 Arnold , was succeeded as President in 1660 by William Brenton , but continued for many years as a Commissioner , as well as an Assistant from 1660 to 1661 . In these roles he headed a committee to draft and send a new commission to Dr. Clarke , giving due credit to the King 's father , Charles I , for the Patent of 1643 , which gave the Rhode Island colony its official existence . Reference was made of " sundry obstructions " stemming from " claims of neighbors about us , " referring to interests that both the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Connecticut Colony had on the Narragansett lands . The document went on to include Dr. Clarke as the agent and attorney for the colony , and used deferential language toward " his most gracious and regall Majesty , Charles the Second , by the Grace of God , the most mighty and potent King of England . " In this commission , the four towns of the Rhode Island colony declared their " unfayned affection " for the new king . This commission to Dr. Clarke , on behalf of the colony , armed the able diplomat with what he needed to fulfill his mission . He wrote a well @-@ crafted letter on behalf of the colony asking for an experiment in liberty where the colony would become " a Republic of Liberty under Law , in which every man is king and no man subject . " 
