Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

My attendance upon busines lies so hard
upon me at present; that I cannot answere you
so particularly, as otherwise I should have done
& shall yet do, if y^r ships depart not too sud-
dainly. In y^e mean time this comes by three wor-
thy men, in whom I doubt not but you will
find great comfort. For they go to you cheer-
fully without y^e least encouragem^t from his
Maj:^tie, whose necessities will not afford it at
this time. I am afraid y^e fund appointed for
y^e Chaplain & Scholemaster in Pensilvania
will run y^e same fate. For they tell me it is
very deficient. What yo^r Comissary will
do, I cannot tell: but I do by no means like
his Catalogue of bookes, & hope to have a
better drawn up very suddainly. In y^e mean
time you will do well to consider what sort
of Act you will make for his establishment.
For now you know by yo^r's and all other Go-
vernours Comissions in America, there is re-
ferred to you three considerable articles
out of my Commisarship, Marriages, Probate of
Wills & Collation to Benefices. As to your Act
for establishing a Schole, under favour, I do
not think it well drawn. For certainly y^e
Scholemaster ought to be appointed as well
as Licenced by his Diocesan. Not that I am
ambitious of y^e Office: but to prevent. Mischief.
You see from y^e example in Virginia, how easy
it is for a Governour to change y^e face of things,
& from all good intentions & dispositions by re-
moving a few good men, & put^ting bad, or such as will
move at his beck in their room. So that as you
put it now in yo^r Act if an A. should governe
at any time in Maryland or an F. instead of an
N. how easy were it for them either to de-
stroy or corrupt y^e Schole, & so make it either
useless or dangerous. I think y^e names of these
three very good men are Arrowsmith, Gourdon & Lyne.
I find one Brechin likewise in my booke: I should be
glad to hear of him. If I cannot write another
Letter by this return, I beseech you to give my
most hearty thanks to all those gentlemen
of yo^r government, that were pleased to give
me so full assurace of their good will, w^c I shall
ever gratefully remember. I desire you would
give my service & excuse likewise to S^r Thomas
Laurence, & to beleeve me

For his Excel:^ce Colonel
Nicholson Govenour of
Maryland

H. London
to Gov. Nicholⁿ