LXI. Committee of the Council for Virginia. Copy of Minutes
relating to the Censure passed on Alderman Johnson
July 8, 1619
Manchester Papers, No. 250
Document in Public Record Office, London
List of Records No. 112
At a meeting of a Com̃ittee of the Counsell for Virginia at Southampton
House on Thursday morning 8th of July 1619. beeing present.
| The Earle of Southampton. |
Sr Nathan: Riche. |
| The Earle of Warwicke. |
Mr John Wroth. |
| Sr John Danuers. |
Mr Thorpe. |
| Sr Tho: Gates. |
Mr John ffarrar. |
According to an Order of Courte made yesterday beeing the 7th of this
instant July the Com̃ittees aforesaid haueing mett & maturely considered
of the matters by the said Order referrd to §by§ them to be decided doe
touching the same resolue & Order as followeth. ffirste for the ill & con-
temptible language wch passed in open Courte from Mr Alderman Johnson
to Sr Edwyn Sandis Treasuror for Virginia (houlding likewise the place
of Governor) they concurre in opinion wth the Courte that there was noe
occasion of offence at all at that tyme given by Sr Edwyn Sandys, nor
any speach, (as they whoe were eare Witnesses hereof conceaue) §past§
from him wch mighte iustly be excepted against but on the contrary he
after longe forbearance pressing the mo payment of certaine mony oweing
to the Company by the Magazine (the direction whereof particularly
concernes the office of the said Alderman Johnson) did that wch by vertue
of his place he oughte, and by speciall oath & he was bound to doe. Sec-
ondly they conceaue that both the wordℯ and gesture of the said Alder-
man at that tyme were not onely vndecent & vncivill but very iniurious
insomuch that by them much §wrong as also§ contempte & indignitye was
offered as well to the whole body of the Courte (whose person the Gov-
ernor did then sustaine & whose cause he contended for) as to Sr Edwyn
Sandis in his owne particuler. Out of wch considerac̃ons they houlde
that the Aldermans offence is great & the rather for that in regard of the
quality of his person & gravity of his yeres others may by his example
be animated to houlde a slighte esteeme both of the Officers & p̳ceedingℯ
of the said Courte and make those meetingℯ w
ch shoulde tende onely to
the furtherance of that noble & pious [2] worke (for w
ch they are appointed
by his Ma
ties Letters Patentℯ, to assemble themselues) to be a place to
vent theire owne spleene, & particular passions a thinge most vnfitte &
w
ch (if it be not p̢vented) will soone bringe w
th it the ruyne & distruction
of the whole businesse. And therefore in theire opinions deserves a hard
censure especially if they shoulde guide theire Judgementℯ herein by
such examples as were alleadged to be vsuall in cases resembling this
w
ch they haue in hand. But for that they desire rather to prevent a
future ill then to be severe in this p̢nte particular they doe order that for
this tyme M
r Alderman w shall onely at the nexte Courte (to be helde
for Virginia) make publike acknowledgement of his error, and desire both
the Treasuro
r & Company to remitte the offence by him done to eyther
of them. And §they§ doe further aduise that vpon this occasion some
stricter lawe may be made by the said Treasuro
r, Counsell & Company
againste any whoe shall offend in the like kinde hereafter.
[Indorsed:] The Counsell of Virginia their Censure vpon Alderman
Johnson
[And in another hand:] ye Aldermans censure
