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to the king, to do that which Christ and his apostle say is evil, and brings into condemnation? Would not you have cast Christ and the apostle into prison, who commanded "not to swear," if they had been in your days? Consider also thy poor neighbour, William Wilson, who was known to all the parish and neighbours to be an industrious man, careful to maintain his wife and children; yet had little but what he got with his hands in diligence and travels to supply himself. How should his wife maintain her children, when thou hast cast her husband into prison, and thereby made him incapable of working for them? Therefore it may be expected thou wilt have a care of his wife and children, and see they do not want; for how should they live, having no other way to be sustained but by the little that he got? Surely the noise of this is in the very markets, and the death of thy two neighbours, and the cry of the widows and fatherless is heard. All those fatherless and widows are made so for righteousness sake. For might not John Stubbs and William Wilson have had their liberty still, if they would have sworn, though they had been such as go after mountebanks and stage-plays, or run a hunting? Oh! consider! for the Lord's mind is otherwise. For he is tender, and the king hath declared his mind to be, that there should be no cruelty inflicted upon his peaceable subjects. Besides, several poor honest people were fined, who had need to have something given them; and it had been more honourable to have given them something, than to fine them and send them to prison, some of whom live upon the charity of others. What honour or grace can it be to thee to cast thy poor neighbours into prison, who are peaceable; seeing thou knowest these people cannot do that which thou requirest of them, if it were to save their lives or all that they have? Because in tenderness they cannot take any oath, thou makest that a snare to them. What thinkest thou do the people say concerning this? "We know, (say they,) the Quakers' principle that keep to Yea and Nay; but we see others swear and forswear." For many of you have sworn first one way and then another. So we leave it to the spirit of God in thy conscience, Justice Fleming, who wast so eager for the taking of George Fox, and so offended with them that had not taken him, and now hast fallen upon thy poor neighbours. But oh! where is thy pity for their poor fatherless children, and motherless infants? Oh! take heed of Herod's hard-heartedness, and casting away all pity! Esau did so, not Jacob. Here is also Thomas Walters, of Bolton, cast into prison, and the oath imposed on him through thee, and for denying to swear at all, in obedience to Christ's command, he is continued in prison, who hath five small children and his wife near down-lying. Surely, thou shouldst take care for them also, and see that his wife and small children do not want, who are as fatherless and she as a widow through thee. Dost thou VOL II.

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not hear in thy ears the cry of the fatherless, the cry of the widows and the blood of the innocent speak, who through thee have been persecuted to prison, and are now dead? Oh! heavy sentence at the day of judg ment! How wilt thou answer, when thou and thy works come to be judged, when thou shalt be brought before the judgment-seat of the Almighty, who in thy prosperity hast made widows and fatherless for righteousness sake, and for tenderness of conscience towards God? The Lord knows and sees it! O man! consider in thy lifetime how thou hast stained thyself with the blood of the innocent! When thou hadst power and mightest have done good amongst thy peaceable neighbours, thou wouldst not but usedst thy power not to a good intent, but contrary to the Lord's mind and to the king's. The king's favour, mercy, and clemency to sober people and tender consciences hath been manifested by declarations and proclamations, which thou hast abused and slighted by percuting his peaceable subjects. At London and in other parts the Quakers' meetings are peaceable; and if thou look but as far as Yorkshire, where the plot hath been, Friends' innocency hath cleared itself in the hearts of sober justices; and for you here to fall upon your peaceable neighbours and people, and to be rigorous and violent against them that are tender, godly, and righteous, it is no honour to you. How many drunkards swearers, and fighters, and such as are subject to vice, have you caused to be brought before you to your courts? It were more honourable for you to look after such; for the law was not made for the righteous, but for sinners and transgressors. Therefore consider, and be humbled for these things; for the Lord may do to thee as thou hast done to others; and thou dost not know how soon there may be a cry in thy own family, as the cry is amongst thy neighbours, of the fatherless and widows that are made so through thee. But the Quakers can and do say, "The Lord forgive thee, and lay not these things to thy charge, if it be his will."

Beside this, which went in the name of many, I sent him also a line or two, subscribed by myself only, and directed

To Daniel Fleming.

FRIEND, Thou hast imprisoned the servants of the Lord, without the breach of any law, therefore take heed what thou dost (for in the light of the Lord God thou art seen) lest the hand of the Lord be turned against thee! G. F.'

It was not long after this, ere Fleming's wife died, and left him thirteen or fourteen motherless children.

When I was prisoner at Lancaster, there was prisoner also one major Wiggan, a Baptist preacher. He boasted much before-hand

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what he would say at the assize, if the oath should be put to him; and that he would refuse to swear. But when the assize came, and the oath was tendered him, he desired time to consider of it; and that being granted him till the next assize, he got leave to go to London before the assize came again, and staid at London till the plague broke forth, and there both he and his wife were cut off. He was a very wicked man, and the judgments of God came upon him; for he had published a very wicked book against Friends, full of lies and blasphemies; the occasion of which was this. Whilst he was in Lancaster castle, he challenged Friends to a dispute. Whereupon I got leave of the gaoler to go up to them. And entering into discourse with him, he affirmed, 'That some men never had the spirit of God, and that the true light, which enlighteneth every one that cometh into the world, is natural.' For proof of his first assertion, he instanced Balaam, affirming, that Balaam had not the spirit of God,' I affirmed and proved that Balaam had the spirit of God, and that wicked men have the spirit of God, else how could they quench it, vex it, grieve it, and resist the Holy Ghost, like the stiffnecked Jews? To his second assertion, I answered, That the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, was the life in the world, and that was divine and eternal, and not natural. And he might as well say, the word was natural, as that the life in the word was natural. And wicked men were enlightened by this light, else how could they hate it? It is expressly said, they did hate it; and the reason given why, was, "because their deeds were evil;" and they would not come to it, because it reproved them; and that must needs be in them, which reproved them. Besides, that light could not be the scriptures of the New Testament; for it was testified of before any part of the New Testament was written; so it must be by the divine light, which is the light in Christ, the word, before the scriptures were. And the grace of God, which brought salvation, had appeared unto all men, and taught the saints; but they that turned from it into wantonness, and walked despitefully against the spirit of grace, were the wicked. Again, the spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, which leads the disciples of Christ into all truth, the same should reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment, and of their unbelief. So the wicked world had it to reprove them, and the true disciples and learners of Christ, that believed in the light as Christ commands, had it to lead them. But the world that did not believe in the light, though they were lighted, but hated the light which they should have believed in, and loved the darkness rather than it, this world had a righteousness and a judgment, which the Holy Ghost reproved them for, as well as for their unbelief.' Having proved, that the good and the bad were enlightened, that the grace of God had appeared unto all, and that all had the spirit of God, else they could not vex and grieve

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it, I told major Wiggan, the least babe there might see him; and presently stood up one Richard Cubham, and proved him an antichrist and a deceiver by scripture. Then the gaoler had me away to my prison again. Afterwards Wiggan wrote a book of this dispute, and put in abundance of abominable lies; but his book was soon answered in print, and himself was not long after cut off, as aforesaid.

This Wiggan was poor, and while he was prisoner at Lancaster he sent into the country, and got money gathered for relief of the poor people of God in prison; and many people gave freely, thinking it had been for us, when indeed it was for himself. But when we heard of it, we laid it upon him, and wrote into the country, that Friends might let the people know the truth of the matter, that it was not our manner to have collections made for us, and that those collections were only for Wiggan and another, a drunken preacher of his society; who would be so drunk, that once he lost his breeches.

After this it came upon me to write to the judges and other magistrates concerning their giving evil words and nicknames to such as were brought before them.' Which was after this manner.

To all judges or other officers whatsoever in the whole world, who profess to be Christians.'

FRIENDS, Herein and by reading the scriptures, ye may see both your own words and behaviour, and the words and practice of both Jews and Heathens, and of the King of kings, the great lawgiver and judge of the whole world. First, concerning the words and carriage of the Jews, when such as were worthy of death were brought before the rulers amongst them. When Achan had taken the Babylonish garment, the two hundred shekels of silver, and the wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, and Joshua, who was then judge of Israel, had by the lot discovered him, he did not call him, "sirrah," nor " you rascal," "knave," "rogue," as some, called christian magistrates, are too apt to do. But Joshua said unto Achan, "My son." Mark his clean language, savoury expression, and gracious words. "My son," said he, "give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast done, hide it not from me." Then Achan confessed, that he had sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus he had done. Then Joshua, the judge, said, "Why hast thou troubled Israel? The Lord shall trouble thee this day;" and they "stoned him and his with stones, and burned his goods with fire." But there was no unsavoury word given him that we read of, though he was worthy of death. Joshua vii.

'So when the man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath-day, was taken and brought before Moses, the judge of Israel, and put in ward

till the mind of the Lord was known concerning him, we read not of any reviling language given him; but the Lord said to Moses, and Moses to the people," the man shall surely be put to death." Numb. xv. 35.

'Likewise in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, when Moses called them to trial, he did not "sirrah" them nor misname them; but said to Korah and the rest, "hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi." Numb. xvi. 8. And when he gave the sentence against them, he said, "if these men die the common death of all men," &c. He did not say, if these rascals or knaves, as many that profess themselves christians now do.

When Elihu spoke to Job, who was a judge, and to his friends, and said, "let me not, I pray you, accept of any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man, for I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my Maker would soon take me away." Job. xxxii. Job did not say, "sirrah, hold thy tongue;" nor gave him any unsavoury expression. Then for the words of David, Solomon, and other kings and officers, see in the books of the Kings and Chronicles, the savoury language they gave to them that were brought before them. Nay, though Shimei cursed David the king, yet neither David then or afterward, nor Solomon, when he caused him to be put to death, give him any reproachful language, or so much as call him "sirrah." 2 Sam. xvi. and 1 Kings ii. Read the prophecies of Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the rest of the prophets, who prophesied to different people, and against rulers, kings, and magistrates; yet where can it be found, that they had any bad language given them, as "sirrah," or the like, by any ruler either of the Jews or Heathens? nay, though Jeremiah was cast into prison, and into the dungeon, yet there was no such word as "sirrah," or "knave," given him. Jer. xxxvii.

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'Respecting the words and carriage of the Heathens. When Abraham was before Abimelech, who was a king, he gave Abraham no unsavoury expressions. Gen. xx. When Isaac came before Abimelech, he gave him no taunting language. Gen. xxvi. When Joseph was cast into prison, and that in Egypt, we do not read he had any railing language given him. Gen. xxxix. Neither did Pharaoh, when Moses and Aaron appeared before him, give them bad language, as " sirrah," "knave," or the like.

'When Nebuchadnezzar sentenced the three children to the fiery furnace, there was no such language given them as "sirrah," "knave," "rascal;" but they were called by the names they were known by. Dan. iii. And when Daniel was brought before king Darius, and sentenced to be cast into the lion's den, he had no such ill names given him, as many give now, who call those Heathen rulers, but themselves christians. "If ye look into the New Testament, in the parable of the weddingsupper, the king that came to view his guests, did not say to him that

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