"On February 9, 1698, Markam called together as many of the Council as he could find, to listen to a letter from William Penn which could only be opened in the prescence of the Governor and Council. In this communication, Penn expressed great indignation at the stories of wickedness, vice, and lawlessness which continually came out of Pennsylvania. Specifically, he said that there were reports that the government allowed both Scottish and Dutch ships to trade in the colony, and embraced *pirates*. According to the stories all kinds of wickedness and lewdness were countenanced in the colony, espeically in the taverns. He ordered the Council to take action. "For my Sake, your own Sakes, & above all, for God's sake, lett not the Poor Province longer suffer under such grevious & offensive Imputations, and you will oblige him, yt loves you, prays for you, & prays to be with you." "...The committee sadly admitted that vice and looseness had increased, and stated that there were too many ordinaries in the colony, especially in Philadelphia. It recommended that a proclamation be drawn up and sent out to the people, calling on everyone to join in preventing illicit trade, in barring pirates from the colony, and in suppressing vice and wickedness" (Edwin B. Bronner, _William Penn's "Holy Experiment" The Founding of Pennsylvania, 1681-1701_ (Westport CT: Greenwood Press, Publishers, 1962, reprinted 1978), p. 186).