Chapter XIV (3)

When we came before him, he told us “we met contrary to the act.” I desired him to show us the act. “Why,” says he, “you have it in your pocket.” I told him, he did not find us in a meeting. Then he asked us, “whether we would take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy?” I told him, I never took any oath in my life, nor engagement, nor covenant. Yet still he would force the oath upon us. I desired him to show us the oath, that we might see whether we were the persons it was to be tendered to, and whether it was not for the discovery of Popish recusants. At length he brought a little book; but we called for the statute-book. He would not show us that, but caused a mittimus to be made, which mentioned, “that we were to have had a meeting.” With this he delivered us to the constables to convey us to Leicester jail. But when they had brought us back to Swannington, being harvest time, it was hard to get anybody to go with us; for the people were loath to go with their neighbours to prison, especially in such a busy time. They would have given us our mittimus, to carry it ourselves to the jail; for it had been usual for constables to give Friends their own mittimuses (for they durst trust Friends,) and they have gone themselves with them to the jailer. But we told them, though our Friends had sometimes done so, yet we would not take this mittimus, but some of them should go with us to the jail. At last they hired a poor labouring man to go with us, who was loath to go, though hired. So we rode to LEICESTER, being five in number; some carried their Bibles open in their hands, declaring the truth to the people, as we rode, in the fields, and through the towns, and telling them, “we were prisoners of the Lord Jesus Christ, going to suffer bonds for his name and truth’s sake.” One woman Friend carried her wheel on her lap to spin on in prison; and the people were mightily affected.

At Leicester we went to an inn. The master of the house seemed troubled that we should go to the prison; and being himself in commission, he sent for lawyers in the town to advise with, and would have taken up the mittimus, and kept us in his own house, and not have let us go into the jail. But I told Friends, it would be a great charge to lie at an inn; and many Friends and people would be coming to visit us, and it might he hard for him to bear our having meetings in his house besides, we had many Friends in the prison already, and we had rather be with them. So we let the man know that we were sensible of his kindness, and to prison we went: the poor man that brought us thither, delivering both the mittimus and us to the jailer. This jailer had been a very wicked, cruel man. Six or seven Friends being in prison before we came, he had taken some occasion to quarrel with them, and thrust them into the dungeon amongst the felons, where there was hardly room for them to lie down. We stayed all that day in the prison-yard, and desired the jailer to let us have some straw. He surlily answered, “you do not look like men that would lie on straw.” After a while, William Smith, a Friend, came to me, and he being acquainted in the house, I asked him, “what rooms there were in it, and what rooms Friends had usually been put into, before they were put into the dungeon?” I asked him also, Whether the jailer or his wife was master? He said, The wife was master; and though she was lame, and sat mostly in her chair, being only able to go on crutches, yet she would beat her husband when he came within her reach, if he did not do as she would have him. I considered, probably, many Friends might come to visit us, and that if we had a room to ourselves, it would be better for them to speak to me, and me to them, as there should be occasion. Wherefore I desired William Smith to go speak with the woman, and acquaint her, if she would let us have a room, suffer our Friends to come out of the dungeon, and leave it to us to give her what we would, it might be better for her. He went, and after some reasoning with her, she consented; and we were had into a room. Then we were told, that the jailer would not suffer us to have any drink out of the town into the prison, but that what beer we drank, we must take of him. I told them I would remedy that, for we would get a pail of water and a little wormwood once a day, and that might serve us; so we should have none of his beer, and the water he could not deny us.

Before we came, when the few Friends that were prisoners there, met together on First-days, if any of them was moved to pray to the Lord, the jailer would come up with his quarter-staff in his hand, and his mastiff dog at his heels, and pluck them down by the hair of the head, and strike them with his staff; but when he struck Friends, the mastiff dog, instead of falling upon them, would take the staff out of his hand. When the First-day came, I spoke to one of my fellow prisoners, to carry a stool and set it in the yard, and give notice to the debtors and felons, that there would be a meeting in the yard, and they that would hear the word of the Lord declared might come thither. So the debtors and prisoners gathered in the yard, and we went down, and had a very precious meeting, the jailer not meddling. Thus every First-day we had a meeting as long as we stayed in prison; and several came in out of the town and country. Many were convinced, and some received the Lord’s truth there, who have stood faithful witnesses for it ever since.

When the sessions came, we were brought before the justices, with many more Friends sent to prison whilst we were there, to the number of about twenty. Being brought into the court, the jailer put us into the place where the thieves were put, and then some of the justices began to tender the oaths of allegiance and supremacy to us. I told them, I never took any oath in my life, and they knew we could not swear, because Christ and his apostle forbade it; therefore they put it but as a snare to us. We told them, if they could prove, that after Christ and the apostle had forbid swearing, they did ever command Christians to swear, then we would take these oaths; otherwise we were resolved to obey Christ’s command and the apostle’s exhortation. They said, “we must take the oath, that we might manifest our allegiance to the king.” I told them, I had been formerly sent up a prisoner by Colonel Hacker, from that town to London, under pretence that I held meetings to plot to bring in King Charles. I also desired them to read our mittimus, which set forth the cause of our commitment to be, that “we were to have had a meeting;” and I said, Lord Beaumont could not by that act send us to jail, unless we had been taken at a meeting, and found to be such persons as the act speaks of; therefore we desired they would read the mittimus, and see how wrongfully we were imprisoned. They would not take notice of the mittimus, but called a jury, and indicted us for refusing to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy. When the jury was sworn and instructed, as they were going out, one that had been an alderman of the city, spoke to them, and bid them, “have a good conscience;” and one of the jury, being a peevish man, told the justices, there was one affronted the jury; whereupon they called him up, and tendered him the oath also, and he took it.

While we were standing where the thieves used to stand, a cut-purse had his hand in several Friends’ pockets. Friends declared it to the justices, and showed them the man. They called him up before them, and upon examination he could not deny it; yet they set him at liberty.[75]

Footnote 75:

Cases similar to the above are not rare in the early history of
the Society; even thieves being allowed to escape, whilst the
party robbed, being unwilling to swear to the known fact, have
been made to suffer. In 1660, the following occurrence took place
at Reading assizes:—Henry Hodges, a poor smith, lost three cows,
which were found in the possession of the thief who stole them, he
was brought to trial, and Hodges appeared to claim his cows. The
judge told him they must be proved on oath before he could have
them again. He replied that he could not swear for conscience
sake. The judge said if any of his neighbours would swear they
were his, they should be returned to him; upon which one of his
neighbours took his oath, and the judge promised that they should
be returned. Thus far, the proceedings appeared just and equal,
but many thought the judge too rigorous, when, having observed the
sincerity and tenderness of the poor man’s conscience, who could
not swear in a case of his own property, he caused the oath of
allegiance to be tendered him in court; and, for his refusing to
take it, sent him to jail.—(Besse.)

It was not long before the jury returned, and brought us in guilty; and then, after some words the justices whispered together, and bid the jailer take us down to prison again; but the Lord’s power was over them and his everlasting truth, which we declared boldly amongst them. There being a great concourse of people, most of them followed us; so that the cryer and bailiffs were fain to call the people back again to the court. We declared the truth as we went down the streets all along till we came to the jail, the streets being full of people. When we were in our chamber again, after some time the jailer came to us, and desired all to go forth that were not prisoners. When they were gone, he said, “Gentlemen, it is the court’s pleasure that ye all should be set at liberty, except those that are in for tithes; and you know, there are fees due to me; but I shall leave it to you to give to me what you will.”

Thus we were all set at liberty suddenly, and passed everyone into his service. Leonard Fell stayed with me, and we two went again to SWANNINGTON. I had a letter from Lord Hastings, who hearing of my imprisonment, had written from London to the justices of the sessions to set me at liberty. I had not delivered this letter to the justices, but whether they had any knowledge of his mind from any other hand, which made them discharge us so suddenly, I know not. But this letter I carried to Lord Beaumont who had sent us to prison; and when he had broken it open and read it, he seemed much troubled; but at last came a little lower; yet threatened us, if we had any more meetings at Swannington, he would break them up and send us to prison again. But notwithstanding his threats we went to Swannington, and had a meeting with Friends there, and he neither came, nor sent to break it up.

From Swannington we went to TWY-CROSS, where that great man formerly mentioned, whom the Lord God raised up from his sickness, in the year 1649 (and whose serving-man came at me with a drawn sword to do me a mischief,) and his wife came to see me. Thence we travelled through WARWICKSHIRE, where we had brave meetings; and into NORTHAMPTONSHIRE and BEDFORDSHIRE, visiting Friends till we came to LONDON.

I stayed not long in London, but went into ESSEX, and so into NORFOLK, having great meetings. At NORWICH, when I came to Captain Lawrence’s,[76] there was a great threatening of disturbance; but the meeting was quiet. Passing thence to SUTTON, and so into CAMBRIDGESHIRE, I heard of Edward Burrough’s decease. And being sensible how great a grief and exercise it would be to Friends to part with him, I wrote the following lines for the staying and settling of their minds;—

“FRIENDS,

“Be still and quiet in your own conditions, and settle in the Seed
of God that doth not change, that in that ye may feel dear E.B.
among you in the Seed, in which and by which he begat you to God,
with whom he is; and that in the Seed ye may all see and feel him,
in which is the unity with him in the life: and so enjoy him in
the life that doth not change, which is invisible.”

G.F.

Footnote 76:

This Captain Lawrence, who has been mentioned before, was a man of
some note in the days of the Commonwealth. After he joined
Friends, he became a faithful sufferer for Christ. In 1660, with
his brother, Joseph Lawrence, and George Whitehead, he was
imprisoned in Norwich castle, in a small narrow cell called the
Vice, where they endured much hardship. In speaking of this
imprisonment, George Whitehead says, “I remember one morning,
Joseph Lawrence, after his pleasant manner, said to his brother
John, ‘O, Captain Lawrence, I have seen the day thou wouldst not
have lain there!’”

Thence I passed to LITTLE PORT and the ISLE OF ELY; where the ex-mayor with his wife, and the wife of the then mayor of Cambridge, came to the meeting. Travelling into LINCOLNSHIRE and HUNTINGDONSHIRE, I came to Thomas Parnell’s, where the mayor of Huntingdon came to see me, and was very loving. Thence I came into the FEN-COUNTY, where we had large and quiet meetings. While I was in that country, there came so great a flood that it was dangerous to go out, yet we did get out, and went to LYNN, where we had a blessed meeting.

Next morning I went to visit some prisoners there; and then back to the inn, and took horse. As I was riding out of the yard, the officers came to search the inn for me. I knew nothing of it then, only I felt a great burden come upon me as I rode out of the town, till without the gates. When some Friends that came after, overtook me, they told me, that the officers had been searching for me in the inn, as soon as I was gone out of the yard. So by the good hand of the Lord, I escaped their cruel hands. After this we passed through the countries, visiting Friends in their meetings.

The Lord’s power carried us over persecuting spirits, and through many dangers; his truth spread and grew, and Friends were established therein; praises and glory to his name for ever.

END OF VOL. I.

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HEADLEY BROTHERS, PRINTERS, LONDON AND ASHFORD, KENT.

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Transcriber’s Note

The handling of hyphenation of compound words across line breaks is governed by the frequency with which they are hyphenated midline.

‘Steeple-house’ is nearly always hyphenated in midline, and the few outliers that were not have been corrected. The exceptions are where ‘steeplehouse’ occurs in the editorial apparatus. See footnote 6, and (arguably) in the parenthetical phrase at 25.28.

As one can see from the list below, the printer was not consistent in the use of the opening quote mark in long, multi-paragraph passages. There were also a number of occasions where a closing quote mark either was missing or illogically added. On rarer occasions, a single quote was employed matching a double quote (and vice versa). These have been added where missing, emoved where they were deemed spurious, and corrected where appropriate:

61.15 [“]The (added); 63.3 saved,[’] (added); 75.1 wise.[’] (added); 142.5 [“]There (added); 150.20 [‘/“]Consider (added); 198.33 him,[’](added); 208.9 order.[”](added); 210.14 [“]But (added); 217.8 me.[’] (added); 217.47 [“]The (added); 218.41 [“]Sing (added); 219.48 [“]Where (added); 220.36 [“]Now (added); 221.11 [“]But (added); 224.13 [“]Christ (added); 224.35 [“]There (added); 232.29 inn;[”] (added); 281.8 [“]doth (added); 288.21 land.[”/’] (replaced); 297.2 therein;[’] (added) 298.2 [“]O! abominable (added); 305.13 [“]Noah, (added); 305.44 [“]You say (added); 307.21 [“]Beware,(added); 307.38 [“]Therefore (added); 309.19 [“]Now (added); 379.24 God.[”] (added); 336.30 church;[’] (removed); 353.6 world,[’] (added); 367.28 peace.[”/’](replaced); 368.43 many.[”] (added); 374.10 town.[’] (added); 405.5 [“]I will (added); 411.6 would.[”] (added); 416.14 could.[”] (added); 430.8 [“/‘]remembrance (replaced); 486.21 myself?[”] (removed); 507.1 them.[”] (added); 522.11 [“/‘]three (replaced); 522.17 persons.[”/’] (replaced); 526.10 it.[”] (added).

The word ‘chace’ at 4.8, is likely an obsolete spelling of ‘chase’, which refers to a large wooded estate.

A quotation beginning at line 114.1 (“amongst whom I declared...) has no closing mark. The voice seems to shift on line 114.15 (..to dwell in.”). and the closing mark was added there.

A quoted passage ending on p. 122 most likely should have been opened at 121.32 (“was their first step to peace...), and an opening quote was added.

A sentence beginning at 208.22 (“Whereupon I kneeled...)and ending at 208.26, (...what I had said to him.”) seems an error. It does not seem to be part of the dialogue and the surrounding quote marks have been removed.

A lonely closing quote appears at 421.12 (...fellowships in the world.”) A logical point for this quote to open is on the previous page at 420.19 ([“]The promise of God...). Judging by the context, the paragraph is a continuation of the previous quoted passage.

The word ‘throughly’ (xxv.2) is likely an obsolete spelling of ‘thoroughly’.

Other errors, deemed most likely to be the printer’s, have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.

xviii.13 to Charles II.[./,] exhorting him Replaced.
xx.22 and instructed Noah to salvation[.] Added.
xxvii.3 their exceeding great co[m/n]firmation Replaced.
25.17 steeple[-]house Inserted.
56.37 Doth it [d/p]urify you Inverted.
93.5 to preach in the steeple-house[.] Added.
142.21 in all things may [h/b]e his praise. Replaced.
142.44 plotted tog[e]ther to draw Inserted.
147.30 who had raised pers[e]cution before Inserted.
151.28 Matt, xxiii.[,]; Removed.
164.28 with the Lord’s truth[,/.] Replaced.
176.13 ye would[ would] fear and tremble Removed.
178.25 who are contemned and dispised _Sic._
179.40 in great pea[e/c]e in 1686 Replaced.
210.25 could not but declare[t] agains[t] Deleted/Added.
222.43 and unrighteou[s]ness of men Inserted.
258.1 SWANINGTON an[d] HIGHAM Added.
261.28 On[e] one occasion Removed.
283.39 and the corr[r]uption Removed.
287.8 against me[,]; Removed.
352.16 given to every man to profit withal[,/.]’ Replaced.
407.34 pp. 62[–]68. Added.
490.8 steeple[-]house Inserted.
412.17 brings fo[r]th heavenly and spiritual fruit Inserted.
480.30 continued in prison[.] Added.
508.25 childhood’s guileless tears[.] Added.
535.28 yet threaten[en]ed us Removed.