WILLIAMS, ROGER, the founder of the State of Rhode Island, and nobly distinguished as the first asserter in modern Christendom of the sanctity and perfect freedom of conscience; born in London, England, in 1607; studied at Oxford, entered the Church and natural ly joined the Puritan party. To es cape the persecutions to which the Puri tans were subject in England, he like so many others fled to America to find what was denied them there—freedom to worship God. He arrived at Boston, New England, in 1631, and holding already in perfect clearness the grand truth of which he was the first modern apostle, soon found himself in collision with the churches already existing there; for they still acted on the very principles of which they had been the victims at home. At length, in 1636, he was ordered to embark for England. To avoid this he left Salem in mid-winter, wandered houseless and half-fed for 14 weeks, then found friends and hospital ity among the Indians, whose language he had learnt. He preached to them, won their love, and was their friend and peace-maker till his death. He had re solved on founding a new settlement, and after beginning to build and plant at Seekonk, had to abandon the spot, and selected Rhode Island, on which he landed from an Indian canoe, with five comrades, in June, 1636. He called the
place "Providence," and commenced building. In the course of two years he was joined by others, and founded a commonwealth in the form of a pure democracy, and his system has had its influence on the whole political history of the State. He showed no spirit of re venge toward those who had persecuted him; and when the colonies were threat ened with a general rising of the Indian tribes, he nobly risked his own life, and undertook the mission to the Narra gansetts to dissolve the conspiracy, in which he succeeded. To secure the per manent existence of Rhode Island as a separate State, Williams was chosen to visit England in 1643. to obtain a char ter. He was received with the greatest favor by the Long Parliament, and took back with him the desired charter. Wil liams refused the office of governor, to which the colony wished to appoint him; labored on for its good, rewarding him self in doing it; had a warm controversy with George Fox; and died in Providence in 1683.