of the king-Seventeen several books of devinite mattersA dictinaruis Latin & English-15 several Latin & Italian books of divirs matters-A book, in folio, containing the voyage of Ferdinand Mendoz-A book in folio kalleth Sylva Sylvarum-A book in quarto calleth Bartas' six days work of the Lord, translit in English by Josa. Sylvester— A book in quarto calleth the Summe and substance of the conference which it pleased his excellent Majestie to have with the Lords, bishops, &c., at Hampton Court, contracteth by William Barlow-A book, in quarto, calleth Ecclesiastica Interpretatio, or the Expositions upon the difficult and doubtful passages of the 7 Epistles, called Catholique, and the Revelation collecteth by John Mayer-Eleven several books more, of divers substants-The verification of his Fathers Knights' order, given by King James."

This catalogue is found in the notarial records of Solomon Lachair, one of the New Amsterdam notaries, under date of 1661.

Lachair testifies as follows: "That, at request of Daniel Litschoe, inn keeper, at his home, where was exhibited an obligation dated 20th Sept. 1661, written in English, and signed by the Bt. Sir Henry Moody, who died in Virginia, at the house of one Colonel Morrittson; and also a quantity of 50 written and printed books, which, the requirent declared, were left in pledge with him and as security of his debt, by the above named Sir Henry Moody."

Lachair afterwards wrote to Col. Morrittson enclosing a notarial copy of the obligation in behalf of Litschoe, stating that he held the above obligation of Sir Henry for 320 guilders, to be paid in March next, at the Manothans"Which money," Litschoe states, "I lent him, some part to keep his reputacion, and the other part he spent here in my house, where he did lodge with his man, Henry, and where for he did give me said obligation," and, the record states, "that the library of books was left as security for the debt, besides the verification of his father's Knights order given under the great seal of King James, whych he did esteem very much."

The letter asks the Colonel to pay the debt, to prevent a sale of the books, "at public outcry," particularly as some of them were of "private matters of the king." This letter was sent to Virginia with the catalogue of the books. Lachair, in his certificate, states that he kept one of Sir Henry's books, temporarily, for his fees.

The next incident we find in the records is under date of April, 1662, when Daniel Litschoe having died, his widow, Annekin, is ordered by the Orphans' Court to bring with her into Court an inventory of her husband's estate. Litschoe's will, as proved, bore date on the 26th December, 1661, stating that he was then sick in bed and was Lieutenant of a Burgher Company.

Subsequently the widow requests by petition to be allowed to sell by the bailiff "some books, which she has, belonging to Sir Henry Moody, as, according to obligation, she has a claim on him for a considerable sum." The petition was granted.

These books then were doubtless sold. They were the last of the property of the Moody family.

Some of these books are doubtless still in this city. Those relating to the private matters of the State and of the King would, doubtless, if discovered, prove to be of great historical interest.

It does not require much stretch of the imagination to infer that at least one of the books above referred to is in the Library of this Society. It is the one called "Bartas' Six Days' Work of the Lord." This book I now hold in my hand. It was published in 1605, and has been a quarto, but has been cut down by a ruthless modern binder to its present size. The title-page has been lost, but on one of the pages I find written the name of "Cornelius Island," under date of 1662. He was probably a purchaser at the sale, which was made in that year.

The above, Mr. President, is all I have been able to

gather relative to the history of those two interesting personages, Lady Deborah Moody and her son.

They are interesting figures in our ancient colonial history, not only as being the only English persons of rank who lived among our Dutch predecessors, but as illustrating the varying fortunes of that class of emigrants who abandoned friends, rank and home rather than surrender liberty of conscience and worship, without which existence, anywhere, was, to them, intolerable.

Their fortunes painfully illustrate, also, the narrow and oppressive spirit of the time, which claimed to shackle the will and bind the spirit to the conventional dictations of arbitrary authority, which kept even thought chained down to limits prescribed by sinister policy or prejudice; which ruthlessly punished, as heretical, all questioning of ecclesiastical dominion, and, as treasonable, all criticism of civil rule.

Happy are we, in this age of enlightenment, to be free from thraldom such as this, and to live in a time when, and a place where, the rights of individual humanity are recognized and respected; and where freedom of speech, of action and of thought are recognized as fundamental rights, which no government, lay or ecclesiastical, dares to tamper with.

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