Opportunity brought me to Mary-land; though 'tweren't me first choice of colony. I first sought to print in Virginia. And as fate would have it that were a short-lived venture. Soon after me arrival, the King of England made a proclamation that no printing were to be done in the Royal Colony of Virginia.

Fortunate for me, Mary-land, Virginia's closest neighbor, is a proprietary colony and not influenced by the King's proclamation. So I made the short move up the Chesapeake to Lord Baltimore's colony and have been here ever since. By March 31, 1684, I were in business and printing documents for the government. As long as I have license to print from the Maryland government, my business will prosper.