George Bancroft, History of the Colonization of the United States, Vol. 1, 17th edition.

The Long Parliament, which met in 1641 contamied among its members many sincere favorers of the Puritan plantations. But the English in America with wise circumspection feared to endanger their legislative independence. ‘Upon the great liberty which the king had left the parliament in England,’ says Winthrop, ‘some of our friends there wrote to us advice to solicit for us in the parliament, giving us hope that we might obtain much. But consulting about it, we declined the motion for this consideration that f we should put ourselves under the protection of the parliament we must then be subject to all such laws as they should make, or, at least, such as hey might impose upon us. It might prove very prejudicial to us.’ When the letters arrived, inviting the colonial churches to send their deputies to the West minster assembly of divines, the same sagacity led them to neglect the summons. Especially Hooker, of Hartford, ‘liked not the business’ and deemed it his duty rather to stay in quite and obscurity with his people in Connecticut, than to turn propogandist, and plead for Independency in England. Yet such commercial advantages were desired, as might be obtained Without a surrender of chartered rights. In 1641, Hugh Peters and two others were despatched as agents for the colonies; and their mission was favorably received. The house of commons, on the tenth of March, 1643, publicly acknowledged, that “the plantations in New England had, by the blessing of the Almighty, had good and prosperous success, ”