In all humble reverence, it had been more advantageous and honorable for me never to have been favored with your High Mightinesses' Commission, or never to have sworn before your High Mightinesses to administer both criminal and civil law and justice, than pending your High Mightinesses' Commission and our recorded oath, to be, on a simple petition, so disparaged by neighbors and subjects, and so disavowed to the degradation of justice, of authority, and of our granted Commission, even before parties had argued, much less concluded the case before your High Mightinesses. We submit ourselves in humble obedience to your High Mightinesses' righteous judgment and strict justice, in all

case we can be convinced with reason and truth, that we have committed or done anything contrary to the common weal, either of beloved and worthy Fatherland, or of this Province^ or its inhabitants, or to the prejudice and disrepute of your High Mightinesses' sovereign authority. We bow before God's Omniscience and your High Mightinesses' judgment in case it be shown and proved, that we, in or regarding the pronounced sentence, were impregnated

with any sinister motive, passion or favor. Whoso acquits the wicked and condemns the righteous man, is equally an abomination to the Lord. We have reconsidered the proofs, and

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HOLLAND DOCUMENTS : IV. 323 as far as our knowledge permits, have given our opinion thereupon conformably to Divine and human laws; if we have erred in the application or explication of them, we submit ourselves to your High Mightinesses' wiser judgment, and to Justinian's memorable saying Omnia sapo'e et in nulla 'penilus itcccare lAus dtitalis quam humanitatis est. Passing by the falsehoods introduced from the appellant's complaints into the writ of Mandamus, we remark that we are thereby summoned to appear before your High Mightinesses either in person or by Attorney, at the proper day, or to revoke the sentence.