University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
  
  
  
  
  
  

 I. 
 II. 
 III. 
 IV. 
 V. 
 VI. 
 VII. 
 VIII. 
 IX. 
 X. 
 XI. 
 XII. 
 XIII. 
 XIV. 
 XV. 
 XVI. 
 XVII. 
 XVIII. 
 XIX. 
 XX. 
 XXI. 
 XXII. 
 XXIII. 
 XXIV. 
 XXV. 
 XXVI. 
 XXVII. 
 XXVIII. 
 XXIX. 
 XXX. 
 XXXI. 
 XXXII. 
 XXXIII. 
 XXXIV. 
 XXXV. 
 XXXVI. 
 XXXVII. 
 XXXVIII. 
 XXXIX. 
 XL. 
 XLI. 
 XLII. 
 XLIII. 
 XLIV. 
 XLV. 
 XLVI. 
 XLVII. 
 XLVIII. 
 XLIX. 
 L. 
 LI. 
 LII. 
 LIII. 
 LIV. 
 LV. 
 LVI. 
 LVII. 
 LVIII. 
 LIX. 
 LX. 
 LXI. 
 LXII. 
 LXIII. 
 LXIV. 
 LXV. 
 LXVI. 
 LXVII. 
 LXVIII. 
 LXIX. 
 LXX. 
 LXXI. 
 LXXII. 
 LXXIII. 
 LXXIV. 
 LXXV. 
 LXXVI. 
 LXXVII. 
 LXXVIII. 
 LXXIX. 
 LXXX. 
 LXXXI. 
 LXXXII. 
 LXXXIII. 
 LXXXIV. 
 LXXXV. 
 LXXXVI. 
 LXXXVII. 
 LXXXVIII. 
 LXXXIX. 
 XC. 
 XCI. 
 XCII. 
 XCIII. 
 XCIV. 
 XCV. 
 XCVI. 
 XCVII. 
 XCVIII. 
 XCIX. 
 C. 
 CI. 
 CII. 
 CIII. 
 CIV. 
 CV. 
CV. Copy of Opinion of Counsel upon the Patents of the Virginia Company May, 1620
 CVI. 
 CVII. 
 CVIII. 
 CIX. 
 CX. 
 CXI. 
collapse sectionCXII. 
  
  
 CXIII. 
 CXIV. 
 CXV. 
 CXVI. 
 CXVII. 
 CXVIII. 
 CXIX. 
 CXX. 
 CXXI. 
 CXXII. 
expand sectionCXXIII. 
 CXXIV. 
 CXXV. 
 CXXVI. 
 CXXVII. 
 CXXVIII. 
 CXXIX. 
 CXXX. 
 CXXXI. 
 CXXXII. 
 CXXXIII. 
 CXXXIV. 
 CXXXV. 
 CXXXVI. 
 CXXXVII. 
 CXXXVIII. 
 CXXXIX. 
 CXL. 
 CXLI. 
 CXLII. 
 CXLIII. 
 CXLIV. 
 CXLV. 
 CXLVI. 
 CXLVII. 
 CXLVIII. 
 CXLIX. 
 CL. 
 CLI. 
 CLII. 
 CLIII. 
 CLIV. 
 CLV. 
 CLVI. 
 CLVII. 
 CLVIII. 
 CLIX. 
 CLX. 
 CLXI. 
 CLXII. 
 CLXIII. 
 CLXIV. 
 CLXV. 
 CLXVI. 
 CLXVII. 
 CLXVIII. 
 CLXIX. 
 CLXX. 
 CLXXI. 
 CLXXII. 
 CLXXIII. 
 CLXXIV. 
 CLXXV. 
 CLXXVI. 
 CLXXVII. 
 CLXXVIII. 
 CLXXIX. 
 CLXXX. 
 CLXXXI. 
 CLXXXII. 
 CLXXXIII. 
 CLXXXIV. 
 CLXXXV. 
 CLXXXVI. 
 CLXXXVII. 
 CLXXXVIII. 
 CLXXXIX. 
 CXC. 
 CXCI. 
 CXCII. 
 CXCIII. 
 CXCIV. 
 CXCV. 
 CXCVI. 
 CXCVII. 
 CXCVIII. 
 CXCIX. 
 CC. 
 CCI. 
 CCII. 
 CCIII. 
 CCIV. 
 CCV. 
 CCVI. 
 CCVII. 
 CCVIII. 
 CCIX. 
 CCX. 
 CCXI. 
 CCXII. 
 CCXIII. 
 CCXIV. 
 CCXV. 
 CCXVI. 
 CCXVII. 
 CCXVIII. 
 CCXIX. 
 CCXX. 
 CCXXI. 
 CCXXII. 
 CCXXIII. 
 CCXXIV. 
 CCXXV. 
 CCXXVI. 
 CCXXVII. 
 CCXXVIII. 
 CCXXIX. 
 CCXXX. 
 CCXXXI. 
 CCXXXII. 
 CCXXXIII. 
 CCXXXIV. 
 CCXXXV. 
 CCXXXVI. 
 CCXXXVII. 
 CCXXXVIII. 
 CCXXXIX. 
 CCXL. 
 CCXLI. 
 CCXLII. 
 CCXLIII. 
 CCXLIV. 
 CCXLV. 
 CCXLVI. 
expand sectionCCXLVII. 
 CCXLVIII. 
 CCXLIX. 
 CCL. 
 CCLI. 
 CCLII. 
 CCLIII. 
 CCLIV. 
 CCLV. 
 CCLVI. 
 CCLVII. 
 CCLVIII. 
 CCLIX. 
 CCLX. 
 CCLXI. 
 CCLXII. 
 CCLXIII. 
 CCLXIV. 
 CCLXV. 
 CCLXVI. 
 CCLXVII. 
 CCLXVIII. 
 CCLXIX. 
 CCLXX. 
 CCLXXI. 
 CCLXXII. 
 CCLXXIII. 

  

267

CV. Copy of Opinion of Counsel upon the Patents of the
Virginia Company
May, 1620

Manchester Papers, No. 271
Document in Public Record Office, London
List of Records No. 170

Vpon Considerac̃on of the patentℯ & of the questions move therevpon, I
am of oppinion as followeth.

    1

  • That Sr Thomas Smithe is not so absolutely made Tr̃er by the 2 patent as
    that he is not removable by the lawes & orders of the company; either
    vpon his owne Desire to surrender the place; or vpon other cause wch they
    shall conceyve to be reasonable; ffor although yt may seeme a hard expo-
    sic̃on of the wordes (or other seu9all occasions) that there wills shalbe
    taken as an occasion to remove him; wthout expressing any iust cause in
    certeyne yett when they haue removed him by a gen9all consent; it is not
    now to be questioned (as I Conceyve) whether they had lawfull cause or
    no; but there doingℯ are to be holden lawfull & iust: & §that by§ the
    intenc̃on of the 2 patent wthout any helpe of the third; But when a Lawe
    (by authority of the 3 patent is made) at a gen9all court by Consent of
    the wholl Company that all officers shall cease at such a tyme & newe to
    be chosen; that is byndinge, & makes this point wthout question as I take yt

  • 2

  • That by the clause of the 3 patent where the wordes are (we do give &
    graunt to the sayd tr̃er & Company & there successors foreu9 by theis
    p̢ntℯ, that the sayd tr̃er & Company or the greater nomber of them so
    assembled (viz at the gen9all quarter Courtℯ) shall & may haue full powe
    & authority to choose Councillors & officers & to make lawes &c That in
    this case the greater nomber of the Company wthout the tr̃er may make
    Lawes &c: & that as well when there is no tr̃er at all, as when he is absent;
    ffor as I do conceyve this great & gen9all Quarter Court wch is appointed
    by the 3 patent onely may be held wthout any tr̃er at all; and all thingℯ
    are to be dispatched there by the greater nomber of the company then
    assembled, & that by the expresse wortes of the patent; ffor although the


    268

    graunt be to the sayd tr̃er & Company for the doinge of theis thinges at
    this Court, yett that is but for forme onely, because all grauntℯ must be
    made to them by there name of Corporac̃on & yt is not requisite that the
    tr̃er should be p̢nt̃e or haue any voice in the makinge of theis Lawes; But
    for the holdinge of the petty Courtℯ apointed by the patent, (& to be
    sum̃oned by the tr̃er) the tr̃er must be one by expresse wordes, but so it
    is not here; Neither hath the tr̃er any negatiue voice in the makinge of
    theis Lawes, nor can hinder the doinge of any thinge wch the greater
    nomber of the Company at this gen9all Court will do; and therefore in
    reason his p̢nce, is not needfull, the rather seinge he is not appointed by
    the patent to be p̢nte, as he is at the other Courtℯ.

  • 3

  • I am of oppinion that the Company (wthout the tr̃er) having power to
    make Lawes at the gen9all Court, haue also power to repeall & abrogate
    all or any former Lawes as yt seemes they haue done, for the Lawe of
    repeall is a Lawe as well as the former & eodem modo quo Constituitur
    Dissoluitur; And so the Lawes that were made for the degrees of estab-
    lishing Lawes, & for elecc̃on of officers by the balladinge boxe, though
    they were excellent & Comendable; yett being repealed by the same
    authority they were made, they are gone & determined

  • 4

  • Sr Edwin Sandes cannott be Continued tr̃er by the act of the company
    vpon his former elecc̃on, for that is against the Lawe of the company that
    all officers shall cease at the quarter courte Day in Easter terme yearely;
    but the Company may then choose him anewe, as yt is likely they did

  • 5

  • I thinke that the Company here hath no power by the wordes of the 2
    patent either to punishe or p̱don offences com̄itted in Virginia especially
    in Capitall or criminall causes; 1 because they haue no power to p̳ceed
    here against any such offence, as the gou9nor there may do; & yf not to
    p̳ceed against it then not to p̱don yt; 2 although that graunt of the patent,
    be aswell to the tr̃er & Company & there successors, as to the gou9nor; yett
    the power is given to them accordinge to the natures & Limittℯ of there
    offices & places, respectiuely, that they shall & may wth in the p̢cinctℯ of
    Virginia or in the way by the seas thither &c: haue full power to Correct


    269

    punishe p̱don gou9ne & Rule &c: Nowe when a gou9nor is chosen & sent
    thither he hath a kinde of Regall power to execute Lawes & to punishe
    offenders there and also to p̱don them yf he see cause & that by the wordes
    of the patent; wch is more then the Company can do here; for any offence
    Com̄itted here, where the offence requires the punishmt of life or member;
    muche lesse for any offence done there (as I Conceyve) because they are
    not to execute any Lawes there but by ther gou9nor; And besides so muche
    may be gathered vpon the wordes of the 3 patent where the Company are
    authorised to remaund & send backe offenders to virginia there to be
    punished and p̳ceeded against accordinge to the Lawes there established
    for offences there com̄itted, and the reason is apparant because that by
    those lawes nor by any other they Cannott be p̳ceeded against here for
    offences done there, nor p̳doned here when they are p̳ceeded against there;
    And so I thinke that for all matters wherein the gou9nor may p̳ceed there
    by lawes there established, & for matters p̳p̱ to his Gou9nemt, the Company
    here haue no power to Controll his actℯ: And the clause of the 3 patent
    whereby the Company are authorised either to punishe misbehauiors
    or Contemptℯ or to send the offendors to virginia to be punished is to
    taken seu9ally & distributiue reddendo singula singulis; that is for offences
    that are com̄itted against the company here (& against wch they may
    p̳ceed) they may punishe the offenders here; But for offences done in
    Virginia against the peculiar Lawes there established for that gou9nemt,
    they must send the offendors thither to be punished or not at all; and being
    p̳ceeded against there by those Lawes, they are not to be p̱doned here;
    And this I take to be the playne meaninge of both the patentℯ touching
    this point.

[Indorsed:] Opinion vpon virginia patent.