CCCLX. [Sir Nathaniel Rich.] An Answer to the Company's
Petition[216]
May (soon after May 24), 1623
Manchester Papers, No. 374
Document in Public Record Office, London
List of Records No. 486a
Whereas his Matie by his letter com̃ands that none shall come to the
Virginia Courts or Com̃ittees but such as haue shares in Virginia, and men
plant either now planted vpon them or to be planted by the next Shipping.
The Company haue resolued to petition his Matie that §all§ those men
that are ioyned together in one Patent, and vppon a ioynt Stock haue
planted, that euery one of these Patentees may come to the Courts and
haue a voyce:
This §if it bee granted§ will vtterly defeate his Maties purpose to preuent
the meeting of a multitude together: for there are 50 or 60 Patents of
this nature granted, and in each Patent there are vsually 40 or 50 ioynt
Aduenturers, and so they may at that rate assembɫe three two or three
thousand people together.
It is therefore desyred
It may therefore (if so it please his Matie) be answered that for euery
of those petty Plantations which are §so§ made by a ioynt stock they
may choose one na or two men §(such as haue paid in their money for
that Plantac̃on)§ in the name of the rest to be present at theyr Courts
and that for the businesses of each seuerall Plantation the Patentees may
meete together among themselues as they were wont to doe: So theyr
priuate Plantations may be ordered among them that are partners in yt
Plantation: and yet the Courts not pestered with multitudes, nor no man
at any preiudice
The second part of his Maties letter is that no Complaynts shalbe brought
to the Comissioners in the name of the Company
Against this they intend likewise to petition because by this meanes
(they say) no the Iniuries offered to the Company as cannot be com-
playned of, for no p man will become an Informer
To this it is answered that the Company may appoint 3 or 4 who may
receaue and collect all comp wrongs of that nature, and if they be such
as wilbe by any man iustified they may be presented to the Comrs with
§vnder§ theyr names that will iustifie it: Otherwise any man of what
qualitye soeuer may be shamefully traduced by a multitude and can haue
no redress for it, wch was one mayne reason why his Matie m and the
Lords made that Order.
