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days, he might see, that to deny swearing in obedience to Christ's command was no new thing.' He said, 'he wished the laws were otherwise.' I said, 'our yea is yea, and our nay is nay; and if we transgress our yea or our nay, let us suffer as they do, or should do, that swear falsely.' This, I told him, we had offered to the king, and the king said it was reasonable.'

After some further discourse, they committed me to prison again, there to lie till the next assize; and colonel Kirby gave order to the gaoler, 'to keep me close, and suffer no flesh alive to come at me; for I was'not fit,' he said, to be discoursed with by men.' I was put into a tower," where the smoke of the other prisoners came up so thick, it stood as dew upon the walls, and sometimes it was so thick that I could hardly see the candle when it burned; and I being locked under three locks, the under-gaoler, when the smoke was great, would hardly be persua ded to come up to unlock one of the uppermost doors, for fear of the smoke, so that I was almost smothered. Besides it rained in upon my bed; and many times, when I went to stop out the rain in the cold winter season, my shirt would be as wet as muck with the rain that came in upon me while I was labouring to stop it out. And the place being high and open to the wind, sometimes as fast as stopped it the wind would blow it out again. In this manner did I lay all that long cold winter till the next assize, in which time I was so starved with cold and rain, that my body was greatly swelled, and my limbs much benumbed.

I

The assize began on the sixteenth of the month called March, 1664-5. The same judges, Twisden and Turner, coming that circuit again, judge Twisden sat this time on the crown-bench, and before him I was brought. I had informed myself of the errors in this indictment also. For though at the assize before, judge Turner said to the officers in court, pray, see that all the oath be in the indictment, and that the word subject be in, and that the day of the month and year of the king be put in right; for it is a shame that so many errors should be seen and found in the face of the country; yet many errors, and those great ones, were in this indictment as well as in the former. Surely the hand of the Lord was in it, to confound their mischievous work against me, and to blind them therein; insomuch that although, after the indictment was drawn at the former assize, the judge examined it himself, and tried it with the clerks, yet the word subject was left out of this indictment also, the day of the month was put in wrong, and several material words of the oath were left out; yet they went on confidently against me, thinking all was safe and well. When I was set to the bar, and the jury called over to be sworn, the clerk asked me, first, whether I had any objection to make to any of the jury?' I told him, I knew none of them.' Then, having

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sworn the jury, they swore three of the officers of the court, to prove, 'that the oath was tendered to me at the last assizes, according to the indictment.' 'Come, come,' said the judge, it was not done in a corner.' Then he asked me, what I had to say to it; or whether I had taken the oath at the last assize?' I told him what I had formerly said to them, as it now came to my remembrance. Whereupon the judge said, ‘I will not dispute with you but in point of law.' Then,' said I, I have something to speak to the jury concerning the indictment.' He told me, 'I must not speak to the jury; but if I had any thing to say, I must speak to him.' Then I asked him, whether the oath was to be tendered to the king's subjects only, or to the subjects of foreign princes?' He replied, to the subjects of this realm; for I will speak nothing to you,' said he, but in point of law.' Then,' said I, look in the indictment, and thou mayest see the word subject is left out of this indictment also. Therefore, seeing the oath is not to be tendered to any but the subjects of this realm, and ye have not put me in as a subject, the court is to take no notice of this indictment.' I had no sooner spoken thus, but the judge cried, 'take him away, gaoler, take him away.' So I was presently hurried away. The gaoler and people looked when I should be called for again; but I was never brought to the court any more, though I had many other great errors to assign in the indictment. After I was gone, the judge asked the jury, if they were agreed?' They said, 'yes;' and found for the king against me, as I was told. But I was never called to hear sentence given, nor was any given against me that I could hear of. I understand, when they looked narrowly into the indictment, they saw it was not good; and the judge having sworn the officers of the court, that the oath was tendered me at the assize before such a day, according as was set in the indictment, and that being the wrong day, I should have proved the officers of the court forsworn men again, if the judge would have suffered me to go on to plead to the indictment; which was thought to be the reason why he hurried me away so soon. The judge had passed sentence of premunire upon Margaret Fell before I was brought in; and it seems, when I was hurried away, they recorded me as a premunired person, though I was never brought to hear the sentence, nor knew of it; which was very illegal. For they ought not only to have had me present to hear the sentence given, but also to have asked me first, 'what I could say why sentence should not be given against me? But they knew I had so much to say they could not give sentence if they heard me.

While I was prisoner in Lancaster castle, there was great noise and talk of the Turk's overspreading Christendom, and great fears entered many. But one day, as I was walking in my prison chamber, I saw the Lord's power turn against him, and that he was turning back again.' VOL. II.

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I declared to some what the Lord had let me see, when there were such fears of his overrunning Christendom; and within a month after the news came down, wherein it was mentioned, that they had given him a defeat.'

Another time, as I was walking in my chamber, with my eye to the Lord, I saw the angel of the Lord, with a glittering drawn sword stretched southward, as though the court had been all on a fire.' Not long after the wars broke out with Holland, and the sickness broke forth, and afterwards the fire of London; so the Lord's sword was drawn indeed.

Now by reason of my long and close imprisonment in so bad a place, I was become very weak of body; but the Lord's power was over all, supported me through all, and enabled me to do service for him, and for his truth and people, as the place would admit. For while I was in Lancaster prison, I answered several books, as the Mass, the Common Prayer, the Directory, and the Church Faith; which are the four chief religions that are got up since the apostles' days. And there being several Friends in prison at Lancaster and other prisons for not paying tithes, I was moved to give forth the following lines concerning tithes:

In the time of the law, those that did not bring their tithes into the storehouse robbed God; then there was not meat in their house; therefore the Lord commanded, "To bring them into his house, that there might be meat in the storehouse, which was to feed the fatherless stranger, and widow." But these priests who are counterfeits, who take people's tithes now by a law, are from the beast; and if any will not pay them, they prison them, or make them pay treble. These rob the poor, rob the fatherless, and the stranger and widow are not filled; so their cry is gone up to heaven against these. Many are made almost beggars by, these oppressing priests, their cattle and corn being taken away from them, and they cast into prison. Others are sued at law by the priests, and have treble damage taken from them; yet such priests are cried up to be ministers of the gospel. Though when the unchangeable priest was come, the priesthood that was changeable was denied, as we now deny these. But if any be moved now to cry against them, they are stocked, beat, or imprisoned. Many are now in prison at Lancaster and other places by a national law, the like whereof was never done by the law of God delivered to Moses. We do not read that under Moses' law any suffered imprisonment, or spoiling of goods for not paying tithes, or was to pay treble damage. Surely, surely, the cry for vengeance will be heard, which arises from the oppressed souls that lie under the altar. There are many prisoners at Kendal, because they cannot pay tithes, as captain Ward, Thomas Robertson, and the widow Garland, who hath many small children: these suffer because they cannot pay tithes.

Others there are in Kendal prison, who were moved of the Lord to speak to the priests, whereof one was moved to go in sackcloth, and of late with ashes upon her head. Others have been moved to go in sackcloth, as a lamentation for the miserable estate of this nation, seeing so many crying up of the preaching of the gospel, and yet so much strife, debate, oaths, and dissention among people. But where the gospel is received indeed, strife and contention are ended, and oppression is taken off. Oh? the land mourns, because of the oppression of those called ministers? And though the cry of the oppressed hath not entered into the ears of the magistrates, yet is the cry of the poor oppressed people of God entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, who now will be avenged of all his adversaries. You unjust lawgivers, and unjust judges, to that in all your consciences I speak, to be cleared, when ye are judged by the just Judge of heaven and earth; whose terror is gone forth against all the ungodly, and all the oppressors of God's people whatsoever, whether ye will hear or forbear. G. F.'

After the assize, colonel Kirby and other justices were very uneasy with my being at Lancaster; for I had galled them sore at my trials. there, and they laboured much to get me removed from thence to some remote place. Colonel Kirby threatened I should be sent far enough; and sometimes he said, 'I should be sent beyond sea.' About six weeks after the assizes, they got an order from the king and council to remove me from Lancaster; and with it they brought a letter from the earl of Anglesey, wherein was written, 'That if those things were found true against me, which I was charged withal, I deserved no clemency nor mercy; yet the greatest matter they had against me was, because I could not disobey the command of Christ, and swear.

When they had prepared for my removal, the under-sheriff and the head-sheriff's man, with some bailiffs, came and fetched me out of the castle, when I was so weak with lying in that cold, wet, and smoky prison, that I could hardly go or stand. They had me into the gaoler's house, where was William Kirby and several others, and they called for wine to give me. I told them, I would have none of their wine.' Then they cried, bring out the horses.' I desired them first to show me their order, or a copy of it, if they intended to remove me; but they would show me none but their swords. I told them, There was no sentence passed upon me, nor was I premunired, that I knew of; and therefore I was not made the king's prisoner, but was the sheriff's; for they and all the country knew, that I was not fully heard at the last assize, nor suffered to show the errors in the indictment, which were sufficient to quash it, though they had kept me from one assize to another, to the end they might try me. But they all knew there was no sentence of

premunire passed upon me, therefore I, not being the king's prisoner but the sheriff's, did desire to see their order.' Instead of showing me their order, they haled me out, and lifted me upon one of the sheriff's horses. When I was on horseback in the street, the town's people being gathered to gaze upon me, I told the officers I had received neither christianity, civility, nor humanity from them. They hurried me away about fourteen miles to Bentham, though I was so very weak that I was hardly able to sit on horseback, and my clothes smelt so of smoke they were loathsome to myself. The wicked gaoler, one Hunter, a young fellow, would come behind and give the horse a lash with his whip, and make him skip and leap; so that I, being weak, had much ado to sit on him; then he would come and look me in the face, and say, ' How do you do, Mr. Fox?' I told him, 'It was not civil in him to do so.' But the Lord cut him off soon after.

When we were come to Bentham in Yorkshire, there met us many troopers and a marshal; and many of the gentry of the country were come in, and abundance of people to stare at me. I being very weak and weary, desired them to let me lie down on a bed, which the soldiers permitted; for those that brought me thither gave their order to the marshal, and he set a guard of his soldiers upon me. When they had staid awhile, they pressed horses, raised the bailiff of the hundred, the constables, and others, and had me to Giggleswick that night; but exceeding weak I was. There they raised the constables with their clogshoes, who sat drinking all the night in the room by me, so that I could not get much rest. Next day we came to a market-town, where several Friends came to see me. Robert Widders and divers Friends came to me upon the road. The next night I asked the soldiers, Whither they intended to carry me, and whither I was to be sent? Some of them said, 'Beyond sea,' others said, To Tinmouth castle.' And a great fear there was amongst them, lest some should rescue me out of their hands; but that fear was needless. Next night we came to York, where the marshal put me up into a great chamber, where they came most part of two troops to see me. One of those troopers, an envious man, hearing I was premunired, asked me, What estate I had, and whether it was copyhold or free-land?' I took no notice of his question, but was moved to declare the word of life to the soldiers, and many of them were very loving. At night lord Frecheville, so called, who commanded those horse, came to me, and was very civil and loving. I gave him an account of my imprisonment, and declared many things to him relating to truth. They kept me at York two days, then the marshal and four or five soldiers were sent to convey me to Scarborough castle. Indeed these were very civil men, and carried themselves civilly and lovingly to me. On the way we baited at Malton, and they permitted Friends

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