[The director general and councilors of New Netherland, having examined and considered the seditious and mutinous order and resolution adopted and signed the 27th of December 1657 by the schout, clerk, magistrates, and the greater number of the inhabitants of the] village of Vlijs[ singen ], [ and presented, a few days afterwards ] to the lord general himself by schout Tobias [ Feecque ], by which resolution of theirs they absolutely [ condemn ], infringe, and oppose the director general and councilors’ well-meant order enacted against the Quakers and other sects, daring to frankly express and say that they cannot reach out their hands against them to punish, banish, persecute, or [ attack ] them; that they, as God moves their conscience, will allow members of every sect free egress and return into their village and houses, which then, contradicting and opposing the order and edicts of the director general and councilors, is, as stated before, a matter of very evil and dangerous consequence, as it absolutely overruns the authority of the director general and councilors.[i] And therefore, as an example to others, it well deserves to be penalized and punished by the annulment of the privileges and exemptions granted to the village from time to time by both lord director general Kieft’s patent and the extension granted by the present director general and councilors, and in addition by corporal punishment and banishment of all of those who signed the mutinous resolution. But the director general and councilors, expecting greater prudence in the future, are more inclined towards grace for their subjects than towards rigor of justice, all the more so since they inferred from the circumstances of the case that many, certainly the majority of them, were encouraged to co-sign by the previous signatures of the schout, clerk, and some magistrates. Therefore, the director general and councilors pardon, remit, and forgive the error made herein against the authority of the director general and councilors, and in their capacity against the supreme authority of the honorable high and mighty lords States General of the United Netherlands and the honorable lords directors, lords and patroons of this New Netherland province. [ Yet, in order that such and similar irregular disorders may in the future be obviated and prevented, and their well intended ordinance and edict maintained in a better manner, wherein, ] either through malice or ignorance of the customs of our fatherland, all the late schouten successively [ have manifested no small negligence, ] the director general and councilors considered it highly necessary and appropriate to qualify and commission henceforth as schout for the village of Vlissingen as well as for other villages, a person better versed in the Dutch practice, and somewhat conversant in both languages, both English and Dutch, according to the instructions given before, and to be subsequently extended as the circumstances of the villages shall require. Meanwhile, they continue and qualify the magistrates heretofore appointed to administer law and justice between man and man in accordance with the instruction formerly given, and provisionally [ they qualify ] the oldest magistrate as schout, until the time that the director general and councilors qualify another competent person.
Further, to prevent in the future the disorder that usually results from general town meetings or village assemblies, which, besides being very prejudicial and an impediment to many in their daily business, seldom are accompanied by salutary and good results, the director general and councilors order and command that from now on no such town meetings are to be convoked or held anymore, except for great and important reasons, which shall first and beforehand by the schout, or in his absence by one of the magistrates, be communicated to the director general and councilors, whose advice and approval shall be requested. But instead of such village meetings, seven persons shall, once and for all, be chosen and appointed out of the best, most righteous, and most qualified inhabitants, to be named community’s or town’s men[ii] and who can be employed by the schout and magistrates as councilors about and regarding any village matters, from whom also the magistrates [ may adjoin to themselves ] one or more [assistants, especially if they be too few, or if any of their board be a party in a lawsuit; and whatever is resolved by the schout, magistrates, and the aforesaid seven tribunes or town’s men in regard to any affairs in the town, such as] fences, bridges, [ highways, etc., schools, churches ], and other public buildings, all other inhabitants [ shall obey and ] observe at once, on pain of arbitrary correction.
Finally, the director general and councilors, by lamentable [ experience ], perceive that, due to the lack of a good, pious, and orthodox minister, of which the aforesaid village has been deprived now for already 3 or 4 years and longer, the inhabitants fall not only into disregard of divine worship and profanation of the Lord’s sabbath, but also into heresy and unseemly lawlessness; the director general and councilors therefore order and command that the schout, magistrates, and elected town’s men shall at the first suitable opportunity, look for and inquire after a good, devout, God-fearing, and orthodox minister, and finding one, notify the director general and councilors thereof, in order that he may be called upon in a proper form and fashion, and inducted and confirmed in the aforesaid village. In order that he be the better encouraged in his calling and service, and provided with a decent and appropriate maintenance, the director general and councilors hereby ordain and decree that all inhabitants of the aforesaid village of Vlissingen shall within the time of six weeks after this date, in conformity with their patent and according to the further extension and privileges granted to the aforesaid village on the 26th of April 1648, each for himself, request and also obtain a separate patent of the size of the lands and meadows which he owns as a proprietor, or intends to own as a proprietor, and once a year pay 12 stivers for each Holland morgen thereof for support of the minister; and the director general and councilors promise [ to supply ] from the [ tenths becoming due, ] whatever shall be short of that revenue [until the aforesaid town shall, in the judgment and opinion of the director and councilors, contain a sufficient number of inhabitants.
In order that all the aforesaid may be] the better observed [ and executed ] the director general and councilors order [ and command ] that all of those who are not inclined to comply with, obey, and observe this order of the director general and councilors within the prescribed time of six weeks, shall dispose of their goods to their best advantage and depart from this government; likewise, all good and well-disposed inhabitants, already in the village, or those, who may come hereafter shall be bound to promise, by signature of their names, to obey and observe this, and in case of refusal thereof not to be admitted as inhabitants. Thus done at the session of the honorable lord director general and councilors held in Fort Amsterdam in N: Netherland, 26 March 1658.
