X.—And we do ... further grant ... that the said Treasurer and Company, or the greater Part of them ... so in a full and general Court assembled ... shall and may ... admit into their Company ... any Person or Persons....
XI.—And We do further ... grant ... that it shall be lawful and free for them ... out of our Dominions ... to take, lead, carry and transport ... for and toward the said Plantation of our said ... Colony of Virginia all and so many of our loving Subjects ... as shall willingly accompany them....
XII.—And We do further ... grant ... that the said Treasurer of that Company, or his Deputy ... or any two other of the said Council ... have full power and authority to minister and give the Oath and Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance, or either of them, to all and every Person and Persons, which shall at any Time or Times ... go or pass to the said Colony.
XX.—And further, our Will and Pleasure is, that in all Questions and Doubts, that shall arise, upon any Difficulty of Construction or Interpretation of any Thing, contained in these, or any other our former Letters-patents, the same shall be taken and interpreted, in most ample and beneficial Manner for the said Treasurer and Company, and their Successors, and every Member thereof.
XXI.—And lastly, we do, by these Presents, RATIFY AND CONFIRM unto the said Treasurer and Company, and their Successors, for ever, all and all Manner of Privileges, Franchises, Liberties, Immunities, Preheminences, Profits, and Commodities, whatsoever, granted unto them in any our former Letters-patents, and not in these Presents revoked, altered, changed, or abridged.
Hints for Study.—1. Compare the clauses relating to the oath of supremacy in the second and third charters. (The passage given above contains all such matter found in the third charter.) When the third charter was issued, James had broken with his first parliament, and probably wished to draw the great Catholic lords nearer to himself.
2. Compare the provisions for the meeting of the whole Company in the second charter with the more specific provisions in the third.
3. The most important sections are VII and VIII. Observe that no regular meetings of the Council are provided. That body had lost all controlling power; it remained merely a preconsidering body, to prepare business for the meetings of the stockholders. Five of the Council, however, had to be of the small quorum necessary for one of the minor "courts" (VII), and, in fact, those minor courts were usually little more than Council meetings.
From the general tenor of this charter and the preceding one, it would seem as though "Planters" from Virginia, if present in London, might attend the "Courts" and vote. But in practice, when this question was raised, it was decided against the visiting Planters (Company Records, II, 301). Only holders of shares of stock could vote, and, in practice, stock certificates were not issued for emigration to America.