ABSTRACT
Of all those who gave lustre to the sect of Quakers, the only one who deserved to be remembered by posterity was William Penn.1 He was the son of an admiral of the same name, who was fortunate enough to have obtained the confidence both of the Protector and of the two Stuarts who held the reins of government after him, though with a less assured hand.2 This sailor, more supple and insinuating than men usually are in his profession, had advanced considerable sums of money in various expeditions for which he had been responsible. Because of the troubled times, it had not been possible to reimburse him during his lifetime. Since the state of affairs after his death had not improved, his son was offered, in lieu of money, a vast territory on the American continent. It was an area which, although surrounded by English colonies, and although it had been discovered a very long time before, had always been neglected. Penn was moved by his humanitarian fervour to accept with joy this kind of inheritance, which was given to him almost as a hereditary fiefdom. He resolved to make it a haven for the unfortunate and the abode of virtue. Armed with this noble project, towards the end of 1681,3 he set sail for his domain, which was thereafter called Pennsylvania. All the Quakers, who were persecuted by the clergy because they refused to pay the tithe and other taxes imposed by ecclesiastical avarice and hypocrisy, wanted to follow him; but with intelligent foresight, he would not take more than 2,000 to begin with.
