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having had many large and blessed meetings in the several counties I passed through, and been sweetly refreshed amongst Friends in my travels.

As soon as I was got to London, I hastened Mary Lower and Sarah Fell (two of my wife's daughters,) to the king, to acquaint him how their mother was dealt with, and see if they could get a full discharge for her, that she might enjoy her estate and liberty without molestation. This was somewhat difficult, but by diligent attendance they at length obtained it; the king giving command to Sir John Otway to signify his pleasure therein by letter to the sheriff, and others concerned in the country. Which letter Sarah Fell, going down with her brother and sister Rous, carried with her to Lancaster; and by them I wrote to my wife, as followeth:

'My dear heart in the truth and life, that changeth not.

'It was upon me that Mary Lower and Sarah should go to the king concerning thy imprisonment; and to Kirby, that the power of the Lord might appear over them all in thy deliverance. They went; and then thought to have come down; but it was upon me to stay them a little longer, that they might follow the business till it was effected: which it now is, and is here sent. The late declaration of mine hath been very serviceable, people being generally satisfied with it. So no more but my love in the holy seed.

G. F.'

The declaration here mentioned was a printed sheet, written upon occasion of a new persecution stirred up. For by that time I was got to London, a fresh storm was risen, occasioned, it was thought, by that tumultuous meeting in a steeple-house in Wiltshire or Gloucestershire, mentioned a little before, from which, as it was said, some members of parliament took advantage to get an act passed against seditious conventicles; which soon after came forth, and was turned against us, who of all people were free from sedition and tumult. Whereupon I wrote a declaration, showing from the preamble and terms of the act that we were not such a people, nor our meetings such as were described in that act. Besides that declaration, I wrote also another short paper, on the occasion of that act against meetings; opening our case to the magistrates, as followeth :

'O FRIENDS, consider this act, which limits our meetings to five. Is this," to do as ye would be done by ?" would ye be so served yourselves? we own Christ Jesus as well as you, his coming, death, and resurrection; and if we be contrary minded to you in some things, is not this the apos

tle's exhortation, to "wait till God hath revealed it?" doth not he say, "What is not of faith, is sin?" seeing we have not faith in things which ye would have us to do, would it not be sin in us if we should act contrary to our faith? why should any man have power over any other man's faith, seeing Christ is the author of it? when the apostles preached in the name of Jesus, and great multitudes heard them, and the rulers forbad them to speak any more in that name, did not they bid them judge whether it were better to obey God or man? would not this act have taken hold of the twelve apostles and seventy disciples; for they met often together? if there had been a law made then, that not above five should have met with Christ, would not that have been a hindering him from meeting with his disciples? do ye think that he, who is the wisdom of God, or his disciples, would have obeyed it? if such a law had been made in the apostles' days, that not above five might have met together, who had been different minded from either the Jews or the Gentiles, do ye think the churches of Christ at Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, Thessalonica, or the rest of the gathered churches, would have obeyed it? O therefore consider! for we are christians, and partake of the nature and life of Christ. Strive not to limit the Holy One; for God's power cannot be limited, and is not to be quenched. "Do unto all men as ye would have them do unto you; for that is the law and the prophets."

This is from those who wish you all well, and desire your everlasting good and prosperity, who are called Quakers; who seek the peace and good of all people, though they afflict us, and cause us to suffer. G. F.

As I had endeavoured to soften the magistrates, and to take off the sharpness of their edge in the execution of the act, so it was upon me to write a few lines to Friends, to strengthen and encourage them to stand fast in their testimony, and bear with christian patience and content, the suffering that was coming upon them.' This I did in the following epistle :

'ALL my dear friends, keep in the faith of God above all outward things and in his power, that hath given you dominion over all. The same power of God is still with you to deliver you as formerly; for God and his power is the same; his seed is over all, and before all; and will be, when that which makes to suffer is gone. Be of good faith in that which changeth not; for whatsoever any doth against the truth it will come upon themselves, and fall as a millstone on their heads. If the Lord suffer you to be tried, let all be given up; look at the Lord and his power, which is over the whole world, and will remain when the

world is gone. In the Lord's power and truth rejoice, Friends, over that which makes to suffer, in the seed, which was before it was; for the life, truth, and power of God is over all. All keep in that; and if ye suffer in that it is to the Lord.

'Friends, the Lord hath blessed you in outward things; and now he may try you, whether your minds be in outward things, or with the Lord that gave you them? therefore, keep in the seed, by which all outward things were made, and which is over them all. What! shall not I pray, and speak to God, with my face towards heavenly Jerusalem, according to my wonted time? let not any one's Delilah shave his head, lest such lose their strength; neither rest in its lap, lest the Philistines be upon For your rest is in Christ Jesus, therefore, rest not in any thing G. F.

you. else.

'London, the 12th of the 2d month, 1670.'

On the next first-day after the act came in force, I went to the meeting-house at Gracechurch-street, where I expected the storm was most likely to begin. When I came there, I found the street full of people, and a guard set to keep Friends out of their meeting-house. I went to the other passage, out of Lombard-street, where also I found a guard; but the court was full of people, and a Friend was speaking amongst them; but spoke not long. When he had done, I stood up, and was moved to say, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against that which pricks thee. Then I showed, it is Saul's nature that persecutes still; and that they, who persecute Christ in his members now, where he is made manifest, kick against that which pricks them. That it was the birth of the flesh that persecuted the birth born of the spirit; and that it was the nature of dogs to tear and devour the sheep; but that we suffered as sheep that bite not again: for we were a peaceable people, and loved them that persecuted us.' After I had spoken awhile to this effect, the constable came with an informer and soldiers; and as they plucked me down, I said, Blessed are the peacemakers.' The commander of the soldiers put me among the soldiers, and bid them secure me, saying to me, 'You are the man I looked for.' They took also John Burneyate, with another Friend, and had us away first to the exchange, and afterwards towards Moorfields. As we went along the streets the people were very moderate. Some of them laughed at the constable, and told him, 'We would not run away.' The informer went with us unknown; till falling into discourse with one of the company, he said, 'It would never be a good world till all people came to the good old religion that was two hundred years ago.' Whereupon I asked him, 'Art thou a Papist? what! a Papist informer? for two hundred years ago there was no other religion but that of the Papists.' He'

saw he had insnared himself, and was vexed at it; for as he went along the streets, I spoke often to him, and manifested what he was. When we were come to the mayor's house, and were in the court-yard, several asked me, 'How and for what I was taken?' I desired them to ask the informer; and also know what his name was: but he refused to tell his name. Whereupon one of the mayor's officers looking out at a window told him, He should tell his name before he went away; for the lord mayor would know by what authority he intruded himself with soldiers. into the execution of those laws which belonged to the civil magistrate to execute, and not to the military.' After this, he was eager to be gone; and went to the porter to be let out. One of the officers called to him, saying, Have you brought people here to inform against, and now will you go away before my lord mayor comes?' some called to the porter not to let him out; whereupon he forcibly pulled open the door and slipped out. No sooner was he come into the street but the people gave a shout, that made the street ring again, crying out, A Papist informer! a Papist informer!' we desired the constable and soldiers to go and rescue him out of the people's hands, lest they should do him a mischief. They went, and brought him into the mayor's entry, where we staid awhile but when he went out again, the people received him with such another shout. Whereupon the soldiers were obliged to rescue him once more; and then they had him into a house in an alley, where they persuaded him to change his perriwig, so he got away unknown.

When the mayor came, we were brought into the room where he was, and some of his officers would have taken off our hats; which he perceiving, bid them, let us alone, and not meddle with our hats; for,' said he, they are not yet brought before me in judicature.' So we stood by, while he examined some Presbyterians and Baptist teachers; with whom he was somewhat sharp, and convicted them. After he had done with them, I was brought up to the table where he sat; and then the officers took off my hat. The mayor said mildly to me, Mr. Fox, you are an eminent man amongst those of your profession; pray, will you be instrumental to dissuade them from meeting in such great numbers? for seeing Christ hath promised, that where two or three are met in his name, he will be in the midst of them; and the king and parliament are graciously pleased to allow of four to meet together to worship God; why will not you be content to partake both of Christ's promise to two or three, and the king's indulgence to four?' I answered to this purpose: Christ's promise was not to discourage many from meeting together in his name; but to encourage the few, that the fewest might not forbear to meet, because of their fewness. But if Christ hath promised to manifest his presence in the midst of so small an assembly, where but two or three were gathered in his name, how much more would his presence abound, where two or

three hundred are gathered in his name? I wished him to consider whether this act would not have taken hold of Christ, with his twelve apostles and seventy disciples (if it had been in their time) who used to meet often together, and that with great numbers? However, I told him this act did not concern us; for it was made against seditious meetings, of such as met under colour and pretence of religion, to contrive insurrections, as (the act says) late experience had shown; but we had been sufficiently tried and proved, and always found peaceable; therefore he should do well to put a difference between the innocent and the guilty.' He said, 'The act was made against meetings, and a worship not according to the liturgy.' I told him, ' [According to] was not the very same thing; and asked him, whether the liturgy was according to the scriptures? And whether we might not read the scriptures, and speak scriptures?' He said, 'Yes.' I told him, "This act took hold only of such as met to plot and contrive insurrections, as late experience had shown; but they had never experienced that by us. Because thieves are sometimes on the road, must not honest men travel? And because plotters and contrivers have met to do mischief, must not an honest, peaceable people meet to do good? If we had been a people that met to plot and contrive insurrections, &c. we might have drawn ourselves into fours: for four might do more mischief in plotting than if there were four hundred, because four might speak out their minds more freely to one another than four hundred could. Therefore we being innocent, and not the people this act concerns, we keep our meetings as we used to do; and I said, I believed that he knew in his conscience we were innocent.' After some more discourse he took our names, and the places where we lodged, and at length, as the informer was gone, set us at liberty.

Being at liberty, the Friends with me asked, 'Whither I would go?" I told them, To Gracechurch-street meeting again, if it was not over.' When we came there, the people were generally gone; only some few stood at the gate. We went into Gerard Roberts'. From thence I sent to know how the other meetings in the city were? And understood, that at some of the meeting-places Friends were kept out; at others they were taken, but set at liberty again a few days after. A glorious time it was; for the Lord's power came over all, and his everlasting truth got renown. For as fast as some, that were speaking, were taken down, others were moved of the Lord to stand up and speak, to the admiration of the people; and the more, because many Baptists and other sectaries left their public meetings, and came to see how the Quakers would stand. As for the informer aforesaid, he was so frighted, that there durst hardly any informer appear publicly again in London for some time after. But the mayor, whose name was Samuel Starling, though he carried himself smoothly towards us, proved afterwards a VOL. II.

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