1679/80 and Aproved by the Presid^t and Councill. The
following is given as the status of