These resident councils thus appointed, or the major part of them, were
required to choose from their own body a member, not being a minister of
God's Word, who was to be president, and to continue in office for a
single year. They were authorized to fill vacancies in their own body,
and, for sufficient cause, to remove the president and elect another in
his stead; but the authority to "increase, alter, or change" these
provincial councils was reserved as a final right to the King.
The Church of England was at once established, and the local powers were
to require that the true word and service of God, according to her
teachings, should be preached, planted, and used, not only among the
settlers, but, as far as possible, among the sons of the forest.
The crimes of the rebellion, tumults, conspiracy, mutiny, and sedition,
as well as murder, incest, rape, and adultery, were to be punished with
death, without benefit of clergy. To manslaughter, clergy was allowed.
These crimes were to be tried by jury, but the president and council were
to preside at the trial--to pass sentence of death--to permit no reprieve
without their order, and no absolute pardon without the sanction of the
King, under the great seal of England.
But with the exception of these capital felonies, the president and
council were authorized to hear and determine all crimes and
misdemeanors, and all civil cases, without the intervention of a jury.
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