CHAPTER VI.
MASSACHUSETTS DURING THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF CHARLES THE SECOND AND JAMES THE SECOND, FROM 1680 TO 1688--THE IMMEDIATE CAUSES AND MANNER OF CANCELLING THE FIRST CHARTER.
A crisis was now approaching.

The state of things shown in the latter part of the preceding chapter could not be suffered always to continue.
Means must be devised to bring it to an end.
The Massachusetts Court had sent successive agents to England to explain and to make promises concerning many things complained of, to crave indulgence and delay in other things which they could not explain or justify; but they prohibited their agents, by private instructions, from conceding anything which the Charter, as they interpreted it, had given them--namely, absolute independence.

But this double game was nearly played out.

Party struggles in England had absorbed the attention of the King and Cabinet, and caused a public and vacillating policy to be pursued in regard to Massachusetts; but the King's Government were at length roused to decisive action, and threatened the colony with a writ of _quo warranto_ in respect to matters so often demanded and as often evaded.
The Massachusetts Court met forthwith, passed an Act to control the commission of the King's Collector, Edward Randolph, and another Act charging their own newly-appointed Collector to look strictly after the enforcement of the Acts of Trade (but in reality to counteract them); repealed another Act which imposed a penalty for plotting the overthrow of the Colonial Constitution--an Act levelled against Randolph; passed another Act substituting the word "Jurisdiction" for the word "Commonwealth" in their laws.

They authorized their agents merely to lay these concessions before the King, and humbly hoped they would satisfy his Majesty.