CHAPTER XIII (3)

After the meeting, Friends passed away in peace, greatly refreshed with the presence of the Lord, and filled with joy and gladness, that the Lord’s power had given them such dominion. Many of the militia soldiers stayed also, and were much vexed that the captain and troopers had not broken up our meeting, and cursed them. It was reported that they intended to do us some mischief that day; but the troopers, instead of assisting them, were rather assistant to us, in not joining with them, as they expected, but preventing them from doing the mischief they designed. Yet this captain was a desperate man, for it was he that had said to me in Scotland, that “he would obey his superior’s commands; and if it were to crucify Christ he would do it; or execute the great Turk’s commands against the Christians, if he were under him.” So that it was an eminent power of the Lord, which chained both him and his troopers, and those envious militia-soldiers also, who went away, not having power to hurt any of us, nor to break up our meeting.

Next day we had a heavenly meeting at Warmsworth, of Friends in the ministry and several others; and then Friends parted. As they passed through the country, several were taken up. For the day that our first meeting was held on, Lambert was routed, and it made great confusion in the country; but Friends were not kept long in prison at that time. As I went to this meeting at Balby, there came several to me at Skegby in Nottinghamshire, that were then going to be soldiers under Lambert, and would have bought my horse of me; and because I would not sell him, they were in a great rage against me, using many threatening words; but I told them, “God would confound and scatter them;” and within two or three days after, they were scattered indeed.

From Warmsworth, I passed in the Lord’s power to Barton-Abbey, [Monk Bretton] where I had a great meeting; and thence to Thomas Taylor’s, and so to Skipton, where there was a general meeting of men Friends out of many counties, concerning the affairs of the church.[64] A Friend went naked [divested of the upper garments] through the town, declaring truth, and he was much beaten. Some others also came to me all bloody. As I walked in the street, a desperate fellow had an intent to do me a mischief; but he was prevented, and our meeting was quiet. To this meeting came many Friends out of most parts of the nation; for it was about business relating to the church, both in this nation and beyond the seas.

Several years before, when I was in the North, I was moved to recommend the setting up of this meeting for that service; for many Friends suffered in divers parts of the nation, their goods were taken from them contrary to the law, and they understood not how to help themselves, or where to seek redress. But after this meeting was set up, several Friends who had been magistrates, and others that understood something of the law, came thither, and were able to inform Friends, and to assist them in gathering up the sufferings, that they might be laid before the justices, judges, or Parliament. This meeting had stood several years, and divers justices and captains had come to break it up; but when they understood the business Friends met about, and saw their books and accounts of collections for relief of the poor, how we took care one county to help another, and to help our friends beyond the seas, and provide for our poor, that none of them should be chargeable to their parishes, &c., the justices and officers confessed we did their work, and passed away peaceably and lovingly, commending Friends’ practice. Sometimes there would come two hundred of the poor of other people, and wait there till the meeting was done (for all the country knew we met about the poor,) and after the meeting, Friends would send to the bakers for bread, and give every one of these poor people a loaf, how many soever there were of them; for we were taught to “do good unto all; though especially to the household of faith.”

After this meeting I visited Friends in their meetings, till I came to Lancaster; whence I went to Robert Widders’s, and so to Arnside, where I had a general meeting for all the Friends in Westmorland, Cumberland, and Lancashire. It was quiet and peaceable, and the living presence of the Lord was amongst us. I went back with Robert Widders; and Friends all passed away, fresh in the life and power of Christ, in which they had dominion, being settled upon him, the heavenly rock and foundation. After the meeting, there came several rude fellows, serving-men, belonging to one called Sir George Middleton, a justice that lived near, to make some disturbance, as it was thought. The meeting being ended, they did nothing there; but lighting on three women Friends going from it, they set upon them with impudent scoffs, and one of them carried himself very abusively and immodestly towards them. The same man abused other Friends also, and was so outrageous that he would have cut them with an axe; but was restrained by some of his fellows. Another time the same man set upon six Friends that were going to meeting, at Yealand, and beat and abused them very much, so that he bruised their faces, and shed much of their blood, wounding them very sore, one of them in several parts of his body; yet they lifted not up a hand against him, but gave him their backs and their cheeks to beat.

From Robert Widders’s I went next day to Swarthmore, Francis Howgill and Thomas Curtis being with me. I had not been long there before Henry Porter, a justice, sent a warrant by the chief constable and three petty constables to apprehend me. I had a sense of this beforehand; and being in the parlour with Richard Richardson and Margaret Fell, her servants came, and told her there were some come to search the house for arms; and they went up into the chambers under that pretence. It came upon me to go out to them; and as I was going by some of them, I spoke to them; whereupon they asked me my name. I readily told them my name; and then they laid hold on me, saying, “I was the man they looked for,” and led me away to Ulverstone. They kept me all night at the constable’s house, and set a guard of fifteen or sixteen men to watch me; some of whom sat in the chimney, for fear I should go up it; such dark imaginations possessed them. They were very rude and uncivil, and would neither suffer me to speak to Friends, nor suffer them to bring me necessaries; but with violence thrust them out, and kept a strong guard upon me. Very wicked and rude they were, and a great noise they made about me. One of the constables, whose name was Ashburnham, said, “He did not think a thousand men could have taken me.” Another of the constables, whose name was Mount, a very wicked man, said, “He would have served Judge Fell himself so, if he had been alive, and he had had a warrant for him.”

Next morning, about six, I was putting on my boots and spurs to go with them before some justice; but they pulled off the latter, took my knife out of my pocket, and hastened me away along the town, with a party of horse and abundance of people, not suffering me to stay till my own horse came down. When I was gone about a quarter of a mile with them, some Friends, with Margaret Fell and her children, came towards me; and then a great party of horse gathered about me in a mad rage and fury, crying out, “Will they rescue him? Will they rescue him?” Whereupon I said unto them, “Here is my hair, here is my back, here are my cheeks, strike on!” With these words their heat was a little assuaged. Then they brought a little horse, and two of them took up one of my legs, and put my foot in the stirrup, and two or three lifting over my other leg, set me upon it behind the saddle, and so led the horse by the halter; but I had nothing to hold by. When they were come some distance out of the town, they beat the little horse, and made him kick and gallop; whereupon I slipped off him, and told them, “They should not abuse the creature.” They were much enraged at my getting off, and took me by the legs and feet, and set me upon the same horse, behind the saddle again; and so led it about two miles, till they came to a great water called the Carter-Ford. By this time my own horse was come to us, and the water being deep, and their little horse scarcely able to carry me through, they let me get upon my own, through the persuasion of some of their own company, leading him through the water. One wicked fellow kneeled down, and lifting up his hands, blessed God, that I was taken. When I was come over the Sands, I told them I heard I had liberty to choose what justice I would go before; but Mount and the other constables cried, “No, I should not.” Then they led me to Lancaster, about fourteen miles, and a great triumph they thought to have had; but as they led me, I was moved “to sing praises to the Lord, in his triumphing power over all.”

When I was come to Lancaster, the spirits of the people being mightily up, I stood and looked earnestly upon them; and they cried, “Look at his eyes!” After a while I spoke to them; and then they were pretty sober. Then came a young man, and took me to his house; and after a little time the officers had me to Major Porter’s, the justice, and who had sent forth the warrant against me; he had several others with him. When I came in, I said, “Peace be amongst you.” Porter asked me, “Why I came down into the country that troublesome time?” I told him, “To visit my brethren.” “Then,” said he, “you have great meetings up and down.” I told him though we had, our meetings were known throughout the nation to be peaceable, and we were a peaceable people. He said, “We saw the devil in people’s faces.” I told him, “If I saw a drunkard, or a swearer, or a peevish, heady man, I could not say I saw the Spirit of God in him.” And I asked him, “If he could see the Spirit of God?” He said, “We cried against their ministers.” I told him, while we were as Saul, sitting under the priests, and running up and down with their packets of letters, we were never called pestilent fellows, nor makers of sects; but when we were come to exercise our consciences towards God and man, we were called pestilent fellows, as Paul was. He said, we could express ourselves well enough, and he would not dispute with me; but he would restrain me. I desired to know, “for what, and by whose order he sent his warrant for me;” and I complained to him of the abuse of the constables and other officers, after they had taken me, and in their bringing me thither. He would not take notice of that, but told me, “He had an order, but would not let me see it; for he would not reveal the king’s secrets;” and besides, “a prisoner,” he said, “was not to see for what he was committed.” I told him, that was not reason; for how should he make his defence then? I said, “I ought to have a copy of it;” but he said, “There was a judge once that fined a man for letting a prisoner have a copy of his mittimus; and,” said he, “I have an old clerk, though I am a young justice.” Then he called to his clerk, saying, “Is it not ready yet? Bring it,” meaning the mittimus; but it not being ready, he said to me, “I was a disturber of the nation.” I told him, I had been a blessing to the nation, in and through the Lord’s power and truth, and the Spirit of God in all consciences would answer it.

Then he charged me as “an enemy to the king; that I endeavoured to raise a new war, and imbrue the nation in blood again.” I told him, I had never learned the postures of war, but was clear and innocent as a child concerning those things, and therefore was bold. Then came the clerk with the mittimus, and the jailer was sent for, and commanded to take and put me into the Dark-house, and to let none come to me; but keep me there a close prisoner, till I should be delivered by the king or parliament. Then the justice asked the constables where my horse was; “for I hear,” said he, “that he has a good horse; have ye brought it?” I told him where my horse was, but he did not meddle with him. As they took me to the jail, the constable gave me my knife again, and then asked me to give it him; but I told him, nay, he had not been so civil to me. So they put me into the jail, and the under-jailer, one Hardy, a very wicked man, was exceedingly rude and cruel, and many times would not let me have meat brought in, but as I could get it under the door. Many people came to look at me, some in great rage, and very uncivil and rude. Once there came two young priests, and very abusive they were; the worst of people could not be worse. Amongst those that came in this manner, old Preston’s wife, of Holker, was one. She used many abusive words, telling me, “My tongue should be cut out,” and that “I should be hanged;” showing me the gallows. But the Lord God cut her off, and she died in a miserable condition.