[931] See the passage from Watson, Annals of Phil., III, 434, below cited.
[932] On Sept. 29, 1755, in an address to the governor, the assembly declares that "they [the assembly] are not, however, chargeable with exacting Money from the people which by law they had no right to exact, as we apprehend the Governor does in the Fees for Marriage Licenses, by which many thousand Pounds have been drawn from the Inhabitants of this Province. If this be not dispensing with Law 'tis making Law, and we presume the Governor alone has no more right to do the one than the Assembly alone the other."—Pa. Col. Rec., VI, 633, 634. Cf. ibid., II, 455; IV, 175; and Pa. Archives (1728), I, 235, 236, where the bishop of London says that "some occasional perquisites that the Clergy us'd to enjoy, are now cut off" in the matter of licenses.
[933] "Whereas John Roades of the County of Philadelphia and Hannah Willcox daughter of Sarah Willcox of Schoolkil in the County aforesaid having declared theire Intentione of Takeing Each Other as Husband and Wife before several Men and Womens Meetings of the People called Quakers whose Proceedings Therein after deliberate Consideration Thereof and Consent of parties and Relations concerned being approved by the said Meeting.
"And alsoe the said John Roades and Sarah Willcox having Published theire said Intentions in Writing according to the Lawes of thiss province Whereby the said Law is fulfilled....
"Now these are to Certifie all Persons whome it may concern that for the full Determination of their Intentions this tenth day of the Ninth Month in the Yeare One Thousand Six Hundred and Ninety and two, they the said John Roades and Hannah Willcox in an Assembly of the aforesaid people Mett together for that end and purpose at the Dwelling House of Sarah Willcox aforesaid, according to the Example of the primitive Christians Recorded in the Scriptures of Truth did take each Other as Husband and Wife in Manner following (viz) he the said John Roades takeing the said Hannah Willcox by the Hand said friends in the feare of the Lord and Before you his people I take this my friend Hannah Willcox to be my wife promissing as the Lord shall Inable mee to be unto her a faithfull and Loving Husband till Death shall part us.... And the said Hannah Willcox in like Manner takeing the said John Roades by the Hand said friends I Likewise do in the fear of the Lord and in the presence of You his people take John Roades to be my Husband promising to be unto him a faithfull and Loving Wife till Death separate us.... And the said John Roades and Hannah Willcox as a farther Confirmation thereof did then and there to these presents Set theire Hand. And wee whose Names are hereunto Subscribed are Witnesses of the Same the Day and Yeare abovesaid."—In the Pa. Mag. of Hist. and Biog., XIII (1889), 112.
The custom of many witnesses signing the certificate survived to recent times: Watson, Annals of Phil., III, 434.
[934] Watson, op. cit., III, 434.
[935] Ibid., I, 503; III, 434.
[936] The meeting sometimes took part in the civil administration. Thus committees were frequently appointed by the Philadelphia meeting to lay out roads; ibid., I, 305.
[937] Cf. Howard, Local Const. Hist., I, 53 ff.