129 Draft of an Address from the Corporation to Governor Dudley

    [ca. 1702]

    To His Excellency Joseph Dudley Esquire, Captain Generall and Governour in cheif of Her Majestyes province of the Massachusets Bay &c.

    The humble addresse of the Vice-president and Fellowes of Harvard Colledge.

    May it please Your Excellency.

    Premising a most sincere and hearty Declaration of our most cheerfull Readynesse to serve Your Excellency to the utmost of our power and our most gratefull acknowledgment of Your high and undeserved favour, and greatest and dearest love to this Society, and constant and unwearied Solicitude to provide for its welfare, and for the flourishing of Learning and Vertue in it, beseeching Almighty God Long to continue Your Excellency to be a Rich blessing to this province, and a propitious patron to, and Supporter of this Languishing Society, and to crown You with an [. . . cessible] crowne of Glory at Last, which Requests proceed from hearts that doe not lye. We crave leave humbly to suggest unto Your Excellency that although sundry of us doubt of our present power (by any act of the Generall Assembly now in force) to erect any new office in the Colledge, Yet that no Master of Arts of this Colledge, worthy and deserving during his abode in the Colledge may be unimployed and unservicable, we have unanimously agreed a confirmation of our former practice that Masters of Arts here resident and professedly orthodox, have liberty to Read publick lectures of philosophy and Philology, by appoyntment, and under regulation, of the Vice-president, which we hope will be acceptable, and intirely submitt it to Your Excellencyes wisdom and improvement, in Regard of the Gentleman Your Excellency was pleased in the letters You lately honoured us with to referre to our consideration.

    So with all profound Respect we crave Leave to Subscribe

    Your Excellencyes

    Most Obedient

    Humble Servants

    College Papers, i. 30 (No. 68).