Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. III
That all what they alledge in favour of their Rights and extraordinary Priviledges, and all that they object against me for to blacken me, and misrepresent me to his Excellency and the Council, all the venomous strokes scattered here and there in their Answer • all this, I say, is nothing to the purpose, and doth not in the least relate to tlie true Point in dispute between us ; all this doth in no sort justify their irregular and unjust Proceeding against me, nor shew how they have been sufficiently authorized, or what Reason and lawful Power they had to turn me out of my office, and to refuse to pay me
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my Salary. In short, all this doth not at all, or very little con cern tlie Petition presented by the heads ot Families to the Governour in Council, nor the acts of Opposition and Protestation annexed to it ; nor even that invidious Act wliich those Gentlemen passed in the Consistory against me, on the 2Utli of September last.
Since then the Artifice of tlie Answerers hath been to turn off the attention of his Excellency and his Council from the true state of the Question, to run upon considerations foreign and remote from the Subject, and into Cavils on matters which have not given occasion to our last Difference ; I tliink therefore that it is proper and necessary to bring them back to an enquiry into tlie matter of Fact itself, which we are about, and which is expressed in the Petition of the heads of Families of our Church, and in the two Papers thereto annexed. This Petition was presented on account of a certain Instrument passed and signed against me, on the 20th of last September^ and on account of the unhappy Consequences, whicli it hath since had with Relation to our Church.