Chapter V…

Chapter V

1652.—George Fox visits great men’s houses, warning them to repent—is accused of calling himself Christ—refutes the charge, and tells the accuser that Judas’s end would he his, which shortly came to pass; hence a slander is raised against Friends—is stoned at Doncaster—a scoffing priest made to tremble at the Lord’s power—a slandering priest cut off in his wickedness—a murderous man seeks George Fox, but misses him—he lays in a wood all night—the influence of one man or woman, who lives in the same spirit that the prophets and apostles were in, is to be felt within a circuit of ten miles—George Fox ascends Pendle Hill, whence he sees the place of a great gathering of people—on descending, refreshes himself at a spring of water, having taken little sustenance for several days—foresees a great people in white raiment about Wensleydale and Sedbergh—a wicked man designs to injure him, but is prevented—many are convinced in Dent, and a meeting is settled at Sedbergh, where he had seen a people in white raiment—preaches for several hours in the steeple-house yard there—preaches on a rock, near Firbank chapel, to 1,000 people, for three hours—the family of Judge Fell convinced, and a meeting settled at his house, and continued for forty years—preaches through Lancaster streets—at a meeting of priests at Ulverstone he speaks in great power, so that one of them said, “the church shook”—disputes with priest Lampitt—Justice Sawrey is the first persecutor in the north—forty priests appear against George Fox at Lancaster Sessions for speaking blasphemy; they are confounded, and he is cleared of the charge—James Naylor’s account of George Fox’s trial at Lancaster Sessions—priest Jackus is reproved from the bench for his blasphemy—these priests are reproved by the populace—Col. West defends and protects George Fox against the machinations of the priests, and the design of Judge Windham, at the risk of losing his place.

From PATRINGTON I went to several great men’s houses, warning them to repent. Some received me lovingly, and some slighted me. Thus I passed on, and at night came to another town, where I desired lodging and meat, and I would pay for it; but they would not lodge me, except I would go to the constable, which was the custom (they said) of all lodgers at inns, if strangers. I told them I should not go; for that custom was for suspicious persons, but I was an innocent man. After I had warned them to repent, declared unto them the day of their visitation, and directed them to the light of Christ and Spirit of God, that they might come to know salvation, I passed away; and the people were something tendered, and troubled afterwards. When it grew dark, I spied a hay-stack, and went and sat under it all night, till morning.

The next day I passed into HULL, admonishing and warning people, as I went, to turn to Christ Jesus that they might receive salvation. That night I got a lodging, but was very sore with travelling on foot so far.

Afterwards I came to BALBY, and visited Friends up and down in those parts; and then passed into the edge of NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, visiting Friends there; and so into LINCOLNSHIRE, and visited Friends there. And on the First-day of the week I went to a steeple-house on this side of Trent; and in the afternoon to one on the other side of the Trent, declaring the word of life to the people, and directing them to their teacher, Christ Jesus, who died for them that they might hear him, and receive salvation by him. Then I went further into the country, and had several meetings. To one meeting came a great man, and a priest and many professors; but the Lord’s power came over them all, and they went their ways peaceably. There came a man to that meeting, who had been at one before, and raised a false accusation against me, and made a noise up and down the country, reporting that I had said I was Christ; which was utterly false.

And when I came to GAINSBOROUGH, where a Friend had been declaring truth in the market, the town and market-people were all in an uproar. I went into a friendly man’s house, and the people rushed in after me; so that the house was filled with professors, disputers, and rude people. This false accuser came in, and charged me openly before all the people, that I had said, I was Christ, and he had got witnesses to prove it. This set the people into such a rage, that they had much to do to keep their hands off me. Then I was moved of the Lord God to stand up on the table, and, in the eternal power of God, to tell the people “That Christ was in them, except they were reprobates; and that it was Christ the eternal power of God, that spoke in me at that time unto them; not that I was Christ.” And the people were generally satisfied, except himself, a professor, and his own false-witnesses. I called the accuser Judas, and was moved to tell him, that Judas’s end would be his; and that that was the word of the Lord and of Christ, through me, to him. So the Lord’s power came over all, and quieted the minds of the people, and they departed in peace. But this Judas went away, and shortly after hanged himself, and a stake was driven into his grave. Afterwards the wicked priests raised a scandal upon us, and reported that a Quaker had hanged himself in Lincolnshire, and had a stake driven through him. This falsehood they printed to the nation, adding sin to sin; which the truth and we were clear of: for he was no more a Quaker than the priest that printed it, but was one of their own people. But notwithstanding this wicked slander, by which the adversary designed to defame us, and turn people’s minds against the truth we held forth, many in Lincolnshire received the gospel, being convinced of the Lord’s everlasting truth, and sat down therein under the Lord’s heavenly teaching.

After this I passed, in the Lord’s power, into YORKSHIRE, came to WARMSWORTH, and went to the steeple-house in the forenoon,[13] but they shut the door against me; yet after a while they let in Thomas Aldam, and then shut it again; and the priest fell upon him, asking him questions. At last they opened the door, and I went in. As soon as I was in the priest’s sight, he discontinued preaching, though I said nothing to him, and asked me, “What have you to say!” and presently cried out, “Come, come, I will prove them false prophets, in Matthew;” but he was so confounded, he could not find the chapter. Then he fell on me, asking me many questions, and I stood still all this while, not saying anything amongst them. At last I said, “Seeing here are so many questions asked, I may answer them.” But as soon as I began to speak, the people violently rushed upon me, and thrust me out of the steeple-house again, and locked the door on me. As soon as they had done their service, and were come forth, the people ran upon me, and knocked me sorely with their staves, threw clods and stones at me, and abused me much; the priest also, being in a great rage, laid violent hands on me himself. But I warned them and him of the terrible day of the Lord, and exhorted them to repent, and turn to Christ. Being filled with the Lord’s refreshing power, I was not sensible of much hurt I had received by their blows. In the afternoon I went to another steeple-house, but the priest had done before I got thither; so I preached repentance to the people that were left, and directed them to their inward teacher, Jesus Christ.

Footnote 13:

The circumstance of Friends entering the public places of worship in the times of the Commonwealth, is one which has been much misunderstood, and greatly misrepresented. For these acts of dedication they have been calumniated as disturbers of religious congregations, and as outraging the peace and order of the churches. This estimate, doubtless, has been formed with reference to usages of more modern date; but to decide upon the conduct of Friends in this particular, from a consideration of present circumstances, would be exceedingly erroneous. In preaching in the national places of worship, they did but avail themselves of a common liberty, in a period of extraordinary excitement on religious things. There were numerous other religious meetings held in those times, but into none of these did Friends obtrude themselves. Some probably will argue, that the fact of their being so severely punished for persisting in this practice, may be adduced in support of its irregularity; but it may be answered, that the preaching of Friends almost everywhere, at that time, whether in steeple-houses or private houses, in-doors or out of doors, equally called down the rigour of ecclesiastical vengeance. It was not, in fact, because Friends preached in these places so much as for what they preached that they suffered. When George Fox was committed to Derby prison in 1650, after preaching in the steeple-house at “a great lecture,” the mittimus states his offence was, for “uttering and broaching of divers blasphemous opinions.” In 1659, Gilbert Latey went to Dunstan’s steeple-house in the west, where the noted Dr. Manton preached. At the conclusion of the sermon, Gilbert Latey addressed the assembly relative to some errors in Manton’s sermon, for which he was seized by a constable and taken before a magistrate; who, however, gave G. Latey leave to speak for himself. The statement he made satisfied the justice, and he replied, that he had heard the people called Quakers, were a sort of mad, whimsical folks; “but,” said he, “for this man, he talks very rationally, and I think, for my part, you should not have brought him before me.” To which the constable replied, “Sir, I think so too.” This occurred eleven years after G. Fox first visited a steeple-house, and, during that time, Friends had suffered very much for speaking in them, yet now a magistrate declares, that speaking rationally after the preacher had finished in a steeple-house, is not an offence for which a man ought to be brought before him. But the ministry of Friends struck at the very foundation of all hierarchical systems, and the discovery of this circumstance prompted the priests to call in the aid of the civil power, to suppress the promulgation of views so opposed to ecclesiastical domination.

From hence I went to BALBY, and so to DONCASTER, where I had formerly preached repentance on the market-day; which had made a noise and alarm in the country. On the First-day I went to the steeple-house, and after the priest had done, I spoke to him and the people what the Lord had commanded me; and they were in a great rage, hurried me out, threw me down, and haled me before the magistrates. A long examination they made of me, and much work I had with them. They threatened my life if ever I came there again; and that they would leave me to the mercy of the people. Nevertheless, I declared truth amongst them, and directed them to the light of Christ in them; testifying unto them that “God was come to teach his people himself, whether they would hear or forbear.” After a while they put us out (for some Friends were with me) among the rude multitude, and they stoned us down the street. An innkeeper, that was a bailiff, came and took us into his house; and they broke his head, that the blood ran down his face, with the stones that they threw at us. We stayed a while in his house, and showed the more sober people the priest’s fruits. Then we went to Balby, about a mile off, and the rude people laid wait for us, and stoned us down the lane; but, blessed be the Lord, we did not receive much hurt.

The next First-day I went to TICKHILL, whither the Friends of that side gathered together, and in the meeting a mighty brokenness by the power of God was amongst the people. I went out of the meeting, being moved of God to go to the steeple-house; and when I came there, I found the priest and most of the chief of the parish together in the chancel. So I went up to them, and began to speak; but they immediately fell upon me; and the clerk took up his Bible, as I was speaking, and struck me on the face with it, so that it gushed out with blood, and I bled exceedingly in the steeple-house. Then the people cried, “Let us have him out of the church;” and when they had got me out, they beat me exceedingly, and threw me down, and over a hedge; and afterwards they dragged me through a house into the street, stoning and beating me as they drew me along, so that I was besmeared all over with blood and dirt. They got my hat from me, which I never obtained again. Yet when I was got upon my legs again, I declared to them the word of life, and showed them the fruits of their teacher, and how they dishonoured Christianity. After a while I got into the meeting again amongst Friends; and the priest and people coming by the house, I went forth with Friends into the yard, and there I spoke to the priest and people. The priest scoffed at us, and called us Quakers. But the Lord’s power was so over them, and the word of life was declared in such authority and dread to them, that the priest began trembling himself; and one of the people said, “Look how the priest trembles and shakes, he is turned a Quaker also.” When the meeting was over, Friends departed; and I went without my hat to BALBY, about seven or eight miles. Friends were much abused that day by the priest and his people; insomuch that some moderate justices hearing of it, two or three of them came, and sat at the town, to hear and examine the business. And he that had shed my blood was afraid of having his hand cut off, for striking me in the church (as they called it;) but I forgave him, and would not appear against him.

In the beginning of this year 1652 great rage got up in priests and people, and in some of the magistrates of the West-Riding of Yorkshire, against the truth and Friends; insomuch that the priest of WARMSWORTH procured a warrant from the justices against me and Thomas Aldam, to be executed in any part of the West-Riding of Yorkshire. At the same time I had a vision of a bear and two great mastiff dogs; that I should pass by them, and they should do me no hurt; and it proved so: for the constable took Thomas Aldam and carried him to York. I went with Thomas Aldam twenty miles towards York: and the constable had the warrant for me also, and said, “he saw me, but he was loath to trouble men that were strangers; but Thomas Aldam was his neighbour.” So the Lord’s power restrained him, that he had not power to meddle with me. We came to Lieutenant Roper’s, where we had a great meeting of many considerable men; and the truth was powerfully declared amongst them, and the Scriptures wonderfully opened, and the parables and sayings of Christ were expounded, and the state of the church in the apostles’ days was plainly set forth, and the apostacy since from that state discovered. The truth had great dominion that day, so that those great men that were present did generally confess to it, saying, “they believed that this principle must go over the whole world.” There were at this meeting James Naylor, Thomas Goodyear,[14] and William Dewsbury, who had been convinced the year before; and Richard Farnsworth also. And the constable stayed with Thomas Aldam till the meeting was over, and then went towards York prison; but did not meddle with me.

Footnote 14:

Thomas Goodyear became a faithful minister, and suffered much persecution and imprisonment. When in Oxford jail (for refusing to swear), the jailer put irons on his legs, which being too small hurt him, and besides other abuse, would not let him and other Friends have straw to lie on. The jailer also told the other prisoners if they wanted coats, they might take those of the Friends off their backs; but one of the prisoners answered he would go naked first.

Thomas Goodyear was the author of “A Plain Testimony to the Ancient Truth and Work of God.” He died at Selby, in 1693.

From hence I went to WAKEFIELD; and on the First-day after, I went to a steeple-house, where James Naylor had been a member of an Independent church; but upon his receiving truth, he was excommunicated. When I came in, and the priest had done, the people called upon me to come up to the priest, which I did; but when I began to declare the word of life to them, and to lay open the deceit of the priest, they rushed upon me suddenly, thrust me out at the other door, punching and beating me, and cried, “Let us have him to the stocks.” But the Lord’s power restrained them, that they were not suffered to put me in. So I passed away to the meeting, where were a great many professors and friendly people gathered, and a great convincement there was that day; for the people were mightily satisfied that they were directed to the Lord’s teaching in themselves. Here we got some lodging; for four of us had lain under a hedge the night before, there being then few Friends in that place.

The same day Richard Farnsworth went to another great steeple-house, belonging to a high priest, and declared the word of truth unto the people; and a great service he had amongst them; for the Lord’s dread and power was mightily over all.

The priest of that church which James Naylor had been a member of, whose name was Marshall, raised many wicked slanders about me, as, “that I carried bottles with me, and made people drink of them, which made them follow me;” and, “that I rode upon a great black horse, and was seen in one country upon it in one hour, and at the same hour in another country threescore miles off;” and that I would give a fellow money to follow me, when I was on my black horse. With these lies he fed his people, to make them think evil of the truth which I had declared amongst them. But by these lies he preached many of his hearers away from him; for I was then travelling on foot, and had no horse at that time; which the people generally knew. The Lord soon after cut off this envious priest in his wickedness.

After this I came to HIGH-TOWN, where dwelt a woman who had been convinced a little before. We went to her house, and had a meeting; and the people gathered together, and we declared the truth to them, and had some service for the Lord amongst them; they passed away again peaceably. But there was a widow woman, named Green, who, being filled with envy, went to one that was called a gentleman in the town, (who was reported to have killed two men and one woman,) and informed him against us, though he was no officer. The next morning we drew up some queries to be sent to the priest. When we had done, and were just going away, some of the friendly people of the town came running up to the house where we were, and told us that this murdering man had sharpened a pike to stab us, and was coming up with his sword by his side. We were just passing away, and so missed him. But we were no sooner gone, than he came to the house where we had been; and the people generally concluded if we had not been gone, he would have murdered some of us. That night we lay in a wood, and were very wet, for it rained exceedingly. In the morning I was moved to return to the town, when they gave us a full relation of this wicked man.

From hence we passed to BRADFORD, where we met with Richard Farnsworth again, from whom we had parted a little before. When we came in, they set meat before us; but as I was going to eat, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Eat not the bread of such as have an evil eye.” Immediately I arose from the table, and ate nothing. The woman of the house was a Baptist. After I had exhorted the family to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, and hearken to his teachings in their own hearts, we departed thence.

As we travelled through the country, preaching repentance to the people, we came into a town on the market-day. There was a lecture there that day; and I went into the steeple-house, where were many priests, professors, and people. The priest that preached, took for his text those words of Jeremiah, chap. v., ver. 31: “My people love to have it so,” leaving out the foregoing words, viz., “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means.” So I showed the people his deceit, and directed them to Christ, the true Teacher within; declaring, “that God was come to teach his people himself, and to bring them off from all the world’s teachers and hirelings, that they might come to receive freely from him.” Then warning them of the day of the Lord, that was coming upon all flesh, I passed from thence without much opposition.

At night we came to a country place, where there was no public-house near. The people desired us to stay all night; which we did, and had good service for the Lord, declaring his truth amongst them.

The next day we passed on; for the Lord had said unto me, “If but one man or woman were raised up by His power, to stand and live in the same Spirit that the prophets and apostles were in, who gave forth the Scriptures, that man or woman should shake all the country in their profession for ten miles round.” For people had the Scriptures, but not in that same light, and power, and Spirit, which they were in that gave forth the Scriptures; and so they neither knew God, nor Christ, nor the Scriptures aright; nor had they unity one with another, being out of the power and Spirit of God. Therefore as we passed along we warned all people, wherever we met them, of the day of the Lord that was coming upon them.

As we travelled we came near a very great hill, called PENDLE-HILL, and I was moved of the Lord to go up to the top of it; which I did with difficulty, it was so very steep and high. When I was come to the top, I saw the sea bordering upon Lancashire. From the top of this hill the Lord let me see in what places he had a great people to be gathered. As I went down I found a spring of water in the side of the hill, with which I refreshed myself, having eaten or drunk but little for several days before.[15]

Footnote 15:

The spring here alluded to is called George Fox’s Well to this day.

At night we came to an inn, and declared truth to the man of the house, and wrote a paper to the priests and professors, declaring “the day of the Lord, and that Christ was come to teach people himself, by his power and Spirit in their hearts, and to bring people off from all the world’s ways and teachers, to his own free teaching, who had bought them, and was the Saviour of all them that believed in Him.” The man of the house spread the paper abroad, and was mightily affected with the truth. Here the Lord opened unto me, and let me see a great people in white raiment by a river side, coming to the Lord; and the place that I saw them in was about WENSLEYDALE and SEDBERGH.

The next day we travelled on, and at night got a little fern or brackens to put under us, and lay upon a common. Next morning we reached a town, where Richard Farnsworth parted from me; and then I travelled alone again. I came up Wensleydale, and at the market-town in that Dale, there was a lecture on the market-day. I went into the steeple-house; and after the priest had done, I “proclaimed the day of the Lord to the priest and people, warning them to turn from darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might come to know God and Christ aright, and to receive his teaching, who teacheth freely.” Largely and freely did I declare the word of life unto them, and had not much persecution there. Afterwards I passed up the Dales, warning people to fear God, and preaching the everlasting gospel to them.

In my way I came to a great house, where was a schoolmaster; and they got me into the house. I asked them questions about their religion and worship; and afterwards I declared the truth to them. They had me into a parlour, and locked me in, pretending that I was a young man that was mad, and had run away from my relations: and that they would keep me till they could send to them. But I soon convinced them of their mistake, and they let me forth, and would have had me to stay; but I was not to stay there. Then having exhorted them to repentance, and directed them to the light of Christ Jesus, that through it they might come unto him and be saved, I passed from them, and came in the night to a little ale-house on a common, where there was a company of rude fellows drinking. Because I would not drink with them, they struck me with their clubs; but I reproved them, and brought them to be somewhat cooler; and then I walked out of the house upon the common in the night. After some time one of these drunken fellows came out, and would have come close up to me, pretending to whisper to me; but I perceived he had a knife; and therefore I kept off him, and bid him repent, and fear God. So the Lord by His power preserved me from this wicked man; and he went into the house again. The next morning I went on through other Dales, warning and exhorting people everywhere as I passed, to repent and turn to the Lord: and several were convinced. At one house that I came to, the man of the house (whom I afterwards found to be a kinsman of John Blakelin’s,) would have given me money, but I would not receive it.

As I travelled through the Dales, I came to a man’s house, whose name was Tennant. I was moved to speak to the family, and declare God’s everlasting truth to them; and as I was turning away from them, I was moved to turn again, and speak to the man himself; and he was convinced, and his family, and lived and died in the truth. Thence I came to Major Bousfield’s, who received me, as did also several others; and some that were then convinced have stood faithful ever since. I went also through GRISDALE, and several others of those Dales, in which some were convinced. And I went into DENT, where many were convinced also. From Major Bousfield’s I came to Richard Robinson’s, and declared the everlasting truth to him.

The next day I went to a meeting at Justice Benson’s, where I met a people that were separated from the public worship. This was the place I had seen, where a people came forth in white raiment. A large meeting it was, and the people were generally convinced, and continue a large meeting still of Friends near Sedbergh; which was then first gathered through my ministry in the name of Jesus.

In the same week there was a great fair, at which servants used to be hired; and I declared the day of the Lord through the fair. After I had done so, I went into the steeple-house yard, and many of the people of the fair came thither to me, and abundance of priests and professors. There “I declared the everlasting truth of the Lord, and the word of life for several hours, showing that the Lord was come to teach his people himself, and to bring them off from all the world’s ways and teachers, to Christ the true teacher, and the true way to God. I laid open their teachers, showing that they were like them that were of old condemned by the prophets, and by Christ, and by the apostles. I exhorted the people to come off from the temples made with hands; and wait to receive the Spirit of the Lord, that they might know themselves to be the temples of God.” Not one of the priests had power to open his mouth against what I declared: but at last a captain said, “Why will you not go into the church? this is not a fit place to preach in.” I told him, I denied their church. Then stood up one Francis Howgill, who was a preacher to a congregation: he had not seen me before, yet he undertook to answer that captain, and soon put him to silence. Then said Francis Howgill of me, “This man speaks with authority, and not as the scribes.” After this I opened to the people, that that ground and house was no holier than another place; and that that house was not the church, but the people, whom Christ is the head of. After a while the priests came up to me, and I warned them to repent. One of them said I was mad, and so they turned away. But many people were convinced there that day, and were glad to hear the truth declared, and received it with joy. Amongst these was one Captain Ward, who received the truth in the love of it, and lived and died in it.

The next First-day I came to FIRBANK CHAPEL, in Westmoreland, where Francis Howgill, before named, and John Audland,[16] had been preaching in the morning. The chapel was full of people, so that many could not get in. Francis Howgill said, he thought I looked into the chapel, and his spirit was ready to fail, the Lord’s power did so surprise him; but I did not look in. They made haste, and had quickly done, and they and some of the people went to dinner, but abundance stayed till they came again. Now John Blakelin and others came to me, and desired me not to reprove them publicly; for they were not parish teachers, but pretty tender men. I could not tell them whether I should or not (though I had not at that time any drawings to declare publicly against them), but I said they must leave me to the Lord’s movings. While the others were gone to dinner, I went to a brook and got a little water; and then came and sat down on the top of a rock hard by the chapel. In the afternoon the people gathered about me, with several of their preachers. It was judged there were above a thousand people; “amongst whom I declared God’s everlasting truth and word of life freely and largely, for about the space of three hours, directing all to the Spirit of God in themselves, that they might be turned from darkness to the light, and believe in it, that they might become the children of it; and might be turned from the power of Satan, which they had been under, unto God; and by the Spirit of truth might be led into all truth, and sensibly understand the words of the prophets, and of Christ, and of the apostles; and might all come to know Christ to be their teacher, to instruct them, their counsellor to direct them, their shepherd to feed them, their bishop to oversee them, and their prophet to open divine mysteries to them; and might know their bodies to be prepared, sanctified, and made fit temples for God and Christ to dwell in.” In the openings of heavenly life, I explained unto them the prophets, and the figures, and shadows, and directed them to Christ, the substance. Then I opened the parables and sayings of Christ, and things that had been long hid, showing the intent and scope of the apostles’ writings, and that their epistles were written to the elect. When I had opened that state, I showed also the state of the apostacy since the apostles’ days; that the priests have got the Scriptures, but are not in that Spirit which gave them forth, and have put them into chapter and verse, to make a trade of holy men’s words; and that the teachers and priests now are found in the steps of the false prophets, chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees of old, and are such, as the true prophets, Christ, and his apostles cried out against, and so are judged and condemned by the Spirit of the true prophets, and of Christ, and of his apostles; and that none, who are in that Spirit, and guided by it now, can own them.

Footnote 16:

Francis Howgill and John Audland were both religiously inclined, and were convinced during the present year. They became eminent ministers, travelling in the gospel, and suffering fines and imprisonments for its sake, turning many to God. Howgill, for refusing to swear, was sent to Appleby jail, the following sentence being passed against him:—“You are put out of the king’s protection and the benefit of the law: your lands are confiscated to the king during your life, and your goods and chattels for ever; and you to be a prisoner during your life.” He praised God for the many sweet enjoyments and refreshments he received on his prison bed, whereon he lay, freely forgiving all. His end was in great peace, in 1668. See Piety Promoted, i. 64-67.

John Audland also laboured much in the gospel, for which he suffered persecution and imprisonments. In his last sickness he was exceedingly filled with high praises to God, being overcome with a sense of His love and joy. When he grew weaker he was helped on his knees, and upon his bed fervently supplicated the Lord on behalf of all His people that “they might be preserved in the truth, out of the evil of the world.” See Piety Promoted, i., 41-44; and Memoirs of F. Howgill, by James Backhouse.

Now there were many old people, who went into the chapel and looked out at the windows, thinking it a strange thing to see a man preach on a hill, and not in their church, as they called it; whereupon “I was moved to open to the people, that the steeple-house, and the ground whereon it stood, were no more holy than that mountain; and that those temples, which they called the dreadful houses of God, were not set up by the command of God and of Christ; nor their priests called, as Aaron’s priesthood was; nor their tithes appointed by God, as those amongst the Jews were; but that Christ was come, who ended both the temple and its worship, and the priests and their tithes; and that all should now hearken unto him; for he said, “Learn of me;” and God said of him, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.” I declared unto them that the Lord God had sent me to preach the everlasting gospel and word of life amongst them, and to bring them off from all these temples, tithes, priests, and rudiments of the world, which had been instituted since the apostles’ days, and had been set up by such as had erred from the Spirit and power the apostles were in.” Very largely was I opened at this meeting, and the Lord’s convincing power accompanied my ministry, and reached the hearts of the people, whereby many were convinced; and all the teachers of that congregation (who were many,) were convinced of God’s everlasting truth.

After the meeting was over I went to John Audland’s, and from thence to PRESTON-PATRICK chapel, where a great meeting was appointed; to which I went, and had a large opportunity amongst the people to preach the everlasting gospel, opening to them (as to others on the like occasion), that the end of my coming into that place was, not to hold it up, no more than the apostles’ going into the Jewish synagogues and temple was, to uphold those; but to bring them off from all such things, as the apostles brought the saints of old from off the Jewish temple and Aaron’s priesthood, that they might come to witness their bodies to be the temples of God, and Christ in them to be their teacher.

From this place I went to KENDAL, where a meeting was appointed in the town-hall; in which I declared the word of life amongst the people, showing them “how they might come to the saving knowledge of Christ, and have a right understanding of the Holy Scriptures, opening to them what it was that would lead them into the way of reconciliation with God, and what would be their condemnation.” After the meeting I stayed a while in the town; several were convinced there, and many appeared loving. One, whose name was Cock, met me in the street, and would have given me a roll of tobacco, for people then were much given to smoking: I accepted his love, but did not receive the tobacco.

From thence I went to UNDERBARROW, to one Miles Bateman’s; and several people going along with me, great reasonings I had with them, especially with Edward Burrough.[17] At night the priest and many professors came to the house, and much disputing I had with them. Supper being provided for the priest and the rest of the company, I had not freedom to eat with them, but told them, if they would appoint a meeting for the next day at the steeple-house, and acquaint the people with it, I might meet them. They had a great deal of reasoning about it; some being for it, and some against it. In the morning I went out, after I had spoken again to them concerning the meeting; and as I walked upon a bank by the house, there were several poor people, travellers, asking relief, who I saw were in necessity; and they gave them nothing, but said they were cheats. It grieved me to see such hard-heartedness amongst professors; so, when they were gone in to their breakfast, I ran after the poor people about a quarter of a mile, and gave them some money. Meanwhile some of them that were in the house, coming out again, and seeing me a quarter of a mile off, said I could not have gone so far in such an instant, if I had not had wings. Hereupon the meeting was like to have been put by; for they were filled with such strange thoughts concerning me, that many of them were against having a meeting with me. I told them I ran after those poor people to give them some money, being grieved at their hard-heartedness, who gave them nothing. Then came Miles and Stephen Hubbersty, who being more simple-hearted men, would have the meeting held. So to the chapel I went, and the priest came. A great meeting there was, and the way of life and salvation was opened; and after a while the priest fled away. Many of Crook and Underbarrow were convinced that day, received the word of life, and stood fast in it under the teaching of Christ Jesus. After I had declared the truth to them for some hours, and the meeting was ended, the chief-constable, and some other professors fell to reasoning with me in the chapel-yard; whereupon I took a Bible, and opened to them the Scriptures, and dealt tenderly with them, as one would do with a child. They that were in the light of Christ, and Spirit of God, knew when I spoke Scripture, though I did not mention chapter and verse, after the priest’s form unto them.

Footnote 17:

Edward Burrough was a religious and promising young man, had left the Episcopal church, for which he had been educated as a minister, and joined the Presbyterians, with whom he was a preacher of great account. After several discussions with George Fox, he became fully convinced, and joined Friends, to the great displeasure of his parents and relatives. He became a most active and zealous gospel labourer, being both a great writer and a powerful and awakening preacher. In 1662, he was taken from a meeting in London, and for “testifying to the name of the Lord Jesus,” was committed to prison, where he lay with above 100 of his friends imprisoned on the same account, being shut up among felons in nasty places, so that, for want of room, many of them sickened and died. Amongst these was Edward Burrough, whose sickness increased daily. He was heard often in prayer, day and night, not forgetting to intercede for his persecutors. The morning before he died, he said, “Now my soul and spirit is entered into its own being with God, and this form of person must return from whence it was taken.” His works were collected and printed in 1672, and parts of them have recently been re-published.

From hence I went along with an aged man, whose heart the Lord had opened, and he invited me to his house; his name was James Dickinson; he was convinced that day, received the truth, and lived and died in it.

I came the next day to James Taylor’s, of NEWTON in CARTMEL, in LANCASHIRE. And on the First-day of the week I went to the chapel, where one priest Camelford used to preach; and after he had done I began to speak the word of life to the people. But this priest was in such a rage, and was so peevish, that he had no patience to hear; but stirred up the rude multitude, who haled me out, struck and punched me, and threw me headlong over a stone wall; yet, blessed be the Lord, his power preserved me. He that did this violence to me was a wicked man, one John Knipe, whom afterwards the Lord cut off. There was a youth in the chapel, writing after the priest; I was moved to speak to him, and he came to be convinced, and received a part of the ministry of the gospel; his name was John Braithwaite.

Then I went up to an ale-house, to which many people resorted between the time of their morning and afternoon preaching. I had much reasoning with the people there, declaring to them, that “God was come to teach his people Himself, and to bring them off from all false teachers, such as the prophets, Christ, and the apostles cried against.” Many received the word of life at that time, and abode in it.

In the afternoon I went about two or three miles to another steeple-house or chapel, called LYNDAL. When the priest had done, I spoke to him and the people what the Lord commanded me; and there were great opposers; but afterwards they came to be convinced. After this I went to one Captain Sands, who with his wife seemed somewhat affected with truth; and if they could have held the world and truth together they would have received it; but they were hypocrites, and he a very chaffy light man. Wherefore I reproved him for his lightness, and for his jesting, telling him it was not seemly in a great professor, as he was. He told me he had a son, who upon his death-bed had also reproved him for it, and warned him of it. But he neither regarded the admonition of his dying son, nor the reproofs of God’s Spirit in himself.

From hence I went to ULVERSTONE, and so to SWARTHMORE to Judge Fell’s; whither came up one Lampitt, a priest, who was a high notionist. With him I had much reasoning; for he talked of high notions and perfection, and thereby deceived the people. He would have owned me, but I could not own nor join with him, he was so full of filth. He said, he was above John; and made as though he knew all things. But I told him, “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, that he was under death, and knew not Moses, for Moses saw the paradise of God; but he knew neither Moses nor the prophets, nor John.” For that crooked and rough nature stood in him, and the mountain of sin and corruption; and the way was not prepared in him for the Lord. He confessed he had been under a cross in things; but now he could sing psalms, and do anything: I told him, “now he could see a thief, and join hand in hand with him, but he could not preach Moses, nor the prophets, nor John, nor Christ, except he were in the same spirit that they were in.” Margaret Fell had been absent in the day-time; and at night her children told her, that priest Lampitt and I had disagreed; which somewhat troubled her, because she was in profession with him; but he hid his dirty actions from them. At night we had much reasoning, and I declared the truth to her and her family.

The next day Lampitt came again, and I had much discourse with him before Margaret Fell, who then clearly discerned the priest. A convincement of the Lord’s truth came upon her and her family. Soon after a day was to be observed for a humiliation, and Margaret Fell asked me to go with her to the steeple-house at Ulverstone, for she was not wholly come off from them; I replied, “I must do as I am ordered by the Lord.” So I left her, and walked into the fields; and the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go to the steeple-house after them.” When I came, Lampitt was singing with his people; but his spirit was so foul, and the matter they sung so unsuitable to their states, that after they had done singing, I was moved of the Lord to speak to him and the people. The word of the Lord to them was, “He is not a Jew that is one outwardly, but he is a Jew that is one inwardly, whose praise is not of man, but of God.” Then, as the Lord opened further, I showed them, “that God was come to teach His people by His Spirit, and to bring them off from all their old ways, religions, churches, and worships; for all their religions, worships, and ways, were but talking with other men’s words; but they were out of the life and Spirit which they were in who gave them forth.” Then cried out one, called Justice Sawrey, “Take him away;” but Judge Fell’s wife said to the officers, “Let him alone, why may not he speak as well as any other?” Lampitt also, the priest, in deceit said, “Let him speak.” So at length, when I had declared some time, Justice Sawrey caused the constable to put me out; and then I spoke to the people in the grave-yard.

The First-day after, I was moved to go to ALDINGHAM steeple-house; and when the priest had done, I spoke to him; but he got away. Then I declared the word of life to the people, and warned them to turn to the Lord.

From thence I passed to RAMPSIDE, where was a chapel, in which Thomas Lawson used to preach, who was an eminent priest. He very lovingly acquainted his people in the morning of my coming in the afternoon; by which means very many people were gathered together. When I came, I saw there was no place so convenient as the chapel; so I went into it, and all was quiet. Thomas Lawson went not up into his pulpit, but left all the time to me. The everlasting day of the eternal God was proclaimed that day, and the everlasting truth was largely declared, which reached and entered into the hearts of people, and many received the truth in the love of it. This priest came to be convinced, left his chapel, threw off his preaching for hire, and came to preach the Lord Jesus and his kingdom freely. After that some rude people cast scandals upon him, and thought to have done him a mischief; but he was preserved over all, grew in the wisdom of God mightily, and proved very serviceable in his place.

I returned to Swarthmore again, and on the next First-day went to DALTON steeple-house; where, after the priest had done, I declared the word of life to the people, that they might be turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, and might come off from their superstitious ways, and from their teachers made by man, to Christ, the true and living way, to be taught of him.

From thence I went into the island of WALNEY; and after the priest had done, I spoke to him, but he got away. Then I declared the truth to the people, but they were rude. I went to speak with the priest at his house, but he would not be seen. The people said he went to hide himself in the haymow; and they went to look for him there, but could not find him. Then they said he was gone to hide himself in the standing corn, but they could not find him there either. So I went to James Lancaster’s, who was convinced in the island; and thence I returned to SWARTHMORE, where the Lord’s power came upon Margaret Fell and her daughter Sarah, and several others.

Then I went to BAYCLIFF, where Leonard Fell was convinced, and became a minister of the everlasting gospel. Several others were convinced there, and came into obedience to the truth. Here the people said, they could not dispute, and would fain have put some other to converse with me; but I bid them “fear the Lord, and not in a light way talk of the Lord’s words, but put the things in practice.” I directed them to the divine light of Christ and his Spirit in their hearts, which would discover to them all the evil thoughts, words and actions, they had thought, spoken, and acted; by which light they might see their sin, and also their Saviour, Christ Jesus, to save them from their sins. This, I told them, “was their first step to peace, even to stand still in the light that showed them their sins and transgressions; by which they might come to see how they were in the fall of old Adam, in darkness and death, strangers to the covenant of promise, and without God in the world; and by the same light they might see Christ, that died for them, to be their Redeemer and Saviour, and their way to God.”

After this I went to a chapel beyond GLEASTON, which was built, but no priest had ever preached in it. Thither the country people came, and a quiet, peaceable meeting it was, in which the word of life was declared, and many were convinced of the truth about Gleaston.

From thence I returned to SWARTHMORE. After I had stayed a few days, and most of the family were convinced, I went again into Westmorland, where priest Lampitt had been amongst the professors on Kendal side, and had mightily incensed them against me; telling them I held many strange things; I met with those he had so incensed, and sat up all night with them at James Dickinson’s, and answered all their objections. They were both thoroughly satisfied with the truth that I had declared, and dissatisfied with him and his lies, so that he clearly lost the best of his hearers and followers, who thus came to see his deceit, and forsook him.

I passed on to John Audland’s and Gervase Benson’s, and had great meetings amongst those people that had been convinced before; then to John Blakelin’s[18] and Richard Robinson’s, and had mighty meetings there; and so up towards GRISDALE.

Footnote 18:

John Blakelin, mentioned elsewhere in this Journal, became a faithful minister of the gospel, travelling much on truth’s account, for which he also suffered imprisonments, and great loss of goods. He died without sigh or groan, in 1705, aged about 80. He expressed, in his old age, “the comfort he had in the Lord’s peace and presence with him, that his day’s work was nigh done, and his reward and rest with God sure.” See Piety Promoted, ii., 42-46.

Soon after, Judge Fell being come home, Margaret Fell his wife sent to me, desiring me to return thither; and, feeling freedom from the Lord so to do, I went back to SWARTHMORE. I found the priests and professors, and that envious Justice Sawrey, had much incensed Judge Fell and Captain Sands against the truth by their lies; but when I came to speak with him, I answered all his objections; and so thoroughly satisfied him by the Scriptures, that he was convinced in his judgment. He asked me if I was that George Fox, whom Justice Robinson spoke so much in commendation of amongst many of the parliament men. I told him, I had been with Justice Robinson, and with Justice Hotham in Yorkshire, who were very civil and loving to me, and that they were convinced in their judgment by the Spirit of God, that the principle which I bore testimony to, was the truth, and they saw over and beyond the priests of the nation; so that they, and many others, were now come to be wiser than their teachers. After we had discoursed some time together, Judge Fell himself was satisfied also, and came to see, by the openings of the Spirit of God in his heart, over all the priests and teachers of the world, and did not go to hear them for some years before he died; for he knew it was the truth that I declared, and that Christ was the teacher of his people, and their Saviour. He sometimes wished that I were a while with Judge Bradshaw to discourse with him. There came to Judge Fell’s, Captain Sands before-mentioned, endeavouring to incense the judge against me; for he was an evil-minded man, and full of envy against me; and yet he could speak high things, and use the Scripture words, and say, “Behold, I make all things new.” But I told him, then he must have a new God, for his God was his belly. Besides him, came also that envious justice, John Sawrey. I told him “his heart was rotten, and he was full of hypocrisy to the brim.” Several other people also came, whose states the Lord gave me a discerning of; and I spoke to their conditions. While I was in those parts, Richard Farnsworth and James Naylor came to see me and the family; and Judge Fell, being satisfied that it was the way of truth, notwithstanding all their opposition, suffered the meeting to be kept at his house; and a great meeting was settled there in the Lord’s power, which continued near forty years, until the year 1690, that a new meeting-house was erected near it.

After I had stayed a while, and the meeting there was well settled, I went to UNDERBARROW, where I had a great meeting. From thence to KELLET, and had a great meeting at Robert Widders’s, to which several came from Lancaster, and some from York; and many were convinced there. On the market-day I went to LANCASTER, and spoke through the market in the dreadful power of God, declaring the day of the Lord to the people, and crying out against all their deceitful merchandise. I preached righteousness and truth unto them, which they should all follow after, and walk and live in; directing them how and where they might find and receive the Spirit of God to guide them thereinto. After I had cleared myself in the market, I went to my lodging, whither several people came, and many were convinced, who have stood faithful to the truth.

On the First-day following, in the forenoon, I had a great meeting in the street at Lancaster, amongst the soldiers and people, unto whom I declared the word of life, and the everlasting truth. I opened unto them, “that all the traditions they had lived in, and all their worships and religions, and the profession they made of the Scriptures, were good for nothing, while they lived out of the life and power which they were in who gave forth the Scriptures. I directed them to the light of Christ, the heavenly Man, and to the Spirit of God in their own hearts, that they might come to be acquainted with God and with Christ, receive him for their teacher, and know his kingdom set up in them.”

In the afternoon I went to the steeple-house at Lancaster, and declared the truth both to the priest and people; laying open before them the deceits they lived in, and directing them to the power and Spirit of God, which they wanted. But they haled me out, and stoned me along the street, till I came to John Lawson’s house.

Another First-day I went to a steeple-house by the water side, where one Whitehead was priest, to whom, and to the people, I declared the truth in the dreadful power of God. There came to me a doctor, who was so full of envy, that he said he could find in his heart to run me through with his rapier, though he should be hung for it the next day; yet this man came afterwards to be convinced of the truth, so far as to be loving to Friends. Some people were convinced thereabouts, who willingly sat down under the ministry of Christ their teacher: and a meeting was settled there in the power of God, which has continued to this day.

After this I returned into Westmorland, and spoke through KENDAL, on a market-day. So dreadful was the power of God upon me, that people flew like chaff before me into their houses. I warned them of the mighty day of the Lord, and exhorted them to hearken to the voice of God in their own hearts, who was now come to teach his people Himself. When some opposed, many others took my part, insomuch that at last some of the people fell to fighting about me; but I went and spoke to them, and they parted again. Several were convinced.

On the First-day after, I had a very large meeting in UNDERBARROW, at Miles Bateman’s house, where I was moved to declare, “that all people in the fall were gone from the image of God, righteousness, and holiness, and were become as wells without the water of life, as clouds without the heavenly rain, as trees without the heavenly fruit, and were degenerated into the nature of beasts, and of serpents, and of tall cedars, and of oaks, and of bulls, and of heifers: so that they might read the natures of these creatures within, as the prophet described them to the people of old that were out of truth. I opened to them how some were in the nature of dogs and swine, biting and rending; some in the nature of briars, thistles, and thorns; some like the owls and dragons in the night; some like wild asses and horses, snuffing up the wind; and some like mountains and rocks, and crooked and rough ways. Wherefore I exhorted them to read these things within, in their own natures, as well as without; and that, when they read without of the wandering stars, they should look within, and see how they wandered from the bright and morning star. And they should consider, that as the fallow ground in their fields must be ploughed up, before it would bear seed to them, so must the fallow ground of their hearts be ploughed up, before they could bear seed to God. Now all these names and things I showed them, were spoken of, and to man and woman, since they fell from the image of God; but as they come to be renewed again into the image of God, they come out of the natures of these things, and so out of the names thereof.” Many more such things were declared to them, and they were turned to the light of Christ, by which they might come to know Christ, to receive him, and to witness him to be their substance and their way, their salvation and true teacher. Many were convinced at that time.

After I had travelled up and down in those countries, and had had great meetings, I came to SWARTHMORE again. And when I had visited Friends in those parts, I heard of a great meeting the priests were to have at ULVERSTONE, on a lecture-day. I went to it, and into the steeple-house in the dread and power of the Lord. When the priest had done, I spoke among them the word of the Lord, which was as a hammer, and as a fire amongst them. And though Lampitt, the priest of the place, had been at variance with most of the priests before, yet against the truth they all joined together. But the mighty power of the Lord was over all; and so wonderful was the appearance thereof, that priest Bennett said “the church shook,” insomuch that he was afraid and trembled. And when he had spoken a few confused words, he hastened out, for fear it should fall on his head. Many priests got together there; but they had no power as yet to persecute.

When I had cleared my conscience towards them, I went up to SWARTHMORE again, whither came four or five of the priests. Coming to discourse, I asked them, “whether any one of them could say he ever had the word of the Lord to go and speak to such or such a people?” None of them durst say he had; but one of them burst out into a passion, and said, “he could speak his experiences as well as I.” I told him experience was one thing; but to receive and go with a message, and to have a word from the Lord, as the prophets and apostles had and did, and as I had done to them, this was another thing. And therefore I put it to them again, “could any of them say he had ever had a command or word from the Lord immediately at any time?” but none of them could say so. Then I told them, the false prophets, the false apostles, and antichrists, could use the words of the true prophets, the true apostles, and of Christ, and would speak of other men’s experiences, though they themselves never knew or heard the voice of God or Christ; and such as they might obtain the good words and experiences of others; this puzzled them much, and laid them open. At another time, when I was discoursing with several priests at Judge Fell’s house, and he was by, I asked them the same question, “whether any of them ever heard the voice of God or Christ, to bid him go to such and such a people, to declare his word or message unto them?” for any one, I told them, that could but read, might declare the experiences of the prophets and apostles, which were recorded in the Scriptures. Hereupon Thomas Taylor,[19] an ancient priest, did ingenuously confess before Judge Fell, “that he had never heard the voice of God, nor of Christ, to send him to any people, but he spoke his experiences, and the experiences of the saints in former ages, and that he preached.” This very much confirmed Judge Fell in the persuasion he had, “that the priests were wrong;” for he had thought formerly, as the generality of people then did, “that they were sent from God.”

Footnote 19:

Thomas Taylor, born in 1616, was educated at Oxford University, and became a preacher among the Puritans, at or near Skipton, and also at Richmond. He discontinued preaching for hire, and joined Friends, becoming a valiant minister of Christ. He also wrote much in support of the truth. He suffered many imprisonments, but the Lord was with him, and upheld him by his mighty power, in the hardships and opposition he met with for truth’s sake. He died in peace at Stafford, in 1681.

Thomas Taylor was convinced at this time, and travelled with me into Westmorland. Coining to CROSSLAND steeple-house, we found the people gathered together; and the Lord opened Thomas Taylor’s mouth (though he was convinced but a day before), so that he declared amongst them, “how he had been before he was convinced;” and like the good scribe that was converted to the kingdom, he brought forth things new and old to the people, and showed them how “the priests were out of the way;” which tormented the priest. Some little discourse I had with them, but they fled away; and a precious meeting there was, wherein the Lord’s power was over all; and the people were directed to the Spirit of God, by which they might come to know God and Christ, and to understand the Scriptures aright. After this I passed on, visiting Friends, and had very large meetings in Westmorland.

Now began the priests to rage more and more, and as much as they could, to stir up persecution. James Naylor and Francis Howgill were cast into prison in Appleby jail, at the instigation of the malicious priests; some of whom prophesied “that within a month we should be all scattered again, and come to nothing.” But, blessed for ever be the worthy name of the Lord, the work of the Lord went on and prospered. For about this time John Audland, Francis Howgill, John Camm,[20] Edward Burrough, Richard Hubberthorn,[21] Miles Hubbersty, and Miles Halhead,[22] with several others, being endued with power from on high, came forth in the work of the ministry, and approved themselves faithful labourers therein, travelling up and down, and preaching the gospel freely; by means whereof multitudes were convinced, and many effectually turned to the Lord. Amongst these, Christopher Taylor[23] was one, brother to Thomas Taylor before-mentioned; and who had been a preacher to a people as well as his brother; but after they had received a knowledge of the truth, they soon came into obedience thereunto, and left their preaching for hire or rewards. And having received a part of the ministry of the gospel, they preached Christ freely; being often sent by the Lord to declare his word in steeple-houses and in markets; and great sufferers they were.

Footnote 20:

John Camm, after joining Friends, became an eminent minister, travelling in the service of truth. He was a man of weak constitution, but richly furnished with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, clear in judgment, and a sharp reprover of wickedness. His ministry was deep and weighty. Having an estate of his own, he suffered the spoiling of his goods joyfully. He often called his children together, and exhorted them to fear the Lord, and would wonderfully praise God for his goodness, counting his bodily weakness a happiness, saying, “How great a benefit do I enjoy beyond many, I have such a large time of preparation for death, being daily dying, that I may live for ever with my God, in that kingdom that is unspeakably full of glory. My outward man daily wastes and moulders down, and draws towards its place and centre; but my inward man revives and mounts upwards, towards its place and habitation in the heavens.” See Piety Promoted, i., 3-6.

Footnote 21:

Richard Hubberthorn, who is frequently mentioned in this Journal, and whose name often occurs in the early part of the history of Friends, became an able gospel minister, and patient sufferer for the truth. He was a native of Lancashire, the only son of a yeoman of good repute. In his youth he obtained a post in the Parliamentary army, which, on his embracing the truth, he quitted, and testified publicly against it; becoming a valiant soldier under the banner of the Prince of peace. After passing through many inward probations, he became qualified to direct others in their way to the kingdom of heaven, and was one of the first of our Society who travelled in the work of the ministry.

Richard Hubberthorn was a man of much meekness, humility, patience, and brotherly kindness, clear in judgment, and quick of understanding; and, although he was of low stature, and had an infirm constitution and weak voice, he was a powerful and successful minister, and great numbers were convinced by him, and brought over to the faith and practice which he preached. He travelled in the exercise of his gift nine years, and shared at different times in the sufferings to which the early Friends were exposed. In 1662, he was violently haled from a meeting in London, and taken before that implacable persecutor, Alderman Brown, who, after abusing him with his own hands, committed him to Newgate. Here the throng was so great, and the air so impure, that he soon fell sick. His disorder increased upon him, and, within two months from the time of his commitment, with an unclouded prospect of a resting place “where the wicked cease from troubling,” he was released by death. He wrote many treatises, which were collected and published in 1 vol. quarto, in 1663.

Footnote 22:

This is the only mention of Miles Halhead in this Journal. His name occurs frequently in Sewell’s History, from which it appears he travelled largely and suffered much on Truth’s account, being the first of the Quakers imprisoned at Kendal.

Footnote 23:

Christopher Taylor, after writing and preaching much on Truth’s account, removed to America about the year 1683, and died at Philadelphia in 1686. See account of him in Whiting’s Memoirs, pp. 352-55.

After I had visited Friends in WESTMORLAND, I returned into LANCASHIRE, and went to ULVERSTONE, where W. Lampitt was priest; who, though he had preached of a people that should own the teachings of God, and had said, “that men and women should come to declare the gospel;” yet afterwards, when it came to be fulfilled, he persecuted both it and them. To this priest’s house I went, where abundance of priests and professors were got together after their lecture, with whom I had great disputings concerning Christ and the Scriptures; for they were loath to let their trade go down, which they made of preaching Christ’s, and the apostles’ and prophets’ words. But the Lord’s power went over the heads of them all, and his word of life was held forth amongst them; though many of them were exceedingly envious and devilish. Yet after this many priests and professors came to me from far and near; of whom, they that were innocent and simple-minded were satisfied, and went away refreshed; but the fat and full were fed with judgment, and sent empty away: for that was the word of the Lord to be divided to them.

Now when meetings were set up, and we met in private houses, Lampitt the priest began to rage; and he said, “we forsook the temple, and went to Jeroboam’s calves’ houses;” so that many professors began to see how he had declined from that which he had formerly held and preached. Hereupon the case of Jeroboam’s calves was opened to the professors, priests, and people; and it was manifested unto them, “that their houses (which they called churches) were more like Jeroboam’s calves’ houses, even the old mass-houses which were set up in the darkness of Popery; and which they, who called themselves Protestants, and professed to be more enlightened than the Papists, did still hold up; although God had never commanded them: whereas that temple, which God had commanded at Jerusalem, Christ came to end the service of; and they that received and believed in him, their bodies came to be the temples of God, and of Christ, and of the Holy Ghost, to dwell in them, and to walk in them. And all such were gathered into the name of Jesus, whose name is above every name, and there is no salvation by any other name under the whole heaven, but by the name of Jesus. And they that were thus gathered met together in several dwelling-houses, which were not called the temple, nor the church; but their bodies were the temples of God, and the believers were the church, which Christ was the head of. So that Christ was not called the head of an old house, which was made by men’s hands, neither did he come to purchase and sanctify, and redeem with his blood, an old house, which they called their church, but the people of whom he is the head.” Much work I had in those days with priests and people, concerning their old mass-houses, which they called their churches; for the priests had persuaded the people that it was the house of God; whereas the apostle says, “whose house we are,” &c., Heb. iii. 6. So the people are God’s house, in whom he dwells. And the apostle saith, “Christ purchased his church with his own blood;” and Christ calls his church his spouse, his bride, and the Lamb’s wife; so that this title, church and spouse, was not given to an old house, but to his people, the true believers.

After this, on a lecture-day, I was moved to go to the steeple-house at ULVERSTONE, where were abundance of professors, priests, and people. I went up near to priest Lampitt, who was blustering on in his preaching; and after the Lord had opened my mouth to speak, John Sawrey the justice came to me and said, “if I would speak according to the Scriptures, I should speak.” I wondered at his speaking so to me, for I did speak according to the Scriptures, and I told him, “I should speak according to the Scriptures, and bring the Scriptures to prove what I had to say; for I had something to speak to Lampitt and to them.” Then he said, I should not speak, contradicting himself who had said just before, “I should speak, if I would speak according to the Scriptures.” The people were quiet, and heard me gladly, until this Justice Sawrey (who was the first stirrer up of cruel persecution in the North) incensed them against me, and set them on to hale, beat, and bruise me. Suddenly the people were in a rage, and fell upon me in the steeple-house before his face; knocked me down, kicked me, and trampled upon me; and so great was the uproar, that some tumbled over their seats for fear. At last he came and took me from the people, led me out of the steeple-house, and put me into the hands of the constables and other officers, bidding them whip me and put me out of the town. They led me about a quarter of a mile, some taking hold of my collar, and some by my arms and shoulders, and shook and dragged me along. Many friendly people being come to the market, and some of them to the steeple house to hear me, divers of these they knocked down also, and broke their heads, so that the blood ran down from several of them; and Judge Fell’s son running after, to see what they would do with me, they threw him into a ditch of water, some of them crying, “knock the teeth out of his head.”

Now when they had haled me to the common moss-side, a multitude of people following, the constables and other officers gave me some blows over my back with their willow-rods, and so thrust me among the rude multitude, who, having furnished themselves, some with staves, some with hedge-stakes, and others with holm or holly-bushes, fell upon me, and beat me on my head, arms, and shoulders, till they had deprived me of sense; so that I fell down upon the wet common. When I recovered again, and saw myself lying in a watery common, and the people standing about me, I lay still a little while; and the power of the Lord sprang through me, and the Eternal Refreshings refreshed me, so that I stood up again in the strengthening power of the Eternal God; and stretching out my arms amongst them, I said with a loud voice, “Strike again; here are my arms, my head, and my cheeks.” There was in the company a mason, a professor, but a rude fellow; he with his walking rule-staff gave me a blow with all his might, just over the back of my hand, as it was stretched out; with which blow my hand was so bruised, and my arm so benumbed, that I could not draw it unto me again; so that some of the people cried out, “he hath spoiled his hand for ever having the use of it any more.” But I looked at it in the love of God (for I was in the love of God to them all, that had persecuted me), and after a while the Lord’s power sprang through me again, and through my hand and arm, so that in a moment I recovered strength in my hand and arm, in the sight of them all. Then they began to fall out among themselves, and some of them came to me, and said, if I would give them money, they would secure me from the rest. But I was moved of the Lord to declare to them the word of life, and showed them their false Christianity, and the fruits of their priest’s ministry; telling them they were more like heathens and Jews, than true Christians.

Then was I moved of the Lord to come up again through the midst of the people, and go into ULVERSTONE market. As I went, there met me a soldier, with his sword by his side; “Sir,” said he to me, “I see you are a man, and I am ashamed and grieved that you should be thus abused;” and he offered to assist me in what he could. But I told him the Lord’s power was over all; so I walked through the people in the market, and none of them had power to touch me then. But some of the market-people abusing some Friends in the market, I turned me about and saw this soldier among them with his naked rapier, whereupon I ran in amongst them, and catching hold of his hand that his rapier was in, I bid him put up his sword again, if he would go along with me; for I was willing to draw him out from the company, lest some mischief should be done. A few days after seven men fell upon this soldier, and beat him cruelly, because he had taken part with Friends and me; for it was the manner of the persecutors of that country, for twenty or forty people to run upon one man. And they fell so upon Friends in many places, that they could hardly pass the highways, stoning, beating, and breaking their heads. When I came to SWARTHMORE, I found the friends there dressing the heads and hands of Friends and friendly people, which had been broken or hurt that day by the professors and hearers of Lampitt, the priest. My body and arms were yellow, black, and blue, with the blows and bruises I received amongst them that day. Now began the priests to prophesy again, that within half a year we should be all put down and gone.[24]

Footnote 24:

The priests reckoned wrong in this, for, as Sewell justly observed, it fared with the early Friends as with trees, which grow best when most lopped. “Duris ut ilex tonsa bipennibus, per damna, per cædes, ab ipso, ducit opes animumque ferre.”

“As by the lopping axe, the sturdy oak Improves her shade, and thrives beneath the stroke: Tho’ present loss and wounds severe she feel, She draws fresh vigour from the invading steel.”

About two weeks after this I went into WALNEY island, and James Naylor went with me. We stayed one night at a little town on this side, called COCKAN, and had a meeting there, where one was convinced. After a while there came a man with a pistol, whereupon the people ran out of doors. He called for me; and when I came out to him, he snapped his pistol at me, but it would not go off. This caused the people to make a great bustle about him; and some of them took hold of him, to prevent his doing mischief; but I was moved in the Lord’s power to speak to him; and he was so struck by the power of the Lord, that he trembled for fear, and went and hid himself. Thus the Lord’s power came over them all, though there was a great rage in the country.

Next morning I went over in a boat to James Lancaster’s. As soon as I came to land, there rushed out about forty men with staves, clubs, and fishing poles, who fell upon me, beating and punching me, and endeavouring to thrust me backward into the sea. When they had thrust me almost into the sea, and I saw they would have knocked me down in it, I went up into the midst of them; but they laid at me again, and knocked me down, and stunned me. When I came to myself, I looked up and saw James Lancaster’s wife throwing stones at my face, and her husband, James Lancaster, was lying over me, to keep the blows and the stones off me. For the people had persuaded James Lancaster’s wife that I had bewitched her husband; and had promised her, that if she would let them know when I came hither, they would be my death. And having got knowledge of my coming, many of the town rose up in this manner with clubs and staves to kill me; but the Lord’s power preserved me, that they could not take away my life. At length I got up on my feet, but they beat me down again into the boat; which James Lancaster observing, he presently came into it, and set me over the water from them; but while we were on the water within their reach, they struck at us with long poles and threw stones after us. By the time we were come to the other side, we saw them beating James Naylor; for whilst they had been beating me, he walked up into a field, and they never minded him till I was gone; then they fell upon him, and all their cry was, “Kill him, kill him.”

When I was come over to the town again, on the other side of the water, the townsmen rose up with pitchforks, flails, and staves, to keep me out of the town, crying, “Kill him, knock him on the head, bring the cart, and carry him away to the churchyard.” So after they had abused me, they drove me some distance out of the town, and there left me. Then went James Lancaster back to look after James Naylor; and I being now left alone, went to a ditch of water, and having washed myself (for they had besmeared my face, hands, and clothes, with miry dirt), I walked about three miles to Thomas Hutton’s house, where lodged Thomas Lawson, the priest that was convinced. When I came in, I could hardly speak to them, I was so bruised; only I told them where I left James Naylor; so they took each of them a horse, and went and brought him thither that night. The next day Margaret Fell hearing of it, sent a horse for me; but so sore I was with bruises, I was not able to bear the shaking of the horse without much pain. When I was come to SWARTHMORE, Justice Sawrey, and one Justice Thompson of Lancaster, granted a warrant against me; but Judge Fell coming home it was not served upon me; for he was out of the country all this time, that I was thus cruelly abused. When he came home, he sent forth warrants into the isle of Walney, to apprehend all those riotous persons; whereupon some of them fled the country. James Lancaster’s wife was afterwards convinced of the truth, and repented of the evils she had done me; and so did others of those bitter persecutors also; but the judgments of God fell upon some of them, and destruction is come upon many of them since. Judge Fell asked me to give him a relation of my persecution; but I told him they could do no otherwise in the spirit wherein they were, and that they manifested the fruits of their priest’s ministry, and their profession and religion to be wrong. So he told his wife I made light of it, and that I spoke of it as a man that had not been concerned; for, indeed, the Lord’s power healed me again.

After I was recovered, I went to YEALAND, where there was a great meeting. In the evening there came a priest to the house, with a pistol in his hand, under pretence to light a pipe of tobacco. The maid of the house seeing the pistol told her master; who, clapping his hands on the door-posts, told him he should not come in there. While he stood there, keeping the door-way, he looked up, and spied over the wall a company of men coming, some armed with staves, and one with a musket. But the Lord God prevented their bloody design; so that seeing themselves discovered, they went their way, and did no harm.

The time for the sessions at LANCASTER being come, I went thither with Judge Fell; who on the way told me, he had never had such a matter brought before him before, and he could not well tell what to do in the business. I told him, when Paul was brought before the rulers, and the Jews and priests came down to accuse him, and laid many false things to his charge, Paul stood still all that while. And when they had done, Festus, the governor, and king Agrippa, beckoned to him to speak for himself; which Paul did, and cleared himself of all those false accusations; so he might do with me. Being come to LANCASTER, Justice Sawrey and Justice Thompson having granted a warrant to apprehend me, though I was not apprehended by it, yet hearing of it, I appeared at the sessions; where there appeared against me about forty priests. These had chosen one Marshall, priest of Lancaster, to be their orator; and had provided one young priest, and two priests’ sons, to bear witness against me, who had sworn beforehand that I had spoken blasphemy. When the justices were sat, they heard all that the priests and their witnesses could say and charge against me; their orator Marshall, sitting by, and explaining their sayings for them; but the witnesses were so confounded, that they discovered themselves to be false witnesses; for when the court had examined one of them upon oath, and then began to examine another, he was at such loss he could not answer directly, but said the other could say it. Which made the justices say to him, “have you sworn it, and given it in already upon your oath, and now say that he can say it? It seems you did not hear those words spoken yourself, though you have sworn it.”

There were then in court several people who had been at that meeting, wherein the witnesses swore I spoke those blasphemous words, which the priests accused me of; and these being men of integrity and reputation in the country, declared and affirmed in court, that the oath, which the witnesses had taken against me, was altogether false; and that no such words as they had sworn against me, were spoken by me at that meeting. Indeed, most of the serious men of that part of the country, that were then at the sessions, had been at that meeting, and had heard me both at that and other meetings also. This was taken notice of by Colonel West, who, being a justice of the peace, was then upon the bench; and having long been weak in body, blessed the Lord, and said, “the Lord had healed him that day;” adding, that he never saw so many sober people and good faces together in all his life. And then, turning himself to me, he said in the open sessions, “George, if thou hast anything to say to the people, thou mayst freely declare it.” I was moved of the Lord to speak; and as soon as I began, priest Marshall, the orator for the rest of the priests, went away. That which I was moved to declare was this: “that the Holy Scriptures were given forth by the Spirit of God, and all people must first come to the Spirit of God in themselves, by which they might know God and Christ, of whom the prophets and the apostles learnt; and by the same Spirit know the Holy Scriptures; for as the Spirit of God was in them that gave forth the Scriptures, so the same Spirit of God must be in all them that come to understand the Scriptures; by which Spirit they might have fellowship with the Son, and with the Father, and with the Scriptures, and with one another; and without this Spirit they can know neither God nor Christ, nor the Scriptures, nor have right fellowship one with another.” I had no sooner spoken these words, than about half a dozen priests that stood behind me, burst out into a passion; and one of them, named Jackus, amongst other things that he spoke against the truth, said, that the Spirit and the letter were inseparable. I replied, “then every one that hath the letter hath the Spirit; and they might buy the Spirit with the letter of the Scriptures.” This plain discovery of darkness in the priest, moved Judge Fell and Colonel West to reprove them openly, and tell them, that according to that position they might carry the Spirit in their pockets, as they did the Scriptures. Upon this the priests being confounded and put to silence, rushed out in a rage against the justices, because they could not have their bloody ends upon me. The justices, seeing the witnesses did not agree, and perceiving that they were brought to answer the priests’ envy, and finding that all their evidences were not sufficient in law to make good their charge against me, discharged me. And after Judge Fell had spoken to Justice Sawrey and Justice Thompson concerning the warrant they had given forth against me, and showed them the errors thereof, he and Colonel West granted a supersedeas to stop the execution of it.

Thus was I cleared in open sessions of all those lying accusations which the malicious priests had laid to my charge; and multitudes of people praised God that day, for it was a joyful day to many. Justice Benson[25] of WESTMORLAND, was convinced; and Major Ripan, mayor of LANCASTER, also. It was a day of everlasting salvation to hundreds of people; for the Lord Jesus Christ, the way to the Father, and the free teacher, was exalted and set up, and his everlasting gospel was preached and the word of eternal life was declared over the heads of the priests, and all such money-preachers. For the Lord opened many mouths that day to speak his word to the priests, and several friendly people and professors reproved the priests in their inns, and in the streets; so that they fell, like an old rotten house; and the cry was among the people, that the Quakers had got the day, and the priests were fallen. Many people were convinced that day, amongst whom was Thomas Briggs, who before had been averse to Friends and truth, insomuch that discoursing with John Lawson, a Friend, concerning perfection, Thomas Briggs said to him, “dost thou hold perfection?” at the same time lifting up his hand to give the Friend a box on the ear. But this Thomas Briggs, being convinced of the truth that day, declared against his own priest, Jackus; and afterwards became a faithful minister of the gospel, and stood so to the end of his days.[26]

Footnote 25:

Gervase Benson, once a colonel in the army, and, at this date, a Justice of the peace, appears, from the burial register of Friends, to have been resident at Kendal. He died in 1679. In Barclay’s Letters, &c., of Early Friends, is a letter from him to George Fox and James Naylor. It is dated at London, 11th Month, 29th, 1653. He appears to have gone up to that city under a sense of duty. “Pray to the Lord for me,” he writes, “that I may be kept in all faithfulness, with boldness to bear witness to the truth, against all deceits as they are made manifest in me, to the praise of his free grace and love to me, which I find daily flowing into my soul, to the refreshing thereof.”

Footnote 26:

Thomas Briggs, from being a persecutor and an opposer, became an eminent minister amongst Friends, and his name occurs frequently in Sewell’s History, and in Whiting’s Memoirs, to which the reader is referred for some account of his labours. He was very instrumental in turning men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Not only did he suffer personally, by imprisonment and violence, but was fined five times, for having meetings in his house, to the extent of £50. He travelled much in Wales, and other places, often accompanying George Fox. He went with him to the West Indies in 1671. A short time before his death, he wrote to George Fox, in which he signified his perseverance in godliness. He bore “a large testimony the First-day before his decease,” being aged about seventy-five; a minister thirty-two years.

When the sessions were over, James Naylor, who was present, gave a brief account of the proceedings in a letter, which soon after he wrote to Friends; and which is here added for the reader’s further satisfaction in this matter:—

“Dear friends and brethren in the Lord Jesus Christ, my dear love unto you all, desiring you may be kept steadfast in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the power of his love, boldly to witness forth the truth, as it is revealed in you by the mighty working of the Father: to whom alone be everlasting praise and honour for evermore! Dear friends, the Lord doth much manifest his love and power in these parts. On the Second-day of last week, my brother George and I were at Lancaster; there were abundance of Friends from all parts: and a high sort, who sided with the priests, giving out, they now hoped to see a stop put to that great work which had gone on so fast, and with such power that their kingdom is much shaken. We were called before Judge Fell, Colonel West, Justice Sawrey, &c., to answer what was charged against George. There were three witnesses to eight particulars, but they were much confused in themselves; which gave much light to the truth; whereby the justices did plainly see that it was envy; and they many times told them so. One of the witnesses was a young priest, who confessed he should not have meddled, had not another priest sent for him, and set him to work. The other witnesses were two priests’ sons: it was proved there by many that heard one of them say, ‘if he had power he would make George deny his profession, and that he would take away his life.’ This was a single witness to one of the greatest untruths that was charged against George; and the justices told him, that they saw, because he could not take away his life, he went about to take away his liberty. There was one priest chosen out of the whole number, as an orator to plead against us; who spared no pains to show forth his envy against the truth; and when he could not prevail, he went down in a rage; and there came up a number of them into the room, among whom was one Jackus. George was then speaking in the room, one of the justices having desired him, if he had anything to say, he would speak, at which priest Jackus was in such a rage, that he broke forth into many high expressions against the truth spoken by my dear brother George; amongst which this was one that the letter and the Spirit were inseparable. Hereupon the justices stood up, and bid him prove that, before he went any further. Then seeing himself caught, he would have denied it; and when he could not get off so, the rest of the priests would have helped him to a meaning for his words; but the justices would admit no other meaning than the plain sense of the words, and told him he had laid down a position, and it was fit he should prove it; pressing the matter close upon him. Whereupon the priests, being put to silence, went down in a greater rage than before; and some of them, after they were gone down, being asked what they had done, lied and said, they could not get into the room; thereby to hide their shame, and keep the people in blindness. The justices, Judge Fell and Colonel West, were much convinced of the truth, and set up justice and equity; and have much silenced the rage of the people. Many bitter spirits were at Lancaster to see the event, but went home and cried the priests had lost the day: everlasting praises be to him who fought the battle for us, who is our King for ever! There were others called, whom the witnesses confessed were in the room when the things charged on George were said to have been spoken; but they all, as one man, denied that any such words were spoken; which gave much light to the justices, and they durst rely on what they witnessed; for they said they knew many of them to be honest men.

“There was a warrant granted against us at Appleby; but Justice Benson told them it was not according to law, and so it ceased. I hear he is a faithful man in the truth. The priests began to preach against the justices, and said, they were not to meddle in these things, but to end controversy between neighbour and neighbour. They are not pleased with the law, because it is not in the statute to imprison us, as the priest that pleaded against us said. The justices bid him put it into the statute, if he could; he said, it should want no will of his. They are much afraid that they shall lose all; they are much discontented in these parts; and some of them cry, all ‘is gone.’ Dear Friends, dwell in patience, and wait upon the Lord, who will do his own work. Look not at man, in the work; nor at man who opposeth the work; but rest in the will of the Lord, that so ye may be furnished with patience both to do and to suffer what ye shall be called unto; that your end in all things may be his praise. Take up his cross freely, which keeps low the fleshly man; that Christ may be set up and honoured in all things, the light advanced in you and the judgment set up, which must give sentence against all that opposeth the truth;—that the captivity may be led captive, and the prisoner set free to seek the Lord;—that righteousness may rule in you, and peace and joy may dwell in you, wherein consisteth the kingdom of the Father; to whom be all praise for ever! Dear friends meet often together, and take heed of what exalteth itself above its brother; but keep low, and serve one another in love for the Lord’s sake. Let all Friends know how it is with us, that God may have the praise of all.”

J. N.

Written from Kellet, the 30th of the 8th Month, 1652.

At this time I was in a fast, and was not to eat until this work of God, which then lay weighty upon me, was accomplished. But the Lord’s power was wonderfully exalted, and gave truth and Friends dominion therein over all, to his glory. His gospel was freely preached that day, over the heads of about forty hireling priests. I stayed two or three days afterwards in Lancaster, and had some meetings there; and the rude and baser sort of people plotted together to draw me out of the house, and to throw me over LANCASTER bridge, but the Lord prevented them. Then they invented another mischief, which was this: after a meeting at Lancaster they brought down a distracted man, and another with him with bundles of birchen rods bound together like besoms, with which they would have whipped me: but I was moved to speak to them in the Lord’s mighty power, which chained down the distracted man, and the other also, and made them calm and quiet. Then I bid him throw his rods into the fire, and burn them; and he did so. Thus the Lord’s power being over them, they departed quietly.

But the priests, fretting to see themselves overthrown at the sessions at LANCASTER, got some of the envious justices to join with them; and, at the following assize at LANCASTER, informed Judge Windham against me. Whereupon the judge made a speech against me in open court; and commanded Colonel West, who was clerk of the assize, to issue forth a warrant for the apprehending of me: but Colonel West told the judge of my innocency, and spoke boldly in my defence. Yet the judge commanded him again, either to write a warrant, or go off from his seat: then he told the judge plainly that he would not do it; but that he would offer up all his estate, and his body also, for me. Thus he stopped the judge; and the Lord’s power came over all; so that the priests and justices could not get their envy executed. That same night I came into LANCASTER, it being the assize time, and hearing of a warrant to be given out against me, I judged it better to show myself openly, than for my adversaries to seek me. So I went to Judge Fell’s and Colonel West’s chambers. As soon as I came in they smiled on me; and Colonel West said, “What! are you come into the dragon’s mouth?” I stayed in town till the judge went out of town; and I walked up and down the town, but no one meddled with me, or questioned me. Thus the Lord’s blessed power, which is over all, carried me through and over this exercise, gave dominion over his enemies, and enabled me to go on in his glorious work and service for his great name’s sake. For though the beast maketh war against the saints, yet the Lamb hath got, and will get, the victory.

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Chapter VI

1652-1653.—George Fox is branded by the priests as a witch—writes to Justice Sawrey, prophesying of the judgments impending over him—warning to priest Lampitt—exhortation to the people of Ulverstone—to the followers of Lampitt, against a hireling ministry, &c.—a rebuke to Adam Sands for his wickedness—to priest Tatham, against his hireling ministry and his suing for tithes—foretells the dissolution of the Long Parliament—fasts ten days—James Milner and Richard Myer create a schism, which is soon healed—the latter is miraculously healed of his lameness, but afterwards disobeys the Lord, and dies not long after—Anthony Pearson, an opposer, is convinced—the priests are shown to be antichrist—George Fox preaches at John Wilkinson’s steeple-house three hours—admonishes a professor for praising him—reproves Wilkinson for speaking against his conscience—many hundreds are convinced—discerns an unclean spirit in a woman, and speaks sharply to her—the like of some other women—speaks sharply to an envious Baptist—preaches in the steeple-house at Carlisle, where the Lord’s power was such that the people trembled—committed to Carlisle prison as a blasphemer, heretic, and seducer—the priests who come to see him are exceedingly rude—Anthony Pearson’s remonstrance to the Judges of assize against the unjust imprisonment and detention of George Fox—he is put in the dungeon, a filthy place, where a woman is found eaten to death with vermin—here James Parnell visits him—a challenge to professors to declare their objections to George Fox’s ministry—it being reported that George Fox was to die for religion, the Little Parliament write to the sheriff respecting him—he himself expostulates with Justices Craston and Studholm on their imprisoning him—A. Pearson and the governor visit the prison, blame the magistrates, require sureties of the jailer, and put the under-jailer in the dungeon for his cruelty to George Fox, who is soon after liberated—George Fox has great meetings, and thousands are convinced—visits Gilsland, a noted country for thieving—has a glorious meeting of many thousands, near Langlands, on the top of a hill—great convincement in the six northern counties.

From LANCASTER I returned to Robert Widders’s, and from thence I went to Thomas Leper’s to a meeting in the evening; and a very blessed meeting we had there: after which I walked in the evening to Robert Widders’s again. No sooner was I gone, than there came a company of disguised men to Thomas Leper’s, with swords and pistols; who, suddenly entering the house, put out the candles, and swung their swords about amongst the people of the house, who held up the chairs before them to save themselves from being cut and wounded. At length they drove all the people out of the house, and then searched it for me; who, it seems, was the only person they looked for: for they had laid wait before on the highway, by which I should have gone had I rode to Robert Widders’s. And not meeting with me on the way, they thought to find me in the house, but the Lord prevented them. Soon after I was come to Robert Widders’s, some Friends came from the town where Thomas Leper lived, and gave us a relation of this wicked attempt: and they were afraid lest they should come and search Robert Widders’s house also for me, and do me a mischief; but the Lord restrained them that they came not. Though these men were in disguise, the Friends perceived some of them to be Frenchmen, and supposed them to be servants belonging to one called Sir Robert Bindlas; for some of them had said, that in their nation they used to tie the Protestants to trees, and whip and destroy them. His servants used often to abuse Friends, both in their meetings, and going to and from them. They once took Richard Hubberthorn and several others out of one, and carried them a good way off into the fields; and there bound them, and left them bound in the Winter season. At another time, one of his servants came to Francis Fleming’s house, and thrust his naked rapier in at the door and windows; but there being at the house a kinsman of Francis Fleming’s, one who was not a Friend, he came with a cudgel in his hand, and bid the serving-man put up his rapier; which, when the other would not, but vapoured at him with it, and was rude, he knocked him down with his cudgel, and took his rapier from him; and had it not been for Friends, he would have run him through with it. So the Friends preserved the life of him that would have destroyed theirs.

From Robert Widders’s I went to visit Justice West, Richard Hubberthorn accompanying me. Not knowing the way, or the danger of the sands, we rode where, as we were afterwards told, no man ever rode before, swimming our horses over a very dangerous place. When we were come in, Justice West asked us if we did not see two men riding over the sands: “I shall have their clothes anon,” said he, “for they cannot escape drowning, and I am the coroner.” But when we told him that we were the men, he was astonished, and wondered how we escaped drowning. Upon this the envious priests and professors raised a slanderous report concerning me, that neither water could drown me, nor could they draw blood of me; and that therefore surely I was a witch; indeed, sometimes when they beat me with great staves, they did not much draw my blood, though they bruised my body oftimes very sorely. But all these slanders were nothing to me with respect to myself, though I was concerned on the truth’s behalf, which I saw, they endeavoured by these means to prejudice people against; for I considered that their forefathers, the apostate Jews, called the master of the house Beelzebub; and these apostate Christians from the life and power of God, could do no less to his seed. But the Lord’s power carried me over their slanderous tongues, and their bloody murderous spirits; who had the ground of witchcraft in themselves, which kept them from coming to God, and to Christ.

Having visited Justice West, I went to SWARTHMORE, visiting Friends; and the Lord’s power was over all the persecutors there. I was moved to write several letters to the magistrates, priests, and professors, thereabouts, who had raised persecution before; that which I sent to Justice Sawrey was after this manner:—

“FRIEND,

“Thou wast the first beginner of all the persecution in the North; thou wast the beginner and the maker of the people tumultuous. Thou wast the first stirrer of them up against the righteous seed, and against the truth of God; the first strengthener of the hands of evil-doers against the innocent and harmless; and thou shalt not prosper. Thou wast the first stirrer up of strikers, stoners, persecutors, stockers, mockers, and imprisoners in the North, and of revilers, slanderers, railers, and false accusers. This was thy work, and this thou stirredst up! so thy fruits declare thy spirit. Instead of stirring up the pure mind in people, thou hast stirred up the wicked, malicious, and envious, and taken hand with the wicked. Thou hast made the people’s minds envious up and down the country; this was thy work. But God hath shortened thy days, and limited thee; hath set thy bounds, and broken thy jaws; discovered thy religion to the simple and babes, and brought thy deeds to light. How is thy habitation fallen, and become the habitation of devils! How is thy beauty lost, and thy glory withered! How hast thou showed thy end that thou hast served God but with thy lips, thy heart being far from him, and thou in hypocrisy! How hath the form of thy teaching declared itself to be the mark of the false prophets, whose fruit declares itself! for by their fruits they are known. How are the wise men turned backward! View thy ways, and take notice with whom thou hast taken part. That of God in thy conscience will tell thee; the Ancient of days will reprove thee. How hath thy zeal appeared to be the blind zeal of a persecutor, which Christ and his apostles forbade Christians to follow! How hast thou strengthened the hands of evil-doers, and been a praise to them, and not to them that do well! How like a madman and blind man, didst thou turn thy sword backward against the saints, against whom there is no law! How wilt thou be gnawed and burned one day, when thou shalt feel the flame and have the plagues of God poured upon thee, and thou begin to gnaw thy tongue for pain, because of the plagues! Thou shalt have thy reward according to thy works. Thou canst not escape; the Lord’s righteous judgment will find thee out, and the witness of God in thy conscience shall answer it. How hast thou caused the heathen to blaspheme, gone on with the multitude to do evil, and joined hand and hand with the wicked! How is thy latter end worse than thy beginning, who art come with the dog to bite, and art turned as a wolf, to devour the lambs! How hast thou discovered thyself to be a man more fit to be kept in a place to be nurtured, than to be set in a place to nurture! How wast thou exalted and puffed up with pride! and now art thou fallen down with shame, that thou comest to be covered with that which thou stirredst up and broughtest forth. Let not John Sawrey take the words of God into his mouth till he be reformed; let him not take his name into his mouth till he depart from iniquity; let not him and his teacher make a profession of the saints’ words, except they intend to proclaim themselves hypocrites, whose lives are so contrary to the lives of the saints; whose church hath made itself manifest to be a cage of unclean birds. You, having a form of godliness, but not the power, have made them that are in the power your derision, your by-word, and talk at your feasts. Thy ill savour, John Sawrey, the country about have smelled, and of thy unchristian carriage all that fear God have been ashamed; and to them thou hast been a grief; in the day of account thou shalt know it, even in the day of thy condemnation. Thou wast mounted up, and hadst set thy nest on high, but never gottest higher than the fowls of the air. Now thou art run amongst the beast of prey, and art fallen into the earth; so that earthliness and covetousness have swallowed thee up. Thy conceitedness would not carry thee through, in whom was found the selfish principle, which hath blinded thy eye. Thy back must be bowed down always; for thy table is already become thy snare.”

G. F.

This Justice Sawrey, who was the first persecutor in that country, was afterwards drowned.

I wrote also to William Lampitt, the priest of ULVERSTONE, thus:—

“The word of the Lord to thee, O Lampitt! who art a deceiver, surfeited and drunk with the earthly spirit, rambling up and down in the Scriptures, and blending thy spirit amongst the saints’ conditions; who hadst a prophecy, as thy father Balaam had, but art erred from it, as thy father did; one whose fruit hath withered (of which I am a witness,) and many who have known thy fruit, have seen the end of it, that it is withered, and do see where thou art in the blind world, a blind leader of the blind; as a beast wallowing and tumbling in the earth, and in the lust; one that is erred from the Spirit of the Lord, of old ordained for condemnation. Thou art in the seat of the Pharisees, art called of men master, standest praying in the synagogues, and hast the chief seat in the assemblies; a right hypocrite in the steps of the Pharisees, and in the way of thy fathers, the hypocrites, which our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. Such with the light thou art seen to be, and by the light art comprehended; which is thy condemnation, who hatest it, and will be so eternally, except thou repent. To thee this is the word of God; for in Christ’s way thou art not, but in the Pharisees’, as thou mayest read, Matt, xxiii., and all that own Christ’s words may see thee there. Christ, who died at Jerusalem, cried woe against such as thou art; and Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. The woe remains upon thee, and from under it thou canst never come, but through judgment, condemnation, and true repentance. To thee this is the word of God; to that of God in thy conscience do I speak, which will witness the truth of what I write, and will condemn thee. And when thou art in thy torment (though now thou swellest in thy vanity, and livest in wickedness,) remember thou wast warned in thy lifetime. When the eternal condemnation is stretched over thee, thou shalt witness this to be the word of the Lord God unto thee; and if ever thy eye shall see repentance, thou wilt witness me to have been a friend of thy soul.”

G. F.

Having thus cleared my conscience to the justice, and to the priest of ULVERSTONE, who had raised the first persecution in that country, it was upon me to send this warning in writing to the people of ULVERSTONE in general.

“Consider, O people! who are within the parish of ULVERSTONE; I was moved of the Lord to come into your public places to speak among you, being sent of God to direct your minds to him, that you might know where you might find your teacher; that your minds might be staid alone upon God, and you might not gad abroad without you for a teacher; for the Lord God alone will teach his people; and he is coming to teach them, and to gather them from idols’ temples, and from the customary worships, which all the world is trained up in. God hath given to every one of you a measure of his Spirit, according to your capacity; liars, drunkards, whoremongers, and thieves, and who follow filthy pleasures, you all have this measure in you. This is the measure of the Spirit of God, that shows you sin, and evil, and deceit; which lets you see that lying is sin; and theft, drunkenness, and uncleanness, all to be the works of darkness. Therefore mind your measure (for nothing that is unclean shall enter into the kingdom of God), and prize your time while you have it, lest the time come that you say with sorrow, we had time, but it is past. O! why will ye die? why will ye choose your own ways? why will ye follow the course of the world? and why will ye follow envy, malice, drunkenness, and foolish pleasures? know ye not in your consciences that all these are evil and sin? and that they who act such things, shall never enter into the kingdom of God? O! that ye would consider, and see how you have spent your time, and mind how ye do spend it, and observe whom you serve; for ‘the wages of sin is death.’ Do not ye know, that whatsoever is more than yea and nay, cometh of evil? O! ye drunkards, who live in drunkenness, do ye think to escape the fire and the judgment of God? Though ye swell in venom, and live in lust for a while, yet God will find you out, and bring you to judgment.

“Therefore love the light, which Christ hath enlightened you withal, who saith, ‘I am the light of the world,’ and who doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world. One loves the light, and brings his works to the light and there is no occasion at all of stumbling; the other hates the light, because his deeds are evil, and the light will reprove him. Thou that hatest this light, thou hast it; thou knowest that lying, drunkenness, swearing, whoredom, theft, all ungodliness, and all unrighteousness, are evil. Christ Jesus hath given thee light enough to let thee see these are evil. This light, if thou lovest it, will teach thee holiness and righteousness, without which none shall see God; but if thou hatest this light, it is thy condemnation. Thus are Christ’s words found to be true, and fulfilled among you; you that hate this light, set up hirelings, and idols’ temples, and such priests as bear rule by their means; such shepherds as hold up such things; who are called of men masters, and have the chiefest place in the assemblies, whom Christ cried woe against, Matt, xxiii.; such as go in the way of Cain in envy, and after the error of Balaam for wages, gifts, and rewards; these have been your teachers; and these you have held up. But they who love the light, are taught of God; and the Lord is coming to teach his people himself, and to gather his own from the hirelings, and from such as seek for their gain from their quarter, and from such as bear rule by their means. The Lord is opening the eyes of people, that they may see such as bear rule over them. But all, whose are shut, are such as the prophet spoke of, that ‘have eyes and see not,’ but are foolish, upholding such things. Therefore, poor people, as ye love your own souls, consider the love of God to your souls, while ye have time, and do not turn the grace of God into wantonness. That which shows you ungodliness and worldly lusts, should and would be your teacher, if ye would hearken to it; for the saints of old witnessed the grace of God to be their teacher, which taught them to live soberly and godly in this present world. Ye that are not sober, this grace of God hath appeared unto you, but you turn it into wantonness, and so set up teachers, who are not sober, not holy, not godly. Here you are left without excuse, when the righteous judgment of God shall be revealed upon all who live ungodly. Therefore to the light in you I speak; and when the book of conscience shall come to be opened, then shall you witness what I say to be true, and you all shall be judged out of it. God Almighty direct your minds (such of you especially who love honesty and sincerity,) that you may receive mercy in the time of need. Your teacher is within you; look not forth; it will teach you both lying in bed, and going abroad, to shun all occasion of sin and evil.”

G. F.

As the foregoing was directed to all the inhabitants of ULVERSTONE in general, so it was upon me to write also to those more particularly, that most constantly followed W. Lampitt, the priest. To these I wrote thus:—

“The word of the Lord God to all the people that follow priest Lampitt, who is a blind guide. Ye are such as are turned from the light of Christ within, which he hath enlightened you withal; ye are such as follow that which Christ cried woe against, that go not in Christ’s way, but in the Pharisees’ way, as ye may read, Matt. xxiii., which our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; but him ye own not, while ye follow such as he cried woe against; though under a colour ye make a profession, and Lampitt, your priest, makes a trade of Christ’s and the saints’ words, as his fathers, the Pharisees, made a profession of the prophets’ and of Moses’s words. Woe was unto them who had not the life, so woe is unto you who have not the life that gave forth the Scriptures, as your fruits have made manifest. For when the Lord hath moved some to come amongst you to preach the truth freely, you have knocked them down, beat, and punched, and haled them out of your assemblies. Such a people serve thee, O Lampitt, to make a prey upon, and these are thy fruits. O! let shame, shame, strike thee and you all in the faces, who make a profession of Christ’s words, and yet are stoners, and strikers, and mockers, and scoffers. Let all see, if this be not a cage of unclean birds, spoken of in the Scriptures, by those who had the life of the Scriptures. Such a company of people thou deceivest, and feedest them with thy fancies; thou makest a trade of the Scriptures, and takest them for thy cloak. But thou art manifest to all the children of light; for that cloak will not cover thee; thy skirts are seen, and thy nakedness appears. The Lord made one to go naked among you, a figure of thy nakedness, and of your nakedness, and as a sign amongst you, before your destruction cometh; that you might see that you were naked, and not covered with the truth. To the light in all your consciences I speak, which Christ Jesus doth enlighten you withal. It will show you the time you have spent, and all the evil deeds you have done in that time; who follow such a teacher, that acts contrary to this light, and leads you into the ditch. When you are in the ditch together, both teacher and people, remember ye were warned in your lifetime. If ever your eyes come to see repentance, and you obey the light of Jesus Christ in you, you will witness me to have been a friend of your souls, and that I have sought your eternal good, and written this in dear love to you. Then will you own your condemnation; which you must all own, before you can come into that blessed life, of which there is no end. But ye, who hate the light, because your deeds are evil, this light is your condemnation. O! that ye would love this light, and hearken to it! It would teach you, both in your daily occupations, and as you lie upon your beds, and would never let you speak a vain word. In loving it, you love Christ; in hating it, you bring condemnation thereof upon yourselves. To you this is the word of God, from under which you can never pass, nor ever escape the terror of the Lord, in the state you are in, who hate the light.”

G. F.

Amongst the chief hearers and followers of this priest Lampitt of ULVERSTONE, was one Adam Sands, who was a very wicked, false man, and would have destroyed truth and its followers if he could. To him I was moved to write thus:—

“ADAM SANDS,

“To the light in thy conscience I appeal, thou child of the Devil, thou enemy of righteousness; the Lord will strike thee down, though now for a while in thy wickedness thou mayest reign. The plagues of God are due to thee, who hardenest thyself in thy wickedness against the pure truth of God. With the pure truth of God, which thou hast resisted and persecuted, thou art to be thrashed down, which is eternal, and doth comprehend thee; and with the light, which thou despisest, thou art seen; and it is thy condemnation. Thou as one brutish, and thy wife as an hypocrite, and you both as murderers of the just, in that which is eternal, are seen and comprehended; and your hearts searched, and tried, and condemned by the light. The light in thy conscience will witness the truth of what I write to thee; and will let thee see that thou art not born of God, but art from the truth, in the beastly nature. If ever thy eye see repentance, thou wilt witness me a friend of thy soul, and a seeker of thy eternal good.”

G. F.

This Adam Sands afterwards died miserably.

I was moved also to write to priest Tatham.

“The word of the Lord to thee, priest Tatham, who art found out of the doctrine of Christ; having the chiefest place in the assembly, being called of men, master, and standing praying in the synagogue in the steps of the Pharisees, which our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. In his way thou art not, but in the way of the scribes and Pharisees, as thou mayest read, Matt. xxiii. There Christ’s words judge thee, and the Scriptures of truth condemn thee. For thou art such a one as sues men at the law for tithes, and yet professest thyself to be a minister of Christ; which Christ never empowered his to do; neither did any of his apostles or ministers ever do so. Here I charge thee in the presence of the living God, to be out of their doctrine; and that as one of those evil beasts the Scripture speaks of, thou mindest earthly things, which the life of the Scriptures is against. Thou art for destruction in the state wherein thou standest; and it will be thy portion eternally, if thou dost not repent. To that of God in thy conscience I speak, which will witness the truth of what I say. Thou goest in Cain’s way, in envy, an enemy to God, and from the command of God. Thou goest in Balaam’s way, from the Spirit of God, for gifts and rewards, the wages of unrighteousness. Thou son of Balaam, thou art worse than thy father, for though he loved the wages of unrighteousness, yet he durst not take them; but thou not only takest them, but suest men at the law if they will not give them thee, which no true minister of Jesus Christ ever did; therefore stop thy mouth for ever, and never make mention of them, or profess thyself one of them. With the light thou art seen and comprehended, who art light and vain, and speakest a divination of thy own brain, and deceivest the people. That in thy conscience will witness what I say, and will condemn thee, who art one of those that bear rule by their means, which the Lord sent Jeremiah to cry against, Jer. v.; and so thou holdest up ‘the horrible and filthy thing that is committed in the land.’ They that do not tremble at the word of the Lord, are the foolish people that hold thee up; they are sottish children, and have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but not to do good, who are deceived by thee. Thou art one of those that seek their gain from their quarter; a greedy dumb dog, that never hath enough, as thy practice makes manifest, which the Lord sent Isaiah to cry against, Isa. lvi. 11, 12. And thou art such a one as the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against, who feedest of the fat, and clothest with the wool, and makest a prey of the people. But the Lord is gathering his sheep from thy mouth, that to thee they shall be a prey no longer. Thou enemy of God, here this prophecy is fulfilled upon thee, Ezek. xxxiv., and thou art one of them; I charge it upon thee in the presence of the living God; a hireling thou art, and they that put not into thy mouth, thou preparest war against them. Thou hatest the good, and lovest the evil, which the Lord sent Micah to cry against, Mic. iii. Cover thy lips, and stop thy mouth for ever, thou child of darkness; for with the light thou art comprehended, and seen to be among them which the holy men of God cried woe against; and by the Spirit of the Living God thou art judged. In the light, which is thy condemnation, thou art comprehended; thy race is seen, and thy compass known, who art out of the commands of Christ, and out of the doctrine and life of the apostles. Thou art proved and tried: to thee this is the word of the Lord, to thee it shall be as a hammer, a fire, and a sword, and from under it thou shalt never come, unless thou repent; who art with the light to be condemned in that state wherein thou standest: and if ever thy eye see repentance, this thy condemnation thou must own.”

G. F.

I wrote also to —— Burton, priest of SEDBERGH, much to the same purpose, he being in the same evil ground, nature, and practice. Many other epistles also and papers, which are too many and large to be inserted in this place, I wrote about that time, as the Lord moved me thereunto, which I sent among the priests, professors, and people of all sorts, for the laying their evil ways open before them, that they might see and forsake them; and opening the way of truth unto them, that they might come to walk therein.

After I had cleared my conscience at that time to the priests and people near SWARTHMORE, I went again into WESTMORLAND. A company of men with pikes and staves laid wait for me at a bridge in the way, and they met with some Friends, but missed me. Afterwards they came to the meeting with their pikes and staves: but Justice Benson being there, and many considerable people besides, they were prevented from doing the mischief they intended. So they went away in a great rage, without hurting any one.

I went from the meeting to GRAYRIGG, and had a meeting there at Alexander Dixon’s house, to which the priest (who was a Baptist, and a chapel priest,) came to oppose; but the Lord confounded him by his power. Some of the priest’s people tumbled down some milk-pails which stood upon the side of the house, which was much crowded; whereupon the priest, after he and his company were gone away, raised a slander, “that the Devil frightened him, and took away a side of the house while he was in the meeting.” And though this was a known falsehood, yet it served the priests and professors to feed on for a while; and so shameless they were, that they printed and published it.

Another time this priest came to a meeting, and fell to jangling. First he said, “the Scriptures were the word of God.” I told him they were the words of God, but were not Christ, who is the Word; and bid him prove by Scripture what he said. Then he said it was not the Scripture that was the Word; and, setting his foot upon the Bible, he said it was but copies bound up together. Many unsavoury words came from him, but after he was gone we had a blessed meeting, and the Lord’s power and presence was preciously manifested and felt amongst us. Soon after he sent me a challenge to meet me at KENDAL. I sent him word he need not go so far as KENDAL, for I would meet him in his own parish. The hour being fixed, we met, and abundance of rude people gathered together, besides the baptized people who were his own Members; and they had intended to do mischief, but God prevented them. When we were met, I declared the day of the Lord to them, and directed them to Christ Jesus. Then the priest out with his Bible, and said it was the word of God. I told him it was the words of God, but not God, the Word. His answer was, he would prove the Scriptures to be the word before all the people. I let him go on, having a man there that could take down in writing both what he said, and what I said. When he could not prove it (for I kept him to Scripture proof, chapter and verse for it,) the people gnashed their teeth for anger, and said he would have me anon; but in going about to prove that one error, he ran into many. And when at length he saw he could not prove it, then he said he would prove it to be a God: so he toiled himself afresh, till he perspired again, but could not prove what he had affirmed. And he and his company were full of wrath; for I kept his assertions on the head of him and them all, and told them I owned what the Scriptures said of themselves, namely, that they were the words of God, but Christ was the Word. So the Lord’s power came over all, and they being confounded went away. The Lord disappointed their mischievous intentions against me, and Friends were established in Christ; and many of the priest’s followers saw the folly of their teacher.

After this, priest Bennet, of CARTMEL, sent a challenge to dispute with me. Hereupon I came to his steeple-house on a First-day, and found him preaching. When he had done, I spoke to him and his people; but the priest would not stand the trial, but went his way. After he was gone, I had much discourse with the people; and when I was come out into the steeple-house yard, and was discoursing further with the professors, and declaring truth unto them, one of them set his foot behind me, and two of them ran against my breast, and threw me down backwards against a grave-stone, wickedly and maliciously seeking to hurt me; but I got up again, and was moved of the Lord to speak to them. Then I went up to the priest’s house, and desired him to come forth that I might discourse with him, seeing he had challenged me; but he would not be seen. So the Lord’s power came over them all, which was greatly manifested at that time. Amongst the priest’s hearers was one Richard Roper, one of the bitterest professors the priest had: he was very fierce and hot in his contention; but afterwards he came to be convinced of God’s eternal truth, became a minister thereof, and continued faithful to his death.

It was now about the beginning of the year 1653, when I returned to SWARTHMORE; and going to a meeting at GLEASTON, a professor challenged a dispute with me. I went to the house where he was, and called him to come forth; but the Lord’s power was over him, so that he durst not meddle. Then I departed thence, and visited the meetings of Friends in LANCASHIRE, and came back to SWARTHMORE. Great openings I had from the Lord, not only of divine and spiritual matters, but also of outward things, relating to the civil government. For being one day in Swarthmore-hall, when Judge Fell and Justice Benson were talking of the news, and of the parliament then sitting, which was called the Long Parliament, I was moved to tell them, that before that day two weeks the Parliament should be broken up, and the speaker plucked out of his chair. And that day two weeks Justice Benson coming thither again, told Judge Fell, that now he saw George was a true prophet; for Oliver had broken up the parliament.

About this time I was in a fast for about ten days, my spirit being greatly exercised on truth’s account; for James Milner and Richard Myer went out into imaginations, and a company followed them. This James Milner and some of his company, had true openings at first; but getting into pride and exaltation of spirit, they ran out from truth. I was sent for to them, and was moved of the Lord to go, and show them their outgoings: and they were brought to see their folly, and condemned it, and came into the way of truth again. After some time I went to a meeting at ARNSIDE, where Richard Myer was, who had been long lame of one of his arms. I was moved of the Lord to say unto him, amongst all the people, “Stand up on thy legs” (for he was sitting down): and he stood up, and stretched out his arm that had been lame a long time, and said, “Be it known unto you, all people, that this day I am healed.” Yet his parents could hardly believe it; but after the meeting was done, they had him aside, took off his doublet, and then saw it was true. He came soon after to Swarthmore meeting, and then declared how that the Lord had healed him. Yet after this the Lord commanded him to go to York with a message from him, but he disobeyed the Lord; and the Lord struck him again, so that he died about three-quarters of a year after.

Now were great threatenings given forth in CUMBERLAND, that if ever I came there again, they would take away my life. When I heard it I was drawn to go into CUMBERLAND, and went to Miles Wennington’s, in the same parish from which those threatenings came; but they had not power to touch me.

About this time Anthony Pearson was convinced, who had been an opposer of Friends.[27] He came over to SWARTHMORE; and I being then at Colonel West’s, they sent for me. Colonel West said, “Go, George, for it may be great service to the man.” So I went, and the Lord’s power reached him.

Footnote 27:

Justice Pearson, who “was convinced as he sat on the bench,” became the author of an approved work, The Great Case of Tithes. A striking letter from him, dated in 1653, respecting his religious state, is inserted in Letters of Early Friends, pages 10-12.

About this time also the Lord opened several mouths to declare the truth to priests and people, so that many were cast into prison. I went again into CUMBERLAND, and Anthony Pearson and his wife, and several Friends, went with me to BOOTLE, where Anthony Pearson left me, and went to Carlisle sessions; for he was a Justice of the peace in three counties. On a First-day I went into the steeple-house at BOOTLE; and when the priest had done, I began to speak. But the people were exceeding rude, and struck and beat me in the yard: one gave me a very great blow over my wrist, so that the people thought he had broken my hand to pieces. The constable was very desirous to keep the peace, and would have set some of them by the heels that struck me, if I would have given way to it. After my service amongst them was over, I went to Joseph Nicholson’s house,[28] and the constable went a little way with us, to keep off the rude multitude. In the afternoon I went again; and then the priest had got another priest, that came from LONDON, and was highly accounted of, to help him. Before I went in to the steeple-house, I sat a little upon the Cross, and Friends with me; but the Friends were moved to go into the steeple-house, and I went in after them. The London priest was preaching; who gathered up all the Scriptures he could think of, that spoke of false prophets, and antichrists, and deceivers, and threw them upon us; but when he had done I recollected all those Scriptures, and brought them back upon himself. Then the people fell upon me in a rude manner; but the constable charged them to keep the peace, and so made them quiet again.

Footnote 28:

Joseph Nicholson was one of those who, with his wife, suffered in the New England persecution, being imprisoned there and laid in irons. He was also immured within the walls of Dover Castle in 1661. See Bowden’s History of Friends in America, vol. i., pp. 203-206, and 268, &c.

Then the priest began to rage, and said I must not speak there, I told him he had his hour-glass, by which he had preached, and he having done, the time was free for me, as well as for him, for he was but a stranger there himself. So I opened the Scriptures to them, and let them see “that those Scriptures, that spoke of the false prophets, and antichrists, and deceivers, described them and their generation, and belonged to them who were found walking in their steps, and bringing forth their fruits; and not unto us, who were not guilty of such things.” I manifested to them, that they were out of the steps of the true prophets and apostles; and showed them clearly, by the fruits and marks, that it was they of whom those Scriptures spoke, and not we. And I declared the truth, and the word of life to the people, and directed them to Christ their Teacher. All was quiet while I was speaking; but when I had done, and was come out, the priests were both of them in such a rage, that they foamed at the mouth for anger against me. The priest of the place made an oration to the people in the steeple-house yard, and said, “This man hath gotten all the honest men and women in LANCASHIRE to him; and now,” said he, “he comes here to do the same.” Then said I unto him, “What wilt thou have left? and what have the priests left them, but such as themselves? For if it be the honest that receive the truth, and are turned to Christ, then it must be the dishonest that follow thee, and such as thou art.” Some also of the priest’s people began to plead for their priest, and for tithes; but I told them it were better for them to plead for Christ, who had ended the tithing-priesthood and tithes, and had sent forth his ministers to give freely, as they had received freely. So the Lord’s power came over them all, put them to silence, and restrained the rude people, that they could not do the mischief they intended. When I came down again to Joseph Nicholson’s house, I saw a great hole in my coat, which was cut with a knife, but it was not cut through my doubtlet, for the Lord had prevented their mischief. And the next day a rude wicked man would have done violence to a Friend, but the Lord’s power stopped him.

Now was I moved to send James Lancaster to appoint a meeting at John Wilkinson’s steeple-house near COCKERMOUTH, who was a preacher in great repute, and had three parishes under him; wherefore I stayed at MILLOM-IN-BOOTLE till he came back again. In the meantime some of those called the gentry of the country had formed a plot against me, and had given a little boy a rapier, to do me mischief with it. They came with the boy to Joseph Nicholson’s house to seek me; but the Lord had so ordered it, that I was gone into the fields. They met with James Lancaster, but did not much abuse him; and not finding me in the house, after a while they went away again. So I walked up and down in the fields that night, and did not go to bed, as very often I used to do.

The next day we came to the steeple-house, where James Lancaster had appointed the meeting. There were at this meeting twelve soldiers and their wives, who were come thither from CARLISLE; and the country people came in, as if it had been to a fair. I lay at a house a short distance from the place, so that many Friends were there before me. When I came, I found James Lancaster speaking under a yew tree; which was so full of people that I feared they would break it down. I looked about for a place to stand upon, to speak to the people; for they lay all up and down like people at a leaguer. After I was discovered, a professor came to me, and asked, if I would go into the church; seeing no place convenient to speak to the people from, I told him, “Yes;” whereupon the people rushed in; so that when I came in, the house and even the pulpit was so full of people, that I had much ado to get in; and they that could not get in, stood about the walls. When the people were settled, I stood up on a seat; and the Lord opened my mouth “to declare his everlasting truth, and his everlasting day; and to lay open all their teachers, their rudiments, traditions, and inventions, that they had been in, in the night of apostacy since the apostles’ days. I turned them to Christ the true teacher, and to the true spiritual worship; directing them where to find the Spirit and truth, that they might worship God therein. I opened Christ’s parables unto them, and directed them to the Spirit of God in themselves, that would open the Scriptures unto them. And I showed them, how all might come to know their Saviour, and sit under his teaching;—might come to be heirs of the kingdom of God, and know both the voice of God and of Christ, by which they might discover all the false shepherds and teachers they had been under; and be gathered to the true shepherd, priest, bishop, and prophet, Christ Jesus, whom God commanded all to hear.” So when I had largely declared the word of life unto them, for about three hours, I walked from amongst the people, and they passed away very well satisfied.

Among the rest a professor followed me, praising and commending me; but his words were like a thistle to me. At last I turned about, and bid him “fear the Lord:” whereupon priest Larkham, of COCKERMOUTH (for several priests were got together on the way who came after the meeting was over,) said to me, “Sir, why do you judge so; you must not judge.” But I turned to him and said, “Friend, dost not thou discern an exhortation from a judgment? I admonished him to fear God; and dost thou say I judge him?” So this priest and I falling into discourse, I manifested him to be amongst the false prophets and covetous hirelings. And several people being moved to speak to him, he and two others of the priests soon got away. When they were gone, John Wilkinson, who was preacher of that parish, and of two other parishes in CUMBERLAND, began to dispute against his own conscience for several hours, till the people generally turned against him; for he thought to have tired me out, but the Lord’s power tired him out, and the Lord’s truth came over him and them all. Many hundreds were convinced that day, and received the Lord Jesus Christ, and his free teaching, with gladness; of whom some have died in the truth, and many stand faithful witnesses thereof. The soldiers also were convinced, and their wives, and continued with me till First-day.

On First-day I went to the steeple-house at COCKERMOUTH, where priest Larkham lived. When he had done, I began to speak, and the people began to be rude; but the soldiers told them we had broken no law, and they became quiet. Then I turned to the priest, and laid him open among the false prophets and hirelings; at which word the priest went his way, and said, “He calls me hireling;” which was true enough, and all the people knew it. Then some of the great men of the town came to me, and said, “Sir, we have no learned men to dispute with you.” I told them I came not to dispute, but to show the way of salvation to them, the way of everlasting life. I declared largely the way of life and truth, and directed them to Christ their Teacher, who had died for them, and bought them with his blood.

When I had done, I went about two miles to another great steeple-house of John Wilkinson’s, called BRIGHAM; where the people, having been at the other meeting, were mightily affected, and would have put my horse into the steeple-house yard; but I said, “No, the priest claims that; take him to an inn.” When I came into the steeple-house yard, I saw the people coming in great companies, as to a fair; and abundance were already gathered in the lanes, and about the steeple-house. I was very thirsty, and walked about a quarter of a mile to a brook, where I got some water, and refreshed myself. As I came up again, I met Wilkinson, who as I passed by him said, “Sir, will you preach to-day? If you will,” said he, “I will not oppose you in word or thought.” I replied, “Oppose if thou wilt; I have something to speak to the people.” “And,” said I, “thou carriedst thyself foolishly the other day, and spoke against thy conscience and reason; insomuch that thy hearers cried out against thee.” So I left him, and went on; for he saw it was in vain to oppose, the people were so affected with the Lord’s truth. When I came into the steeple-house yard, a professor came to me, and asked if I would not go into the church as he called it. And I seeing no convenient place to stand to speak to the people from, went in, and stood up on a seat after they were settled. The priest came in also, but did not go up to his pulpit.

The Lord opened my mouth, and I declared his everlasting truth, and word of life to the people; “directing them to the spirit of God in themselves, by which they might know God and Christ, and the Scriptures, and come to have heavenly fellowship in the Spirit. I declared to them, that every one that cometh into the world, was enlightened by Christ the life; by which light they might see their sins, and Christ, who was come to save them from their sins, and died for them. And, if they came to walk in this light, they might therein see Christ to be the author of their faith, and the finisher thereof; their Shepherd to feed them, their Priest to teach them, and their great Prophet to open divine mysteries unto them, and to be always present with them. I explained also unto them, in the openings of the Lord, the first covenant, explaining to them the types, and the substance of those figures; and so bringing them on to Christ, the new covenant. I also manifested unto them, that there had been a night of apostacy since the apostles’ days; but that now the everlasting gospel was preached again, which brought life and immortality to light; and the day of the Lord was come, and Christ was come to teach his people himself by his light, grace, power, and Spirit.” A fine opportunity the Lord gave me to preach truth among the people that day for about three hours; and all was quiet. Many hundreds were convinced; and some of them praised God and said, “Now we know the first step to peace.” The preacher also said privately to some of his hearers, that I had broken them and overthrown them.

After this I went to a village, and many people accompanied me. As I was sitting in a house full of people, declaring the word of life unto them, I cast mine eye upon a woman, and discerned an unclean spirit in her. And I was moved of the Lord to speak sharply to her, and told her she was a witch [under the influence of an unclean spirit]; whereupon she went out of the room. Now, I being a stranger there, and knowing nothing of the woman outwardly, the people wondered at it, and told me afterwards that I had discovered a great thing; for all the country looked upon her to be a witch. The Lord had given me a spirit of discerning, by which I many times saw the states and conditions of people, and could try their spirits. For not long before, as I was going to a meeting, I saw some women in a field, and I discerned them to be witches; and I was moved to go out of my way into the field to them, and declare unto them their conditions. At another time there came such an one into Swarthmore-hall in the meeting time; and I was moved to speak sharply to her, and told her she was a witch [under the power of an evil spirit]; and the people said afterwards she was generally accounted so. There came also at another time another woman, and stood at a distance from me, and I cast mine eye upon her, and said, “thou hast been a harlot;” for I perfectly saw the condition and life of the woman. The woman answered and said, many could tell her of her outward sins, but none could tell her of her inward. Then I told her her heart was not right before the Lord, and that from the inward came the outward. This woman came afterwards to be convinced of God’s truth, and became a Friend.

From the aforesaid village we came up to Thomas Bewley’s, near CALDBECK; and from thence, having had some service for the Lord there, I passed to a town, where I had a meeting at the Cross; and all was pretty quiet. When I had declared the truth unto them, and directed them to Christ their teacher, some received the truth. We had another meeting upon the borders, in a steeple-house yard, to which many professors and contenders came; but the Lord’s power was over all; and when the word of life had been declared amongst them, some received the truth there also.

From thence we came to CARLISLE, and the pastor of the Baptists, with most of his hearers, came to me to the abbey, where I had a meeting, and declared the word of life amongst them; and many of the Baptists, and of the soldiers, were convinced. After the meeting, the pastor of the Baptists, a high notionist, and a flashy man, came to me, and asked me, “what must be damned;” I was moved immediately to tell him, “that which spoke in him was to be damned.” This stopped his mouth; and the witness of God was raised up in him. I opened to him the states of election and reprobation, so that he said he never heard the like in his life. He also came afterwards to be convinced.

Then I went up to the castle among the soldiers, who beat a drum, and called the garrison together. I preached the truth amongst them, “directing them to the Lord Jesus Christ to be their teacher, and to the measure of his Spirit in themselves, by which they might be turned from the darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan unto God. I warned them all, that they should do no violence to any man, but should show forth a Christian life; telling them, that he who was to be their teacher, would be their condemner, if they were disobedient to him.” So I left them, having no opposition from any of them except the sergeants, who afterwards came to be convinced.

On the market-day I went up into the market, to the market-cross. Now the magistrates had both threatened and sent their serjeants; and the magistrates’ wives had said that if I came there, they would pluck the hair off my head; and that the serjeants should take me up. Nevertheless, I obeyed the Lord God, and went upon the Cross, and there declared unto them, that the day of the Lord was coming upon all their deceitful ways and doings, and deceitful merchandize; and that they should put away all cozening and cheating, and keep to yea and nay, and speak the truth one to another; so the truth and the power of God was set over them. After I had declared the word of life to the people, the throng became so great that the serjeants could not get to me, nor the magistrates’ wives come at me, I passed away quietly. Many people and soldiers came to me, and some Baptists, that were bitter contenders; amongst whom one of their deacons, being an envious man, and finding the Lord’s power was over them, cried out for very anger. Whereupon I set my eyes upon him, and spoke sharply to him in the power of the Lord; and he cried, “Do not pierce me so with thy eyes; keep thy eyes off me.”

On the First-day following I went into the steeple-house; and after the priest had done, I preached the truth to the people, and declared the word of life amongst them. The priest got away, and the magistrates desired me to go out of the steeple-house. But I still declared the way of the Lord unto them, and told them, “I came to speak the word of life and salvation from the Lord amongst them.” The power of the Lord was dreadful amongst them in the steeple-house, so that the people trembled and shook, and they thought the steeple-house shook: and some of them feared it would fall down on their heads. The magistrates’ wives were in a rage, and strove mightily to be at me: but the soldiers and friendly people stood thick about me. At length the rude people of the city rose, and came with staves and stones into the steeple-house, crying, “Down with these round-headed rogues;” and they threw stones. Whereupon the governor sent a file or two of musketeers into the steeple-house, to appease the tumult, and commanded all the other soldiers out. So those soldiers took me by the hand in a friendly manner, and said they would have me along with them. When we came forth into the street, the city was in an uproar, and the governor came down; and some of those soldiers were put in prison for standing by me, and for me, against the town’s-people. A lieutenant, that had been convinced, came, and brought me to his house, where there was a Baptists’ meeting, and thither came Friends also, and we had a very quiet meeting; they heard the word of life gladly, and many received it.

The next day, the justices and magistrates of the town being gathered in the townhall, they granted a warrant against me, and sent for me to come before them. I was then gone to a Baptist’s house; but hearing of it, I went up to the hall to them, where many rude people were; some of whom had sworn strange, false things against me. I had much discourse with the magistrates, wherein I laid open the fruits of their priests’ preaching, and showed them how void they were of Christianity; and that, though they were such great professors (for they were Independents and Presbyterians,) they were without the possession of that which they professed. After a large examination they committed me to prison as a blasphemer, a heretic, and a seducer; though they could not justly charge any such thing against me. The jail at CARLISLE had two jailers, an upper and an under, who looked like two great bear-wards. Now when I was brought in, the upper jailer had me up into a great chamber, and told me, I should have what I would in that room. But I told him, he should not expect any money from me, for I would neither lie in any of his beds, nor eat any of his victuals. Then he put me into another room; where after a while, I got something to lie upon. There I lay till the assizes came; and then all the talk was, that I was to be hanged. The high sheriff, whose name was Wilfred Lawson, stirred them much up to take away my life; and said, he would guard me to my execution himself. They were in a great rage, and set three musketeers for a guard upon me; one at my chamber door, another at the stairs’ foot, and a third at the street door; and they would let none come at me, except one sometimes, to bring me some necessary things. At night they would bring up priests to me, sometimes as late as the tenth hour; who were exceedingly rude and devilish. There was a company of bitter Scotch priests, Presbyterians, made up of envy and malice, who were not fit to speak of the things of God, they were so foul-mouthed; but the Lord, by his power, gave me dominion over them all, and I let them see both their fruits and their spirits. Great ladies also (as they were called) came to see the man that they said was to die. Now, while both the judge, justices, and sheriff, were contriving together how they might put me to death, the Lord disappointed their design by an unexpected way; for the judge’s clerk (as I was informed,) started a question among them, which confounded all their counsels; so that after that they had not power to call me before the judge.

Anthony Pearson being then in Carlisle, and perceiving that they did not intend to bring me, as was expected, upon my trial, wrote a letter to the judges, directed as follows:—

TO THE JUDGES OF ASSIZE AND JAIL-DELIVERY FOR THE NORTHERN PARTS, SITTING AT CARLISLE.

“You are raised up to do righteousness and justice, and sent forth to punish him that doth evil, and to encourage him that doth well, and to set the oppressed free. I am therefore moved to lay before you the condition of George Fox, whom the magistrates of this city have cast into prison, for words that he is accused to have spoken, which they call blasphemy. He was sent to the jail, till he should be delivered by due course of law; and it was expected he should have been proceeded against in the common-law court at this assizes. The informations against him were delivered into court; and the act allows and appoints that way of trial. How hardly and unchristianly he hath been hitherto dealt with, I shall not now mention; but you may consider, that nothing he is accused of is nice and difficult. And, to my knowledge, he utterly abhors and detests every particular, which by the act against blasphemous opinions, is appointed to be punished; and differs as much from those people against whom the law was made, as light from darkness. Though he is committed, judgment is not given against him; nor have his accusers been face to face, to affirm before him what they have informed against him; nor was he heard as to the particulars of their accusations; nor doth it appear, that any word they charge against him, is within the act. But, indeed, I could not yet so much as see the information, no, not in court, though I desired it, both of the clerk of the assizes and of the magistrates’ clerk; nor hath he had a copy of them. This is very hard; and that he should be so closely restrained, that his friends may not speak with him, I know no law nor reason for. I do therefore claim for him a due and lawful hearing, and that he may have a copy of his charge, and freedom to answer for himself; and that rather before you, than to be left to the rulers of this town, who are not competent judges of blasphemy, as by their mittimus appears; who have committed him upon an act of parliament, and mention words as spoken by him at his examination, which are not within the act, and which he utterly denies. The words mentioned in the mittimus he denies to have spoken; and hath neither professed nor avowed them.”

ANTHONY PEARSON.

Notwithstanding this letter, the judges were resolved not to suffer me to be brought before them; but reviling and scoffing at me behind my back, left me to the magistrates of the town; giving them what encouragement they could to exercise their cruelty upon me. Whereupon (though I had been kept up so close in the jailer’s house that Friends were not suffered to visit me, and Colonel Benson and Justice Pearson were denied to see me,) the next day, after the judges were gone out of town, an order was sent to the jailer to put me down into the dungeon among the moss-troopers,[29] thieves, and murderers, which accordingly he did. A filthy nasty place it was, where men and women were put together in a very uncivil manner, and not even a house of convenience to it; and the prisoners so lousy that one woman was almost eaten to death with lice. Yet, as bad as the place was, the prisoners were all made very loving and subject to me; and some of them were convinced of the truth, as the publicans and harlots were of old; so that they were able to confound any priest, that might come to the grates to dispute. But the jailer was very cruel, and the under-jailer very abusive to me and to Friends that came to see me; for he would beat Friends with a great cudgel, that did but come to the window to look in upon me. I could get up to the grate, where sometimes I took in my meat; at which the jailer was often offended. One time he came in a great rage, and beat me with a great cudgel, though I was not at the grate at that time; and as he beat me, he cried, “Come out of the window,” though I was then far enough from it. While he struck me, I was made to sing in the Lord’s power; and that made him rage the more. Then he fetched a fiddler, and brought him in where I was, and set him to play, thinking to vex me thereby; but while he played, I was moved in the everlasting power of the Lord God to sing; and my voice drowned the noise of the fiddle, and struck and confounded them, and made them give over fiddling and go their way.

Footnote 29:

Moss-troopers were the remnant of a kind of freebooters, who infested the borders of England and Scotland in feudal times, making incursions on each other, less for the purpose of contention in arms, than for committing depredations on cattle and property.

Justice Benson’s wife was moved of the Lord to come to visit me, and to eat no meat but what she ate with me at the bars of the dungeon window. She was afterwards herself imprisoned at YORK, when she was great with child, for speaking to a priest; and was kept in prison, and not suffered to go out, when the time of her travail was come; so she was delivered of her child in the prison. She was an honest, tender woman, and continued faithful to the truth until she died.

Whilst I was in the dungeon at CARLISLE, James Parnell, a little lad of about sixteen years of age, came to see me, and was convinced. And the Lord quickly made him a powerful minister of the word of life, and many were turned to Christ by him, though he lived not long: for, travelling into ESSEX, in the work of the ministry, in the year 1655, he was committed to COLCHESTER castle, where he endured very great hardships and sufferings; being put by the cruel jailer into a hole in the castle wall, called the oven, so high from the ground, that he went up to it by a ladder; which being six feet too short, he was obliged to climb from the ladder to the hole by a rope that was fastened above. And when Friends would have given him a cord and a basket, to draw up his victuals in, the inhuman jailer would not suffer them, but forced him to go down and up by that short ladder and rope, to fetch his victuals, (which for a long time he did), or else he might have famished in the hole. At length, his limbs being much benumbed with lying in that place, yet being constrained to go down to take up some victuals, as he came up the ladder again with his victuals in one hand, and caught at the rope with the other, he missed the rope, and fell down from a very great height upon the stones; by which fall he was exceedingly wounded in his head and arms, and his body was so much bruised, that he died in a short time after.[30] When he was dead, the wicked professors, to cover their own cruelty, wrote a book of him, and said, “he fasted himself to death;” which was an abominable falsehood, and was manifested so to be by another book, which was written in answer to that, and was called “The Lamb’s Defence against Lies.”

Footnote 30:

James Parnell, according to the historian Sewell, was trained up in the schools of literature. Though young, he became a valiant soldier of the Lamb;

“In age a stripling, but in service old;”

and died a true martyr in a dungeon’s gloom. Particulars of his barbarous treatment, and consequent death in jail, may be found in Sewell’s History, vol. i., under date 1655; and fuller information in his Life by Callaway. In Barclay’s Letters of early Friends is one from James Parnell written from Colchester Castle, wherein he says, “They have laboured to make my bonds grievous, but my strength the Philistines know not: I am kept and nourished in the midst of mine enemies; glory be to God the Highest, who hath counted me worthy to bear the bonds of the gospel.”

Now when I saw that I was not likely to be brought to a public hearing and trial (although I had before answered in writing, the particular matters charged against me, at the time of my first examination and commitment), I was moved to send the following paper, as a public challenge to all those that belied the truth and me behind my back, to come forth and make good their charge:—

“If any in Westmorland, or Cumberland, or elsewhere, that profess Christianity, and pretend to love God and Christ, are not satisfied concerning the things of God, which I, who am called George Fox, have spoken and declared, let them declare and publish their dissatisfaction in writing, and not back-bite, nor lie, nor persecute, in secret: this I demand of you all in the presence of the living God, as ye will answer it to him. For the exaltation of the truth, and the confounding of deceit, is this given forth. To that of God in your consciences I speak; declare or write your dissatisfaction to any of them, whom you call Quakers, that truth may be exalted, and all may come to the light, with which Christ has enlightened every one that cometh into the world: that nothing may be hid in darkness, in prisons, holes, or corners, but that all things may be brought to the light of Christ, and by the light of Christ may be tried. This am I moved of the Lord to write, and send forth to be set upon the market-crosses in Westmorland, and elsewhere. To the light of Christ in you I speak, that none of you may speak evil of the things of God, which you know not; nor act contrary to the light, that gave forth the Scriptures; lest you be found fighters against God, and the hand of the Lord be turned against you.”

G. F.

While I thus lay in the dungeon at CARLISLE, the report raised at the time of the assize, “that I should be put to death,” was gone far and near; insomuch that the parliament then sitting (which, I think, was called the Little Parliament), hearing, that a young man at CARLISLE was to die for religion, caused a letter to be sent to the sheriff and magistrates concerning me. About the same time I wrote also to the justices at CARLISLE, that had cast me into prison, and that persecuted Friends at the instigation of the priests for tithes; expostulating the matter with them thus:—

“FRIENDS, THOMAS CRASTON AND CUTHBERT STUDHOLM.

“Your noise is gone up to London before the sober people. What imprisoning, what gagging, what havoc and spoiling of the goods of people have you made within these few years! Unlike men; as though you had never read the Scriptures, or had not minded them! Is this the end of Carlisle’s religion? is this the end of your ministry; and is this the end of your church, and of your profession of Christianity? You have shamed it by your folly, your madness, and blind zeal. Was it not always the work of the blind guides, watchmen, leaders, and false prophets, to prepare war against them that would not put into their mouths? And have not you been the priests’ pack-horses, and executioners? When they spur you up to bear the sword against the just, do not you run on against the creatures, that cannot hold up such as the Scriptures did always testify against? Yet will you lift up your unholy hands, and call upon God with your polluted lips, and pretend a fast, who are full of strife and debate. Did your hearts never burn within you? Did you never come to question your conditions? Are you wholly given up to do the Devil’s lusts, to persecute? Where is your loving of enemies? Where is your entertaining of strangers? Where is your overcoming evil with good? Where are your teachers that can stop the mouths of gainsayers, and can convince gainsayers and such as oppose themselves? Have you no ministers of the Spirit, no soldiers with spiritual weapons displaying Christ’s colours? But all the dragon’s, the murderer’s, the persecutor’s arm of flesh; Cain’s weapons, chief priests taking counsel; Judas and the multitude with swords and staves; Sodom’s company raging about Lot’s house; like the priests and princes against Jeremiah; like the dragon, beast, and great whore, and the false church, which John saw, should cast into prison, and kill, and persecute? Whose weapons are you bearing? Doth not the false church make merchandise of cattle, corn, wine, and oil, even to the very souls of men? And hath not all this been since the true church went into the wilderness? Read Revelations the xiith, with the xviiith: do you not read and see what a spirit you are of, and what a bottomless pit you are in? And have not you dishonoured the place of justice and authority? What! turned your sword backward like madmen, who are a praise to the evil-doer, and would be a terror to the good, with all force and might to stop the way of justice! Doth not the Lord, think you, behold your actions? How many have you wronged? how many have you imprisoned and persecuted, and put out of your synagogues? Are you they that must fulfil the prophecy of Christ, Matt. xxiii. John xvi.?

“Read the Scriptures, and see how unlike you are to the prophets, Christ, and his apostles; and what a visage you have, like unto them that persecuted the prophets, Christ, and the apostles. You are found in their steps, wrestling with flesh and blood, and not with principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness, and your teachers imprisoning and persecuting for outward things, you being their executioners; the like whereof hath not been in all the nations. The havoc that hath been made, the spoiling of the goods of people, taking away their oxen and fatted beeves, their sheep, corn, wool, and household goods, and giving them to the priests, that have done no work for them; more like moss-troopers than ministers of the gospel, they take them from Friends; sueing them in your courts, and fining them because they will not break the commands of Christ; that is, because they will not swear. Thus you act against them that do not lift up a hand against you; and as much as you turn against them you turn against Christ. But he is risen that will plead their cause, and you cannot be hid; for your works are come to light, and the end of your ministry is seen, what it is for—for means. You have dishonoured the truth, the gospel, and are they that make it chargeable. You have lost your glory. You have dishonoured yourselves. Persecution was ever blind and mad. Read the apostle, what he saith of himself, when he was in your nature. Exaltation and pride, and your lifting up yourselves, hath brought you to this; not being humble, not doing justice, not loving mercy. When such as have been beaten and bruised by your rude company, to whom you are a praise and encouragement, have come, and laid things before you, that you might do justice, preserve and keep peace, you, knowing they could not swear, have put an oath to them. This hath been your trick and cover, that ye might not do justice to the just; but by this means you have gone on still further to encourage the evil-doer. But the Lord sees your hearts! If ye were not men past feeling, ye would fear and tremble before the God of the whole earth, who is risen and will stain your glory, mar your pride, deface your beauty, and lay it in the dust. Though for a time you may swell in your pride, glory in your shame, and make a mock of God’s messengers, who for reproving sin in the gate, are become your prey, you will feel the heavy hand of God, and his judgments at the last.

“This is from a lover of the truth, and of righteousness, and of your souls; but a witness against all such as make a trade of the prophets’, Christ’s, and the Apostles’ words, and are found in the steps of them that persecuted the prophets’, Christ’s, and the Apostles’ life; who will persecute them, that will not hold you up, and put into your mouths, and give you means. Tithes were before the law, and tithes were in the law; but tithes, since the days of the apostles, have been only since the false church got up. Now Christ, who is come to end the law, and to end war, redeems men out of the tenths, and out of the nines also. The redeemed of the Lord shall reign upon the earth, and know the election, which was before the world began. Since the days of the apostles, tithes have been set up by the Papists, and by them that went forth from the apostles into the world; so set up by the false church, that made merchandise of people, since the true church went into the wilderness. But now is the judgment of the great whore come, and the beast and false prophet, the old dragon, shall be taken and cast in the fire, and the Lamb and his saints shall have the victory. Now is Christ come, who will make war in righteousness, and destroy with the sword of his mouth all these inventors and inventions, that have got up, and been set up since the days of the apostles, and since the true church went into the wilderness. And the everlasting gospel, which is the power of God, shall be preached again to all nations, and kindreds and tongues, in this the Lamb’s day, before whom you shall appear to judgment. You have no way to escape. For He hath appeared, who is ‘the First and the Last, the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and the Omega; He that was dead, is alive again, and lives for evermore!’”

I mentioned before that Gervase Benson and Anthony Pearson, though they had been justices of the peace, were not permitted to come to me in the prison; whereupon they jointly wrote a letter to the magistrates, priests, and people at CARLISLE, concerning my imprisonment; which was thus:—

“Him, who is called George Fox, who is persecuted by rulers and magistrates, by justices, by priests, and by people, and who suffers imprisonment of his body at this present, as a blasphemer, and a heretic, and a seducer, him do we witness, who in measure are made partakers of the same life, that lives in him, to be a minister of the eternal Word of God, by whom the everlasting gospel is preached; by the powerful preaching whereof the eternal Father of the saints hath opened the blind eyes, hath unstopped the deaf ears, hath let the oppressed go free, and hath raised up the dead out of the graves. Christ is now preached in and among the saints, the same that ever he was; and because his heavenly image is borne up in this his faithful servant, therefore doth fallen man (rulers, priests, and people) persecute him. Because he lives up out of the fall, and testifies against the works of the world, that the deeds thereof are evil, he suffers by you magistrates; not as an evil-doer. For thus it was ever, where the seed of God was kept in prison under the cursed nature, that nature sought to imprison them in whom it was raised. The Lord will make him to you as a burdensome stone; for the sword of the spirit of the Almighty is put into the hands of the saints, which shall wound all the wicked, and shall not be put up till it hath cut down all corrupt judges, justices, magistrates, priests, and professors; till he hath brought his wonderful thing to pass in the earth; which is to make new heavens and a new earth, wherein shall dwell righteousness; which now he is about to do. Therefore fear the Lord God Almighty, ye judges, justices, commanders, priests, and people; ye that forget God, suddenly will the Lord come, and destroy you with utter destruction, and will sweep your names out of the earth, and will restore his people judges, as at the first, and counsellors, as at the beginning. And all persecutors shall partake of the plagues of the whore, who hath made the kings of the earth and the great men drunk with the wine of her fornications, and hath drunk the blood of the saints; and therefore shall you be partakers of her plagues.

“We are not suffered to see our friend in prison, whom we witness to be a messenger of the living God. Now all people, consider whether this be according to law, or from the wicked, perverse, envious will of the envious rulers and magistrates, who are of the same generation that persecuted Jesus Christ; for, said he, ‘as they have done to me, so will they do to you.’ And as he took the love, the kindness, and service that was showed and performed to any of his afflicted ones in their sufferings and distress, as done unto himself, so the injuries and wrongs that were done by any to any of his little ones, he resented, as done unto himself also. Therefore you, who are so far from visiting him yourselves in his suffering servant, that ye will not suffer his brethren to visit him, ye must depart, ye workers of iniquity, into the lake that burns with fire. The Lord is coming to thrash the mountains, and will beat them to dust; and all corrupt rulers, corrupt officers, and corrupt laws, the Lord will take vengeance on, by which the tender consciences of his people are oppressed. He will give his people his law, and will judge his people himself, not according to the sight of the eye, and hearing of the ear, but with righteousness, and with equity. Now are your hearts made manifest to be full of envy against the living truth of God, which is made manifest in his people, who are contemned and dispised of the world, and scornfully called Quakers. You are worse than the heathens, that put Paul in prison, for none of his friends or acquaintance were hindered to come to him by them; therefore they shall be witnesses against you. Ye are made manifest to the saints, to be of the same generation that put Christ to death, and that put the apostles in prison on the same pretence that you act under, in calling truth error, and the ministers of God blasphemers, as they did. But the day is dreadful and terrible, that shall come upon you, ye evil magistrates, priests and people, who profess the truth in words outwardly, and yet persecute the power of truth, and them that stand in and for the truth. While ye have time prize it, and remember what is written, Isa. liv. 17.”

GERVASE BENSON. ANTHONY PEARSON.

Not long after this, the Lord’s power came over the justices, and they were made to set me at liberty. But some time previous, the governor, and Anthony Pearson, came down into the dungeon to see the place where I was kept, and understand what usage I had. They found the place so bad, and the savour so ill, that they cried shame on the magistrates for suffering the jailer to do such things. They called for the jailers into the dungeon, and required them to find sureties for their good behaviour; and the under-jailer who had been such a cruel fellow, they put into the dungeon with me, amongst the moss-troopers.

After I was set at liberty, I went to Thomas Bewley’s, where came a Baptist teacher to oppose me; but he was convinced. Robert Widders being with me, was moved to go to CALDBECK steeple-house, and the Baptist teacher went along with him the same day. The people fell upon them, and almost killed Robert Widders; and took the Baptist’s sword from him and beat him sorely. This Baptist had the inheritance of an impropriation of tithes; and he went home, and gave it up freely. Robert Widders was sent to CARLISLE jail, where having lain a while, he was set at liberty again.[31] William Dewsbury also went to another steeple-house hard by, and the people almost killed him, they beat him so; but the Lord’s power was over all, and healed him again. In that day many Friends went into the steeple-houses, to declare the truth to the priests and people, and great sufferings they underwent; but the Lord’s power sustained them.

Footnote 31:

Robert Widders is often mentioned in this Journal, having travelled with George Fox in Scotland, as also in many parts of America. They went through great perils by sea and land, in the wilderness and in woods, in danger of wild beasts; yet through all the Lord supported him, and kept him faithful to the end. He was valiant for God’s truth, establishing many in the faith. He was a great sufferer from persecutors; once, at Caldbeck, he was thrown down on the ground, and kicked and beaten so cruelly, that blood gushed out of his mouth, and he was supposed to be dead. At Lamplugh, his clothes were torn on his back, and the hair from off his head; and at Bishop-Auckland, he was stoned and sorely bruised. His cattle, corn, and household goods were also swept away by wholesale, yet he was not at all dejected or concerned, knowing well for what he suffered. He was much resigned during his last sickness, often saying on his death-bed, “his heart was filled with the love of God;” and he departed this life in great peace in 1686, aged sixty-eight years.

Now I went into the country, and had mighty great meetings. The everlasting gospel and word of life flourished, and thousands were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to his teaching. Several that had taken tithes, as impropriators, denied the receiving of them any longer, and delivered them up freely to the parishioners. Passing into WESTMORLAND, I had many great meetings. At STRICKLAND-HEAD I had a large meeting, where a justice of peace out of Bishoprick, whose name was Henry Draper, came, and many contenders were there. The priests and magistrates were in a great rage against me in WESTMORLAND, and had a warrant to apprehend me, which they renewed from time to time, for a long time; yet the Lord did not suffer them to serve it upon me. I travelled on amongst Friends, visiting the meetings till I came to SWARTHMORE, where I heard that the Baptists and professors in Scotland had sent to have a dispute with me. I sent them word, that I would meet them in CUMBERLAND, at Thomas Bewley’s house, whither accordingly I went, but none of them came.

Some dangers at this time I underwent in my travels; for at one time, as we were passing from a meeting, and going through WIGTON on a market-day, the people of the town had set a guard with pitch-forks; and although some of their own neighbours were with us, they kept us out of the town, and would not let us pass through it, under the pretence of preventing the sickness; though there was no occasion for any such thing. However, they fell upon us, and had like to have spoiled us and our horses; but the Lord restrained them, that they did not much hurt; and we passed away. Another time, as I was passing between two Friends’ houses, some rude fellows lay in wait in a lane, and exceedingly stoned and abused us; but at last, through the Lord’s assistance, we got through them, and had not much hurt. But this showed the fruits of the priest’s teaching, which shamed their profession of Christianity.

After I had visited Friends in that county, I went through the county into DURHAM, having large meetings by the way. A very large one I had at Anthony Pearson’s, where many were convinced. From thence I passed through NORTHUMBERLAND to DERWENT-WATER, where there were great meetings; and the priests threatened that they would come, but none came. The everlasting word of life was freely preached, and freely received; and many hundreds were turned to Christ, their teacher.

In NORTHUMBERLAND many came to dispute, of whom some pleaded against perfection: unto whom I declared, “that Adam and Eve were perfect before they fell; and all that God made was perfect; and that the imperfection came by the Devil, and the fall; but Christ, that came to destroy the Devil, said, ‘Be ye perfect.’” One of the professors alleged that Job said, “Shall mortal man be more pure than his Maker? The heavens are not clean in his sight. God charged his angels with folly.” But I showed him his mistake, and let him see, “that it was not Job that said so, but one of those that contended against Job; for Job stood for perfection, and held his integrity: and they were called miserable comforters.” Then these professors said, the outward body was the body of death and sin. I showed them their mistake in that also; for “Adam and Eve had each of them an outward body, before the body of death and sin got into them; and that man and woman will have bodies, when the body of sin and death is put off again; when they are renewed up into the image of God again by Christ Jesus, which they were in before they fell.” So they ceased at that time from opposing further; and glorious meetings we had in the Lord’s power.

Then we passed on to HEXHAM, where we had a great meeting at the top of a hill. The priest threatened he would come, and oppose us, but he came not; so that all was quiet; and the everlasting day, and renowned truth of the ever-living God was sounded over those dark countries, and his Son exalted over all. It was proclaimed amongst the people that “the day was now come, wherein all that made a profession of the Son of God, might receive him; and that to as many as would receive him, he would give power to become the sons of God, as he had done to me.” And it was further declared, that “he that had the Son of God, had life eternal; but that he that had not the Son of God (though he professed all the Scriptures, from the first of Genesis to the last of the Revelations), had not life.” After all were directed to the light of Christ, by which they might see him and receive him, and know where their true teacher was, and the everlasting truth had been largely declared amongst them, we passed away through HEXHAM peaceably, and came to GILSLAND, a country noted for thieving.

Here a Friend seeing the priest, went to speak to him; whereupon the latter came down to our inn, and the town’s-people gathered about us. The priest said, he would prove us deceivers out of the Bible, but could find no Scripture for his purpose. Then he went into the inn; and after a while came out again, and brought some broken sentences of Scripture, that mention “the doctrines and commandments of men, &c., and, touch not, taste not, &c., for they perish with the using.” All which, poor man! was his own condition; whereas we were persecuted, because we would not taste, nor touch, nor handle their doctrines and traditions, which we knew perished with the using. I asked him what he called the steeple-house? “O,” said he, “the dreadful house of God, the temple of God.” Then I showed him, and the poor dark people, that their bodies should be the temples of God; and that Christ never commanded these temples, but ended that temple at Jerusalem, which God had commanded. While I was speaking, the priest got away; and afterwards the people appeared as if they feared we would take their purses, or steal their horses; judging us like themselves, who are naturally given to thieving.

The next day we came through the country into CUMBERLAND again, where we had a general meeting of many thousands of people at the top of a hill near LANGLANDS. A glorious and heavenly meeting it was; for the glory of the Lord did shine over all; and there were as many as one could well speak over, the multitude was so great. Their eyes were fixed on Christ their teacher; and they came to sit under their own vine; insomuch that Francis Howgill, coming afterwards to visit them, found they had no need of words; for they were sitting under their teacher Christ Jesus; in the sense whereof, he sat down amongst them, without speaking anything. A great convincement there was in CUMBERLAND, DURHAM, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORLAND, LANCASHIRE, and YORKSHIRE; and the plants of God grew, and flourished, the heavenly rain descending, and God’s glory shining upon them, so that many mouths were opened by the Lord to his praise; yea, to babes and sucklings he ordained strength.

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