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persuaded any Person to join him or take his oath that it appears to them that the said Paripp being deserted by the people in that part of the country in danger of being delivered up to and having much of his property in the power of Lord Dunmore was compelled by his situation to take the oath prescribed by his lordship and that it appeared to them that the said Phripp's visit to Norfolk proceeded from the pressing invitation of his aged and infirm fa- ther and that they had come to the following resolution thereupon which he read in his place and afterwards delivered in at the clerk's table where the same was again twice read and agreed to Resolved That the said Matthew Phripp hath uniformly shewn himself the firm and steady friend of Ame-
rican liberty until his unfortunate visit to Norfolk in consequence of the invitation of his aged parent at which
time falling into the power of Lord Dunmore he had only the alternative of submitting or exposing his life
and fortune to his lordship's resentment that in his extremity he yielded and took the oath but as the said
Matthew Phripp soon after manifested his willingness to support the common cause we think upon the whole he ought to be restored to the confidence of his countrymen The Convention then according to the order of the day resolved itself into a committee on the ordinance for raising an additional number of forces for the defence and protection of this colony and for amending an or- dinance intituled An ordinance for raising and embodying a sufficient force for the defence and protection of this colony and after some time spent therein Mr President resumed the chair and Mr Cary reported that the
committee had according to order had under their consideration the said ordinance and had made a farther