Lucius R. Paige, History of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1630-1877, with a genealogical register

“ [77] to his Majesty, and would be well satisfied to have his Majesty's authority in a better manner established; but the major part are of different principles, having been in the government from the time they formed themselves into a Commonwealth. These direct and manage all affairs as they please, of which number are Mr. Leverett, Governor,—Mr. Symons, Deputy Governor,— Mr. Danforth, Mr. Ting, Major Clarke, and Major Hathorn, still continued a magistrate, though commanded by his Majesty upon his allegiance to come into England, yet refused, being encouraged in his disobedience by a vote of the Court not to appear, upon some reasons best known to themselves. These, with some few others of the same faction, keep the country in subjection and slavery, backed with the authority of a pretended charter.” ¹

To the Bishop of London he writes, May 29, 1682, “I think I have so clearly layd downe the matter of fact, sent over their lawes and orders to confirme what I have wrote, that they cannot deny them: however, if commanded, I will readily pass the seas to attend at Whitehall, especially if Danford, Goggin, and Newell, magistrates, and Cooke, Hutchinson and Fisher, members of their late General Court and great opposers of the honest Governor and majestrates, be sent for to appeare before his Majesty; till which time this country will always be a shame as well as inconveniency to the government at home.” ² Soon afterwards, June 14, 1682, he writes to the Earl of Clarendon, “His Majesties quo warranto against their charter, and sending for Thomas Danforth, Samuel Nowell, a late factious preacher and now a magistrate, and Daniel Fisher and Elisha Cooke, deputies, to attend and answer the articles of high misdemeanures I have now exhibited against them in my papers sent Mr. Blaithwait per Capt. Foy, will make the whole faction tremble.” ³

“During these distresses of the colony,” says Hutchinson in 1681, “there were two parties subsisting in the government, both of them agreed in the importance of the charter privileges, but differing in opinion upon the extent of them, and upon the proper measures to preserve them. The governor, Mr. Bradstreet, was at the head of the moderate party. Randolph in all his letters takes notice of it. . . . . Mr. Stoughton, Mr. Dudley, and William Brown of Salem, these fell in with the Governor. The deputy governor, Mr. Danforth, was at the head of the other party: the principal members of the court with him were Major Gookins of Cambridge, Peter Tilton of Hadley, Elisha Cooke and Elisha ”