The third charge was that he had declared himself and one of the brethren to “be a major part of the Church.”  This, like the first charge, was a revival of an old personal grievance within the church, rehabilitated to give cumulative force to the political complaints.  The accusation is summarily disposed of; the accused condemning the sentiment “as grossly Tyrannical, inconsistent with common sense and repugnant to good order”; and denying that he ever uttered it.

Lastly came the political charge pure and simple.

“His despising contemning and setting at naught and speaking Evil of all our Civil Rulers, Congress, Continental and Provincial, of all our Courts, Legislative and Executive, are not only subversive of good Order:  But we apprehend come under Predicament of those spoken of in 2 Pet.  II. 10, who despise government, presumptuous, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of Dignities &c.”

Mr. Harrington acknowledges that he once uttered to a Mr. North this imprudent speech.  “I disapprove abhor and detest the Results of Congress whether Continental or Provincial,” but adds that he “took the first opportunity to inform Mr. North that I had respect only to two articles in said Results.”  He apologizes for the speech, but at the same time defends his criticism of the two articles as arbitrary measures.  He also confesses saying that “General Court had no Business to direct Committees to seize on Estates before they had been Confiscated in a course of Law,” and “that their Constituents never elected or sent them for that Purpose,” but this sentiment he claimed that he had subsequently retracted as rash and improper to be spoken.  These objectionable expressions of opinion, he asserts, were made “before ye 19th of April 1775.”

It is needless to say that the Reverend Timothy Harrington’s name was speedily erased from the black list, and, to the credit of his people be it said, he was treated with increased consideration and honor during the following eighteen years that he lived to serve them.  In the deliberations of the Lancaster town meeting, as in those of the Continental Congress, broad views of National Independence based upon civil and religions liberty, finally prevailed over sectional prejudice and intolerance.  The loyalist pastor was a far better republican than his radical inquisitors.

* * * * *

[Since the paper upon Lancaster and the Acadiens was published in The Bay State Monthly for April, I have been favored with the perusal of Captain Abijah Willard’s “Orderly Book,” through the courtesy of its possessor, Robert Willard, M.D., of Boston, who found it among the historical collections of his father, Joseph Willard, Esq.  The volume contains, besides other interesting matter, a concise diary of experiences during the military expedition of 1755 in Nova Scotia; from which it appears that the Lancaster company was prominently engaged in the capture of Forts Lawrence and Beau Sejour.  Captain Willard, though not at Grand Pre, was placed in command of a detachment which carried desolation through the villages to the westward of the Bay of Minas; and the diary affords evidence that this warfare against the defenceless peasantry was revolting to that gallant officer; and that, while obedient to his positive orders, he tempered the cruelty of military necessity with his own humanity.